The First Lackey Under The Empress

Chapter 532: Your Majesty, I report that we have achieved a great victory on the Western Front…

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

In the courtyard stands an ancient pavilion, five stories tall, with a stone tablet displayed on each floor, representing the foundation of the Great Yu Dynasty's heritage.

At this moment, on the fourth floor of the pavilion, within a tightly closed room, a layer of starlight rippled across the surface of the "Human World" mural.

A thin crack slowly appeared, and Zhao Du'an stepped out, stunned by the sudden change, which startled him.

"Is this the backyard of the Martial Arts Hall? Did I walk out of the painting?!" Zhao Du'an looked around the familiar room in disbelief.

Outside the tightly closed doors and windows, sunlight streamed through the window paper, illuminating the brown floor and half of a prayer cushion.

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

"It's gone… So, I followed Zhenbao's consciousness into the 'channel' within the painting and walked out of it in reverse?"

The answer was obvious, but as far as he could see, he couldn't find Xu Zhenguan.

"She's not here? Did she enter through visualization from another place? But when I traced back in reverse, I appeared here… instead of directly appearing beside her…"

"Is this the mechanism behind 'visualization'? When cultivators visualize, is it essentially a way to communicate remotely, using this mural as a 'server' to transmit consciousness? So, I can only trace back to this node?"

Zhao Du'an tried to understand this matter in a way he was familiar with.

"No, that's not right! I sank my consciousness into the painting through meditation… not by entering with my 'physical body'. So, theoretically, the current me is not my main body, but a segment of consciousness…"

Zhao Du'an quickly lowered his head and examined his body, his expression changing slightly.

He then noticed that his "body" was translucent, like a ghost, floating on the floor.

Hmm… Very similar to when "Pei Niannu" manifested in reality!

"I can clearly sense the existence of my 'body'. It's very far away. Perhaps with a thought, I can use the mural as a medium to return my consciousness to my main body…"

Sensing the profound connection with his body, Zhao Du'an's tension subsided, replaced by amazement.

Clearly, this didn't seem like an "accident." It was more like a "function" inherent to the stone tablet itself, which he had discovered by chance.

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

Zhao Du'an stared at the mural, his eyes growing brighter.

He didn't choose to return immediately because he wasn't sure if there would be a second chance, so he wanted to explore a bit.

He wanted to figure out the limits of this ability as much as possible.

Zhao Du'an first tried various things in the room, confirming that he was just a "ghost," in a state similar to a wandering spirit.

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

"Hmm… There's no burning or stinging sensation, which means I'm at least not a Yin creature that fears sunlight…" Zhao Du'an mocked himself.

He continued to float cautiously outward, exploring the limits of his range. The depths of the Martial Arts Hall were rarely visited, but just as he passed through the courtyard wall, he was suddenly locked onto by a sinister voice:

"Who dares to infiltrate the inner palace?! Does he really think this old one is blind and deaf?!"

Zhao Du'an's body stiffened, and he turned to look at the distance.

The tightly closed painted wooden door creaked open, and a familiar figure in a bright red python robe, with gray hair and a slightly hunched back, appeared with a somber face, seemingly rushing over.

Eunuch Hai's eyes flashed with brilliance, his fist clenched in his sleeve, Qi energy swirling around him, ready to kill the enemy.

The two made eye contact.

The air suddenly became quiet.

Eunuch Hai's gloomy old face twitched, revealing astonishment, bewilderment, and incredulity.

Zhao Du'an was silent for a moment, then tried to float quietly to the side, but no matter how he floated, he was firmly locked onto by Eunuch Hai, who had activated his Heavenly Eye.

…

The Yuanzu Hall.

Xu Zhenguan, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation, opened her beautiful eyes, a hint of surprise flashing through them.

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

Obviously, the change that occurred within "Human World" was a positive sign. The clues she had been searching for had finally emerged.

However, after a brief moment of joy, Xu Zhenguan fell into confusion:

"Why is this time different? If the reason for the change is that I have become a genuine Celestial Being, then last time, and the time before that… I've entered several times during this period, so why were they all the same as before? Only this time is different?"

The Empress was like a cautious player "exploring" a game without a guide, relying entirely on exploration, not letting go of any suspicious points.

"Something must have happened that affected the Human World… Could it be the brief fluctuation in the south?"

Xu Zhenguan immediately thought of the change in the celestial phenomena in the direction of Linfeng that she had sensed not long ago.

Thinking of this, she immediately got up, her long skirt trailing on the ground, and walked out of the Yuanzu Temple, heading back to her bedroom.

She was preparing to order someone to urgently inquire about information, but unfortunately, the journey was long, and even the fastest communication would take time.

But as soon as she returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, a female official came up to her in a hurry and said:

"Your Majesty, the Supervisor of the Directorate of Astronomy has entered the palace and has important matters to report to the Emperor!"

The Directorate of Astronomy?

Xu Zhenguan's expression changed slightly and said:

"Where is he?"

…

…

"Eunuch, stop touching me… sing two…呸, say a few words, please."

Zhao Du'an stood speechlessly in the quiet courtyard.

His feet were almost touching the ground, but there was always a layer separating them, unable to stand firmly.

Eunuch Hai looked at him with suspicion, extending his hands and trying to reach out again and again, but he could only pass through Zhao Du'an's body.

The old eunuch circled him twice, his old eyes shining, clicking his tongue in wonder, and laughed:

"You little brat… interesting, really interesting. This old one has guarded this royal forbidden area for hundreds of years, and has observed the 'Human World' mural not just thousands of times, but I never knew that this treasure left by the Emperor Taizu had such abilities. Amazing, wonderful."

Since he had been seen by Old Hai, Zhao Du'an didn't need to escape, so he could only briefly explain the situation, but he hid the details within the scroll.

Eunuch Hai initially remained skeptical, but after Zhao Du'an said a lot of trivial details that only the two of them knew, the number one servant in the inner palace finally confirmed that he was real.

"Treasure? Eunuch, you said this stone tablet is a treasure?" Zhao Du'an was stunned, capturing the key word.

Eunuch Hai nodded frankly, looking at him strangely:

"Otherwise? If it were just an ordinary stone, do you really think it could bear the imperial secret tradition?"

"But when I came for the first time, you didn't say…"

"You didn't ask."

"…" Zhao Du'an sighed softly and spread his hands. "In short, I'm also confused."

Eunuch Hai nodded, becoming a bit more serious:

"Perhaps His Majesty will know the reason. Let's go, this old one will take you to see His Majesty."

Zhao Du'an didn't move, hesitating a bit. Being discovered by Eunuch Hai was an accident, but if he met the Empress next…

As long as the Empress wasn't stupid, she would realize that there was a connection between him and the "chapter" in the painting. Perhaps his identity as a "transmigrator" would be exposed.

This matter couldn't be fooled at all, but it seemed like there was no way to retreat, so he had to grit his teeth and slowly follow the old eunuch out.

He dragged out time on the grounds that he "couldn't float fast," desperately thinking about how to explain himself when facing the Empress's questions.

"By the way, Eunuch, how did you know someone had infiltrated? And came so quickly? When I came out, was there some kind of anomaly?" Zhao Du'an asked curiously.

Eunuch Hai shook his head and said:

"There are no unusual signs on your end, but not long ago, I saw a star streak across the sky. It vanished in a flash, and I felt a strange unease. On a whim, I came to check things out.

You should understand that when you and I reach this level of cultivation, our intuition often guides and reminds us of certain things."

A shooting star? Zhao Du'an's heart stirred.

He knew that shooting stars were a normal phenomenon, but for Eunuch Hai to notice one in broad daylight was somewhat terrifying…

As expected of a veteran expert who had lived for one or two centuries… Even if his combat strength had declined due to age and he was no longer at his peak, his foundation was still not to be underestimated.

The two exited the Martial Arts Hall. On the way, Zhao Du'an learned through inquiry that Eunuch Hai had only returned to the palace in the last two days.

Previously, the Empress had sent him to the border to meet with Duke Tang and discuss some matters with the generals there on her behalf.

Soon, the two arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

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Eunuch Hai asked a female official to announce their arrival, but she replied:

"Eunuch, His Majesty is currently speaking with the Director of the Imperial Observatory. If it's urgent, shall I inform her?"

The female official didn't glance at Zhao Du'an even once… Well, for those whose cultivation wasn't high enough, they simply couldn't see Zhao Du'an's existence or hear his voice.

He was like a transparent man.

"It's not urgent. I can wait," Eunuch Hai said, not wanting to make too much of a fuss.

After the palace maid left, the old eunuch in the python robe lowered his voice, as if talking to himself:

"It seems that star was indeed extraordinary."

Zhao Du'an suddenly said, "Could my being here also be related to this matter?"

After waiting for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, an old man with one eye was led out along the corridor. When he approached, he bowed to Eunuch Hai. Both sides adhered to the tacit understanding of being ministers and didn't engage in any conversation.

However, when the one-eyed old man passed by Zhao Du'an, he seemed to vaguely sense something and glanced in the direction where he was standing, but as a mortal, he couldn't perceive Zhao Du'an's existence.

"Heh, this blind little fellow has been gazing at the stars at the Observatory his whole life. With a mortal body and half-blind eyes, he can still sense some traces of you. He's quite extraordinary among mortals," Eunuch Hai commented, then walked towards the Imperial Study. But just as he was about to approach, he dismissed the female officials in the courtyard and said to him:

"Go in yourself. I'll stand guard outside."

Old Hai, I knew you understood me… Zhao Du'an silently gave a thumbs up. He "stepped" to the entrance of the Imperial Study.

He raised his hand to try and knock, but halfway through the motion, he remembered something, chuckled self-deprecatingly, and simply walked through the door and into the room.

…

Inside the study.

Xu Zhenguan sat behind a desk covered with yellow silk, head down, flipping through an old booklet. Her snow-white casual clothes were spotless, the hem hanging softly, covering her long legs and feet, which were unknown to outsiders.

Her black hair was scattered somewhat casually. As she read with her head lowered, the crystal-clear, delicate helix of her ear, like a thin piece of porcelain, revealed thin, pale red blood vessels under the sunlight.

Her alabaster skin was delicate and breakable, and her long eyelashes were spread out and curled.

She was focused on reading when she suddenly sensed something. The fingers that were turning the old book paused, and she abruptly raised her head. A sharp sword light flashed in her phoenix eyes in the room.

The next second, the sharpness turned into astonishment.

"Your Majesty," Zhao Du'an raised his hand in salute and bowed deeply:

"Your subject, Grand Commandant Zhao Du'an, has captured the enemy city today and recovered the lost territory!"

Dazed!

At this moment, even the steady-minded Empress of Great Yu was briefly stunned!

She didn't even clearly hear the content of the sentence. Instead, she blinked hard, not suspecting Zhao Du'an's problem, but suspecting that she was hallucinating!

Could it be that what one thinks of at night appears in one's dreams during the day?

Am I seeing things…

However, how could a Celestial Human cultivator have such an outrageous hallucination?

Soon, divine sense fed back, clearly and unmistakably telling her that the person in front of her was indeed Zhao Du'an.

She stood up abruptly, exclaiming in shock:

"How could you be here? No, this isn't you… not the complete you."

Xu Zhenguan's eyes discerned Zhao Du'an's state:

"You're dead? This is a divine soul? No… a divine soul after death is muddled and doesn't have a clear consciousness… You're more like the 'Soul Walking in Daylight' technique mastered by some sorcerers… What exactly is going on?"

She stepped over and stretched out her slender jade hand, which passed through Zhao Du'an's body without any hindrance.

"Your Majesty, it's a long story," Zhao Du'an said with a wry smile:

"This matter, to put it simply, started when the rebels set fire to the city."

"Set fire to the city? The rebels set fire to the city?!" Xu Zhenguan was stunned and immediately became nervous.

Only then did she suddenly remember what Zhao Du'an had just said, that the lost territory in the west had apparently been recovered?

Her curiosity soared to the extreme, as uncomfortable as if she was being scratched by a cat.

Zhao Du'an nodded, gesturing to sit down and talk—although he could float, he could also stay in a sitting position without feeling tired.

"The matter is like this…"

Then, he began to speak methodically, from when he led his troops south and arrived at Taicang Prefecture City.

He spoke of encountering the "Shadow Guards" on the way, learning that the silver mine had been attacked, going to rescue it, and repelling the White Robe Sect with Yu Xiu's help.

He spoke of how Su Dan tried to burn the city, and how he, with Pei Niannu's help, used the excuse of raising military rations to cover up the actual act of hoarding magic power.

And finally, when Su Dan's tactical deception of the court succeeded, and he was preparing to retreat leisurely after setting the city ablaze, he forcibly summoned wind and rain, summoned the Water God, and decided the victory in one battle.

During the process, the Empress didn't interrupt, but waves rose in her heart again and again.

The gaze she directed at Zhao Du'an was filled with surprise.

She had thought that she had already witnessed too many achievements of this little Imperial Guard and would no longer be surprised by what he did.

But now she realized that this wasn't the case.

Zhao Du'an indeed didn't have the talent for leading troops in battle. At the tactical and strategic levels, he couldn't compare to Xue Shence, and perhaps even Shi Meng and Yuan Feng were inferior.

But reviewing this battle, he had played a decisive role.

Even Xue Shence had been deceived by Su Dan, and he had almost caused the burning of the city. Once it had succeeded, the losses would have been unimaginable, and the entire front line would have been dragged down.

But in this almost desperate situation, it was precisely Zhao Du'an, this "Grand Commandant" who didn't understand how to lead troops in battle, who reversed the situation with his own strength and laid the foundation for victory.

Making the War God and others pale in comparison.

When the battle report of this battle reached the capital, Xu Zhenguan could imagine the wonderful expressions on the faces of those military officials in the court, led by the Privy Council and the Ministry of War.

Who said that Zhao Du'an couldn't play a big role on the battlefield? Who said that his victory over the Qingzhou Army was only due to the Divine Machine Camp?

In fact, even if he abandoned the Divine Machine Camp and the group of experts around him, he alone was enough to stir up the world!

This was the man she had chosen. Only such a man was worthy of her marrying!

Under the whole heaven, there was only this one person.

And not long ago, Zhang Yan's words about good news had an answer.

The "Celestial Human" who caused the brief fluctuation in the celestial phenomena was Zhao Du'an, who had coincidentally summoned the Water God.

So that's how it is!

"Your Majesty? Your Majesty?" Zhao Du'an called softly.

The Empress, who had been listening attentively, finally came back to her senses, a trace of panic appearing 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 later?"

The great victory at the front naturally made her happy, but compared to that, Zhao Du'an's bizarre appearance in the palace was even more incomprehensible.