The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 647 Reunion with the "Gambling Saint"! (5k)

On a spring day in the wilderness, a "flying boat" towed by a giant bird moves slowly through the air, casting a shadow on the ground.

The fleeing people, enveloped in turmoil, were filled with fear and unease. Some tried to escape, but were forced back by arrows whistling down from the flying boats. Others cried out in terror:
"They are Liao people..."

"A recruitment team?" Zhao Du'an, blending into the crowd and inconspicuous, looked at Yu Xiu with curiosity.

The female Taoist priest squinted at the flying boat in the sky and explained:

"As far as I know, the Liao people have a small population, so they have a tradition of recruiting soldiers when they fight."

In DJI, if there is friction between different tribes, small-scale battles will involve driving many beasts to fight each other in order to reduce casualties.

In several historical clashes with the Yunfu people, it is said that they also liked to drive border civilians ahead of the Liao warriors, thus restraining the Yu soldiers.

Zhao Du'an stroked his chin, then suddenly realized:
"So, cannon fodder?"

Cannon fodder? Yu Xiu pondered this unfamiliar term for a moment, then nodded and said:

"This description is quite insightful. It seems we're not too far from the Liaoren army, but we're probably not close either."

These people are likely a small contingent sent out to recruit soldiers; they will then drive us to rejoin the main force.

After a slight pause, Yu Xiu looked at him, her tone inquiring:

"Should I take matters into my own hands and eliminate them? Or perhaps capture them alive and torture them?"

The female Taoist priest's flying sword was eager to be used...

Zhao Du'an shook his head:

"No need for now, let's see how things go. I actually suspect that one of these people's purposes might be to find us."

"Ha, unless Song Zhi is completely stupid, he'll definitely send someone to the front lines to report on our group. If we're exposed, we'll likely attract even more people to hunt us down."

Tuoba Weizhi said expressionlessly:
"This servant will protect my master from any danger."

Zhao Du'an smiled, resisting the urge to ruffle the girl's long, straight black hair:
"I'm not afraid of being surrounded and attacked, I just plan to see how things go first."

With their combined strength, they are not afraid of anyone as long as they do not encounter the main force of the Fangren race.

At this moment, the people on the road squatted down in fear, and Zhao Du'an and his companions also squatted down on the ground like the refugees.

Pretending to be weak to actually harm others is a valid tactic.

Although the four of them had changed into ordinary clothes along the way, their appearances were still somewhat outstanding.

Fortunately, Yu Xiu had extensive experience traveling, and she personally took action, quickly making the group look vulgar and ugly.

Given the large number of people in the group, they could still hide if they were careful.

Before long, a group of "mountain bandits" emerged from the distant mountains and forests. Almost all of them were from the Yu Kingdom, with only a few Liao warriors mixed in.

The group of "bandits" were full of arrogance, brandishing swords and whips, and loudly gathered the refugees together to give them a lecture.

"These are... puppet troops?" Zhao Du'an asked with a strange expression.

Yu Xiu glanced at him and explained:
"It seems they've joined some treacherous bandits of the Liao people, but these people aren't ordinary mountain bandits; they're clearly well-trained."

Hmm... well-mannered puppet troops...

Zhao Du'an silently labeled these people as "deserving to die".

At this moment, the bandits suddenly parted, and a young man who was clearly the leader of this "puppet army" stepped out.

He was wearing a drab cloak over soft armor, clearly indicating a higher status than the other bandits.

However, the young man was slightly effeminate, and the dark circles under his eyes, which had been drained by wine and women, made him lack some of the bandit-like air. Instead, he exuded an air of "nobility" that came from years of pampered life.

The young man, standing high above the trembling refugees, loudly proclaimed:
"...I am the heir of the Prince Mu's mansion. You have left your residence without permission, which is a crime! Today, I give you a chance to redeem yourselves. Follow me to the border city and escort grain supplies for us..."

During these propaganda sessions, the fact that refugees would be used as cannon fodder would not be frankly admitted. Instead, they would only say that they needed their help to escort military supplies, and make various promises. This was a tactic to appease the people and prevent the refugees from going all out and refusing to cooperate.

Capturing these local people to share the task of escorting supplies would further save the Liao people's manpower... a win-win situation.

However, Zhao Du'an, standing in the crowd, was taken aback:
"The heir of the Prince Mu's mansion?!"

He quickly realized that after Zhao Shixiong quelled the rebellion in Yunfu, he had sent a memorial back to the capital, which detailed his process of suppressing the rebellion.

It was mentioned that during his march into Yunfu, a group of retainers and soldiers stationed in the rear, led by the eldest son of the Prince Mu's mansion, who was also the heir apparent, saw that the situation was not good and fled into the mountains in the southwest.

The southwest is mountainous, and the mountains are home to many bandits, making it difficult for the border troops to suppress them.

After the remnants of Prince Mu's faction "became outlaws," they were difficult to eradicate in a short period of time.

The Empress did not punish Zhao Shixiong for this, after all, the Mu Prince's Mansion had been completely destroyed, and although the few remaining remnants were troublesome, they were unlikely to cause any major problems.

Given the current situation and the imminent threat, these minor figures have no time to spare and can only be gradually eliminated in the future.

Unexpectedly, this group of remnants of the Mu Prince's Mansion defected to the Liao people and became their collaborators, a "puppet army".

Even more coincidentally, Xu Jingtang's eldest son appeared here and became the leader of this recruiting team.

"Prince?"

"Is he the Crown Prince of Mu?"

Upon hearing these words, the refugees, driven by their deep-seated fear of the Prince Mu's mansion, were indeed driven to gather together, abandoning a great deal of their wealth and carrying only dry rations, as they were driven northward by this group.

"Don't you ever feel like your enemies are destined to meet again?"

Yu Xiu chuckled and whispered:

“It seems you were right before. If we hadn’t waited and had killed the Liao people in the sky, this Prince Mu probably wouldn’t have come.”

These men had a deep-seated grudge against Xu Jingtang.

Zhao Du'an grinned, a dangerous glint in his eyes, and whispered:
“I can understand rebellion and treason, after all, it’s all just an internal war within the royal family. But to be a collaborator, well, that’s a path to death.”

However, Zhao Du'an was still in no hurry to take action. He wanted to wait a little longer and see if he could join forces with other recruiting teams, lure out more enemies, and wipe them out in one fell swoop.

So the four of them lowered their heads and walked among the panicked refugees.

"Snapped!"

Suddenly, Zhao Du'an heard the sound of whips and cries of pain. He saw at the front of the procession that the heir of the Prince Mu's mansion was holding a whip and lashing a slightly plump middle-aged man to the ground.

The middle-aged man was dressed modestly, but in high-quality materials. His melon-shaped hat had been knocked off, and he was now covering his bloodied face, loudly begging for mercy.
“Young Master! It’s me! Don’t you remember? Back when the Prince was still alive, I never missed a single holiday to deliver gifts to your residence. I was even your thirteenth concubine…”

"Snapped!"

The eldest son lashed out with his whip again, striking the middle-aged man and tearing his skin open.

The effeminate-looking prince said in a sinister tone:
"Don't try to curry favor with me! You think you can get away with this? Who do you think you are?! Men, strip this bastard naked and give him a good beating. Let these unruly commoners see what's what."

Behind him, two subordinates grinned and dragged the middle-aged man away like a dead dog. Soon after, a pig-like scream rang out.

The eldest son then turned around and bowed obsequiously to a Liao warrior who had come over after hearing the noise, explaining in a Liao language.

In the end, he only got a slap from the thug, which left five finger marks on the young master's face. But he was still obsequious and forced to smile. Only then did the thug laugh and turn away.

Zhao Du'an watched coldly from the crowd, showing no sympathy whatsoever.

……

……

The procession continued forward.

At noon, they joined another recruitment team, and the entire cannon fodder force expanded again, reaching one or two thousand people.

As evening fell and the sun began to set, the procession finally came to a halt, and the refugees were driven to set up tents.

Some of the dozens of Liao people went into the tent, while others landed the flying boat to feed the large birds.

They maintained a safe distance from the refugee group at all times, neither too close nor too far.

"It looks like this is all the people we've gathered today; we're still a long way from the main force," Zhao Du'an said in a low voice.

As the sun set, Jin Jian, who had been drowsy, gradually woke up. Her stomach rumbled, and she covered her tummy with her little hand, looking embarrassed.

"I'm hungry……"

She covered her forehead with her jade sleeve, feeling a little embarrassed.

Zhao Du'an smiled and was about to say something when he suddenly noticed a fight breaking out in the crowd not far away. This attracted the attention of a "bandit," who began cursing:
"What are you fighting for? If you want to fight, I'll take you on. I'll beat you to a pulp..."

As he spoke, the bandit lashed out with a "snap," the force of which was terrifying; if someone were physically weak, a single lash could actually kill them.

Zhao Du'an narrowed his eyes and was about to step forward when he suddenly stopped. He saw one of the young men who was being pinned to the ground suddenly leap up, pinning his opponent down and taking the blow with his back, letting out a scream.

The surrounding crowd scattered in all directions. In the blink of an eye, only the man who had been whipped and was lying on the ground remained in the open space, completely ignored by everyone.

"Huh?" Yu Xiu suddenly exclaimed in surprise, tugging at the golden slip and whispering:

Does that person look familiar?

"..." Jin Jian remained expressionless, silently staring at her senior sister with her astigmatic eyes—she had long since hidden her glasses to avoid standing out.

It's as if to say: Are you sure you want to ask me?
Yu Xiu was extremely embarrassed and whispered, "It seems to be my fourth junior brother."

Zhao Du'an was taken aback, his expression a mixture of surprise and uncertainty: "Who?"

Yu Xiu was not entirely sure about the authenticity:

"My master's fourth disciple is Han Zhao. However, he has been traveling around for a long time and we have lost contact with him."

Han Zhao? The fourth disciple of the Celestial Master?
Zhao Du'an's heart skipped a beat: "Let's go take a look!"

As the sun gradually set, smoke slowly rose from the camp of several thousand people, and the sky gradually darkened.

Zhao Du'an and his three companions walked over, surrounded the young man on the ground, and squatted down to examine him.

As if sensing someone approaching, Han Zhao, who had been lying motionless on the ground as if unconscious, opened his eyes, groaned a couple of times, and rolled over, only to see four dirty, large faces filling the sky above him.

"what!"

Han Zhao was startled, but Zhao Du'an immediately covered his mouth with his hand. Han Zhao's eyes widened, wondering if there were any bad guys among these refugees.

"Woooooooo..."

He subconsciously activated his magic power, trying to force himself to get up. With his cultivation level in the mortal realm, no one in the entire camp could suppress him... Hmm?

However, just as Han Zhaogang began to move his magical power, Tuoba Weizhi reached out and slammed him back to the ground with a "bang."

Han Zhao: "..."

Yu Xiu carefully examined the face before her and exclaimed in surprise:
"It really is the fourth brother."

Jin Jian rubbed his eyes, which were severely astigmatic and nearsighted, and leaned closer, exclaiming in surprise:
"It really is!"

Zhao Du'an lowered his voice: "Han Zhao, don't make a sound, I am Zhao Du'an."

Han Zhao: ?

At this moment, Yu Xiu raised her hand and wiped away the veil, restoring her true appearance.

Han Zhao was stunned, almost crying out in surprise. His eyes suddenly lit up, and seeing Zhao Du'an release his grip, he quickly whispered with delight:
"Second Senior Sister? And...that's Junior Sister? What are you all doing here?"

Yu Xiu whispered:
"It's a long story, and we were surprised to find you here. This is Zhao, the Junior Guardian of the Imperial Court and Grand Commander..."

She pointed to Zhao Du'an.

Han Zhao asked in surprise and doubt: "You're the gigolo His Majesty keeps?"

Zhao Du'an: "...Tuoba."

Tuoba Wei remained silent, then reached out his small hand again and shoved Han Zhao's head into the ground with a "bang".

The fourth disciple of the Celestial Master's Mansion was utterly powerless to resist.

……

A few moments.

In a corner of the camp, Han Zhao got up, sat cross-legged on the ground, and respectfully bowed to Zhao Du'an:
"Han Zhao, a high-ranking official of the Celestial Master's Mansion, greets Lord Zhao. I have long admired your name and am overjoyed to have the opportunity to meet you today."

Zhao Du'an, Yu Xiu, Jin Jian, and Tuoba Weizhi also sat cross-legged on the ground, accepting his defeat with equanimity.

Han Zhao looked at Tuoba Weizhi with awe and caution:
"I wonder who this is..."

Tuoba Weizhi's expression was unfriendly; he had no goodwill towards this fellow who had offended his master.
"I am my master's maid."

Yes, it could also be a male servant...

Han Zhao, who was thin and had arms that were unusually long and ape-like, was shocked and looked at Zhao Du'an with a different expression.

I suspect I've been wandering around for too long and have become disconnected from the world.

This powerful and peerless expert, who could suppress him with one hand and make it difficult for him to circulate his magic power, was actually just a maid.

"Ahem, let's not talk about that," Zhao Du'an said seriously.
"Brother Han, what brings you here?"

Upon hearing this, Han Zhao also became serious. He first glanced at Yu Xiu, and after receiving an affirmative nod, he said solemnly:

"In recent years, I have been traveling around the world, and before that I wandered in the Western Regions."

After the turmoil in the Western Regions, the bald monks of the Buddhist ancestral temple began to purge non-Buddhist practitioners in the Western Regions. Sensing something was amiss, I left early and arrived in Yunfu.

I originally intended to seek out Senior Sister Yuxiu to inquire about the current state of affairs, but unexpectedly learned that the Liao people had launched an attack on the Yunfu border army. I figured the Liao people must be vulnerable at this time, so… cough cough, I'm preparing to go and slay the demons.”

Yu Xiu interrupted with a cold laugh:

"Slaying demons and monsters? You're just trying to freeload and grab some cultivation resources, aren't you?"

Han Zhao gave an awkward but polite smirk:

"Having both, having both..."

Zhao Du'an found the rumor about the priest who presided over the righteous god "Destiny" and called himself the "Gambling Saint" quite interesting.

She was neither as steady and reliable as the young Celestial Master Zhong Pan, nor as aloof and detached as the "Jade Sword" Yu Xiu, but rather quite witty, and couldn't help but smile:

"go on."

“Okay,” Han Zhao said, his expression becoming more serious.

"I learned by chance in the Western Regions that there are great treasures hidden in the La Garden. As the saying goes, treasures belong to the virtuous... But unexpectedly, when I approached the stronghold, I was discovered by the sentries of the Liao people."

A Liao man named Mangu, leading hundreds of Liao warriors, is chasing after me.

But what methods do I possess?
Even though he was surrounded and had to temporarily retreat, those hundreds of fierce generals fled like wild dogs... In the end, realizing they couldn't catch him, they had no choice but to give up..."

Chased by the barbarian bones... hundreds of Liao warriors... Zhao Du'an, Yu Xiu, and Jin Jian had strange expressions.

If I'm not mistaken, before Mangu changed targets, was the "spy" he was chasing this guy?
However, there were only twenty or thirty people in total. When did they become hundreds of elites?
Besides, Barbarian Bone clearly sensed our presence and that's why he withdrew at the last minute, right?

Han Zhao's attempt to show off failed, and he remained oblivious, continuing to write with smeared words flying everywhere:

"Just as I was about to leave, the world in the forest changed dramatically. I vaguely saw a familiar blue cloud shaking the sky, and then the big Laba was also startled."

Out of caution, I did not approach, but if I am not mistaken, among all the cultivators in the world capable of fighting against evil spirits, I fear that only my master himself is truly worthy of such respect…

At this point, Han Laosi suddenly paused, belatedly staring at the group, and tentatively asked:

"Speaking of which, Lord Zhao, what brings you here..."

Yu Xiu remained expressionless, displaying a cold indifference that severed ties with him.
“We went to Xinjiang with our master. By the way, we also ran into the barbarian bone you mentioned, but he didn’t have hundreds of people with him.”

Han Zhao's body trembled.

Jin Jian pushed up his glasses and said seriously:
“Master killed Man Gu. We interrogated those Liao people, and they said they were chasing a spy and were about to capture him. They came to us at the last minute.”

Han Zhao's body trembled again.

Zhao Du'an said with a smile:
"It's hard to tell you the specifics, but roughly speaking, when Zhang Tianshi was fighting against Da Laba, I and two other priests sneaked into the Laba Garden and brought someone out. Yes, it was her."

He pointed to the ruthless and taciturn Tuoba Weizhi and smiled:

"She is the High Priestess of the Liao people and the guardian of the Wax Garden. She should be the 'treasure' you are looking for."

A tingling sensation shot through Han Zhao's spine and up to the top of his head.

Zhao Du'an continued:

"We recently escaped from the southwestern frontier and were preparing to join the imperial army in the border town. What about you?"

Han Zhao suddenly covered his head:

"My mind is a bit of a mess..."

Zhao Du'an's smiling face:
"Then don't panic. Tell me, why are you here?"

Han Zhao answered subconsciously:

“I dared not approach my master and the evil god. I originally wanted to go to the Wax Garden, but I felt something was wrong there and it was very dangerous, so I cautiously retreated. Later, I found out that the entire Liao people were hunting someone, so I could only run away and hide in the refugee line.”

(End of this chapter)