The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 310 - 273, Who Wins and Who Loses

The sky was overcast, and the little incident involving Zhao Douan's arrival quickly subsided.

People once again focused their attention on the empty fighting stage ahead and the upcoming magical duel.

"When will it start?"

From his high vantage point, Zhao Douan's gaze alternated between the two opposing stands on either side.

Those were the positions of the Heavenly Master Mansion and the Divine Dragon Temple.

His eyes instinctively searched for Jin Jian, but failing to locate him amidst a group of magicians clad in priest robes, he only noticed Gongshu Tianyuan.

This craftsman magician, chock-full of bizarre ideas, was dressed in a brand-new robe today and didn't carry the large bamboo tube that he usually kept as a "pet" fox fairy.

Standing with his hands behind his back amidst the crowd, he looked solemn and serious, as if sensing the stare coming from this direction, Gongshu Tianyuan looked over with a slight surprise.

Then, he nodded at Zhao Douan.

"It'll start soon, haha, if you had arrived any later, you would have missed it," the python-robed old eunuch said leisurely.

The two sat side by side, conversing in low voices, not attracting any attention.

Seeing Zhao Douan looking around, the high-ranking eunuch with a face full of wrinkles smiled and taunted,

"Don't bother looking now, they'll appear later."

...Zhao Douan stubbornly said,

"I'm just surprised that neither faction has sent many of their strong ones.

With several of Heavenly Master Zhang's disciples out wandering, that's one thing, but why do I only see Bian Ji on the Divine Dragon Temple's side?"

While he spoke, his gaze turned towards the Divine Dragon Temple's stand.

A string of monks in either yellow or brown robes created a striking scene, and amidst them, Bian Ji stood out in his white attire, looking dashing and unique.

Eunuch Hai, practically lying within a spacious Taishi Chair, conjured an orange as if by magic, slowly peeling it while methodically tearing off its strands.

With an "Oh," he said,

"Three of the Divine Dragon Temple's bodhisattvas are out as well, with only Prajna remaining.

Haha, but this young nun is a bit odd, she doesn't wish to come personally, but it doesn't matter. She isn't far away. See those eagles and hawks raised by the Buddhist? The message will reach her in a moment."

A fifty-two-year-old young nun... Indeed, compared to your age, she is a "young nun"... Zhao Douan's mouth twitched.

In his mind, he recalled that night by the moonlit pond, the sight of the alluring and fair-skinned female bodhisattva emerged, and after pondering, he asked,

"Eunuch, who do you think will win this battle?"

Mr. Hai tore off a section of the orange and popped it into his mouth, mumbling,

"What's it to you?"

Zhao Douan was taken aback for a moment, suddenly hearing a deep and melodious bell tolling from deep within the Heavenly Master Mansion.

In an instant, the noisy and bustling voices of the crowd ceased abruptly.

Everyone halted their conversations and looked up at the light screen in the air with excited anticipation.

"It's starting!" Mo Chou, a female official at his side, suddenly said, as if to remind him.

Zhao Douan shut his mouth and turned his gaze towards the fighting stage. A brilliant light, like a comet, streaked across the gloomy sky from the horizon, trailing a sharp and long tail.

Amongst exclamations,

it landed on the circular fighting stage, coalescing into the figure of a petite girl with delicate and pale features, jet-black curly hair, and wearing a dark priest robe trimmed with gold lining.

It was Priest Jin Jian, whom they had not seen for days!

"Sister, show these baldies some color! Don't let us down."

Behind her, the pudgy Gongshu Tianyuan, as if by sleight of hand, produced a horn-shaped magic artifact and put it to his mouth, loudly encouraging her.

After having prepared in seclusion for so long, Jin Jian now appeared with a detached demeanor.

The moment she ascended the stage, her right hand reached into the air, and with a slight heaviness in her wrist, she slowly "pulled" out a magic wand with a golden solitary eye at its tip from the rippling air.

Her left hand reached into the inner pocket of her robe and she put on a pair of gold-rimmed glasses over her delicate nose.

Beneath the hem of her robe, flake-like lights expanded and contracted, as if she were standing amid the ripples of a starry sea.

Then, under the watchful eyes of all, the petite girl "grew" rapidly.

Her height climbed, her short legs became elongated and graceful, her hair wildly grew and in a blink, reached down to her hips, while silver starlight cascaded down from the tips of her hair.

Transforming... what kind of magical girl...

On the stands, Zhao Douan was stunned, suddenly recalling the night when he had teamed up with the girl to confront a renegade priest.

At that moment, Jin Jian also abruptly turned her head, locking eyes with him.

"Zhao Douan?"

Jin Jian was surprised; she had thought that this friend of hers wouldn't come.

Through her glasses, she clearly saw Zhao Douan nod at her, making a strange, seemingly encouraging gesture.

Jin Jian's mouth curved into a slight smile and nodded, then sensing something, she turned her head toward the opposite side.

...

On the stands.

Amongst the weird looks from Eunuch Hai, Mo Chou, and Xu Junling, Zhao Douan quietly lowered his scissors hand, pretending as if nothing had occurred and said,

"That Tianhai must be about to enter the stage."

You seem to be hiding something... "Ice Block" Mo Chou remarked expressionlessly.

What a strange gesture... Could it be some covert means of passing messages... Xu Junling, with her dignified ladylike appearance, wildly speculated.

"Thump!"

From the direction of the Divine Dragon Temple, a dull thud suddenly came from the center of the gathering of monks.

Hidden behind the other monks, a young monk sat concealed.

The young monk named Tianhai, with his arms crossed as if drowsy, and legs in the lotus position, rested a unique six-sided "Zen staff" across his knees.

Suddenly, the young monk's eyes snapped open, his hands pressed down, and the ground sunk three inches.

Like a cannonball, he whooshed upwards, tracing a high arc, and with a heavy thud, landed on the fighting stage!

This elicited countless exclamations from the crowd.

And only then did Zhao Douan see his face clearly.

"Tianhai" was indeed young, with an appearance that seemed to be around sixteen or seventeen years old.

Wrapped in a dun-colored monk's robe, devoid of prayer beads, and presenting a lean figure with unremarkable features, he was the epitome of a "Martial Monk."

Bound around his forehead was a conspicuous circle of yellow silk ribbon.

Standing on the platform, he held a brass stick in his hand, its ends fashioned into elongated prisms with bulging tips, resting on the ground. With an indifferent expression, his unemotional eyes fixed on Jin Jian.

"Is that Tianhai, the unsociable oddity of the Buddhist Sect?"

Zhao Douan overheard the officials chatting nearby.

It was clear that this man was making his first appearance after three days of competing in the Magic Duels.

Mo Chou, wearing a wingless black gauze hat, looked on with a bizarre expression:

"Is that ribbon meant to cover his naturally vertical eye? I thought we'd get to see it."

Not that... you, being the renowned "female chancellor," why would you be keen on such oddities? Couldn't you ask something constructive... Zhao Douan muttered internally before solemnly saying,

"Eunuch, is the object in his hand a weapon or a Suppressing Object?"

An old eunuch in a python robe leisurely peeled an orange, exhibiting a demeanor accustomed to great tumults, and said casually,

"It serves as both a weapon and a Suppressing Object. It's called the 'Six Paths Stick,' a treasure with quite a history.

The stick's ends contain the 'Tathagata's' six Magic Doors... However, this young monk is of too low a realm to truly reveal this artifact's mystique, merely using it as a convenient weapon."

At this moment, magicians from both the Heavenly Master Mansion and the Divine Dragon Temple commenced the reading of the Magic Duel rules.

Just a formality.

Then, a thin and glossy, upside-down glass bowl-shaped cover rose with a boom around the platform, isolating it from the spectator area.

The atmosphere of the entire venue suddenly became weighty and somber.

Along with the declaration from the middle-aged priest who presided over the duel,

"The Magic Duel begins!"

On the platform, Jin Jian and Tianhai's presence climbed, meeting in armed opposition.

...

...

Within the depths of the Heavenly Master Mansion, in a small courtyard,

Lying under a large banyan tree, Zhang Yan looked up at the female emperor who had appeared before him and smiled,

"Has Your Majesty arrived?"

The Empress of Great Yu, clad in her plain white imperial dress, completely unadorned yet stunningly beautiful, approached gracefully.

Casting her eyes upon the set table with refreshments and two vacant bamboo chairs in front of Zhang Yan beneath the tree, she spoke softly,

"Heavenly Master has gone to great lengths."

With an affable and seemingly kindly air, Zhang Yan said reflectively,

"Hundreds of years ago, on the day of the Magic Duel, the Grand Ancestor Emperor would invite the contemporary Heavenly Master and the Buddhist abbot for a private gathering to enjoy tea and watch the competition. That spectacle must have been something to behold."

Xu Zhenguan leaned forward, took a seat in one of the bamboo chairs, and with a graceful hand manipulated the tea bowl, smiling,

"Back then, the Grand Ancestor Emperor was undisputedly the premier martial artist of the world. His dynasty's experts overshadowed both the Buddhist and Taoist factions. The Grand Ancestor Emperor's invitation to a gathering had ulterior motives, showing off and a bit of one-upmanship."

Zhang Yan laughed heartily, pointing at her,

"If the Grand Ancestor Emperor knew his descendants spoke of him in that way, who knows what he would think."

Xu Zhenguan laughed airily,

"With the grandeur of the ancestor, he surely wouldn't mind these little details."

Zhang Yan exclaimed,

"Yes, what a pity. I wasn't fortunate enough to live in that era. After the Grand Ancestor Emperor passed, the tradition of these annual gatherings fell apart. No abbot from Divine Dragon Temple participated thereafter, and the Heavenly Masters lost interest as well."

Xu Zhenguan, picking up the teapot, personally poured three cups of clear Longjing tea:

"However, the emperors of my Xu dynasty have maintained this unwritten tradition, always attending the gathering on the day of the Magic Duel. Just as the Heavenly Master leaves two empty chairs ready."

Zhang Yan sighed,

"As one ages, one tends to hold certain traditions that the younger generation doesn't understand; in the end, it's just a way to try to leave a trace of the past."

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At that moment, a bell tolled over the courtyard.

Xu Zhenguan smiled, pushing one cup to the Heavenly Master, keeping one for herself,

"The Magic Duel outside must have started by now, hasn't it?"

Zhang Yan smiled and flicked his sleeve, the third cup spinning while the tea spilled into the air, forming a water screen.

Within the water screen, a monk and a Taoist faced off on the platform.

...

Jizhao Temple.

As part of Divine Dragon Temple, the nunnery appeared extremely quiet today.

Most nuns had gone to watch the combat, leaving only a few to maintain the daily operation of the nunnery.

Princess Yunyang, who enjoyed wearing red dresses but now had to settle for a nun's attire, strode through the autumn courtyard to a small yard with a pond full of withered lotuses.

On the shore,

Draped in a thin white nun's garment, skin fair as snow, figure plump, and at fifty-two, a visage and presence enviable even to Princess Yunyang, the distorted female Bodhisattva hummed and combed her hair.

"I thought you, old nun, would be at the Magic Duels," scoffed Princess Yunyang mockingly.

The Bodhisattva stopped singing and looked at her with a kind and gentle gaze, smiling,

"If I were gone, wouldn't you take the chance to escape?"

Princess Yunyang shuddered for no reason, covering her rear with her hands as she glared at her, unwilling to back down,

"I've been counting the time. The battle bell had rung quite a while ago; by now, the duel is likely already over."

"So?"

"I want to know who won and who lost."

The Bodhisattva looked at her for a moment and sighed softly, gazing at the sky where a hawk was flying in the distance.

With a wave, the hawk dropped a scroll from its beak, gently floating down, with clearly visible characters:

Buddhist Victory!