Chapter 4069 Sacrificing to the Divine Tree

After some scheming, we gained the prince's complete trust and stayed in the prince's mansion, becoming his personal bodyguard.

We have no choice but to take this step first. Kassan has already explored the vicinity of Zhaoyao Mountain. Trying to rush in directly would be tantamount to suicide. Therefore, we must use our wits and proceed slowly. We cannot be hasty, otherwise we might not only fail to obtain the Zhaoyao wood, but we might also lose our lives here.

Master Wuwei once said that the Guanxiong Kingdom was full of experts, and the five kingdoms of the Fire Domain had all sent top experts to guard the Zhaoyao Wood. The area around the Zhaoyao Wood must be heavily guarded, and a direct attack was absolutely not advisable.

Prince Lucheng trusted both me and the slovenly Taoist priest very much, mainly because he valued our character.

The Empress Dowager and the Prince bestowed tens of thousands of taels of green jade upon the slovenly Taoist priest, but we refused them all. This sum of money was enough for an ordinary person from the Guanxiong Kingdom to live on for several lifetimes.

People like us who regard money as dirt are bound to be loyal in the eyes of the prince.

After becoming the prince's personal bodyguards, the two of us moved directly into the prince's mansion, while the rest of us remained at the inn.

If there's anything urgent, we can contact each other using the communication talisman.

Previously, when we were in the desolate region, we couldn't use the sound transmission talisman, but we can use it here.

Also, Kasang would often come to the palace to see us. Although the palace was heavily guarded, it was certainly not as heavily guarded as the royal city. We would inform Kasang in advance if there was any danger. He could come and go as he pleased, passing on information about what was happening between us.

Actually, Prince Lucheng was a lazy prince who did nothing all day. When he went out, the slovenly Taoist priest and I would follow him. Occasionally, he would go to the capital to see the Empress Dowager, and the two of us would go with him.

The imperial city was not far from the prince's residence, and that was where the defenses were truly tight. There were many soldiers in armor guarding the city gates, and they were all highly skilled. There was also a troop stationed on the city gate.

As we passed the city gate, we saw several beads on the gate tower, similar to the ones we saw in the underground fortress of the Maoming Kingdom. These magical artifacts are mainly used to detect people using invisibility talismans. As long as someone uses an invisibility talisman and is illuminated by the beads, they will be discovered.

I always felt that experts from our space must have been here in this Fire Domain, and that they posed a great threat to the people of the Piercing Chest Kingdom, which is why they are so heavily guarded.

Within the imperial city, there was a guard every three steps and a sentry every five steps; no matter where you went, you would encounter patrolling soldiers.

Fortunately, by following behind the prince, we could swagger directly into the imperial city without any hindrance.

Not only that, but the passing soldiers would kneel and bow to the prince, but the prince pretended not to see them and strode forward.

I must say, following this prince is truly prestigious and impressive. No wonder there's an old saying: "Learn both literary and martial arts, and you can sell yourself to the emperor."

Following someone as rich and powerful as that, life is bound to be good.

As the slovenly Taoist priest and I walked, we observed the layout of the imperial city and memorized everything.

When we get back, we'll draw up a defense map of the imperial city; it'll be very useful later.

The slovenly Taoist priest had previously suggested a method: feinting to the east while attacking in the west.

Once we decide to take action against the Zhaoyao Wood, we must create some commotion within the Imperial City to attract the experts from Zhaoyao Mountain back to the Imperial City. Only then will we have a chance to obtain the Zhaoyao Wood.

I'm really curious now, what exactly does that 'swinging wood' look like, and why does it have such magical effects?

I think we'll see that swaying wood very soon.

Following the prince, we walked freely within the imperial city for quite some time before finally arriving near the Empress Dowager's palace.

The Empress Dowager's palace was also heavily guarded, but with the prince clearing the way, we entered with ease.

Before long, we met the Empress Dowager, who was very pleased to see me and the slovenly Taoist priest.

She also told us that the bottle of "Eternal Fragrance" perfume that the slovenly Taoist priest gave her last time was very effective, and now wherever she goes, people say that she smells wonderful.

We don't know where the slovenly Taoist priest got his cheap perfume from, but the smell was indeed quite strong. You could smell the fragrance on the Empress Dowager from a distance.

In a place like this, where would you find perfume? Especially in this kind of space, things are valued for their rarity. Even though it's a cheap perfume, the Empress Dowager still has it all.

During this meeting with the Empress Dowager, the slovenly Taoist priest gave her a bottle of face cream, the kind that's popular every day.

Even a slovenly Taoist priest could make a ten-yuan bottle of face oil sound amazing, claiming it contained the essence of heaven and earth and could preserve youth forever... which delighted the Empress Dowager.

This time, the Empress Dowager wanted to reward us with tens of thousands of green stone shells. We refused again, but the Empress Dowager insisted that we accept them or she would be angry. Helpless, the slovenly Taoist priest and I had no choice but to make a quick buck.

When the mother and son met, they chatted for a while before bringing up the matter of the 'Swish Tree'.

Upon hearing this, both the slovenly Taoist priest and I pricked up our ears, afraid of missing a single word.

Prince Lucheng treated us as trusted confidants, and the Empress Dowager was also pleased by us, so they didn't try to hide anything from us when they talked about this matter.

But the Empress Dowager spoke first: "Lucheng, in three days it will be the day of the sacrificial ceremony to the sacred tree. At that time, all the princes and nobles of the entire royal city will be present. You must go too. The sacred tree takes ten years to shed its leaves and thirty years for its leaves to mature. I have lived to this age entirely thanks to the leaves of that sacred tree. I will talk to the King and ask him to give you a few more leaves so you can keep them for later."

Prince Lu Cheng immediately rose and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty..."

"We need to pay respects to our ancestors tomorrow, so come early. You're used to being idle all day, and I'm worried you'll forget this day," the Empress Dowager said with a smile to Prince Lucheng.

"Mother, how could I forget something so important? Don't worry, I'll come first thing tomorrow morning," Prince Lucheng said with a smile.

After chatting with the Empress Dowager, the two of us left the capital with Prince Lucheng.

After returning to the Prince's mansion, the slovenly Taoist priest and I went back to our own place.

The slovenly Taoist priest closed the door. I set up a simple isolation array and, after confirming there was no danger, he said to me, "Tomorrow, the Prince and the Empress Dowager will go to the ancestral temple in the capital to pay respects to their ancestors. That ancestral temple is very important to the people of Guanxiong Kingdom. I think this can be used as a breakthrough point. When we go to Zhaoyao Mountain to retrieve the Zhaoyao Wood, we can have Kasang sneak into the capital and set fire to the ancestral temple. This will attract the experts from Zhaoyao Mountain to come and provide reinforcements."