The Empress's No.1 Lackey

A priest from the Heavenly Master Mansion?

Zhao Douan was invigorated, his expectations maxed out.

If he were to say what intrigued him about this world, aside from the measurements of the Empress, the second most intriguing thing would be the "Magician."

Looking up, the night was a tide approaching, and nearby flocks of birds took flight.

In the courtyard, the space twisted and squirmed as if a skilled painter, out of thin air, outlined the golden contours of a figure, a translucent girl gradually becoming clearer.

Manifesting into reality:

She wore a well-tailored, dark priest robe with golden embroidery, petite and delicately proportioned, her hair slightly curled at the ends.

Her pale face had scattered eyes without focus, making her seem somewhat distracted.

Her garments fluttered, boots hovering in the air, just enough to compensate for her height difference.

"This is Zhu Dian from the Heavenly Master Mansion, a direct female disciple of the Old Heavenly Master, Priest Jin Jian. Normally, one ordinary priest would have been sent, but Priest Jin Jian volunteered to protect you."

Sun Lianying introduced her with an expression that read, "you're quite lucky, young man."

Then, he introduced the girl:

"This is Zhao Douan, the one you are supposed to protect."

Zhu Dian?

Oh... It seems within the Heavenly Master Mansion system, any Magician directly taught by the "Heavenly Master" is called "Zhu Dian."

Only disciples of extremely high talent receive this honor.

I've found a treasure... and so beautiful too... Zhao Douan was amazed and flashed a warm smile:

"I am Zhao Douan, I've long admired your renowned name."

Only now did Jin Jian's unfocused gaze sharpen, scrutinizing him for a moment, her voice ethereal:

"It really is you."

Zhao Douan was puzzled, misinterpreting her meaning and assuming his "fame had spread," hence her knowledge of him.

"I will stay by your side and appear when needed."

The mysterious girl spoke before her figure diluted and vanished into thin air.

"Ah... Sir?" Zhao Douan, confused, turned to the old court eunuch.

Sun Lianying coughed dryly and said:

"A disciple of the Heavenly Master is a high-level cultivator and has her moods; don't overthink it."

It's not about overthinking... I just don't feel assured... Zhao Douan thought bitterly.

He highly suspected her attitude stemmed from his notorious reputation, looking down on him, unwilling to converse.

After the old eunuch left, he stood at the court's forefront, calling out a few times, "Priest Jin Jian?"

Yet there was no response, as if she had truly disappeared.

"Sir—"

At that moment, Zhu Kui rushed in:

"The Imperial Court reports they've detected movement!"

Zhao Douan abandoned his concern for the girl, his expression solemn:

"Take me to see, have you arranged what I told Zhou Cang?"

...

...

As night deepened, the bustling streets of the Capital became deserted.

At dusk, a "Night Fragrance Vehicle" drove in through a rear gate into the residence of Zhang Changshuo.

In those days, without flush toilets, large households stored waste in latrines, having it cleared periodically.

Even the Imperial Palace had a special entrance for vehicles transporting feces.

The poetic name for feces was "Night Fragrance," a stark display of human hypocrisy.

The Night Fragrance Vehicle stopped inside the mansion for a full hour before slowly departing fully loaded.

One man drove while another, dressed in tattered linen known as the dung pusher, escorted beside him; in the warm summer air, the stench was unbearable, both men covering their noses and mouths with cloths, hiding most of their faces.

The little donkey's pace was neither hurried nor slow, tail swinging to chase away flies.

Passersby avoided them, until the dung pusher, having reached a secluded alley, quickly dove into it.

Pulling down his cloth, he revealed a delicate, small mustache.

Disgusted, Zhang Changshuo tossed aside the cloth, enduring the foul-smelling clothes, determined the direction, and following the moonlight, made several turns to reach the outside of a civilian house.

Using the moonlight, he found a thin rope and pulled sharply.

"Clang—"

The dull sound of a bell rang, following a unique rhythm.

The homeowner was startled, and after a while, the door cracked open:

"Who is it?"

"From south to north," Zhang Changshuo spoke the passphrase, having agreed on a unique way to contact, to avoid impersonation.

"Come in."

Inside, a hand reached out, pulling him inside before the courtyard gate closed behind them.

Zhang Changshuo stepped into the yard, following the other person toward the house, while from the rooms on either side, martial artists dressed as ordinary people emerged.

A piercing gaze swept over him, making him, a scholar, tremble with fear, for he knew these individuals were the elite private army of Prince Jing Mansion.

"This way, please." The guide opened the door.

As soon as Zhang Changshuo entered, he saw a middle-aged man sitting beside a round table in the brightly lit room, draped in a black robe with a black veil covering his face.

"Lord Zhang, what brings you here so late at night?"

The middle-aged Magician stared at him, then frowned, disgustedly saying,

"Did you fall into a dung pit, my lord? You smell revolting."

This man was the head of Prince Jing Mansion in the Capital, and although they had met several times, he had never shown his true face.

"Trouble has arisen," Zhang Changshuo, now marinated in scent, pretended not to hear and got straight to the point, hastily saying:

"My younger brother has been arrested by the Imperial Court..."

He promptly described the situation.

The incident was unexpected, and the middle-aged Magician had not yet heard the news.

Initially shocked but becoming calmer after hearing the details, he asked with a stern look,

"Are you sure he was falsely accused and bitten back, not that he was caught red-handed?"

"Positive!"

Zhang Changshuo affirmed with certainty, indignantly saying,

"That Zhao thief holds grudges, merely a sack of skin but truly a fool, his intentions are obvious. Not satisfied with framing him, he even extorted six thousand Silver Coins from Erlang, truly detestable!"

"Six thousand Silver Coins?" The middle-aged Magician, startled, frowned, "What do you propose?"

Zhang Changshuo said,

"The Imperial Court is currently investigating a firearms case that might trace back to some leads. We share a common destiny with Prince Jing, and I implore your assistance to quickly rescue Erlang and recover the Silver Coins."

Sharing destiny with the Prince... do you even qualify?

... The middle-aged Magician looked down on him, but the Zhang brothers were still useful, and it indeed would be a pity to abandon them now.

He pondered for a moment, about to respond, when suddenly the window lattices were brushed by the wind, a premonition warning him, and he abruptly looked up.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Changshuo was puzzled.

The middle-aged Magician's eyes were piercing:

"Tell me, were you followed here?"

"Impossible." Zhang Changshuo was quite confident in his disguise.

Who would care about a dung scooping boy anyway?

"No, not right..." the middle-aged Magician's pupils swirled with blue light, a strong sense of crisis surging within him.

Without hesitation, he grabbed Zhang Changshuo's arm, crashing out of the room, and shouted to the soldiers in the courtyard:

"Follow me and retreat..."

"What a pleasant moonlit night, my friends from the south, where do you wish to retreat to?"

Suddenly, a voice echoed hauntingly.

The courtyard gate swung open with a "bang", and several imperial guards stormed in from both sides, clearing a path for a graceful, handsome figure in luxurious attire.

Zhao Douan smiled and said, "Brother Zhang, how have you been?"

At that moment.

From all four directions of the courtyard, officials from the Imperial Court in flying fish robes leapt onto the walls, blocking all exits.

They held crossbows, their fiery crossbow arrows taut on the strings, ready to launch.

It seemed that at Zhao Douan's command, countless arrows would fall like a torrential rain, turning everyone in the courtyard into porcupines.

"Zhao! Dou! An!"

Zhang Changshuo, as if struck by lightning, bulged his eyes in disbelief at the unfolding scene.

How could he not realize he had been tricked?

"Everyone in the courtyard, drop your weapons, or face death without mercy!"

On the walls, Zhou Cang held a torch in one hand and pressed a knife with the other, radiating murderous intent.

Both shocked and thrilled, he hadn't expected the case that had baffled the entire Imperial Court for so long to be cracked by Zhao Douan in just one day.

At the same time, the soldiers in the courtyard also drew their swords, encircling their leader in the center.

The middle-aged Magician, without a moment's hesitation, moved his lips and formed hand signs.

Suddenly, centered around him, a massive circle Array glowing with blue light was outlined on the ground.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The blue-tiled ground trembled, and in the center of the Array, a pale blue, vast and ethereal figure emerged.

"A deity..."

Zhao Douan narrowed his eyes, witnessing the deity of this realm for the second time after many days.

...

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