The Empress's No.1 Lackey

The blue phantom of a divine being flickered into existence for a moment before enveloping everyone in the Prince Jing Mansion beneath it.

Indifferent, blurry eyes swept across the scene before the "deity's" lower half suddenly whipped up a tornado, sending sand and stones flying.

"Fire arrows!"

The bowstrings of hand crossbows vibrated, and a torrent of arrows poured down, but those arrows capable of piercing soft armor veered off course when they struck the wind wall.

"Go!" a black-clothed magician exhorted, exhaling as the figure of the god above shattered, and after the wild winds, a group of people had vanished without a trace, leaving only a yard full of arrow shafts.

In their hurried escape,

"Wind Escape Skill! They haven't gone far, split up and pursue!"

Zhou Cang called out in a deep voice as the Jinyi mounted on the walls leaped down.

By listening, one could capture the sound of footsteps suddenly arising in all directions, swiftly fleeing into the night.

After the magicians led their group out of the encirclement, those from Prince Jing Mansion were scattering and fleeing.

"Sir, they actually have such high-level experts; I'm afraid we won't be able to stop them," a Jinyi reported to Zhou Cang, looking agitated.

Most of the time, enemies within the city rarely possessed such strong combatants.

Especially those only involved with firearms—logically, there shouldn't be cultivators of such level among the enemies.

They had misjudged the combat strengths of both sides.

"Do not panic," Zhou Cang remained calm as he hurriedly chased after them, glancing back at the courtyard as he ran and said:

"There's still Lord Zhao."

Before they set off, he had asked Ma Yan whether to deploy a top expert for security or if Lord himself should take charge personally.

At that time, Ma Yan had only calmly said:

"Sun Lianying is the most thorough in handling affairs, rest assured, that crafty old fox dares to talk about joint case handling, he must have made arrangements, hmph, I know him all too well."

His words conveyed disdain and also admiration, as if the two shared a deep connection.

...

...

No, why is it just me left... Zhao Douan stood alone in the small courtyard, feeling a bit like cursing someone.

He barely started reciting his prepared lines before the audience had dispersed; how about that.

"Priest Jin Jian? Are you there? Where did the ringleader run off to? Please lend a hand in capturing them," he shouted into the air.

Silence.

Just as he suspected the unreliable girl might have skipped work,

suddenly, on the ground before him, a series of faint golden footprints lit up, stretching into the distance.

"..."

Zhao Douan was speechless, feeling like he was rubbing his hands in the dark after work and activating an "auto-pathfinding" mode.

No time for complaints, he leaped into the air, a surge of mighty Inner Qi channeling through his meridians as he followed the guidance of the golden footprints with his qinggong, sprinting all the way.

After primarily cultivating the legacy of the Martial God, the Inner Qi within him was markedly vigorous and domineering, much stronger than before.

It was like having a supercharged engine, running at full power, almost leaving afterimages behind.

Moving from rooftop to rooftop of the buildings, as if walking on flat ground.

After a long chase, the surroundings grew increasingly quiet, and when Zhao Douan landed on a deserted street, he saw at the end of the long street the lone figure of a black-clothed magician, waiting leisurely.

The golden footprints had already vanished, and it seemed the other party hadn't seen them.

"Are you Zhao Douan? The little pretty boy kept by the Empress?" the black-clothed magician inquired with interest.

Zhao Douan grew alert but didn't rashly close in, stopping several yards away from the opponent and scanning the surroundings, asking:

"Isn't Zhang Changshuo with you?"

"That useless thing?" the black-clothed magician replied coldly, "He's incompetent and more trouble than he's worth."

He had been abandoned when they fled.

And those soldiers, too cumbersome, were thrown aside to attract pursuers.

But it didn't take long for him to realize that the Imperial Court had not sent any leading expert, clearly underestimating the difficulty of tonight's capture.

With the sense of urgency relieved, after noticing a "tail" following him, different thoughts arose in his mind.

"I hear, you're quite beloved by the Fake Emperor; if you died here, surely the Fake Emperor would also be heartbroken," the black-clothed magician said with a smile.

Zhao Douan raised an eyebrow, his right hand touching the hilt of the knife at his lower back, and sighed:

"I have this strange hunch that I could strike you down. If you were so certain, why bother talking nonsense with me?"

The black-clad sorcerer did not utter a sound; he was indeed observing.

Majored in the divine "Marquis of Wind," he possessed the ability to convey messages and gather information through Windflowers.

This was also the reason why he lurked in the Capital—to facilitate communication with the south.

At this moment, he confirmed from the night wind that the pretty boy had pursued him alone. His heart steadied, and his eyes looked down disdainfully:

"Slick and crafty. Today, I'll teach you a lesson—never underestimate your opponent."

With that,

The middle-aged sorcerer in black raised his sleeves, and a clear breeze swirled around him. His slender skeleton hands came together to form a blade, slicing diagonally!

Just a light slice!

Under the night sky, the cold air, drawn by an unknown formidable force, crazily converged, compressed, coalescing into an azure blade about a meter long, shaped like a crescent moon.

"Off you go," the sorcerer pushed, his mouth curving upward mockingly.

Swoosh!

The massive Wind Blade set off a sonic boom, slicing through the central axis of the long street like lightning, and at the end of the Wind Blade, the bluestone paving silently caved in.

Wherever it passed, it left chalky white scars on the street stones, extending straight towards the young noble standing there aghast, as if frozen in shock.

Zhao Douan's pupils suddenly shrank, and his muscles tensed, feeling his body bound, as air currents from both sides squeezed in on him, making it hard to dodge.

It was as though he was fixed on railroad tracks, with a distant train whistling and thundering closer, time slowing in his perception.

The powerful Qi within his body coursed like a mighty dragon, as if urging him to break free.

He could escape... but there was no need.

Yet Zhao Douan merely rested one hand on the hilt of his sword, letting the hair on his forehead blow back, not dodging or avoiding.

He was gambling, gambling that the hidden "Zhu Dian" would not stand idly by.

Stars suddenly brightened, the wisps of clouds from the south during the daytime scattered in the heavens as if tugged by the workings of fate.

The clouds cleared, and the moon shone; in the pitch-black cosmos, the countless stars twinkled, indistinguishable from the desolate primordial time billions of years ago.

A young girl arrived, exuding an indescribable mystical and ethereal air.

Jin Jian's unfocused gaze suddenly sharpened, and from the sleeves of her dark priest robe embroidered with golden threads, a slightly pale hand emerged.

Deliberately, she pressed it onto the exaggerated Wind Blade, mere inches away from Zhao Douan's forehead.

The "train" came to an abrupt halt.

Bang!

Silent and invisible, the ferocious and sharp wind blade, powerful enough to rip through the heavy armor of the Cavalry's iron pagodas, dissipated into a scattered swift current that drifted away from both sides.

"Why didn't you dodge?"

Jin Jian's voice was ethereal, her head tilted as if in wonder.

Exhaling quietly, Zhao Douan asked, "Why did you show up just now?"

Jin Jian earnestly explained:

"My task is to protect your safety, not to catch thieves."

After thinking for a moment, she added:

"That comes with an extra price."

So reasonable... Workers will never do extra work unless they're paid extra... Zhao found himself agreeing. He pointed at the other party with a smile and asked,

"How much to catch him?"

Hm... Anyway, no matter how expensive, I'll agree first, then ask Ma Yan for reimbursement... The Imperial Court surely isn't short on money.

"He doesn't require money."

The girl known as Jin Jian, her robe fluttering, looked at the black-clad sorcerer with a stern face and a trace of displeasure:

"A summoning spell for the Marquis of Wind originating from the Heavenly Master Mansion... How did you learn it? The Magic God Sect? Or are you a fugitive priest?"

She paused, her voice ethereal, the mysterious young girl shook her head and said:

"You surely won't answer, so I'll have to clean house myself."

Not that... He didn't utter a word, yet you've decided he won't speak... Zhao Douan felt too exhausted to comment.

Across the long street.

The black-clad sorcerer was no longer at ease, eyeing Jin Jian warily, he blurted out:

"Priest Zhu Dian!?"

...

Upstairs they are renovating, my mind filled with the sound of electric drills while typing, affecting my efficiency, the update is a tad late...