The First Lackey Under The Empress

Boom—

At that moment, accompanied by swirling flames, the Tai'a Sword, almost like a meteor falling to earth, collided fiercely with the "Golden Bell" that enveloped the entire Shenlong Temple.

Centered on Shenlong Temple, people in large areas of the city echoed with a huge roar.

The Golden Bell flickered crazily, seeming to collapse several times in an instant, but each time it dimmed, it brightened up again.

Compared to the outside world, which only heard the roar, a strong wind was blowing and the earth was shaking inside Shenlong Temple.

One after another, the Buddhist bells in the temple rang and collided on their own, emitting a series of "dang", "dang" sounds.

In one Buddhist hall after another, the candlesticks and incense burners placed on the offering tables were also cracking and shaking, and the melons and fruits placed on the fruit plates fell to the ground.

"Ah—"

Monks with lower cultivation levels covered their ears with their hands, but their faces flushed red due to the turbulence of blood.

Bianji stood up with the support of others, looking up at the battle in the sky with a swaying mind.

The battle of the Celestial Realm.

"Humph!" Xu Zhenguan stood in the air. Seeing that her sword was blocked by Xuan Yin, she did not give up, but pinched her fingers with both hands.

Her red lips parted slightly: "Rise!"

The Tai'a Sword, which was resisting the illusory golden bell and had exhausted its strength, was summoned and rose into the air again.

Xu Zhenguan drew a circle with her wrist.

The Tai'a Sword revolved around the Empress, drawing a large circle in the air in the same way. As the sword swung, it left behind sword shadows in place. In the blink of an eye, dozens of sword shadows overlapped and merged into one.

"Go!" Xu Zhenguan released the sword for the second time.

On the Mahavira Hall, the short, thin old monk standing on the glazed tiles had his brown monk's robe dancing wildly in the wind. He put his hands together, and the sound of wooden fish rang out from the hall under his feet.

This time, the huge "World Honored One" Dharma form suddenly opened its eyes, but still did not counterattack. Instead, it calmly faced the angry sword, using its huge divine body to cover the entire temple.

"Boom!!!"

This time, the Tai'a Sword slashed fiercely on the lotus crown rotating on the head of the World Honored One's Dharma form.

In the thunderous sound, the Buddha's light around the World Honored One's Dharma form suddenly dimmed, and Abbot Xuan Yin's face also turned pale.

This old powerhouse in the Celestial Realm actually used his profound Dharma body to forcibly take a sword.

Seeing this, Xu Zhenguan refused to let go, raised her sword again, and slashed down the third sword after accumulating her strength.

This time, the lotus on the head of the huge World Honored One's Dharma form was cut off, and the Buddha's light also dimmed and shrank, only able to cover one area of the Mahavira Hall.

And Abbot Xuan Yin, who had continuously withstood three swords, was obviously weakened in aura even with his profound cultivation.

At this moment, the thin old monk, who seemed to be scattered by a gust of wind, finally spoke slowly:

"Has Your Majesty calmed down?"

He obviously saw the Empress's anger, and from beginning to end, he did not fight back, but took the three swords of the Celestial Realm at the cost of injury.

Seeing the old bald donkey like this, the baleful aura between Xu Zhenguan's brows also dissipated a little. She sneered:

"Xuan Yin, you can figure it out."

Abbot Xuan Yin sighed softly, a look of compassion on his somewhat ugly face:

"Your Majesty came in great anger today, may I ask what wrong has my Shenlong Temple done?"

Xu Zhenguan sneered: "You don't know?"

Xuan Yin said calmly: "May Your Majesty clarify."

"Okay," Xu Zhenguan stared at the old monk's expression and said coldly:

"Monk Dajing assassinated the officials I sent to Huting, causing them to be seriously injured and on the verge of death. Is this reason enough?! Monk Longshu also appeared in Huting, suspected of participating in another assassination. Is this reason enough?!"

As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar in the entire Shenlong Temple.

All the monks, including Bianji, were horrified, as if they did not know about this matter.

Abbot Xuan Yin, who was forced to leave the retreat, frowned on his dry face with sparse eyebrows:

"Is Your Majesty sure?"

Xu Zhenguan looked down at the old monk with unkind eyes, holding a long sword:

"What do you think?"

Abbot Xuan Yin's face sank, he took a deep breath, and said seriously:

"This old monk does not know about this matter. Shenlong Temple has no intention of being an enemy of the imperial court. Please allow Your Majesty to grant a little time to find Dajing and Longshu. If the two are really involved, this old monk, in the name of the abbot of Shenlong Temple, guarantees that they will be severely punished and give Your Majesty an explanation."

In the temple, Bianji and others also hurriedly spoke, expressing the same attitude.

Xu Zhenguan slashed out three swords. Facing a group of monks who did not fight back, her anger subsided slightly, and she said indifferently:

"I remember your words."

After saying that, her figure disappeared into the sky, and the rolling dark clouds also slowly subsided.

The frightening and terrifying pressure dissipated, and the huge "World Honored One" statue was also put away. All that remained in Shenlong Temple was a mess and many monks who had fallen to the ground, their souls lost.

"Abbot!" Monk Bianji hurried forward and came to the old abbot who had fallen from the main hall, wanting to speak.

But he was stopped by Xuan Yin raising his hand. The old monk's face was as heavy as water. He dropped a sentence "Summon the halls for discussion" and turned around, returning to the main hall with a flick of his sleeves.

At this time, the pilgrims who had been accidentally confined in the temple and came to burn incense were frightened and fled the temple one after another.

Not far after walking out, they saw a mighty army of imperial guards, wearing armor and holding sharp weapons, coming murderously and surrounding the once-prosperous Shenlong Temple.

… …

Inside the Jizhao Nunnery.

"Bodhisattva, it's not good, soldiers are coming from outside..."

A young nun ran in in horror. In Princess Yunyang's dazed gaze, she found Prajna Bodhisattva.

Prajna, who was still wearing thin monk's clothes in winter, revealing large areas of white flesh, was expressionless.

After instructing "Don't be restless", she disappeared into the Jizhao Nunnery and headed towards the opposite Shenlong Temple.

"A bunch of lunatics."

… …

Zhao Family.

"Mother, it seems to be over," Zhao Pan said stutteringly, looking at the distant sky that had returned to its original state.

You Jinhua also swallowed, never having seen such a big scene.

If the battle between Buddhism and Taoism was enough to open her eyes, then today's short exchange left a greater impression on the people of the capital than the former.

"I don't know what happened," Zhao Pan said.

The sound of the Empress and Xuan Yin's conversation was limited to the vicinity of the temple and was not heard in the distance.

You Jinhua said uneasily: "Don't let it be related to your elder brother."

A prophecy came true.

… …

Inside the Heavenly Master's Mansion, in a small courtyard deep inside.

Although it was winter, the mysterious banyan tree was still lush and green.

Zhang Yan, who was tall, with narrow eyes and wearing a black Taoist robe, stood with his hands behind his back in the small courtyard.

Looking at the Empress who turned into a stream of light and appeared in the courtyard.

Xu Zhenguan went straight to the point and said: "Heavenly Master, I have something I don't understand."

The Old Heavenly Master was not surprised by the Empress's arrival and said calmly: "Please speak, Your Majesty."

Xu Zhenguan stared at the Old Heavenly Master with her beautiful eyes and said seriously:

"Zhao Du'an said that your eldest disciple also appeared in Huting, suspected of intercepting Longshu."

Zhang Yan nodded frankly: "I asked him to go."

"Why?" Xu Zhenguan did not hide her confusion.

Zhang Yan did not answer immediately, but asked:

"Was Zhao Du'an the one stabbed by Dajing?"

Xu Zhenguan nodded, hesitated slightly, and still described the general situation.

Zhang Yan sighed and said:

"When he went south, I deduced the way of heaven and vaguely noticed that there would be danger in this trip, but it would not be fatal. So I ordered my eldest disciple to go..."

The Old Heavenly Master could only vaguely sense things that had not happened, but could not know the details.

Therefore, after the Little Heavenly Master arrived in Huting and met Bodhisattva Longshu, he naturally thought that the source of danger to Zhao Du'an mentioned in his master's letter should be in the Battle of Yansuo Lake.

Therefore, in order to be safe, he simply stared at Longshu as he left, thinking that this would be enough to complete the Old Heavenly Master's task.

But he didn't expect it.

In the omen of the Heavenly Dao, the "robbery" was not in Yansuo Lake, but in the assassination of Great Master Dajing that Zhao Du'an encountered on his way back.

Fortunately, the big result did not change. Although Zhao Du'an was injured, he was indeed not in danger of his life.

Xu Zhenguan nodded after listening, resolving the doubts in her mind, but new doubts arose, and she said quietly:

"The Heavenly Master seems to value Zhao Qing very much."

Zhang Yan was slightly embarrassed, but on the surface he looked calm and breezy:

"That junior helped Tianyuan and Jin Jian a lot. As his master, I just took care of him a little."

"Is that so..." Xu Zhenguan didn't quite believe it.

But now is not the time to care about the suspicion of "poaching talent". She asked again:

"What does the Heavenly Master think is the reason for Shenlong Temple's actions?"

Zhang Yan hesitated for a moment and shook his head: "Involving the World Honored One, I can't see clearly either."

The Empress was silent, then bid farewell and left.

The door of the small courtyard was pushed open, and Jin Jian and Gongshu Tianyuan ran in. They happened to see the scene of the Empress leaving and were slightly surprised:

"Your Majesty came? Master, what was that just now..."

Zhang Yan looked calm and casually said that Zhao Du'an was assassinated, which startled the two of them. After learning that there was no serious problem, they felt relieved.

“Master, are those two monks from Shenlong Temple crazy?” Little fatty Gongshu Tianyuan frowned.

Jin Jian nodded in agreement, looking puzzled, "That's what Senior Brother said."

Zhang Yiyi sighed, waving his hand, annoyed, “It has nothing to do with you. Stop worrying about others, focus on breaking through your realms as soon as possible, and then get out there and gain experience. All you do is make noise all day long.”

The two Zhu Dian children were criticized and left feeling aggrieved.

Zhang Yiyi then sighed softly again, “What a mess.”

It wasn't that he had no guesses, but the Tianshi Mansion's stance of not participating in secular disputes remained consistent.

Helping Zhao Du'an block Longshu was acceptable, but getting involved in deeper troubles was not what he wanted.

……

……

Imperial Palace.

After watching the Empress leave, Zhao Du'an felt very anxious, but he could only lie down obediently and rest.

After taking the medicine, although his injuries hadn't improved immediately, the pain had lessened a lot.

Eventually, he was barely able to sit up, leaning against the soft cushions as he waited.

Listening to the faint rumbling sound coming from outside, his eyelids twitched erratically.

“Your Majesty.”

Finally, the voice of a palace maid sounded outside the door, and then, the door opened, and the Empress, dressed in white and with her black hair cascading down like a waterfall, returned.

The Tai'a Sword in her hand had already returned to its sheath. Her trip seemed as simple as eating and drinking.

“Your Majesty…”

Zhao Du'an eagerly looked her over, and only after seeing that Zhenbao had no injuries or signs of battle did he breathe a sigh of relief. “I heard rumbling sounds outside…”

Xu Zhenguan closed the door, walked to his side, sat down on the round stool, and said with a calm expression, “Oh,” explaining, “I went to Shenlong Temple and had a fight with Xuan Yin.”

Then, the Empress casually recounted her entire outing.

Zhao Du'an was alarmed and felt both that she was too impulsive and a warm current in his heart.

He jokingly teased, “Your Majesty, you've made such a big commotion for me. I really have to dedicate myself to Your Majesty and die without regret in the future.”

Xu Zhenguan rolled her eyes and said, “So, Zhao Qing wasn't willing to before?”

“...That's not what I meant!”

“Hehe.”

Although that's what they said, what they were really thinking was another matter.

Zhao Du'an looked at the Empress, who was so close. The room had several braziers, plus the palace's geothermal heating, making the two of them feel a little hot.

“Your Majesty…”

Zhao Du'an swallowed, wanting to take the opportunity to say something flirtatious.

But Xu Zhenguan saw through his intentions and took the initiative to break the slightly ambiguous atmosphere, “What do you think about the Shenlong Temple matter?”

Seriously… can't you talk about romance with an injured person? Why do you have to talk about serious matters at this time… Zhao Du'an complained in his heart.

But he also knew the Empress's personality, which dictated that the soft side of her heart would always be hidden within her dignified and graceful shell. Even occasional glimpses of it were rare, and she wasn't as easy to break through that barrier as ordinary women with only love on their minds.

Besides, his current physical condition really made him powerless…

So, he restrained his thoughts and said seriously, “I think Longshu and Dajing should be viewed separately. The two may not have been in agreement. Otherwise, wouldn't appearing together at Yan Suo Lake or ambushing together have a better chance of success?”

“Of course, the first thing to determine is Abbot Xuan Yin's attitude. According to what Your Majesty just said, Xuan Yin may indeed not know about this, because it doesn't make sense logically.

If this assassination was led by Xuan Yin, it would mean that Shenlong Temple is ready to confront the imperial court, tear off their masks, and take the side of the Eight Kings. But Xuan Yin didn't fight back, endured three swords, and even publicly stated that he would cooperate with the investigation… There's really no need for that.”

Xu Zhenguan nodded, “Continue.”

Zhao Du'an analyzed, “As far as I know, Shenlong Temple is divided into four factions. Xuan Yin's lineage is the main one, and Prajna Bodhisattva leads a group of nuns who are unwilling to be involved in the merging of Buddhist sects and exist separately.

The remaining Longshu Bodhisattva and Dajing Shangshi have always been scheming and vying for the position of the next abbot.”

After a pause, he thought and said, “So, I can understand Longshu's actions. I even suspect that Longshu's appearance at Yan Suo Lake wasn't really intended to assassinate me. His purpose was just to show his face, and he could claim to the outside world that he was looking for trouble with me for the sake of the little monk Tianhai… so as not to take things too far.

And last time, Longshu's plan for many years failed in the battle between Buddhism and Taoism. Xuan Yin has always maintained a good relationship with the imperial court. If Longshu wants to defeat Xuan Yin, he needs to find other help…

So, Longshu's faction does have the motive to collude with the Eight Kings… Moreover, by doing so, he is not in the capital, and the imperial court will inevitably put pressure on Xuan Yin, which can also be considered a blow to Xuan Yin's power… killing two birds with one stone.”

Xu Zhenguan nodded slightly, “What about Dajing?”

Zhao Du'an said helplessly, “This is what I can't figure out. Dajing's assassination was too direct, leaving no room for maneuver, and was clearly aimed at killing me… This behavior can't be explained by just disgusting Xuan Yin.

Because compared to holding Xuan Yin accountable, the consequences he faces are more serious…

It can almost be concluded that after Dajing Shangshi kills me, it's impossible for him to return to Shenlong Temple unless Xuan Yin and the other factions are willing to immediately start a war with the imperial court to protect him… This is obviously unrealistic.”

Xu Zhenguan listened to his analysis quietly and said, “So, in your opinion, Dajing's move to kill you is almost suicidal?”

“Yes,” Zhao Du'an nodded, and said seriously, “This is what puzzles me. By doing so, he is equivalent to voluntarily giving up the opportunity to compete for the position of the next abbot and giving up the foundation he has worked hard to build for many years.

As long as Xuan Yin doesn't protect him at all costs, he will only end up as a fugitive. This is also why I think it's unreasonable for him to be in cahoots with Longshu Bodhisattva. It's too illogical…

Even if Dajing completely surrendered to the Eight Kings, with his status and position, why would he do this? Where did he get the confidence to believe that the one of the Eight Kings he surrendered to could win? And could help him solve Xuan Yin and others?”

Xu Zhenguan's expression was unusually calm, “You're right, Dajing's actions are indeed difficult to understand, but what if he never intended to stay in Dayu?”

Zhao Du'an was stunned. He stared blankly at the Empress's calm face, and a possibility suddenly flashed through his mind. He exclaimed, “Your Majesty means… West…”

“That's right, the Western Regions,”

Xu Zhenguan sighed softly, seemingly already having a guess in her heart, “Do you know that the title 'Shangshi' is a tradition within the ancestral court of Buddhism in the Western Regions.

After this lineage of Buddhism from Shenlong Temple entered Dayu, few people called themselves Shangshi anymore, but instead called themselves Bodhisattva. Prajna and Longshu are both Bodhisattvas… Only Dajing retained the title of Shangshi.”

“Of course, this is not a problem within Buddhism, but rather symbolizes his support for the merging of Buddhism from the East and West, replacing the Buddhism of the Western Regions, and inheriting the orthodox lineage of Buddhism. But now that I think about it, perhaps there's another explanation, it's not certain.”

Zhao Du'an was stunned as he listened. His expression changed, and he said quickly, “So, Your Majesty, you mean that Dajing Shangshi may have decided to surrender to the Western Regions? Return to the ancestral court? He never intended to continue seeking promotion in Shenlong Temple, so he has no more worries…

And a person like him must present enough of a 'pledge of allegiance' to return to the ancestral court of the Western Regions, showing that he has severed ties with Dayu… So, assassinating me is a good option?

As long as he kills me, he has no way back. The Buddhism of the Western Regions can accept him with peace of mind, and he can also use his identity to force the imperial court to severely punish Shenlong Temple, and severely suppress and weaken the power of Shenlong Temple…”

Xu Zhenguan nodded, and then said, “The ancestral court of the Western Regions and Shenlong Temple of Dayu have been fighting for a long time, both wanting to promote the merging,吞并each other, and obtain the complete inheritance of Buddhism. The weaker Shenlong Temple is, the greater the chances of the ancestral court of the Western Regions.”

Zhao Du'an was silent, his mind suddenly enlightened.

If this is the explanation, then the actions of this group of monks all make sense!

The many behaviors that he previously thought were logically contradictory and strange now have reasonable explanations.

And if their guess is true, then Dajing Shangshi is probably already on his way to the Western Regions.

Thank you to book friends Shining Skull for the 2,000 points, New Grief for the 1,500 points, and 1504…4482 for the 500 points reward support!