Nightfall

Yu Lian said, “Even though the people in Haotian Taoism are all idiots, they have their secret methods and they have been prepared for a thousand years. They can’t destroy the array, while you can’t underestimate them, either.

“The Hierarch came for the array eye pestle. He Mingchi should have done something in the city, but the array eye pestle is still in our hands…”

Ning Que asked with a bewildered look, ” Why haven’t you killed him?”

“I needed to protect the Academy. Since Yan Se and our teacher are gone and the God-stunning Array has been initiated, if I take action before him, I will be killed or badly injured by the Vermilion Bird.”

Thinking of the stone figure on the Vermilion Bird Avenue, he finally realized that so many powerhouses could enter Chang’an when he fought against Xia Hou on the snow lake, just because they were allowed to.

Looking at the array eye pestle in Ning Que’s hand, Yu Lian added, “Since you have received the array eye pestle, you should restart the array and recover Chang’an as soon as possible.”

Realizing she was going to leave, Ning Que felt a little scared. He needed a real expert like his Senior Sister to protect Chang’an at present unless she was going to…

“Senior Sister, are you going south?”

Yu Lian answered, “Why would I go there since Jun Mo already is?”

Thinking of the horrible West-Hill Divine Palace from Qinghe County and his proud and righteous Second Brother, he became more worried.

Yu Lian said, “Don’t worry. I have to stay in Chang’an because I have something important to do. As for you, you have to complete your mission in seven days.”

His mission was to repair the God-stunning Array, but what was her important task?

Feeling heavy load on his shoulders, he asked, “Why in seven days?”

Yu Lian answered, “Because Eldest Brother can only stall the Abbey Dean for seven days.”

Ning Que asked, “Then, what is your plan for these seven days?”

She said, “I’m going shopping. I haven’t gone shopping for many years.”

Looking at the lively girl with two black ponytails swinging behind her, walking down the stone steps toward the wall, Ning Que was speechless.

When he learned that his Third Sister was the Twenty-three-year Cicada Cultivator, he had held a question in his mind: was it a she or a he?

At this time he finally figured out—she was a she.

Not because of her beautiful looks or her bouncy steps with the two black ponytails; it was just because, at this moment, she was thinking about going shopping.

Yu Lian was really shopping.

The chaos in Chang’an had just been stifled. There were still traces of blood on the ground that hadn’t yet been washed off. The ruins of the burned-out houses were even more conspicuous.

However, with the Empress’ rough tactics and the full cooperation of court officials, the rules in Chang’an had been recovered and the history would not be replayed. People in the city were all waiting for the end of the war in silence.

Yu Lian was very satisfied with the quiet street and the open shops. In other words, she was satisfied with the woman who recovered the city.

She bought a box of cosmetic powder from the Chenjinji Cosmetics Store as well as some sweet and sour snacks. With these bags, she entered the palace as if she was stopping by to meet some friends.

Since the guards of the palace were unable to see her and the God-stunning Array failed, the animal-carvings on the eave could only watch the little girl passing through the imperial garden and entering the palaces with many bags.

The Empress was not in the imperial study nor in the main hall. She was working in her own palace, tiredly but toughly.

Only by being like this, she was able to steer the whole country back on track in a half day under hostilities from most officers’.

The curtains of the room slightly moved.

The Empress put down her pen, looking at the window and said, “Who is there?”

The maids and eunuchs looked at each other and thought, “They heard no noises in the room. Is the Empress too tired and hallucinating?”

At this time, a childish but majestic voice sounded from the outside.

Generally speaking, a childish voice could hardly be majestic, but this voice was.

“You seem to live a happy life after marrying that man, but it delayed your cultivation. If you could work harder, you would have discovered me when I entered the imperial garden, not until now.”

The curtain moved again and Yu Lian, with her bags, entered.

Compared with the pile of bags, she looked tinier.

The Empress slightly frowned and said, “Who are you?”

Throwing all the bags on the ground, Yu Lian didn’t answer her. She entered the room, with her hands behind her back.

These two simple actions changed her aura and turned her into a great respectable master.

The tough Empress became puzzled, then suddenly weak, as if she were still the timid girl many years ago.

Trembling, she said, “Teacher, is that you?”

The Twenty-Three-year Cicada Cultivator took a few disciples, who were older than him when he was in the Devil’s Doctrine. One of them was the last Saintess of Diabolism, Xia Tian.

She had become the Empress of Tang.

The Empress was very surprised since she didn’t know her teacher had been living in the Academy for so many years until now.

“His Majesty was very close with the Academy, but he told me nothing about this.”

“No one knows my real identity but the Headmaster, Eldest Brother, and Jun Mo. Your man didn’t know, either… Speaking of whom, he was a good man and it was good for you to marry him.”

“Teacher, what if he was not a good man?”

“If he wasn’t, even if I could do nothing, I would ask the Headmaster to do something.”

“When I married to the Emperor, did you speak for me to get the consent of the Academy?”

“The Academy never cares about this and I didn’t need to speak for you. I would not oppose your marriage.”

They had not seen each other for a long time, so the Empress stood by Yu Lian’s side and served her tea and fruit, which looked very weird because Yu Lian looked like a young girl at this moment.

Therefore, when Tang Xiaotang came into the palace with the Sixth Prince, they were shocked.

Yu Lian looked at her and said, “Believe it. It’s me.”

Tang Xiaotang exclaimed, “What happened to you, teacher?”

The Empress smiled and said, “No wonder Xiaotang has been staying with us, since Ning Que entered Chang’an. Thank you for doing this.”

Yu Lian said, “This is the first time for you to see each other as sisters, so greet each other properly.”

Tang Xiaotang came forward to salute and the Queen saluted back.

The Empress kept silent for a long time until she could not help asking. “Teacher, why…”

“I thought you would never ask.”

“This is nothing special. I have to go.”

The Empress was speechless and thought, “How could I not ask since you have changed your gender.”

She stood up to see Yu Lian off.

With many bags in hand, Yu Lian said, “Stop here. It’s not convenient for you to leave the palace.”

The Empress thought, “I indeed can’t send you off since the palace is different from a normal family.”

She smiled and asked with concern, “Teacher, how have you been these years?”

“I was in peace, which was good. Nothing too special, but I still remember, once the Headmaster explained the Twenty-three-year Cicada Cultivation to the students with praise and appreciation, I was enjoying it.”

Yu Lian paused for a while and added with a smile, “I made a bowl of noodles with vegetables for him that night.”

Ning Que was heading to the Chao’s Mansion in the Spring Breeze Pavilion Street.

Since he had killed Li Huiyuan, it was not appropriate for him to go to court or sit behind the bead curtain like the Empress. Therefore, he had to contact the court in the Chao Mansion.

He had received a message from a guy of the Fish-dragon Gang that the court had ordered the Southern Army, who was heading north, to turn southeast passing by the Xiao Mountain to Qinghe County. As for the last part of the Yulin Royal Guards, they were prepared to go south overnight.

According to this, he could confirm that the Empress already knew that the Academy had taken actions and the court began to make relevant cooperations, which he thought was appropriate.

The greatest dangers the Tang Empire faced at present came from three places.

The Golden Palace from the Wilderness; the Divine Hall Coalition Army of the West-Hill and the South Jin Kingdom; the Abbey Dean of the Zhishou Abbey who was considered as the strongest man in the world after the Headmaster left.

Although the Golden Palace was strong, the Northern Army had been supplemented by people who came back with Ning Que and the Empress from Helan City. The situation looked difficult and the recent wars seemed bloody and cruel, but this was in Tang territory. Under the Great General Xu Chi’s control, as long as they could get through the tough beginning, they could make it to the end. When the tension declined, they might counterattack.

Ning Que was worrying about the Abbey Dean of the Zhishou Abbey and the situation in the south.

What a strong man the Abbey Dean of the Zhishou Abbey was! The West-Hill Divine Palace Coalition Army was overly powerful, with more than a thousand cultivators while the Tang Empire had no army in the south.

In the past few years, he had blind faith in his Eldest Brother and his Second Brother. However, in this situation, he had lost it.

Especially for the south.

Facing the mighty army of the West-Hill Divine Palace, Second Brother had to stall for seven days.

As the Southern Army and the Yulin Royal Guards needed seven days to reach the south.

Eldest Brother could only stall for seven days, so he must finish repairing the big tactical array of Chang’an in seven days.

The end would come in seven days.