Chapter 533: Giving You Two Paths (5k)
Then? I met you in the scroll...
Zhao Duan muttered in his heart, but his face showed no sign of it:
"After the battle, I rested behind the county government office in that county town. I wanted to meditate and breathe, but when I was thinking about summoning the water god, I had some feelings about the realm of heaven and man. At Pei Niannu's suggestion, I tried to visualize the "human world" and wanted to try again to see if I could enter it."
The last time, he was inside the palace, pretending he couldn't get in.
"Have you gone in?" Xu Zhenguan quietly clenched his delicate hands in his sleeves, leaned forward, and paid close attention.
Facing the Empress's "pressing gaze", Zhao Duan frowned and said hesitantly, "I don't know."
"have no idea?"
"Yes, I felt that I had entered, but in a blink of an eye, I appeared in the small building behind the Martial Arts Hall."
Zhao Duan looked confused. "Then, I met with Eunuch Hai and came to the audience."
After saying this, he observed the subtle changes in the empress's expression with a little trepidation. The expected "suspicion" of him did not come true. Xu Zhenguan frowned beautifully and fell into deep thought.
Heaven, meteor, Zhao Duan, chapter return... Four factors mixed together at the same time, making it difficult for her to distinguish which factor played a key role behind this matter.
Huh... Zhenbao didn't seem to associate me with Zhang Hui. Is there really some other factor that interfered with her judgment?
Zhao Duan breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt a strong curiosity. The room was silent for a while, and he couldn't help but whispered:
"Your Majesty? What on earth am I…"
Xu Zhenguan came back to his senses, looked up at him, pondered for a moment, shook his head in confusion, and said:
"This matter is a bit complicated. Do you know what happened just now?"
Zhao Duan said honestly, "I saw the director of the Imperial Observatory enter the palace."
Xu Zhen nodded, then suddenly reached out, took the yellowed booklet from the table, placed it in front of him, and explained:
"This is a stargazing record from the Imperial Astronomical Observatory."
Zhao Duan's body cannot influence reality or "turn the page", but fortunately the text and date on the booklet are intact.
He glanced down and said in surprise:
"This record is from a stargazing event six hundred years ago?"
Xu Zhen nodded and said:
"Strictly speaking, this is a surviving astronomical record from the fallen Qi Dynasty. At the end of the Qi Dynasty, war raged everywhere. Before the capital of Qi was captured, a fire burned many precious files, but a few were salvaged. This is one of them.
According to chronological calculations, it was during the last years of the dynasty, before the uprising, that a special star passed over the capital. This was observed and recorded, and in the records of the Qi Kingdom, this star was named the "Disaster Star," foreshadowing impending disaster.
In the years that followed, the world was in chaos, and countless lives were lost. It engulfed both the secular world and the spiritual world. It was arguably the greatest disaster in nearly 1,500 years."
After a brief pause, Xu Zhenguan stared at him solemnly:
"And just now, the same 'disaster star' appeared again after six hundred years."
Appear again? What Halley's Comet... Zhao Duan was stunned. As a modern person who had received compulsory education, he was not unfamiliar with the concept of periodic encounters between stars.
But considering that there are idealistic "gods" in this world... the setting that stars foreshadow disasters does not seem difficult to accept.
"Could it be that this disaster star foreshadows the war with the Eight Kings?" Zhao Duan asked.
Xu Zhenguan sighed, stood up, and paced around the room with a melancholy look in his eyes:
"Compared to the scale of the disaster six hundred years ago, the current struggle between the imperial court and the Eight Kings is far inferior."
Zhao Duan suddenly realized:
"Your Majesty, are you worried that this war won't end easily? Or perhaps it's just the beginning of a greater disaster?"
He hesitated and said, "Isn't it too arbitrary to make such a judgment based on just one so-called disaster star?"
Xu Zhenguan said bitterly, "I also hope that the war will not escalate and can be quelled smoothly."
The atmosphere in the study was temporarily depressing.
Zhao Duan thought for a moment and explained seriously:
"Your Majesty, please be at ease. Even if this calamity truly foreshadows the future, what does it matter? Are we still afraid of chaos?"
The empress was stunned for a moment, looked at him, then seemed to have figured something out and smiled with relief.
Zhao Duan also laughed.
Yes, ever since the Xuanmen coup, the empress has been facing endless troubles since she ascended the throne. She even nearly died in the Fengshan battle... She has overcome so many difficulties, so what is there to fear if there are more?
What's more, it is just an unverified star after all, so there is no point in people being anxious about it now.
Even if a disaster were to strike in the future, all the emperor and his ministers could do now was to quell the rebellion as quickly as possible to prepare for a greater enemy. Therefore, there was no need to worry; simply focus on the present.
Emperor Taizu of Dayu ended the disaster that swept across the continent six hundred years ago and brought six hundred years of peace to the world.
Xu Zhenguan wanted to follow the example of his ancestors and at worst restore the old country.
Thinking of this, the haze in her heart suddenly dissipated, and she felt much lighter. She nodded and smiled:
"You're right, it's just a star, there's really no need to worry about it. However, the records of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory show that Emperor Taizu was obsessed with astrology in his later years and spent a lot of time observing the stars in the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, trying to predict the future.
Taizu read this record of calamity stars many times, and it was recorded in the imperial household's diary that he consulted the astrological records of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory when painting the mural "The World."
Was Old Xu also obsessed with astronomy back then? Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment and said:
"So, Your Majesty suspects that my appearance in the capital from the mural is related to this calamity star?"
This logic is a bit convoluted...
Xu Zhenguan shook his head, his eyes gleaming with wisdom:
"No, I suspect that the reason you were able to manifest your spiritual consciousness and walk out of the mural has little to do with this disaster star. It's probably some miraculous change that occurred after you experienced the Heavenly Man Realm and combined it with the dragon soul in your body. After all, you have a strong connection with the royal inheritance."
Zhao Duan groaned, unable to refute, and said:
"Then why did Your Majesty mention the disaster star just now?"
Xu Zhenguan's eyes became brighter and brighter. She said with some interest, as if sharing a big secret:
"Because this involves another change. Just now, I also entered the Human World through visualization, and I finally found the clues to cultivation left by Emperor Taizu. It was a person in a painting, who called himself 'Zhang Hui'...
After I entered it, I suspected that there was an 'identity' in the world of the painting, and this person in the painting, through the connection of this identity, came into contact with me... Well, it is similar to "The Great Dream Scroll"..."
She spoke of her experiences with great interest.
Women always have a strong desire to share, but as an emperor, she has too many secrets that she cannot tell others and can only keep them in her heart.
And Zhao Duan is undoubtedly a good person to talk to.
Moreover, Zhao Duan would eventually enter The World, and Xu Zhenguan believed that the experience he had gained could be shared with him, allowing him to familiarize himself with the next chapter in advance...
The empress didn't notice that Zhao Duan's eyes were becoming more and more strange.
"Hmm... Zhenbao, you're truly clever. You were able to come up with such a reasonable explanation... Because Emperor Taizu consulted the astrological signs when he painted the murals, and it just so happened that the calamity star passed overhead, which caused certain changes within the murals..."
Well, although this logic is not rigorous, the cultivation of the heavenly level is full of mysteries and uncertainties... It is indeed easy to make associations.
The key points here are:
The empress ascended the throne in an abnormal way, and she was not aware of some secrets of the royal family that were only known to emperors of past dynasties.
So many things, especially those related to spiritual practice, require her to explore bit by bit.
Just like she didn't know the location of Dragon Soul at first.
In the empress's judgment, compared with the outrageous possibility that "Zhao Duan is Zhang Hui", the changes caused by the disaster star are undoubtedly more "reasonable".
Well, or maybe it’s not that complicated at all. It’s simply that I have been in the “human world” long enough and have met certain conditions, so the guide Zhang Hui will appear... Xu Zhenguan guessed in his heart.
"So that's how it is." Zhao Duan took advantage of the situation and suddenly realized, "So that's how I was able to come back."
After the emperor and his minister had this conversation, the empress's mood improved a lot, putting aside the bad omen of the disaster star.
Whether it was the great victory on the Western Front, the appearance of Zhang Hui, or Zhao Duan’s miraculous return... they were all happy events.
"How long can you maintain this state? Can you return?" Xu Zhenguan began to care about his condition.
Zhao Duan said:
"I don't feel any discomfort, but I have a feeling that I can't get too far away from the mural... and another feeling is that I should be able to return to Linfeng from the mural. However, I'm not sure if I can come back. I need to try."
Xu Zhenguan nodded seriously:
"When it comes to the realm of cultivation, nothing can be taken lightly. I'm also unsure if there will be any problems with you staying here for a long time. To be on the safe side, I'll send you back first."
Are you leaving now?
Zhao Duan was silent for a moment, then looked directly into the Empress's eyes:
"I cannot bear to leave Your Majesty. You may sit for a while."
Xu Zhenguan's cheeks flushed and a warm feeling surged in her heart. Even though Zhao Duan had no physical body at the moment, his gaze seemed to carry a burning temperature, making her want to avoid him.
The empress hesitated for a moment, but still said "yes" softly, which was considered as her tacit consent.
Zhao Duan chuckled, then bravely stood up, walked to the side of the empress, and dishonestly tried to attack with his hands.
Then, as expected, it "passed through".
Xu Zhenguan glared at him angrily: "Did I ask you to come over?"
"There are no outsiders here. Eunuch Hai is guarding outside." Zhao Duan muttered. Now that they had finished talking about serious matters, the atmosphere between the two was no longer that of a monarch and his subject, but something else.
The Empress said nothing, but felt the shadow trying to pass through her again and again, with a faint smile:
"You can't even spit on me like this, what else can you do?"
“…” Zhao Duan retreated in frustration.
So, in the final moments, the king and his minister just sat quietly in the study and talked for a while.
Afterwards, although the empress felt a little reluctant, she still took him back to the old building behind the martial arts hall for his safety.
Standing in front of the mural, he said:
"Try to go back first. If you can return again, you can come back. If you can't, send the news back from the front line.
The news of the great victory on the Western Front will surely boost the confidence of the entire court, both civil and military officials. However, the alliance between Prince Jing and Prince Mu will only grow closer. You and Xue Shence must proceed with caution and avoid being too greedy for success and taking risks.
The empress gave her parting instructions.
Zhao Duan nodded and said with a smile:
"Don't make it sound like a farewell. I have a feeling I can come again. I'll report to Your Majesty after this battle on the front lines is over."
Xu Zhenguan smiled and said, "Okay, I'll wait for you to come back."
Zhao Duan took a step forward, and his figure slowly sank into the stone wall and disappeared.
Xu Zhenguan watched his breath completely disappear. The empress in white stood alone in the old building, and the afternoon sunlight slanted in through the window.
There was sadness and loss in her eyes.
…
…
Linfeng, Ning'an County Government Office.
In the house with the door closed, Zhao Duan, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes and felt dizzy. A strong sense of fatigue surged into his heart.
In the sea of consciousness, the green lotus swayed, emitting a hazy glow to replenish the consumption of the soul.
"Back? So tired... As expected, just like last time, entering the human world is particularly tiring. But it's probably because of entering the painting. The period in the palace didn't have much of an impact, because the rest of the period is much longer..."
Zhao Duan covered his forehead, his temples throbbing. He simply took out a few refreshing pills and swallowed them, and then he felt better.
"I'm so tired. I need to rest for a while before trying to visualize again. I have a feeling that if I try to visualize right away, I'll fail."
Zhao Duan felt the turbulence in his sea of consciousness and the mental fatigue. He let out a deep breath and gave up the idea of trying to "travel in the mind" immediately and return to the capital.
"It's been so long?" Zhao Duan stepped out of bed and glanced at the hourglass on the table.
"Indeed, the time in the scroll is hard to estimate, but the time I spent going to the palace to see Zhenbao was real. I wonder if Xue Shence has returned, and the Jade Sleeve Priest..."
Zhao Duan had no intention of resting, so he simply put away the weapons on the table and then opened the door.
Outside the door, Song Jinxi was conscientiously observing his duties. Seeing him come out, he said:
"Sir, are you ready to rest...?"
The worshipper had a strange expression on his face, as if the master had been here for quite some time and seemed even more tired.
"Has the Jade Sleeve Priest come out?" Zhao Duan asked calmly without explaining, looking towards the inner hall.
The door opened with a creaky sound, and Yuxiu walked out from the inner hall. The priestess's eyes were a little swollen, as if she had been crying. Her expression was quite excited, which was very different from her usual calmness.
She came over and saluted Zhao Duan very seriously:
"I just saw you resting, so I didn't disturb you."
No...I haven't seen you for a while, why are you so polite to me? Zhao Duan asked suspiciously:
"What happened?"
Yuxiu gestured for him to come into the inner hall so that she could talk to him for a moment.
Zhao Duan ordered Song Jinxi to guard the door, and he and Yuxiu returned to the inner hall, only to find that Nie Yurong had been untied.
The female killer who was being pointed at by the embroidered clothes had swollen eyes from crying, but a smile was on her lips.
Seeing him come in, she, who looked quite similar to Yuxiu, stood up and suddenly knelt down in front of Zhao Duan. Her tone was sincere and without any hostility:
"The sinful daughter Nie Yurong thanks Governor Zhao for his great kindness!"
Zhao Duan:? ?
…
A quarter of an hour later.
"So, Nie Yurong and you, Taoist priest, are long-lost sisters?"
Zhao Duan sat in the hall, holding a half-bitten apple in his hand, with an extremely wonderful expression, as if he had been sprinkled with the melodramatic drama of an eight o'clock drama.
The story is not complicated:
Yuxiu and Nie Yurong were sisters who were born in Yunfu Dao. They had excellent physiques since childhood. However, due to the rebellion of evil sorcerers colluding with bandits, the sisters fled with their family. On the way, their parents and family members were killed by the bandits, and the sisters were also separated.
Because of her excellent aptitude for cultivation, Yuxiu was noticed by a priest who was out of the Tianshi Mansion to eradicate evil sorcerers. He was brought back to the Tianshi Mansion to be trained and became a disciple.
Nie Yurong was unexpectedly taken away by people from Prince Mu's Mansion and trained to be the Embroidered Clothes Pointer.
Since then, the two sisters have been separated by thousands of miles and it is difficult for them to meet again, but they are still looking for each other. However, it has been so many years and there is no clue anymore.
The Jade Sleeve Priest was now much calmer. Sitting opposite Zhao Duan, he held his sister's hand and explained with a smile:
"My surname is Nie, but I changed my name to Daoist after I entered the Heavenly Master's Mansion. For the past few years, I have been cultivating in the capital, until I became a master and was able to travel the world, and then I went to Yunfu Dao.
One of the reasons why I have been traveling in Yunfu Dao, even in the territory of the Liao people, and in the eastern and western borders of Southern Xinjiang in recent years is that I have been trying to find the whereabouts of my sister. "
Nie Yurong's tears were still brimming, and she clutched her sister's hand tightly, her emotions agitated:
"I was chosen by Prince Mu's Mansion and trained in secret. The discipline of the Embroidered Clothes Direct Pointing Organization is extremely strict, and I cannot move freely normally. The priests in the Heavenly Master's Mansion are too far away from people like us. I never thought that my sister would become a priest and a disciple of the Heavenly Master."
Zhao Duan asked curiously:
"Master, have you ever asked Master Zhang to help you find it?"
Yuxiu understood what he meant, nodded and shook her head, and said with a wry smile:
"I did ask for help from Master, but although Master is very advanced, I also worship a small god in Prince Mu's Mansion and practice the art of concealment. My existence is protected by the god's magic, so Master cannot know."
After a pause, she suddenly said:
"However, when Master sent me to Linfeng with the Master this time, he hinted to me that this trip might fulfill my wish. I didn't understand it at the time, but now I think that Master may have already vaguely seen that my little sister and I would be reunited."
It's such a big world, and after decades, how easy is it to meet again?
Zhao Duan originally had some doubts in his heart, worried whether there was a trick here, but he was relieved when he heard that Lao Zhang had hinted at it long ago.
Well, I even unexpectedly met Pei Niannu’s “descendant”, Princess Lu Yaner of Prince Jing.
The reunion of the Yuxiu sisters is nothing special.
"Master Zhao," Yuxiu suddenly stood up and said seriously:
"I know that my younger sister is in Prince Mu's mansion. According to the law of the land, she is an enemy and should be taken prisoner and severely punished. But I dare to ask for your mercy. Yuxiu will remember this favor and will repay you."
Zhao Duan smiled and waved his hand, signaling her not to do so. After a moment of hesitation, he said:
"Priest, you accompanied the army this time and first defeated the young master of the White Robe Sect and then killed the Brahma Dragon of the Divine Dragon Temple. For these two things alone, I should consider it a favor I owe you. However, your sister is an envoy of the Embroidered Uniforms. If I let her go, it would be against the law of the country..."
Yuxiu suddenly became nervous, but Nie Yurong was not afraid at all. She smiled and suddenly said to Yuxiu:
"The reason I was able to endure the brutal training in Prince Mu's Mansion all these years and survive to this day is not because of fame or fortune, but because I just wanted to see my sister.
Now that my wish has been fulfilled, I have no regrets. Sister, as a priestess, you should be impartial. Prince Mu's palace is colluding with evil sorcerers, and my hands are not clean either. There is no need to plead for me."
She looked at Zhao Duan and said calmly:
"What should be done? Please do not show any mercy outside the law. All matters shall be dealt with according to the law of the land."
She didn't want her background to affect Yuxiu's future!
Nie Yurong knew very well that she would never be able to live an ordinary life in this life, and as a killer, she could not turn back.
But Yuxiu still has a bright future.
Even though the Tianshi Mansion is aloof from the world, Yuxiu's involvement in the dynasty's political struggles because of her poses a huge risk, especially since she is pleading with this powerful official who is rumored to be extremely sinister, treacherous and cunning... This is something she doesn't want to see.
Yuxiu got anxious and her expression changed: "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Zhao Duan watched the two arguing with a smile, and suddenly smiled:
"Well, I have two options for you."
He raised a finger to Nie Yurong:
"The first option is for me to completely erase this identity from you. From now on, your role as the Embroidered Clothes Envoy will be 'dead'. The real you can live anywhere. As long as you stay in an area controlled by the imperial court, I will ensure your safety.
Well, the premise is that you don't commit any more crimes. As a price, Jade Sleeve Priest must help me do something for a period of time."
"The second path is for you to continue your work as an embroidered robe envoy and help me with some things. At the same time, you will also become a shadow guard of the imperial court. After you finish your work, it will be considered as your merits, and your sins will be atonement for by earning merits yourself."
Nie Yurong didn't hesitate and took a step forward before her sister: "I choose the second path!"
(End of this chapter)
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