Chapter 544 Your Majesty, I set up a "game" in Yongjia (5k monthly ticket required)
Back!
In the dim fourth floor of the old building, Zhao Duan, in soul form, suddenly rushed out from the stone wall, gasping subconsciously.
When the familiar environment appeared in his field of vision, he finally confirmed that he had successfully broken free from the control of the [Soul-Breaking Sword] and traveled thousands of miles back to the depths of the palace.
"It succeeded... I never thought that there would be a day when I could use my visualization ability to escape." Zhao Duan was frightened, and many complicated emotions surged in his heart.
Must admit.
Zhao Shixiong's strength exceeded his expectations. Even though he had reserved the [Two Life Gates] as a backup, he was still nearly captured and killed.
Fortunately, in desperation, he remembered this ability of "The World" and successfully escaped from the tiger's mouth.
"According to the rules I've discovered in the past, as long as I use the mural to return again, I can directly return to my physical body. However, I'm not sure if I go back immediately now, or if Zhao Shixiong will still pull me back."
"As a warrior, he possesses no inherent magical skills. The reason he was able to recall my soul must be due to the power of the weapon he wields... I must not rashly return until I understand the scope of that weapon's capabilities.
Otherwise, if he takes me back again, Zhao Shixiong will be prepared and will probably kill me without giving me time to reflect..."
Zhao Duan's thoughts flashed rapidly, and he cautiously gave up the option of returning to his body immediately.
"As for the safety of my body, the Golden Shadow Guard will certainly take care of it, but this is not guaranteed. If Zhao Shixiong can still lock onto my body, then I will have no choice but to stay with Pei Niannu and become a wandering ghost.
Well... maybe it will just vanish into thin air, even worse than her."
Thinking of this, Zhao Duan's heartstrings suddenly tightened and he felt a strong sense of urgency.
He can't stay in the capital for too long!
Without hesitation, he immediately floated out of the pavilion and headed straight for the outside of the martial arts hall.
On the way, he ran into Eunuch Hai, who was walking out of the bedroom wearing a coat and holding a lantern in his hand.
"What's the matter that brings you back so late at night? Can you let me sleep peacefully..." Eunuch Hai saw him and complained with a frown.
As a palace attendant, he always pays attention to every little movement in the palace.
"Huh? That's not right. Is your spirit injured? Why is it flickering?" The old eunuch in the python robe took a closer look and his expression changed.
Zhao Duan was like seeing a savior, and immediately said:
"I fought Zhao Shixiong, and his knife pulled my soul from my body. I had no choice but to return to the palace to hide. Does Eunuch know what this method is?"
The silver-haired old eunuch was startled for a moment and said seriously:
"Is this true? Come with me to see His Majesty immediately."
Lao Hai, you don’t understand... I’m happy for nothing... Zhao Duan sighed.
The two of them immediately set off and headed for the Yangxin Palace. At this time, the empress had not yet gone to bed.
When Xu Zhenguan caught a glimpse of the two people rushing in from outside the study, the empress's fair face was also startled. Her sight was attracted by Zhao Duan's dim soul, and her slender eyebrows frowned:
"What happened?!"
Zhao Duan told the story again, but in order to buy time, he did not explain the cause and effect.
A battle with Zhao Shixiong?
Forced to flee back?
Xu Zhenguan stood up suddenly, staring at him in surprise, his divine consciousness at the celestial realm overwhelming him.
Enveloping Zhao Duan, his dim and flickering soul quickly stabilized and gradually returned to fullness.
At the same time, he was surprised to find that there was a scarlet scar on his soul body from the center of his eyebrows downwards, like a blood vessel, extending downwards, becoming lighter and lighter, but almost wrapped around half of his body.
"What is this?" Zhao Duan was stunned.
Eunuch Hai is knowledgeable and said in a deep voice:
"These scars resemble the wounds inflicted by a sword, but also resemble a curse that continuously weakens and debilitates your spirit. Zhao Shixiong must have left these marks on you during the fight, allowing him to pull your spirit out from the air. If this curse isn't removed, even if you return, you'll be targeted again."
Xu Zhenguan's face was covered with frost. Without hesitation, he wrapped Zhao Duan with his mind and walked out with lotus steps:
"Eunuch Hai, please guard the palace. I will be back soon."
As soon as she finished speaking, the empress's skirt fluttered, and she rose from the ground and disappeared in the palace.
Zhao Duan followed the empress, riding the wind and flying over the capital. He saw the buildings of the Tianshi Mansion in front of him getting bigger and bigger.
"I am not good at magic. To be on the safe side, it would be best to ask Zhang Yan to take action." The empress explained softly.
As a celestial being, she was not completely helpless in treating injuries to her soul, but because her soul was too special, she did not dare to act rashly and preferred to seek treatment from "professionals".
For this reason, it doesn’t matter even if the special reason why Zhao Duan can return is exposed. This is not a very important secret.
…
In the blink of an eye, the king and his minister fell into a small courtyard deep in the Tianshi Mansion.
The big banyan tree was crystal clear in the night, half green and half like red clouds, extremely eye-catching.
When the empress descended from the sky, her powerful grace made the plants and trees in the courtyard bend down, and even the big banyan tree trembled.
"Where is the Heavenly Master?" Xu Zhen looked at the empty rocking chair under the tree and opened his mouth slightly.
With a creaking sound, the lights in the courtyard and the house came on first, and then the door opened. Zhang Yan, wearing a priest's robe, walked out in surprise and doubt:
"Your Majesty, you paid me a night visit. What do you mean by...Huh? Young friend Zhao?"
When the old Taoist priest saw Zhao Duan, he couldn't help but be stunned.
Although he practiced the Way of Heaven, he did not practice divination all the time. Moreover, the Way of Heaven would also be affected by the Martial God Diagram. He knew nothing about Zhao Duan's situation.
"Greetings, Heavenly Master." Zhao Duan bowed and did not rashly call the empress "Old Zhang" directly and casually.
To avoid suspicion, so as not to call too intimately and cause Zhenbao to have wild thoughts.
Under the night sky, Xu Zhenguan spoke majestically and gracefully:
"There's no time to explain. Please ask the Heavenly Master to help resolve the hidden dangers in his soul."
I knew that you two were here for no good reason... Zhang Yan complained in his heart, took a few steps closer, and stared at Zhao Duan.
Beneath his gray eyebrows, golden light surged in his eye sockets.
At this moment, Zhao Duan shuddered, as if he was suppressed by the entire world, or as if he was being looked down upon by the gods of heaven.
After a moment, Zhang Yan raised his eyebrows and said in surprise:
"Soul-breaking Blade Wound... Has this guardian weapon made a comeback?"
"Soul-breaking Sword?" Zhao Duan and the Empress asked in unison.
As a general of the border army, Zhao Shixiong's intelligence was naturally recorded in the court, but his weapon was not called this name in the information.
However, it is obvious that Zhao Shixiong concealed the situation of the weapons. This is not surprising. As a general guarding the border, it is not surprising that he hides some trump cards.
Zhang Yan nodded and said:
"An old item from six hundred years ago. Haha, back then, many weapons were forged with one or two talismans, allowing warriors to occasionally use magic. However, most talismans required a sorcerer to activate them, so there weren't many such weapons...
The Soul-Breaking Sword happened to have a record in the Tianshi Mansion that it could reflect the scenes that had occurred in a certain area within a certain hour.
If you use it against an enemy, you can plant a 'soul mark' on the enemy during the fight, which will become the red scar on your body. As long as you are not far enough away from the person holding the knife, your soul will be trapped by the knife...
Could it be that Zhao Xiaoyou encountered this creature on the front line? Yet he was able to escape back to Beijing across thousands of miles. Interesting..."
The old Taoist priest was amazed.
Zhao Duan sighed: "Just tell me if it can be cured."
Zhang Yan smiled and said, "It's easy."
He waved his hand casually, and the big banyan tree above his head rustled, and leaves fluttered down, swirling around Zhao Duan.
"Bang, bang, bang..."
There was an explosion sound from Zhao Duan's body, and the remaining scarlet soul seal shattered into pieces. After a few breaths, it dissipated and overflowed.
The banyan leaves were dyed crimson, dull and lifeless, and fell to the ground.
"It has been erased. Now if you go back, you won't be targeted." Zhang Yan said with a smile and his hands behind his back.
Every profession has its own expertise, and when it comes to the field of magic, there is nothing in the world that this old man cannot solve.
The empress breathed a sigh of relief, her cold and solemn expression relaxed, and she nodded solemnly:
"Thank you for your help, Master."
Old Zhang is very considerate. He will write off all the free stuff he did to me before... Zhao Duan breathed a sigh of relief as he felt his soul gradually stabilize.
Zhang Yanyi asked:
"No need to thank me, but how did Mr. Zhao end up in the capital? Could you tell me about it?"
Zhao Duan looked at Xu Zhenguan. The empress thought about it and frankly told him the situation. She did not mention any details, only saying that it was related to "The World".
"Is there such a wonderful use?" Zhang Yan said with surprise. "Emperor Taizu of the Yu Kingdom was a great man. No wonder Qingshan Wuxiankui is obsessed with the royal heritage."
As powerful warriors from the sorcerer lineage, both Zhang Yanyi and Xuan Yin have little interest in the inheritance of the God of War.
But Wu Xiankui, who also belongs to the martial arts lineage, is different.
When mentioning Qingshan Wuxiankui who participated in the "Luoshan Fengshan", neither the king nor the minister said a word, but it was obvious that they both kept this account in mind.
If it weren't for the fact that the six vassal kings were rebelling and suppressing the rebellion was a top priority, Xu Zhenguan would have been unable to leave for the time being. Otherwise, he would have gone to Qingshan, Donghai in person to get his revenge.
Zhang Yan glanced at Zhao Duan and suddenly said:
"Your spirit can travel back and forth between the two places, but without a physical body, it would be inconvenient to rely solely on your spirit to wander. My unworthy disciple Gongshu is an expert in this field. I can teach him to make you a convenient body for storage."
That guy Gongshu Tianyuan... Zhao Duan subconsciously felt a little annoyed. Many of his creations were not very decent...
However, the little fat man's craftsmanship is fine. If he had a physical body, at least he could go home and talk to his aunt and sister normally, without having to dress up as a ghost to scare people...
"Thank you, Master." Zhao Duan bowed.
Zhang Yan smiled and said:
"You're welcome. I'll keep today's consultation fee and the cost of the body in my account and pay it back later."
Zhao Duan: "..."
He suddenly understood who Jin Jian inherited his money-loving personality from!
…
Imperial study.
Eunuch Hai waited anxiously for a while, and saw a golden light shooting towards him in the night sky.
The empress and Zhao Duan returned, and the bright red scar on the latter's body had disappeared.
"Eunuch Hai, please go back first. There is nothing wrong here. I have something to say to Zhao Qing." The empress said calmly.
The old eunuch in the dragon robe bowed and left.
After confirming that Zhao Shixiong's Soul-Breaking Sword could not lock onto the physical body and could return at any time, both the king and his minister felt much more at ease.
Especially Zhao Duan, relying on the mysterious connection with his body, he confirmed that his physical body should not be in danger.
Therefore, I have decided to delay for a moment and give a brief description of what happened on the front line.
In this way, even if he really encountered danger after returning, at least the court would know what happened and could make the right response.
"What's going on? Didn't I tell you not to fight Zhao Shixiong? Is he targeting you?"
The door is closed.
When only the emperor and his minister were left in the room, the orange light from the lampshade shone on the empress's beautiful face. Her eyes were filled with anger and a bit of worry.
Zhao Duan hurriedly explained:
"I took no risks, but something unexpected happened. This is what happened..."
As time was running out, he used concise words to describe several things he had done after sneaking into Yongjia City.
The empress listened quietly. When she heard that the Huai'an Palace had sent someone to contact them, her eyes lit up. She didn't expect there would be such a pleasant surprise.
After hearing that Zhao Duan had hunted down a group of military supervisors headed by Wang Qi, he nodded slightly. Killing the military supervisors and avoiding Zhao Shixiong was indeed a good choice.
After learning that Zhao Duan had committed murder, he faced a full-scale manhunt, but instead of running away and hiding, he took the initiative to create chaos to attract the attention of the rebels, pretending to repair the plank road while secretly crossing Chencang to rescue people from the prison...
Therefore, after the fight with Zhao Shixiong... the Empress's face did not show joy, but instead contained a hint of anger:
"Why do you do this?"
Zhao Duan asked curiously, "Your Majesty, do you think this is inappropriate? Should I not do this?"
Xu Zhenguan sat opposite him, staring at him with a stern face. He took a deep breath and said seriously:
"The Yongjia prefect and other officials remained loyal to the court in the face of the rebels. I am deeply moved and am willing to do everything in my power to rescue them. But... it depends on the price!"
She was in a bad mood, not because she was angry with Zhao Duan, but because she was worried.
Just like how Zhao Duan, before lurking in Yongjia, repeatedly assured himself that he would never take any risks, yet he still risked his own life and launched a feint attack on the Five Army Battalions, going to such great lengths just to rescue a group of local officials...
"Your life is more important than their lives."
Xu Zhenguan said calmly:
"Such an unwise decision is not like your usual style."
Zhenbao, be careful with your words... What you said is somewhat politically incorrect... It means that the feudal era protected you... Zhao Duan complained, but a warm feeling still flowed through his heart.
He smiled and said:
"Your Majesty, you know this isn't my style. I've never been a good person, much less one who would risk my life and labor the entire military just to save some local officials."
Xu Zhenguan was stunned for a moment, the anger on her pale face slightly subsided, and she said suspiciously:
"You're not trying to save people? Then why bother with such a big fight? You're not just trying to test Zhao Shixiong's strength, are you?"
Zhao Duan said calmly:
“Testing this person’s cultivation is only one of the purposes, and a secondary one at that.
The leader of the Yunfu rebels seems to be King Mu, but in fact, the real threat is Zhao Shixiong.
Therefore, it is indeed very important to understand his personal martial power. Based on tonight's test, I suspect that even if this person is not a 'half-step celestial being', he probably has similar combat power. This means that any assassination attempt on him is meaningless."
Xu Zhenguan said nothing, waiting for him to continue.
Zhao Duan paused, then said with a sly smile:
"However, my true purpose is neither to rescue him, nor to test him, nor even to assassinate Wang Qi and others to weaken the rebels. Rather, it is to... 'divide'."
"Differentiation?" Xu Zhenguan was stunned.
"That's right, or perhaps 'estrangement' would be more appropriate."
Under the light, Zhao Duan's illusory figure suddenly revealed an unfathomable meaning. He said:
"I told Your Majesty last time that there are two factions within the Yunfu rebel army, namely Prince Mu's Mansion and the Southwestern Border Army.
When facing the imperial court, the two sides are united in their stance, making them extremely difficult to deal with. However, if they can split the two factions, causing Prince Mu Xu Jingtang and Zhao Shixiong to become alienated, suspicious of each other, and even antagonistic...
At the very least, the Yunfu rebels won't have enough strength to support Prince Jing. At worst, the two tigers will fight each other, and the Yunfu rebels will collapse internally. We can sit back and watch the tigers fight, and without wasting a single soldier, we can recapture half of the Huai River!"
To alienate Xu Jingtang and Zhao Shixiong?
...Xu Zhenguan's eyes became serious:
“This strategy is not unknown in the court, but it is extremely difficult to implement.
Prince Mu did not completely trust Zhao Shixiong, as evidenced by the fact that the general assigned to the front line was Su Dan. This was also reflected in the large number of "military supervisors" stationed among the rebels in Yongjia City.
Everyone knows this, but treason is a capital crime. The two are now on the same boat. Prince Mu will not remove Zhao Shixiong just because of some groundless news, and the same goes for the latter. "
It's just a plot to sow discord. The ministers in the court are not stupid, so how could they not think of it?
It's just too difficult to do.
Zhao Duan said calmly:
"Your Majesty is absolutely right. This is a very difficult matter. The two sides cannot easily turn against each other. Therefore, we have to break through bit by bit. It requires more means and time.
Everything I did while lurking in Yongjia was simply to create a few small holes in the dam of trust between Zhao Shixiong and Xu Jingtang."
He said cunningly:
"Your Majesty, when Xu Jingtang, who is in the rear, learns that a large number of military supervisors have been killed in Yongjia City, that prisoners including the Yongjia prefect have been rescued, and that the minister who personally fought against Zhao Shixiong has also escaped unharmed... what will Xu Jingtang think after hearing this news?"
What does King Mu think?
Xu Zhenguan recalled his impression of this famous uncle and said thoughtfully:
"Xu Jingtang has always presented himself as a man of great courage, a man who loves to make friends with heroes, and a man of learning. Therefore, he has a good reputation in Yunfu.
But I remember that a few years ago, when the late emperor was still alive, during a certain New Year's festival, all the princes gathered in the capital. After the banquet, my brother, the Crown Prince, drunkenly told me that Xu Jingtang was stubborn and suspicious at heart, completely different from his outward appearance.
After a pause, she said:
"I know what you mean. You want Xu Jingtang to suspect Zhao Shixiong of deliberately letting him go, and to raise suspicion against him. But that's not enough."
Zhao Duan smiled and nodded:
"That alone is certainly not enough. But what if Xu Jingtang received a report from Xiuyi Zhizhi and learned that Zhao Shixiong was secretly in contact with the imperial court?"
A bolt from the blue!
Xu Zhenguan looked at him in astonishment and blurted out:
"You're going to use the embroidered clothes to spread false information?"
She knew that Zhao Duan had recently instigated a envoy, Nie Yurong, to rebel.
If Nie Yurong was used to pass on false information to Xu Jingtang...
"No, that won't work. Xu Jingtang is not stupid. He won't just listen to what Xiu Yi directly said. He will definitely use various means to verify it. By then, not only will Nie Yurong be exposed, but Xu Jingtang will also know that this is all a divisive ploy and will trust Zhao Shixiong even more."
The empress shook her head, denying this speculation.
She thought the plan was not thorough enough and had too many loopholes.
However, Zhao Duan's next words made her face change.
I only heard Zhao Duan say quietly:
"Who said they were spreading false information? What if... the news that Zhao Shixiong secretly communicated with the court is... true?"
(End of this chapter)
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