What Zu An was most worried about was that the king manor was just making up an excuse to chase away unwanted guests. As such, he went around a corner, and when he saw that there was no one around him, he jumped over the courtyard wall. The courtyard wall had some defensive formations, but with his master rank cultivation, avoiding them wasnât particularly difficult.
There were some guards patrolling the surroundings, but compared to human residences that were typically heavily guarded, the fiend racesâ security was crude; it could even be considered sloppy. Even the security of a king manor like this couldn't compare to that of a mid-ranked human ministerâs home.
He initially planned to seize a random maid to ask about Snowâs room, but he suddenly saw some maids rushing toward a room while carrying teacups. Judging from their private conversations, it seemed that they were discussing Princess Snow. Furthermore, it seemed that they hadnât reached a conclusion even after discussing it all day.
Zu An was surprised. He quietly followed along, but he didnât dare to get too close. He wasnât cocky to the point that he believed he could make the entire world his enemy. Since this was a meeting of some of the Elf King Manorâs big shots, there would definitely be some powerful cultivators there. It would be troublesome if he ended up being exposed. Using his soul to search the inside wasnât too appropriate either, as other master rank or even stronger cultivators would detect it.
As such, he used the jade badge to control a fat yellow cat as it walked lazily around the meeting hall. Inside, voices continuously rose and fell.
âWhy has Princess Snow not returned yet? Could it be that something has happened?â
âWhat could possibly happen in the imperial palace?â
âIt is precisely because she is in the imperial palace that something might have happened! What if the Golden Crow Crown Prince uses force against Princess Snow? It would all be over then, no?â
âEven if nothing happened, what hour is it already? The palace gates are already about to close. If she spends the night in the imperial palace, what will those outside say about it? Princess Snowâs reputation will be completely done for!â
The entire hall fell silent. Zu Anâs expression grew grim. Snow was in danger after allâŠ
Just then, another voice spoke up. âActually, if we look at it from another perspective, this might not necessarily be a bad thing.â
âWhat do you mean?â
âThink about it for a minute! What kind of glory and honor would it mean to become the crown princess? She will soon become the next Fiend Empress. Countless young ladies dream of that, and yet will never be able to experience it. At that time, whether it comes to her future or the future of the entire Elf race, it will be a great result.â
âPrincess Snow has already sacrificed enough for our Elf race, though. She has experienced so many difficulties in human society and rescued so many of our clansmen. And yet we are still going to ask her to make more sacrifices? Is this not too much?â someone immediately objected, and many others agreed.
Zu An felt a bit more at ease. These elves werenât entirely lacking in conscience. There were at least some people who remembered Snowâs sacrifice for so many years.
âHow can something like that be considered a sacrifice? What kind of glory and honor would it represent to become the crown princess and future Fiend Empress?â
âNot to mention that our Elf King is currently imprisoned. We all know the reason why that happened. If Princess Snow does not marry the crown prince, do you all have a way of saving the Elf King?â
The room fell silent. It was clear that none of them were confident in their ability to save the Elf King.
Zu An didnât continue listening. The Elf raceâs people all had their own thoughts, but he didnât feel any such hesitation. At that moment, the top priority was clearly to save Snow first. He quickly left the Elf Manor, heading straight toward the Fiend Imperial Palace.
âŠ
Even though he had never been to the Fiend King Court before, the imperial palace was naturally the most grand and majestic location. It wasnât too hard to find.
Unlike the red walls and yellow tiles of the human imperial city, the Fiend Imperial Palace was adorned in blue and gold. Practically all of the gold was even made of real gold.
Zu An cursed inwardly, Damn, these fiend races really are rich and overbearing! They actually used real gold? Arenât they scared that ordinary people will just shave some off?
Apart from that, the Fiend Imperial Palaceâs entrances were much taller and wider than the other parts, to the point that the proportions were a bit unbalanced. However, that unexpectedly added a strange sense of harmony to the place, creating an unusual sort of pressure.
Almost every single building within had many large, thick pillars. Among humans, pillars were smooth and even; in contrast, the surface of the pillars here either had jagged or wavy patterns. Many pillars even bore different kinds of carvings.
Zu An looked around for a bit, but he couldn't help but frown. He didnât know if it was because the sky was turning dark, but defensive formations were already being activated around the city walls. Those formations were much more profound than the ones in the Elf King Manor.
In truth, with his cultivation, it still wouldnât have been too difficult for him to go inside. However, there was a mysterious pressure emanating from the entire palace. Zu An knew it was the aura of the Fiend Emperor.
When he thought about how the Fiend Emperor and Zhao Han were equally famous, he didnât dare to show the slightest bit of carelessness. If he were to be detected by the defensive formation after going in, he would be one thousand percent dead.
Even so, the formations wouldnât be able to stop him, because he also had âFace of a Thousand Identitiesâ.
He initially thought about entering as the Golden Crow Crown Prince, but after thinking about it, he felt that identity would be too conspicuous. The Golden Crow Guards would probably know if he was in the imperial palace or not. If they saw a Golden Crow Crown Prince walk in from outside when he was supposed to be inside, they would all know there was something wrong.
He thought for a bit, then decided to change into Heichi Ran. That guyâs appearance was surprisingly easy to imitate; the hardest part was his pitch-black teeth. Zu An even worried about being unable to completely copy Heichi Ran and considered painting his teeth black with charcoal. However, when he took out a mirror, he saw that he was completely identical. He was once again amazed by the miraculousness of âFace of a Thousand Identitiesâ.
Afterward, he found some random passerby to activate the Kawaii Waifu Voice Changer, then strutted through the palace gates.
âHalt!â the guards called out, stopping him. However when they saw who he was, they all bowed respectfully. âSo it was Sir Director.â
Zu An sighed in relief. He had been worried that Heichi Ran might have left again after escorting the second empress back. Now, it seemed there would be no issue. Thus, he nodded in the way Heichi Ran had before, saying, âIâm going to see the crown prince for something.â
He had chosen to change into Heichi Ran precisely because of the manâs relationship with the crown prince. Heichi Ranâs paternal aunt was the crown princeâs birth mother. With such a relationship, it wasnât strange for him to visit the crown prince.
As expected, the guards didnât feel suspicious. They stepped aside and said, âSir Heichi, please enter.â
Zu An hadnât expected things to go that smoothly and walked directly in.
However, as soon as he stepped through the palace gates, a voice called out from behind him. âWait!â
Zu An was alarmed. As expected, it was too early to feel happy. When he turned around, he saw a golden-armored general walk over with a group of guards. He complained inwardly, This is bad. Even though he could impersonate Heichi Ran, he couldnât copy his memories! He didnât know the guards in the palace at all.
âSir Heichi, why did you return again?â the general asked. He had a long face, which made it look strangely narrow.
Zu An was startled. He recalled Kong Qingâs description of the palace situation and replied, âGeneral Ma, the crown prince needed me for something, so how could I not return?â
âThe crown prince was looking for you? Why didnât I hear about this?â the general asked. He didnât question the way he had been addressed, meaning he was the Left Guard General Ma Tian. He glanced outside and asked, âHm? Why donât I see your attendants?â
Zu An reacted quickly and said, âItâs because the matter is classified, so I didnât bring anyone with me.â
Ma Tian didnât press the matter when he heard how secret the subject was. After all, Heichi Ran was closer to the crown prince than him. He glanced at the horizon, sounding troubled as he said, âBut the palace gates have already closed, and you should know the rules. Outside subjects canât enter after the gate closes unless the Fiend Emperor or the crown prince have given the order.â
Zu An protested inwardly, Where the hell am I supposed to get some written orders?
When he saw his troubled expression, Ma Tian didnât want to offend him and asked, âIs Sir Directorâs concern urgent? If not, please return tomorrow. If it is, why donât I immediately make a report to the crown prince for you?â
Zu An thought to himself, If you make a report to the crown prince, everything will be exposed! And yet, he had no reason to stop him.
However, his mind moved quickly and he suddenly took out something, saying, Â âI donât have a written order, but the crown prince had someone give this to me.â