The First Lackey Under The Empress

Whoosh—

The enormous dragon boat cut through the waves, the elite sailors standing guard on the deck, not daring to look at the figure of the Empress of Yu Kingdom at the bow.

Xu Zhenguan's beautiful eyes scanned the secret report. The letter didn't contain many words, with the main points being only a few sentences.

【I hope readers will remember our domain name Taiwan Novel Network →𝓉𝓌𝓀𝒶𝓃.𝒸ℴ𝓂】

Namely, "Zhao Du'an is on the verge of death," "Governor Ning's reaction," and "Martial Arts Hall secretly mobilized."

"Your Majesty? Is there movement ahead?" Behind her, Mo Chou, dressed in a female official's robe, walked over. She glanced at the Empress's expression and tentatively asked:

"Is it related to Lord Zhao?"

Xu Zhenguan gently crushed the note with her slender fingers, her red lips slowly curving up as she said, "He's started scheming again."

Unbeknownst to Zhao Du'an, from the moment he left the capital, the Shadow Guards along the way had been continuously transmitting his latest 'progress' to the Empress.

Although the Gold Medal Shadow Guard, Wen Liang, didn't know the specifics of Zhao Du'an's plan, this experienced advisor, as an insider, easily noticed the oddity of "on the verge of death" and subtly wrote it in the letter.

Xu Zhenguan gazed south and softly said:

"Cornered, someone finally couldn't help but use insidious means to curse him to death. However, with the protection bestowed by the World Honored One, coupled with that shameless old woman Prajna's medicinal skills, how could he be trapped by a mere curse?"

Mo Chou was stunned as she listened:

"A curse? Your Majesty, you are about to hold the Fengshan ceremony. Does Jing Wang's group have the guts to do this? Aren't they afraid of retaliation?"

Xu Zhenguan pursed her lips, not answering. After a moment of thought, she said:

"I will leave the fleet and secretly rush to Jianning Prefecture ahead of time. You and Sun Lianying conceal the news of my departure and continue to proceed according to the original plan."

Mo Chou was startled but sensed the Empress's unquestionable tone and had to nod:

"This servant obeys."

Xu Zhenguan nodded, yawned, and said:

"I'm tired. I'll return to the cabin to rest. No outsiders are to disturb me."

After saying that, she returned to the cabin in full view, taking a step.

Immediately, she appeared out of thin air in the ten-thousand-foot-high sky, hiding in the dark clouds. The Empress lowered her eyes to look down, and it was the fleet with sails full of wind on the canal.

She raised her hand and threw the Tai'a Sword forward, stepping on the sword with both feet, using the "Sword Flight" technique, transforming into a stream of light, and speeding towards Jianning Prefecture:

"I hope nothing goes wrong."

……

……

The Shen Family Mansion.

Because "Second Master Shen" had already been buried, the mourning hall was closed, and the white cloth and white lanterns were removed.

The Old Madam sat in her room, leaning against Hong Guiniang, who was massaging her temples.

A maid squatted below, massaging the old woman's legs.

"That Zhao Du'an, is he really terminally ill?" The Old Madam asked, her tone without much fluctuation, after listening to the family head's report.

The middle-aged family head was extremely excited, a smile on his face:

"It has been confirmed. Our people personally went to the Canal Transport Office to visit him. Combining the information we gathered, there is no mistake."

"Continue to keep a close watch. This Zhao guy also had news of his death last time, but he was alive and kicking." The Old Madam opened her eyes and asked:

"How did Ning Zecheng react?"

The middle-aged family head said:

"He's almost gone mad, seemingly ready to fight us to the death, acting like he has nothing to lose. If that Zhao guy wasn't really in mortal danger, Ning Zecheng, knowing he would hardly survive, wouldn't be acting like this."

"Hmm..." The Old Madam nodded, although not entirely certain, she already believed it seven or eight percent.

It wasn't because of the news, but because of her trust in Jing Wang's foundation.

However, the old woman didn't have much joy in getting revenge. Instead, she was full of worries. Now, leading the entire clan and betting on Jing Wang, if they lost, it would be eternal damnation.

Conversely, if they won the bet, they could extend the Shen family's glory for at least a hundred years.

This was a huge gamble, the biggest gamble the Old Madam had ever made in her life.

"Fengshan... Fengshan..." The Old Madam muttered these two words. Because of her understanding of the Fengshan ceremony, she wasn't worried that the Empress would destroy the Shen family first after arriving.

But what about after the Fengshan ceremony...

The Old Madam took a deep breath and said, "Summon the clansmen to come here for a meeting."

She couldn't interfere with those things that were too far away. What she could do now was to withstand the last round of attacks from the frenzied Ning Zecheng.

……

……

Zhao Du'an's serious illness seemed like a signal, causing the entire Jianning Prefecture to be in turmoil.

Even the weather had been gloomy for days, without light.

Just as all eyes were focused on the Canal Transport Office.

Inside a private room in a certain inn in the city, Zhao Du'an, who was standing with his hands behind his back, looking at the scenery outside the window, finally heard the information he needed.

"The location of the sorcerer group secretly gathered by Jing Wang's mansion has been obtained. It's definitely the Fashhen Sect. However, the sorcerer who cursed you is hiding inside Jing Wang's mansion." Hai Gonggong walked into the room and said to his back.

"Did you avoid alarming them?" Zhao Du'an asked.

The old eunuch in a python robe glanced at him:

"Although this old one is old and not as good as before, there isn't a single person in this city who can see through this old one's tracks."

Zhao Du'an turned around and smiled: "Gonggong is brave and not diminished from his former self."

The location of the sorcerers was naturally provided by the spy consort, Lu Yan'er.

"What are you going to do next?" Hai Gonggong asked curiously.

Zhao Du'an said: "Depart immediately to hunt down the Fashhen Sect."

Hai Gonggong frowned: "So urgent? Without any preparation, rashly mobilizing people will definitely arouse suspicion from those people."

Zhao Du'an sighed:

"My illness can at most mislead the enemy for a few days. Especially after I used the trick of feigning death last time... If Jing Wang hadn't spent a lot of money, he might not have believed that I was really seriously ill... There's no need to hide it anymore. Speed is essential in war. Kill as many as you can."

"Alright." Hai Gonggong responded and turned to leave.

Zhao Du'an turned back and gently tapped the railing.

With the number of experts around him, even if he lacked understanding of the Fashhen Sect, it shouldn't be a big problem.

And the urgent time also prevented him from checking and verifying the details of the information provided by Princess Lu.

……

……

Ten miles west of Jing Wang's mansion.

In a mountain depression, a private garden residence was built.

It was rarely visited on weekdays, but about half a month ago, a group of sorcerers were brought here by Jing Wang's secret agents.

The mansion was prepared with enough food and supplies for life. The Jianghu sorcerers of the Fashhen Sect were ordered to stay here and not go out.

The "Fashhen Sect", as the earliest organization established by defected Taoist priests from the Celestial Master's Mansion, has existed for nearly a hundred years.

The current leader, a sorcerer nicknamed "Fashhen", is extremely mysterious and powerful. He is not the founding "Fashhen" but a successor.

The Fashhen Sect recruits sorcerers from the Jianghu who worship various gods. The entry threshold is extremely high.

Only those who have entered the Divine Chapter realm can join. Moreover, because sorcerers live longer than martial artists, they have accumulated a considerable number of people over the years.

However, they are ultimately Jianghu people with different situations and inevitable grudges. In the past, the Fashhen Sect's sorcerers were scattered everywhere, and they were safe and sound.

Now that they are forced to gather in one place, conflicts are inevitable after a long time.

One day, after dinner, the sorcerers heard arguing from the courtyard and knew there was a show to watch.

The two arguing in the field were a small fat man, looking young and with delicate limbs, but the vicissitudes between his eyebrows clearly indicated that his real age was much greater than his appearance.

He carried a weird "Ghost Banner" on his shoulder. An eerie wind blew as he walked, and the illusory faces on the ghost banner also screamed along with his curses.

It was horrifying.

The other was a tall, burly "sorcerer" with bulging muscles and a full beard.

This person wore a loose sorcerer's robe, but it couldn't hide his strong muscles. With tiger eyes and a dragon-like gait, if it weren't for his Taoist hairstyle and robe, no one would associate him with a "sorcerer."

Only those who knew the inside story understood that this was a rare "body refinement sorcerer" in the sorcerer system.

"Xiong Ba, how many times have I told you, I didn't dig up your lover's grave. You're deliberately picking a fight, aren't you?" the small fat man cursed.

The body refinement sorcerer, Xiong Ba, sneered:

"You say you didn't, then you didn't? You release all the fierce ghosts in that broken banner, line them up, and let me see them. Then I'll believe you!"

The small fat man was furious: "Are you looking for death?!"

With a "ding", he hammered the end of the ghost banner's flagpole on the ground. One fierce ghost after another swirled and flew, choosing people to devour.

Xiong Ba was not afraid. He twisted his wrists and head, making "crackling" sounds of bone activity. His body muscles swelled, and rough, hard black hairs sprouted from his exposed body.

A fight was about to break out!

At this time, a wretched old Taoist with a full head of white hair ran out from the crowd and said with a smile: "Give me some face, you two. The leader will be arriving in the next few days. Don't cause unhappiness at this juncture."

The two ignored him.

The old Taoist's smile slowly froze, his eyes becoming a little manic. He suddenly reached out and unbuttoned his Taoist robe: "If you two don't give this old Taoist face, this old Taoist will be unhappy."

What can you do if you're unhappy... The small fat man and Xiong Ba simultaneously turned their heads to look at him, only to see the old Taoist unbuttoning his Taoist robe, holding the two halves of his clothes open with both hands like a vendor selling plates.

Inside the Taoist robe, there were densely packed, colorful talismans sewn, at least several hundred.

"Hiss..."

The onlookers sucked in a breath and scattered away, not wanting to fight with a talisman sorcerer with plenty of firepower.

Xiong Ba and the small fat man also froze in place, no one willing to fight with a talisman sorcerer with plenty of firepower.

As the atmosphere became stiff, suddenly a stone in the courtyard protruded a face, and then, a sorcerer emerged from the stone.

The "Man in Stone" said: "The leader has arrived."

All the sorcerers in the entire courtyard were shocked and hurriedly lined up in a circular formation in the courtyard to wait. The three sorcerers in confrontation also ceased fire.

After a moment, a strange circular magic circle slowly lit up on the ground in the courtyard, and the light converged.

A middle-aged man with long hair, a mysterious temperament, and a calm demeanor appeared out of thin air.

His appearance was not outstanding. The biggest characteristic was that he had no beard. He wore a gray, unremarkable robe, giving people a very "pure" feeling.

He was completely different from the strange-looking sorcerers with various abilities in the courtyard.

"Greetings, Leader!"

The Man in Stone took the lead, and everyone saluted.

"Fashhen" nodded lightly: "Get up."

Only then did everyone breathe a sigh of relief. The small fat man smiled: "Leader, I thought you would arrive a few days later."

Xiong Ba folded his arms and retorted: "Does the leader need to explain when he arrives to you?"

"Fashhen" ignored their bickering and indifferently asked: "What is the situation now?"

The old Taoist who hid the talismans on the inside of his clothes like CDs said:

"The Empress will arrive in a few days. Jing Wang doesn't know where he got a white-clothed sect's curse master, who seems to be dealing with that Zhao Du'an. As for the rest, we don't leave the house, so we don't know."

"Fashhen" nodded, about to give some instructions, when suddenly his brow furrowed, and he looked towards the eastern mountains with a sense of awareness.

On that face, perpetually cold and impassive like a stone from the snowy plains, a hint of surprise and strangeness actually appeared: "Someone's coming."

… …

… …

"My lord, the manor ahead is the one."

In a forest, Northern Land Saber Wavelength Eighteen pointed through the gaps in the trees towards the distant manor visible in the distance:

"The information mentioned that the residence of the sorcerers sent by the God of Magic Sect is located there."

Zhao Du'an stared ahead, seemingly observing.

Behind him were Eunuch Hai, Tang Jinzhong, Ji Yue, Song Jinxi, and other top experts from the inner court.

Bodhisattva Prajna remained in the Transport Office on the pretext of only treating illnesses and not participating in battles, and Zhao Du'an did not force her.

After all, the God of Magic Sect was not an evil sorcerer organization, and the identity of a Bodhisattva from the Divine Dragon Temple was sensitive, making it indeed inappropriate to attack them.

He simply left her to protect Ning Zechen, while Qian Kerou and other brocade-clad members of the Pear Blossom Hall were left behind by Zhao Du'an due to their weaker strength.

This trip, only the most elite group of experts from the Martial Arts Hall were selected.

"My lord, would you like me to sneak in and check out the situation first?" Song Jinxi volunteered. As a master of assassination, he was also the best scout.

Zhao Du'an thought for a moment and shook his head:

"No need. Sorcerers have many tricks. Our scouting methods as martial artists are unlikely to be effective, and we could easily alert them. We might as well rush in together and kill as many as we can."

This decision seemed reckless, but it was actually a display of confidence in absolute strength.

With this team by his side, as long as they didn't encounter a "Heaven-Human Realm" expert, they wouldn't fear any enemy.

Even if there were unexpected events, they would at least have no problem protecting themselves.

Since that was the case, why alert them?

"Move out!" Zhao Du'an pulled up the face covering on his face, covering half of it. With a wave of his hand, the group of experts behind him also covered their faces, silently approaching the manor ahead, carrying with them an aura of chilling intent.

However, when the group jumped into the manor, the expected battle did not occur. The entire manor was eerily quiet.

There wasn't a single person in sight, empty and desolate.

"No one? Why is no one here? Could the intelligence be wrong?" Song Jinxi asked in surprise.

Tang Jinzhong closed his eyes, quietly sensing the lingering magic power in the air. He suddenly opened his eyes and said:

"They haven't been gone long. Just now, there were traces of spellcasting!"

So vigilant? Could it be that Prince Jing learned of my departure from the city and notified these people to move in advance?

Zhao Du'an frowned, but faintly felt that something was wrong.

At this moment, the python-robed old eunuch's expression suddenly changed: "Be careful!"

Zhao Du'an was startled, and then he heard rustling sounds. Looking up, he saw sorcerers emerging from the high ground in the surrounding mountains and forests centered on the manor.

This group of sorcerers all held staffs and weapons, appearing as if they had been prepared for a long time.

They had actually "encircled" their group.

"Protect my lord!" The inner court bodyguards of the Martial Arts Hall formed a concentric circle formation, firmly protecting Zhao Du'an in the very center.

However, this group of sorcerers did not immediately attack, but instead looked towards a certain location.

Zhao Du'an followed their gaze and saw a gray-robed sorcerer with long hair draped over his shoulders, a pale face, and ordinary features standing on a hill.

"The leader of the God of Magic Sect!" Eunuch Hai's unprecedentedly solemn voice echoed in his ears.

The God of Magic Sect? That mysterious "leader"? The mysterious expert whose strength was rumored to be just below the "Heaven-Human Realm"?

Zhao Du'an subconsciously said: "An avatar?"

The records in the Imperial Prison's files stated that the leader of the God of Magic Sect often traveled around using an "avatar."

Eunuch Hai didn't look at him, but just stared intently at the other party and said, "It doesn't seem like it."

It doesn't seem like it… Could it be that his true body has arrived? That's right, if Prince Jing is determined to disrupt the Fengchan ceremony, it wouldn't be difficult to invite this expert… But… why didn't the Princess Consort's intelligence mention such important news?

Could it be that Lu Yan'er didn't know, or… could it be that Lu Yan'er has a problem?

A double agent? Was he ambushed in today's raid?

Zhao Du'an's thoughts surged, but he didn't have time to think. He only shouted out one word:

"Retreat!"

However, the leader of the God of Magic Sect on the hilltop seemed to smile, and stretched out his right hand from above, grabbing empty air.

Behind Zhao Du'an, Tang Jinzhong, a World Realm bodyguard suddenly disappeared, and the place where he had originally stood was replaced by a large tree that appeared out of nowhere!

At the same time, in the surrounding mountains and forests, a tree suddenly disappeared, and Tang Jinzhong, holding a long saber, stood in the pit left by the tree in astonishment!

"Changing the stars and swapping the Dipper?"

Zhao Du'an was stunned, and remembered that the information he had read mentioned that the leader of the God of Magic Sect also worshiped the "Heavenly Dao," and seemed to have obtained some spell abilities related to "space" from the God of the Heavenly Dao.

At this moment, the "God of Magic" did not attack, but with just one grab, he swapped the positions of the tree and Tang Jinzhong.

Next, the "God of Magic" followed suit, grabbing empty air several times.

Ji Yue, with pure white eyes, wearing wet red clothes, and suffering from severe social anxiety, was replaced by a stone on the side of a mountain depression.

Wavelength Eighteen, holding a scimitar and with a weathered face, was replaced by a clump of bushes.

In the blink of an eye.

Of the four World Realm guards beside Zhao Du'an, only Eunuch Hai remained!

He clearly saw circles of illusory golden light rippling around the old eunuch, and no matter how many times the "God of Magic" grabbed, he couldn't move him!

"Go! I'll deal with him. You immediately escape back into the city! Don't stop!" Eunuch Hai used the "sound transmission" technique to send his voice into Zhao Du'an's sea of consciousness.

Zhao Du'an's expression changed slightly, wanting to speak.

He only heard Eunuch Hai say quickly:

"This old one knows you have a trump card, but how long can your magic power last? This old one fought with this God of Magic Sect's avatar last year. This person is extremely strong, and his true body is probably no less than this old one's peak moment. If you stay, you will only be a hindrance.

You don't need to consider us. The only person these people want to kill is you. If you stay, we must fight to the death to protect you. On the contrary, if you can run away, we can also disperse and retreat.

And even if the people of the God of Magic Sect are crazy, they won't throw away their lives just to fight with us. As long as you leave, the fight won't start… Don't be indecisive and insist on staying… Huh?"

Eunuch Hai had only said half a sentence when he saw Zhao Du'an already like an arrow leaving the string, pulling out an afterimage with all his strength, and running wildly towards the loosest part of the encirclement.

The others hadn't even reacted yet, and in the blink of an eye, he was about to escape into the forest.

"… …" Eunuch Hai was silent for a moment, a smile of appreciation and satisfaction appeared on the corner of his mouth, and then he shouted:

"Cover Shao Bao Zhao!"

"Yes!" The bodyguards of the Martial Arts Hall responded.

Tang Jinzhong jumped out of the tree pit, about to rush down, when he saw the burly, muscular body refiner, Xiongba, standing in front of him.

"Martial God inheritance, I really want to see it."

Black hairs sprouted from Xiongba's body, tending towards a devolution into a humanoid black bear.

Tang Jinzhong sneered and slashed out with his saber: "Die!"

… …

Ji Yue looked around, controlling the water flow, about to sneak away, when suddenly there was a "ding" sound in front of her, and a ghost banner surrounded by eerie ghostly energy was stabbed into the hillside.

A small fat man walked out with a smile, rubbing his fat hands, staring at Ji Yue with excited and greedy eyes:

"Good, this is good. Girl, you are born to be a water ghost. I have been seeking a good water ghost for many years, and finally waited for you. Quickly come into my banner!"

Ji Yue's expression turned cold.

… …

"Hey hey, valiant warrior, please wait a moment, give this poor Taoist some face, how about not fighting?"

Wavelength Eighteen held his scimitar, staring at the old Taoist who suddenly appeared in front of him, with a lewd face, and while speaking, unbuttoning the collar of his clothes.

He only felt a chill, and slashed out with his saber.

"No martial ethics!"

The lewd old Taoist cried out strangely, raised his hand and pointed, and a yellow paper talisman flew out along his finger, burning and condensing into a huge illusory dagger in mid-air, colliding with the scimitar.

… …

At the same time.

One by one, the sorcerers of the God of Magic Sect descended from the surrounding mountains and forests, trying to stop Zhao Du'an, but were repeatedly blocked by Song Jinxi leading a group of inner court experts, opening up an unobstructed escape route for Zhao Du'an.

In the midst of a chaotic battle, only Eunuch Hai remained motionless, his eyes locked on the "God of Magic."

The "God of Magic" lowered his eyes and coldly looked down at the old eunuch, saying:

"You are old, you are not this one's opponent."

Hai Chunlin laughed loudly, leaped up, and a scarlet long sword was handed out from his sleeve:

"Whether I'm old or not, you don't get to decide. Hmph, a mere hidden and secretive figure in the martial world dares to falsely claim the title of 'God of Magic'? Ridiculous, ridiculous."

… …

… …

Run!

Sprint!

Run with all your strength!

In the forest.

Zhao Du'an's Qi Sea roared, the Qi energy all over his body rolled like a tide, circulating through his limbs and bones.

His entire body was like an overclocked machine, squeezing the cultivation of the Divine Chapter High-Grade to the extreme, running wildly towards the direction of Jianning Prefecture City.

Because of the cover of the large group of guards, no sorcerers followed him. Zhao Du'an quickly left the battlefield far behind.

However, he didn't relax in the slightest. On the contrary, his nerves became more and more tense, running while hiding all kinds of methods in his sleeves.

Including the teleportation orb that Zhenbao had given him a long time ago, he also quietly held it, but didn't choose to crush it.

He clearly remembered that the teleportation orb was a random teleportation. At the same time, he also remembered that the sorcerers who worshiped the God of Loss could curse and make the target's luck worse.

He was a little suspicious that the reason why he encountered the leader of the God of Magic Sect today was because of the "God of Loss" curse. The Loss Star was high, causing him to have bad luck.

"The Qinglian of the World Honored One can help me heal my body, but it should have no way to help me change the bad luck that has been 'blessed' by the God of Loss… Why didn't I realize this before? Is it also the effect of bad luck? Well, it's also because I have too little experience dealing with this group of evil sorcerers…"

"If my speculation is correct, then if I crush the teleportation orb, the greatest possibility is to teleport directly back to the encirclement of the God of Magic Sect…"

Zhao Du'an's thoughts flashed, not knowing how long he had been running.

Just when he rushed out of the forest and had already seen the gate of Jianning Prefecture City.

Suddenly, he slammed on the brakes and stopped.

Staring intently at the figure that appeared silently in front of him.

The middle-aged sorcerer who called himself the "God of Magic" stood with his hands behind his back, quietly examining him, his eyes hiding some kind of indescribable meaning.

The "God of Magic" smiled slightly and said meaningfully:

"Zhao Du'an, we meet again."

… …

Help catch any typos