âRemarry?â Zu An repeated in surprise. Soon after, he said with a sigh, âThat might not be a good choice in the short term.â
After all, Chu Chuyan was cultivating that shoddy Unshakeable Daoist Manual, and even talking with her would affect her mental state and cultivation. If they got married again and constantly messed with each other, how was she supposed to cultivate?
Furthermore, if they decided to talk about remarriage, all sorts of older generation individuals would get involved.
I donât really mind on my end, but Chu Chuyan is in the White Jade Sect, and Yan Xuehen would definitely get involved. Just the thought of having to ask her for Chu Chuyanâs hand in marriageâŠ
That was a possibility he simply didnât dare to think about.
Furthermore, he still had other close female friends to think about, such as Big Manman, Qiu Honglei, Yu Yanluo⊠It was one thing for him to have gotten married before knowing them. But now that they had all shared âthatâ kind of relationship, getting married to another woman would definitely make them feel hurt.
Sigh, the life of a playboy isnât so easily enjoyedâŠ
It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread dot com".
Xie Daoyun didnât know what Zu An was thinking. When she saw his surprised expression, she didnât know why, but she suddenly felt a bit happy. She said, âBig brother Zu, donât let that bother you too much. When the time is right, the heavens will decide who to bring together.â
Zu An chuckled and replied, âThank you for consoling me, little sister Lingâer.â
Xie Daoyun actually felt a bit guilty. Her thought process made her feel like a bad woman. She felt so uneasy that she was too embarrassed to remain. After chatting a bit more, she got up to leave.
After Zu An saw her back to the room, he secretly changed into his Golden Token Eleven outfit. He rushed toward the Embroidered Envoyâs secret meeting spot in the darkness.
âŠ
As soon as Zu An entered, he smelled a strong medicinal fragrance, and saw the normally calm Xiao Jianren running around in circles. Xiao Jianren glanced toward the inner room from time to time, seemingly wanting to say something, but stopping several times.
Dai Seventh and Chen Eighth were much bolder as they spoke up.
âMiss Zhang, do you really not need us to help you apply the medicine?â
âMiss Zhang, I have experience! In the past, I was always the one who patched up the old female boars who fought at the village entrance. All those who were treated all said that I did a good job!â
âThere is no need to trouble this big brother!â Zhang Zitong snapped, clearly holding back anger.
âOh,â the two said, taking several steps back. Their Mediterranean Sea and M-shaped bald patterns made a comical sight together.
Chen Eighth was still unresigned. He wanted to say something else, but Xiao Jianren stopped him, saying, âLetâs not anger Lady Zhang anymore.â
Dai Eighth said with a snicker, âThis is where youâre lacking in knowledge. A woman might not remember someone who make her laugh, but sheâll probably like a man who makes her cryâŠâ
Xiao Jiarnen smacked his head before he even finished. âLook at all that cliched garbage youâre spewing. Are you about to take a civil service exam or something?â
The door suddenly opened, and the tall and slender Zhang Zitong charged at him. She was just about to lash out when she suddenly saw Zu An in the corner. She quickly bowed and said, âI greet Sir Eleven!â
Xiao Jianren and the others jumped in fright. They only noticed Zu Anâs presence when they turned around. They quickly followed suit in greeting him and exchanged looks with bowed heads.
âSir Eleven really is mysterious. None of us noticed anything even when you were already so close to us. If you were a thief, we would already be dead.â
âAh!! Iâm screwed! Do you think Sir Eleven heard the things we were saying? Do you think his impression of us would be lowered?â
âŠ
Zu An ignored the guilty men and looked at the bandages around Zhang Zitongâs leg. He asked, âWas that inflicted by a guard from King Yan Manor?â
Zhang Zitong was shocked. No wonder Xiao Jianren always said their Sir Eleven was profound and unfathomable. He clearly seemed to have disappeared for several days, and yet he actually knew she had just escaped from King Yan Manor.
Xiao Jianren and the others looked at her long legs with worry. They all wondered whether it would leave a scar. If a scar were really left behind on such beautiful legs, that really would be a loss for all men.
âYes. A few days ago, we were looking into Sir Huoâs information, but because he rarely made an appearance, it was hard to gather anything useful. For the sake of my duty to investigate the truth for Sir Eleven, I decided to personally look around the king manorâŠâ Zhang Zitong explained, feeling guiltier and guiltier as she spoke.
âYouâve just been causing trouble!â Zu An berated them. âWho do you think you are? King Yan Manor is a place full of powerful cultivators, and King Yan is a grandmaster himself. Youâre just a trifling Silver Token Envoy, and yet you dare to trespass into King Yan Manor?â
âI didnât rush in blindly, though⊠I learned that he was inviting some esteemed guests and that heâd probably be too busy, which was why I used that opening to investigateâŠâ Zhang Zitong trailed off; she didnât have much confidence, as she really had acted a bit impulsively.
If she hadnât been saved by that person, she might just have been finished in King Yan Manor. Because she had gone using her own personal identity, the Embroidered Envoy wouldnât even have been able to defend her. Golden Token Seven had already passed away, leaving her branch leaderless; furthermore, Embroidered Envoys had to obey the courtâs laws. As she had barged straight into a kingâs manor, it would have been perfectly reasonable and fair even if they decided to kill her.
âThen should I be thanking you for being so resourceful?â Zu An retorted with a sneer.
âThis subordinate knows that she has made a mistake!â Zhang Zitong replied, realizing that she had acted a bit too impulsively this time. However, she was still a bit unsatisfied. How gentle and handsome had that young masterâs smile been when he saved her in the king manor? It really was like the difference between heaven and earth compared to Sir Eleven.
Xiao Jianren and the others quickly came forward to smooth things over, saying, âSir Eleven, Miss Zhang did manage to successfully escape from King Yan Manor in the end, and didnât leave behind anything else to worry about. That should be a sign of her competence in itself.â
Zu An sneered and replied, âDo you think she escaped through her own abilities? Wasnât it because someone saved her?â
Zhang Zitong was shocked, thinking, How does he know? However, she quickly remembered that Golden Token Envoys were at the peak of prowess. It was normal for them to have their own intelligence networks.
âThatâs right, I met a young master in the manorâŠâ Zhang Zitong recounted what had happened. Her cheeks unknowingly heated up a bit.
âThere were quite a few guests who attended the banquet today, but the only one who matches your description is Sir Zu from the Eastern Palace,â Xiao Jianren deduced.
Zhang Zitongâs face turned red. I didnât say he was young and handsome, right? Did I really make it that obvious?
âSir Zu? Why would he save me?â she wondered. As a Silver Token Envoy, she naturally knew that the one accompanying the Armed Escort Division on a mission from the emperor was Zu An. However, she had never seen him before, so she didnât recognize him.
âMaybe it was out of respect for ourâŠâ Xiao Jianren began, sticking his chest out proudly, but he noticed that Sir Eleven was still there and quickly changed his tone. âIt was probably out of favor for Sir Eleven. In the past, we went to Cloudcenter Commandery and worked together. He must have done it out of consideration for our shared past.â
âSo that was it,â Zhang Zitong said. She was still a bit confused, though. She hadnât even been in her uniform, so how had Sir Zu known that she was part of the Embroidered Envoy? Still, that doubt was quickly replaced by joy. After all, she finally knew who her benefactor was.
âThen, what did you find out from this trip?â Zu An asked.
âThat Sir Huo is indeed good at mental attacks. The patterns on his forehead form something that resembles a vertical eye. Itâs normally closed, but when it opens, it unleashes tremendous power. Anyone who looks directly at it is caught in a hypnotized state they canât escape from. I suspect that Sir Seven fell unconscious and drowned precisely because of that skill,â Zhang Zitong said seriously.
Zu An frowned. After thinking for a while, he shook his head and said, âIf even you could escape from him, I donât believe that Golden Token Seven could have fallen victim to his skill.â
Zhang Zitongâs cultivation wasnât weak; otherwise, there was no way she could have become a Silver Token Envoy at such a young age. But even so, she was still just a Silver Token Envoy. There was still quite a difference between her and Golden Token Seven.
Zhang Zitong quickly explained, âI naturally wouldnât have succeeded by relying on my own strength alone. Before the investigation, I already made preparations. I applied for a magic treasure that has strong defensive properties against spiritual attacks. Furthermore, I encountered a similar treasure through a chance encounter in my earlier years, which was why I recovered at a crucial moment and managed to escape.
âEven so, the Embroidery Houseâs magic treasure instantly shattered under his attack. That protective treasure I carry with me has cracks in it as well. I donât think I would be able to escape if I had to go through that again.â
âOh?â Zu An asked. âThen what level do you think his cultivation has reached?â He had met Sir Huo before, but the other party hadnât used all his strength then, so it was hard to say how strong he was.
âIt should at least be at the master rank,â Zhang Zitong said decisively. She still felt lingering fears when she recalled the power she had encountered.
Zu An nodded. The Embroidered Envoys didnât always need to have powerful cultivation, but their judgment needed to be sharp.
Then, the group discussed the intelligence they had on Sir Huo for a while longer. They now had a much better picture of him than before. Still, they didnât have any real details.
Seeing their troubled expressions, Zu An said, âYou donât have to worry about Sir Huo anymore. Leave it to me to investigate.â He was worried about the possibility of them continuing to act rashly. Next time, he wouldnât necessarily just happen to be there to save them.
The three subordinates sighed in relief. After all, a master rank shaman was just too powerful; they just couldn't deal with that at all.
Xiao Jianren suddenly smacked his head and exclaimed, âRight, boss! We have clues for the investigation into the women Sir Seven came into contact with while he was still alive!â