Chapter 1870: Can you sleep with me?

“The one who sent us... is... is...” Chun Jiuniang opened her mouth but couldn't utter a word. Suddenly, she seemed to realize something, frantically shaking her head with her hands clutching it, her face filled with terror.

“What’s wrong?” Zuan’s heart sank.

Just then, Chun Jiuniang’s entire head suddenly exploded like a watermelon.

Zuan: “…”

Even though he had been in this world for a long time and was accustomed to violence, witnessing this scene still made him feel a little physically uncomfortable.

He forced himself to examine Chun Jiuniang’s remains. It wasn’t poison, nor was it some kind of Gu worm. Could it be a mental imprint of some kind?

These top assassins had unknowingly been implanted with such a mental imprint, triggering self-destruction if they attempted to reveal any secrets.

The caster was truly malicious and ruthless. Could this be the work of the Shadowy Pavilion again, to be able to achieve something like this?

With a wave of his hand, a wisp of flame enveloped Chun Jiuniang’s remains, quickly burning her to ashes.

He then woke up another assassin, lest the man see Chun Jiuniang’s gruesome state, realize something, and refuse to divulge any information.

He then used the same verbal tactics he had employed with Chun Jiuniang, and sure enough, the man’s psychological defenses quickly crumbled, making him willing to confess.

However, just as he was about to speak, Zuan stopped him: “I’ll ask, you answer.”

The assassin paused, then nodded.

“I won’t ask about your organization’s information, only about this employer. Do you know who they are?” Zuan stared at him intently, pondering the trigger conditions of the mental imprint and trying his best to avoid them.

“Yes, they’re a…” The assassin breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as he didn’t betray the organization, the psychological pressure wasn’t as immense.

Who knew that halfway through his sentence, his head exploded like a watermelon again.

Zuan: “???”

So, this can’t be said either?

He burned the body again, then woke up the next one.

“This time, don’t speak unless I ask you a question.”

“Okay.”

“Is the employer male or female?”

“It’s a…”

Zuan: “…”

With a numb expression, he proceeded to the next one.

“From now on, you don’t need to speak. Just nod or shake your head.”

“Is the employer male?”

He shook his head.

Zuan: “???”

What was going on? They couldn’t even answer such basic information?

He woke up yet another one.

“The female employer should be a woman, right? Is she from…”

He shook his head.

Zuan: “…”

Why did he shake his head before I even finished speaking, and then explode?

From earlier until now, he hadn't managed to get any information, and most of the assassins were already dead.

He recalled his previous questions, and suddenly, an idea struck him.

He then woke up the last one.

“Is the employer an… eunuch?”

The assassin paused, then instinctively nodded.

Then, bang!

Zuan casually burned his remains, incinerating even the bloodstains on the floor until nothing was left.

Only then did he return to the room, where Xie Daoyun had largely cooled down.

Zuan was about to help her up when, just as his hand touched her cool skin, Xie Daoyun’s shy voice came, “Brother Zuan, I’m awake. I can get up by myself.”

“Okay.”

Zuan walked to the outer room, and with a wave of his hand, pulled a screen between them, blocking the view. He then began to ponder the information he had just gathered. Could it be…

Xie Daoyun glanced at the screen.

And the faint silhouette beyond it, her expression a little resentful. How could Brother Zuan stay in her room while she changed?

However, recalling how he had seen her entire body, both what he should and shouldn’t have seen, and even touched her, there was no point in dwelling on it anymore.

She quickly grabbed a towel to dry herself, then hastily put on her clothes.

“Achoo!”

Hearing her sneeze, Zuan spoke, “Sister Ling’er, were you cold just now?”

“Yes, a little cold.” Xie Daoyun was a bit embarrassed. Having feigned unconsciousness, she had to remain in the pool, and had actually been unbearably cold for a while.

“You’ve gone from cold to hot today, so you might feel a bit weak or get sick in the next couple of days. Take care of yourself.” Zuan thought for a moment and then took out a few nourishing and recuperating pills. Given his current status, he received specific pills every month, standard for his official rank and title. Though not precious, they were effective for general ailments.

“Mm, thank you, Brother Zuan.” Xie Daoyun came to his side, her head bowed, her face still flushed. What had just happened was simply too embarrassing; she wished she could faint again just thinking about it.

She quickly changed the subject: “Oh right, you seemed to be interrogating those assassins outside just now. Did you find anything?”

“Weren’t you unconscious just now?” Zuan said with a half-smile.

Xie Daoyun: “…”

Just let me die, ahhh!

She forced herself to say, “I vaguely heard some things after I woke up.”

Zuan didn’t expose her and instead briefly recounted the information he had obtained from the interrogation.

“An eunuch, really?” Xie Daoyun was greatly surprised, as this implied many things.

Seeing Zuan’s grave expression, she tentatively asked, “Brother Zuan, what are you thinking?”

Seeing that the water on her body hadn’t been completely wiped off, making her clothes cling to her and become somewhat transparent, Zuan felt a surge of heat once more.

Without answering, he immediately went to the inner ice-cold pool and immersed himself, letting out a comfortable sigh.

“Brother Zuan, what’s wrong?” Xie Daoyun was startled, and at the same time, her heart pounded. That pool was where she had been soaking, and Brother Zuan was now bathing with her…

All sorts of wild thoughts raced through her mind, making her face flush crimson. She even wondered if the effects of the medicine within her had resurfaced.

“I was also affected by that medicine,” Zuan sighed. It was only because of his high cultivation and astonishing willpower that his resistance was stronger.

“Ah!” Xie Daoyun covered her face, not knowing what to say for a moment, only feeling her face burning hot.

Yet, certain images began to appear in her mind: Brother Zuan could have simply detoxified himself directly, and then both of them would have been fine…

However, she quickly composed herself. How could she think such things? Brother Zuan was a true gentleman.

She took a deep breath and resumed their previous conversation: “Could it be someone sent by the Crown Princess? After all, she’s the one who knows your movements upon your return best.”

Zuan shook his head. “It wouldn’t be her.”

“Brother Zuan, why are you so certain?” Xie Daoyun was a little surprised.

Zuan couldn’t well explain his intimate relationship with Bi Linglong, so he simply clarified: “The Crown Princess has no motive. Everyone knows I’m part of the Eastern Palace faction, considered her most capable officer. The current situation in the capital puts her at a disadvantage, and she needs people more than ever. Why would she deal with me?”

“If it’s not the Crown Princess, then it’s the Empress’s side. As Brother Zuan mentioned before, the Empress’s faction and the Crown Princess’s faction are naturally opposed. Now that the Emperor is dead and the Crown Prince is weak, whoever gains the initiative can control the imperial power. Both the Empress and the Crown Princess have legitimate opportunities to seize power, so naturally, they will contend.”

“Since you’re a capable officer on the Crown Princess’s side, if the Empress’s side eliminates you, the Crown Princess’s faction will naturally suffer a severe blow and have no capital to compete with her in the future.”

Zuan shook his head. “It wouldn’t be the Empress either.”

“Why?” Xie Daoyun was truly bewildered now. He was so certain when he said it wasn’t the Crown Princess, and equally certain when he said it wasn’t the Empress. Where did Brother Zuan get such confidence?

Zuan also had a headache. He couldn’t exactly tell her he was also involved with the Empress, could he?

“I also have a considerable personal acquaintance with the Empress. Our relationship is quite good, and I believe she wouldn’t harm me.”

Xie Daoyun was somewhat surprised. For years, the Empress had lived a secluded life, her presence so minimal that even court officials rarely saw her. She never expected that the Empress would have a good relationship with Zuan. It seemed the Empress had been planning in the shadows for a long time.

She didn’t doubt their relationship, as it would be too preposterous for someone of the Empress’s status; no normal person would think along those lines.

Even if Zuan had said something to the Emperor in the secret realm, it was likely just to deliberately provoke the Emperor to save someone.

“Brother Zuan, although I don’t understand politics, I grew up in an official family and know that on the political stage, any personal connections or friendships are unreliable. You must never let emotions cloud your judgment,” Xie Daoyun couldn’t help but advise.

Zuan fell into deep thought. Could it really be the Empress, after all?

It was hard to imagine that the woman who always greeted him with such fiery passion would resort to assassination.

But then he reconsidered: their relationship, at its core, was a union of convenience. She needed his high-grade vital essence to heal her injuries, and now that she had recovered, she naturally no longer needed him.

Come to think of it, she had also lied to him initially. She said it would take many more times to recover, yet now she had recovered early and was even a Grandmaster.

Unexpected, truly unexpected.

If the Empress would make such a choice, wouldn’t the Crown Princess as well?

Royals were completely different from others; they were the most ruthless.

Ling’er was right. The Crown Princess was the one who knew his return time and route most clearly.

However, he didn’t dwell on the problem for too long. No matter what schemes they cooked up, he would simply cut through them with his sword.

“There are still two hours until dawn. You should get some rest first,” Zuan told Xie Daoyun.

Xie Daoyun bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, then spoke, “Brother Zuan, could you… sleep with me?”