The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 468 - 379, the Little Heavenly Master arrives, Zhao the traitor receives his death.

Originally, Zhao Douan wasn't sure how Prince Jing would make a move against him.

Or whether he really dared to make a move at all.

But when the "spy" Wu Ling sent that secret letter, he understood everything.

At present, the court and the Eight Princes were only just beginning to conflict, and neither side was ready to tear face.

So even if Prince Jing wanted to show off his muscles, he wouldn't act personally. Therefore, the best candidate to bear the stigma of "assassinating Zhao Douan" was undoubtedly the Kuangfu Society.

It just so happened that the cooperation between Prince Jing Mansion and Zhuang Xiaocheng was no secret.

Today, how many people would come to kill him?

Zhao Douan couldn't be certain, but he didn't mind taking extra precautions to save his life before reaching Yansuo Lake.

For example, in the past few days, he acquired a promise of assistance from Pei Niannu within the "Six Chapters Scripture" in exchange for stories.

And for another example... he deliberately tied Xu Junling to his battleship.

By doing so, he eliminated any suspicion of Prince Huaian's involvement in the assassination, and more importantly, he could use her as a human shield at a critical moment.

Neither Prince Jing nor Zhuang Xiaocheng would possibly assassinate Xu Junling as well, for that would undoubtedly mean a fight to the death with Prince Huaian.

"You..."

The astute Xu Junling understood, yet her egg-shaped face, wrapped in red and white cloaks, still turned slightly pale.

This "social butterfly," adept in courting favor, never expected Lord Zhao, who often flirted with her, to have such a merciless side.

And after Zhao Douan uttered "Shush," the boats on Yansuo Lake dwindled to only the one under their feet, and the entire lake became serene.

From the sky, it looked like a pure jade pool, a battlefield bestowed by heaven.

The government officers like Hou Renmeng, who were sent to drive away the idle onlookers, had all returned, quietly drawing their swords.

The surroundings quieted, with no noise whatsoever, only the sound of the wind conveying faint, unusual sounds.

...

...

Meanwhile.

Miles away from Yansuo Lake, in a dense forest, heavy footsteps could be heard.

A pair of cloth shoes, a size larger than those of ordinary people, stepped on the dry branches and fallen leaves of the forest, "crackling" with the breakage of brittle wood and leaving a trail of shallow pits in the soft forest floor.

It was an old monk walking through the woods.

He was tall and burly, wearing simple yet clean monk garments, with a string of thirty-six Buddha head-shaped jade beads hanging around his neck, each as big as an adult's fist.

In the hands of the burly monk was an iron Zen staff with a crescent-shaped head, weighing over a hundred pounds, yet in the monk's hand, it was light as a walking staff.

On the old monk's ruddy and solemn face was not a trace of hair, nor eyebrows, and his eyes showed a pale golden color, mysterious and extraordinary.

If informed in Buddhist ways, one would recognize at a glance that this person was indeed one of the three "Bodhisattvas" under Master Xuan Yin of the Divine Dragon Temple lineage in Great Yu Buddhist Sect.

He was also a veteran Martial Monk who once competed with Xuan Yin for the esteemed title of "Celestial Venerable" and remained so today.

Previously, Long Shu Bodhisattva had left his practicing monastery and disappeared, but now, unexpectedly, he appeared just outside of Hu Ting City.

"Crack."

"Crack."

Long Shu Bodhisattva walked out of the dense forest, and ahead of him appeared an abandoned, winding path.

Following this path would lead to Yansuo Lake.

In early winter, the path was covered with palm-sized fallen leaves, desolate and uninhabited.

However, Long Shu Bodhisattva suddenly stopped, looking solemnly at a horse-drawn carriage quietly parked on the path ahead.

Why would there be a carriage on the broken and difficult path through the wilderness?

Oddly enough, the carriage itself was pitch black, made of an unknown material.

The horse pulling the carriage had pure white fur without a hint of any other color, and it appeared spirit-like, far from ordinary, with a short prominence on its forehead.

At the moment, it was restlessly stomping its hooves, exhaling white breaths from its nostrils.

"Long Shu Bodhisattva, where are you headed?"

There was no coachman by the carriage, and at that moment the carriage curtain rolled up, revealing a seated figure within, calmly speaking.

Long Shu Bodhisattva set his Zen staff gently on the ground, embedding it a foot deep in the earth. He joined his hands in prayer.

"Amitabha, Little Heavenly Master of the Heavenly Master Mansion, why do you also travel this path?"

Inside the carriage, the figure revealed by his identity, Zhang Yan Yi, the Senior Brother infamously unpredictable in Jianghu as the "Little Heavenly Master," seemed to smile.

Although smiling, combined with his naturally fierce and ghostly face, he appeared even more ferocious.

Little Heavenly Master sat cross-legged, dressed in a loose, dark priest robe, with his hair disheveled and a broad sword, about five fingers wide, lying across his knees.

The sword was named Red Tide, a crimson weapon named for its color, with nine black seal characters inscribed from top to bottom, "For all soldiers in battle, all advance in array."

Each character was drawn as if it were part of a talismanic script.

Little Heavenly Master said with a smile, "I asked where you were heading, yet you turn around to question me."

Long Shu Bodhisattva sighed softly:

"We, monk and Daoist, should not interfere with each other. Little Heavenly Master, please make way, and I shall act as if we have never met."

The ugly-looking Little Heavenly Master, whose cultivation ranked at the top amongst the Heavenly Master's disciples within the Heavenly Master Mansion, said lightly:

"You, Long Shu Bodhisattva, started your Cultivation early. I used to give you face, calling you Bodhisattva. Could it be that you really think you are comparable to Xuan Yin?"

Hehe, I can't be bothered to match wits with you. I've heard that a while back, during the competition between the two sects, your disciple named Tianhai got beaten up by a young man from the Imperial Palace's Tributors. Now that the young man surnamed Zhao has arrived at Hu Ting, I might as well come and see what he looks like, the one who's acquainted with Jin Jianer and Tian Yuanzi.

But you... hiding sneakily in the mountains, surely you're not up to some underhanded deeds?"

Long Shu Bodhisattva, his thoughts exposed, found his already flushed face turning even redder, but he spoke firmly:

"Tianhai is my closed-door disciple; what's wrong with me wanting to meet Zhao Douan?"

"Ha, it really is something for a Buddhist master to teach a bunch of baldies who bully the weak," the Little Heavenly Master grinned, flashing a mouthful of yellow teeth:

"What if I don't allow it?"

Long Shu Bodhisattva placed his hands together and said indifferently: ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

"You're going to stop me?"

As he spoke, his pale golden eyes slightly lit up, and the Buddha heads hanging on his chest began to spin, their varied expressions facing the other party.

The Little Heavenly Master brought his fingers together and slowly wiped the Red Tide Sword on his lap, its blade pulsing with a blood-like tide, while the characters on several talismans emitted a faint light.

His ferocious indigo face twisted into a smile:

"I'd be pleased to oblige."

...

...

"What are you listening to?"

On the second floor of the tower boat, Xu Junling's heart pounded like a drum, but she forced herself to remain calm. The cold wind brushed her face, and though she pricked up her ears, all she could hear was the sound of the wind sweeping over the water's surface.

Zhao Douan didn't speak. Ji Yue, standing behind him, suddenly said softly:

"There are people under the water, a lot of them, and they're carrying knives."

The white-eyed female sorcerer stood by the side of the boat, quietly staring at the tranquil lake. She raised her damp palm as if wanting to clench it, then retracted her hand and said blankly:

"They have Water Avoiding Talismans on them."

The female sorcerer turned her head and asked cautiously, "Should I... go...?"

Zhao Douan shook his head without speaking. Meanwhile, Shen Juan, who stood on the first deck, suddenly threw down his long blade, drew a dagger, bit it between his teeth, and began to shed his outer robe. Hou Renmeng quickly followed suit.

The group of imperial guards, meticulously selected from the Capital for their exceptional close combat skills, followed suit, shedding their robes with well-trained preciseness. A ferocious aura, honed by killing, spilled from their eyes.

Then, as if by prior arrangement, the soldiers plunged into the water with a series of "plop, plop" sounds.

Twisting their waists, they swam like fish through the water toward the Jiancheng Road marines.

"In the Capital's imperial guard, apart from those who excel in certain fields, the elite are those who are adept both on land and in water. For a landlubber like me, though I wouldn't die if I fell into water, I'd be like a lamb to the slaughter. So it's best to avoid drilling holes in the boat if possible," Zhao Douan murmured.

Xu Junling looked over, unable to discern his emotions.

"Princess..."

The maid Lv Shui, her face pale, came over, a bit panicked. The Royal Mansion's head maid, who usually gave orders to everyone, now had her legs turn weak in the face of real steel.

Xu Junling looked anxiously at the surface of the water, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. The entire lake was eerily calm until about several dozen breaths later, when a series of brilliant red blooms appeared at a distance on the surface of the water.

That meant the soldiers had engaged in close combat, but it was only the beginning of the assassinations.

"They're here."

The old Tributor said softly, the respected python-robed eunuch in the Imperial Palace standing with his hands behind his back, looking into the distance.

Zhao Douan also saw a familiar figure stabbing through the water like a sword.

Unsurprisingly, it was Duan Shuiliu, the Senior Brother in green who had escaped a few days ago.

Duan Shuiliu was still in his dusty short shirt, his hairpin under his feet, crossing the river alone.

As he approached from a distance, a vast mist rose from behind him on the lake, truly living up to the name "Yansuo."

"Zhao, your grandpa Duan is here again, hurry up and offer up the treasure armor, or I won't spare you like last time!"

Duan Shuiliu laughed heartily still using the same excuse as before, but this time, he was without Xu Jinglong's company.

"You're a defeated foe, coming and going, it's annoying."

Eunuch Hai sneered. Before Zhao Douan could say anything, Eunuch Hai stepped off the tower boat.

As he dashed forward, with a flick of his wrist, the Cold Frost Sword slid out from its sheath into the old Tributor's hand.

Yet he tossed back a phrase:

"Last time I brought you to the Capital to watch the Breakthrough, this time you might not see a Breakthrough, but you better watch closely."

Eunuch Hai didn't use any leverage, stepping on the lake's surface as if on flat ground, his figure flashing more than a dozen yards in a blink, blocking Duan Shuiliu who was alone in the middle of Yansuo Lake.

"It's easy for you to say. I need to be free from distractions first," Zhao Douan muttered, commanding the frozen group of boatmen, led by the dock officials, to forcefully push the tower boat, moving it further from the duel between the two Perfect Realm masters.

He then found a moment to smile at Xu Junling:

"By the way, Princess, can you swim? If this ship gets torn into two by the energy clash, Jiangnan's great talent might just turn into a drowned chicken."

Xu Junling's eyes widened, not understanding why he was still in the mood for jokes. Just as she was about to retort, she suddenly heard from the other side of the boat, a Jianghu traveler flying in from the mountain:

"Zhao the thief, prepare to die!"

Qi Yuchun, the former Commander of the imperial guard, lunged forward with his spear like a dragon.

Next chapter updates at midnight.