Chapter 585 The Second Prince Returns to the World
“Could it be related to time?”
Zhao Duan pondered for a moment, staring at the cold iron chain in front of him, and made a guess.
Xu Zhenguan thought about it and was not sure: "I don't know."
Every time she came to Taiqing Palace in the past, she almost always arrived after entering the painting. But this time, she went to see Zhao Duan first, and the two talked for a long time. At this time, the temple keeper might have closed the door and gone to bed.
"Then give it a try." Zhao Duan rolled up his sleeves and knocked on the door hard.
He slammed the door of the Taoist temple, making it clang loudly, and shouted, "Is anyone there?", but there was no movement inside.
This result made both of them feel depressed. Zhao Duan simply took a few steps back, sprinted, climbed over the wall, and entered the Taoist temple by physical means.
The empress wanted to imitate, but due to her status as a woman, she chose to wait where she was.
After a while, Zhao Duan came out of the temple again. He shook his head under her gaze and said in a deep voice, "No one."
It's not an unexpected result.
Zhao Duan clapped his hands, glanced at the iron lock hanging outside the door, and said with a wry smile:
"In fact, the door was locked from the outside. This is enough to prove the problem. It must have been done by the temple keeper before he left."
Xu Zhenguan frowned.
According to common experience, the female temple keeper would sleep inside the Taoist temple at night, so why would she lock the door and leave?
She was a little unwilling to give up, so she walked towards a convenience store that was still open on the nearby street corner and asked the clerk if he had seen the female temple priest.
The clerk looked confused. "What female temple priest? Taiqing Palace has been closed for the past few days and isn't open to the public. There aren't any female temple priests, are they? Uh, are you talking about staff?"
Zhao Duan and Xu Zhenguan looked at each other and saw each other's surprise.
Is Taiqing Palace closed in recent days? Not open?
How did that female temple priest come about?
In the darkness of night, the two people who walked out of the convenience store felt a chill down their spines, a bit horrified.
"It seems our meeting has caused some changes," Zhao Duan rubbed his face and analyzed calmly:
"On the bright side, this means the clues in the scroll have finally surfaced. Perhaps Your Majesty has encountered the 'guide' in the scroll before, and that female temple priest is the guide in this painting."
Xu Zhenguan agreed with this judgment and said:
"But if the female temple priest is a key figure left behind by Emperor Taizu, then she is now in hiding, and I'm afraid she will be difficult to find."
Zhao Duan analyzed:
"There are three possibilities. One is that her mission was to help Your Majesty understand this world before we met. Now that her mission has ended, she naturally no longer exists.
Secondly, we haven’t met certain conditions yet, so the clues hidden in this painting in the human world don’t want us to find them…”
Xu Zhenguan listened carefully, nodded and asked:
"What's the third possibility?"
Zhao Duan sighed, looked up at the night sky, was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Xu Zhenguan again:
"Or perhaps the clue isn't with the female temple keeper, but somewhere else."
The empress was stunned: "You doubt..."
Zhao Duan asked, "Your Majesty, do you know your own identity in this world? Perhaps this is a starting point."
The empress shook her head and explained that every time she entered, she assumed she was "born" on a park bench.
"I see..."
Zhao Duan also had a headache. He couldn't go to the police and try to search using the police's information database, right?
Not to mention, the empress, a pure outsider, is theoretically an illegal resident and does not exist in the information system.
Taking a step back, even if it exists, the time they stay here is limited each time, and there is no time to wait for the result.
"Oh, there's something."
The empress suddenly remembered something, reached into her pocket, and took out a cell phone:
"I have this on me, but I can't open it."
Zhao Duan's eyes lit up and he thought, why didn't you tell me earlier? Isn't this the biggest doubt?
Xu Zhenguan, an illegal immigrant, should not have had a mobile phone on him. It can be said that if Xu had left any clues, there is a high possibility that they are in this phone.
However, Zhao Duan was soon poured a bucket of cold water because the Apple computer in the empress's hand had a password.
The face unlock function doesn't work on the Empress! It doesn't work on him either!
Two people who don't know the password cannot unlock this phone.
"This magical weapon seems to have some restrictions," the empress said hesitantly, with anticipation in her eyes: "Can you remove it?"
Zhao Duan briefly explained the password mechanism and thought for a moment before saying:
"Rong Chen, give it a try."
He first converted the empress's birthday into numbers, which showed that the unlocking failed. He then entered his own birthday... but both the chapter and Zhao Duan's birthday failed.
"Your Majesty, may I ask what year, month, day and time was Emperor Taizu's birthday?" Zhao Duan asked.
The empress mentioned a time, and then asked curiously:
"Could birthday be the password?"
"I don't know, but it's possible." Zhao Duan said in a deep voice, but did not continue inputting. Because of several consecutive mistakes, it would take five minutes to unlock the phone next time.
At this moment, the Empress felt the vibration of space first. She raised her head, frowned and said, "It's time to get out."
This time, her visualization time reached its limit.
Although Zhao Duan could still hold on, he handed the phone back and said encouragingly:
"At least we've found a clue. Well, it just takes a little time. There's no rush to try again next time."
Well, it will be refreshed every time he enters anyway, so he is not afraid of reaching the unlock limit and being permanently locked.
As for using technical means to break through, I can only say that it is a bit difficult...
"And maybe, the female temple priest will be refreshed next time I come in." Zhao Duan had an idea.
The empress did not have much confidence. She had a hunch that since the female temple keeper had hidden herself, Zhao Duan's second guess was the most likely.
The secret left by Taizu will probably have to wait for certain conditions to be met before it will come to light.
But before that, trying to unlock this phone is also a direction.
"Okay, you go and clean up the mess first. I'll be waiting for you in the capital."
After Xu Zhenguan said this, his figure slowly faded away, wrapped in a cloud of starlight, rose from the ground, and disappeared into the night sky.
Zhao Duan watched the empress leave and breathed a sigh of relief. This time he had successfully survived the biggest crisis, but what followed was an even bigger mystery.
The answers to all the mysteries may be hidden in the murals of the Martial God's Path.
"Huh, some things can't be rushed. But, what exactly do you want to do, Old Xu?"
Zhao Duan stared at the night sky in a daze for a long time, and his figure dissipated and disappeared.
…
Yunfu Road, Zhengyang Mountain.
When Zhao Duan walked out of the room, it was almost evening. In the yard, Zhong Pan, Yuxiu, Jin Jian, and Mr. Zhengyang were sitting around the stone table chatting.
Seeing him coming out, everyone looked over.
"Where is Master Zhang?" Zhao Duan and a few others nodded, and then asked.
Zhong Pan explained, "Master is practicing on the mountain top."
His explanation was vague, but Zhao Duan guessed that the old Taoist priest was "digesting" the Lost Spirit.
He nodded and said, "Next, I plan to return to Jingchuan Town. What are your plans?"
After Xu Jingtang's death, the curses on everyone disappeared and they recovered their cultivation.
Jin Jian, who was munching on sunflower seeds, was the first to stand up. He adjusted a new pair of glasses on his nose and stared at him, "I'm going back with you. Don't even think about shirking your responsibility!"
The young priestess still remembered that this hunting operation promised a bonus based on her contribution.
This money-grubber… Zhao Duan’s mouth twitched, and he said helplessly: “Okay, okay, I can’t do without you.”
Yuxiu looked at him with a smile: "Master Zhao, the matter of my sister's shadow guard..."
Before the operation, Zhao Duan promised to completely restore Nie Yurong's freedom.
He puffed out his chest and acted like a military governor: "Eh...what shadow guard? A tribute!"
"Offering?!" Yuxiu widened her eyes, not understanding.
"Haha, just kidding," Zhao Duan said vaguely, "I'll give the order to carry out this matter when I return to Jingchuan."
Yuxiu breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Then I'll go back with you first."
Nie Yurong had previously rescued Zhao Shixiong's daughter and returned to Yongjia. Later, when the army marched south, she also followed in the army.
Yuxiu must return to Jingchuan Town.
Seeing this, Zhong Pan smiled faintly: "Master can take you back. I will rest here for a while."
His unicorn was almost worn out from running and needed to rest for a while.
Zhao Duan nodded, then looked at Mr. Zhengyang and said seriously:
"Xu Jingtang died here. The imperial army will then march into Yunfu, but there are still remnants of forces within Yunfu Dao. Sir, it would be best for you to hide to avoid being affected."
Zhengyang, who had only briefly discussed academic matters with Zhao Duan in the capital, bowed and said with a smile:
"Thank you, Scholar Zhao, for your advice. However, with the young Heavenly Master here, Zhengyang Mountain will definitely not be disturbed by war."
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, then laughed, and then he understood that the reason why Zhong Pan chose to stay was to protect the scholars in Zhengyang Mountain.
Walking out of the yard, Zhao Duan walked up the mountain. When he reached the top of the mountain, he saw the red sun setting in the west.
Looking down from the top of the mountain, the sea of clouds in the sky is golden, the sunset glows, and the sky is vast and the earth is peaceful.
Zhang Yanyi sat cross-legged on the top of the mountain, looking at the setting sun, quickly put away the open heavenly book, and resumed his posture as a master.
He didn't want Zhao Du'an to see the free words he had just carved on the Book of Heaven: "Do as you please without breaking the rules."
"Please ask the Heavenly Master to send me, Yuxiu and Jinjian back to Jingchuan." Zhao Duan came from behind.
Although he was in Yunfu, if the Tianshi Mansion did not get involved, the success rate of assassinating Xu Jingtang's eldest son by himself would be low and it would not be of much significance.
In comparison, it is more important to return to Jingchuan as soon as possible and inform the army of the news of Xu Jingtang's death and the court's attitude.
Zhao Duan couldn't help but look forward to the wonderful expressions on the faces of the people in Jingchuan Town when Zhao Shixiong, Prince Huai'an and others learned that Xu Jingtang was dead.
Zhang Yan, with his sage-like demeanor, simply nodded gently, "Good."
On the top of Zhengyang Mountain, two huge cranes flapped their wings and flew out from the sea of clouds.
…
…
On the east side of the Huai River, the Jiancheng Army’s headquarters was located in a military tent.
At dusk, the top leaders of the Jianchengdao rebels gathered together and a high-level meeting chaired by Prince Jing began.
"According to the latest intelligence from secret agents, the imperial army on the western front, led by Zhao Shixiong and Yuan Feng, marched southward. They occupied Jingchuan two days ago and defeated the Yunfu army. Prince Mu Xu Jingtang is suspected to have fled back to Yunfu. Zhao Duan appeared in Jingchuan but then disappeared again, and his whereabouts are currently unknown... Prince Huai'an Xu An changed his flag and clearly defected to the imperial court..."
As an official read out the latest military information aloud, the atmosphere in the entire tent became gloomy.
There was complete silence.
Every military general and civil official was trembling with fear. Even though they had guessed today's result after learning that Zhao Shixiong had been instigated to rebel a few days earlier, they did not expect that the Yunfu rebels would be defeated so quickly!
Crown Prince Xu Jinglong looked cautiously towards the main seat in the big tent, only to see his father, Prince Jing, sitting there in a luxurious purple robe with an expressionless face.
Behind Prince Jing, Lu Yan'er from Prince Jing's Mansion stood quietly.
"Yunfu was defeated." After Prince Jing and other civil servants finished reading, these words slowly rolled out of his throat. His face, which looked very similar to the late emperor, was full of fatigue, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.
"What do you think?"
Prince Jing spoke calmly.
After a moment of silence, the first counselor came forward and spoke eloquently:
"Your Highness, we anticipated the defeat of Yunfu. It just happened a little too quickly, but it didn't affect the outcome.
Zhao Du'an's ability to incite Zhao Shixiong to revolt truly caught us off guard. The court's entire east-west strategy has shifted, and with Xue Shence biting at our heels like a dead dog, it's certainly a bit troublesome. But ultimately, the court's eagerness to capture Jingchuan was also to resolve the desperate situation of being cut off from food and supplies...
Although it was a small victory, it exposed their embarrassment... Although Xu Jingtang was defeated, retreating to Yunfu was not necessarily a bad thing. First, he still posed a threat to the court. The court would have to set up a serious illness outside Yunfu to prevent Xu Jingtang from breaking out, which would tie up a lot of troops.
Secondly, the Yunfu Army has been defeated, and has lost the opportunity to compete with you, Your Highness, for the throne... This time, the court and Xu Jingtang are at odds, and we can sit back and reap the benefits. We can not only preserve our strength, but also take over the supporters and territory he left behind...
It can be said that the advantage lies in me...
Next, we just need to build high walls and store up food… After this winter, we can fight again next year, and there may be a turning point. As for the King of Huai'an's defection, hehe… he's just a fence-sitter, so whether he defected or not is not a big deal.
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the tent echoed them.
Xu Jinglong was amazed by what he heard, thinking that he was indeed a writer, as he could write something so moving...
However, Xu Jinglong also knew that although the counselor's words were somewhat embellished, they were generally correct.
The imperial court did breathe a sigh of relief, but as long as Xu Jingtang was still there and occupied the Yunfu base, the overall situation would not change fundamentally.
In fact, for Prince Jing's faction, the benefits may outweigh the disadvantages... at least there is one less powerful enemy next door.
"Not bad," Prince Jing nodded slightly, satisfied, and said with a smile:
"Zimou is right. Xu Jingtang's defeat was due to the disunity within Yunfu. On the other hand, our Jiancheng army is united from top to bottom, and that's exactly what we are..."
As he was speaking, he suddenly heard footsteps outside the tent. A secret agent entered the tent, walked up to Prince Jing's ear, and whispered:
"Your Highness, the leaders of the Kuangfu Society request a meeting."
Supporting the Society? Prince Jing was stunned for a moment, quite surprised.
Didn't this organization that was against the empress almost fall apart with the death of Zhuang Xiaocheng?
You actually showed up at my door?
Could it be... because he also learned about Xu Jingtang's defeat, so he chose to surrender to me?
Prince Jing's eyes lit up and he was a little moved.
You must know that although the Kuangfu Society is no longer a force to be reckoned with, there are still a number of experts left within the society. If we can recruit them...
Immediately, Prince Jing stood up and ordered Crown Prince Xu Jinglong and Princess Lu Yan'er to stay and discuss military affairs with the generals, while he left temporarily.
…
A moment later.
Prince Jing saw three uninvited guests in another tent.
One of them is Qi Yuchun, the former commander-in-chief of the imperial palace.
The second one is the earth magician Ren Kun.
They are all masters who are Zhuang Xiaocheng's right-hand men and powerful men in the world.
However, what really surprised Prince Jing was the third person. He was a mysterious man wearing a hood, sitting in the tent, while Qi Yuchun and Ren Kun stood on his left and right with their hands behind their backs.
It seems like he is the leader.
Who is this person? Could he be the new leader of the Kuangfu Society? Prince Jing was puzzled.
But the mysterious man turned towards him, stretched out two white and elegant hands, gently took off his hood, revealing a young face with a smile:
"Uncle Wang, long time no see."
Prince Jing stepped back several steps, terrified and shocked: "Xu...Jianwen!?"
(End of this chapter)
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