Chapter 2129: Suspicion and Testing

Zu An’s heart stirred. It seemed this person was indeed suspicious. He snorted, "The Dragon King and Queen have always been deeply in love. The previous warrant for the Queen’s capture and pursuit has already raised many suspicions among the sea folk. Now, keeping her under control can save a lot of trouble."

The guard captain fell silent. What the other party said did make some sense. Lately, the Dragon Palace had been in an uproar, with countless ministers offering remonstrations and even more people trying to find out what truly happened between the couple. They had never been able to find a plausible explanation.

Fortunately, some lecherous individuals fabricated a scandal between the Queen and the Demon Clan’s Regent, which managed to divert a significant amount of attention.

Now that the Queen had returned to the palace, the previous turmoil could finally subside.

However...

The guard captain sneered, "What you're saying sounds grand and righteous, but isn't it really because you covet her body? Still, the Queen is indeed a rare beauty, so it's normal for you to be tempted."

Zu An chuckled.

It seemed Shang Hongyu’s guess was correct. Given the false Dragon King’s power, if he hadn't shown her mercy at the time, she probably wouldn't have escaped, no matter how many magic treasures she possessed.

As a woman, she could clearly sense his desire and longing for her body, which was the core foundation of her plan.

Otherwise, how could she, the Queen, remain openly in the Dragon Palace?

Moreover, recent observations confirmed that the false Dragon King, like the real one, was an extremely lustful individual.

"I don't know what's so interesting about that kind of thing," the guard captain sneered. After a moment, he pulled out a porcelain bottle from his bosom. "This is what you asked me to find. I've brought it for you."

Zu An’s mind was filled with countless questions. He had no idea what the false Dragon King had asked him to find.

So, he said vaguely, "Hmm, alright. Just put it there."

He planned to examine it slowly after the other person left.

The guard captain frowned slightly, "This matter cannot be taken lightly. Use it tonight."

"Tonight?" Zu An remained calm on the surface, but inwardly he began to wonder what was in the bottle, praying he wouldn't expose himself.

"Of course, delays breed trouble," the guard captain said solemnly. "The Mermaid Queen is gentle on the outside but strong within; she won't submit easily. We must completely bring her over to our side, so she can never betray us."

"Alright!" Zu An thought to himself that the porcelain bottle must contain some kind of mind-controlling elixir. Could it be that these individuals controlled others through such means?

He even felt an impulse to subdue the guard captain in front of him and see if he could extract any information.

However, he remembered that the guard captain did not show the false Dragon King the usual respect a subordinate would show a superior. It was likely his strength was not as simple as it appeared.

The crucial point was not knowing who their other accomplices were. If anything went wrong, he would be exposed while his enemies remained hidden, putting him at a disadvantage.

Seeing the other person still standing there, Zu An asked in a low voice, "Is there anything else?"

"Nothing else. It's just that Your Majesty should rest now." The guard captain just stared at him.

"I understand." Zu An felt a bit strange, wondering why his rest was any of the captain's concern. But not knowing how these individuals truly interacted in private, he didn't dare say more.

"Remember to take this with you." The guard captain's gaze fell upon the porcelain bottle on the table, his expression somewhat peculiar.

Zu An said nothing, put the porcelain bottle away, and walked towards the imperial bedchamber.

Along the way, there were palace maids and eunuchs attending to him. Zu An had spent years in palaces, and with Shang Hongyu's recent training, he naturally performed flawlessly.

Upon returning to the imperial bedchamber, Shang Hongyu was sitting by the window, lost in thought, with several maids standing behind her, seemingly trying to console her.

However, she still looked completely dejected, without any of the cheerful smiles and laughter she had displayed at the banquet.

Zu An secretly admired her; this woman's acting was truly top-notch.

One must know that at the banquet, she was only deceiving the external ministers. But within the inner palace, which was the false Dragon King's territory, they naturally knew the Queen had not returned willingly. If she had still appeared joyful, it would have been odd.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Sensing Zu An's arrival, the maids in the room bowed in unison.

Upon seeing him, Shang Hongyu feigned a drastic change in expression, "What are you doing here?"

Zu An smiled, "I am the Dragon King, and you are the Queen. This is our bedchamber. What do you think I'm doing here?"

Shang Hongyu, feigning fright, immediately stood up and stepped back a few paces. "This isn't what we agreed upon earlier."

The palace maids at the side looked at the two of them with strange expressions, wondering what game they were playing.

Zu An wasn't sure which of these maids were the false Dragon King's spies, so he simply waved his hand, seizing the opportunity, "All of you, leave."

Whether it was the real Dragon King or the false one, the events that were about to unfold could not have these maids present.

As expected, none of the maids seemed suspicious and all bowed out.

"Don't leave..." Shang Hongyu, conversely, "eagerly" tried to make them stay.

Unfortunately, the maids acted as if they hadn't heard her, leaving without looking back and even considerately closing the door behind them.

Seeing this scene, both Zu An and Shang Hongyu's hearts sank. It seemed most of these maids were the false Dragon King's people.

They hadn't expected him to have gained such control over the Dragon Palace in such a short time.

"What are you doing? Don't come closer," Shang Hongyu said, feigning panic, while secretly lamenting that it was fortunate this was all an act. If she hadn't met Zu An and faced this situation alone, how desperate she would be.

"Go ahead and scream. No one will come to save you even if you shout yourself hoarse." Zu An chuckled. He had to admit, playing this kind of role seemed quite enjoyable.

No wonder villains loved doing such things; it was indeed addictive!

Hearing this, Shang Hongyu couldn't help but glare at him. Was this guy really acting? How could he perform so vividly?

"If you come any closer, I'll end it right here." She was also prepared, taking a hairpin and pressing it against her throat.

"Alright, alright, I won't come closer. I'll just talk to you like this." Zu An played along, but his heart sank. Their voices were neither too loud nor too soft—loud enough for the maids and guards outside to hear the commotion. Yet, for so long, no one had come to inquire about the situation. It seemed the situation was worse than he had imagined.

"Get out! I don't want to talk to you!" Shang Hongyu shouted loudly while secretly transmitting her equally worried thoughts.

"All these maids and guards are new faces. It seems everyone who was previously around us has been replaced these past few days."

"Alright, alright, I won't approach you for now," Zu An replied subtly while intentionally standing further away, as if afraid of provoking her. "I asked around earlier. That guard captain is called Kachir. Do you have any impression of him?"

Shang Hongyu hummed in affirmation and secretly replied, "In my memory, Kachir was a courageous warrior of the Shark Tribe, very fierce in battle. He was previously conscripted to serve in the Dragon Palace, but back then, he was only responsible for patrolling the palace outskirts, not directly becoming the Dragon King's personal guard captain as he is now."

"He has most likely been replaced by those mysterious individuals. I can sense he's deliberately hiding his cultivation; his true strength is probably no weaker than the false Dragon King's," Zu An said with a worried expression.

"We don't know the background of these individuals. Originally, we wanted to quietly capture one or two for interrogation, but now that they're all around us, it seems impossible," Shang Hongyu said with frustration.

"From my judgment, they might not be beings from this world, perhaps from beyond the heavens." Zu An's brows furrowed. "But those otherworldly demons were already eliminated by me, and the seals were reinforced. Where did these guys come from?"

"Perhaps not from beyond the heavens, but from the Abyss," Shang Hongyu suddenly recalled something and quickly said.

"The Abyss?" Zu An was startled. This was the first time he had heard that name.

"I only heard the Dragon King casually mention it back then. He was drunk at the time and suddenly became very emotional, saying that the King of the Sea Race seemed magnificent but was merely a watchdog of the Abyss," Shang Hongyu mused. "I was very curious then and asked him what he meant, but he seemed to startle awake and refused to say another word, even claiming I had misheard. Originally, I didn't pay much attention, but now that you mention it, I recalled this incident."

Zu An fell into deep thought. "The Abyss, huh..."

In fact, when he first entered the Dragon Palace, he found it somewhat strange. He couldn't understand the purpose of many of the magical formations. Could they actually be seals, sealing a place called the Abyss?

And then, because of the invasion of otherworldly demons some time ago, the world's barrier developed some problems, allowing some monsters from this "Abyss" place to escape?

But why wouldn't they invade the world directly, choosing instead to impersonate the Dragon King? It didn't make logical sense.

Various conjectures formed in Zu An’s mind, but unfortunately, with too little information, he couldn't make an accurate judgment.

"Oh, by the way, Kachir didn't suspect my return, did he?" Shang Hongyu suddenly asked.

"I managed to fool him, but he's still uneasy, so he gave me this." Zu An said, pulling out the porcelain bottle. "He said this would completely control you and make you wholeheartedly with us. I suppose it's some kind of poison, but it wasn't easy to ask him just now, nor did I have a chance to examine it."

Shang Hongyu breathed a sigh of relief. "That's easy to handle. When the time comes, just tell them I've already taken the medicine."

"Mhm." Zu An nodded. Of course, he wouldn't actually let her take such a strange medicine.

At this point, Shang Hongyu curiously picked up the porcelain bottle. "Still, let's first figure out what kind of medicine it is and what its effects are. That way, you won't be suspected when you report back to them."

As she spoke, she opened the cap, and a puff of pink smoke sprayed directly onto her face. Shang Hongyu was startled, and hastily threw the porcelain bottle aside.

Zu An quickly went to support her. "Are you alright? Have you been poisoned?"

He even tried to take her pulse, but Shang Hongyu's face flushed slightly, and she awkwardly pushed his hand away. "Actually, it's not exactly a poison. It's 'Blissful Dew,' refined from the mucus of the North Sea Kraken."

Zu An: "???"

He naturally knew the effects of North Sea Kraken mucus. In fact, he had specifically collected some on the ship a few days prior.

A medicine refined from that substance, also called "Blissful Dew"—one could figure out what it was with just a little thought.

"Are you affected?" Zu An quickly asked. "Don't try to force out the poison with your cultivation; this stuff can easily spread rapidly throughout your limbs and bones if you do. I'll go get some clean water for you to wash your face."

Shang Hongyu looked at him with a half-smile. "Are you hoping I'm affected, or not affected?"

Zu An glared at her, annoyed. "At a time like this, and you still have the mood for jokes?"

He was about to go fetch water, but she stopped him. "Don't worry, I'm not foolish. Knowing it was poison, how could I not have been prepared? I held my breath and focused my mind, while also circulating energy to form a protective layer around my body. I haven't been poisoned."

Zu An breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."

"Are you very disappointed?" Shang Hongyu bent closer to him, then playfully tilted her head, examining his expression.

Zu An was speechless.

He didn't bother to respond. This woman was truly addicted to playing games.

At this moment, Shang Hongyu chuckled. "Those guys are despicable, but their plan is quite perfect. If it were the false Dragon King, he naturally wouldn't miss such a good opportunity. He would surely trick me into drinking this, then take advantage of me. The Mermaid Race values chastity above all else. After such a thing, I would have no face to say anything and could only accept the facts."

Zu An was a little curious. "Your Mermaid Race has such a tradition?"

"Of course," Shang Hongyu said with a hint of pride. "For thousands of years, our mermaid women have been devoted to one partner for life. It is this reputation for purity that allows the position of Sea King's Queen to undeniably belong to our Mermaid Race."

"So, if those individuals were to succeed, I absolutely wouldn't be able to say anything afterwards. Because it wouldn't just be about me, or even the current Mermaid Race, but it would destroy the reputation our race has built over tens of thousands of years and bring shame upon future generations."

As she spoke, a trace of lingering fear flashed across Shang Hongyu's face.

Hearing this, Zu An felt both admiration and amusement. It struck him that upon arriving in the Sea Race territory, he had clearly sensed a very open atmosphere, even more so than in the Demon Race.

Yet, the Mermaid Race remained so pure and conservative, truly an anomaly.

Speaking of which, was Ao Yong out of his mind? Knowing the Mermaid Race's traditions, how could he still dare to fall for his sister-in-law?

Just then, Kachir's voice suddenly came from outside: "Your Majesty, your humble subordinate will guard outside tonight to prevent any riff-raff from disturbing you."

Zu An was speechless.

This guy's words sounded nice, but it was clear he was here to monitor them.

Wait, had he exposed himself earlier?

He reviewed everything, confirming that there shouldn't have been any issues.

The biggest vulnerability was probably bringing the Queen back and siding with the false Dragon King. Such an action was indeed risky, so the other party needed to nip all potential threats in the bud.

Shang Hongyu also blushed and secretly spat, "This guy is truly shameless!"

Zu An replied to the outside of the door, "There's no need to trouble you. The palace maids here are enough for attendance. You may go back and rest first."

It would be easier to fool just the palace maids, but this guy's cultivation was too high. Although he couldn't see what was happening inside the room, he would definitely not miss any sounds.

"Thank you for Your Majesty's consideration, but it is my duty to protect Your Majesty and the Queen, and I dare not be negligent in the slightest," Kachir replied. "I also ask Your Majesty not to forget the responsibilities you bear."

Zu An gave a wry smile. Well, the other party was urging him.

"What do we do now?" Shang Hongyu bit her lip, her expression uncomfortable.

Zu An replied through a voice transmission, "How about I set up an aura barrier to isolate everything inside the room? That way, he won't hear anything, and tomorrow, we can just tell him it's done."

"No, that won't work. The other party already seems a bit suspicious. Right now, we can still explain it by the false Dragon King's lust, but if you deliberately conceal things like that, he might suspect your identity, and then all our efforts will be in vain," Shang Hongyu said, shaking her head in refusal.

Zu An rolled his eyes. "What else can we do? We can't actually *do* that just to fool him, can we?"