The First Lackey Under The Empress

Yu Xiu? According to the files, Zhang Yan Yi's earliest disciple and one of the first generation of "Zhu Dian Boys"?

A Taoist goddess of the same generation as the "Little Celestial Master" Zhong Pan?

Zhao Du'an was taken aback, and the file about this person subconsciously appeared in his mind.

When his eyes swept over the green jade flying sword hanging on the other party's waist, a look of sudden realization appeared in his eyes:

"So it's Goddess Yu Xiu, I've admired you for a long time. After the battle of Baihua Village, when His Majesty returned, he mentioned to me that the goddess also helped that day. It's a pity that the situation was special at that time, and I couldn't thank you in person."

Yu Xiu smiled faintly and returned a salute: "Master Zhao is too polite, I'm just following my master's orders."

Zhao Du'an smiled and gave You Jinhua and her daughter a "don't worry" look. The two women understood and immediately smiled at the guests and turned to leave.

Leaving the inner hall empty for the two to talk alone.

"I wonder when Goddess Yu Xiu returned to Beijing? If I had known earlier, I should have gone to the Tianshi Mansion to pay a visit." Zhao Du'an made a "please" gesture, lifted the hem of his robe, and sat opposite the goddess.

At this moment, carefully looking at the other party's eyebrows, he couldn't help but be more and more amazed.

Speaking of which, this Yu Xiu and Zhong Pan are disciples of the same generation and should be of similar age, but Zhong Pan is old and ugly, and this "Green Jade Sword" is obviously well maintained.

What's even more rare is that as a cultivator, just sitting there has a fresh and indifferent temperament, like a green lotus in the rolling world, pure and untainted.

Yu Xiu behaved naturally, with shallow, slender eyebrows straight:

"I just arrived in the capital today. Zhong Pan left on his own after the battle of Baihua Village. Jin Jian and Gongshu and I returned to Beijing to report. Unexpectedly, after entering the city, I learned of Master Zhao's triumph."

After a pause, she continued slowly and methodically:

"I, a poor Taoist, have been traveling outside for many years, but I have also repeatedly heard of Master Zhao's name.

Especially some time ago, when I returned to the Central Plains from Yunfu Road, the local Zhengyang School was also preaching the so-called New Learning. Although I don't understand it, I also know that Mr. Zhengyang is a great scholar of the world, but he respects you as a teacher;

Today's Holy Majesty is amazingly talented and relies heavily on you;

It is said that the World Honored One of Buddhism manifested because of you… My master is a recluse, avoiding the world for many years, but personally drafted a decree for you, asking me to come to support you.

Based on these experiences alone, it is no exaggeration to say that you are the number one among the young generation in the world."

The files recorded by the court say that this Yu Xiu is aloof, slightly crazy, and doesn't submit to anyone… Why is she so good at praising people? Is the file outdated, or have I met a fake "Green Jade Sword"…

Zhao Du'an's ears turned red from this straightforward praise and flattery, and he hurriedly said humbly:

"Goddess Yu Xiu is too kind, the outside rumors are exaggerated, I am just a junior scholar, how can I deserve such an evaluation, it's just good luck."

Yu Xiu looked at him seriously, thoughtfully upon hearing this:

"Just luck? Then I'm even more interested in you."

"…?"

Zhao Du'an's expression was strange, he glanced at the open door of the inner hall to confirm, then retracted his gaze and said tactfully:

"Goddess Yu Xiu, I have already made a marriage agreement with His Majesty."

Alas… Although you are very good, and your bold confession is admirable, unfortunately, my heart only has Zhenbao, and there is no room for a second person…

Yu Xiu's pale and slender eyebrows frowned, as if she understood that he had misunderstood, and her words were straightforward:

"I am not interested in Master Zhao, nor do I intend to find a Taoist partner. Master Zhao is thinking too much."

"…" Zhao Du'an's expression was stiff, and he smiled reluctantly: "Haha, Goddess Yu Xiu misunderstood, I never…"

The goddess's bright and beautiful eyes stared at him, as if she could see through lies: "You do."

"…" Zhao Du'an was silent for a moment, then took the initiative to change the subject: "Then I wonder why the goddess has come here?"

Yu Xiu is used to doing things her own way and doesn't like beating around the bush. The previous greetings were the limit of her patience. Seeing Zhao Du'an asking, she went straight to the point:

"I want to verify whether you have the potential of a 'Child of Heaven and Earth'."

"Child of Heaven and Earth?" Zhao Du'an was stunned, not expecting this answer.

Yu Xiu nodded as a matter of course:

"Do you know that in the past few thousand years of history, every few hundred years, there will be an amazingly talented person who exceeds the norm, with luck and fortune, which is by no means ordinary. For example, the founding Emperor of the Yu Kingdom, and the Maya Practitioner of the Western Regions a thousand years ago… all can be called unparalleled talents, and can be called 'Children of Heaven and Earth'."

Tsk, if you had come a few days earlier, I wouldn't have been able to answer… Zhao Du'an smiled slightly and nodded:

"Naturally, I know, but the goddess must have guessed wrong. I am a native of the capital, and I cannot be compared with the predecessors who have traveled north and south that you mentioned."

Hmph… My master has already talked to me about similar probes a few days ago, suspecting whether I am related to the "Mobei Forest". You are too late… Zhao Du'an was a little proud.

However, Yu Xiu shook her head: "Are you trying to say that you have never been to the Mobei Forest, so you are different from these people?"

"Isn't that so?" Zhao Du'an asked with a smile.

He now suspects that Old Zhang tried again and didn't give up, and sent his disciple to make a surprise attack.

The identity of the transmigrator must not be exposed.

Yu Xiu did not answer this question, but changed the subject and asked:

"Master Zhao, do you know where we disciples who were accepted and graduated by our master usually are? What do we do?"

Why bring this up… Zhao Du'an answered cautiously:

"It is said that they are traveling around, both to exterminate evil gods and warlocks, maintain the righteous path, and to comprehend the Heavenly Dao and seek the opportunity for harmony between man and heaven."

Yu Xiu nodded lightly: "Then do you know where Zhong Pan and I have been?"

This time, without waiting for Zhao Du'an to respond, Yu Xiu took the initiative to explain:

"Jin Jian and Gongshu have shallow cultivation, so they only operate in the Central Plains. The third and fourth junior sisters were still in the Yu Kingdom last year, but they have left the Yu Kingdom this year and gone beyond the territory. Zhong Pan and I often travel to the borderlands, and only occasionally return."

Zhao Du'an's heart moved, remembering that the other party had mentioned Yunfu, and asked curiously: "Could it be that the goddess often travels south of Yunfu, in the southwestern and southeastern regions of Southern Xinjiang?"

South of the Yu Kingdom is collectively called Southern Xinjiang.

Yunfu is next to "Greater Southwest", and Lingnan is next to "Greater Southeast".

Both are sparsely populated areas.

Zhang Yan Yi and Eunuch Hai had both mentioned that the farther away from human habitation, the less people explore, the farther you go, the more severely the power of cultivators is weakened, and they may even fall to mortals.

Yu Xiu gave an "En" sound: "I have been active in the territory of the Yao people for the past two years. It is both to curb the penetration of the 'Da La Ba' god into the Yu Kingdom, and to suppress the White-Clothed Sect and other warlocks who believe in the 'Lost God'… In addition, I am also investigating the last trace of the former Qi Kingdom."

This sentence contains a lot of information. "Da La Ba" is a foreign god enshrined by the Yao people, which Zhao Du'an knows.

Out of fear of the power of the gods, and to curb the intrusion of gods not in the "Imperial Orthodox God" sequence into the Yu Kingdom, causing destruction.

The Yu Kingdom has always been strictly guarding against those gods outside the territory, with a kind of meaning of "Gods are forbidden within the territory of the Great Yu".

As for the White-Clothed Sect warlocks… In Jianning Prefecture, Zhao Du'an and the Empress had both suffered the curse of these warlocks.

This debt has not been settled yet.

What really caught his attention was the last sentence.

“The last trace of the Qi Kingdom?” Zhao Du'an paused, leaning forward slightly. “Tell me more, High Priest.”

Before the establishment of the Yu Kingdom, the previous dynasty on this land was called "Qi," and the era name of its final years was Tian Shou.

During the Tian Shou era, warlords vied for power, and the Qi Kingdom was defeated and vanished into the dust of history, rarely mentioned due to the passage of time.

Yu Xiu explained:

“Historical records state that when the capital of the Qi Kingdom fell, only a final contingent of the Imperial Guards retreated all the way, pursued by rebel armies from all sides. They eventually fled to the southern frontier, hiding in the mountains to avoid detection, hoping to wait for the chaos in the Central Plains to subside before launching a surprise attack… but then disappeared without a trace, presumably succumbing to the miasma and being wiped out.

However, there is a clue in the books within my Heavenly Master's Mansion that this Imperial Guard took a batch of national treasures from the Qi Kingdom's palace with them when they fled, including extremely precious objects of power, secret manuals, and classic texts…

In these six hundred years, many people have tried to find them, but because the southwest and southeast regions of the southern frontier are vast forests, filled with venomous insects and ferocious beasts, and miasma often stretches for hundreds of miles… it is extremely difficult to find them.

Although some corpses and scattered treasures have been found, they are only a drop in the ocean compared to what this Imperial Guard carried.”

Fleeing with a large number of national treasures at the point of defeat, retreating to a remote area, relying on "natural barriers" to hide, attempting to counterattack in the future… This plot sounds a bit familiar to me… Zhao Du'an mentally complained, curiously asking:

“Has no one found them? Could they have been obtained by the Liao Human tribe?”

Yu Xiu said calmly:

“It is very likely. The Liao Human tribe is the most likely force to have obtained that batch of treasures from the previous dynasty. Therefore, I have been repeatedly investigating that area for the past two years, but unfortunately, the Liao Human tribe is also full of experts, and I have never made any key progress. However… it is not entirely without gain.”

“What did the High Priest obtain?” Zhao Du'an’s heart skipped a beat, with a bad premonition.

Yu Xiu's clear and indifferent eyes stared at him:

“Within the Liao Human tribe, there exists an object of power, which is an altar. As long as sacrifices are placed on it, one can pray and steal the power of the Laba God to achieve their wishes… I was fortunate enough to sneak in and try it out.

The revelation given by that object of power is in the capital. In other words, if I want to find the treasures of the previous dynasty, the key opportunity lies in the capital. This is why I have returned to the Central Plains this time.”

Zhao Du'an felt a headache coming on, and said speechlessly:

“High Priest is joking. May I ask if the revelation mentioned any details?”

“No,” Yu Xiu never beat around the bush:

“I didn’t dare to engage in too deep a transaction with the Great Laba God, so the answer I received was very vague.”

Zhao Du'an rubbed his forehead: “Then how did you conclude it was me?”

“Intuition,” Yu Xiu said matter-of-factly:

“In the past two years, the most eye-catching person in the entire capital has been you. Oh, and His Majesty, but His Majesty is too powerful, and I don’t have the capital to discuss this matter with her.”

Girl, you are so straightforward… not even pretending at all… Zhao Du'an said seriously:

“Is the High Priest not afraid that I will report this matter to Her Majesty?”

“Not afraid,” Yu Xiu said calmly: “Anyway, she cannot leave the Yu Kingdom. Even if she is really interested in that batch of treasures from the previous dynasty, she will most likely send you to find them.”

“……”

Zhao Du'an was speechless, unable to refute.

After a long while, he rubbed his temples and said earnestly:

“Is there any possibility that, given my current situation, I don’t have the leisure to go treasure hunting with you in the southern frontier?”

He wasn't crazy.

Yu Xiu, a top expert in the world, was being sneaky in the Liao Human tribe's territory. He had just leveled up and had no reason to play a high-mortality game.

Even if he really wanted to go treasure hunting one day, he should first destroy the Yun Fu Dao "Mu Wang" rebels.

Then, he should lead a strong and powerful army to pressure them, ensuring that the Liao Human tribe bowed their heads, only then would it be safe.

However, the treasures of the previous dynasty that even Yu Xiu was painstakingly searching for must be of great value, perhaps even strongly related to advancing to the "Celestial Human" realm.

Zhao Du'an would have to face the problem of breaking through to the Celestial Human realm sooner or later. If he didn't want to spend decades of hard cultivation to break through.

He had to find quick methods such as "dual cultivation" or "Feng Chan."

This second senior sister had provided a path.

“I didn’t expect that your current cultivation level would allow you to travel with me,” Yu Xiu said calmly, without any surprise.

Her expression was as if she was looking at trash.

He was despised… Zhao Du'an’s temper flared up, feeling a sense of being looked down upon. He retorted dissatisfiedly:

“Does the High Priest think this official is very weak?”

Yu Xiu was a very direct woman.

Not because she lacked emotional intelligence, but because she was too lazy to exchange pleasantries, engage in social niceties, or care about other people's feelings.

She never suffered from mental exhaustion.

“Possessing a middle-grade, but actually a newcomer to the world, indeed very weak,” the female Taoist commented.

Seeing Zhao Du'an smile without saying a word, Yu Xiu raised her eyebrows slightly: “You disagree?”

Immediately, her brow relaxed, and she muttered to herself:

“Indeed, having risen two realms in a year, it is only natural to be unconvinced. In that case, why not spar a little? I will also use the same mana, watch my sword.”

Eh? What? I didn't agree to spar…

Zhao Du'an was stunned, almost unable to react, when he saw a cyan jade short sword, casually inserted into the golden yellow loose hemp rope around Yu Xiu's waist, suddenly leap up, circling the female High Priest once.

Without any visible action from her, the cyan jade flying sword transformed into a stream of light, slashing towards Zhao Du'an’s robe sleeve.

Fast, accurate, and ruthless.

However, the expected scene of the robe sleeve being torn did not occur.

From Zhao Du'an’s sleeve, the slumbering Golden Crow Flying Dagger, like a ferocious beast, burst out into the air almost roaring, and with a "clang," fiercely knocked the flying sword away.

“Eh?” Sitting in the chair, without any movement, Yu Xiu let out a soft "eh," appearing slightly surprised.

The cyan jade flying sword somersaulted twice in mid-air, stabilized its form, and under the infusion of mana, became completely translucent, with what seemed like jade liquid flowing within the sword body.

“Woo!”

The cyan jade sword attacked again.

Zhao Du'an pursed his lips, not saying a word, also sitting in the chair, a faint golden light flashed across the surface of the Golden Crow Flying Dagger.

Then, it let out a low whistle, like a fierce tiger, tearing the air, breaking through the turbulence, and charging forward.

“Clang, clang, clang!”

For a time, in the open-doored inner hall, Zhao Du'an and Yu Xiu faced each other, each sitting motionless in a pear wood chair.

And in the room, the Golden Crow Flying Dagger and the cyan jade sword were almost entangled together, colliding countless times.

The sound of "clang, clang, clang" was like a movement in a piece of music, somewhat pleasant to listen to.

Sometimes like dense drumbeats on a battlefield, sometimes noisy like a sudden rain, sometimes like the vibration of a wind chime under the eaves.

After an unknown number of rounds, accompanied by a slight flash of silver in one of Zhao Du'an's pupils.

With a "bang."

The cyan jade sword flew out backwards, directly flung out of the inner hall.

Yu Xiu was stunned, a look of surprise and bewilderment appearing in her eyes.

At this time, outside the inner hall, the Empress's voice suddenly came: “What a wonderful sword dance.”