The First Lackey Under The Empress

You haven't been there... have you?

The Old Celestial Master supported the bottom of the green porcelain cup with two fingers, his narrow eyes suddenly sweeping towards Zhao Du'an, as if trying to discern his true inner reaction from the subtle expressions on his face.

However, he was disappointed. Zhao Du'an, caught off guard by the question, showed the clear and foolish expression of a college student.

As if two large words were written on his face:

Bewildered!

"What? Me?" Zhao Du'an raised his right hand suspiciously, twisting his wrist and pointing his middle finger at himself: "Old Zhang, are you sure you're not teasing me?"

He said irritably:

"I know you're jealous of my amazing talent, but there's no need to force some non-existent experience on me. Speaking of which, why couldn't you guys get in? Is it very dangerous there?"

Zhang Yan stared at him for a moment, then slowly withdrew his gaze, blowing on the porcelain bowl in disappointment:

"Just a joke. As for why we can't go, it is indeed a bit dangerous... Well, that area is somewhat special. The deeper you go, the more suppressed the cultivator's cultivation becomes.

Heh, don't look at this old man with that kind of gaze. The world is a vast place, full of wonders. Not to mention the north, even south of Yu, entering the territory of the Liao people from Yunfu Road, passing through the dense miasma, there is also a secluded unknown land.

As for the seas and deserts in the east and west, even with the cultivation of a Celestial Being, it is still difficult to explore...

Heh, the power of cultivators mostly originates from the gods, and the more secluded and uninhabited a place is, the less the gods can radiate their power. Cultivators will naturally weaken into mortals, like fish out of water.

Only martial artists are a bit stronger, but they still find it difficult to travel too far with their physical bodies."

Is that so? No wonder I haven't found a "world map" in this world. The existing maps at most only extend to the Thousand Islands of the East Sea and the Great Snow Mountains of the Western Regions...

I thought so. If there were no restrictions, strong individuals throughout the ages in this world would definitely have gone out to explore the world...

Zhao Du'an secretly noted these key pieces of information. He had no intention of embarking on a great voyage or trekking through the desert to explore the edges of the world.

However, the Northern Shepherd Forest and the unknown lands south of Yunfu, inhabited by the foreign "Liao people," aroused his strong interest.

"Heh, but the extraordinary talent you, young man, have shown is indeed no less than those legendary figures who have been to the Northern Shepherd Forest.

His Majesty chose you in the first place, probably because he saw your special nature. What's so strange about this old man wanting to take you as a disciple?

Including Xuan Yin... Heh, that bald donkey must have had his eye on you long ago, but you have to be careful. He probably wants you dead even more." Zhang Yan glanced at him, his tone teasing:

"Back then, at the Sutra Debate Assembly, you actually caused the World Honored One to appear. This is undoubtedly a threat to Xuan Yin, who plots to replace the World Honored One's position. In comparison, your defeat of Tianhai back then didn't attract Xuan Yin's attention at all."

Zhao Du'an's heart skipped a beat, and he looked up at the Old Celestial Master.

He met the latter's smiling eyes.

He had been "called out"!

With his intelligence, he could tell that Zhang Yan was reminding him to be careful and wary of Xuan Yin.

That's right!

At this moment, Zhao Du'an suddenly recalled the assassination attempt on him by the "Law God" in Jianning Prefecture. If Zhen Bao hadn't arrived in time, he would have died.

Combined with the battle in Hundred Flowers Village, the pursuit by the Buddhist sect... Zhao Du'an suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

He had always thought that Xuan Yin's target was Zhen Bao, and that he was only implicated because he was working for Zhen Bao.

But Zhang Yan revealed the old events of the "Heavenly Hunt to Extinguish Buddhism" six hundred years ago, and the affairs of the Maya Walker a thousand years ago, and even mentioned the secrets of the Northern Shepherd Forest...

All of this was "implying" to him:

"The one Xuan Yin really wants to kill might be me!? Is that possible? That's right... As a capable minister of the imperial court, I might not even be in Xuan Yin's eyes, but I was favored by the World Honored One, and promoted the split of the Shenlong Temple... and..."

Zhao Du'an suddenly remembered that the Red Sect guru of the Western Regions had encountered in the West that he was the so-called "incarnation of the World Honored One in the human world."

At the time, he only found it absurd and strange.

But it was obvious that there were indeed too many "extraordinary" things about him.

Or rather, his crossing over to this world was the greatest extraordinary thing of all.

Along with his gradual growth over the past year, becoming a popular figure by the Empress's side, his many "extraordinary" qualities were gradually being noticed.

Zhang Yan's suspicion that he was related to the Northern Shepherd Forest was one piece of evidence.

Thinking deeper...

His cultivation of the "Martial God" path was different from others from the very beginning.

Whether it was the lifelike appearance of the Yu Emperor, Old Xu, in the "Martial God Diagram", or the "Dragon Soul" entering his body under his guidance and recognizing him as its master.

Or in the "Six Chapters Sutra", he was the only one who unlocked the hidden level character "Pei Niannu"...

All of this was filled with mysteries. Combined with the Red Sect guru's "foreknowledge"... Unknowingly, he had grown to the point where he was being watched and speculated about by Celestial Being-level experts.

"Even if Xuan Yin doesn't necessarily want to kill me, he definitely wants to capture me and study me... Just like Old Zhang's extra 'care' for me, and his repeated probing... It's just that, due to the existence of Zhen Bao and Old Zhang, Xuan Yin doesn't dare to target me openly..."

Zhao Du'an suddenly felt a strong sense of urgency.

The joy of advancing to "Worldly" not long ago had vanished.

At the beginning of his crossing, he only thought about relying on the resources of the imperial court, and once his cultivation grew enough to protect himself, he could withdraw and leave.

But now, because of his bond with Zhen Bao, he no longer thought about withdrawing and escaping, and regarded the "Rebellion of the Eight Kings" as his own affair.

And because of his own special nature, he was highly likely to be on Xuan Yin's "hit list"...

Zhao Du'an was silent. It seemed that there was only one path in front of him, which was to step into "Celestial Being" and have the confidence to resist Xuan Yin's assassination.

Well, before that, he still needed to cling to his wife Zhen Bao's thigh... and resolve the Rebellion of the Eight Kings, otherwise the imperial court would fall, and he would also lose his backer.

"Heh, after going around in circles, everything has returned to the starting point."

Zhao Du'an mocked himself in his heart, but quickly cheered up, and became increasingly curious about the various "special" things about himself.

"Thank you for the Celestial Master's reminder. This junior will be careful. I will not disturb you any longer." Zhao Du'an put the "Wordless Golden Sutra" into his arms and thanked Zhang Yan solemnly.

Well, although Old Zhang also coveted his body, his methods were aboveboard, and he had repeatedly shown kindness. Zhao Du'an considered himself to have a clear sense of gratitude and grievances.

Zhang Yan was not used to his serious attitude, and waved his hand to drive him away:

"Get lost, get lost. You're pretending to be a decent person."

Zhao Du'an smiled cheekily, bid farewell, and left.

After he left, Zhang Yan suddenly asked: "How is it?"

On the lush canopy of the large banyan tree in the courtyard, a blurred face protruded:

"There is no aura of that northern forest on him."

Not related to the Northern Shepherd Forest? Zhang Yan frowned, then relaxed, and picked up the heavenly book at will:

"Let nature take its course... or the time has not yet come. Let's take another look."

...

...

Walking out of the gate of the Celestial Master's Mansion, Zhao Du'an looked back at this building, burying the doubts in his heart.

Shaking his head, he cheered up and rode home. The conversation with Zhang Yan had uncovered a corner of the world's fog, but those things were still too far away from him.

Zhao Mansion.

As soon as Zhao Du'an entered the alley, the servant guarding the door's eyes lit up, and he turned his head and shouted excitedly into the courtyard:

"The master is back!"

Immediately, the entire Zhao Mansion boiled and became noisy.

The mansion gates were wide open, and the servants in the mansion rushed to greet him, their joyful appearance almost requiring gongs, drums, and firecrackers.

"Big Brother!"

Zhao Du'an stepped into the mansion, and saw his stepmother and sister running over almost at a trot, surrounded by servants.

In the height of summer, the weather was hot and humid. You Jinhua wore a thin, dark green long dress that trailed on the ground, dignified and gentle. Biting her lip, she stared at her stepson's unharmed return, almost bursting into tears of joy.

She trotted over, holding Zhao Du'an's hand with one hand, and raising the other to caress his face, her eyes full of concern:

"You've gotten tanned and thinner."

Next to her, Zhao Pan wore a goose-yellow ruqun, specially dressed as a "proper lady", but the eagerness in her eyes revealed that her nature was still that of a strong girl from a martial family. She smiled and said:

"Big brother's energy is full. After resting at home for a while, he will naturally get fat and white again."

No... My essence, energy, and spirit were drained, that's why I lost weight... Zhao Du'an slandered in his heart, but showed a smile and gave the mother and daughter a generous hug:

"I'm back. Aunt and sister have been thinking of me at home."

Ah, this... The mother and daughter, unaccustomed to the etiquette of later generations, suddenly blushed, and the surrounding servants tacitly lowered their heads, pretending not to see - they were used to their master's occasional strange behavior.

"D郎, there are still guests in the mansion." You Jinhua reminded softly, her eyes flustered.

"Guests?"

"Well, it's Chen Gui from the Divine Mechanism Camp Ordnance Bureau. He came to visit not long ago, saying he heard you were back."

Chen Gui? That talented man in the army with the nickname "Chen the Fire God"? Zhao Du'an's eyes lit up:

"Where is he?"

...

A moment later, Zhao Du'an met Chen Gui in the reception hall of his home.

The craftsman officer in charge of firearms manufacturing was still thin, with a goatee, and a faint arrogance and aloofness unique to "technical talents" between his eyebrows.

Last year, Zhao Du'an was promoted to Vice Commander of the Divine Mechanism Camp and set up a meeting to connect Chen the Fire God with Gongshu Tianyuan, providing new design ideas for firearms.

He developed a new generation of firearms for Yu, and then he ignored it. Now, half a year has passed, and Zhao Du'an, the Vice Commander, hasn't paid much attention to it.

"Vice Commander Zhao! This subordinate heard that you and His Majesty have returned to quell the rebellion, so I took the liberty of coming to the mansion to pay my respects. Now that I see that you are even more imposing, I know that the rumors are true. It is truly gratifying and a blessing for my Yu!"

Chen Gui stood up respectfully, the arrogance of a technical person on his face disappeared, and he did not hide his joy.

For this kind of technical person, even emperors and generals are at most respected.

Only one kind of person can truly convince them, and that is a "technical god."

When Zhao Du'an gave lectures to Chen the Fire God and Gongshu Tianyuan in the Celestial Master's Mansion, his theory was insightful and directly conquered Chen the Fire God.

It can be said that the person in the entire Divine Mechanism Camp who was most convinced and recognized Zhao Du'an was this group of technical personnel in the Ordnance Bureau.

"Haha, long time no see, Old Chen, how did you learn to flatter?"

Zhao Du'an joked with a smile, signaling him to sit down:

"Why, didn't Shi Meng come?"

Chen Gui sat down respectfully and said:

"Commander Shi commands the Divine Machine Camp. Without orders, he wouldn't dare to enter the city recklessly at this crucial moment, so I was sent here instead."

That's right, Li Yanfu's rebellion in the city, both Imperial Guard units had turned… The Divine Machine Camp generals indeed wouldn't dare to move rashly, otherwise, they'd be finished if they were labeled as "rebel party"…

Zhao Du'an expressed understanding:

"I heard that the Qingzhou troops are pressing the border with a large army, and the Five Armies Camp is deployed to resist them. The Divine Machine Camp hasn't been mobilized. Your arrival is timely. Now that the unrest in the city has been quelled, and His Majesty has returned in full glory, it's time to deal with these rebellious feudal lords… How is the firearm manufacturing going?"

Chen Huoshen's face immediately lit up with a smile, his eyebrows dancing, in a posture of offering treasure and showing off:

"Reporting, my lord, I came here precisely to report this matter. Thanks to the design ideas you provided, coupled with the assistance of Divine Craftsman Gongshu, the Firearms Bureau has overcome difficulties in the past six months and successfully manufactured a large batch of new-style firearm products.

Now we have sufficient ammunition, only lacking one thing: the soldiers still lack adaptation to the new firearms in actual combat…"

Zhao Du'an listened quietly to the latter's report, feeling a surge of joy in his heart.

Previously, a group of ministers in the palace discussed how to quickly and completely pacify the Qingzhou troops and prevent them from retreating back to Qingzhou, causing trouble.

Although the capital is not afraid of foreign enemies now, if the Qingzhou rebels are not dealt with first, as long as Prince Heng occasionally stirs up trouble, harassing and attacking the people outside the capital… destroying farmland, cutting off trade routes…

A city of millions of people, if there are problems with people's livelihoods, no matter how strong Zhenbao's combat power is, it can't feed millions of mouths…

Therefore, how to quickly devour this relatively weak rebel army before Prince Heng has time to escape is a major problem.

"The capital has been free of war for many years, so soldiers naturally lack opportunities for actual combat drills," Zhao Du'an's lips curled into a dangerous arc:

"However, isn't there a perfect opportunity for actual combat right now?"

"You mean…" Chen Gui wasn't stupid, and pointed to the east.

Zhao Du'an smiled and patted him on the shoulder:

"Go back and tell Shi Meng that the Divine Machine Camp should prepare to set off. But remember, the detailed situation of the firearms in the camp is strictly prohibited from being leaked, not even to the樞密院. If anyone asks, say I forbade it."

Is it finally time to show great power?

Chen Gui's eyes glowed with excitement. As a firearm fanatic, he had been suffocating for the past six months, and he couldn't wait to bring out the newly made firearms and shock the whole world.

"Yes, I will do it immediately!"

Chen Gui got up to say goodbye, not staying for even a moment longer.

After sending Chen Huoshen away, Zhao Du'an sat in the hall, silently contemplating the next plan:

"After entering the 世间境, I should go to the palace to observe the third mural of the "武神" path. Speaking of which, Zhenbao was hesitant about the murals, it seems that the subsequent murals are very mysterious.

"In 神龙寺, I severely injured the Chief of the Arhat Hall with one saber strike. It seems glorious, but it's actually a short-term burst.

"The cultivation base raised through "dual cultivation" still has too much moisture. If I want to go further and step into 天人 to contend with 玄印, I must calm down, consolidate the foundation, and precipitate for a period of time to squeeze out the moisture.

"As for the Li Party's rebellion, I shouldn't need to bother with it. People from the court will take care of things like confiscating their property…"

As Zhao Du'an pondered, the barking of a 京巴 dog and Zhao Pan's call came from outside the door:

"Brother, dinner is ready."

…

After several months, Zhao Du'an had a long-awaited family reunion dinner at home and had a brief rest.

The dinner was very sumptuous. After You Jinhua learned of his return at noon, she had already ordered the cook to prepare the dishes.

Zhao Du'an ate heartily. After advancing, his appetite increased again, and he devoured the table of food, eating everything clean.

You Jinhua and Zhao Pan didn't eat much. The mother and daughter each held a jade bowl, smiling and watching him eat, their eyes curved into two pairs of crescents.

"After eating and drinking enough, I have to go to the palace. Don't wait for me."

When Zhao Du'an put down his chopsticks, it was already dusk. He left these words, changed into a robe, and went straight to the palace.

After the summer sunset faded, the sky would still be "bright" for a while. The cooking smoke in the entire capital gradually ceased intermittently, and the antique buildings seemed to be covered by a huge blue gauze tent.

"Da da da…"

In the sound of horses' hooves, Zhao Du'an entered the palace again. Naturally, there was no obstruction along the way. He found that the South City Gate had changed guards when he entered.

On the Meridian Gate Square, the corpses had been moved and cleaned up. The ground was covered with water, and some palace servants were holding mops, repeatedly washing the blood on the ground in the light of the surrounding torches.

The air still faintly smelled of blood.

The entire palace was filled with a solemn atmosphere.

"Lord 少保."

"Greetings, 少保."

Along the way, female officials and eunuchs stopped their work and saluted him.

This kind of treatment was once only enjoyed by important officials like Li Yanfu.

Zhao Du'an still remembered that on the first day he traveled here, when he first entered the palace, he was like these palace maids, humble and standing with his head bowed beside the road, witnessing 相国 Li Yanfu leaving the palace.

At that time, Li Yanfu didn't even turn his eyes to him.

Now, in just over a year, Li Yanfu has been imprisoned, the entire "Li Party" has vanished, and he has come all the way, his hands stained with blood.

When he arrived at the Imperial Study, the room was brightly lit.

After instructing someone to report, Zhao Du'an quickly stepped into the room.

He saw the Empress of Yu, with her jade face and black hair like a waterfall, wearing a white casual dress, slowly rubbing her wrist in the brightly lit study.

Xu Zhenguan rubbed her snow-white wrist, put the brush aside, and the table was full of memorials for review. She showed him a bright smile:

"You've come."

"Yes." Zhao Du'an walked over, went behind the Empress, put his hands on her shoulders, and gently massaged them.

Xu Zhenguan did not refuse, gladly enjoying the massage from her future royal husband, and took the initiative to say:

"The turmoil caused by the Li Party has basically been quelled. The Imperial Prison, the 台 Prison, the Criminal Ministry Prison, and the Dali Temple Prison are overcrowded… If it were normal, this kind of major earthquake would shake the entire court situation, but I didn't expect it to be so much easier than expected when it really started."

Zhao Du'an "took liberties", and smiled:

"The situation is different, today is not what it used to be. Now that there are foreign enemies, as the saying goes, use key points in troubled times, no one will cause trouble at this critical moment."

Xu Zhenguan comfortably hummed, squinting her eyes like a cat:

"It's a good opportunity to fill the positions vacated by the Li Party with a batch of newly promoted officials. Now it seems that Li Yanfu's rebellion has actually helped us. Otherwise, if he hadn't rebelled, it wouldn't be easy for Us to attack them for no reason after returning to the capital. Keeping these people would be a major hidden danger."

Zhao Du'an chuckled: "If Li Yanfu knew that Your Majesty was thanking him in prison, he would probably vomit blood."

Xu Zhenguan smiled sweetly and changed the subject: "The 神龙寺 side…"

Zhao Du'an retracted his hand, took out the wordless golden scripture from his arms again, explained his encounter, and added some analysis from Celestial Master Zhang.

However, he chose to conceal the fact that Zhang Yan tried to probe him about the Mobei Forest.

"Indeed, as Celestial Master Zhang said, this wordless golden scripture was left by 行者摩耶. Since you have received the blessing of 世尊, and the monk gave it to you, then take it, it may be useful in the future." Xu Zhenguan thought for a while and gave a suggestion.

Zhao Du'an "En" sound, put it away, and probed about the affairs of Mobei, the 獠人族, and other places outside Yu.

Unfortunately, Xu Zhenguan's ascension to the throne was very short and sudden, and she didn't know many of the secrets that emperors should know.

"There are some sporadic records in the Royal Library, and some 星官 in the 钦天监 also know some… When you have time, you can check them." Xu Zhenguan frowned:

"There are too few records of those secret places, including many records of 天狩灭佛, as you said, and not many records have been left. This is a bit abnormal. It stands to reason that there should be many records of such major events, but it seems that they were erased by that group of people back then.

When I was a child, I went to read some books and was curious about the history of that year, but I found that even in the Royal Library, the records were few and quite vague, lacking details."

Erased? Why?

Zhao Du'an frowned, increasingly puzzled.

Xu Zhenguan comforted him:

"If you care, you can check it slowly in the future, there will always be clues left. In comparison, what you should care more about now is the next step of cultivation."

Saying that, she beckoned, and a group of female officials outside the Imperial Study, carrying red lanterns, waited respectfully.

Zhao Du'an was stunned, and looked at the smiling Xu Zhenguan:

"Has Your Majesty prepared it? Actually, there's no need to rush so much…"

Xu Zhenguan got up with a smile, raised her hand and pulled him out:

"So many things happened today, I think you and I won't be able to sleep tonight, why not look at the paintings by the light of the lamp."

Going to see the murals after the 世间境?

Zhao Du'an's heart beat uncontrollably.

…

Before long.

The monarch and his minister each carried a red lantern, and under the service of a large group of palace people, they arrived at the depths of the building called "武库" behind the 武功殿.

Here, a five-story old building stands in the quiet courtyard.

Each floor has a stone tablet, recording all of the "武神" inheritance left by the 太祖 Emperor of Yu.

Five floors, five paintings, corresponding to the five major realms of cultivation.

Zhao Du'an arrived for the first time, with a mortal body, and observed the "武神图" on the first floor.

He arrived for the second time, with 神章 cultivation, and observed the "六章经" on the second floor.

Tonight, he will step on the third floor with 世间境 and see the third mural.

"Squeak." Zhao Du'an followed Xu Zhenguan, carrying a lantern, walked up the stairs, and asked softly:

"What is the name of the third mural?"

"《大梦卷》," Xu Zhenguan said as she walked: "However, tonight you can watch two murals in one go, the third floor and the fourth floor, corresponding to the 世间 and 天人 realms respectively."

Can I watch two paintings in one go? So good? Is this special care? Zhao Du'an was stunned, and asked curiously:

"What is the name of the fourth painting corresponding to the 天人 realm?"

Xu Zhenguan stopped, stood on the third floor, and opened her vermilion lips:

"《人世间》."