The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 447 - 366, Exchange a Human Head for a Treasured Armor

After speaking, the princely heir, with grayish-white fox fur wrapped around his neck to keep warm, turned his head to look at a middle-aged man cloaked in a gray robe who quietly emerged from the hold, and smiled,

"Senior Duan Shuiliu, I must trouble you to take action shortly."

Surprisingly, this middle-aged man with such a lofty name was actually a short person.

A good head shorter than Xu Jinglong, with a square face, big nose, and unusually gray eyes set in a weathered face.

Beneath the gray robe, his stout figure resembled that of a farmer from the fields, with no weapon at the waist.

Yet, just the name "Duan Shuiliu" was enough to instill fear in the hearts of Jianghu's gathered heroes.

"Your Highness is polite. I also want to see how deep the skills of the Tributor who defeated Tian Hai truly are," the middle-aged man said indifferently.

His gaze, like a sharp sword, pierced straight towards the distant government ship.

...

...

"Prince Jing's son, Xu Jinglong?"

Zhao Douan muttered this name as his expression turned somewhat peculiar.

He was not unfamiliar with the name. The first he heard of this person was back when he allied with Yuann Li to topple Vice Minister Pei Kaizhi of the Ministry of Justice.

After the affair, Zhenbao had drinks and discussed it with him in the Emperor Tower, learning a bit about the history of the Empress during her time as the Third Imperial Princess.

That included Prince Jing's son's courtship.

Xu Jinglong and the Third Imperial Princess were both of the Imperial Family, and by the Great Yu Dynasty's laws, such a pursuit was naturally inappropriate, but then again... Flipping through historical records, there were precedents of chaos in court and Royal Family as well.

Zhao Douan, determined to deceive the king, mentioned Prince Jing's son in passing to Xu Zhenguan once and did a simple investigation afterward.

Be it reputation, capability, or appearance, he was a paragon among aristocratic scions.

Indeed, a formidable rival.

Already aware that Xu Wen's family was due to attend the gathering at Hu Ting, Zhao Douan did not expect that the figure whom Zhenbao found disdainful and unpleasant was already rushing headlong to confront him.

Before he even set foot on shore, the encounter had already begun.

"Is he in such a rush to die?" Zhao Douan sneered, "Or does he think he can give me a grand dismount?"

He felt puzzled, wondering why all these princely heirs behaved likewise, with Xu Zudi acting thus, and now Xu Jinglong too.

Ah, if counting as well that Commandery Princess who once troubled him, each princely heir seemed to hit upon his bad luck.

The old Tributor remarked,

"They are also well-prepared. Did you spot the person beside Xu Jinglong on the third level?"

Zhao Douan, with his exceptional eyesight, glanced over and mused,

"Could he be some reclusive master?"

The old Tributor smacked his lips and casually said, "Martial Emperor City, on the green mountain."

"Is he Wu Xiankui?" Zhao Douan was astonished.

"..." Hai Chunlin gave him an annoyed look,

"You think you're capable of intercepting a Heavenly Human Realm martial artist? Yet, this man is indeed a disciple of Wu Xiankui. Hmm, didn't you deal with a young man from the green mountain back in the Capital?"

"That Chai Keqiao?" Zhao Douan remembered vividly that peculiar guy who came with an axe to provoke him.

"The person on the ship is Chai Keqiao's senior brother, having crossed into the Worldly Realm for many years and now appears to have firmly stood his ground at the Worldly Realm Perfection." The old Tributor marveled,

"This man's true name is unknown, yet he has a rather notorious nickname, 'Duan Shuiliu.' His martial arts are extremely formidable, reportedly eccentric—a lech yet not indulgent, violent without being bloodthirsty. Roaming Jianghu for years, he remains unbeaten...

Ha, that claim seems exaggerated but at least in public martial contests, he indeed has never lost. At most, he ends in a draw. Nevertheless, knowing whom to fight and in what scenario a draw is prudent, isn't it also a kind of wisdom?"

Duan Shuiliu? Senior Brother? What a quirky name.

Would this guy suddenly shout, "Everyone here is trash?"

Zhao Douan mocked frantically and frowned,

"Why is someone from the green mountain tangled with Prince Jing? Has Wu Xiankui aligned with the Eight Princes?"

The old Tributor shook his head,

"A Heavenly Human Realm martial artist, how would they pledge allegiance to a mere prince? Duan Shuiliu's stance does not represent that of Daqing Mountain. Ha, the lineage of Martial Emperor City differs a bit; while they value brotherhood, it holds no binding force.

Anyone who enters the lineage of Martial Emperor City ceases to represent its stance after 'graduation.' There have been frequent cases where disciples of Martial Emperor City, upon leaving the mountain, joined different factions and met in blade and sword."]

Zhao Douan's expression slightly eased, and he muttered,

"So, if we incapacitate this Senior Brother Duan Shuiliu, we need not fear Wu Xiankui coming down the mountain to avenge his disciple, correct?"

Eunuch Hai: "..."

Haitang: "..."

Goodness, they haven't even really intended anything yet, and you're already planning to disable them.

Haitang rolled her eyes, secretly thinking, Do you really not know the worth of 'Worldly Realm Perfection'?

At this level, unless a Heavenly Human realm intervened, it was already hard to cause serious injury. At worst, if one couldn't win, one could run away, nearly impossible to obstruct without multiple superior forces.

As the conversation went on, the two ships finally drew within a certain sensitive distance.

The merchant ships afar on the river, upon catching sight of the warship, had already adjusted their sails to avoid it from afar.

Hence, the wide surrounding waters left only this solitary face-off between the two vessels.

As their ships tactically halted, the warship's massive shadow loomed like a giant over the smaller government boat.

"On guard!"

Without Haitang's reminder, the Jinyi government officers and accompanying imperial guard had already formed ranks on the deck.

Those men and women partaking in the gathering on the opposite freighter also glanced over in surprise.

In the next moment, from beneath the Python Dragon Flag fluttering in the wind atop the third level of the warship, the voice of a small-statured middle-aged man rang out like thunder:

"Is Zhao Douan on board? Return the Six Talismans Treasure Armor to Martial Emperor City immediately!"

The martial artist spoke with a voice like thunder.

Though not shouting, a thunderous resonation swept across the cold river water between the ships, creating ripples on the surface.

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Zhao Douan?

The Empress's gigolo from the Capital?

The new rising star?

In this instant, before Zhao Douan could react, those young men and women on the second level of the warship, who had exited to socialize and sightsee, were drawn to the name, generating quite a stir.

Particularly, numerous young ladies stood on tiptoes, leaning against the railing with outstretched delicate necks, eager for a glimpse of the rumored "White Horse Lord Zhao."

Zhao Douan's expression turned peculiar as he mumbled, "So they're picking a fight like this?"

Xu Jinglong came to provoke him, be it due to 'rivalry in love' or as a grand gesture for the Hu Ting meeting.

In any event, between the Eight Princes and the court, when war had yet to break out, the other side coming on a warship served merely as intimidation, not crazed enough to directly smash and sink the government boat with an ironclad ship.

Even if seeking trouble, they would find an agreeable pretext.

Yet, he did not expect that Prince Jing's son would choose to provoke him over the Magic Artifact armor "Six Talismans Treasure Armor" once bestowed by the Empress.

Zhao Douan still recalled Zhenbao mentioning that this artifact was spoils of a gamble won by the Royal Family over Martial Emperor City.

Therefore, to the disciples of Martial Emperor City, it was imbued with an extra dimension of humiliation.

They wanted by all means to retrieve the 'lost' artifact.

On this outing, Zhao Douan naturally wore it, as it was always on him.

Unexpectedly, word had leaked, attracting Duan Shuiliu to demand its return.

"Haha," Zhao Douan suddenly laughed, his voice amplified many times through the Qi Mechanism, and upon drowning out the clamors, he restrained his smile,

"I didn't expect my official's visit to Hu Ting would stir such widespread attention, necessitating Prince Jing's son's personal reception. However, I did not foresee since when Prince Jing Mansion employed guests from the Green Mountain. Xu Jinglong, what tricks are you pulling this time?"

No more pretenses, he directly called him by name!

Back in the Capital, Zhao Douan had still kept face with Xu Zudi on the surface, yet now he directly referred to Xu Jinglong, a fellow princely heir, by his full name.

On the warship, Xu Jinglong, clad in a fox fur scarf, had a face that darkened, but soon he grasped onto the railing with both hands, leaning slightly forward, adopting an overlooking posture, he smiled,

"Lord Zhao's reputation has long been known to me. I had always heard you were high-handed; today I've experienced it.

How can you convict someone without a shred of evidence? What kind of character is Senior Duan Shuiliu? Renowned in the Jianghu, a semi-divine figure, how could he be a mere guest of Prince Jing Mansion?

He merely happens to be acquainted, and today we're jointly enjoying a boat ride.

I just learned that Lord Zhao also stole the senior's treasure—how very intriguing. I advise you to return it; you don't want to face the senior's wrath, lest you lose face even before entering Hu Ting."

Haha, if I truly returned it, that would be face-losing indeed... Zhao Douan remained unperturbed and calmly said,

"That armor was a gift from Your Majesty. Are you saying Your Majesty is a thief, or is it that your Xu Royal Family is thieving?"

He then looked towards the gray-robed, square-faced, big-nosed, gray-eyed Duan Shuiliu, jokingly saying,

"Duan… whatever, did you hear that? The one who took your family treasure is the Xu Family. Why search a Zhao?"

"Tell you what, you want it, fine, I'll make the call."

He raised a finger, pointing distantly at Xu Jinglong, his lips curling upward, his demeanor suddenly turning murderous,

"Take off his head in exchange for the armor in my hand, what do you think? Hahaha…"