Chapter 284 Meeting the Old Master Again

Furnace tripod...

When Zhao Duan's decisive voice fell, Xu Zhenguan was obviously stunned.

Anger washed over her icy face, and she instinctively wanted to scold, "How rude."

But when she met Zhao Duan's sincere and frank gaze, the scolding was stuck in her throat, unable to go up or down.

Is he... serious?

Such a thought popped up uncontrollably.

In Xu Zhenguan's view, the so-called "Your Majesty's furnace" was just another joke from this foul-mouthed guy.

It's strange to say, if someone else dared to make such a joke again and again, she would be extremely disgusted.

But Zhao Duan did this many times, but he never really got angry.

Xu Zhenguan didn't know that this was also a "broken window effect" in a sense.

Ever since she did not punish Zhao Duan when he made his first bold confession, Zhao had gained the privilege of being a little "slippery" in front of the king.

Xu Zhenguan thought that this was just another incident.

But Zhao Duan's firm tone and extremely serious eyes made her anger suddenly dissipate.

"You...really willing?"

Xu Zhenguan confirmed with a strange expression:

"You must understand that if you gain the favor of the Dragon Soul, you may have the opportunity to ascend to the Celestial Realm in the future. But if you become a furnace, you will ruin your bright future."

Zhao Duan laughed at himself and said:

"This dragon soul originally belonged to the royal family, not to me. Without your majesty's cultivation over the past few months, even if I had some talent, I would have been nothing more than a god in my lifetime, lacking resources and inheritance, let alone the current glory and wealth.

I am your Majesty's subject, and your Majesty is my benefactor. As the saying goes, a drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring...

Your Majesty has blessed my humble self with heavenly rain, and I, with all my heart, shall give my all to repay Your Majesty's grace."

He clasped his hands and said, "I beg Your Majesty to grant me the favor!"

“…”

Xu Zhenguan was silent for a moment after hearing these words. He felt touched, relieved, and a little embarrassed.

Squeak——

Even the Taia sword that was sticking on the ground next to it was slightly bent.

Xu Zhenguan took a deep breath and said helplessly:

"Get up, who wants your return?"

She said unhappily:

"Just a few words of praise, do you really think you're a tonic? I'm only at the Divine Chapter Realm. How can I covet your little boost? Don't mention this matter again."

Zhao Duan raised his head and said hesitantly:

"But Your Majesty, this dragon soul is hidden in my body. How can I return it without dual cultivation... If I lose it..."

Xu Zhenguan turned his head, took two steps further, and faced him with his back, saying indifferently:

"Although Dragon Soul isn't a god, it's similar. Even with my level of cultivation, I can't forcibly take it, and neither can anyone else. I'll temporarily store it within you. As long as you don't intentionally release it, outsiders won't be able to detect it..."

Well, I will give you another seal later to cover your Qi Sea, and that will be it. Humph, a mere divine chapter, you should be thinking about entering the world as soon as possible, not these crooked ways!"

What Xu Zhenguan didn't say was that even if she really went to collect essence, it would not make much sense.

Because Zhao Duan is too weak.

It had barely sustained the Dragon Soul for ten breaths... the time was too short to be of much help to her.

The dragon soul is like an engine, and Zhao Duan's cultivation is the fuel.

The method of collecting and replenishing will make it difficult for Zhao Duan to make any progress, causing Long Po to fall into a deeper sleep and be unable to take effect.

Therefore, morally and logically, the practice of Cai Bu is a losing proposition.

Zhao Duan was so smart that he suddenly realized:

"Your Majesty said that only when both sides have similar cultivation levels can they achieve the best results.

I have heard that Your Majesty has not yet set foot in the true realm of heaven and man, but relies on the dragon energy of the throne to be comparable to heaven and man.

So, Your Majesty is still at the Great Perfection of the Worldly Realm? If I were to enter the worldly realm, I would be at the same realm as Your Majesty, so that we could practice dual cultivation?"

That’s the theory... Xu Zhenguan was about to nod, but then he came to his senses and was extremely speechless.

Who wants to discuss with you when to practice dual cultivation?

I was almost led into a pit.

Zhao Duan suddenly noticed a bug:

If he and the empress practiced dual cultivation, and the empress broke through and entered the celestial realm, wouldn't that mean she was at a completely different level from him? So, the result of dual cultivation would be that they couldn't practice dual cultivation anymore?

No...Dual cultivation is beneficial to both parties, and one's own cultivation should also be improved.

Besides, it's just the Heavenly Man Realm. At worst, I can continue to practice dual cultivation after entering the Heavenly Man Realm... Then, the perpetual motion machine is...

"Put aside your unrealistic thoughts."

Xu Zhenguan interrupted his thoughts coldly and said:

“Since you are serving as a royal attendant and are favored by Emperor Taizu, I can temporarily record your offense for appearing on the stage today and not punish you.

I will leave the Dragon Soul with you, so take good care of it. If you neglect it, I will not forgive you. I will spread the news about today's events and take all the responsibility for your performance. This way, outsiders will only think that I have given you the ability to temporarily control the Taia Sword, and will not associate it with the Dragon Soul.

Keep your mouth shut so nothing gets leaked. If you talk nonsense and people find out, I'll tie you up, disembowel you, and take your soul away. I won't be able to protect you all the time."

This awkward change of topic... Zhao Duan complained, his face respectful:

"I obey your command!"

I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that I had passed this hurdle safely today.

…

Seeing that he had stopped talking nonsense, Xu Zhenguan nodded in satisfaction and pointed to the stone wall in the room:

"Okay, now that we've explained the whole story, let's go in and look at the second picture."

Let’s talk about five more dollars... Zhao Duan didn’t dare to disobey and stepped into the threshold in an orderly manner.

This time, with experience, he sat cross-legged on the cushion without any guidance.

Try staring at the mural on the second floor - the irregular circles of grooves on the stone tablet, and visualize them in your mind.

My heart is also full of anticipation... The first "Picture of the God of War" has many mysteries.

I wonder how mysterious this second scroll is, the one that teaches how to practice the "Shen Zhang" realm.

The wind blows through the old building.

The sunlight slants down a little bit.

Xu Zhenguan did not leave, but just stood outside the door and waited for about two quarters of an hour. Then he saw Zhao Duan stand up from his meditation in the room and walk out with a blank look.

"it's over?"

"Uh... Your Majesty, I'm not sure."

Zhao Duan was a little confused.

Because after his visualization just now, he was in a daze and indeed sank into a "dream".

But it was pitch black inside, with nothing there.

No matter how he tried and called out, there was no response.

It took a long time before I felt the familiar mental fatigue and came out of the "visualization" on my own.

Xu Zhenguan was not surprised at all and said calmly:

“This second picture, titled ‘Six Chapters Sutra’, is different from the first layer.

You have only recently entered the divine realm and are not yet stable, so you cannot see anything in your visualization, only darkness. Once you have gained a firm footing, changes will naturally occur."

Ah... is this possible?

Xu Zhenguan casually pulled up the Tai'a sword from the ground and threw it into the air. The sword turned into a long rainbow, ran straight towards the Taimiao, and returned to its original position.

The empress led Zhao Duan out of the armory with her skirt fluttering.

——There are two purposes for bringing him here, one is to interrogate him, and the other is to bestow upon him the "Six Chapter Sutra".

Now that everything has been accomplished, it is natural for us to leave.

When walking out of the arsenal forecourt.

The old eunuch in the dragon robe smiled and nodded at him with an expression that said, "It's okay in our family."

Zhao Duan was too lazy to pay attention to him.

After they walked away, Zhao Duan said anxiously:

"Your Majesty, I will be staying in the palace tonight..."

"Just go home on your own." Xu Zhenguan looked cold and indifferent, like a king or his subject.

"Oh..." Zhao Duan hung his head, looking extremely disappointed.

Xu Zhenguan caught a glimpse of his attitude from the corner of her eye and felt a headache for some reason. She thought for a moment and said:

"By the way, you have won a great victory on behalf of the imperial court today. I have already ordered a celebration banquet to be held at Zhangtai Garden tonight. I will not be attending, but the ministers will be there. Please remember to go.

Oh, by then, I'm sure some talented scholars will take the opportunity to write poems and articles to praise you. You can just accept them calmly. Although those mediocre scholars may not be able to govern the country, they are good at spreading fame through poetry and articles, and they can help you become famous. "

"Your Majesty knows that what I want is not empty fame..." Zhao Duan said.

Xu Zhenguan ignored him and continued:

"By the way, while you were recuperating in the palace, I sent Mo Chou to lead troops to the Shenlong Temple. The head of the Discipline Hall was stripped of his position and exiled to a lower-class temple outside the capital. The monks who participated in the questioning were also demoted, and 10% of the monk land owned by the Shenlong Temple in the imperial court was taken away.

The silver and money taken back were sent to the east of the city to repair the charity hall.

Autumn has arrived, and winter is not far behind. This is the third year of my reign, and I do not want children freezing to death under my nose. They are my people, and I do not need a mere military officer like you to help them.

Zhao Duan was stunned and stopped involuntarily.

Looking at Xu Zhenguan walking away in a white long skirt without stopping, he pursed his lips and his heart suddenly felt warm.

On the other side, Xu Zhenguan returned to the Yangxin Palace. When Fang Fu arrived, he saw Mo Chou already waiting outside the imperial study.

He seemed anxious, but when he saw her, his eyes lit up and he said hurriedly:

"Your Majesty, Lord Yuan requests an audience!"

…

Soon, we arrived at the entrance of the imperial city.

Zhao Duan walked out with his horse, declined the palace servants' suggestion to send a carriage to take him there, and simply borrowed a horse and rode back home.

After walking for a while, he remembered that he had become very popular this time and his appearance was known to many people.

He simply took out the small space scroll from his arms and fished out the mask seized from the "Thousand-Faced God".

Pressed on the face, it changed the appearance.

This time, as he walked along the street, no one was watching him.

However, after he was promoted to the God level, his ears and eyes became sharper, and he could clearly hear many people on both sides of the street talking about the fight that took place during the day.

Among them, the name "Zhao Yanwang" appears frequently.

"Where to go next? Home first? Hmm... I'm afraid things aren't going well at home either. My house must be packed with people, with people from all over the government offices coming to visit..."

"It's getting late. Why not wait until evening and go directly to the celebration party at 'Zhangtai Garden'..."

"Oh right, Tianshi Mansion..."

Zhao Duan suddenly remembered that Lao Wang was on the ring at that time and had made an appointment to meet him.

Do you want to go to Tianshi Mansion for a visit?

Zhao Duan was about to take action when his heart moved, but his eyes suddenly fixed.

He dismounted and led the horse to a familiar soup and noodle shop on the roadside ahead, where he tied the horse to the gatepost.

He walked across a bench and sat down at a table.

Looking at the tall old man who had been waiting there for a long time, breaking a pancake and drinking soup, he grinned, cupped his hands and whispered:

"Junior greets old...Mr."

Zhang Yan raised his head with a smile and handed him a bowl of mutton soup.

"My dear Zhao, please drink a bowl of soup, and we will meet again in the mountains and rivers."

(End of this chapter)