The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 661 A Letter to the Empress
"What female demon? Explain yourself."

Zhao Du'an stared at the native female sorcerer prostrate before him and tried to press her for answers.

Shui Bei didn't dare look at him and hurriedly replied:

"I'm not entirely sure either. All I know is that a few months ago, a female demon came to the East China Sea. She must be a Green Hare from the land. I don't know her name. She wandered around various islands, abducted many young and beautiful women, and demanded that the Thousand Islands offer treasures to ransom them."

The elders of the Thousand Islands refused to be threatened and joined forces to capture the female demon. They were almost certain of success, but the Sea God suddenly became enraged ahead of schedule, disrupting the elders' encirclement and suppression plan...

Therefore, some speculate that the sea god's transformation is related to the female demon.

"Green Guest"... This is the term used by people at sea to refer to cultivators in the land-based martial arts world... Is it a powerful figure in the martial arts world of Yu Kingdom?

To be able to cause trouble in the East China Sea, one must at least possess worldly wisdom, right?
There aren't many people like that... Zhao Du'an was pondering when he noticed that Jin Jian's face next to him changed.

A thought struck him. He abandoned the water shells and led the others toward the cabin, looking toward Jin Jian:

What did you guess?

Jin Jian adjusted his glasses and hesitated before saying:

"I'm not sure either, but the female demon she mentioned seems a bit like my third senior sister?"

Huh? Zhao Du'an suddenly turned his head and stared at Zhang Yanyi, thinking to himself, "Old Zhang, is your female apprentice a pervert?"
So you've come to the East China Sea to rob us of our money and our virtue, huh?

The old master kept his eyes down, seemingly oblivious to their conversation.

Feeling Zhao Du'an's gaze, Zhang Yan's face burned with embarrassment, and he said unhappily:

"How can one determine who it is with just a few words? Even if... assuming it really is that traitor, how could a high-ranking official of the Celestial Master's Mansion do such a thing? It must be slander by the local natives."

That makes sense… Zhao Du'an nodded and said:

"It seems the action plan needs to be changed. Given the current situation, the closer we get to the Silent Sea, the tighter the blockade will be."

We could certainly sweep through, but even with our strength, it would be extremely unwise to confront the entire Thousand Islands cultivators head-on.

Zhang Yan nodded slightly:

"what's your plan?"

Zhao Du'an suddenly looked at Ji Yue beside him and asked:
How far is Red Coral Island from here?

Ji Yue, still basking in the joy of avenging her great enemy, nodded upon hearing this:

"very close."

Immediately, she seemed to understand Zhao Du'an's thoughts and tentatively asked:
"Does Your Excellency wish to go to Red Coral Island first to gather further information?"

Zhao Du'an nodded and said:

“That’s right. This water shell has limited information; I need to know more. By the way, I imagine the Thousand Islands of the East China Sea aren’t a unified entity, are they? What are the relationships between your Red Coral Island and the other islands?”

As a contestant well-versed in court politics, Zhao Du'an instinctively sought a breakthrough.

To win over and divide the enemy.

Ji Yue's eyes lit up, and she said:
"Red Coral Island is one of the smallest and weakest of the islands. In my memory, it was often exploited by other islands, such as Golden Wheel Island, which is controlled by Aoki."

Back when I escaped, some of my relatives on Red Coral Island considered helping me, but they weren't strong enough to influence the decisions of the other elders.

Zhao Du'an smiled slightly:
"In that case, let's go to Red Coral Island first."

The others had no objections.

Zhao Du'an walked back to the deck, lowered his eyes to look at Shui Bei kneeling on the ground, and revealed a devilish smile:
"Get up, we should get going."

……

……

The capital city, the imperial palace!
Deep within the Wugong Hall lies the old building with its murals displayed on the fourth floor.

The lines on the stone wall suddenly brightened, and a faint ray of light leaped out from the stone wall and sank into the puppet sitting cross-legged on the futon, whose appearance was exactly the same as the empress.

In an instant, the puppet's eyes, which had been lifeless and dull, brightened!
Xu Zhenguan slowly got up, stretched his limbs, and pushed open the door to walk out of the quiet courtyard.

The Empress walked down the steps and headed out of the Martial Arts Hall.

At this moment, she had detached herself from the emotions of Xu Jianwen and Yunyang, and regained her calm and rationality.

And today, during the westward expedition, the team once again returned to the capital through "visualization".

They planned to consult with Zhao Du'an to discuss the next operation.

"His Majesty."

As the Empress walked to the front courtyard, Eunuch Hai slowly appeared and bowed to her.

"Yes, did Zhao Qing come today?" Xu Zhenguan asked.

Grandpa Hai nodded:
"He came once yesterday afternoon and again last night. He left a letter with me to deliver to His Majesty."

He sought me out twice in a row?

Xu Zhenguan was taken aback for a moment, not daring to underestimate it, and quickly reached out to pick up the wax-sealed letter that Eunuch Hai had handed over with both hands.

And they couldn't wait to open it!

Based on her understanding of Zhao Du'an, he would never have come to see her repeatedly and left a letter unless it was something urgent.

But what could possibly happen in just one day?
There were two pieces of paper in the envelope. Soon, the words on the first piece of paper caught their eye. It was about Princess Wenzhu's escape and return.

Wenzhu is back? Was she rescued by a Nyingma master?
The Empress was startled when she saw the first half, but when she saw the second half, "Xuan Yin and the Dharma King are the same person," her beautiful face suddenly changed color.

She gripped the letter tightly, her mind drifting away. A moment later, she snapped back to reality and let out a deep breath.

"I see……"

At this moment, many of my doubts were answered.

Xu Zhenguan then looked at the second sheet of paper. The top half described how half of the banyan tree in the Celestial Master's Mansion had withered, while the bottom half contained only a few lines of text.

The gist is: He and Zhang Yanyi and others have set off again.

"His Majesty?"

Hai Gonggong stood quietly for a while, his sleeves tucked in. Seeing that the Empress remained silent, he cautiously called out to her.

Xu Zhenguan, regaining his composure, folded the letter, tucked it into his robes, and calmly said:

"Is there anything else happening in the city?"

I spoke with Grandpa Hai for a short while.

Xu Zhenguan did not leave the Martial Arts Hall, but instead returned to the old building. His spiritual visualization ended, and he returned to his physical body, which was far away in Xiping Road.

……

In the Xiping region, on the official road, a large imperial procession marched forward in a grand procession.

Inside the royal carriage in the procession, Xu Zhenguan, who was sitting cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes.

At this moment, she noticed the convoy slowing down, and the sound of approaching hooves came from outside the carriages. A royal guard officer said:

"Your Majesty, the Duke of Tang has personally led his troops to greet you!"

"Understood, halt the carriage." The Empress's cold yet magnetic voice echoed.

Xu Zhenguan straightened his bright yellow dragon robe and his clothes. After the carriage stopped, he got up, lifted the curtain, walked a few steps, and stood on the huge royal carriage.

Thousands of Imperial Guards stood in formation around them.

Meanwhile, ahead, the Duke of Tang, who was lame in one leg, led his men, clad in armor, to meet them, accompanied by his daughter Tang Zhao.

The old Duke Tang Daren respectfully said:
"This old minister has come to greet Your Majesty on the behalf of Privy Councilor Xue!"

Xu Zhenguan nodded, his authoritative voice echoing across the land:
"Thank you for your hard work, Duke. Proceed at full speed immediately and join me in the central army. The time to drive out the Tartars is now!"

Tens of thousands of soldiers around shouted in unison:
"Long live the Emperor! May you be invincible! May you be victorious in every battle!"

On the land of Xiping, the fighting spirit was at an all-time high.

……

……

East China Sea.

The ships billowed their sails and sailed toward Red Coral Island like arrows released from a bow.

As for the corpses of Aoki and the others, they sank slowly to the bottom of the sea along with the massive carcass of the bone whale.

Nearly two hours later, the ship docked at a pier on an island.

"This is Red Coral Island!"

On the deck, Ji Yue gazed at the land that had given her birth with a complex expression.

On the dock, several young men from Hongshan Island, who were responsible for guarding the area, were on high alert when they saw a ship approaching.

Sailing on the sea during the "Angry Moon" is extremely dangerous, especially since this ship's design is so different from local vessels, making it clearly unusual.

"Commander Shuibei?"

A young man looked surprised as he saw the plump, round-faced sorceress disembark from the ship.
"Didn't you go out with the patrol team? Who are they?"

Upon seeing her people, Shui Bei initially breathed a sigh of relief, but then, remembering the terrifying strength of the people on the ship behind her, she became uneasy again. Forcing a smile, she solemnly instructed them:
"The people on board are friends from afar who are coming to see the island lord. I will go and inform them right away. Please stay here and do not disturb the distinguished guests on board, understand?"

Several young men were taken aback, but Shui Bei, who clearly possessed the cultivation of the Divine Chapter Realm, was also a top "strongman" on the island, so they quickly cupped their hands in agreement.

Shuibei breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at the high gunwale of the ship, and then quickly ran towards the center of the island.

Zhao Du'an did not choose to force his way onto the island, but instead let her go and report first, which was partly a sign of "respect" for Hongshan Island.

In addition, it also reveals another signal: that they don't care.

It seemed that no matter what tricks Shui Bei played, even if all the powerful figures on Red Coral Island united, Captain Zhao wouldn't take them seriously.

Shui Bei didn't know if bringing the other person along was the right or wrong thing, but she knew even more that with Ji Yue there, it made no difference whether she led the way or not.

Beneath the sorceress's robes, her strong, long legs moved swiftly, and she soon arrived at a building in the center of the island.

Most of the houses here are built with white stone and wood. To better resist typhoons, the walls are not square, but rather like low pillars with pointed eaves on top.

The island's inhabitants live in these oddly shaped houses.

"what?"

Shuibei soon discovered that the houses on the island were extremely quiet, and none of the residents were at home. Meanwhile, the square outside the largest and most luxurious house where the island's owner lived was filled with people.

At this moment, the island's inhabitants were discussing something intensely, seemingly indignant, with an atmosphere mixed with despair and helplessness.

"What happened? Why are they all gathered here? Where is the island owner?"

Shuibei was taken aback and asked her familiar friend.

"Shuibei? You're back?"

"Sigh, you still don't know?"

Several familiar faces looked over.

An older man shook his head bitterly and said:

"It's a sacrificial ceremony. The island's elders just sent someone with orders, saying that the sea god is angry early this year, and there's a fear that something bad might happen, so they're preparing to hold the ceremony earlier than usual."

Shui Bei was taken aback, and subconsciously said:

“I remember that this year’s choice for the sacrificial ceremony should be Aoki’s Kinrin Island Lord.”

A young man said indignantly:

"That's how it should be, but the elders said that the sea is not calm this year, and they are afraid that it is not safe to offer sacrifices to only one person. They need to add another person at the last minute. It is said that Elder Aoki suggested that we, the Red Coral Island, should send someone to offer sacrifices to the sea god!"

Shuibei was stunned again. She had been completely unaware of this while traveling with Qingmu, and she had only instinctively shouted angrily:

"Why? Why us again? It should never be our turn!"

A woman looked worried:
"It is said that Elder Aoki said that Jiyue disobeyed the decision of the elders and defected from the island. The responsibility for this should be borne by all the people of Hongshan Island. Therefore, we need to send another person."

The island lord is currently discussing this matter in the house, and everyone is in a state of panic. Shuibei, your age is also within the sacrificial range, so you'd better hide quickly and say you're out patrolling the forbidden seas..."

Shuibei listened to all of this in a daze, and all she could see were the expressions of the island's inhabitants—worried, sad, angry, or powerless.

This is the weak.

In the East China Sea, where the culture of respecting the strong prevails, the inhabitants of the islands are clearly divided into different social classes, much like the food chain in the sea.

Faced with bullying, the weak Red Coral Island, no matter how angry it was, could not resist the will of the entire council of elders.

Even Aoki alone could defeat them.

"Don't worry, everyone. No one can force us anymore," Shui Bei suddenly said coldly.
"Aoki is dead."

-

Correct typos first, then edit.
(End of this chapter)