The Empress's No.1 Lackey

Tap, tap, tap...

After the vast procession, a resolute young man clad in dark armor rode his steed up beside Duke An, speaking earnestly,

"Father, it's difficult to travel in the cold, and the road back to the Capital is far. Please rest in the carriage at the rear!"

Cao Mao, with frost on his temples and deep wrinkles, looked at the youth in front of him—a capable leader whose renown in the North City Army was second only to his own and on whom he greatly relied—and suddenly said,

"Do you think your father is too old to endure the march?"

The youth, dressed in dark armor, was startled and hastily explained,

"My son wouldn't dare, father is in his prime, a mere march should be beneath him. My son simply wishes to spare father the hardship—it was wrong of me to say otherwise, please punish me!"

While speaking, seeing that Cao Mao made no comment, the youth suddenly stretched out his hand and slapped his own face.

"What are you doing?" Cao Mao finally spoke up to stop him, his expression displeased, "I have not blamed you."

The resolute youth bowed his head and listened to the lecture.

Cao Mao's mouth curved slightly upward, his tone became softer as he rode alongside his adopted son, and he reflected,

"You are right; the road back to the Capital is long, and now is not a time of war. The commanders in the army should indeed conserve their strength. But you must also understand that every word and action of a commander serves as a model for the soldiers. If the commander indulges in comfort, how can the soldiers be expected to give their lives?"

The youth in the dark armor suddenly realized, "Father's lesson is correct!"

Cao Mao smiled and said,

"On this return to the Capital, I am not taking anyone else with me, only you. Do you know why?"

The youth replied earnestly, "Father has nurtured and promoted me, I will be cautious and disciplined in the Capital and will not tarnish father's reputation!"

Cao Mao roared with laughter, his hand lightly tapping the youth with his riding whip as if in appreciation, yet carrying a somewhat different implication.

His smile then vanished suddenly as he said,

"It's good that you understand. This trip back to the Capital is partly to report our duties and also due to the season, but there is one more crucial matter."

The youth in dark armor asked, puzzled, "What matter?"

Cao Mao calmly responded, "Do you still remember the Northern Blood Saber?"

The youth in the armor was stunned and showed an angry demeanor,

"How could I forget? This traitor, a mere Assistant General, disregarded military law for personal reasons, slaughtered his comrades, attempted to assassinate his superiors, and resisted arrest by our forces, killing and injuring countless of our comrades... He is truly despicable...

Unfortunately, he vanished without a trace during the pursuit, and we've found no trace of him for the past two years…"

He indeed remembered this man.

But what he didn't dare mention was that the Northern Blood Saber was wildly pursued by Jubei City initially not only due to the killing of his comrades.

Importantly, it was because, in a rage over his wife being violated, this man had stabbed one of Duke An Cao Mao's sons among others.

His own son, not an adopted one like him.

Considering the pain of losing his son, Duke An's hatred for that man was imaginable. He even refrained from speaking the assistant general's name, referring to him only by his nickname the "Northern Blood Saber."

The youth had just finished talking when he suddenly came to a realization and incredulously said,

"Father suddenly mentioning him, could it be…"

Cao Mao nodded, his eyes turning cold,

"I've only recently learned that this man didn't die back then but has been hiding under a false name in the Capital and has assumed a new identity."

"A new identity?"

Cao Mao hummed affirmatively, then slowly uttered a name, "Lang Shiba."

The youth in dark armor was bewildered, "I'm unfamiliar with that name."

Cao Mao smiled, "Not only you, I too could not have imagined…"

He paused, not continuing, but turned his horse around and headed towards the spacious carriage at the back of the procession,

"I'll take a short nap, you lead the way."

"Yes!" The resolute youth made a gesture of respect.

…

…

Forbidden Mountain Villa.

After winter had set in, the vegetation on the entire mountain had withered, and the heavily fortified buildings atop the mountain also appeared to be in decay.

Qi Yuchun, wrapped in a loose robe with a rifle wrapped in cloth straps slung at his back, walked alone along the corridor of the villa.

This former Commander of the imperial guard from the Capital looked somewhat frail and no longer moved with his past vigor.

However, the Kuangfu Society Members he met along the way all bowed respectfully to him.

Qi Yuchun walked up to a pavilion atop the cliff, where a wooden qin with a dry leaf resting on its strings was placed on a table inside the pavilion.

Qi Yuchun looked towards the pavilion where an old man, wrapped in a cotton robe with his hands clasped behind his back, stood.

Zhuang Xiaocheng turned around, his face filled with concern, "Your injuries haven't healed; why are you out walking again?"

Qi Yuchun, who had been severely wounded by an angry Eunuch Hai in collaboration with Lang Shiba and Ji Yue during the battle at Yansuo Lake, cracked a smile,

"I'm only injured, not dead yet."

Zhuang Xiaocheng smiled lightly and replied,

"I'm powerless, and the Kuangfu Society's longevity relies largely on Commander Qi's strength; naturally, I am concerned."

Qi Yuchun chuckled, graciously accepting the compliment, and said,

"I've heard there have been some moves at the court."

Zhuang Xiaocheng nodded, sighing,

"The court is leveraging the Shadow Guard to send us a message, wanting to exchange prisoners—using those captured society members in exchange for the court officials we hold… I've agreed."

Qi Yuchun's expression turned solemn, "There may be deceit in this, as we have not seen any inclination from them to exchange prisoners before."

Zhuang Xiaocheng sighed lightly and spoke somberly,

"Even if it's a trap, can we truly ignore it? The New Year is approaching, and the families, wives, and daughters of those captured members are all hoping for their return, for a family reunion,"

Qi Yuchun fell silent before saying, "Will they be released by the end of the year? And what does the Grand Tutor plan to do with those people?"

Zhuang Xiaocheng spoke calmly:

"We have already sent people to negotiate with the court about exchanging prisoners. However, to avoid being tracked by the court, we need to put in extra effort. Nevertheless, the members of our society are very enthusiastic about retrieving the captives and are willing to take risks to welcome their companions back.

So, they should be back in a few days... As for those who return, let's first settle them in one place to tend to their wounds."

Qi Yuchun kept silent as he knew that 'tending to their wounds' was merely an excuse.

The real purpose was to temporarily control this group of captives to identify any spies who might have been turned by the court.

"Commander Qi, our enemies are becoming trickier and trickier."

Zhuang Xiaocheng suddenly spoke in a profound tone:

"The position of the Fake Emperor is also becoming more secure. Next year, we will probably have a tough time."

"Grand Tutor…" Qi Yuchun began to speak,

but was interrupted by the latter waving his hand, the grandiose Zhuang Xiaocheng said:

"You should go back and recuperate. Only by recovering quickly can you be of greater value."

Qi Yuchun nodded, turned, and left.

Watching this second-in-command of the Kuangfu Society depart, Zhuang Xiaocheng, hands clasped behind his back, walked out of the villa for a stroll in the mountains.

It seemed like a walk to clear his mind.

After some time, he arrived in front of a secluded cave within the mountain and began to mutter to the cave about recent affairs within the Kuangfu Society.

The winter sunlight shone behind him into the cave, faintly revealing the silhouette of someone sitting cross-legged on the ground.

"I understand."

After a long while, the person inside the cave spoke.

Zhuang Xiaocheng waited a moment, seeing that the other had nothing more to say, he sighed softly, turned, and walked back to the villa on the winter's brittle leaves,

His gaze, however, was directed towards the Capital, recalling the name mentioned in the intelligence reports, the name that pushed the prisoner exchange,

That name, which for the past half-year made him hate and regret not having killed completely.

"Zhao... Douan..."

...

In the deep snowy plains of the North, where it seemed to continually snow all year round.

This region was scarcely patrolled by the soldiers of Jubei City.

Yet, in this place, there was a massive icy lake.

The lake was at the peak of a mountain, surrounded by hard rocks and snow, and while the edges of the lake had a thin layer of ice, the water towards the center was clear and free of impurities.

If Zhao Douan were here, he would recognize this as a dormant volcano, with the lake sitting right at the crater.

In the snowy mountains, with the cold wind howling, a Magician flew in the air, returning from the North, gliding up the peak.

As he reached the "Heavenly Lake", he formed a hand seal to lessen the wind around him, and faintly, phantom spirits seemed to pass behind him like ghosts.

"Stop!"

The snow on a stone suddenly melted, and another Magician emerged from within the stone, watching the newcomer.

The wind-riding Magician bowed and looked towards the center of the lake, saying:

"I wish to see the leader, to report what I found in the Mubei Forest."

The Magician "Stone Man" shook his head and said, "The leader is in seclusion, and no one is to disturb him."

The wind-riding Magician paused, disappointedly looking forward again, "Why did he suddenly enter seclusion?"

The Stone Man shook his head: "That is not for us to know."

Both looked towards the center of lake where a giant boulder floated, resembling a dark solitary island.

On the island, a middle-aged man with long hair sat cross-legged, his aura mystic, with a fish basket beside him and a fishing rod positioned in front of him.

He was fishing.

People from Jianghu only knew the "Magic God Sect" as a powerful organization consisting of Magicians, and their leader, the Magic God, was reclusive, rumored to possess the ability to walk the outer world using "avatars."

The last time Zhao Douan returned to the Capital from Taicang, he had encountered an avatar of the Magic God Sect's leader, but it was secretly eliminated by Eunuch Hai who was escorting him.

However, Eunuch Hai had not been able to capture the true existence of the sect's leader.

At this moment, the eyes of the Magic God Sect's leader, who had been with closed eyes, trembled and suddenly opened.

"The leader has awakened!"

Around Heavenly Lake, hidden Magicians of various skills suddenly emerged from their hiding spots, all looking towards the center of the lake.

...

Meanwhile.

In the Capital, inside the Buddhist Temple at Divine Dragon Temple.

The green smoke from incense gently ascended, the massive golden Buddha statue majestically overlooking the temple.

Dressed in a brown monk's robe, the frail and elderly abbot Xuan Yin faced the great Buddha, holding a wooden mallet and gently tapping a wooden fish.

His eyes slowly closed.

"The abbot is in a trance again."

Bian Ji glanced at the old monk who had started tapping the wooden fish and spoke calmly.

Then he turned back, looking at Long Shu Bodhisattva and Prajna Bodhisattva standing behind him.