The First Lackey Under The Empress

"The young master is back!"

As Zhao Du'an strode in, surrounded by the servants and maids, genuine smiles appeared on the faces of Yu Jinhua and her daughter.

In this world where travel is difficult, some partings are for life, with no hope of reunion.

That's why, in Zhao Du'an's previous life studying ancient poetry, farewells and homesickness were always major themes.

Moreover, because meetings were hard-won, remotely delivered letters were filled with weight.

Zhao Du'an hadn't been in this world for very long and didn't have a deep understanding of this.

He only knew that his return home caused a "sensation" within the Zhao mansion.

All the servants in the entire house came out to watch.

The mistress's first question was, "Have you eaten?"

Upon learning that Zhao Du'an had just returned from the palace and hadn't had lunch yet, she immediately ordered the cook to start the fire.

Then, Zhao Du'an was welcomed into the hall, where he naturally received a barrage of concerned inquiries.

The concubine wore a plain-colored, front-buttoned jacket embroidered with plump crabapple flowers.

The younger sister wore a goose-yellow dress, looking particularly refined and jade-like.

The two women surrounded Zhao Du'an, first looking him over with concern, saying things like, "Did you eat well?" and "Have you lost weight?"

Zhao Du'an then took out the local specialties he had brought back from Taicang as gifts, and casually recounted some of his experiences along the way.

As for the work matters, he briefly gave an overview, not mentioning the assassination attempt at all.

Thus, when the cook brought up the steaming hot dishes, Zhao Du'an devoured a hearty meal.

After rushing all the way, although he had rested in the cities along the way, he only felt truly grounded upon returning home.

With the hot food in his stomach, the full and satisfied Zhao got up and, under the pretext of needing to rest, returned to his bedroom to relax.

… …

East Wing.

Yu Jinhua and Zhao Pan returned to their room.

The beautiful woman took off her coat, sat cross-legged on the bed, and gently massaged her shapely and slender legs to relieve the fatigue from being busy earlier.

The charming young woman sat at the round table, excitedly unwrapping the local specialties Zhao Du'an had brought back.

She took out a jade bracelet with ice patterns from the gift box, put it on her wrist, and played with it, happily saying:

"Mother, do you think it looks good?"

Yu Jinhua glanced at her daughter and said with a smile:

"It looks good, it looks good. It looks like an expensive bracelet. Don't knock it or break it. Put it away. Mother will save it for your dowry later."

"… …" Zhao Pan pouted and stopped talking, silently covering her wrist with her sleeve, determined not to take the bracelet off.

She then said:

"Mother, do you think Big Brother and His Majesty really have that kind of relationship?"

"Ah?" Yu Jinhua paused her massaging of her calf, staring at her daughter in surprise: "What are you talking about?"

Zhao Pan was clever and mischievous, her eyes rolling, and she said quietly:

"Everyone outside keeps saying that Big Brother and His Majesty have that kind of relationship, but we know our own family matters.

I don't think so. Big Brother has only stayed in the palace for a few nights, all things considered.

When he goes to the palace, it's mostly during the day, to report on official business…"

"Also, I heard people say that men and women will become different after doing that, but I don't know how they're different. I just don't see any changes.

Mother, you have experience, what do you say, is it just a rumor?"

Yu Jinhua spat and scolded: "What are you thinking about all day, you unmarried girl? Don't interfere in your Big Brother and His Majesty's affairs."

"I'm just asking. I'm not stupid. I definitely won't tell outsiders."

Zhao Pan puffed out her cheeks, which had become rounder from gaining autumn weight.

Yu Jinhua didn't say anything, treating it as the end of the topic.

While massaging her crossed legs, she couldn't help but let her thoughts wander:

Da Lang… he really doesn't seem like he's tasted meat.

… …

… …

Bedroom.

After eating and drinking his fill, Zhao Du'an took a simple bath before comfortably climbing into bed.

"I wonder how Gao Lian's case will develop. Li Yanfu certainly won't let it go.

Alas, the court had finally calmed down… Never mind, it's none of my business. Since Zhenbao said she'll handle it, then so be it.

If they really make me go to court tomorrow to answer questions in public, I'll really be a little nervous…"

Zhao Du'an's thoughts were scattered, and he couldn't fall asleep.

He simply got up, sat cross-legged on the bed in the five-hearts-facing-heaven posture, and began his daily cultivation.

Cultivation is like sailing against the current; if you don't advance, you retreat.

It cannot be neglected.

Slowly breathing in and out, he visualized the second image of the Martial God Path, "The Six Chapters Scripture," in his mind.

According to experience, he would enter a world of darkness, and then wake up after the Qi in his body circulated a complete cycle.

However, this time, as he vaguely entered "The Six Chapters Scripture," the darkness before his eyes slowly dissipated, and scenery appeared in his vision!

Zhao Du'an was stunned!

Finally, there's a change? Have I finally gained a foothold in the Divine Chapter Realm?

What a coincidence, progress right after returning to the capital.

Suppressing his surprise, he curiously looked around, discovering that the place he was in was a desolate woodland, with a remote suburb in the distance, and the sky was filled with gathering dark clouds.

The cold wind was bleak, and the season was probably in late autumn.

"Where is this… I wonder if Old Xu is still in the Six Chapters Scripture…"

Having experience, Zhao Du'an didn't panic at all. He took a few steps forward and left the sparse woodland, and the scene before him suddenly opened up.

In his view, a dilapidated temple stood alone in the distance.

The dilapidated temple looked more like a Taoist temple, but it was slightly different from the architectural style of the current era, more ancient, and it was unknown how many months it had been abandoned.

The paint on the gate was mottled and black, covered with etched holes, and the lantern on the corner of the eaves had fallen to the ground, leaving only the bamboo frame.

The temple plaque was covered with cobwebs, hanging askew under the eaves, but the writing on it seemed to have been artificially destroyed, and the steps in front of the temple gate were cracked, with weeds growing in the cracks.

"This should be the first stop in the Six Chapters Scripture. Well, the architecture is ancient, um, it's definitely the style from six hundred years ago. Could it be some places that Old Xu had seen? And drew them in?"

Zhao Du'an curiously walked to the outside of the temple gate, climbed up the steps, and raised his hand to push hard.

"Creak—"

What came into view was a cold and quiet courtyard, overgrown with weeds, with a collapsed alchemy furnace in the corner.

Following the small path almost hidden in the weeds, he arrived at the main hall that had been ravaged by countless years.

The doors of the main hall were tightly closed, and the original couplets on the two pillars outside seemed to have been destroyed by knives and axes.

"Is there anyone there?" Zhao Du'an felt a chill in his heart for no reason, marveling at the fact that this place had a bit of a heavy Yin Qi.

He shouted loudly twice, but there was no answer. Only two crows flew up from behind the temple, flapping their wings and perching on the branches, overlooking the area below.

"No one? The style of this Six Chapters Scripture is a bit different from the previous one… Could it be that the NPC is in the main hall?"

Zhao Du'an complained, as he habitually regarded the Martial God Path scroll as a game to be cleared.

His feet had already walked towards the main hall, but just as he arrived in front of the steps of the main hall.

Suddenly, a rustling cool breeze, accompanied by a strong premonition of danger, came from behind!

Making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up instantly!

"Something's wrong!"

Zhao Du'an suddenly turned around, and then his pupils suddenly narrowed.

He saw a pair of red embroidered shoes floating in the air behind him, level with his eyes, the owner of the shoes seemed to be a woman.

At this moment, the embroidered shoes slowly fell from the sky, and he clearly saw a section of white jade-like ankle above the shoes.

Further up were two slender white legs, straight and slender, which were then covered by the drooping large red skirt.

"What kind of female ghost…" Zhao Du'an only felt his breathing quicken, his whole body seemed to be locked by some kind of force, making it difficult to move. He tried his best to raise his head, and finally caught a glimpse of the true face of the woman descending from the sky.

That was a classical woman wearing a big red wedding dress, the dark red wedding dress was like dried blood, and the golden auspicious cloud and auspicious beast patterns were painted on it.

It's just that her face was covered with a dark golden mask that covered most of her face, the shape was simple and mysterious, only half of her chin was exposed.

The woman was also holding a steelyard in her hand, painted in red and gold throughout, with a tassel tied with a green jade ring hanging from one end of the handle.

At this moment, the wedding-dressed female sorcerer descended from the sky, coldly overlooking Zhao Du'an.

Her eyes were indifferent, and the steelyard in her hand pierced into Zhao Du'an's skull, the latter's body felt a faint pain, and then his eyes went dark, and his consciousness was chaotic.

He was forcibly knocked out of the cultivation meditation state.

Before Zhao Du'an was kicked out of "The Six Chapters Scripture," he only vaguely heard a seemingly non-existent, extremely annoyed voice:

"Annoying… to… death…"

… …

Zhao Mansion, bedroom.

"Huff, huff…" Zhao Du'an woke up suddenly from meditation, panting heavily, beads of sweat seeping from his forehead.

He breathed a sigh of relief only after confirming that he had "returned," recovering from the state of being killed.

"If I didn't see it wrong, my skull was just lifted…"

Zhao Du'an touched his intact forehead, his mouth twitching, "Other people's steelyards are used to lift the veil, but you use it to lift the skull… Old Xu, what kind of things are you drawing? Female ghosts? Ancient sorcerers? Anyway, they don't look like martial artists…"

Zhao Du'an cursed and grumbled. Through brief contact, he judged two points:

First, the "wedding-dressed woman" in the scroll was not a ghost, but most likely a powerful sorcerer, because the fact that he was immobilized in the courtyard, as well as the faint magic fluctuations, were typical sorcerer methods.

Of course… why doesn't a sorcerer use magic to kill people, but uses physical methods… Well, considering that the Martial God Path also cultivates both sorcery and martial arts, it can be understood.

Second, this should be the cultivation content of "The Six Chapters Scripture."

"The previous "Martial God Picture" was to let me follow Old Xu on a journey, imitate him, learn from him, and temper my heart."

"This "Six Chapters Scripture" obviously involves "combat practice." If I'm not mistaken, the cultivation content is to defeat this ancient female sorcerer… Tsk, why does this look more and more like a game, and still a Soul series game… Damn, I'm not good at this. I only watch others play Black Myth: Wukong, and I don't have any ideas myself…"

Zhao Du'an sighed. Although he was complaining, he was faintly excited.

What he lacked was the experience of fighting against strong opponents, and as a result, it was arranged in this scroll.

"I just don't know which ancient powerhouse this female sorcerer who uses a steelyard is from. Well, Old Xu certainly wouldn't make it up randomly. It should be an opponent he had fought before, right?"

"Wait… Golden mask…"

Zhao Du'an suddenly paused, recalling the unique dark golden mask on the face of the wedding-dressed female sorcerer, he couldn't help but associate it with the armored female Shadow Guard he had seen in Taicang Prefecture.