Chapter 1569: Lost Footing

## Chapter 84: A Misstep

"What happened?" Hearing the solemnity in his voice, Bi Linglong forgot her anger and asked nervously.

"The Emperor sent me to Yi Commandery..." He then thoroughly explained the task Zhao Hao had just assigned him.

It was Bi Linglong's first time hearing about this, and her expression subtly changed upon hearing the news.

"You just got back, and he's sending you to Yi Commandery again?" Bi Linglong's delicate brows furrowed, seemingly very displeased.

At that moment, Zu'an's heart warmed. Hearing her tone, he finally felt that she truly considered him one of her own. Bi Linglong's resentment also vanished. Hearing Zu'an tell her the newly assigned task without reservation proved that their relationship was the most intimate, and she suddenly felt that her anger over the past while had been baseless.

"There's nothing for it, it's my duty," Zu'an sighed.

Bi Linglong, of course, knew this wasn't merely his duty, but rather because the Emperor was currently too powerful, so powerful that they had no means to resist. Thinking of this, she sighed softly, "You've been wronged. Be careful on your journey; I'll wait here for your return."

Hearing her heartfelt words, Zu'an couldn't help but walk over, wrap his arm around her slender waist, and then kiss her amidst her astonished gaze.

Bi Linglong's body trembled, and she instinctively tried to push him away, but he remained completely still. Soon, his familiar scent made her body gradually relax.

They kissed for a while until Bi Linglong finally caught her breath. She looked at him playfully, "You're so bold! The Crown Prince is still outside."

"So what?" If she hadn't said that, it would have been fine, but hearing it, Zu'an kissed her again.

Bi Linglong's waist was as lithe as a willow. Her entire body was pressed backward, falling onto the desk.

Feeling the familiar pressure, Bi Linglong's face flushed deep red. "If the Emperor finds out, we'll be dead."

She could disregard the foolish Crown Prince, but she couldn't ignore the Emperor. With his Earth Immortal cultivation, once his divine sense was unleashed, no trace within the entire imperial palace could escape his notice.

"Don't worry, he doesn't have time for this right now." Zu'an said this with confidence; if Zhao Hao constantly monitored the entire imperial palace, he and the Empress would have long since met their end.

Bi Linglong, however, didn't understand the underlying reason. The Emperor's power left an indelible impression on her mind, but embraced by her lover, her body went soft, rendering her powerless to resist.

And so, in a state of half-resistance, half-compliance, the two once again returned to the most intimate state they had shared in the secret realm.

Due to the fear of being discovered by the Emperor, or even the palace maids, servants, and the Crown Prince outside, Bi Linglong was infinitely more sensitive today than usual. Zu'an felt this most keenly, as if he were amidst constantly trembling waves. Soon, the two reached a state of spiritual and physical union.

Their time together had never been so brief, yet never so wonderful.

After a long embrace, Bi Linglong finally recovered and pushed Zu'an away. She smoothed down her skirt, carefully arranging the wrinkles, and said with a heavy, cloying voice, "You annoying fellow, you always only bully me."

"Are you still angry?" Looking at her charming and utterly beautiful appearance after their intimacy, Zu'an's heart was filled with tender affection.

"Who's angry with you?" Bi Linglong felt a little guilty. Seeing his amused, knowing gaze, she playfully chided, "Alright, alright, it's just that you've only been with Chu Chuyan these past few days and haven't paid any attention to me."

Zu'an didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "She's my wife! After being apart for so long, who else would I spend time with if not her?"

"She clearly 'reconciled' with you, so how is she still your wife?" Bi Linglong said, a little indignant. "Then what am I to you in your heart?"

No sooner had she spoken than she felt some regret, followed by a touch of self-pity, knowing that their relationship could probably never be made public. Her heart was quite troubled.

Just then, Rong Mo's voice came from outside: "Your Royal Highness, Master Jiang requests an audience."

Clearly, as Bi Linglong's personal maid, she knew it was somewhat improper for the Crown Princess to meet a man from outside the palace alone for so long, so she took the opportunity to remind her.

Bi Linglong also came to her senses. She adjusted her clothes again, making sure nothing was amiss, before speaking to the outside, "Let Master Jiang enter."

Not long after, a handsome young man walked in. "Greetings, Your Royal Highness."

Zu'an had an impression of this person: Jiang Gui, the Crown Prince's Imperial Secretariat, an attendant official to the Crown Prince. On normal days, when the Crown Prince traveled, he would ride ahead as an escort, making him one of the most important officials in the Eastern Palace.

Jiang Gui was, in a way, an acquaintance. He was the son of Jiang Shan, Jiang Boyang's third son, and his mother was from the Yu family. This meant he was also related to Yu Yanluo; furthermore, Jiang Luofu, being Jiang Boyang's youngest daughter, was Jiang Gui's aunt.

Throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty, besides the Yu family, the Jiang family was renowned for its good looks.

Every son and daughter in the family was strikingly beautiful. Jiang Gui, combining the best features of both the Jiang and Yu families, had been implicitly hailed as the capital's most handsome man since childhood—until Zu'an arrived in the capital and usurped his title.

He was quite indignant about this, feeling that Zu'an was not much better-looking than himself, nor did his cultivation seem significantly stronger. His only perceived failing was that he wasn't from a prominent noble family and had lived too smooth a life, without Zu'an's many hardships, and thus, fewer opportunities to prove himself.

Of course, as a scion of a noble family, he possessed his own pride and cultivation. While inwardly displeased, he didn't detest Zu'an because of it; rather, a spirit of competition arose within him.

However, in Zu'an's eyes, whether through Yu Yanluo's connection or Jiang Luofu's, this fellow was merely of his nephews' generation. How could he be a competitor?

He smiled at Jiang Gui, then seized a few opportunities to take his leave of Bi Linglong.

Bi Linglong, feeling a bit "guilty" from their recent activities, was eager for him to leave early, and naturally assented.

Seeing this, Jiang Gui was somewhat surprised. Everyone said Zu'an was the Crown Princess's favorite, but their relationship didn't seem that good at the moment?

With this thought, he brightened, and immediately reported the reason for his audience to Bi Linglong, presenting various solutions eloquently, so that Bi Linglong merely needed to choose one.

Although Bi Linglong held the noble title of Crown Princess, she was young and beautiful, and her husband, the Crown Prince, was clearly a fool. Because of this, many young talents in the court harbored an inexplicable fondness and fantasy about her.

It wasn't necessarily that they harbored any truly improper thoughts, but it was natural for young men to admire beauty. Even a mere smile from the Crown Princess could make them happy for a long time, which was why her prestige was so high.

With such a group of young talents at her command, assisting her like extensions of her own arm, how could her prestige not be high?

Jiang Gui looked at the Crown Princess with anticipation, thinking that with such thorough preparation for this matter, he would surely impress her. Look, there was an uncontrollable smile at the corner of her mouth, clearly indicating appreciation for his abilities.

Unfortunately, he did not know that Bi Linglong was currently lost in the memory of their recent intimacy, completely dream-like, and had not noticed him at all.

After leaving the Eastern Palace, Zu'an found a place to change his attire and went to the Embroidered Gate Mansion. He needed to investigate what had happened with Golden Token Seven.

Upon seeing his arrival, Xiao Jianren, Dai Laoqi, and Chen Laoba all excitedly came forward to greet him. Their enthusiasm was understandable; their superior was simply too elusive, while other colleagues were working themselves to death, they themselves were dying of boredom.

Normally, just being idle wouldn't be a problem, but the assessment system in the Embroidered Gate Mansion primarily determined bonuses based on the amount of work done, so being idle became quite troublesome.

Zu'an briefly explained his newly assigned task and asked Xiao Jianren where to find information related to Golden Token Seven.

As expected, Xiao Jianren, being the walking encyclopedia of the Embroidered Gate Mansion, quickly had the answer and led him to the most confidential intelligence location within the mansion.

The guards there only stopped Dai Laoqi and Chen Laoba, who looked a bit dejected.

Xiao Jianren, with a triumphant air, said, "This is a conversation between high-ranking officers; you foot soldiers should wait aside."

Dai Laoqi and Chen Laoba looked helpless but knew that the hierarchy within the Embroidered Gate Mansion was strict, so they could only wait outside for them.

Soon, led by Xiao Jianren, Zu'an retrieved the relevant files.

Regarding Golden Token Seven's personal detailed information, there was a string of asterisks, only stating that the gender was male.

Zu'an thought to himself, *You don't need to tell me that. I fought alongside Golden Token Seven back then; of course, I know he's male.*

Seemingly noticing his displeasure, Xiao Jianren explained, "The identities of the eleven Golden Token Embroidered Uniform Guards are the most secret existence in the Embroidered Gate Mansion. It is said that no third person knows them, apart from Grand Commander Zhuxie and His Majesty."

He then added, "Should one of the Eleven suffer a mishap one day, the information other Golden Token Embroidered Uniform Guards can access is roughly the same."

Zu'an's face darkened with exasperation. *This kid has a silver tongue. No wonder, despite his great talent, he's so unfulfilled in the Embroidered Gate Mansion.*

Fortunately, Xiao Jianren did not disappoint. With his help, Zu'an managed to find the relevant file concerning Golden Token Seven's death.

It recorded that Golden Token Seven, one day, passed by a pond, unfortunately slipped and fell into the water, and died by drowning.

Zu'an stared blankly. *A dignified Golden Token Embroidered Uniform Guard, falling into a pond and drowning?*

The updates were halted for the past two days, and any excuses would be feeble. On this Lunar New Year's Eve, I wish everyone a prosperous Year of the Rabbit! May unexpected wealth fall upon you, may adorable companions appear, may you get promoted, receive raises, marry a beautiful and wealthy spouse (or a handsome and rich one), and reach the pinnacle of your life!

I also hope my updates will take on a new look in the new year!

He took deep breaths of fresh air, his chest heaving.

Confusion, bewilderment, and various emotions surged into his mind.

"Where is this?"

Subsequently, Shi Yu subconsciously surveyed his surroundings, and then became even more bewildered.

"A single dorm room?"

Even if he had been successfully rescued, he should be in a hospital room right now.

And his body... how could there be no injuries at all?

With doubt, Shi Yu's gaze quickly swept across the room, finally settling on a mirror at the head of the bed.

The mirror reflected his current appearance: around seventeen or eighteen years old, with a handsome face.

But the problem was: this wasn't him!

His previous self had been a handsome young man in his twenties with an extraordinary demeanor, who had been working for some time.

Yet now, this appearance looked no older than that of a high school student...

This change left Shi Yu dazed for a long time.

Don't tell him the surgery was a success...

His body and face had both changed; this wasn't a matter of surgery at all, but rather immortal arts.

He had completely transformed into another person!

Could it be... that he had transmigrated?

Besides the mirror at the head of the bed, whose placement clearly had bad feng shui, Shi Yu also found three books nearby.

Shi Yu picked them up and saw the titles, which instantly rendered him silent.

"Beginner Beast Tamer's Essential Breeding Manual"

"Postpartum Care for Companion Beasts"

"A Guide to Appreciating Exotic Beast-Eared Girls"

Shi Yu: ???

The first two book titles seemed normal, but what was going on with the last one?

"Cough."

Shi Yu's gaze sharpened, and he reached out, but his arm quickly stiffened.

Just as he was about to open the third book to see what it was, a sharp pain suddenly pierced his brain, and a flood of memories surged forth.

Icefield City.

Companion Beast Breeding Base.

Intern Companion Beast Breeder.

Beast Tamer?