Chapter 746: Chapter 477: Bridal Chamber
"Issue the orders, move at full speed, intercept and assassinate the Empress."
"As you command!"
The young Tianhai did not hesitate at all, carrying the Six Paths Stick as he walked out. After taking a few steps, he paused and added:
"That Zhao Douan is mine."
Implied meaning:
The defeat in the arena in the past was a humiliation for Tianhai. Now, upon meeting again, he wants to reclaim the lost victory with his own hands.
Long Shu Bodhisattva’s lips curled up: "Naturally."
...
Huai River, in a certain county town.
A thread of dreamy starlight abruptly crossed the long street and twisted into a private room in a tavern.
The starlight gathered, and Jin Jian’s figure slowly emerged. The young priestess adjusted the crystal lenses on her nose bridge and looked towards the three sitting by the square table in the room.
The first was the short and plump Gongshu Tianyuan, still wearing a wrinkled Taoist robe, with a large bamboo tube propped in the corner behind him, flipping through the "menu."
The second, dressed in a black magic robe, had a fierce and ugly appearance, holding a blue and white cover bowl in his hand, with a sword beside his chair that had an extremely wide blade, entirely blood-red, engraved with text.
Also an old acquaintance, "Little Heavenly Master" Zhong Pan.
The third was a woman Taoist whose age was indiscernible, with a temperament of about thirty, yet without wrinkles on her face.
She wore a loose, simple gray Taoist robe, with pure white cuffs on her sleeves, a waist belt resembling a golden rope, and a diagonal green jade short sword.
The female Taoist’s appearance wasn’t striking, but her temperament was excellent, seemingly tailor-made for the ancient saying "Charming."
At this moment, the female Taoist was meditating with closed eyes. As Jin Jian appeared, she opened her eyes and calmly smiled:
"How’s the information gathered?"
Jin Jian yawned, still looking weary from staying up late:
"Second Senior Sister, the information has been gathered. Zhao Douan is apparently near somewhere around Baihua Village, seems to have become stronger. Might have crossed into the Worldly Realm."
She "robbed" a scout from Mu Prince Manor.
On the day of the sealing of the altar, Zhang Yan Yi sent a message in the Capital to disciples scattered across various locations, issuing the Heavenly Master’s orders to save Zhao Douan.
Jin Jian and Gongshu Tianyuan were the first to respond, followed by "Senior Brother" Zhong Pan, and also the Second Senior Sister, Yu Xiu, who was traveling through the Central Plains.
As for the third disciple and fourth disciple, they had yet to gather.
According to Zhong Pan’s calculation, the third and fourth were most likely not in Yu Country and might be active in border areas, unable to arrive even if they received the message.
Brother Zhao crossed into the Worldly Realm? Gongshu Tianyuan was greatly surprised, but then found it unsurprising:
With Brother Zhao’s talent for governance, such a small achievement is not unexpected.
That kid, has he already reached the Worldly Realm? Growing so astonishingly? No wonder, the master favors him greatly... Zhong Pan’s fierce face displayed surprise.
"Baihua Village, I know the place. If so, after we finish this meal, we’ll set off immediately." Second Senior Sister Yu Xiu’s voice was gentle, but her actions were swift.
Those familiar with this second disciple knew that the sword around Yu Xiu’s waist was innumerably sharper than the person herself.
Yu Xiu’s gentle and generous exterior forms a stark and vivid contrast with her inner ferocity and combat nature.
Jin Jian once heard gossip from the elder priest in the Heavenly Master Mansion, saying that years ago, when Zhang Yan Yi accepted his first pair of "Zhu Dian Children,"
namely Zhong Pan and Yu Xiu, Yu Xiu was initially not chosen, but she stubbornly carried her sword and forced a duel with the contenders of the time. They battled for seven consecutive days, both heavily wounded, and the opponent first could not sustain and conceded, withdrawing from the contest.
Ironically, although replaced, the person had no resentment towards Yu Xiu, but instead was convinced and accepted.
Second Senior Sister’s ferocity was evident.
"Senior Sister is right. Even if we can obtain the information, it means there are countless enemies surrounding Brother Zhao. We must hurry." Gongshu Tianyuan agreed.
Little Heavenly Master Zhong Pan furrowed his brows:
"You say Mu Prince’s scouts also know about this? Has the news been sent out?"
After receiving Jin Jian’s affirmative reply, Zhong Pan said:
"Mu Prince has been in Yunfu for years, recruiting many Martial World experts, especially close with the White Clothes Sect. Plus with Zhao Shixiong’s assistance, it’s highly likely that experts have been dispatched to Baihua Village."
Yu Xiu glanced at him: "What do you mean?"
Zhong Pan said:
"Master only wants us to save Zhao Douan, but this person probably won’t abandon the Empress. If Mu Prince Manor, Prince Jing Mansion, and other forces all move to intercept and kill, should we intervene in the Royal Family’s internal conflict?"
Yu Xiu was a woman who never indulged in mental exhaustion, and she rose to walk out:
"If he doesn’t leave, we’ll knock him unconscious, why bother the trouble?"
...
...
The timeline moves backward.
The night deepened, and Baihua Village’s villagers prepared to sort their belongings, using the yet undestroyed donkey carts to scatter and flee.
To avoid the scourge of war.
Zhao Douan ultimately didn’t do anything with the Empress among the flowers... Well, Xu Zhenguan clearly hadn’t even considered such a wild direction.
Instead, he took Zhao Douan away from Baihua Village, heading towards an estate of a wealthy squire in the same region.
"Indeed, rob the rich and distribute the land... almost forgot, there must be wealthy landlords nearby, and the mansions of these squires are often distanced from ordinary farmers. The house conditions are also better."
Zhao Douan silently admired Zhenbao’s choice of lodging, while also pondering if Zhenbao had set eyes on this place days ahead.
Under the cover of night, the two reached a squire’s garden, only to find to their surprise that the entire courtyard was sealed shut, with not a soul inside.
Zhao Douan broke the door lock and entered the premises, judging from the traces that there had been signs of activity not long ago.