The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 328 - 279. The dust settles

"Why would it be Old Wang?!"

Mr. Zhao's pupils constricted, feeling as if his soul had just suffered an indescribable blow.

So close, staring at that familiar, smiling old face.

In his mind, the occasional lounging official from the Heavenly Master Mansion, who had enjoyed plagiarizing his carefully crafted sentences, began to gradually overlap with the god-like elder before him.

"My young friend, it's been a long time."

Zhang Yan Yi smiled slightly and used a secret method to bombard Mr. Zhao's ears with his voice.

At the same time, the earlier mention of "Old Wang" was shielded by him and was not perceived by others.

It really was you... Old Wang is Heavenly Master Zhang?

The legendary Earth God who is just one step away from becoming a "Human Immortal"?

A tremendous turmoil stirred in Mr. Zhao's heart, evoking a strong sense of unreality.

He couldn't accept that such a lofty figure, the one who plagiarized from him, turned out to be Old Wang.

That explains it... No wonder he could copy my sentences so quickly and imprint them on the walls of the Heavenly Master Mansion... no wonder Jin Jian and Old Wang were so closely bonded... no wonder the talismans he casually provided were so powerful...

At that moment, Mr. Zhao's heart was flooded with mixed emotions.

There was the surprise of having already crossed paths with a major figure, as well as a sense of guilt...

Well, he had spoken so casually with Old Wang before... surely Heavenly Master Zhang wouldn't hold a grudge, right?

"Young... Young one, I have seen Zhang... Heavenly Master."

Mr. Zhao strained a smile, bowed respectfully, pretending that they were strangers.

Zhang Yan Yi clearly had no intention of exposing their private relationship in public either, merely nodding his head.

Then his gaze swept over the crowd and he declared,

"As far as this matter is concerned, I am already aware of it and it ends here. If Xuan Yin has any objections, let him come to my Heavenly Master Mansion in person."

Decisively settled!

No superfluous words, or empty talk and reasoning.

To translate it, simply one phrase:

Let it go, if you want to make trouble outside the Heavenly Master Mansion, let Xuan Yin, 'Old Baldy', come; you're not qualified.

Regarding the earlier aggressive behavior of the abbot from the Precepts Hall, although Zhang Yan Yi wouldn't have minded dismissing him with a wave of his sleeve, remembering what the Empress had said before he came out, he chose to ignore it.

"Concerning the Imperial Family, it's inappropriate for me to intervene. Please handle it, Heavenly Master... That monk, I will deal with him myself."

At that moment, Xu Zhenguan's voice was icy, seemingly provoked but unexploded.

The monks from the Divine Dragon Temple dared not rebut; the elderly monk who had ordered the capture was as docile as a quail.

"We will adhere to the Heavenly Master's decree!"

Priests like Gongshu Tianyuan were radiant with uplifted spirits.

Straightening their backs and lifting their chins, the chubby boy made a "please" gesture towards Bian Ji and others.

Bian Ji sighed, brought his hands together, and bowed.

Without a word, he immediately turned and motioned for the monks to swiftly and stealthily withdraw with the unconscious Tianhai, like water receding.

After walking a considerable distance, Bian Ji suddenly turned his head, his face expressionless, and stared at the chief of the Precepts Hall.

"Today you acted rashly and aggravated the conflict between the Buddhist community and the court. I will report the truth to the abbot."

The formerly irate monk, who seemed irrational due to his disciple's severe injury, arched his graying eyebrows, his eyes clear.

His demeanor was extremely calm, a stark contrast to before.

He met Bian Ji's gaze head-on and calmly said,

"There's no need to trouble yourself. I will personally resign to the abbot and demote myself out of the Capital to appease the anger of the Xu Imperial Family."

Bian Ji sneered, seemingly seeing through his intentions, and solemnly said,

"Do you think that will be enough? Do you think it's worth it to go to these lengths for Long Shu? Aren't you afraid of the saying, 'the sly rabbit is dead, the running dog is cooked'?

Or are you confident that the abbot, being immensely compassionate, won't truly punish you?

Even if it means harming the monastery for your future position as the head of your sect!"

The old monk shook his head,

"I do not understand what the Mage is talking about."

Bian Ji eyed him coldly, snorted, and departed, leaving behind the phrase,

"Best of luck to you!"

...

Around the arena.

As the group from the Divine Dragon Temple dejectedly left.

This dispute ended with a single sentence from Zhang Yan Yi.

"Master... I..."

Mr. Zhao was still a bit dazed and opened his mouth to speak.

However, in his ears, he could only hear the laughing voice of the Old Heavenly Master:

"Hehe, it's inconvenient here and now. We shall meet another day. Right now, you must quickly enter the Imperial Palace; the Emperor wishes to see you."

The Emperor wants to see me?

Because it's inconvenient here, hence waiting for me at the Imperial Palace?

Mr. Zhao felt inexplicably nervous yet expectant.

However, before stepping onto the stage today, he had anticipated this.

Given how he could summon the Taia Sword, the Empress would surely seek him out to clarify things in person.

As the Old Heavenly Master dropped these words, his sleeves billowed and turned into a wisp of blue cloud, drifting towards the Heavenly Master Mansion.

The priests followed hastily.

Meanwhile, on the grand ancient bell tower, the giant bell tolled, echoing throughout the Capital.

"Ding—"

"Ding—"

R𝑒ad latest chapt𝒆rs at freewebnovёl.ƈom Only.

Signifying the official end of this session of the Buddhist Tao competition.

The winners were neither the Heavenly Master Mansion nor the Divine Dragon Temple, but rather, the once silent and declining Xu Imperial Family.

And...

Mr. Zhao, who impressively made a big splash with the aid of the Taia Sword.

"Sir!"

As Mr. Zhao descended from the arena, the rushed Jinyi from the Lihua Hall immediately surrounded him, and he gathered with the officials from the court.

"Someone, quickly help Mr. Zhao onto the carriage, and take him back to the palace to treat his injuries."

Mo Chou took the lead in giving the order.

Zhao Douan was momentarily stunned, sensing an understanding, realizing that either the Old Heavenly Master or Zhenbao, hidden in the shadows, had also sent a message to Mo Chou.

After nodding to other acquaintances, he was escorted, along with Mo Chou, to a nearby carriage.

Watching the carriage swiftly depart through a private passage, the officials finally came back to their senses.

"What a spectacle, the court's influence will surely rise after today." Many thought in their hearts.

This guy... actually managed to steal the spotlight... However, fortunately, it wasn't truly his own strength, but rather the Princess secretly pulling the strings, just putting him forward to prove to the world that the Imperial Family had not declined, merely a mascot... Xu Junling pondered.

But... is he really just a mascot?

Or, perhaps, a hidden dragon?

Xu Junling was distracted, feeling the need to re-evaluate Zhao Douan.

Meanwhile, Eunuch Hai, Ma Yan, and Xue Shence had been entranced since that "Sky-opening" sword strike.

As if savoring the moment.

It wasn't until being called that they snapped back to reality.

"I still have matters to attend to, I will be heading back first."

Xue Shence abruptly left with those words, his expression impatient.

Ma Yan also instructed Zhang Han and others to manage the crowd, then hurriedly walked away as if he had urgent matters to attend to.

Eunuch Hai similarly muttered softly and, with a flash, disappeared.

It was unknown why, but among the crowd around the stage, many martial artists of notable cultivation seemed to have understood something.

Only they could appreciate the subtlety of that sword strike.

Although Zhao Douan's display was not even a fraction of the Grand Ancestor Emperor's, coming from the same origin, it was enough for many to ponder repeatedly.

On the way back to the Capital, Eunuch Hai moved swiftly against the wind, continually muttering:

"This lad... is he really favored by the Xu family? Our family never learned the Sky Opening Sword Skill from the Martial God Map..."

The crowd had dispersed.

However, the spread of the details of this intricate duel was just beginning.

...

...

Jizhao Temple.

In a pond planted with withered lotuses, a plump white carp leaped out of the water, splashing and then falling back in, but it did not catch the attention of two women by the pond.

Princess Yunyang still clutched the last letter that read "Great Victory for the Buddhist sect."

Now, stretching her neck, she gazed blankly at the distance where a golden crack had previously appeared in the dark clouds and was now slowly healing.

The sound of the duel-ending bell echoed in her ears.

"Is it over?"

Princess Yunyang shifted her gaze, looking uncertainly towards the female Bodhisattva by the pondside.

The wet, black hair hung to her waist, exposing an ample amount of smooth soft skin, while the fine features, akin to those of a Guanyin statue, stared into the distance.

Yet she waited in vain for the hawk or the falcon.

Until a nun who had left the temple to watch the duel hurried back, bursting into the courtyard and panting heavily:

"Bodhisattva, Tianhai has lost!"

Lost?

Princess Yunyang was the first to jump up in surprise, saying,

"Weren't you saying that your Divine Dragon Temple won? How could you lose again?"

The young nun's cheeks were flushed with excitement as she quickly explained:

"We won the duel with Heavenly Master Mansion, but afterward, when we accepted the challenge from the Great Yu Imperial Family's tributor, we lost..."

Then, she stuttered as she relayed the entire sequence of events she witnessed.

And when she finished explaining the whole process, Princess Yunyang, whose face had just shown delight and who was usually unrestrained, stood dumbstruck.

Her beautiful face nearly twisted, incredulously saying:

"That... Zhao Douan, did he really pick up the Taia Sword? And defeated you?"

The young nun thought for a moment, then said:

"It's hard to say we lost, that Yama Zhao also relied on a weapon, and the head of Precepts Hall even quarreled with him, but Heavenly Master Zhang intervened..."

It's true... It's true... Princess Yunyang staggered backward a few steps, then fell to the ground.

Thinking that once again, her niece Xu Zhenguan had gained a huge advantage, her heart ached so much she could hardly breathe, her fingers clutching the soil next to her hips, murmuring:

"Again Zhao Douan, it's always him..."

Bodhisattva, however, smirked lightly.

Especially after listening to the young nun detail that latter part, she smiled even more joyously, eventually bursting into loud laughter:

"Ha ha ha..."

The young nun timidly, softly ventured:

"Bodhisattva? Why are you so delighted? This time, the head of the Precepts Hall has surely offended the court, I fear there may be trouble."

The beautiful nun marked with a lotus on her brow smiled gently.

Turning around, holding a jade clean bottle, looking at the withered lotuses in the pond, she softly said:

"Isn't that a good thing? Xuan Yin wants to strengthen the Buddhist sect and has been reluctant to suppress Long Shu and Da Jing, worrying about weakening the power of the Buddhist sect, now, it's just reaping the consequences."

The young nun looked blank, not understanding.

The Bodhisattva, however, closed her mouth, unwilling to explain further.

Just quietly sighing in her heart:

"Where there are people, there are Jianghu, and political faction struggles, how could it be limited only to the court?"

Only a few knew that the head of the Precepts Hall's seemingly foolish and impulsive act was nothing but a gamble between Long Shu and Xuan Yin within the vast influence of the Divine Dragon Temple.

As for Tianhai, he was merely a pawn that Long Shu Bodhisattva intended to support.

"Yet, life is like a chess game, who isn't a player within it?"

The female Bodhisattva looked weary, and then, remembering the weather pattern she vaguely saw through her "Insight" on that day, she whispered to herself:

"Zhao Douan..."

—

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