The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 642 The Buried Secret (57k)

"October 10th. Today, my troop finally left the capital area and headed south by fast boat along the waterway. I don't know our destination. I asked my superior in private, but he scolded me and forbade me from inquiring..."

"On October 11th, the group temporarily docked at a pier today, and I finally saw His Highness the Crown Prince who was being transported with this group."

As far as I know, as the last remaining imperial guards protecting the capital, we are divided into groups led by several princes, moving along different routes. His Highness the Crown Prince's presence here means our group is the most crucial.

"...However, the reason why His Highness the Crown Prince showed up was that someone in the group secretly tipped him off, suspected of colluding with bandits and revealing his whereabouts."

His Highness was furious and publicly hanged the suspect at the dock. His flesh was sliced ​​off with blades, yet he was kept alive with elixirs. When he died, only a skeleton full of internal organs remained… That night, I was awakened by a nightmare.”

"On October 13th, due to our whereabouts being leaked, the Crown Prince changed his route at the last minute. We abandoned the boats and began to travel through the mountains. The vehicles transporting the palace treasures traveled along the winding and treacherous mountain roads, successfully avoiding the bandits..."

During the lunch break, I heard that all the troops would be converging at the same place, but the generals in the army stayed up all night, seemingly arguing about which route to break out...

The road south was no longer part of the land of Qi, but had been torn apart by bandits led by the Xu family.

"November 15th, there are no records of this period. In order to avoid revealing their whereabouts, His Highness the Crown Prince ordered the massacre of all the villages and towns along the way where they stopped to practice... I don't know if this is appropriate (this part has been crossed out)."

"On December 1st, heavy snow fell. We had already passed the Jiangnan region, and the number of bandits ahead had decreased... It is said that most of the bandits had fled north, and the capital had fallen."

During his lunch break, the prince overheard some bad news: a transport convoy had been intercepted by bandits and was in grave danger… The prince did not choose to rescue them.

"On December 16th, because that group attracted the attention of most of the bandits, we successfully entered Yunfu. I noticed that His Highness and other high-ranking officials began to relax. Could it be that His Highness intends to seize Yunfu and establish a new capital?"

"On the 17th! We were shocked to hear the tragic news that His Majesty the Emperor had passed away in the capital. We received the news more than a month late. The Crown Prince ordered the entire entourage to stop for a day to pay their respects on the spot, and everyone was to be wrapped in white silk."

……

Inside the La Garden.

Pei Niannu calmly read aloud page after page of her diary.

Zhao Du'an and the others held their breath, as if they were following the owner of this diary, a noble guard from six hundred years ago, witnessing that "escape" across the Central Plains.

Zhao Du'an, while looking at the diary, suddenly turned his head and glanced at Yu Xiu, saying:

“I remember you said that historical records show that a Qi Kingdom army was escorting a lot of royal treasures and fled into the southwestern frontier to hide, and later disappeared?”

Yu Xiu pursed her lips, her expression serious as she explained:

"Yes. So one of my purposes in exploring DJI a few years ago was to find the legendary treasure. At that time, I suspected from some clues that the guards died in the harsh environment of DJI and that the treasures they carried were hidden by the Liao people."

Jin Jian, standing nearby, suddenly realized what was happening, her eyes sparkling:
"So, Second Senior Sister, that's why you risked infiltrating Wax Garden?"

Whether it was because it was "dark" or because it involved treasure... in any case, the young priestess seemed unusually excited.

The fear on their faces was replaced by excitement.

Yu Xiu nodded, the light in her eyes dimming:
"Unfortunately, I was unable to find him that day. Although I hid him in the Laba Garden and tried to explore, I dared not get too close to the temple because of the presence of the Laba God. Recently, I have also stopped at the altar."

Zhao Du'an sighed softly and said:

"It seems that the truth is very likely this: the last imperial guard of Qi Kingdom was killed by the Liao people or the Laba God."

However, he still had doubts.

As far as he knew, the Liao people had lived in the Great Frontier for many years, six hundred years ago, and this place had long been the territory of the evil gods.

Who gave the Crown Prince of Qi the courage to venture into the Great Frontier?

Could it be that the Liao people, backed by an evil god, are much weaker than Old Xu back then?
As if guided by some unseen prophecy, Zhao Du'an felt that his trip might uncover some extraordinary, long-buried secrets.

"Whoosh." He flipped through the diary again.

Pei Niannu's calm voice rang out again:

"On January 3rd, we actually left the territory of Qi Kingdom and entered the Great Frontier!"
Your Highness, are you perhaps using the existence of the Great Laba Festival to evade the bandits? I don't understand! Evil gods are more terrifying than bandits!
With Yunfu's terrain, there was clearly an opportunity to establish a separatist regime. Why then would they venture into such a dangerous place?

Moreover, the people of Qi are simply not suited to living in the vast wilderness! The entire army was restless and uneasy, but all voices of doubt were suppressed!

"...My God! What did I just see? The leader of those savage, uncivilized Liao people was actually a man from the Kingdom of Qi!"

How could this be? He personally greeted His Highness and led our entire group into the slumbering place of the Great Laba!

Next, there is a long period of blank space, followed by the last entry in the entire notebook:
"It's January 30th. My comrades and I have been living in this valley for quite some time now, and His Highness the Crown Prince is acting increasingly strangely..."

I'm terrified. Some of my comrades are making plans to escape..."

The diary ends abruptly here.

Pei Niannu's gaze remained indifferent: "That's all."

The three listeners simultaneously gasped for breath, exchanged glances, and all saw surprise and astonishment in each other's eyes.

This diary reveals a great deal of information.

"It seems the secrets hidden within the Liao people are beyond our expectations." Zhao Du'an rubbed his temples and let out a long breath.

"I suddenly understand why the founding emperor led us here."

Yu Xiu swallowed hard, using a smile to mask her heaviness:

"Is it so that future generations will know some secrets?"

Zhao Du'an remained silent.

He is thinking.

Because of the existence of the Great Laba Festival, even celestial masters cannot approach the Laba Garden and will be driven away.

As for the Jade Sleeve, such a high-grade item in the world, it is extremely difficult to break in.

This indeed largely prevents the possibility of the secrets here spreading outwards.

“I was thinking, you said before that apart from the chieftain, no one else in the Liao people can enter the La Garden. It is only open during ceremonies… Well, at that time, these divine servants certainly won’t show up.”

Zhao Du'an stroked his chin, looked at Yu Xiu, and said in a deep voice:
"I'm afraid the secret here is being kept from even the Liao people."

Jin Jian, clutching her staff and rubbing her small hands together, couldn't help but remind her:
"If you continue talking, I'm afraid Master won't be able to hold on for much longer."

Zhao Du'an smiled wryly:

"Yes, we don't have time to waste, we need to move forward as soon as possible, and hopefully the road ahead will be smoother."

The three people and one soul put away the diary and immediately continued deeper along the long sacred path.

However, none of them noticed that far behind them, at the top of a towering fence, was a sign that read "No Takeoff".

A dark-skinned, serene, and profound young woman, dressed in a ceremonial robe and with waist-length black hair, quietly looked down at their backs.

a long time.

"rustle……"

A gust of wind blew through the wax garden, and strips of paper peeked out from behind the fence, quickly pulling back the dismembered body parts and armor of the guards on the ground. The sacred path was restored to its clean state, as if there had never been a battle.

The priestess rose on the wind and followed Zhao Du'an and his party at a distance.

Talk to yourself:

“More outsiders have arrived. I don’t know if the person I’m waiting for is among them. If not, I will kill you all.”

……

……

"Woo!"

In the vast forest, a fierce wind swept through, and all the beasts cried out in despair.

The sky was replaced by a crimson hue, and the surrounding light quickly dimmed.

Zhang Yan sat cross-legged in the air, looked up and saw that the rolling clouds in the sky had collapsed, creating two huge holes.

It resembled a giant human face, its eyes staring intently at him.

The jade slip-shaped celestial book at Zhang Yan's waist shimmered like breathing, with characters emitting a blue light swirling around the old celestial master, slowly dancing in the air.

A supreme celestial being and an extraterrestrial evil god faced off, neither making the first move.

"Master Zhang!"

In the distance, a wisp of purple smoke streaked across the sky. Song Zhi, barefoot in the air, was startled when he saw Zhang Yanyi. Then, his gaze swept across the jungle below and he saw Man Gu lying dead in a giant handprint.

They also saw the scattered corpses of warriors.

Song Zhi's heart skipped a beat. He looked up and stared intently at Zhang Yanyi, saying in a deep voice:

"What does the Celestial Master mean by this?"

Zhang Yan seemed completely oblivious to the intangible "giant Laba Festival" that covered the sky, and instead looked over with a smile, saying leisurely:

“Young friend Song, after many years apart, you have been living in seclusion here far from your hometown. In the end, you still chose to be loyal to Xu Jianwen.”

Song Zhi's expression was cold as he suppressed his anger and said, "The Celestial Master has not come here today to reminisce about the past."

He said, "There must be a reason why Zhang Tianshi has caused such a commotion. What? Is the Tianshi Mansion going to break its long-standing rule of not participating in human conflicts?"

Zhang Yan's smile faded, and he said calmly:

"The Liao people's military action this time has gone too far and is against the natural order."

Song Zhi coldly said:
“Since the Celestial Master knows that I am loyal to His Highness Jianwen, he should understand that the Liao people’s uprising is an internal war within the royal family, and the Celestial Master’s Mansion should not interfere.”

"Is it just a civil war?"

Zhang Yan glanced at him, his eyes showing some disappointment:

“Song Zhi, you are no fool, so why say such things? Now the Western Regions have invaded Xiping, and the kings of Xuwen and others have been defeated. Now the Liao people are invading the north, which is tantamount to helping the Western Regions. You are a subject of the Yu Kingdom, how can you bear to collude with outsiders and cause chaos among the people?”

Song Zhi remained expressionless, his heart as hard as steel.
"The Celestial Master has always viewed the world with detachment, acting only in accordance with the Great Way, and the Way of Heaven is impartial. The Yu Kingdom has enjoyed peace for hundreds of years; according to the Way of Heaven, it should be in chaos for a while. In times of chaos, how can there be no death and injury? Isn't the Celestial Master's action a violation of the Way of Heaven?"

Zhang Yan sighed softly: "Years have passed, and you are still so eloquent. Never mind."

The old celestial master's narrow eyes also revealed disdain as he cursed:
"I am merely cultivating the Heavenly Dao, not a puppet of that so-called Heavenly Dao. My usual reluctance to disobey is for the sake of cultivation. Do you really think that every word and deed of mine must adhere to those dead rules?"

At this moment, the old celestial master fully revealed his true nature, and sneered:

“Now that Xuan Yin and the Dharma King have come to seek revenge on my Celestial Master’s Mansion, how can I sit and take the beating?”
Tell Xu Jianwen that I do not expect him to join forces with the court to resist Xuan Yin, but if he insists on causing trouble at this time, I will personally capture him, even if it means breaking the rules!

So you're not pretending anymore...? Song Zhi's heart sank, but he wouldn't back down in the slightest.
"The Celestial Master's words are simple, but does breaking the rules really have little impact on the Celestial Master's cultivation? If so, why bother with all this talk? Or does the Celestial Master believe he can counter the Great Laba Festival?"

As he spoke, Song Zhi made a hand seal, communicating with the deity above his head. The entire scarlet sky began to sink, as if the sky were collapsing.

The divine pressure intensified.

The reason he was able to serve as "chieftain" despite being a foreigner was that he was the "chosen representative of the gods".

Therefore, it also has the ability to drive the Great Laba Festival to a certain extent.

"Hmph!" Zhang Yan slowly rose, hands behind his back, staring coldly at him. Azure clouds spread beneath his feet, seemingly forming a world of their own, and he said disdainfully:
"Do you really think that by using secret techniques you can control gods with your shallow cultivation? Foolish!"
Do you really think that the distinction between righteous and evil gods is merely a comparison of strength? Correct gods are gods driven by humans.

"But those who cultivate evil spirits are merely servants and henchmen of those evil spirits; this is a truth you people will never understand!"

Song Zhi smiled, threw a punch, and a sky full of red clouds surged toward the old Celestial Master:
"I was born into this world, and in the decades I have read countless history books, and I have only come to understand eight words: 'The victor is king, the loser is a bandit!'"

"I beg you, Celestial Master, to die!"

……

……

Inside the La Garden.

"Whoosh, whoosh..."

After yet another battle, Zhao Du'an leaned on his sword, panting, sweat beading on his forehead, and surveyed the scattered limbs on the ground:
"This can't go on like this!"

The group's journey into the depths was not smooth.

Each time they traveled a certain distance, they would be intercepted by a group of divine servants.

This greatly slowed down the progress.

"With our strength, dealing with these ghostly things is not difficult, but it takes too much time and effort, especially with our cultivation weakened."

Zhao Du'an felt anxious as he watched his Qi Sea slowly recover.

“We have no time to waste, and we don’t even know how many of these servants of God there are.”

If all those guards had died in the Wax Garden back then, the total number of divine servants would probably be at least several thousand.

We can overwhelm them with sheer numbers.

“We have to find a different approach,” Yu Xiu said, frowning as she touched the damage to her flying sword caused by the repeated battles.
"Can I get away with it by using invisibility?"

Jin Jian leaned on her staff, panting. She wiped her forehead, and her glasses slipped off her nose due to the sweat on her brow.

She pushed up her glasses and shook her head, saying:

"I tried to become invisible, but it didn't work. These things have no eyes or ears, so they definitely can't 'see' us or hear our voices."

Yu Xiu held up a burning talisman between her fingers and said bitterly:

"I used a talisman to shield my aura, but it didn't work."

Zhao Du'an frowned:
"I don't know what state these servants of the gods are in. Are they like puppets? But what is certain is that they themselves are already dead, just a group of living mummies wearing armor."

But when fighting us, he still retained some of the fighting abilities he had before his death...

Therefore, we either need to find out how the Wax Garden controls them, or we need to find a way to prevent them from discovering our existence.

After the battle, Yu Xiu was soaked with sweat. She wiped the strands of hair stuck to her forehead with the back of her hand, and tightened her belt, which accentuated the size of her breasts.

Zhao Du'an was taken aback, surprised that the female Taoist nun was quite well-endowed...

"The former is probably very difficult. The entire Wax Garden is likely a large array, and breaking it will require a considerable amount of time..."

She exhaled hot breath from her slightly parted mouth, her brows furrowed.

Jin Jian was also exhausted. Seeing this, she imitated her senior sister, tightening her belt to make herself look more capable, but her chest became even flatter...

She was completely unaware, her little brows furrowed:
"But neither invisibility nor talismans work. If all else fails, I'll take your envoy on a teleportation."

Teleport? That's the last resort.

But none of them wanted to use it. This godforsaken place was rife with ambushes, and randomly teleporting there was too risky.

“They are dead.” Suddenly, Pei Niannu, who had been hovering behind the group as if revisiting an old haunt, spoke up.

Dead? What do you mean? Of course we know it's dead...

The two women were taken aback, their faces showing confusion.

But a sudden thought flashed through Zhao Du'an's mind. He stared at the severed limbs on the ground and murmured:

"Yes, they are dead...dead...of their own kind..."

"What are you muttering about?" The two women looked over, bewildered.

Zhao Du'an suddenly raised his head, smiled, and looked at Pei Niannu:
"Senior Pei reminded me that we have actually fallen into a misconception. It is not necessarily that complicated to avoid being discovered by these things. It doesn't matter what methods the divine servants used to discover us."

The important thing is that their goal is to kill us, and once we're dead, becoming 'corpses' like them, theoretically, this wax garden won't attack us anymore!

Using death to avoid attacks?
Jin Jian looked bewildered, took two steps back nervously, and looked extremely tense.

"Are you out of your mind...?"

Yu Xiu seemed to have caught a glimpse of inspiration, but couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Zhao Du'an didn't keep them in suspense and smiled:
"Don't forget, I also have a wild god on me. The Dragon Girl. Because these divine servants are all dead, the Dragon Girl can't deal with them at all, but the Dragon Girl can put us into a state of suspended animation."

Back then, when they were being chased by Xu Jingtang, they used this method to avoid the evil god's senses!

Even evil gods can be avoided, let alone divine servants.
"But if we fake our deaths, how can we move forward?"

Yu Xiu raised a key problem: last time they had unicorns pulling the carriage, but now the conditions are not good enough.

Zhao Du'an looked at Pei Niannu with a smile:
“This is where Senior Pei needs to step in. Senior Pei is not in a ‘living’ state, as we can confirm from the fact that these divine servants have never attacked him along the way. And Senior Pei can control my body.”

In other words... the three of them feigned death, allowing Pei Niannu to drive them forward like a "corpse driver"...

"This..." The two women were somewhat uneasy. This method sounded feasible, but it also had its dangers. If they encountered danger along the way, they would have difficulty responding quickly.

However, there are not many left in the world.

The two women exchanged a glance, then steeled their resolve: "Let's give it a try!"

Pei Niannu said calmly:

"Don't worry, if there is any danger, I can control this kid's body to protect your bodies for a while."

Having made up his mind, Zhao Du'an did not delay any longer and immediately used the Dragon Girl to pull the souls of the two priests and himself into the dream.

In an instant, the eyelids of the three people snapped shut, and they died on the spot, leaving only three warm "corpses".

Pei Niannu floated behind the three of them, with red threads spreading across her body, controlling Zhao Du'an's body like a puppet.

He told Zhao Du'an to open his arms, to take the jade sleeve into his bosom with his left hand and the golden tablet into his bosom with his right hand.

Then, Zhao Du'an, with women on both sides, displaying the "blessing of having two wives," mechanically took a step forward.

Pei Niannu was driving them around like a "corpse driver".

An amazing scene happened.

For the rest of the journey, the four seemed to be ignored. As they walked along the sacred path, servants of the gods would still emerge from the fences on both sides, but they seemed to "not see" them. They would wander around in a daze and then return to their original positions.

Keep going.

Trees lined both sides of the sacred path, their pale branches swaying menacingly as if ready to attack at any moment, but ultimately they did not launch an attack.

Keep going.

Suddenly, several eerie black shadows, each about ten feet tall, appeared in the darkness, hovering around the four of them as if searching for prey.

In the end, after lingering for a long time, they returned empty-handed.

Pei Niannu remained calm throughout. Facing these strange and terrifying enemies, she showed no tension whatsoever; instead, her eyes were filled with nostalgia for revisiting familiar places.

at last.

When the four of them passed through the numerous defenses and reached the deepest part, they entered an empty square with no plants around.

Pei Niannu pulled back the silk thread, and Zhao Du'an, Yu Xiu, and Jin Jian opened their eyes at the same time.

I awoke from my dream.

Zhao Du'an had just woken up and was feeling dizzy. He felt a smooth, warm sensation on both sides of his body, as if two delicate bodies were pressed against him, and two distinct body fragrances wafted into his nostrils.

One arm seemed to be resting on something bulging, while the other hand was absent.

He almost instinctively grabbed with both hands.

"what!"

Two low gasps rang out, and Zhao Du'an's scalp tingled. Out of the corner of his eye, he met Yu Xiu's murderous gaze and caught a glimpse of Jin Jian's suddenly flushed face.

"Hehehe..." Pei Niannu, not wanting to miss out on something good, burst out laughing.

(End of this chapter)