The Empress's No.1 Lackey
Chapter 693 - 460, Magic God: Zhao Douan, we meet again (6k)

Chapter 693: 460, Magic God: Zhao Douan, we meet again (6k)

Swish——

The massive dragon ship cleaved through the waves, the elite sailors standing guard on the deck looking straight ahead, not daring to glance at the figure of the Empress of Yu Country at the bow.

Xu Zhenguan’s beautiful eyes scanned the secret report, the letter contained few words, and the key points were just a few phrases.

Namely "Zhao Douan at death’s door", "Governor Ning’s reaction", "Martial Arts Hall secretly mobilizing".

"Your Majesty? Is there any movement up ahead?" Behind her, Mo Chou dressed in an official’s robe came over, glanced at the Empress’s expression, and tentatively asked:

"Is it related to Mr. Zhao?"

Xu Zhenguan gently crushed the paper slip with her slender hands, her red lips slowly forming a smirk, saying: "He’s scheming against people again."

What even Zhao Douan did not know was that from the moment he left the Capital, the Shadow Guards along the way have been continuously reporting his latest "progress" to the Empress.

Although the Gold Shadow Guard Wen Liang did not know Zhao Douan’s specific plans, this experienced Master as an insider, could easily detect the oddity of "at death’s door" and subtly wrote it in the letter.

Xu Zhenguan gazed southward, softly saying:

"A cornered dog will jump over the wall. Someone finally couldn’t resist using such scheming methods to curse kill him. However, with the protection bestowed by the Worldly Venerate, coupled with the alchemist methods of that shameless old woman Bodhi, how could he be trapped by such a paltry curse killing?"

Mo Chou listened in bewilderment:

"Curse killing? Your Majesty, you’re soon to perform the Sealing ritual, does Prince Jing’s faction dare to have such audacity? Are they not afraid of retribution?"

Xu Zhenguan pursed her lips, not answering immediately, after a brief contemplation, she said:

"I shall depart from the fleet and secretly rush to Jianning Prefecture ahead of time. You and Sun Lianying are to conceal my departure and continue advancing according to the original plan."

Mo Chou was startled, yet recognizing the irrefutable tone in the Empress’s voice, she had to nod:

"This servant obeys."

Xu Zhenguan nodded and yawned, saying: "I’m weary, returning to the cabin to rest, no one is to disturb."

Saying this, she returned to the cabin under the watchful eyes of all, taking a step.

Immediately, she appeared out of thin air in the sky above ten thousand feet high, hidden among the clouds, the Empress lowered her eyes to overlook below, revealing a fleet with sails packed full on the canal.

She raised her hand and tossed the Taia Sword forward, standing on the sword, using the method of "Sword Flight", she turned into a stream of light, speeding towards Jianning Prefecture:

"I hope nothing happens."

...

...

The Shen family mansion.

As "Mr. Shen" had already been buried, the mourning hall was closed, and the white cloth and lanterns were all taken down.

The Old Dowager sat in her room, half-leaning in Miss Hong’s arms, as she massaged her temples.

Below, a maid was crouched, massaging the old lady’s legs.

"Is Zhao Douan really critically ill?" The Old Dowager, after listening to the Family Head’s report, asked without much emotion.

The middle-aged Family Head was extremely excited, smiling:

"It has been confirmed, our people visited the Cao Transport Office in person, and combined with the information gathered, there is no mistake."

"Keep a close watch, this Zhao also had rumors of his death last time, yet he was bouncing around." The Old Dowager opened her eyes, asking:

"How did Ning Zechen react?"

The middle-aged Family Head said:

"He almost went mad, evidently ready to fight us to the death, a reckless posture. If it weren’t for Zhao’s real critical condition, Ning Zechen, knowing he couldn’t survive, wouldn’t be acting like this."

"Hmm..." The Old Dowager nodded, although not yet completely convinced, she believed it about seventy to eighty percent.

Not because of this news, but because of her trust in Prince Jing’s foundation.

However, the old woman did not have much joy from avenging her great grudge, instead, she was filled with worries, leading the entire clan to gamble on Prince Jing, if they lost, it would be truly irreparable.

On the contrary, if they win the gamble, the Shen family’s glory could be sustained for at least another hundred years.

This was a grand bet, the likes of which the Old Dowager had never made.

"Sealing... Sealing..." The Old Dowager murmured these two words, understanding the sealing ritual, she was not worried that after the Empress arrived, she would first wipe out the Shen family.

But after the sealing...

The Old Dowager took a deep breath, saying: "Gather the clan members, come here for a meeting."

For those too far away, she couldn’t intervene, so all she could do was withstand Ning Zechen’s final furious attack.

...

...

Zhao Douan’s severe illness seemed like a signal, making the entire Jianning Prefecture tumultuous.

Even the celestial phenomena had been gloomy for days, without sunlight.

Just as all eyes were focused on the Cao Transport Office.

In a private room of an inn within the city, Zhao Douan, with his hands behind his back, finally heard the information he needed while looking out the window at the scenery.

"The location of the Magician group secretly gathered by Prince Jing’s Mansion has been obtained, it is undoubtedly the Magic God Sect. However, the magician who cursed you is hiding inside Prince Jing’s Mansion." Eunuch Hai entered the room and spoke to his back.

"Did we alert them?" Zhao Douan asked.

The Python Robed Old Eunuch gave him a sidelong glance:

"Though I am old, not like back in the day, but there is still no one in this city who can uncover my tracks."

Zhao Douan turned around with a smile: "Your Excellency’s prowess is no less than in the past."

The magician’s location was naturally provided by the spy Princess Consort, Lu Yaner.

"What do you plan to do next?" Eunuch Hai asked curiously.

Zhao Douan said: "Set off immediately, head to hunt down the Magic God Sect."

Eunuch Hai frowned: "So hurried? Mobilizing people rashly, will definitely arouse their suspicion."

Zhao Douan sighed:

"My illness can mislead the enemy for at most a few days. Especially since I used the fake death trick last time... If it weren’t for Prince Jing’s considerable investment, they might not even believe my severe illness... No need to hide, speed is crucial, kill as many as we can."

"Alright." Eunuch Hai responded and turned to leave.

Zhao Douan turned back, gently tapping on the railing.

With the number of experts by his side, even lacking understanding of the Magic God Sect, it should be no major problem.