Chapter 2393: Giving Lies, Returning Sincerity

Zu'an rubbed his forehead. Even if the Dragon King was completely smitten with the Mermaid Queen, he wouldn't display such infatuated behavior in front of his subordinates.

“The Mermaid Queen is the most beautiful!”

This female assassin actually believed such an absurd password?

The Mermaid Queen herself was already deeply embarrassed and ashamed after uttering the password, but she was even more surprised by the unexpected reaction of the guards.

As a renowned powerful figure among the Sea Clan, she quickly regained her composure. With a hand seal, she instantly made the surrounding water seem to solidify.

The guards' sharp warning cries were confined to that small area, preventing them from spreading further.

The Mermaid Queen swayed her waist, gliding in a graceful arc, and pointed her fingers directly at the guards.

Many guards froze, their weapons clattering to the ground.

However, because of a previous assassin incident, the Dragon King, fearing further mishaps, had stationed elite guards here.

The entire situation unfolded so abruptly that the Mermaid Queen barely had time to react. It was already remarkable that she managed to instantly create a wall of water around herself and subdue most of the guards.

Yet, in that brief moment, she could only restrain the majority. Two other guards, realizing the danger, quickly fled in the direction of the "foolish" guard.

The Mermaid Queen's heart sank. There was no foolish guard; she was the one who had been foolish. How could she have fallen for such preposterous nonsense? The other party would surely seize this chance to collude with the two fleeing guards and alert the rest of the Four Quarters Hall. Once surrounded, even she, the Mermaid Queen, would likely face grave danger. And it would simultaneously bring about the ruin of the Mermaid race.

Just then, the "foolish" guard made his move—no, he stuck out his leg. He subtly extended his right foot, perfectly tripping a nearby fleeing guard. The guard, caught completely off guard, stumbled and fell heavily. The other guard, seeing this, was both shocked and enraged, and immediately brandished his weapon, attacking Zu'an.

Zu'an instinctively swung his saber to block, but in their very first clash, the long blade was knocked from his hand. This was the stark difference between an elite guard and a mere slacker!

"Help, brave lady!" Zu'an, his weapon gone, revealed a look of horror. He awkwardly scrambled and rolled, desperately trying to evade the fierce attacks. Coincidentally, while dodging an attack from the guard, he stumbled and fell to the ground, landing squarely on the waist of the other guard who was just trying to get up. The guard's face immediately contorted in pain. But the charade continued. As he clumsily dodged the attacks, he would either accidentally step on the pinned guard's hand or kick his head. Consequently, every time the pinned guard tried to get up and assist, he was inadvertently thwarted.

The Mermaid Queen reacted swiftly, flashing over to subdue the two escaped guards in the blink of an eye.

"Pant, pant."

Zu'an, hunched over with his hands on his knees, panted heavily. "Thank you for saving me, brave lady!" A flicker of suspicion crossed the Mermaid Queen's eyes as she looked at him. Although he had appeared quite clumsy and hard-pressed, he had successfully dodged every fatal blow and managed to keep the other guard from rising. Could this seemingly foolish boy be merely feigning weakness?

With that thought, her expression hardened. A sword materialized in her hand, and she thrust it towards his throat with such speed that there was no time to react. Zu'an appeared utterly petrified, staring blankly at her, seemingly unable to react or dodge. The sword ultimately stopped half an inch from his throat. The Mermaid Queen secretly let out a breath of relief. That strike had been completely unannounced, clearly intended to be lethal. If he had truly been hiding profound strength, a cultivator's instinct would have compelled him to subconsciously evade. Since he appeared to be utterly terrified, it seemed he genuinely couldn't react.

"Brave lady... what are you doing?" Zu'an chuckled inwardly. Yan Xuehen had previously taught him the "Supreme Emotionless Chapter," which allowed him to perfectly conceal his aura and murderous intent, while also making him extremely sensitive to an enemy's killing intent. Although her move appeared vicious, it carried no real killing intent, leading him to believe it was merely a test.

"You lied to me!" The Mermaid Queen's beautiful eyes were filled with icy coldness.

"That's unfair! How could I possibly lie to you, brave lady?" Zu'an instinctively protested.

"Heh heh, then what about that password, 'The Mermaid Queen is the most beautiful'?" Despite the incident being over, the Mermaid Queen felt so mortified remembering how confidently she had proclaimed it in front of the guards that she wished she could dig another Dragon Palace with her feet. It was incredibly difficult for mermaids to manifest legs, but at that moment, she wished she hadn't bothered.

Zu'an suppressed his laughter, but he had already devised a plan. "Mainly because I was just being held by you, brave lady, I was worried that if I didn't say something useful, you would silence me... so... so..."

"So you just concocted a password?" The Mermaid Queen's teeth practically ached with annoyance. The worst part was that she had actually believed such ridiculous nonsense.

Zu'an hastily waved his hand. "It wasn't made up. I'm merely an outer perimeter guard and don't know the actual password. However, I often heard them say that phrase when they met, so I assumed it was likely the password. I just guessed wrong."

Seeing his cautious expression, the Mermaid Queen found herself unable to be angry. "These guards are truly bored, gossiping about me like that behind my back."

Then, Zu'an observed her expression and asked curiously, "Brave lady, you're a powerful and important figure; you must have met the Mermaid Queen. Is she truly as beautiful as the legends claim?"

"Yes, I have. She's quite plain, in fact, the ugliest in her family," the Mermaid Queen scoffed, then immediately hid the subdued guards in a nearby empty room. She then turned and continued deeper inside. With the guards suddenly gone, someone would surely notice their absence soon. She had to use every remaining moment to rescue Princess Peacock.

Zu'an followed behind her, a slight smile playing on his lips. That tone... it must truly be the Mermaid Queen. Ah, dealing with the ancestor of the Shang Liuyu and Shang Hongyu sisters... it feels a bit odd.

"Why are you still following me?" The Mermaid Queen suddenly turned back and looked at him coldly.

"I... our agreement hasn't been completed yet," Zu'an replied somewhat awkwardly.

Only then did the Mermaid Queen recall that he still needed to rescue his sister. Her expression softened considerably, and after a moment of silence, she said, "You'll die." She was fully aware of the extreme danger ahead. For a foolish guard of such low strength, entering would be suicide.

Zu'an nodded and said, "I know, but to save my sister, I have no other choice."

"The Aurora Poison Dragon has long dwelled in the Northern Sea. He is a bloodthirsty and notoriously wicked demon. A century ago, he suddenly vanished. Some claimed he was slain by vengeful enemies, but I heard a rumor that he was indeed gravely wounded and on the verge of death, only to be rescued by the North Sea Dragon King. For years now, he has been secretly serving under the North Sea Dragon King, carrying out his illicit tasks. Be careful."

After speaking, the Mermaid Queen vanished in a flash, clearly unwilling to be burdened by him. Gazing at her vanishing figure, Zu'an stood in a daze, letting out a silent sigh. He had offered her nothing but lies, yet she had responded with genuine sincerity. Sincerity truly is an ultimate weapon.