The First Lackey Under The Empress

Eunuch Hai took a step and instantly vanished from where he stood.

The thick fog suddenly surged, like an icebreaker pushing through solid ice, or a raging fire burning through the darkness.

The old eunuch in the python robe almost created afterimages as he moved, his figure darting like a ghost. The fog of war, which could trap even Divine Chapter cultivators, seemed to not exist for him.

Soon, he approached a mountain peak and looked up. A thick pillar of cloud continuously rose from the summit.

Beneath the cloud pillar, a short, fat, and ugly man was vigorously waving a huge battle flag.

Sweat poured down like rain!

Just like in a battle between two armies, he was like a flag-bearer waving a banner on the city wall.

With each wave, a vast amount of mist spewed out from the banner, which was adorned with bizarre patterns.

"Hmph." Eunuch Hai was expressionless as he stomped on the mountain's surface with his right foot.

Poof!

The sorcerer waving the giant flag on the summit suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes filled with horror as he tried to escape.

But he felt weak all over, collapsing like mud.

Eunuch Hai stepped onto the summit, raising his hand and pressing it down on the ugly face of the sorcerer, nicknamed "Mist Ghost," who had roamed the pugilistic world for many years.

"Poof!"

Like a ripe tomato bursting open, the second corpse fell backward!

Killing two people was as easy as drinking water.

"Martial world ants, try learning how to assassinate someone in your next life." Eunuch Hai took out a handkerchief, wiped his dirty hands, and prepared to leave.

However, at that moment, a strong sense of crisis suddenly surged into his heart.

"Hai Chunlin."

A voice appeared in his mind out of nowhere.

The pupils of the number one royal guardian, the python-robed eunuch who had swept through the martial world decades ago, narrowed, and he paused his hand-wiping motion.

His gaze fixed on a figure standing on the opposite mountain peak, who had appeared there at some unknown time.

In the mountains, the thick fog slowly dissipated, but the surroundings remained dense. The ravine between the two peaks was filled like a sea of clouds.

Hai Chunlin saw a middle-aged man with grizzled hair and a beard.

Grizzled hair and a middle-aged man… these two terms actually appeared on the same person.

He was a man wearing an unremarkable long robe, with an ordinary face, a calm gaze, and a slightly graying beard that fluttered in the wind along with his hair of the same color behind his head.

He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, out of place with his surroundings, neither dressed as a sorcerer nor appearing as a martial artist.

"The God of Magic?" The old eunuch, whose real name was Hai Chunlin, narrowed his eyes, probing the other's identity.

The man with the unremarkable face did not deny it, sighing:

"The Empress is willing to spend so much, actually sending you to protect that young man. I regret not being able to learn from you when you left the martial world in the past, but I didn't expect to meet you here today."

Hai Chunlin chuckled, saying to the leader of the God of Magic Sect:

"Heh heh, you speak as if you are worthy of fighting with this old one. A mere defeated dog, with little cultivation, yet your tone is frighteningly arrogant. Daring to call yourself the 'God of Magic,' aren't you afraid of your tongue being blown away by the wind? If you want to compete with this old one, come with your true body."

The leader of the God of Magic Sect was not angry, smiling slightly:

"Guardian Hai, please take my move first."

As he spoke, this pinnacle expert among the martial world sorcerers waved his hand. With a rumbling sound, the sky full of clouds and mist condensed into a form, and a loud, soaring roar echoed through the sky.

In the mountains.

A furious dragon formed from clouds and mist, nearly a hundred feet in size, circled the God of Magic. Without any action from the self-proclaimed "God of Magic," the furious dragon opened its bloody mouth, carrying the power of heaven and earth, and crashed towards Eunuch Hai.

"Pretending to be a ghost!" The python-robed old eunuch spat, his right hand forming a blade, and he slowly chopped through the air.

Rumble rumble rumble…

Far away, on the official road.

"My lord, look over there!"

Qian Kerou's pretty face changed color as she pointed towards the mountains in the distance.

At this moment, the surrounding mist dissipated at an extremely fast speed. Although there was still a layer, the visibility had basically returned.

Therefore, everyone could clearly see it.

In the distant mountains, thick fog and white clouds were entrenched, but what exactly happened inside was not clear.

They only heard faint roars, like the roar of a dragon and the howl of a tiger, accompanied by a mushroom-shaped cloud slowly rising and then collapsing.

Until it disappeared without a trace.

"What sound is that? Could it be that wild beasts in the mountains are fighting?"

Censor Chen Hong muttered, as a mortal, he had an instinctive fear of wild beasts.

Hou Renmeng crossed his arms, sheathed his saber, glanced at the Censor, and complained:

"Censor Chen, why don't you guess that gods are fighting?"

Zhao Du'an looked at the dissipating mist around him, and the clouds and mist gradually flowing in the distant mountains, lost in thought.

After a moment, he turned his head and said:

"Continue on our way!"

It seems that the God of Magic Sect's ambush was blocked by an expert… Strange, where did the expert come from?

Zhao Du'an frowned, then relaxed. At this moment, he was not qualified to join in the fun at the risk.

He sheathed his sword and continued north.

……

Mountain top.

Eunuch Hai stood with his hands clasped behind his back, in front of him was a mist dragon that had been split in half from afar and was slowly collapsing. On the opposite mountain peak, only a dried-up skeleton remained.

"God of Magic Sect…" Hai Chunlin murmured softly, his eyes heavy. Although he had destroyed the other party's incarnation, but…

This sorcerer was unexpectedly powerful.

"I'm afraid he's not far from the Celestial Realm."

Eunuch Hai shook his head, turned around, and prepared to leave.

It was just that in his right hand behind his back, a pool of blood seeped out from his palm.

……

……

After the small episode, the following journey went smoothly.

A few days later, another morning, Zhao Du'an poked his head out of the carriage and looked ahead, only to see the majestic city gate of the capital already in sight.

"We're back!"

Zhao Du'an let out a heavy breath, a genuine smile on his face.

He hadn't been gone for long, but there was an urge to quickly meet and socialize with acquaintances.

"My lord, we're completely safe now." Qian Kerou and others also smiled.

Since the day they were ambushed, these people had been worried.

Now that they had completely entered the capital's range, a strong sense of security surged into their hearts.

"What's there to be afraid of? Assassins are here to kill me anyway," Zhao Du'an retorted.

Qian Kerou and the other Embroidered Uniform Guards stuck out their tongues, thinking that they would have to step over our corpses first.

Yuan Xingjun and the other cavalry who escorted them all the way were also exhausted. Zhao Du'an immediately handed out a token, asking them to go to the nearby Divine Machine Camp to rest before returning.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards of Pear Blossom Hall were enough to safely escort the two prison carriages into the city for the rest of the journey.

City gate.

The gate guards saw Zhao Du'an and his party returning, and immediately opened a small door to welcome them, avoiding crowding with the people entering the city.

After half a month, Zhao Du'an stepped into the streets of the capital again, feeling relaxed and happy, but his only regret was that the season was approaching the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the scenery in the city was much inferior.

"You guys take the prisoners back to the Imperial Prison to be imprisoned," Zhao Du'an instructed as he passed through the city streets.

Qian Kerou was stunned for a moment, and said cutely:

"My lord, aren't you going back to the yamen with us first?"

Beside her, Shen Juan smiled slyly:

"Why are you asking? Such a big case, the lord must first enter the palace to report to His Majesty."

You better be saying a serious report… Zhao Du'an clicked his tongue.

The other Embroidered Uniform Guard captains also showed smiles that men understood.

In their eyes, their lord was His Majesty's bed partner.

After not seeing each other for so many days, he must report it properly.

Too lazy to explain to these subordinates, Zhao Du'an walked to the prison carriage behind him.

Ignoring Wang Chusheng, he looked at Gao Lian, who had become much haggard after the journey, through the barred cage, and said faintly:

"Lord Gao, we have arrived in the capital."

Inside the prison carriage, Gao Lian, who was drowsy, opened his eyes. He maintained a posture like a monk sitting in meditation, looking at the bustling streets and the towering clock tower in the distance.

His lips moved, and he said in a low voice:

"The court will restore this official's innocence."

Zhao Du'an stared at him for a moment, nodded, and said with a fake smile:

"I look forward to that day."

……

After bidding farewell to the prison carriage, Zhao Du'an drove alone, heading straight for the palace.

When he arrived outside the palace gate, the guards were surprised to see him:

"Lord Zhao! You're back?"

Zhao Du'an smiled, got out of the car, threw the whip to the guard, and said:

"Please report, this official wants to meet His Majesty to report on his mission."

Soon, a little eunuch hurried out of the gate hole, flicking the dust whisk in his hand, his face full of smiles:

"His Majesty is in the back garden, this servant will take you there."

"Thank you, Eunuch." Zhao Du'an nodded.

Familiar with the way, he entered the palace gate, passed through the Meridian Gate Square, and arrived at the garden called "Back Garden", where he saw palace maids stationed in the garden.

Because the weather was getting colder, the palace maids no longer wore the bold and revealing gauze palace dresses, but instead put on high-necked clothes, which greatly disappointed Zhao.

This was not the first time he had come to the back garden. After entering the door, he followed the winding stone path, and under many guides, he came to the depths of the garden.

In autumn, the imperial garden was also much desolate and dilapidated.

However, in the midst of the dilapidated scene, he saw a white dress fluttering like a celestial being from afar.

The Empress was practicing swordsmanship.

She stood in the garden, holding a wooden sword in her hand, without a trace of aura or magic power on her body.

However, when the wooden sword crossed the cold air, it often made a whistling sound, and the plants and trees in the entire garden also swayed with it.

Xu Zhenguan's appearance was still as before. Because she had sealed her cultivation, after practicing the sword for a long time, fine beads of sweat oozed from her tall and fair nose.

Her forehead and cheeks were also slightly red.

Zhao Du'an stood aside with his head bowed, admiring the Empress's sword dance, only feeling that the hardships and dust of the long journey of thousands of miles had been washed away at this moment.

"Woo—"

With the last sword, Xu Zhenguan gently turned her white wrist, and the wooden sword returned to its sheath.

She stood there, panting slightly.

Zhao Du'an was quick-witted and snatched the tray from the palace maid next to her, and in her resentful eyes, he held the wooden tray containing clear water, a towel, and thirst-quenching pear soup, and came to the Empress's side with a bow:

"Your Majesty…"

Xu Zhenguan had already seen him coming, and pretended to see him now, her phoenix eyes quietly staring at him.

Then, the corner of her mouth seemed to smile, not ostentatiously, but a long-awaited joy after seeing him return safely.

Xu Zhenguan casually picked up the towel that was just right wet, wiped her face, wiped away the sticky sweat, and wiped the sweat on her jade hands, then turned her head and asked with a smile:

"How was Zhao Qing's trip?"

Zhao Du'an took a deep breath, holding the tray, and said in a deep voice:

"Reporting to Your Majesty, this minister did not disgrace his mission. The Taicang case has been solved!"

—

ps: Finally back to the capital, it’s comfortable to write about familiar maps, and the code word speed has been improved