Chapter 1097: Requirements

Concerned he might be displeased, Yu Yanluo quickly explained, "So many people are waiting outside right now. What if something unexpected happens later, and they come in to find you gone? How can I handle it alone?"

"Don't worry," Zu An replied. "This is the Duke's mansion, after all. Gong Pan and Xing Nu have also been assigned to guard outside, so the officials from Cloudmidst Commandery won't be able to get in. The main thing is, from what Master Sang just said, I can infer that he's already realized I'm not in seclusion. If I don't show up, I'm worried he'll make a big fuss looking for me, and it would be bad if someone with ill intentions linked my disappearance to the Duke of Cloudmidst."

Yu Yanluo's expression was odd. "This Sang Hong seems overly concerned about you, almost as if you're his son-in-law. However, I have heard some rumors about you and the Sang family's daughter-in-law. By all accounts, shouldn't he despise you to the core?"

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. A woman's sixth sense was truly terrifying; she had guessed correctly.

"The outside world also rumors that you and I are involved," Zu An quickly changed the subject.

Yu Yanluo spat lightly, her face flushed. "Pah, what a nasty thing to say!"

Zu An coughed lightly. "Besides worrying about Master Sang looking for me, I also need to go out and 'trick' a man." As he spoke, he pointed to his throat, indicating that he still didn't have Jian Yanyou's voice.

Yu Yanluo chuckled. "Your cultivation method is too peculiar. A grown man pretending to be a woman all day—if that got out, you'd probably never be able to show your face again."

"If you don't tell, and I don't tell, who will know?" Zu An said, smiling as he looked at her.

Yu Yanluo, however, felt a flutter in her heart and involuntarily looked away. "Don't make it sound like we're doing something scandalous. Just go quickly and come back soon."

Zu An was puzzled, wondering what was wrong with her and why she had suddenly become shy. But time was short, so he didn't delay and quickly slipped out through a secret passage in the bedroom.

Jian Yanyou's bedroom led to the Jade Pavilion in the city, a bustling and crowded place, perfect for concealing his movements.

Zu An soon returned to the guesthouse and found Sang Hong already back, anxiously asking Pei You and Xiao Jianren, "Is there any sign of Master Zu?"

Zu An felt a warmth in his heart; the other man truly regarded him as family.

"No, we've searched everywhere, but found nothing," Pei You said with a worried expression.

Xiao Jianren, on the other hand, was calmer. "Master Sang, there's no need to worry. Master Zu has a high cultivation level and is very resourceful. If he's not found now, it's most likely because he's handling something urgent."

"Oh?" Sang Hong, also flustered by his concern, fell into deep thought after this reminder. "Ah Zu disappeared, Golden Token Eleven appeared, and the Duke of Cloudmidst returned recently..."

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. Worried that Sang Hong might piece something together, he quickly appeared. "Master Sang, I've made you worry!"

Sang Hong was both surprised and delighted to see him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Zu An shook his head.

"Where did you go?" Pei You grumbled from the side. He had been having a good time at the Jade Pavilion, but had to leave his "tender paradise" to look for him.

"Being in seclusion was too boring, so I went out for a stroll and to find some special herbs. I just sensed someone summoning an imperial edict, so I rushed back to check. What exactly happened?" Zu An pretended to be completely unaware.

Sang Hong was half-believing, half-doubting. "Jian Taiding is dead, and Golden Token Eleven just made a move..." He then roughly relayed the news he had just heard.

After finishing, he asked, "Ah Zu, what do you think about this?"

Noticing his expression, Zu An pondered for a moment and said, "This Yu Yanluo seems to be hiding something."

"Exactly, I have the same opinion. I always feel like she's concealing something," Sang Hong nodded.

Pei You, standing by, was filled with regret. If he had known he would see Yu Yanluo this time, he wouldn't have gone to that Jade Pavilion. No matter how beautiful the girls at the Jade Pavilion were, how could they compare to Yu Yanluo? However, he immediately reconsidered: no matter how beautiful Yu Yanluo was, she couldn't be touched. In that sense, the girls at the Jade Pavilion were more understanding.

Zu An, however, secretly frowned. Sang Hong was indeed an old fox, keenly sensing the flaws. Worried that Sang Hong might be holding back, he deliberately probed, "I think there's something off about that Duke of Cloudmidst too."

"Exactly. He didn't say a word from beginning to end; Yu Yanluo did all the talking," Sang Hong continued. "Although she explained that the Duke was severely wounded and couldn't release the breath in his chest, something still felt wrong. We just discussed it with Xu Yu and the others, and everyone suspects that this Duke of Cloudmidst might be fake, a puppet found by Yu Yanluo."

Zu An's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained calm. "Indeed. His silence might be because he's afraid of being exposed. If we find an opportunity to make him speak, we'll know for sure."

"Precisely. Yu Yanluo can use severe injuries as an excuse this year, but surely the Duke won't be unable to speak tomorrow? We'll see how she handles it then," Sang Hong sneered.

Zu An secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had come out; otherwise, things might have gone awry tomorrow.

After chatting for a while longer, Zu An returned to his room.

After closing the door, he looked around, his brows furrowed. Soon, a graceful figure hesitantly climbed in through the window; it was Daji.

Zu An breathed a sigh of relief. "Thankfully you're still here. I thought you had disappeared."

Daji blinked, her expression appearing somewhat wronged.

Although she didn't speak, Zu An smiled. "Alright, I know it's not your fault. They rushed directly into the room, so of course, you couldn't keep up the pretense. Leaving was the right thing to do; otherwise, it would have been troublesome if they'd seen you."

Hearing him say this, Daji's lips curved slightly upward, seeming somewhat pleased. But looking closer, her expression was normal again, as if it hadn't changed at all.

Zu An didn't have time to dwell on this; instead, he remembered the real reason he came out. He hastily summoned Mi Li. "Empress Sister, Empress Sister?"

After a moment, Mi Li, dressed in a red robe, appeared on the bed and snorted unhappily. "You're getting more and more disrespectful! Call me Master!"

Her beauty was in no way inferior to Yu Yanluo's, and there was a heroic, scornful air between her brows, exuding an overwhelming queenly aura.

"Alright, Empress... *cough cough*... Master," Zu An quickly corrected himself after being glared at, but then said with some heartache, "Master, why are you so weak? You've even shrunk."

Mi Li's willow-like eyebrows shot up. "What did you say?"

"I said your physique seems to have shrunk a bit, and your entire form feels somewhat illusory and hazy," Zu An frowned deeply. Her indistinct appearance made it seem as if she might dissipate with a gust of wind.

Mi Li fell silent, then sighed after a long moment. "My spiritual essence is severely damaged and difficult to recover from. From now on, every time we meet will be one time less."

She had always prided herself on being indifferent to life and death, but for some reason, a faint sense of reluctance now stirred within her heart. She wasn't sure what exactly she was reluctant to part with.

Her forlorn expression made Zu An's heart ache. He had intended to tease her, but now he had no inclination to do so. He quickly took out the prepared jade bottle from his bosom. "Master, I've found the Purple Frost Divine Milk for you."

"What?" Mi Li, who had been leaning languidly against the headboard with her eyes half-closed, suddenly sat upright upon hearing this.

Zu An didn't waste words. He immediately uncorked the bottle and handed it to her, simultaneously creating a barrier of primal energy around them to prevent the spiritual energy from escaping and being detected by others in the guesthouse.

Feeling the extremely rich spiritual energy, Mi Li was both surprised and delighted. "It truly is Purple Frost Divine Milk! How did you get hold of such a divine artifact?"

Purple Frost Divine Milk was an extremely rare treasure even in her era, let alone this age of declining primal energy.

Zu An smiled faintly. "That's a long story. Master, please use it to heal your injuries quickly. Don't waste time. I'll tell you about it later."

"Alright." Mi Li put away the Purple Frost Divine Milk, a troubled expression on her face. After a long moment, she said, "I have always been clear about grudges and favors, and I don't like to owe anyone. By finding such a precious divine item for me, you've essentially saved my life... How about this: once I recover, I will grant you one request as repayment."

"Any request?" Zu An's face lit up.