The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 532: Your Majesty, I have a report to you: a great victory on the Western Front...

Deep in the palace, there is a secluded and deserted courtyard.

In the courtyard stands an ancient pavilion with five floors, each of which displays a stone wall. It is the foundation of the Dayu royal family's heritage.

At this moment, on the fourth floor of the pavilion, in a room with a closed door, a layer of starlight was spreading on the surface of the mural "The World".

A thin crack slowly emerged, and Zhao Duan took a step out of it. He was stunned, horrified by this sudden change.

"Is this the backyard of the Martial Arts Hall? I walked out of the painting?!" Zhao Duan looked at the familiar room in disbelief.

Outside the tightly closed doors and windows, sunlight shone through the window paper onto the brown ground, illuminating half of the futon.

He subconsciously turned back and found that the crack on the stroke behind him was healing rapidly and slowly disappearing.

"It disappeared... So, I followed Zhenbao's consciousness into the 'channel' in the painting and walked out of the painting in the opposite direction?"

The answer is obvious, but as far as the eye can see, Xu Zhenguan is not there.

"She's not here? Did she enter through visualization somewhere else? But when I traced back, she appeared here... instead of appearing directly beside her..."

"Is this the mechanism behind 'visualization'? When practitioners visualize, they essentially communicate through space in some way, using this mural as a 'server' to transmit consciousness? So, I can only trace it back to this node?"

Zhao Duan tried to understand this matter in a way that was familiar to him.

"No! I am using meditation to let my consciousness sink into the painting... instead of entering with my 'physical body', so theoretically, I am not my real body now, but a piece of consciousness..."

Zhao Duan quickly lowered his head, looked at his body, and his expression changed slightly.

Only then did he notice that his "body" was now translucent, floating on the floor like a ghost.

kindness……

It is very similar to when "Pei Niannu" appeared in reality!

"I can clearly sense the existence of my 'body'. It is very far away. Perhaps if I think about it, I can use the mural as a medium to return my consciousness to my body..."

Capturing the mysterious connection with his body, Zhao Duan's nervousness subsided and turned into surprise.

Obviously, this didn't seem like an "accident", but more like a "function" of the stone wall itself, which he discovered by chance.

"Without my body, I have lost my cultivation. This is indeed very similar to Pei Niannu's state."

Zhao Duan stared at the mural, and the light in his eyes became brighter and brighter.

He did not choose to return immediately because he was not sure if he would have a second chance, so he wanted to explore a little.

Try to understand the boundaries of this ability as much as possible.

Zhao Duan first tried various things in the room to confirm that he was just a "ghost" in a state similar to that of a wandering soul.

Then, he tried to float out of the pavilion. The doors and windows posed no obstacle to him, and soon he appeared in a courtyard bathed in sunlight.

"Well... there's no burning or stinging sensation, which means I'm at least not a Yin thing that's afraid of the sun..." Zhao Duan laughed at himself.

He continued to float outward cautiously, exploring the limit of distance. There were few people in the depths of the Martial Arts Hall. However, just as he passed through the courtyard wall, he was suddenly locked in by a sinister voice:
"Who dares to sneak into the Imperial Palace? Do you think I'm blind and deaf?"

Zhao Duan's body stiffened and he turned his head to look not far away.

The tightly closed wooden door with hanging flowers creaked open, and a familiar figure wearing a bright red python robe, with gray hair and a slightly hunched back, had a gloomy face and seemed to be running towards them in a hurry.

Eunuch Hai's eyes sparkled, his fists were clenched tightly in his sleeves, and his aura was lingering, ready to kill the enemy.

The two looked at each other.

The air suddenly became quiet.

Eunuch Hai's gloomy old face twitched, revealing astonishment, confusion, and disbelief.

Zhao Duan was silent for a moment, and tried to quietly float to the side. However, no matter how he floated, he was firmly locked by Eunuch Hai who had opened his Sky Eye.

Well...it is indeed similar to Pei Niannu. Although he is suspected to be "invisible", he can be seen through by practitioners.

He said tactfully: "Eunuch, if I said I was going back to the palace to report military intelligence to His Majesty, would you believe it?"

Eunuch Hai: “…”

……

Yuanzu Temple.

Xu Zhenguan, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation, opened her beautiful eyes and a strange look flashed across her eyes.

Recalling this visualization experience, she couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Obviously, the changes that took place in "The World" were a positive signal, and the clues she had been looking for finally emerged.

However, after Xu Zhenguan's brief surprise, he fell into confusion:

"Why is it different this time? If the reason for the change is that I have become a genuine celestial being, then why was it that last time, and the time before that... I have also been in there several times during this period, but why were they all the same? Only this time is different?"

The empress is now like a player who is cautiously "opening up" a new area in a game. She has no strategy and relies entirely on exploration, not letting go of any doubts.

"Something must have happened that affected the human world... Could it be the brief fluctuation in the south?"

Xu Zhenguan immediately recalled the changes in the celestial phenomena in the direction of Linfeng that he had sensed not long ago.

Thinking of this, she immediately stood up, her long skirt dragging on the ground, and walked out of the Yuanzu Temple and returned to the direction of the bedroom.

He was ready to send someone to gather intelligence urgently, but unfortunately the journey was too long and even if the communication was fast, it would still take time.

But as soon as she returned to the Yangxin Palace, a female official came to greet her and said hurriedly:

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Observatory's Director has come to the palace to see you regarding important matters!"

Imperial Observatory?
Xu Zhenguan's expression changed slightly, and he said:
"Where are people?"

……

……

"Stop touching me, father-in-law. Sing a few songs... bah, say a few words."

Zhao Duan stood in the quiet courtyard with a speechless look on his face.

My feet were almost touching the ground, but there was always a layer of space between them and I couldn't stand firmly on solid ground.

Eunuch Hai looked at him in doubt and stretched out his hands, trying to reach out again and again, but he could only pass through Zhao Duan's body.

At this moment, the old eunuch circled around him twice, his eyes sparkling, he was amazed and laughed:

"You kid... interesting, really interesting. My family has guarded this imperial forbidden area for hundreds of years, and I have viewed the murals of 'The World' thousands or tens of thousands of times, but I never knew that the talisman left by Emperor Taizu has such power. It's amazing, wonderful."

Since he was seen by Lao Hai, Zhao Duan had no need to escape. He could only briefly explain the situation but hid the details in the scroll.

Eunuch Hai was still skeptical at first, but after Zhao Duan told him a lot of trivial details that only the two of them knew, the first priest of the palace finally confirmed that he was real.

"Talwart? Father-in-law, you said that this stone wall is a talisman?" Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment and caught the key words.

Eunuch Hai nodded calmly and looked at him strangely:
"What else? If it's just an ordinary stone, do you really think it can carry the secrets of the royal family?"

"But when I first came here, you didn't say..."

"You didn't even ask."

"..." Zhao Duan sighed softly and spread his hands, saying: "Anyway, I am also confused."

Eunuch Hai nodded and said seriously:
"Perhaps His Majesty knows the reason. Come on, I will take you to see His Majesty."

Zhao Duan didn't move and was a little hesitant. It was an accident that he was discovered by Eunuch Hai, and what about meeting the empress next?

As long as the empress is not stupid, she can realize that there is a connection between herself and the "chapter" in the scroll. If things go wrong, the identity of the "time traveler" will be exposed.

There was no way to fool him about this matter, but it seemed that there was no way out, so he had to bite the bullet and slowly follow the old eunuch out.

He used the excuse that he "could not float fast" to buy time, trying hard to think about how to explain to the empress's questions later. "By the way, eunuch, how did you know someone sneaked in? And came so quickly? Was there any strange phenomenon when I came out?" Zhao Duan asked curiously.

Eunuch Hai shook his head and said:

“You haven’t seen any unusual phenomena here, but not long ago, I caught a glimpse of a star passing by in the sky. It flashed by and disappeared, and I felt a little uneasy for some reason. On a whim, I came to check it out.

You should understand that when we reach our level of spiritual practice, our spiritual perception will often guide and remind us of certain things. "

Meteor? Zhao Duan's heart moved.

He knew that meteors were a very normal phenomenon, but it was a bit scary that Eunuch Hai could see a meteor passing by in broad daylight...

He is indeed a veteran master who has lived for one or two hundred years... Even though his combat power has declined due to old age and is no longer at his peak, his background should not be underestimated.

The two of them walked out of the Wugong Hall. On the way, Zhao Duan asked and found out that Eunuch Hai had also returned to the palace in the past two days.

He was previously sent to the border by the empress, where he met with Duke Tang and had some discussions with the border generals on behalf of the empress.

After a while, the two arrived at the Yangxin Palace.

Eunuch Hai asked the female official to pass on the message, but the female official said:
"Eunuch, His Majesty is talking to the director of the Imperial Observatory. If there is anything urgent, shall I report it?"

The female official didn't even look at Zhao Duan the whole time... Well, for people whose cultivation is not high enough, they can't see Zhao Duan's existence or hear his voice at all.

He is just a transparent person.

"No rush, we'll just wait a while." Eunuch Hai didn't want to make too much of a fuss.

After the palace maid left, the old eunuch in the dragon robe rolled up his sleeves and whispered to himself:
"It seems that star is indeed extraordinary."

Zhao Duan suddenly asked, "Could it be that my coming here is also related to this matter?"

After waiting for about a cup of tea, a one-eyed old man was led out along the corridor. When he came closer, he bowed to Eunuch Hai. Both parties abided by the tacit understanding of being ministers and did not have any conversation.

When the one-eyed old man passed by Zhao Duan, he seemed to sense something vaguely and looked in the direction where Zhao Duan was standing. However, as a mortal, he could not detect Zhao Duan's existence.

"Heh, this blind youngster has spent his entire life looking at the stars in the observatory. With his mortal body and half-blind eyesight, he can sense some of your traces. This is extremely unusual among mortals."

Eunuch Hai made some comments and then walked towards the imperial study. However, when he was about to approach, he dismissed the female officials in the courtyard and said to him:

"You go in by yourself. We'll be guarding outside."

Lao Hai, I knew you understood me... Zhao Duan silently nodded a thumbs up and walked to the door of the imperial study.

He raised his hand and tried to knock on the door, but halfway through the action, he remembered something, laughed at himself, and simply walked through the door and into the house.

……

In the study.

Xu Zhenguan sat behind a desk covered with yellow paper, looking down at an old booklet. Her snow-white dress was not dirty at all, and the hem hung down softly, covering her long legs and feet that were invisible to outsiders.

Her black hair was casually scattered, and when she lowered her head to read, her hair was crystal clear, and her delicate earlobes were like a thin piece of porcelain, with thin pink blood vessels visible under the sunlight.

The skin is as smooth as cream and as delicate as a baby's, and the long eyelashes are stretched and curled.

She was reading intently when she suddenly sensed something. Her fingertips that were flipping through the old book paused and she raised her head abruptly. A sharp sword light flashed in her phoenix eyes in the room.

The next second, this sharpness turned into astonishment.

"Your Majesty," Zhao Duan raised his hand to salute and bowed:
"Your Majesty, the rebellion-suppressing Grand Commander Zhao Duan has captured the enemy city today and recaptured the lost territory!"

stupid!
At this moment, even the calm Queen of Dayu suffered a brief brain freeze!

She didn't even hear the content of the sentence clearly, but blinked hard. Even though she suspected that she was hallucinating, she didn't doubt that it was Zhao Duan's problem!

Could it be that what you think about at night you dream about during the day?
My eyes are dazzled...

However, how could a celestial cultivator have such an outrageous hallucination?
Soon, the feedback from her spiritual thoughts told her clearly that the person in front of her was indeed Zhao Duan.

She stood up suddenly, shocked and speechless:

"Why are you here? No, this is not you... not the whole you."

Xu Zhenguan saw through Zhao Duan's condition:
"You're dead? Is this your soul? No... the soul after death is confused, but has no clear consciousness... You are more like the 'wandering soul' method mastered by some sorcerers... What's going on?"

She walked over, stretched out her slender hand, and passed through Zhao Duan's body without any hindrance.

"Your Majesty, this is a long story." Zhao Duan smiled bitterly:

"The story begins with the rebels setting fire to the city."

"Burning the city? The rebels burned the city?!" Xu Zhenguan was stunned and suddenly became nervous.

At this moment, she suddenly remembered what Zhao Duan had just said. It seemed that the lost territory on the western front had been recovered?

Her curiosity suddenly reached its peak, and she felt as uncomfortable as being scratched by a cat.

Zhao Duan nodded and gestured to sit down to talk - although he could float, he could also stay in a sitting position without feeling tired at all.

"The thing is like this..."

Then, he began to move in an orderly manner, starting with his own troops marching southwards to Taicang Prefecture City.

On the way, he encountered the "Shadow Guard" and learned that the silver mine was attacked. He went to rescue it, and with the help of Yuxiu, he repelled the White Clothes Gate.

When Su Dan tried to burn the city, he, with the help of Pei Niannu, used the name of raising military rations to cover up his actual action of hoarding magic power.

And finally, when Su Dan's tactics succeeded in deceiving the imperial court and he burned the city to prepare for a calm retreat, he forcibly called upon the wind and rain, summoned the water god, and fought a decisive battle to tell the story.

During the process, the empress did not disturb, but her heart was in turmoil again and again.

There was surprise in his eyes when he looked at Zhao Duan.

She thought that she had seen too many achievements of this little imperial guard and would not be surprised by what he did.

But now I realize that this is not the case.

Zhao Duan indeed has no talent for leading troops in battle. In terms of tactics and strategy, he cannot compare with Xue Shence, and perhaps he is even inferior to Shi Meng and Yuan Feng.

But looking back on this battle, he played a decisive role.

Even Xue Shence was deceived by Su Dan and almost caused the city to burn down. If he succeeded, the losses would be unimaginable and the entire front line would be dragged down.

But in this almost desperate situation, it was Zhao Duan, the "Grand Commander" who did not know how to lead troops in battle, who turned the tide with his own strength and secured victory.

It makes the military gods and others pale in comparison.

When the battle report was transmitted back to the capital, Xu Zhenguan could imagine the wonderful expressions on the faces of the military officers in the court, headed by the Privy Council and the Ministry of War.

Who said Zhao Duan couldn't play a big role on the battlefield? Who said he defeated the Qingzhou Army only by relying on the Shenji Camp?

In fact, even if he put aside the Shenji Camp and the masters around him, he alone is enough to disrupt the world!
This is the man she has chosen. Only a man like this can make her marry him!

There is only one such person in the whole world.

Not long ago, the "happiness" that Zhang Yan mentioned also had an answer.

The "celestial being" who caused the brief fluctuations in the celestial phenomena was Zhao Duan, who summoned the water god by chance.

That's it!

"Your Majesty? Your Majesty?" Zhao Duan called softly.

The empress, who had been listening intently, finally came to her senses. A trace of panic appeared in her eyes. She turned her head away, her cheeks slightly red.

But she quickly adjusted herself, took a deep breath, and asked, "Then...what happened next?"

The great victory on the front line naturally made her happy, but in comparison, Zhao Duan's strange appearance in the palace was even more incredible.

(End of this chapter)