UGB Chapter 39 Sword Against Empress Jiang
Chapter 39 Sword Against Empress Jiang
Song Yiren treated his sworn brother with utmost kindness and loyalty, not only arranging a marriage for him but also borrowing grain, silver, and money at Madam Ma's urging, hoping to get Jiang Ziya some business.
Unfortunately, Jiang Ziya was destined not to be a businessman; whatever he tried, he lost money.
He borrowed grain to grind flour, only to be kicked over by a startled horse; he borrowed money to sell livestock, only to have it confiscated by the government; he borrowed a house to open a brothel, only to find it deserted.
Standing beside Yun Zhongzi, Yang Chan looked at the worried old man in the courtyard and finally couldn't help but ask, "Teacher, why are you so concerned about this old man?"
Yun Zhongzi looked at Jiang Ziya, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Chan'er, you only see him as an old man." He paused, "but you don't know that he is the chosen one of this great calamity."
Upon hearing this, Yang Chan quickly looked at the old man in the courtyard. Looking at him from left to right, he seemed to be just a mortal cultivator who had not even stepped into the path of immortality, and he was not even as good as her.
Yun Zhongzi did not refute, but simply chuckled.
However, Jiang Ziya's fortune-telling hall also ushered in a turning point in its fortunes within a few days.
There was a man named Liu Qian. Jiang Ziya calculated that he could earn 120 coins, four snacks, and two bowls of wine from the firewood he sold.
Liu Qian didn't believe it, but following the direction Jiang Ziya pointed out, he indeed encountered an old man buying firewood. He deliberately asked for only one hundred coins, and the old man agreed, so he went inside to get the money.
Liu Qian was a clean person, and when he saw fallen leaves in the yard, he swept them up.
Seeing that the courtyard was clean, the old man praised the servant for being quite diligent today. Liu Qian smiled and said that it was his doing.
The old man was pleased, saying that today was his son's wedding day, and then he ordered his servant to bring him twenty coins, four snacks, and two bowls of wine.
Liu Qian returned to Chaoge and praised him as a living immortal.
Later, he calculated the amount of money and grain collected for a constable. When the constable returned, the amount was exactly the same, and Jiang Ziya's reputation soared.
Upon seeing this, Yang Chan's childlike nature kicked in: "Teacher, I wonder if Chan'er could possibly have learned this divination skill?"
Yun Zhongzi looked at Yang Chan in surprise. He was not even as good as Jiang Ziya at this technique, and usually only used it to calculate dates. He tossed her a jade slip containing strange and unusual techniques:
"If you can fully understand what's inside, I will teach you."
Yang Chan focused her mind inside and found the contents to be extremely profound. She smiled awkwardly and put away the jade slip.
On this day, a beautiful woman with strange behavior and a cold temperament came to have her fortune told. Yun Zhongzi and Yang Chan immediately recognized that she was a demon in disguise.
Jiang Ziya naturally recognized it as a classic scene, "Ziya Burns the Pipa Spirit".
At that moment, a beam of azure light shot into the sky from the palace tower in the direction of Chaoge Imperial Palace.
The pine sword that had been hanging there for several years suddenly emitted a clear and melodious sword cry, and the tassel trembled violently, transforming into a streak of blue light that flew straight towards the inner palace.
Yun Zhongzi suddenly turned his head, his gaze shooting towards the direction of the palace like lightning.
"They're here."
Yang Chan was startled by his sudden seriousness and quickly asked, "Teacher, what's here?"
Yun Zhongzi withdrew his gaze, his tone indifferent, but he did not give a direct answer.
"The great calamity... has arrived."
The Lion Camel King rose on auspicious clouds, carrying the two of them towards the palace.
As they passed by Nuwa Palace, a faint white light suddenly emanated from Yang Chan's body.
The light was extremely light and soft, like the morning mist, yet it carried an irresistible pull.
Her body swayed, and she was slowly dragged by the white light towards Nuwa's Palace.
Yang Chan's expression changed drastically, and she frantically reached out to grab Yun Zhongzi's sleeve: "Teacher!"
Yun Zhongzi looked at the white light, his eyes flickering slightly.
He recognized this magical aura; it was the same gentle and holy power of creation that Nuwa used when she molded humans from clay in the primordial world.
"Don't panic." Yun Zhongzi looked at Yang Chan and smiled slightly. "Yang Chan, your opportunity has arrived. Go."
Upon hearing this, Yang Chan calmed down a little, but she still looked fearful, clutching Yun Zhongzi's sleeve tightly with one hand.
Yun Zhongzi sighed and followed her into the Nuwa Palace.
Inside the Nuwa Palace, incense smoke wafted, and the sacred statue stood solemnly. The clay sculpture of the Buddha was compassionate, exuding a holy aura of pity for all living beings.
At that moment, a portal appeared out of thin air beside the statue.
It was a gate of light about ten feet high, with countless rays of light and auspicious energy emanating from within, faintly revealing another world.
An oil lamp slowly flew out from the light gate and hovered in mid-air.
The cup is made of lotus petals and the handle is made of jade pillars. The whole cup is smooth and shiny, and it radiates auspicious seven-colored light.
Within the wick of the lamp, a cluster of true lotus flames burned quietly. Though the flames were small, they possessed a righteous aura that suppressed all evil. Exquisite and ancient, they were surrounded by celestial energy.
Yun Zhongzi was taken aback. A primordial spiritual treasure, the Lotus Lantern?
In later generations, the Holy Mother Yang Chan relied on this treasure to suppress the evil spirits of Mount Hua for a thousand years. It turns out that this lamp was actually given to Yang Chan by the Goddess Nuwa.
Yang Chan looked at the lotus lantern hanging in mid-air, then at Yun Zhongzi, her eyes filled with unease.
Yun Zhongzi raised his hand and pointed to the Lotus Lantern, his tone gentle yet resolute.
"This is the magic treasure of the Holy Mother of Humanity, the Goddess Nuwa, the Lotus Lantern. You possess half-human blood, and the Holy Mother has shown her mercy upon you."
He looked at Yang Chan and gently patted her shoulder. "Go. Once we survive this great calamity, I will come to fetch you."
Upon hearing the words "Holy Mother Goddess," Yang Chan's fear finally dissipated considerably.
Nuwa is the Holy Mother of the Human Race, how could she harm her? She took a deep breath, bowed deeply to Yun Zhongzi, and turned to walk into the gate of light.
A flash of white light, the portal vanished, and Yang Chan and the Lotus Lantern disappeared together, leaving Nuwa's Palace silent once more.
Yun Zhongzi straightened his clothes, walked to the prayer mat in front of the holy statue, knelt down on both knees, and touched the ground with his forehead.
"I thank the Holy Mother for looking after my little disciple."
He knew that the Goddess Nuwa must already be aware of his plans.
At this moment, the wooden sword issued a warning that something had happened in the palace, making it inconvenient for him to bring Yang Chan into the palace.
If they were sent to the Three Immortal Islands, it would be no different from sending them into a whirlpool. With all the immortals of the Jie Sect on the list, even the Three Immortals of Sanxiao would not necessarily escape unscathed under his scheme.
Although he was not a kind person, since he had accepted the entrustment of Jade Cauldron Immortal and received the Xuanhuang Stone, he should do his best to fulfill his promise.
Now that Goddess Nuwa has relieved him of this burden, he can finally act freely.
Yun Zhongzi left Nuwa Palace and landed in a secluded place. The magical power of Guang Chengzi that he had collected surged and spread all over his body. He wore a fish-tail crown, a purple robe with eight trigrams, a face like a full moon, and three long strands of beard. In the blink of an eye, he had become another "Guang Chengzi".
The imperial palace is protected by the emperor's aura; ordinary cultivators who enter are like raging fire falling into an icy pool, and will surely suffer a backlash.
Although Yun Zhongzi was born into the human race, he had already joined the Chan Sect and was rejected by the Human Emperor's fortune; even the profound arts of the Bean Soldiers were impossible for him to enter.
Only by borrowing Guang Chengzi's name, the Imperial Tutor of the Human Race, could this cause and effect be enough to prevent the Emperor's fortune from harboring hostility towards him.
He swayed and transformed into a beam of light, heading straight into the palace wall.
The inner palace, Empress Jiang's bedroom.
Empress Jiang's face was as pale as paper. The pine sword that had flown from the palace tower was now hovering in front of her, moving back and forth as if about to stab her.
The brothers Yin Jiao and Yin Hong, each holding a precious sword, stood facing a wooden sword from afar. Even though they were accidentally injured by the wooden sword while protecting their mother, they refused to back down an inch.
The footsteps were rapid and heavy, like rain.
Emperor Xin, dressed in a black imperial robe, strode into the palace, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead. Behind him followed a group of ministers, including Shang Rong, Bi Gan, and Huang Feihu.
"Empress!"
Upon seeing this, Emperor Xin hurriedly tried to step forward, but was stopped by his ministers. He only sent Huang Feihu to protect Empress Jiang.
Shang Rong stepped forward shakily: "Your Majesty, this is the exorcising wooden sword that was given to you by the immortal master Guang Chengzi and hung on the Fen Palace Tower!"
These words shocked the entire hall.
Guang Chengzi was the tutor of the Yellow Emperor and the head of the Twelve Golden Immortals.
How could a magical artifact bestowed by such a being appear out of nowhere? Could it be that the Empress is possessed by an evil spirit?
Di Xin's expression changed, and he was about to speak when Wen Zhong stepped forward, his divine eyes slightly opening and closing.
"Your Majesty," he said in a steady voice.
"Since this sword was given to us by the Emperor's tutor of the human race, it was not without reason. Now that it has flown to the Empress's palace, it must be because the Empress is unwell. Please, Your Majesty, step back for a moment so that this old minister may take a look."
Emperor Xin and Empress Jiang were deeply in love. Since his ascension to the throne, Empress Jiang has been the only empress in the harem, with two concubines, Consort Huang and Consort Yang.
The fact that neither of the two consorts had any children speaks volumes about the depth of their relationship.
He turned to look at Wen Zhong, his eyes filled with anxiety:
"Grand Tutor, please be careful! If any evil spirits appear, only slay them; do not harm the Empress in the slightest!"
"Your humble servant obeys the imperial decree."
Wen Zhong stepped forward, and his divine eye on his forehead suddenly opened, a golden light shooting straight towards Empress Jiang like a sharp sword.