The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 671 Bringing the Empress Home

Beneath a large tree adorned with countless red ribbons, the emperor and his minister fell into silence.

Xu Zhen looked at the strip of cloth lying horizontally in his palm, which contained the "code," and felt increasingly confused and bewildered.

She had not experienced the Wax Garden instance or the East Sea instance, and even though she had heard Zhao Du'an's account, she still could not truly empathize with it.

Therefore, it wasn't until she personally received this last "key" from the female temple keeper that she clearly felt the fear of being "arranged" for her.

Emperor Taizu was like a prophet who knew the future, having arranged everything many years ago.

If some of the previous arrangements for Zhao Du'an were somewhat vague, these three keys are crystal clear.

"What...did he leave behind? Or what did he say before he left?" The Empress asked again, still not believing it.

The female temple keeper shook her head and said apologetically:

"There's really nothing left."

silence.

Seeing that the Empress remained silent, Zhao Du'an raised an eyebrow, clasped his hands together, cracking his bones, and said fiercely to the female temple keeper:
"I think you're not being honest..."

Female temple keeper: "..."

Xu Zhenguan was stunned for a moment, then shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry:
"Let's go."

She sighed softly, "Since our ancestors arranged everything, there's no point in asking any more questions."

Zhao Du'an responded with an "oh," abandoning his fierce demeanor, and addressed the trembling female temple keeper:

"I'll let you off this time."

Then, the emperor and his minister walked out of the temple. The empress carefully examined the strip of cloth several times, memorizing all the codes on it, before tilting her head back, throwing the cloth on the ground, and saying:
"Let's go back."

The strips of cloth fluttered to the ground, and the two people transformed into two rising pillars of light, disappearing into the sky.

……

……

The capital of Yu State, an old building.

Zhao Du'an and Xu Zhenguan both shuddered and opened their eyes on their prayer mats.

"What are your plans next?" The Empress glanced at Zhao Du'an and asked.

Zhao Du'an stretched his shoulders and said:
"When I came back, I told Zhang Tianshi that he needed at least three days to rest..."

Well, after two major battles between DJI and Donghai, Lao Zhang must be feeling pretty bad.

However, he's incredibly proud and always pretends to be nonchalant on the surface, but I suspect that right now, he's probably sneaking into the Celestial Master's Mansion, clutching his medicine jar, and guzzling pills down his throat like they're free...

"Yes, nobody knows what's inside the Mubei Forest, so we must get ourselves into good shape before we act. We can't afford to rush things without preparation."

The Empress nodded, agreeing with his plan, and smiled.
"Very well, then let's rest for three days first, and then I will accompany you into that golden gate."

“Okay… eh?” Zhao Du’an nodded subconsciously, then realized something was wrong and stared at her blankly:

"Is His Majesty going too?"

Xu Zhenguan smiled and said, "What? You're not welcome?"

"No..." Zhao Du'an was somewhat confused:
"So His Majesty is abandoning the Xiping battlefield?"

Xu Zhenguan said matter-of-factly:
“My true body will naturally be stationed in Xiping, but I can use this puppet body to act alongside you.”

Zhao Du'an asked blankly:

"That can't be right, I remember this puppet body can't leave the capital at all..."

He had tried this before.

Because the transfer of the soul requires the "stone wall" as a medium, it cannot go too far.

Only then did a sly smile appear on the Empress's fair face. She laughed and said:

"Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. If that old bald monk Xuan Yin can create an avatar, why can't I?"

After a pause, meeting Zhao Du'an's astonished gaze, she slowly and deliberately explained:
"These days I have learned a secret technique from the notes of the Taizu Emperor, called 'Soul Splitting,' which means that a small part of one's soul can be cut out and attached separately."

I hadn't fully mastered it before, but after trying it today, I think I'm almost there. With this method, I can attach a wisp of my soul to the puppet's body for a certain period of time, allowing it to move freely.

Of course, this method has many limitations. For example, once the divided soul is destroyed, my main body will also be harmed.

For example, the time cannot be too long, otherwise the wisp of divine soul that is separated will become weaker and weaker, and may dissipate on its own..."

Zhao Du'an listened blankly, then suddenly said:

"Doesn't this sound a bit like the method that bewitched the True Man to revive him?"

The Empress was taken aback:
Now that you mention it, it does seem somewhat similar.

The Bewitching Immortal split his soul into several parts and stored them separately, which were then devoured one by one by Zhao Du'an... What a tragic man.

Zhao Du'an asked curiously:

"Wasn't the founding emperor a martial artist? How could he possess such skills? Could this also be a technique from the Martial God path?"

The Empress thought for a moment, then slowly shook her head:

"There is indeed no record of this technique in the Path of the Martial God. According to the notes, it may have been learned by our ancestors from certain schools of sorcerers."

"Yes, it's a modified method that can be mastered without the need to worship any deities."

Zhao Du'an's heart stirred, and he seemed to be deep in thought.

However, he quickly cheered up again. Although the Empress, a mere puppet, couldn't provide any combat support, it wasn't a bad thing for a member of the royal family to go along.

At the very least, it serves as a form of oversight for Zhang Yanyi.

Zhao Du'an didn't fully trust Lao Zhang and had to prepare for the worst.

However, he felt that he should send the "Divine Dragon Grass" to Xiping as soon as possible to repair the Empress's injuries.

However, before that, his stomach was the first to protest.

"Gululu..."

Feeling the hunger in his internal organs, Zhao Du'an shook his hair, glanced at the sky, and said:
"In that case, I will go home and rest for the next few days to conserve my energy and prepare for departure."

The Empress stepped forward to follow him, and said calmly:
"Let's go together. I have nothing else to do, so I'll take you for a walk to clear my head."

Zhao Du'an was taken aback: "Your Majesty, I am going home..."

The Empress blinked and said:

"and then?"

……

……

Zhao Mansion.

The sun sank completely below the horizon, and the entire capital was shrouded in a thin veil of night. Lanterns hung high on either side of the plaque above the Zhao family residence.

Zhao Du'an raised his hand and knocked on the door. A servant opened the door:

"Who..."

He started to say something, then widened his eyes and said in a fawning tone:
"Master is back? I'll go inform Madam right away!"

Zhao Du'an was both amused and exasperated, thinking to himself that he hadn't been gone long, so why did he look so surprised?

Behind him, Xu Zhenguan, wearing a cloak, walked over, smiled, and joked:

"Does Master Zhao not like this?"

Zhao Du'an felt extremely awkward, and it took him a moment to realize the source of his discomfort: he, a public servant, had now become a master surnamed Zhao...

"Your Majesty, please don't tease us. Let's go inside."

He took the initiative to reach out and hold the Empress's hand, and then the two of them crossed the threshold and entered the mansion.

Whether as an emperor or as a wife, this was undoubtedly against etiquette.

But one of them completely disregarded feudal etiquette, while the other was the one who established it... so neither of them cared.

The two walked forward hand in hand, and soon saw You Jinhua and her daughter Zhao Pan'er coming out of the backyard, surrounded by several maids carrying lanterns. The mother and daughter had happy faces.

Before leaving, Zhao Du'an had left a message for his family saying he might be away on a business trip for a while, but he didn't expect to be back so soon, as if he hadn't even gone on the trip...

Then, the mother and daughter quickly noticed the person standing next to Zhao Du'an and the hands they were holding.

You Jinhua's expression changed slightly, and she subconsciously said:

"Young Master, you went out for a bit, and now you've brought back another woman? Let go of her! If anyone sees this, it will reach His Majesty's ears..."

Zhao Pan, with her sharp eyes, suddenly reached out and grabbed her mother's hand, her expression stiff as she lowered her voice to remind her:

"Mother...don't say anymore, this is His Majesty..."

What nonsense is this child spouting? His Majesty is not in the capital… You Jinhua was stunned for a moment, then, using the lantern's light to examine him closely, she was utterly astonished:

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty?!"

Xu Zhenguan smiled faintly, then turned to stare at Zhao Du'an:
"Zhao Qing, how many women have you brought home?"

As she spoke, the Empress clenched her two fingers tightly at the point where the two were holding hands.

“…” Zhao Duan:

"Do you believe it's a misunderstanding?"

……

After a while.

By the pond inside the Zhao residence, Zhao Du'an finally managed to explain that the misunderstanding stemmed from his previous encounter with Tuoba Weizhi.

The empress ignored him and sat down angrily on a bamboo chair used for cooling off by the pond.

At this moment, a servant brought over a fruit platter and whispered:

"Master, Madam and Miss are preparing dinner in the kitchen..."

"Okay, go ahead. Don't let anyone else come over," Zhao Du'an said, taking the fruit plate.

At this time, the Zhao family had already finished dinner, but since the Empress had come to visit and Zhao Du'an had just returned, they naturally had to prepare a decent meal again.

Hmm... there must also be an element of avoiding embarrassment.

Zhao Du'an shamelessly leaned closer and said, "Your Majesty, have some melon."

The Empress looked at Zhao Du'an's profile reflected in the shimmering pond, smiled slightly, and said:
"Alright, I'm not angry. Do you think I'm such a petty woman?"

Zhao Du'an sat down next to her with a grin and said:

"As the saying goes, a prime minister's belly can hold a boat. Your Majesty is far superior to a prime minister. Your magnanimity could probably hold the whole world."

Xu Zhenguan was familiar with his glib tongue, but still asked with doubt:
"Can a prime minister's belly hold a boat? Where does this saying come from?"

This proverb does not exist in Dayu.

Zhao Du'an wanted to explain, but the Empress already understood:

"Oh, if it's from your world."

Then, an inexplicable silence fell over the room.

In the cool night, the lights under the eaves were reflected on the surface of the pond. A man and a woman, a ruler and his subject, sat on bamboo chairs by the pond, with a fruit plate on the "tea table" in the middle.

It does indeed have the feel of an ordinary family enjoying the cool air.

"Are you nervous?" Xu Zhenguan suddenly asked, staring at the two faces reflected in the pond.

"What's there to be nervous about?" Zhao Du'an also stared at the two faces in the water.

"Behind the golden gate in the Northern Forest, your past may lie..." the Empress said.

Zhao Du'an was silent for a moment, then smiled:
"I'm not exactly nervous, just a little scared."

"Afraid? What are you afraid of?"

"What if I really have some other relationship with Lao Xu? Wouldn't that mess up our generational hierarchy?"

"..." The Empress turned her head, staring at him intently, her eyes gleaming:

"Wasn't this hypothesis already rejected?"

Zhao Du'an didn't turn his head, but sighed softly:

"Until the very last moment, who can be sure?"

He himself was a little uneasy, but he had to face it all eventually. Then, after thinking for a moment, he tentatively said:

"Actually, no matter how you calculate it, this should account for the fifth degree of mourning, right..."

Beyond the fifth degree of mourning, it does not affect marriage.

The Empress glared, and for a moment, she wanted to kick this despicable fellow into the pond.

But in the end... I couldn't bear to part with it.

"Let's get down to business." Xu Zhenguan turned his head back and continued to stare at the lights in the pond.

Zhao Du'an frowned:
"Actually, in the Martial God Map, I once followed Old Xu... uh, that is, Emperor Taizu, to the edge of the Mubei Forest. We didn't go in, but we stood on the edge of the snowfield."

Well, I'm not sure if the other cultivators saw the same thing, but anyway, I sensed something extremely terrifying in the Mubei Forest at that time.

It was something I didn't know, but it was like a wild beast lurking in the mountains; any mortal who sensed its presence would tremble.

Xu Zhenguan said:
"I've been there too. In fact, the Mubei Forest in reality remains an inaccessible forbidden area to this day. Otherwise, why would Zhang Yan go to such lengths to ask you for help?"

Zhao Du'an asked in confusion, "Why can't we get in?"

Xu Zhenguan said:

"Once you get close to the Mubei Forest, you will not only feel a huge threat, but both warriors and sorcerers will be subjected to extremely strong suppression. That suppression is definitely much stronger than that of Da Laba or the Sea God, so much so that no one dares to take the risk."

Not to mention ordinary people; even Luo Kedi and others stationed in the north had never even left the snowy plains.

Zhao Du'an muttered to himself:

"It looks like a dungeon that can't be opened if you're not high enough level..."

"Huh? What did you say?"

"Oh, it's nothing..."

Zhao Du'an pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked another question:
"You said, back then, Emperor Taizu... I mean, after he became emperor, did he return to the Mubei Forest?"
Look, he went to DJI and also to the East China Sea, leaving keys on both sides and building two doors. Since there's a golden gate beneath the Temple of Heaven leading directly to the Mubei Forest, then perhaps…

Xu Zhenguan shook his head and said:

"How would I know? It wasn't written in Emperor Taizu's notes, but the palace records say that Emperor Taizu did indeed pass away suddenly in his later years."

"Suddenly? What do you mean?" Zhao Du'an turned to look at her.

Xu Zhenguan explained:

"Although cultivators live longer than mortals, their lifespan is still not very long; they are unlikely to live past two hundred years."

Then, when Emperor Taizu passed away several decades after ascending the throne, he was still many years away from the limit of his lifespan, which was quite surprising at the time.

The prevailing story is that Emperor Taizu fought against many powerful figures during his conquests, which left him with many hidden ailments, leading to his early death.

This has always been a regret in the hearts of many people. Many believe that with Emperor Taizu's extraordinary talent, if he had lived for several more decades, he might have truly broken through the limits and become a human immortal.

At that time, lifespan will surely be extended again, but unfortunately there are no "what ifs".

"Speaking of which, why are you suddenly asking this?"

Zhao Du'an hesitated and said:

"I was just thinking, since the founding emperor was able to arrange so many contingency plans and allow people like Pei Niannu and Tuoba Weizhi to live for hundreds of years..."

Furthermore, he even possesses the secret technique of 'soul splitting'...

So tell me... is there any possibility that he...

Alive?

(End of this chapter)