Chapter 586: Xu Jingtang was beheaded by Governor Zhao at the foot of Zhengyang Mountain

Chapter 586: Xu Jingtang was beheaded by Governor Zhao at the foot of Zhengyang Mountain

Chapter 586: Xu Jingtang was beheaded by Governor Zhao at the foot of Zhengyang Mountain

The next morning, Zhao Du'an, Yuxiu and Jinjian rode on the old Taoist's two huge cranes, left Zhengyang Mountain and returned to the Huai River.

It was unknown what species the crane was, but it was even more exaggerated than a unicorn. With the help of the old Taoist's magic, after half a day, Zhao Duan rode on the crane's back, lowered his head and peered through the clouds, and saw that the Jingchuan County town below was clearly visible.

The crane swooped down and landed in the suburbs.

"That's it. You guys can walk the rest of the way on your own. I have to go back to the capital, too."

Zhang Yan sat down on another crane, with Jin Jian dozing off next to him.

Zhao Duan and Yuxiu were riding one of them. Upon hearing the words, they jumped off the crane's back. The dazed Jin Jian rubbed his sleepy eyes and forced himself to land.

"Goodbye, Master. See you after we return to Beijing." Zhao Duan smiled and bowed.

After the three of them watched Zhang Yanyi leave on a crane and disappear into the sky, Zhao Duan said with a strange expression:
"Although this crane with people on board can travel very fast, it would still take more than a day to get from the capital to Yongjia..."

He was a little suspicious. The last time the crane delivered the message, it might not have been Lao Zhang who carried the crane...

Shaking his head, he smiled at the two women's blank gazes and said, "Let's go, it's time to go back and take a look."

Then, the three of them walked straight towards the county town gate.

From a distance, he could see that the flags on the city walls had already been changed, and that the gates were guarded by imperial soldiers. Zhao Duan walked over, took out his token, and shouted, "What's the matter?"
"Yuan Feng and Zhao Shixiong are in the city. Go and inform them immediately and tell them that the governor is waiting for them in the Huai'an Palace."

After saying that, he walked into the city with the two priests. Only then did the soldiers guarding the gate come back to their senses from the shock. They looked at each other with horror on their faces.

The governor is back... Without hesitation, soldiers immediately rushed to deliver the message.

The return of the Grand Admiral who had disappeared for many days was news enough to shock the entire Jingchuan town.

……

Inside the city.

Zhao Duan and the other two walked along the street. Compared to the deserted scene during the last night raid, the county town was much more lively during the day.

Although the air was still filled with the dark clouds of post-war times, the general order was stable and shops were open as usual.

"Aren't you going to the county government office?" Yuxiu asked curiously.

Zhao Duan shook his head and put the Fengyue Baojian in his arms:
"Let's go to the palace first."

After entering Jingchuan County, he used Fengyue Baojian to check the locations of Jiyue and Lang Shiba, and found that both of them were in the Prince Huai's Mansion.

When he was in the capital, he learned from military intelligence that Lang Shiba had successfully arranged for the return of his instructions that day, but he was also seriously injured.

Compared to the bustle on the street, the area around Huai'an Prince's Mansion is quite solemn.

From a distance, one could see that each gate of the palace was heavily guarded. The entire palace was blocked by elite troops from the Beijing camp, and no one was allowed to enter or leave.

"Who is it?! The area ahead is important, don't get close!"

The soldiers at the main gate saw the three men approaching from afar, and some new recruits immediately drew their swords and shouted at them.

Obviously, not all soldiers knew Governor Zhao.

Zhao Duan was too lazy to talk nonsense. He took out a token and threw it forward, saying calmly: "Ask the officer stationed here to come see me."

After a while, the tightly closed door of the palace suddenly opened. A middle-level officer from the Fifth Army Battalion held the Grand Commander's badge in both hands like a hot potato. As soon as he stepped out, his eyes lit up, and he looked surprised and happy. He bent down 90 degrees and said:
"I respectfully welcome the Grand Commander. I didn't know you were coming back. I am sorry for not welcoming you from afar. Please punish me!"

Governor?
The other soldiers were shocked when they heard this and immediately knelt down on one knee.

Jin Jian was extremely envious and whispered, "This guy is really impressive."

Yuxiu snorted. As a Taoist priestess from outside the secular world, she had some prejudice against this worldly practice.

Zhao Duan took back the badge with a smile and asked a few questions. The officer was extremely excited and quickly described the situation in the city in the past few days.

It turned out that the imperial army had won a great victory after occupying Jingchuan Town that night, but the news that Lang Shiba brought back afterwards made Yuan Feng, Zhao Shixiong and others very nervous.

Although they were extremely anxious, they could only follow Zhao Duan's orders and calm down to stabilize the situation. However, the senior generals were all very worried about Zhao Duan's whereabouts and safety.

Also, because the battle at Bai Shi Manor that night was so loud, even though Yuan Feng and others tried their best to block the news, the news of Zhao Duan's disappearance still spread uncontrollably.

Everyone understood that if something happened to Zhao Duan, the credit for conquering Jingchuan Town would not be able to make up for this crime.

Therefore, the general was so excited to see Zhao Duan return safely.

"Alright, I will go into the palace first, you wait outside."

Zhao Duan gave some instructions and led the two priests into the palace.

Not long after walking, I heard some noise and saw three familiar faces walking hand in hand.

They were the foodie prince Xu An, princess Xu Junling, and prince Xu Qian.

After just a few days of not seeing each other, the Prince of Huai'an looked visibly older, and the elegant and amiable princess could not hide the fatigue between her brows. Only the heartless prince was still full of energy.

The moment they saw Zhao Duan, they were obviously stunned, as if they couldn't believe it.

"Prince, Princess, what's wrong? You don't recognize me after just a few days of not seeing me?" Zhao Duan smiled.

"Zhao...you're back?!" King Huai'an was surprised and happy.

At this moment, this imperial fence-sitter was almost crying with joy. He staggered over and grabbed Zhao Duan's hand with an enthusiasm that was uncomfortable.

Prince Huai'an felt miserable.

That night he clearly reached an agreement with Zhao Du'an to surrender to the court. As a result, the plan was accomplished, but Zhao Du'an disappeared.

Although Ji Yue and Lang Shiba were present, their statements were not sufficient to serve as evidence.

Therefore, to be on the safe side, Yuan Feng still sealed off the palace.

Prince Huai'an could hardly sleep these past few days, fearing that something might happen to Zhao Du'an. If that happened, the entire Prince Huai'an's mansion would be finished.

"I'm sorry, Governor,"

Princess Xu Junling became much better, and although she could not hide her joy in the corners of her eyes, she still maintained her princess's demeanor:
"My father was so worried about the governor's disappearance that he almost fell ill. Fortunately, the governor returned safely."

As she spoke, she hurriedly called the servants, "Come on, prepare the refreshments quickly."

Zhao Duan smiled and said, "No hurry, is Lang Eighteen at home?"

Xu Junling nodded immediately and personally led Zhao Duan to a villa in the palace.

……

As soon as he entered, a figure with disheveled hair emerged from the courtyard pond. It was Ji Yue.

The socially anxious female sorceress was very surprised to see Zhao Duan coming back, but because of her socially anxious personality, she stammered and couldn't speak.

After thinking for a while, he turned around and plopped back into the pond. After a while, Ji Yue came back to the shore carrying a large door frame from the bottom of the water. He walked over with wet footprints, pattered the door frame, and stood in front of Zhao Duan, saying flatteringly:

"The door... sir... I have guarded it well."

Zhao Duan looked at this scene with a mixture of laughter and tears. He reached out his hand, ruffled Jiyue's hair, and said with a smile:
"Well done. I'll go check on Eighteen first."

Ji Yue, who was holding onto the door frame, was stunned. Her face turned red behind her black hair that almost covered her face.

I felt like everyone was staring at me, and I wanted to dive underwater immediately - this is social phobia.

Pushing open the door, Zhao Duan finally saw Lang Shiba sitting up from the bed.

There was a faint scent of medicine in the air.

Lang Shiba, who had a light green stubble, was naked from the waist up, with white bandages tied up in all directions, and his lower body was covered with a blanket. Under his messy hair, his face, which was full of vicissitudes and stories, showed a look of surprise, and he wanted to stand up and salute:

"Sir...you are back..."

But Zhao Duan hurried forward to stop him. He frowned, feeling the weak breath on Lang Shiba's body, and asked with concern: "Lie down first. How is your injury?"

Behind him, Xu Junling stepped over the threshold and said hurriedly:
"The palace invited the best doctor in the city to treat him. The doctor said that his life is not in danger, but his Qi Sea meridians are damaged, which has disturbed his origin. Although his cultivation level is still there, but... if he wants to recover to the original state, it will probably take a long time to recuperate."

This statement is euphemistic, but the injury is actually more serious than described.

According to the doctor, even if there were enough precious medicinal herbs to treat him, they could only save Lang Shiba's life. As for his cultivation... it would probably be difficult to recover.

"Sir," Lang Shiba said with a frank smile:

"I have lived up to your trust. The minor injuries are not worth mentioning. It's a pity that I will no longer be able to serve you and protect you."

Zhao Duan's heart sank, and he turned to look at Yu Xiu: "Priest, please take a look at his injuries. Is there any way to heal him in the Tianshi Mansion?"

Yuxiu walked over, raised two fingers and placed them on Lang Shiba's wrist. She closed her eyes for a moment, opened them, and said hesitantly:

"Too many meridians are broken, and the sea of ​​qi is also full of holes. Although there are sorcerers in the Tianshi Mansion who are good at treatment, most of them focus on the soul. As for the treatment of the body, the Buddhist sect is better at it. However, given his injuries... if you want it to be effective, you need a Buddhist master of the same or even higher level to take action... I can think of one person who has a better chance of success."

Zhao Duan's heart moved, and he asked, "Prajna Bodhisattva?"

He remembered that the old nun who was greedy for his body was good at this.

Yuxiu nodded: "If Prajna takes action, it is indeed the safest."

Prajna Bodhisattva... Before the empress's Fengshan ceremony, this female Bodhisattva left Jianning Prefecture and went to the Buddhist temple in Jiancheng Road. Afterwards, the Rebellion of the Eight Kings occurred, the Shenlong Temple was destroyed, and Prajna Bodhisattva never showed up.

Now, no one knows what the attitude towards the court is. If Yuxiu hadn’t mentioned it, Zhao Duan would have almost forgotten about this old nun.

“Sir… ahem.” Lang Shiba shook his head and said, “Don’t worry about me…”

Zhao Duan shook his head, squeezed his hand tightly, and said in a deep voice:
"You can rest here and recuperate first. The Huai Palace is well-off and the medicine they use must be good. When I attack Jiancheng later, I will capture Prajna to help you connect your meridians and repair your Qi sea."

Lang Shiba stared at him blankly, then suddenly laughed:

"Your Excellency, please do not do this. My cultivation level is no longer important to you, Your Excellency."

Zhao Duan said calmly: "There is no reason why those who follow me will never be let down."

After chatting for a few more sentences, Zhao Duan stood up and stopped disturbing Lang Shiba's rest. Just before leaving, Lang Shiba finally remembered something and asked, "Sir, Xu Jingtang..."

Zhao Duan paused as he stepped out of the door and said calmly, "Dead."

Lang Shiba was startled for a moment, then smiled.

Xu Junling, who was standing aside, was completely stunned.

……

When Zhao Duan returned from the villa, he and King Huai'an came to the courtyard of the palace.

Only the sound of horse hooves was heard outside the mansion, and then a large group of people rushed in hurriedly.

After a quick glance, Zhao Duan smiled. They were all old acquaintances.

The square-faced man leading the group was Yuan Feng, the commander of the Fifth Army Battalion.

The man following behind him was wearing a warrior robe, was slightly short in stature, but his eyes were as terrifying as lightning. It was Zhao Shixiong, who had not been seen for many days.

Next to him was the tall and plump female general Gongsun, with two swords on her back.

The rest were also generals of the imperial court.

"Governor!" Yuan Feng walked away, smiling excitedly:
"When will the governor return? Why didn't he go to the camp or the county government? When I got the news, I was not sure."

The others also saluted excitedly: "Greetings, Grand Commander!"

"This humble general pays respect to the Grand Commander!"

Amid the noise of greetings from all sides, Zhao Duan smiled and waved his hand, jokingly saying:

"You all look as if I have revived my corpse. What? Do you still think I will never come back?"

All of a sudden, a group of generals were hit in the heart and dug their toes on the ground in embarrassment.

Aren’t they just worried that something might happen to Zhao Duan?

Zhao Shixiong looked him up and down at this time and said with a smile:

"It seems that we were indeed overthinking. It's a pity that I arrived a step too late that night. I only had time to fight with the evil sorcerer of the White Clothes Sect, but I didn't see Xu Jingtang. However, since the governor has returned safely, it seems that there is good news."

brush--

Everyone looked at Zhao Duan, waiting for him to speak.

Everyone was extremely curious and wanted to know where Xu Jingtang was and what had happened in the past few days.

Zhao Duan said calmly, "This is not the place to talk. Let's go inside and talk."

So, soon, a group of generals and several people including King Huai'an gathered in the hall. Zhao Duan sat in the main seat. Seeing that everyone was present, he slowly explained the assassination action of his group that night.

Including how he was intercepted by two masters from the Shenlong Temple in the county town after leaving the Prince Huai's Mansion.

How could he eradicate it? Later, in the Baishi Garden, he met Xu Jingtang, who colluded with evil sorcerers and actually made gods come to the world.

He was chased by them and had to flee to Yunfu.

After Lang Shiba escaped that day, he vaguely recounted what had happened, but due to his serious injuries, he soon fell into a coma. Therefore, the people present did not know the details. It was not until this moment that they understood the thrill of that night, and they were all terrified after listening to it.

Even Zhao Shixiong felt a sinking feeling in his heart.

If a god were to come to the world, even if he saw him, he would be dead.

"So, Commander, you got rid of Xu Jingtang? You just disappeared for three days and came back?"

Yuan Feng seemed to understand, and worry appeared on his face:

"So, the threat from the Yunfu rebels is still there, but the power of the gods should not last forever, otherwise Xu Jingtang would come here alone and be able to wipe us out."

Zhao Shixiong shook his head and said:
"Colluding with evil sorcerers is against the will of heaven. Now that we have solid evidence, we can ask the Heavenly Masters of the Heavenly Masters' Mansion to join us in fighting the thieves."

He looked at the jade sleeves and the golden tablet.

The other generals were also worried. They all subconsciously believed that Zhao Duan and his group had fled all the way and finally got rid of Xu Jingtang. After all, counterattacking and killing a god was too incredible.

Only Xu Junling had a strange look in his eyes. He looked at everyone in the hall, wanting to speak but hesitating. Finally, he couldn't help but said:

"Not getting rid of. Xu Jingtang is already dead."

Faces looked at her in astonishment.

Xu Junling glanced at Zhao Duan who was sitting in the main seat, and said with infinite awe: "Xu Jingtang has been beheaded by Governor Zhao at the foot of Zhengyang Mountain."

There was silence and silence.

……

Next, the protagonist will return to Beijing to hide for a while.

(End of this chapter)