Chapter 1606: You Want to Live?

Zu An's face was grim. He changed his clothes and returned to the Embroidered Uniform Guard's outpost, immediately summoning the relevant individuals.

"Lord Eleven, have you found anything?" Xiao Jianren asked, a little sleepy. He felt a pang of shame, realizing that while his superior was toiling outside, they had been sleeping soundly.

Zhang Zitong noticed the night's chill and dew still clinging to his clothes, a clear sign he had been out all night. She, too, felt a sense of admiration.

Zu An got straight to the point: "Who told you earlier that Lord Seven had met a sweet-smiling woman before his death?"

"It was a colleague here in Yi Commandery," Xiao Jianren said, glancing at Zhang Zitong.

Zhang Zitong explained, "It's a Bronze Embroidered Uniform Guard here named Jiang Zhong. What happened?"

"Take me to him," Zu An said gravely. It was all too coincidental. The turtle demon had mentioned a woman disposing of Lord Seven's body, and then a description of that woman had been provided, clearly pointing them towards the Carefree Pavilion. If he hadn't happened to know Tang Tian'er, they might have continued investigating in that direction.

Zhang Zitong and the others exchanged glances, realizing something was wrong, but didn't dare ask too many questions at that moment. "Lord Eleven, Jiang Zhong is on rotation today. His home is on the west side of the city. Shall I send someone to fetch him?"

"Lead the way. We'll go directly," Zu An ordered.

The others' hearts tightened. It was clear this Jiang Zhong was involved in something suspicious. Zhang Zitong dared not delay and led them toward the west of the city.

The journey was silent. The group quickly arrived at his residence in the west of the city, a dilapidated house.

Zu An said nothing, simply kicked open the door and entered.

However, his heart quickly sank. The courtyard was too quiet. If the person were there, they would either be fleeing or coming out to investigate. There was no way there would be absolutely no reaction.

Xiao Jianren, who had gone inside to search, soon came out to report: "Jiang Zhong isn't home!"

Zhang Zitong's expression instantly changed. Where could an Embroidered Uniform Guard be in the dead of night, not sleeping or resting at home?

It was well-known that Embroidered Uniform Guards had regulations requiring them to be on standby at home, even on rotation, in case they were needed for a mission.

"Ask the neighbors," Zu An ordered.

Xiao Jianren nodded and took his subordinates to gather information from the surrounding area.

Zu An used this opportunity to ask Zhang Zitong, "What kind of person is this Jiang Zhong usually?"

"He's a bit slick, but in our line of work, you can't last long if you're not adaptable," Zhang Zitong replied. "Other than that, there's nothing much. Anyone who joins us has their family background rigorously investigated, of course."

Zu An sneered, "Is that so? You don't seem slick at all."

Zhang Zitong looked a little embarrassed. "My personality does tend to offend people easily. Over the years, thanks to Lord Seven's care, I've come to see him like a foster father. That's why I'm even more eager to find his killer as soon as possible. Is there something wrong with this Jiang Zhong?"

"He's disappeared, and you're asking if there's a problem?" Zu An said expressionlessly.

At this moment, Xiao Jianren ran back, panting. "Boss, the neighbors said they saw him earlier this evening, and before that, they faintly saw a light in his house. He should have been sleeping inside."

Zu An frowned and went straight into the house to investigate. He saw the messy bedding in the bedroom and felt its temperature. "It seems he left in a hurry."

Xiao Jianren's face changed. "He ran just as we were about to investigate him?"

The expressions of the surrounding Embroidered Uniform Guards immediately became unnatural. As professionals, they instantly realized there was only one explanation: an inside mole.

Seeing their gazes fall on her, Zhang Zitong's face darkened. "Are you suspecting me of tipping him off?"

Xiao Jianren gave an awkward smile. "That's not what I meant..."

He naturally didn't want to suspect her, but Jiang Zhong was her subordinate, and she did have some suspicion regarding the Gold Token Lord Seven incident.

At this point, Zu An said, "It has nothing to do with her. I've been watching her closely the entire way, and she didn't send any messages outside."

Not just her; none of the accompanying individuals made any suspicious moves.

With such a vast difference in cultivation levels, any trick these people tried would never escape his notice.

Zhang Zitong immediately breathed a sigh of relief, her impression of him improving slightly.

However, she quickly realized that he had never dropped his suspicions and had been quietly wary of her all along.

Zu An instructed those around him: "Issue a warrant and find Jiang Zhong's whereabouts as soon as possible."

Someone quickly took the order and departed. Zhang Zitong finally couldn't hold back and asked, "What exactly is going on? Why did Jiang Zhong suddenly run? Did something happen to him?"

Zu An replied, "Someone deliberately tried to lead us toward the Carefree Pavilion..."

He then briefly explained the whole situation from beginning to end.

"Who is this mastermind? What a deep scheme!" Xiao Jianren exclaimed.

Zhang Zitong, however, frowned and said, "I'm more curious about how Jiang Zhong managed to get the information so coincidentally and quickly."

This was what Zu An found most puzzling. After discussing it for a while and getting no further clues, he instructed them to continue investigating along Jiang Zhong's trail while he returned to the inn.

The next day, Zu An originally planned to find Yan Xuehen and Chu Chuyan, but when he arrived at their residence, he discovered the beautiful ladies were already long gone.

Zu An gritted his teeth slightly. Yan Xuehen was truly ruthless; not only did she refuse to see him herself, but she also wouldn't allow Chuyan to see him.

*Sigh*, the relationship between the three of them was indeed quite troublesome. He had no idea how it would be resolved in the future...

He walked thoughtfully through a small alley when suddenly, a small butterfly fluttered in front of him.

Zu An was startled. Butterflies in the middle of winter?

Creatures from other worlds truly were vastly different.

Then, more butterflies flew in, swirling around him like falling leaves, adding a touch of grimness to the bleak winter scene.

Zu An couldn't help but reach out. The butterfly in front flapped its wings and landed on his finger.

It seemed to take his finger for a flower petal, lowering its head to sip.

A faint smile appeared on Zu An's face. Just as he was about to stroke the butterfly, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his finger.

His expression changed. He quickly shook the butterfly off, then looked at his hand. A pinprick of blood oozed from his fingertip, and the blood itself was bluish, clearly indicating a potent poison.

Just then, a bell-like laugh echoed from nearby. A beautiful girl was sitting in a tree not far away, her clothes fluttering as she resembled a colorful butterfly.

The small butterflies that had been fluttering earlier were now perched on her fingers, looking docile and adorable.

"It's you?" Zu An's face darkened. This girl was, naturally, Princess Caidie, Zhao Xiaodie, whom he had met briefly yesterday.

"I advise you not to rashly circulate your energy. The more you do, the faster you'll die from my poison," Zhao Xiaodie suddenly changed her mind and added, "No, actually, you won't die that quickly. The toxins will first spread through your meridians, paralyzing your entire body. Then they'll invade your internal organs, which will gradually liquefy, eventually turning into a puddle of pus. The crucial part is that your consciousness will be clear throughout the entire process. You'll personally feel the terror of your body dissolving. Hehe, just thinking about it is amusing."

Zu An said gravely, "I am an Imperial Envoy, entrusted with a royal decree. How dare you inflict such a poisonous hand on me? Even if your father is the King of Qi, he'll likely face severe consequences afterward."

"Hmph, trying to use the Emperor to pressure me?" Zhao Xiaodie sneered. "Indeed, it would be troublesome if this came to light, but by then, you'll be a puddle of blood. Who would know I did it? This alley is secluded, and no one will come for a while. Then I'll just take your head and toss it into some latrine, destroying all traces, won't I? Oh, by the way, I haven't told you yet: this poison can dissolve your entire body, but not your head, right?"

She deliberately described the symptoms of the poisoning in great detail, wanting to see his terrified, collapsing expression. However, his face remained impassive, which was quite disappointing for her.

Did he know he was doomed and despaired?

Then, she thought, maybe a little hope would work.

"Of course, this Princess is not an unreasonable person. If you beg me, I might consider giving you the antidote," Zhao Xiaodie said, looking down at him playfully. "Do you want to live?"

He gasped for fresh air, his chest heaving.

Confusion, bewilderment, all sorts of emotions flooded his mind.

Where was this?

Then, Shi Yu instinctively looked around, becoming even more bewildered.

A single dorm room?

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

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

With doubts, Shi Yu's gaze quickly swept across the room, finally resting 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 former self had been a striking, handsome young man in his twenties, who had been working for some time.

But now, this appearance looked like that of a high school student, no matter how he looked at it...

This change left Shi Yu stunned for a long time.

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

His body and face had both changed. This was no longer a question of surgery; it was some kind of mystical art.

He had completely transformed into someone else!

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 glanced at them, and the titles instantly silenced him.

"Beginner Breeder's Essential Beast Rearing Manual"

"Post-Natal Care for Pet Beasts"

"Guide to Appreciating Beast-Eared Girls of Different Races"

Shi Yu: ???

The titles of the first two books were relatively normal, but what was going on with the last one?

"Ahem."

Shi Yu's eyes sharpened. 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 shot through his brain, and a flood of memories surged forth.

Icefield City.

Pet Beast Breeding Base.

Intern Pet Beast Breeder.

Beast Master?