Chapter 441: The Empress's Thoughts on Love
Chapter 441: The Empress's Thoughts on Love
Deafening!
When Zhao Du'an, who had suppressed the accumulated strength for more than a month, chopped it out with a devastating blow, those armors that were strong enough to withstand the arrows were torn into pieces like tofu and paper.
The shattered pieces of armor flew everywhere, and one of the pieces brushed past the cheek of the blindfolded young man Qiye, lifting up a strand of hair and actually cutting off a strand of hair.
Strong winds swept through the square, and everyone stood there in shock, unable to recover from the shock.
Mo Chou still maintained the posture of reaching out to grab Zhao Duan's sleeve, but she seemed to be under a spell of immobilization, unable to move, with a dull look in her eyes.
The large group of eunuchs headed by Tang Jinzhong and Song Jinxi almost popped their eyes out of their heads.
Chai Keqiao's pupils suddenly narrowed as he stared at a white mark that appeared on the bluestone floor tiles after the row of dummies fell down.
The look of watching the fun in Xiao Ran's eyes disappeared, and was replaced by a brief confusion and deep fear.
As for Qi Ye who was the first to be hit... this Qingshan disciple who had just ignored the dissuasion and loudly threatened to challenge, "stared" at Zhao Duan who was holding the hilt of the knife and "looking" at him, and suddenly felt a tightness in his chest and heard a "swish" sound in his ears.
He raised his hand and touched his chest, and found that the black clothes there were torn by the residual sword energy.
what happened?
This was the first thought that came to everyone’s mind, followed by a strong sense of unreality.
"Fifty-six..."
An imperial guard soldier almost whispered the number: "Zhao Shaobao, fifty-six pieces of armor were destroyed."
There is something fishy going on... Many of the imperial guards had this thought in their minds, but after careful inspection, they found that it was indeed genuine armor.
but……
How could Zhao Shaobao, who was only of the middle rank of the Divine Chapter, deliver such a terrifying strike?
The number of armor penetration is more than twice that of Qiye.
"Could it be that... Lord Zhao has already entered the realm of the 'worldly world'?" A priest unconsciously raised the question in his mind.
The more they understand, the more incredible this matter is.
"Bang..." Zhao Duan threw the handle of the knife to the ground. Although he felt satisfied, there was also a sense of emptiness on his face.
It's like abstaining from sex for a month and then... bah bah bah.
It's like being constipated for a week and then... ugh ugh ugh...
The Qi that was about to burst his Qi Sea was instantly released, soothing his meridians that were overwhelmed by his progress. At the same time, the result of breaking through the armor fifty-six times with one sword also made his eyelids twitch.
Even though he knew that the blow he had been accumulating for a long time would be very powerful, the result was still far beyond his expectations.
Moreover, there were only fifty-six suits of armor left on the field, and they were all chopped into pieces. Doesn't this mean that this is not the limit?
"I am so strong..." Zhao Duan was shocked and confused.
His face showed no trace of emotion, but he said calmly with a cold demeanor:
"It seems that Qingshan's disciple is no more than this."
carefree!
Hearing these light words, the priests in the Martial Arts Hall and the surrounding imperial guards woke up as if from a dream, and at the same time felt a sense of refreshment in their hearts.
I wanted to cheer loudly: Lord Zhao is so mighty!
Just as Qingshan Wu Ren was talking nonsense, he was slapped in the face at the speed of light the next moment. With just this one slash of the sword, as dirty as Qiye's sarcasm just now was, as miserable as he was at this moment.
"You..." Qiye's face flushed.
"What do you mean?" Zhao Duan sneered:
"I wanted to give Senior Wu Xiankui some face, but I didn't expect the dogs on Qingshan Mountain would bark even more fiercely."
"You don't..." Qiye's forehead was bulging with veins. He wanted to say something, but he saw Chai Keqiao had flashed in front of him and shouted at Qiye:
"Who allowed you to speak like that? If I had known this, I would not have brought you here. People from Qingshan, if you lose, you lose. Or do you think you can also break through the armor fifty-six?"
Nanaya breathed rapidly and closed his mouth.
Chai Keqiao turned around and gave Zhao Duan an apologetic smile:
"Zhao Shaobao, please don't bother with my junior brother. He has been away from the mountain for many years and has a strange personality..."
Zhao Duan smiled and said, "Brother Chai, if you want to apologize, you don't have to apologize to me, but to everyone in the Wugong Hall."
Chai Keqiao took a deep breath and clasped his fists towards a group of eunuchs with unfriendly looks:
"My junior brother spoke without thinking, so I apologize on his behalf. We lost the duel today."
Immediately, he turned to the eunuch Hai who looked like a Maitreya Buddha and said:
"Master Hai, please allow my three brothers to return and I will discipline them."
This young master of the Chai family, who once challenged many masters in the capital, now showed a maturity that was completely different from his past.
Eunuch Hai remained calm and smiled, "We are old now, and we won't get involved in the affairs of you youngsters."
You call that not getting involved? Didn't you say "Why should I endure it any longer" just now? Chai Keqiao cursed in his heart, but his face showed the attitude of a junior.
He clasped his fists respectfully and was about to take the two of them away.
"Wait!"
Zhao Duan suddenly spoke up and stopped the Qingshan trio who wanted to retreat.
Chai Keqiao asked curiously, "What advice do you have, Shao Bao?"
Zhao Duan narrowed his eyes and said, "You've offended someone, and you're just going to leave like this? Just apologize and that's it? Have you asked me?"
"And..." He raised his hand and pointed at Qiye who was blocked behind him, and said in an ambiguous tone:
"Children make mistakes and ask adults to apologize for them. I can't remember what the Qingshan disciple said just now, but it seems to be saying that warriors should have courage. Why... you made a mistake and lost the competition, but you are unwilling to stand up and apologize yourself? Instead, you bother others? It seems that there is no such reason in the world."
After these words were spoken, the eunuchs in the service echoed:
"Master Zhao is absolutely right."
"What Shaobao said makes sense."
"For people from Qingshan, do they need others to say the word of surrender for them?"
Eunuchs also have tempers, not to mention they are martial arts masters? With Zhao Duan leading the charge, the others could not hold back and fought back.
Even the nearby imperial guards cast contemptuous glances at him.
"enough!"
Amid the noisy crowd, Qiye, who was blindfolded with a black cloth, suddenly spoke, interrupting the crowd's "verbal criticism". He took a step forward and firmly pushed Chai Keqiao away.
Then, under Zhao Duan's calm gaze, he held the sword in his hand horizontally in front of him, spread out his left palm, grabbed the sword fiercely, and rubbed it hard along the blade from the hilt to the tail of the sword.
It was visible to the naked eye that a hand was covered in blood, and the bright red blood drops were spilling on the ground like broken strings.
Everyone was stunned to hear Qiye say in an emotionless voice:
"We are from Qingshan and can afford to lose. Is Zhao Shaobao satisfied with this? If it's not enough..."
He put the bloody sword against his chest again and slashed it hard, soaking his torn black coat with blood.
Qiye seemed to feel no pain and looked up at Zhao Duan:
"Are you satisfied with this?"
Zhao Duan looked seriously at this guy who was always hurting himself, and suddenly smiled:
"I was just joking with you just now, and my words were a little disrespectful. Now that Brother Chai has apologized, that's enough."
Qiye: “…”
Xiao Ran had a strange look in his eyes.
Chai Keqiao took a deep breath and forced a smile: "Then I will take my leave first."
After a pause, he added a meaningful sentence:
"In half a month, we will have a formal duel. I hope to learn from Young Master Zhao's skills."
According to tradition, they will communicate and exchange ideas with each other for the next half month, and there will be a formal competition before they leave.
"Let's talk about it later." Zhao Duan said casually.
……
After watching the trio leave, a group of worshippers finally came to their senses and surrounded Zhao Duan, recalling the power of the knife. Some even asked him whether he had entered the world of the living.
"It was just luck." Zhao Duan curled the corner of his mouth, thinking to himself, if I were still alive, I would have gone to pester Zhen Bao to practice dual cultivation, and would never have gotten involved with a bunch of eunuchs like you.
Mo Chou looked at him with a complicated expression, and suddenly whispered:
"You only promised not to cause trouble for the other party before. There is no need to be so aggrieved and endure it just now."
No... Big Ice Tuozi, do you really think that I was just pretending to be a coward for your sake and didn't fight back even when I was repeatedly confronted? You're overthinking... Zhao Duan looked at her strangely. I really want to say: It's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't.
First, he was not sure if he could defeat Qiye by releasing his Qi Sea. If he lost, it would be very embarrassing.
Secondly, and more importantly, he kept Zhenbao's instructions in mind. If he did not release the accumulated internal energy in time, most of the hard work and treasures he had swallowed over the past month would be wasted.
This was the core reason why he was acting out of character and making repeated concessions. As for agreeing to Mochou's promise, it was just one of the reasons.
Therefore, it was not until he asked Eunuch Hai to confirm whether he could take action and received a response from this "legendary priest" that he finally put his mind at ease and drew his sword.
"Father-in-law, you should have thought of using me to break the situation a long time ago, right?"
Zhao Duan walked up to the old eunuch in the python robe and whispered:
"You deliberately made me hold it back for a month, wasn't it just for today?"
Eunuch Hai said blankly, "What did you say? I don't understand."
You just pretend... Zhao Duan curled his lips. During the whole process, Eunuch Hai remained calm and composed, with a nonchalant attitude. People who didn't know him would really think that he was so calm that he didn't care about honor, disgrace, victory or defeat at all.
Seeing that there was nothing for her to do, Mochou immediately turned around and rushed to the imperial study. She knew that His Majesty must be concerned about the situation here.
……
……
Royal study room.
When Mochou knocked on the door, she saw Xu Zhenguan, dressed in white as white as snow and with long black hair like a waterfall, sitting leisurely by the window in a room decorated exquisitely and grandly.
The slender white hand holds the scissors, concentrating on trimming a peach blossom in the hand.
"Your Majesty, the two sides have met."
Mo Chou stared at the beauty cutting peach blossoms by the window in a daze, then quickly lowered her eyes and reported respectfully.
Xu Zhenguan cut off a branch of flowers and asked gently without turning his head:
"how?"
Mo Chou did not dare to hide anything and narrated the entire process in detail, from Qi Ye's provocation to Zhao Duan's amazing performance, hiding nothing.
"Oh, is that so? That's good. Pass the order down and reward each person in the Wugong Hall with a silver coin." Xu Zhenguan said casually without any surprise.
Mo Chou was stunned and looked up in surprise: "Your Majesty, are you not surprised?"
Xu Zhenguan placed a piece of flower branch that had not been trimmed a hair or a centimeter into the vase, turned his head to reveal his silver moon-like face, and smiled:
"What's the surprise?"
"Of course..." Mo Chou said, and suddenly an idea came to her mind, her eyes lit up:
"Your Majesty, did you foresee this? No... maybe even arrange it in advance?"
Xu Zhenguan smiled and said softly:
"If you want to best digest the medicinal power, you must have an opportunity to test your sword with a green mountain. Where in the world can you find such a good whetstone?"
Mo Chou opened her mouth, and she suddenly realized that His Majesty's arrangement for Zhao Duan to enter the palace for hard training during this period was not without basis.
Instead, he also included Qingshan's people in his plan and used this group of martial arts geniuses as a stepping stone for Zhao Duan.
Jealousy transformed her beyond recognition.
"Your Majesty, don't worry. If the two sides quarrel, Wu Xiankui will be unhappy..."
Xu Zhenguan shook his head slightly and said with a smile:
"So what? It's fine if he gets bullied outside, but he can't be wronged in the palace."
The "he" here undoubtedly refers to Mr. Zhao.
Mo Chou: “…”
Jealousy drove her to separation.
"Your Majesty..." Mo Chou forcedly changed the subject:
"I'm afraid that those people in Qingshan will be restless, just like that Xiao Ran. Although she doesn't dare to offend Your Majesty, she obviously has hatred for the 'Xiao family'. Especially since she has to meet Concubine Xiao when she enters the palace this time... This is another trouble. Should we send someone to take Concubine Xiao out of the palace to hide for a while?"
Xu Zhenguan was humming the Ballad of the Goddess of Spring softly. She was feeling particularly lazy and idle today.
She raised her hand and the pink peach blossoms on the ground were blown up by the wind and gathered in her palm:
"If she wants to see him, then let her see him. He is a pitiful person."
Mo Chou hesitated and said, "Your Majesty is kind, but..."
"Don't worry, if you can think of these things, Zhao Qing must have thought of them a long time ago. Let him take care of these things." Xu Zhenguan slowly lay down on the soft couch, and soon, a soft snoring sound was heard.
Mo Chou opened her mouth, reluctantly lowered her footsteps, and left the imperial study. After closing the door, she couldn't help but let out a sigh, her eyes full of suspicion:
"Your Majesty, what's going on these days..."
"Meow--"
Suddenly, Mochou noticed that several palace maids in the distance were throwing stones at a ginger cat on the roof with its tail raised high.
Along with a low complaint: "Damn cat, it's moaning again."
……
……
Martial Arts Hall.
Eunuch Hai went to rest, and when Zhao Duan came back surrounded by a group of eunuchs, he was immediately treated like a star.
Each of them offered him all kinds of flattering words, which made him feel ecstatic.
"Alright, alright, this is a drug-induced knife attack. If you keep praising me, I'll be angry."
Zhao Duan sat calmly in the armchair in the hall.
Behind his back, on his legs, on his arms... a total of six eunuchs massaged his shoulders, legs, and arms.
If it wasn't the wrong time, I would have brought him hot water to wash his feet.
The enthusiasm and flattery made Zhao Duan extremely uncomfortable, and the cold and domineering filter of the "foreign master" was completely shattered.
Who would have thought that the mysterious and powerful royal priest would be like this in private?
Well... that makes sense. After all, the servants are selected from the eunuchs. Even if they are powerful, they still leave the mark of serving others... However, I suddenly understand why the warriors of the royal family are getting weaker with each generation.
The "Ten Eunuchs" six hundred years ago were either those who conquered the world with Old Xu, or those who were strong men recruited by him... In the following hundreds of years, peace reigned, and the emperor became increasingly useless. He could no longer suppress the truly unruly strong men, so he naturally tamed the servants like sheep...
The consequence is that even with the support of the royal family's resources, the people worshipping the Martial Arts Hall are indeed considered first-class masters if they are placed outside.
But compared with the green mountains, it has already withered, and is only supported by Hai Chunlin, who is about one or two hundred years old, and there is no successor.
"Have you arranged the close surveillance of those three people as I asked for?" Zhao Duan asked with narrowed eyes, enjoying the massage.
Song Jinxi, who looked like a monkey, stood aside and responded:
"We have arranged for someone to keep an eye on him. Are you afraid that Qiye will be unwilling to give in and make some small moves?"
Zhao Duan shook his head, opened his eyes, and said:
"Keep an eye on Xiao Ran."
Xiao Ran?
The woman who holds a rapier, doesn't talk much, and looks indifferent to everyone she sees?
The worshippers looked at each other in bewilderment.
……
In the evening, the setting sun dyed the western sky red, and the afterglow fell on the palace walls.
Xiao Ran put on a bamboo hat, held a thin sword, avoided the important areas of the imperial palace, and with stealthy skills, passed through numerous "checkpoints" and appeared in a corner of the imperial palace, outside a remote, deserted palace with few people.
The heroine raised her face and stared at the locked door of the cold palace, half of her face hidden in the shadows.
"aunt……"
-
ps: I accompanied my family to the hospital for a follow-up check today, and will update more words tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)