Chapter 530: What is it like to be the “guide” of the empress?
The online taxi was speeding through the neon-lit city, and Zhao Duan was trapped in the darkness, a little distracted.
Not long after, the car stopped by the roadside. He came to his senses, opened the door, stepped on the ground, slammed the door shut, and habitually took out his mobile phone to pay.
Then he walked towards the store that was still open - fortunately he was in a big city, otherwise, at this time, only a few kebab shops would be open.
There were neither too many nor too few people in the restaurant. Zhao Duan sat down somewhat awkwardly, ordered a single meal, and drank a glass of water slowly, still thinking about how to explore the world in this painting.
At this moment, the shop door suddenly opened again, and a girl wearing a shirt, trousers and sandals walked in hurriedly.
The sleepy waiter at the cashier counter called out softly, attracting the attention of the customers in the store.
What a beautiful girl!
Although Xu Zhenguan has changed her dressing style in this world, her appearance is still indisputably outstanding. What is even more rare is her temperament.
The temperament that the royal family has cultivated over the years, coupled with a face that is big enough to make its debut, gives people a feeling of full "oppression".
No matter whether men or women, they didn't even dare to look her in the eye. Their hearts were pounding and they were nervous and at a loss when speaking.
The originally bustling and noisy store suddenly became quiet, and the customers stopped talking and looked at her in surprise.
Xu Zhenguan just frowned slightly and pretended not to see it - as an emperor, she was familiar with the feeling of being the center of attention wherever she went.
"How...how many people?" the waiter asked stutteringly.
Xu Zhenguan glanced around, walked straight to an empty seat, sat down calmly, and said lightly:
"One person, order food."
The waiter handed over the menu almost subconsciously... Well, the empress was very familiar with this restaurant and had been here more than once, not just because of the distance or the fact that it was still open late at night.
A key factor is that there is no need to "scan the code to order" here!
Xu Zhenguan tapped the menu with his finger, quickly ordered a large table of food, and then said in a dignified tone:
"I'm in a hurry, can you go faster?"
"Ah... if you order this much for one person, you may not be able to finish it all..." the waiter kindly reminded.
The Empress frowned slightly: "Can you go faster?"
The waiter was inexplicably frightened and nodded quickly before running towards the kitchen.
In this world, the empress has lost her cultivation and is just an ordinary girl, but she still has beauty and a strong aura.
As she glanced around, the guests at other tables looked away guiltily.
To describe it in one word:
Thrilling!
Which celebrity came to dinner? Why can't I remember?
But she is so beautiful and has such a good temperament, she is definitely not an ordinary person... The diners had similar thoughts in their minds, and some of them picked up their phones, as if they wanted to take a secret photo, but they were afraid of being discovered and hesitated to do so.
No one noticed that at the table behind the empress, Zhao Duan was completely stunned.
He maintained the posture of holding the glass of water, but his head was buzzing.
Xu Zhenguan? How could it be her? Why does Xu Zhenguan exist in this world?
This is illogical!
The first thought that came to mind was "look-alike." But he cut it off almost the next second.
joke!
You want to bump into a face of this level? Not to mention that aura and eyes... There is absolutely no way to mistake it, it's Zhenbao.
But no matter how you think about it, it is impossible for Old Xu six hundred years ago to draw a future descendant in this world in advance... No, this is not a simple similarity, it is clearly the same person.
Yes, when Zhenbao was practicing, she would also visualize "The Human World" and she would enter the painting... So, we both entered the same painting? This is different from the previous painting setting.
If the previous paintings were all stand-alone versions, then after reaching the fourth level, they became online versions.
In this "game", she met the second online "player"!
Of course, all of this is just speculation. It is difficult to judge whether Zhen Bao in front of us is the empress who is practicing visualization. Further contact is needed.
Zhao Duan's mind was full of thoughts, and the look of astonishment on his face slowly faded.
Well, his loss of composure didn't attract anyone's attention, because he wasn't the only one stunned by his beauty. Furthermore, his current appearance was completely unfamiliar to Xu Zhenguan. As long as he didn't reveal it, the empress would just treat him as an NPC in this world...
With a flash in his eyes, Zhao Duan put down the water cup, took a deep breath, suddenly stood up and walked towards Xu Zhenguan.
He wasn't sure how long he could stay here, so he had to hurry.
His obvious action also attracted the attention of many guests at nearby tables. At the table next to the Empress, there was a young couple sitting. Seeing this, the boy couldn't help but admire them:
Brother, you are really brave to approach and chat with such a beautiful woman.
Many people also looked like they were having fun.
Zhao Duan ignored the gazes of others and leisurely sat down in the empty seat opposite the empress, smiling:
"Hello, can I add someone? You look a bit like a friend of mine."
vomit--
The boy at the next table almost vomited, trying hard to hold back his laughter, with a weird look in his eyes, thinking, "Brother, are these the pick-up lines from the 2000s?"
Others on TikTok have even progressed to the point of drawing portraits for girls and sending them in. Your skills are really poor.
Xu Zhen looked at the strange man who suddenly sat in front of her, her eyebrows raised subconsciously, her face cold, and she said calmly:
"I...I'm not interested in talking to anyone."
She was a little hungry, and considering that she couldn't stay here for too long, her mind was now full of food.
She was accustomed to strangers approaching her. She had been approached frequently during her previous visits.
She didn't want to waste any time with a group of "people in the painting". If she didn't despise other people's "leftovers", she would even want to grab a table of ready-made food.
As for paying?
The group of people in the painting seemed to be paying the bill with the jade stone in their hands, but there seemed to be a restriction on their jade magic tools and they could not use them, so they had to eat a free meal.
At worst, when it’s time to check out, you can just stop “meditation” and leave the painting, and then you can “escape the bill”.
Next time you come in, everything will be restarted... and you can get it for free.
Okay, I'm a big eater outside, but I'm still the same... I ordered so much, are you sure you can finish it? Or do you want to try a bite of everything?
Zhao Duan complained in his heart, but without moving his butt, he shamelessly put down the water cup and said:
"You seem to have some misunderstandings about me. That's okay, but maybe you'll change your mind later. Well, how about letting me guess your identity? If I guess wrong, I'll leave immediately and won't bother you anymore."
The empress, who was concentrating on waiting for the food to be served, had a blank expression on her face and didn't respond at all, as if she treated him as a transparent person.
The boy at the next table was a little surprised, thinking that this trick was much better. He couldn't help but prick up his ears, wanting to learn the routine.
Zhao Duan was not annoyed. He looked up and down at the empress's attire and suddenly said slowly:
"You're not from here, are you? You're from outside, right?"
Outside... This word can be understood as "outside the picture" or "outside the place".
The boy at the next table laughed and thought to himself, "Brother, I thought you had some special skills. Although this beautiful woman doesn't talk much, you can still hear that her accent is strange."
Hmm... It's like a mixture of several tones, and it's unfamiliar and not fluent enough... Hey, could it be from Korea?
Otherwise, why isn't her Mandarin fluent? It's possible... then this face might not be original... but her appearance doesn't look like an internet celebrity at all. She's taller than Liu Yifei... weird.
Xu Zhenguan was unaware of the rich inner thoughts of the diner next door. She glanced at Zhao Duan coldly and said nothing.
I'm not familiar with the Mandarin in this world, so it's not surprising.
At this time, the waiter began to bring up portions of fresh meat, fruits and vegetables, dishes and seasonings, put them on trays, and asked if they wanted to help grill them.
"Let me do it, thank you." Zhao Duan took the barbecue utensils with a smile and wanted to send the waiter away.
Xu Zhenguan said coldly: "Stay and help grill it."
She was used to being served by palace maids and eunuchs when eating. The man in front of her didn't look like a eunuch, so at least a palace maid should be left behind.
The waiter took back the tongs, glared at Zhao Duan, and started working diligently.
Zhao Duan smiled, not getting angry, and looked at the empress again: "It seems that I guessed right. Well, you must be from a very noble family, with an extraordinary family background."
He used the word "honorable".
The boy at the next table laughed again, shaking his head and thinking to himself, how unoriginal! Although the clothes on the beautiful woman at the next table looked cheap, her every move and gesture exuded such aura that, unless one was blind, one would know that she was definitely from a wealthy family, even powerful...
Besides, how do you know that this piece of clothing, which looks like it only costs a few dozen yuan, or at most one or two hundred yuan, actually costs tens of thousands of yuan?
The empress finally looked at him seriously.
The word "noble" made her care more. Even though she didn't know enough about this world, she knew that the people in this world were far less clearly distinguished from each other than those in the Yu Kingdom, and there were few princes and nobles.
Describing someone as noble...is not a common expression.
"Sizzle--" At this moment, oil was sizzling out of the fresh meat on the heated grate.
Xu Zhenguan picked up his chopsticks and prepared to eat.
Zhao Duan observed her expression, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he slowly threw out the third sentence:
"Your last name is Xu, right? Your name is three characters long."
Snap!
The empress had just picked up the chopsticks, but before she could clench them tightly, they suddenly fell onto the table and scattered!
Xu Zhenguan, who had always had a cold expression from beginning to end, suddenly raised his head, his eyes slightly widened, and for the first time in the true sense, he looked at this strange man straight in the eye!
Her surname is Xu!
Why would the other party guess it? !
Coincidence? No... How could it be possible? And I clearly didn't leak anything!
This is a bit scary... Especially when you combine this with the first two pieces of information from the other party, especially the phrase "from outside"...
A solemn expression appeared on Xu Zhenguan's face, and a hint of murderous intent appeared on his body.
She turned her head, glanced at the waiter, waved her hand to signal him to leave, then stared deeply at the stranger in front of her and asked:
"How do you know?"
No way... guessed it right?!
The boy at the next table was stunned. He turned his head and looked almost inappropriately, with a very interesting expression on his face. He thought to himself, are you two playing a trick on me?
Is this a script? Someone filming a movie? Or is this a short video by an influencer?
But why doesn’t the male protagonist have a camera on his head?
If you two don’t know each other, I’ll eat the pot!
The boy looked around, searching for hidden cameras, but was stared at by his girlfriend, who looked grim. His expression froze, and he became completely cowering.
"I said, you look like an old friend of mine." Zhao Duan leaned back in the sofa-like chair, smiling calmly.
It was not until this time that many people, including Xu Zhenguan, suddenly realized that the man who came to chat up had never been nervous from beginning to end.
Even when facing the oppressive Xu Zhenguan, he appeared extremely relaxed.
This is unusual.
"I don't know how you know my last name, but I'm not interested in talking to you about these boring things." Xu Zhenguan said coldly.
Zhao Duan sighed softly and said with emotion:
"Do you think I'm being mysterious? Actually, the friend I'm talking about is not a woman, but a man. Well, he's much older than me. He's an uncle named Xu."
He started acting!
"Uncle Xu and I have known each other for a long time. He is not from this city, but came from outside. He has lived here for a long time, so he has become familiar with me. Well... let's call it a friendship regardless of age.
Uncle Xu knows some kung fu tricks and claims to have learned martial arts when he was young. Nowadays, very few people learn martial arts, so I didn't believe him at first, but he later showed me a few tricks, and then I felt that he had some kung fu skills...
As for his bad habits, he did have one, alcoholism. He would often hide away to drink, and he would drag me along, telling me many stories about how he had been a gangster in his youth, and how he had a group of brothers and a very beautiful daughter who had been sent abroad to study since she was young...
But he was an old widower, and no one around him believed him, thinking he was just talking nonsense after drinking..."
Zhao Duan spoke calmly in a nostalgic tone, as if he was telling a story from his own experience.
Xu Zhenguan listened quietly, and the more she listened, the brighter her eyes became.
The murderous intent in his body quickly subsided, and he stared at the strange man more seriously!
Because... the "Uncle Xu" described by this person is clearly very similar to Emperor Taizu!
Especially some very detailed living habits and bad habits... are highly consistent with many of the records in Emperor Taizu's daily records.
Considering that Emperor Taizu was the "creator" of this painting, it is only natural that Emperor Taizu had also come here...
Could it be that... the person in front of me is the "guide" on my path of cultivation in this painting?
Once this idea arose, it occupied her mind. The more Xu Zhenguan thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
"I have a question," Xu Zhenguan suddenly interrupted him, stared at him, and asked:
"What's your name?"
Zhao Duan, who was talking nonstop, was stunned for a moment, and looked at the empress with interest. After a slight hesitation, he smiled, folded his hands, and said his real name in this world:
"Zhanghui. Zhang in the article, Hui in the return."
boom--
Xu Zhenguan's head buzzed and his eyes became extremely strange!
She recalled that when she was in the nearby Taiqing Palace, the female temple priest had once wanted to tell her marriage fortune by drawing lots. The result of the calculation was that her "true love" was named "Zhang" and was a government employee.
"Your job?" she asked again.
Zhao Duan said: "Servant of the people."
Right—
Xu Zhenguan was stunned. Could this person be in cahoots with that temple keeper and trying to trick him?
The thought flashed through her mind and was quickly rejected by her.
impossible!
Every time she entered this world, it would "restart". This time, she had never met the female temple priest at all, so there was no possibility of conspiracy.
As for the nonsense about the true emperor... the empress didn't believe a word of it. She already had an appointed husband, so why would she let a painting manipulate her? What did it have to do with a fake person in a painting?
It's just nonsense.
Perhaps, this so-called "Son of Love" is her "plot setting" in this painting.
Well, it's similar to...
When Zhao Duan practices "The Great Dream Scroll", he will enter a period of time six hundred years ago, become a child born in a town, and follow Pei Niannu to practice, leading a false life... In "The Great Dream Scroll", Zhao Duan has a "plot-set identity".
When the Empress was cultivating the Great Dream Scroll, she also had the identity in the painting and experienced birth, old age, sickness and death...
Considering that "The World" is an advanced version of "The Great Dream Scroll", and I obviously have an "identity" in this world... then, this chapter is the "husband" of this identity in this painting?
Xu Zhenguan nodded slightly. She felt that her speculation was extremely reasonable and should be the truth.
So she stopped being angry.
I am the Son of Heaven and a saint beyond the painting. How could I be angry with the characters in a fake story? Why would I care about a mere fake identity?
"The chapter... is very good," Xu Zhenguan nodded calmly, and even asked with a little anticipation:
"So, you know my...father? Where is he? Did he leave any message?"
Well, she felt that in the story of this painting, Emperor Taizu played the role of her father.
This should be the starting point of her spiritual practice within this painting... Phew, as expected, my judgment was correct. Only when I truly become a celestial being, rather than the "pseudo-celestial being" I was before, can I unlock the spiritual practice hidden within this painting...
Xu Zhenguan silently praised his own wit.
Zhao Duan smiled as he watched Zhen Bao's expression change in front of him.
How could he not guess at this moment that the empress had judged him as the "guide" and "NPC" in this painting who led her in her practice?
Hmm... What if the Empress mistakenly thinks I'm the guide? Waiting online, it's urgent.
(End of this chapter)
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