The First Lackey Under The Empress

This book is first published on the entire network by 𝕥 𝕨 𝕜 𝕒 𝕟 . 𝕔 𝕠 𝕞

In a daze, Zhao Du'an seemed to see a series of pictures, gradually "refreshing" frame by frame, initially somewhat stagnant, but then becoming increasingly smooth.

"This is… a scene of the bedroom? Wait, I haven't opened my eyes, how can I see these… and what's with this panoramic view… Hiss, is this the so-called cultivator's divine sense? Because of the blessing of the Azure Lotus, have I gained this ability in advance?"

Zhao Du'an's mind was muddled, half-dreaming and half-awake, observing his surroundings from this completely new perspective.

Upon discovering that the Empress wasn't on the bed, he didn't even react, only subconsciously continuing to expand his divine sense.

Gradually, he "saw" the garden outside the door, saw the lanterns hanging in the distant cold wind and the bright moon in the sky, heard the sound of the wind at night, and… the sound of water?

Zhao Du'an's divine sense subconsciously followed the sound of water, passing through layers of houses without hindrance, and then…

He saw a pair of familiar eyes.

Those eyes looked at him in astonishment, then surged with thunderous anger, and then, a divine sense many times more vast and powerful than his own heavily bombarded him.

Zhao Du'an's diffused divine sense immediately contracted back into his mind, the Azure Lotus shook violently, as if it had been impacted, and before Zhao Du'an could recover, he simply and neatly fainted.

Squeak—

The closed door was suddenly pushed open by a pair of hands, and the cold wind rushed into the warm room.

Xu Zhenguan, wearing only her inner garment, floated in like a ghost, her eyes fixed gloomily on Zhao, who was completely unconscious on the ground.

"Get up."

She commanded with an unkind expression: "I order you to get up!"

"…"

"Really asleep?"

Xu Zhenguan's brows furrowed slowly, becoming somewhat doubtful, and after a long silence, she suddenly kicked him, one kick, two kicks…

"Get up!"

"You get up for me!"

"…Fainted? Consider yourself lucky."

After a while, the Empress, failing to wake him up physically, flicked her sleeves and returned to bed, leaving behind a dragon-patterned jade pendant, constructing a barrier before closing her eyes to sleep.

…

The night passed without incident, and dawn arrived in the blink of an eye.

When Zhao Du'an opened his eyes, his first reaction was that his whole body was sore:

"Isn't this… how come it feels like I've been kicked several times again…"

A little dazed, he sat up, supporting his forehead, and glanced around the room, finding that the curtains had already been lifted, the bedding in the inner room neatly arranged, the sky already bright, and the sunlight shining through the window paper, illuminating the entire warm hall in a white light.

"How long have I been asleep…"

Zhao Du'an shook his head vigorously, sitting on the ground and slowly recovering his memory: "I seemed to accidentally release my divine sense last night… Divine sense release?"

His eyes lit up, and he immediately tried to visualize the "Azure Lotus" again.

But this time, no matter how he tried, he couldn't reproduce the state of last night.

"Was it an accidental entry into that state, or is it… that there was no release at all, and it was just a dream I had?"

Zhao Du'an began to doubt himself, but thinking of the latter half of the "dream," with some vaguely appearing fragments, he felt that this dream was quite lewd… Well, it must be a dream. Completely outrageous…

Somewhat disappointed, he put on his clothes, and Zhao Du'an pushed open the door, the sunlight stinging his eyes, and the cold wind caressing his face, making him feel completely awake.

"Lord Zhao, Her Majesty said that when you wake up, this servant will lead you out of the palace."

A eunuch walked over, saying in a duck-like voice.

"Huff…" Zhao Du'an let out a heavy breath and smiled: "Thank you, Eunuch."

…

At the Imperial City gate, after leading back the horse he had ridden yesterday from the guards, Zhao Du'an felt refreshed and rode home at a brisk pace.

Passing by the familiar snack street, he tied his horse to a pillar by the roadside and stepped into the soup cake shop, familiarly ordering mutton offal soup and hot cakes.

Only after the food entered his stomach did he completely recover, and with a twitch of his ears, he clearly heard some diners nearby discussing yesterday's debate.

Only one night had passed, and there were no new changes in the outside world, neither the Shenlong Temple nor the Western Regions monks had made any new moves.

However, Zhao Du'an didn't dare to take it lightly. Leaving aside everything else, the Western Regions monks had come to Yu Country specifically to cause trouble, but as a result, they lost at chess and also lost the debate. Only a ghost would believe they could swallow this humiliation.

Just as he was pondering what actions the other party might take next, suddenly a figure sat down opposite Zhao Du'an.

Zhao Du'an raised his head, looking in some surprise at the young monk dressed in ordinary cotton clothes and wearing a cotton hat in disguise.

Little Monk Danche subconsciously wanted to put his palms together, but stopped in time, smiling:

"Lord Zhao, my master invites you."

"…" Zhao Du'an slowly swallowed the cake in his mouth.

At this moment, his expression was unusually calm, and without rushing, he took another sip of soup before taking out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth:

"Where is the Holy Monk?"

…

The Western Regions monks couldn't possibly appear here so coincidentally.

Therefore, they must be, like the Old Celestial Master back then, specifically waiting for him on the only way he could return home.

Zhao Du'an wasn't worried that these foreign monks would be crazy enough to act against him in the capital. Compared to that, he was more curious about the reason why the other party had privately sought him out.

After paying the bill, Zhao Du'an, led by Danche, led his horse towards a nearby alley and appeared outside a mansion of unknown ownership.

Danche frankly opened the door, made a gesture of invitation, and then said:

"Lord Zhao, please."

His feet were outside the threshold, meaning that he didn't intend to enter, but existed as a gatekeeper.

Zhao Du'an took a deep breath, handed the reins to this chess prodigy, slightly straightened his clothes, and stepped into the small courtyard.

The courtyard wasn't large, and there was still some remaining ice on the battlements. Beside the stone roller in the courtyard was a wooden table, and the house looked uninhabited, with the doors and windows tightly closed.

At this moment, an old monk wearing a red monk's robe, a red hat, and a string of white ivory beads around his neck was facing away from the door, seemingly chanting scriptures silently.

Hearing the sound, he slowly turned around, revealing his dark-skinned face like an old monkey.

The two made eye contact, Zhao Du'an secretly vigilant, his face calm, and smiled:

"Zhao has met the Western Regions Holy…"

Before he could finish a customary greeting, he was astonished to see that the eyes of this highly respected figure in the Western Regions, the leader of the "Red Sect Monks" among the five monastic orders, whose status was second only to the Western Regions Dharma King and who was known as the "Holy Monk," revealed undisguised surprise and fervor.

Then, the Red Sect Master simply and neatly knelt on the ground, in the respectful posture of Western Regions monks paying homage to the Buddha, raised his hands high, and chanted:

"Good man greets the Buddha, World Honored One!"

Huh??!

The smile on Zhao Du'an's face suddenly froze, and he was stunned on the spot, a strong sense of unreality rising in his heart.

Wait… what's the meaning of this? This script is a bit different from what I imagined.

Shouldn't you be furious, threaten me, or, like those high-level players in the court, argue with me about benefits… Even if you used veiled language, it would be a normal development, but what's the idea here?

Is there a conspiracy?

Zhao Du'an's body bristled with alarm, his first reaction was that there was a trap, he decisively stepped aside, straightened his face, and said:

"Holy Monk! Don't joke, jokes involving gods can't be made!"

The Red Sect Master saw the "incarnation of the World Honored One" looking terrified and uneasy, and was stunned for a moment, before realizing that his behavior was too abrupt, and couldn't help but feel ashamed:

"Good man was presumptuous, disturbing the World Honored One, may my Buddha forgive me!" Zhao Du'an was stunned: "Holy Monk, please explain clearly, otherwise I'll leave."

…

Half a day later.

Beside the table in the small courtyard, Zhao Du'an finally finished listening to the Red Sect Master's explanation.

His expression became exceptionally wonderful, and he stared at this dark old monkey… no, old monk, and said:

"So, you foresaw the advent of the World Honored One's wisdom to the mortal realm half a year ago, descending upon the capital? Therefore, your visit this time is specifically to seek out that so-called 'Wisdom'? And now, you believe this official is that 'Wisdom'? A manifestation of the World Honored One's divinity?"

The Red Sect Lama smiled and nodded, his expression like that of a fan in his previous life, gazing up at his idol.

"..." Zhao Du'an was silent for a moment, then said tactfully:

"Is it possible that this is a misunderstanding?"

The Red Sect Lama smiled and said:

"At first, this humble one did not expect that you would be the embodiment of wisdom. But when you received the divine baptism at yesterday's Dharma debate, it explained everything. Only then did I realize my previous foolishness. I had assumed that a benevolent deity would not descend into the mortal world as a treacherous courtier.

"But later, I realized that I had committed the great taboo of being attached to external appearances. It is precisely because of the Buddha's compassion that he would descend upon you. Isn't your transformation over the past year a manifestation of the Buddha's wisdom and compassion?

"As the saying goes, the sea of suffering is boundless, but turning back is the shore. If not for the divine, how could you have transformed from a villain reviled by all into a pillar of the nation...?"

"It's not..." Zhao Du'an was starting to lose his composure:

"Is it possible that I was promoted and favored by His Majesty, and thus rose to prominence...?"

The Red Sect Lama smiled and said:

"You need not be modest. Just yesterday's insights into Buddhism were already a manifestation of wisdom. You previously achieved a great victory in debating with Zheng Yang, and you are also on good terms with the Celestial Master's Mansion of the Daoist sect, so you must have a deep understanding of Daoism as well.

"How could a mere small fry be so knowledgeable in Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism? Only the descent of the World Honored One's wisdom could accomplish this."

"..." Zhao Du'an suddenly realized that he was powerless to refute.

What the other party said made too much sense. He couldn't possibly explain that he was a transmigrator... But this idea of being the World Honored One's incarnation was too absurd. Well, unless your deity is also a transmigrator...

Good heavens, Princess Wenzhu was utterly disbelieving of me, but you, on the other hand, are practically a fanatic, a religious madman...

That's right, no wonder I felt that this guy was strange during yesterday's debate. Not only did he not stop me or oppose me, but he seemed like a professional comic partner, exceptionally agreeable...

Zhao Du'an felt a bit confused. As for deception... he really couldn't think of any reason for the other party to deceive him with such a thing.

Moreover, what concerned him the most was that the other party claimed to have sensed his arrival more than half a year ago...

"It doesn't make sense. Why don't I know that I'm some kind of deity? Besides, you said you sensed it in early summer. If your cultivation level is enough to notice, wouldn't the Dharma King, Xuan Yin, and even Zhang Tianshi, Wu Xiankui, and others also know of my existence?"

Zhao Du'an probed indirectly.

Seeing that the World Honored One's incarnation did not admit it, the Red Sect Lama became a little anxious:

"When 'Wisdom' is in the human realm, it is a mortal. Before awakening, one will certainly not know one's own identity. You are the wisdom of my Buddha. Wu Xiankui and the Empress are martial artists and lack awareness of the divine, so naturally, they would not know.

"As for whether Zhang Yan'yi, a strongman of the Daoist sect, has noticed anything, I do not know. However, if he has tried to contact you in the past few months, then he may have vaguely sensed it.

"Monk Xuan Yin's physical body has been in the capital for many years, but his soul travels the world, not in the capital, so it is only natural that he is unaware. As for the Dharma King, he came from a martial monk background, and in terms of profound Buddhist teachings, he is not as good as I..."

Zhao Du'an was stunned and frowned.

There was a lot of information in this old monkey's words. Zhang Yan'yi had indeed contacted him, but Zhao Du'an had previously thought it was because of the golden tablet, and later because he had boasted and copied some impressive sentences, which had aroused Lao Zhang's further attention.

But if what this old monkey said was true, then there might be another explanation:

The reason the Old Celestial Master initially met him was not because of the golden tablet at all, but because he had sensed the abnormality of himself, this transmigrator.

And the information that Monk Xuan Yin's soul travels thousands of miles was also something he didn't know before.

"How can I believe what you say?" Zhao Du'an suddenly asked.

The Red Sect Lama's face was fanatical. He took out a mutton-fat jade Buddhist pendant from his bosom and presented it with both hands:

"This disciple is willing to offer his natal Buddhist pendant to prove his loyalty!"

Even the address has changed, from benefactor to disciple... Taking advantage of the situation, so to speak.

Zhao Du'an was truly surprised this time. He had heard that Buddhist monks often had natal Buddhist pendants, which were closely related to their own cultivation.

If it fell into the hands of others, although it was not necessarily fatal, it was also a great handle that could cut off one's cultivation.

The Red Sect Lama directly offered his life and fortune, which was really surprising.

Zhao Du'an raised his hand to take the Buddhist pendant. At the moment of contact, the Azure Lotus swayed in his sea of consciousness. He vaguely had a feeling that he could perceive the connection between the Buddhist pendant and the old monk's inner wisdom root. If the Buddhist pendant was destroyed, it would cause his wisdom root to be damaged.

"What are you looking for me for?" Zhao Du'an was silent for a moment, then asked.

The Red Sect Lama shook his head and said: "Not for anything else, only willing to follow you to cultivate!"

So flattering...

Zhao Du'an felt that this word was familiar, like what he said to Zhenbao... However, if he was really that damn deity's incarnation, it would be fine for this kind of fanatical religious madman to follow him.

Moreover, even a fool knows that following a deity will bring no small benefits in the future. According to the meaning in the other party's words, the deity's incarnation can "awaken" in the future, so this guy is rushing to serve at this time, much like a minister licking the crown prince in advance, seeking credit for supporting the right person.

"It's not convenient for me to bring you by my side," Zhao Du'an shook his head and said, "You should go back to the Western Regions."

The Red Sect Lama's eyes lit up:

"Are you entrusting this disciple to return to the Western Regions to promote the Buddhism you have taught? This disciple will certainly live up to his mission!"

"..." Zhao Du'an felt a little uncomfortable being flattered. He said awkwardly:

"Not necessarily... First of all, I'll say it again, I don't know that I'm some kind of 'Wisdom', but if you insist on joining me, I don't mind having another subordinate. Secondly, if you really have the heart, I do need you to do some things."

The Red Sect Lama was overjoyed and was about to kneel again:

"World Honored One, please command!"

"Just call me by my name," Zhao Du'an said with disgust:

"Did the Great Purity Monk go to your Western Regions?"

The Red Sect Lama nodded and said:

"Reporting to Lord Zhao, the bandit monk Great Purity has indeed taken refuge with the Dharma King, and should now have fled to the Western Regions. Previously, this disciple did not know your identity, otherwise, I would have severely punished that bandit monk for daring to assassinate the World Honored One... Do you want to capture this thief?

"However, I'm afraid we'll have to persuade the Dharma King first, but if the Dharma King knows your identity, it should be easier..."

Zhao Du'an raised his hand to refuse: "My identity... don't spread it for the time being."

Good heavens, he couldn't be sure whether that Dharma King believed he was a deity's incarnation... Moreover, it was hard to say whether this statement would be good or bad if it really spread.

After a little thought, he said:

"How about this, don't make any rash moves for the time being. After returning to the Western Regions, just collect information there for me. As for Great Purity... don't startle the snake for the time being. After all, he is a Bodhisattva-level powerhouse, you can't beat him, can you?"

The Red Sect Lama was ashamed and embarrassed:

"This disciple is dull, and has devoted his life to studying Buddhism, and is indeed not good at fighting and killing."

Zhao Du'an sighed softly: "Then... let's leave it at that for now."

...

Writer's block, outlining the next plot in detail.

Thank you to book friends Ten-Tailed Cat Demon for the 1500 points, Lanwei Dream for the 1500 points, and 2024...9565 for the 120 points reward support!