Chapter 1229: Precious Treasure Emerges

Zu An didn't really care about this. He was no longer the same person he was when he first transmigrated.

In his previous life, he completely failed to understand why famous wealthy entrepreneurs claimed they didn't know if the women around them were beautiful. He thought they were just putting on an act.

Now, however, he realized those were their genuine feelings. Because they were constantly surrounded by various beautiful women, beauty itself wasn't an important factor for them; instead, they valued other qualities more.

Zu An was much the same now. With so many confidantes around him, all renowned beauties across the land, and even Daji, the most beautiful fox woman in history, Tu Shan Yu's beauty, while striking, didn't stir any particular emotions in him.

Instead, he pondered a different question: Was the fat Taoist priest from earlier a mere charlatan, or had he genuinely come to deliver a warning? But if it was a warning, his group didn't know him. And since it concerned the Azure Hills Fox King, did he really possess the power to know such details so clearly in advance?

What was his true motive?

Having watched countless films in his previous life featuring "daredevils" who courted disaster, he naturally wouldn't overlook any suspicious details. Today, caution was still paramount. It was better to believe in the "calamity of blood" divination than to dismiss it.

Soon, they entered the royal palace of Azure Hills. It was, naturally, far less grand than human imperial palaces, but significantly more opulent than the simple abodes of the Snake Tribe. Presumably, due to the fox women, many merchants were drawn here, fostering commercial prosperity.

The style of the Azure Hills royal palace was quite unique. Its architecture somewhat resembled classical Japanese aesthetics, while the interior decorations were resplendent with gold and jade, and ubiquitous oval carvings hinted more at the Western Regions style from his previous life.

Upon entering the palace, a maid helped Tu Shan Yu remove her cloak, immediately revealing her graceful, slender figure, truly enchanting and delicate enough to be grasped in a single hand.

"Sister, are you going to the Royal Court at the invitation of the Demon Emperor?" Tu Shan Yu charmingly leaned closer, naturally linking arms with Yu Yanluo.

Yu Yanluo was somewhat unaccustomed to such intimacy but couldn't well push her away. She simply replied, "Indeed. The Snake Tribe is quite far from the Royal Court, so we need to set off early. By the way, aren't you going?"

"I don't want to go either, but alas, I have no choice," Tu Shan Yu said, a troubled expression on her face. "However, there are still some matters to attend to in the kingdom, so I might have to depart a day later."

Yu Yanluo sighed softly. "That's truly a pity. I was hoping we could travel together."

Hearing the constant eye-rolling from the others behind them, it was clear that neither of these two actually wanted to travel with the other, yet they were acting as if they shared a sisterly bond. Neither Yun Jianyue nor Yan Xuehen believed they could manage such social posturing.

"It's alright, Sister. You can get familiar with the Royal Court first. When I arrive, I'll still have to seek you out!" Tu Shan Yu said with a cheerful laugh. Then, glancing at Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue, she couldn't help but exclaim, "The Snake Tribe truly is a land of exceptional people, producing so many beautiful maidens."

Although both women wore veils, it didn't diminish their charm at all; instead, it added a touch of mystery.

"They are my friends, but not from the Snake Tribe," Yu Yanluo said briefly, and Tu Shan Yu didn't press for more details. She secretly speculated about the two women's identities, but no matter how rich her imagination, it would have been difficult for her to guess that they were two top human Grandmasters.

Next, the group entered the main hall, where a banquet had already been prepared. Everyone took their seats one by one. The fox maidens in the palace were astonished to see Yu Yanluo and the other two women showing such consideration for Zu An, allowing him to sit with them, as this was a country where women held higher status than men. However, Zu An was tall and handsome, so many of the fox maidens had a good impression of him and didn't raise any objections.

"These are some of Azure Hills' famous dishes. I specifically asked the kitchen to prepare them, hoping they'll leave you with a wonderful memory," Tu Shan Yu said with a smile, gesturing for them to partake.

The group exchanged glances, each worried that their host might have tampered with the food. If Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen were at their peak, they naturally wouldn't fear, but now, severely wounded and weakened, it was too risky.

Zu An sent a spiritual message: "It's fine, I'll try it first." His constitution was now immune to all poisons; if there truly were toxins in the dishes, they couldn't harm him, and he would detect them and give an early warning. So, he casually tasted every dish.

The women were initially worried, but knowing he wasn't reckless, they understood he had a plan and said nothing more. The surrounding fox maidens and attendants exchanged glances, thinking, *This man looks quite handsome, but why is he eating like a starving ghost? What a waste of good looks.*

Tu Shan Yu pursed her lips and chuckled, "This young master is truly a man of grand spirit." She, of course, knew what they were worried about and had originally planned to eat first herself to dispel their suspicions.

However, her compliment immediately triggered the women's alarm about Zu An's "romantic troubles." Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue shot a glare at Yu Yanluo. Yu Yanluo naturally understood their meaning. Unwilling to dwell on Zu An, she steered the conversation to other topics, discussing the customs of their two tribes, their past friendship, and future cooperation.

Zu An was content to relax, enjoying the delicious food on the table. He had to admit, the chefs at the Azure Hills royal palace were indeed skilled; the dishes were perfect in color, aroma, and taste.

However, there was one drawback: the dishes on the table included Crystal Lotus Chicken, Pearl Chicken Balls, Fried Tomato Chicken Strips, Beauty Chicken Liver, Hibiscus Chicken Slices, Crispy Chicken Cutlets, Concubine Chicken Wings, Eight-Treasure Whole Chicken, Chicken Dumplings, Shredded Chicken Pastries, Chicken Blood Porridge... Zu An had never imagined there could be so many ways to prepare chicken. It seemed Azure Hills was a chicken's worst nightmare.

The conversation flowed pleasantly during the banquet, and time passed without them realizing it. Tu Shan Yu then took the opportunity to invite them to stay overnight in the palace.

The women, who had just begun to relax, immediately tensed up. "Here it comes!" they thought. Yu Yanluo secretly chuckled, seeing Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen's eyelids almost twitching from all the winking. After spending more time with them, she realized they weren't like the terrifying Grandmasters everyone feared, but rather more like two young girls.

She politely declined, "No need, thank you. I still have some attendants outside, and they would worry if they didn't hear from me for too long. Besides, we need to depart for the Royal Court tomorrow morning, so we wouldn't want to trouble the King."

Tu Shan Yu smiled. "That's easily arranged. I'll send someone to settle your attendants, Sister. Recently, some things have happened in Azure Hills, and there's a curfew in the city at night. If you go out now, you might not even find an inn. There are plenty of rooms in this palace; it would be much better for you to stay here than at an inn outside."

The women thought to themselves, *It's precisely in this fox's den that we won't be able to rest well.*

Zu An secretly sent a spiritual message: "Ask her what's been happening in the kingdom recently." The women nodded with satisfaction, seemingly quite pleased that he was adhering to "male virtue" by not speaking directly with an outside woman. Yan Xuehen spoke up, voicing everyone's question.

Tu Shan Yu explained, "Recently, there have been rumors from who knows where, claiming that a great treasure will appear in the Azure Hills mountains, drawing experts from various tribes. That's why I've had to stay here a few extra days before departing for the Royal Court."

"A great treasure?" the group mused, deep in thought.

"It's all just hearsay," Tu Shan Yu said, looking at them. "If there truly were a great treasure, wouldn't our Azure Hills know? We would have dug it up long ago. To me, honored guests like yourselves are the most precious treasures."

Although they knew she was paying a compliment, recalling the fat Taoist's divination, they couldn't shake the feeling that she had ulterior motives.

Just as they were about to refuse, Tu Shan Yu added, "I just heard you mention the Azure Radiance Flower. There isn't much left in the kingdom now, but there might be a little in the royal palace. I'll have someone check, and it should be delivered to you first thing tomorrow morning. If you leave, with so many affairs to handle recently, I might not be able to find you, and that would be quite rude."

The group exchanged glances. *Well, she's using that to tempt us,* they thought. *In that case, we can only stay for one night.*

However, when it came to allocating rooms, a problem arose. The royal palace was entirely populated by women. While it was naturally fine for Yu Yanluo and the other women to stay, Zu An, being a man, presented a slight inconvenience.