Chapter 1866: Little Aunt and Cousin-in-law

"You don't know?" Zu An's eyes widened.

Seeing his suspicious expression, Guan Chouhai said, "I actually learned this by accident. It started as a landlord's scheme, and then Prince Qi took over."

"Oh, and Prince Qi's codename is 'Salted Fish'."

Zu An was taken aback. He hadn't expected Prince Qi to choose such a codename. Was it because he could never become emperor, like a salted fish?

"What's the Libationer's codename?" Zu An asked again.

Guan Chouhai had fainted on the Golden Summit. He had initially suspected Zu An was trying to trick him, but seeing him list everyone off, he finally dropped his guard. "The Libationer's codename is 'Bystander'."

"Bystander?" Zu An mused. The Libationer always had a detached mindset, seemingly observing everything with a cold eye, which did resemble a bystander.

*Sigh*, if the Libationer hadn't severely wounded Zhao Hao first this time, it probably wouldn't have been so easy for him to kill him.

On the Golden Summit, he had witnessed some of Zhao Hao's incredible skills, but it seemed many of them hadn't been used when he fought Zu An.

"Then who do 'Servant,' 'Tomato,' 'Stone,' 'Fat Sea,' and 'Ma Zi' correspond to?"

Guan Chouhai slowly replied, "'Servant' is Wu Wuyan, 'Tomato' is Master Jianhuang, 'Stone' is Li Changsheng, 'Fat Sea' is Xuan Bajing, and 'Ma Zi' is possibly Lu Sanyuan."

Zu An nodded inwardly. Wu Wuyan was the Grand Elder of the Wu Clan, a lifelong believer in the Witch God, considering himself the Witch God's servant, so that codename made sense.

Master Jianhuang was called 'Tomato.' Was it because he liked eating tomatoes, or was it because his 'yellow' corresponded to the 'red' of a tomato?

That old man Li Changsheng seemed aloof on the surface, but his nature was as cold and hard as stone.

Xuan Bajing wasn't fat at all. Was it because he frequently drank 'pang da hai' (a type of herbal tea)?

As for Lu Sanyuan being called 'Ma Zi,' what on earth was that about?

"Why is Lu Sanyuan 'possibly'?" Zu An couldn't help but ask.

Guan Chouhai replied, "Because we had met the others previously in Purple Mountain, the first few are quite certain. We didn't meet Lu Sanyuan directly; we only heard that he appeared near Purple Mountain with a large army, mobilizing Zhao Hao's guards. So, we suspect he's with us."

Zu An nodded. "What about 'Landlord'? Did he never appear from beginning to end?"

"No, the only person in the world who might know his identity is Prince Qi," Guan Chouhai said casually.

He wasn't concerned about that; his main concern was his own safety and that of his sect.

Zu An, on the other hand, was more concerned. Although it seemed to have no immediate effect on him, having someone hidden in the shadows always made him feel uneasy.

"Is Zhao Hao really dead?" Guan Chouhai couldn't help but ask again.

Zu An nodded. There was no need to hide that from him.

Guan Chouhai laughed twice, "Good, good!"

Without Zhao Hao, that constant oppressive mountain, the sects of the world could finally breathe a complete sigh of relief.

Moreover, now that Wang Wuxie, Xuan Bajing, Li Changsheng, and others were dead, wouldn't he be the undisputed leader of the Daoist sects?

Yan Xuehen was a woman after all, and they had a good relationship, so she would most likely support him.

The only concern was Wan Tongtian of Biluo Palace; that fellow was a formidable opponent...

Seeing his enraptured expression, Zu An didn't disturb him and quietly left his carriage.

Next, he went to Zhao Xiaodie's side. Seeing him, Zhao Xiaodie was especially delighted. She dismissed her two maids, then hugged his arm tightly. "Big Brother Zu, you're so good to me."

Zu An: "???"

"How am I good to you? I didn't even know."

Feeling the surprising elasticity on his arm, Zu An awkwardly pulled his hand back.

"Of course you are," Zhao Xiaodie said confidently. "You just went out of your way to look after my senior brother and talked with my master for a while. What other reason could there be if not for me?"

Zu An: "..."

*Whatever makes you happy.*

He quickly asked about something else: "Do you know a person called 'Landlord'?"

"Landlord?" Zhao Xiaodie looked a little confused. "Are you talking about people who own a lot of land throughout the world?"

Zu An then briefly explained the context and background to her.

Zhao Xiaodie shook her head. "I've never heard my royal father mention him."

Zu An sighed inwardly. As expected, the lead was cut off again.

Seeing his expression, Zhao Xiaodie immediately said, "Big Brother Zu, don't worry. I've been cultivating in Li Hentian for many years, so my royal father might not tell me many things. But my elder brother is always by his side, his right-hand man. He might know, and I can ask him for you then."

Zu An coughed lightly. "It's best not to say I'm the one asking."

He had quite a grudge with Zhao Zhi; his leg had been broken by Zu An, so he must hate him to death.

"Don't worry, I'm not stupid," Zhao Xiaodie continued. "And I'll work hard to mend your relationship in the future, after all, you are my..."

"Your what?" Zu An frowned. He already had enough confidantes around him and didn't want to get involved with anyone else.

*Huh, had Manman's Goddess Kiss lasted this long?*

"My great benefactor," Zhao Xiaodie said, changing her tone and smiling with pursed lips.

This left Zu An with nothing to say.

Suddenly, he felt something, pulled out his video mirror, which was vibrating faintly.

"Crown Princess?" Zhao Xiaodie, craning her neck over his shoulder, saw the name on the mirror and exclaimed.

Zu An had originally intended to find a private place to answer, but now, avoiding it would only make Zhao Xiaodie suspicious.

So he connected the video mirror directly. A ripple like water spread across the mirror's surface, and gradually a cold, exquisite face appeared. The red mark between her brows made her entire face seem even more vibrant.

By this time, Zhao Xiaodie had already pulled her head back, but her ears were perked up, seemingly wanting to hear what the two would discuss.

"Lord Zu, where are you now?" Bi Linglong's voice came through, calm with a hint of authority.

Hearing her formal tone, Zu An immediately knew there were others around her.

"Lord Bi, General Zhao, and I, along with the relevant personnel, have left Purple Mountain and are currently on our way back, still within Yi Commandery."

Bi Linglong glanced at him, a flicker of joy appearing in the depths of her eyes, though quickly hidden. "I heard you were trapped in that secret realm. Since you've come out, why didn't you report to me immediately?"

"Things have been quite busy these past few days..." Zu An naturally detected the dissatisfaction in her tone and felt a twinge of guilt. He had been with Chu Yan, Manman, and Hong Lei these past few days and had forgotten to contact her.

"Oh, were you with that Young Miss Chu?" Bi Linglong suddenly said, "Pick up the video mirror and turn it around. I want to see your surroundings."

Helpless, Zu An had no choice but to turn the video mirror around, showing her Zhao Xiaodie, to prevent any private words from slipping out later.

When she saw Zhao Xiaodie, Bi Linglong's expression froze. "Is that you?"

"Greetings, Crown Princess." Zhao Xiaodie casually cupped her hands. Over the years, the Crown Prince's palace and Prince Qi had been fiercely contending, so their relationship was naturally quite strained.

Bi Linglong's smile also held a hint of coldness. "Xiaodie, when you get to the capital, have a good chat with your aunt."

"It's sister-in-law!" Zhao Xiaodie snorted. Her mother, Prince Qi's consort, was Bi Linglong's half-sister. Calculating the relationship, Bi Linglong was indeed her aunt.

However, her royal father and the Emperor were biological brothers, making the Crown Prince her cousin. So, from that perspective, Bi Linglong was her cousin-in-law.

The two were not far apart in age, so Zhao Xiaodie naturally didn't want to be demoted a generation for no reason.

At this moment, Zu An's voice spoke up: "I'm currently asking the Princess about some information regarding the secret realm."

He explained in advance to prevent Bi Linglong from misunderstanding anything.

"Any gains?" Bi Linglong's expression, no longer as gentle as before, looked as if it were covered in a layer of frost.

"I did find out a few things," Zu An replied.

Then Bi Linglong's voice came through: "It's not clear enough to discuss over the video mirror. Return to the capital as soon as possible and report to me in person."

"And you, go alone. There's no need to travel with the main group; it's too slow."

Zu An was momentarily startled but nodded. "Alright!"

He had learned most of what he needed to know here. In the capital, the Liu and Meng families were allied, and the situation was unpredictable. She must be feeling very anxious alone and desperately needed someone to rely on.

Seeing him agree without hesitation, Bi Linglong's expression softened slightly. "I await Lord Zu's swift return."

Soon, the call ended, and the video mirror fell silent.

At that moment, Zhao Xiaodie's head poked over. "Big Brother Zu, why does it seem like the Crown Princess is a bit special towards you? Don't tell me you two are also involved?"

Zu An looked at her coldly. "Princess, your imagination is a bit too wild. A friendly reminder: be careful with such words in the future, lest they accidentally lead to disaster for your entire family."

Zhao Xiaodie pouted. "No one would believe such talk if it got out, but ever since I learned about your relationships with Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue, I feel like there's no woman in this world you can't handle. Let alone the Crown Princess; even if you said you had an affair with the current Empress, or even my own mother, I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest."

Zu An: "..."