The Empress's No.1 Lackey

Chapter 1031 - 574: The Heavenly Master Shows the Way

Zhong Pan’s eyes lit up: "This is a banyan tree leaf, equivalent to a talisman. I recognize it, it’s a teleportation talisman. Look, there’s a ’move’ character on the leaf. As expected, the master has arranged everything properly. With this, even if we are chased on the road, we have a chance to escape. However... this leaf can only be used a limited number of times, at most twice, before it becomes useless."

Two chances to escape from the hands of a deity?

The group was both happy and worried.

Being hunted by a deity... are two chances enough? No one felt sure about this.

But time waits for no one. They had no doubt that Xu Jingtang would soon catch up. The group immediately supported each other, got on the carriage, and prepared to escape.

"Wait..." Zhao Douan suddenly hesitated.

He thought about the aftermath of his escape... Whether it was the Huai Royal Mansion, which had already taken sides within the county, or Ji Yue guarding the Two-Life Gate, coupled with Yuan Feng, Zhao Shixiong, and others advancing from outside Jingchuan City, once Zhao Douan suddenly disappeared, it might cause unforeseen chaos.

"My lord, I’ll stay behind." Suddenly, Lang Shiba seemed to see through his concerns. This martial artist said seriously, "I’ll walk back to the county, and take the news from here back."

Zhao Douan looked at him and said seriously, "Have you thought this through?"

Leaving the group to return to the county on his own to report was an extremely risky matter.

Lang Shiba laughed freely and said, "Xu Jingtang is after you, my lord, and the priests of the Heavenly Master Mansion, but not someone as inconspicuous as me. Leaving alone is actually safer for me."

Zhao Douan knew that things were not that simple.

True, following Zhao Douan might result in being caught, but would staying behind ensure safety?

If Xu Jingtang found him, he would undoubtedly perish, even if he safely returned to the county. One must remember, the city still housed a large number of Yunfu rebel army and Shi Youlian of the White Clothes Sect...

In a cursed state, Lang Shiba had no cultivation left in the world. Staying in Jingchuan City, he could face danger at any moment.

In fact, the danger might be greater than what Zhao Douan faced.

"My lord, someone has to stay behind." Lang Shiba said with a smile.

After a moment of silence, Zhao Douan nodded forcefully, pulled him over, and whispered instructions for what message to take back to the city.

After thinking for a bit, he also took out a silver scroll and shook out a long stick.

[Fearless Stick]

This was the weapon of the monk Fan Long. Simply holding it could resist curses, fear, and other negative effects.

Zhao Douan tried it himself and found, as expected, that the Fearless Stick did boost his cultivation slightly but could not lift the curse.

It wasn’t surprising.

This was a curse bestowed by a deity. How could a magic artifact resist it?

"You take this. Though it might not be very useful, it should weaken the curse on you a bit." Zhao Douan handed the Fearless Stick to Lang Shiba.

The latter accepted it gladly, without any fuss.

He then gave Zhao Douan a deep look, pursed his lips without saying another word, turned around with the long stick on his back, and a scimitar in hand, and ran towards the estimated north, using the position of the moon.

Zhao Douan took a deep breath, closed his eyes, shrank back into the carriage, and lowered the curtain, saying in a low voice, "Let’s go."

Zhong Pan shook the reins, the unicorn neighed, flicked its tail, and pulled the dark carriage, entering a phantom state, racing like the wind towards Zhengyang Mountain.

Inside the carriage, silence reigned, no one spoke, everyone felt uneasy, knowing that if they couldn’t last, the whole group would die tragically.

Zhao Douan leaned against the inside of the carriage, feeling the weary Jin Jian curled up on his chest, and the weight of Yu Xiu, who was pressed closely to him, their heavy breaths palpable.

In the darkness, he pondered:

Why did Old Zhang want him to escape to Zhengyang Mountain? What had this old man planned?

...

The Capital.

Shortly after the descent of the Sorrow God and its clash with Zhang Yan Yi’s Dharma Body.

In the Imperial Palace, Xu Zhenguan vaguely sensed the distant fluctuations of the Heavenly Human Realm’s power.

However, the distance made her perception much less clear than when Zhao Douan extinguished the fire the last time.

"What happened? Or is it just my imagination?"

In casual dress, the Empress stood in the brightly lit Yangxin Hall, gazing at the night, her phoenix eyes filled with confusion.

After a moment of hesitation, the Empress’s figure transformed into golden light and disappeared from the palace.

In the blink of an eye, Xu Zhenguan appeared deep within the Heavenly Master Mansion, in a secluded courtyard where a mysterious ancient banyan tree was planted.

The courtyard was empty, and the banyan tree seemed dormant.

"Creak."

Suddenly, the door of the house in the courtyard opened, and Gongshu Tianyuan, short and stout, wearing a creased priest robe, came out, respectfully cupping his hands: "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Xu Zhenguan frowned: "Where is the Heavenly Master?"

Gongshu Tianyuan replied honestly: "The master is not in the mansion. He said if Your Majesty comes to see him, he should be reassured and wait quietly."

...

Errors corrected later.