Chapter 1879: Embroidered Tower Changes

Liu Ning’s face flushed upon hearing this. Just moments ago, she had repeatedly wanted him to stop, but she couldn’t bear to, leaving her whole body still tingling intensely.

With eyes like limpid pools, she gazed at his retreating figure. This guy was simply incredible. Her life had originally been bleak and colorless, but he had brought a rainbow into it.

Hmm, she had to snatch him away from that little minx.

After Zu An left the room, he happened to run into Eunuch Lu, who was all smiles.

"Lord Zu, you must be tired."

"Not at all."

He answered subconsciously, but Zu An found it strange.

"Lord Zu, are you leaving so soon? Won't you stay a little longer?" Eunuch Lu seemed a little regretful.

"I still have some matters to attend to outside the palace." Zu An wondered about the look in the eunuch's eyes, as if he hadn't quite had his fill.

"Oh, then I won't detain Lord Zu. Do visit the Kunning Palace often in the future; Her Majesty is very fond of you." Eunuch Lu bowed and made a gesture of invitation.

Zu An nodded, but felt a strange sensation in his heart. 'Why does it feel like you want me to come here more than the Empress does?' he thought.

Soon, Eunuch Lu led him to the front hall of Kunning Palace. Outside, the eunuchs, palace maids, and even some lesser-favored concubines couldn't help but whisper among themselves when they saw him:

"Lord Zu is truly favored by Her Majesty to be able to stay in the palace for so long."

"Don't you see who Lord Zu is? As the Regent King of the Demon Race, he naturally merits serious treatment."

"Oh, right, I remember he's the Crown Princess's most trusted subject. Now that he's with the Empress, is he representing the Crown Princess or himself?"

"Silence! Is that something you should be inquiring about?"

Although these people kept their voices low, nothing escaped Zu An's acute senses at that moment. He couldn't help but frown. This matter would most likely reach Bi Linglong, and what would she think of him?

The problem was he didn't know how to choose. Previously, the scales in his heart had slightly tipped toward Bi Linglong. But after what had just happened, he realized Liu Ning was too good to him—so good that he couldn't bear to help Bi Linglong against her.

What an insoluble dilemma.

And there were the hidden forces in the capital that Liu Ning had just mentioned. It seemed the waters of the capital were deeper than he had imagined. After all, he had entered court for too short a time—too short to truly understand the foundations of these court families.

No wonder the Daoist, Buddhist, and Witch sects, despite having so many Grandmaster experts, were still completely suppressed by the imperial court.

Although Liu Ning had probably still underestimated his strength, he wasn't afraid of the Eight Dukes or the reclusive masters. But if he recklessly courted death in the capital, becoming a public enemy in the eyes of those old monsters, and was secretly ganged up on by them, it would still be quite troublesome.

He pondered for a moment and decided to first investigate the hidden forces in the capital, lest he unwittingly become the target.

Although his strength had grown, he still needed to proceed cautiously to go far. The path of cultivation was fraught with peril, and one could not afford the slightest carelessness.

Even someone as strong as Zhao Hao wasn't truly invincible in this world; there were many beings far stronger than him.

He was ultimately killed by someone weaker than himself. It would be laughable if Zu An became arrogant and carelessly repeated his mistakes.

If he wanted to investigate these hidden experts in the capital, what could be more convenient than the Embroidered Uniform Guard?

He looked up at the sky and realized half a day had already passed.

Grandmasters were not so easily dealt with; their endurance was incomparable to ordinary women. Fortunately, with his formidable stamina, he had finally triumphed, much like Zhao Zilong's legendary stand at Changban.

After a moment's hesitation, he decided to head towards the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters. After arranging for Xiao Jianren to investigate the relevant intelligence, he would then leave the palace and go to the Qin family.

He changed into his 'Golden Badge Eleven' attire behind a rock garden, only then entering the Embroidered Uniform Guard's premises.

As soon as he entered, several Embroidered Uniform Guards quickly surrounded him. They paused, startled, when they saw his attire: "Lord Eleven?"

Zu An asked curiously, "Why is the security so much stricter than before?"

"A major incident occurred at Purple Mountain," one of them replied. "The Grand Commander has also gone missing. The entire Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters is now on high alert."

Zu An thought, 'No wonder. With no leader, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is probably in utter chaos internally.' "Who is in charge here now?"

"It's Silver Badge Embroidered Uniform Guard Bu Liangcai, Lord Bu," the Embroidered Uniform Guards replied.

Zu An secretly nodded. The other Golden Badge Embroidered Uniform Guards in the headquarters were stationed in various major regions. The affairs of the capital were directly overseen by Zhu Xie Chixin, and originally, there was no Golden Badge position designated for the capital until his unexpected arrival.

However, he rarely managed the affairs of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in his daily life; Zhu Xie Chixin was still largely in charge.

Of course, Zhu Xie Chixin was busy with countless matters every day and couldn't possibly handle all the complex tasks himself. He primarily relied on his four trusted Silver Badge subordinates.

This Bu Liangcai was one of them, publicly recognized as Zhu Xie Chixin's right-hand man.

In the battle at Purple Mountain, Zhu Xie Chixin had taken most of his confidants with him, leaving Bu Liangcai, one of his trusted aides, to guard the capital.

Who would have expected they were all annihilated at the Golden Summit, with no news whatsoever? Now, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was naturally under Bu Liangcai's command: firstly, he was a seasoned Silver Badge; secondly, he was originally Zhu Xie Chixin's confidant.

"Where is Xiao Jianren, Lord Xiao?" Zu An asked again. 'It's always easier to use someone you're familiar with,' he thought.

At this, the several Embroidered Uniform Guards exchanged glances and immediately stammered, "Replying to Lord Eleven, Lord Xiao has been imprisoned."

"What's going on?" Zu An frowned.

Those people opened their mouths, but none of them spoke.

Zu An let out a cold snort, too lazy to waste words, and headed straight into the main building of the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters.

The guards at the entrance were also startled when they saw him and quickly extended their hands to block him: "Lord Eleven, you cannot enter here."

"I am a dignified Golden Badge Embroidered Uniform Guard; can I not even enter the Embroidered Uniform Guard's prison?" Zu An's face darkened, and an inexplicable aura spread out from him.

The guards' breathing hitched. How could they dare to stop him?

Zu An directly brushed aside the hands blocking him and strode straight into the prison.

Many guards showed looks of distress. Some quick-witted individuals had already run out, seemingly to inform someone.

Zu An noticed but did not stop them. Instead, he walked inside, his face ashen.

Xiao Jianren was his subordinate, yet he was now imprisoned. It was clearly an insult to him.

"Where is Lord Xiao?" He directly grabbed the prison warden and asked.

"He's... over there." The warden was greatly alarmed. Everyone said Lord Eleven was brought in through connections and his cultivation wasn't much, 'Yet now, why can't I even dodge his casual grip?' he wondered.

Soon, he walked through a long corridor and arrived at a prison cell at the end.

Through the bars, he saw the scene inside: a prisoner in gray clothes tied to a wooden rack like a crucifix. His body was covered in tattered bloodstains, and through his torn clothes, one could see wounds where flesh was ripped apart. Many wounds were already festering, and in some places, maggots were faintly wriggling.

Although his head was bowed and his hair disheveled, Zu An instantly sensed that it was Xiao Jianren.

Rage flared in his heart. He took a direct step forward, and the entire prison door, along with its bars, collapsed inward.

Xiao Jianren slowly raised his head, but he was highly nearsighted, and with his cultivation sealed, his vision was blurry.

Zu An's figure flickered, appearing beside him. Without a visible movement, the chains on the torture rack all snapped. He helped Xiao Jianren down. "I came back late."

"Lord Eleven, Lord Eleven?" Xiao Jianren, who had been somewhat disoriented, finally recognized his voice, and tears welled up in his murky eyes.

Zu An took out a healing pill and fed it to him, while continuously channeling his vital energy into Xiao Jianren's body. "Don't speak. Focus on recuperating."

Feeling a surge of vital energy flowing into his body, as it passed, all the internal restraints dissolved like melting snow under the scorching sun. Xiao Jianren's previously anxious heart finally settled completely.

However, his injuries were too severe, and he was extremely weak, unable to circulate his own energy for a while. He could only rely on Zu An to help him recover.

Sensing Xiao Jianren's current physical state, Zu An's face turned icy as he looked at the prison warden. "Since when do the Embroidered Uniform Guards use torture on their own people?"

The warden immediately knelt and kowtowed: "Lord Eleven, please forgive us. We were only following orders; we couldn't make our own decisions."

"Whose orders were you following?" Zu An asked coldly.

Those people started stammering, one after another, as if afraid to speak the person's name.

"Following my orders!" At this moment, an arrogant voice echoed.

A series of disciplined footsteps echoed in the prison. Two teams of fully armed Embroidered Uniform Guards jogged down the stairs, completely surrounding the prison cell.

"The Law Enforcement Team!" The warden and the others' faces changed. This was the most elite force within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, usually under the Grand Commander's direct control.

Each member's strength was close to that of an ordinary Silver Badge Embroidered Uniform Guard. Silver Badges were often promoted from this team once they gained enough experience and made enough contributions, showing how formidable the Law Enforcement Team was.

Following closely, a middle-aged man whose clothes were embroidered with special silver patterns slowly descended.

"Bu Liangcai, what crime has Xiao Jianren committed exactly?" Zu An recognized the person. Back in the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters, this person considered himself senior and, being a follower of Zhu Xie Chixin, hadn't shown Zu An much respect.

"What crime did he commit?" Bu Liangcai looked at the collapsed prison wall and couldn't help but frown slightly. However, remembering his own cultivation and the Law Enforcement Team beside him, he quickly composed himself. "With such a major incident at Purple Mountain, shouldn't the person responsible for pre-emptively checking for dangers be held accountable?"

"To put it lightly, it's dereliction of duty. To put it more severely, who knows if he colluded with those rebels to harm His Majesty?" Bu Liangcai paused and looked coldly at Zu An. "Not only him, Lord Eleven, but you too must undergo an inspection. Men, seize the suspect!"