Chapter 2407: Confession

Zu'an shook his head, then nodded. "Initially, I truly didn't know you were the queen," he said. "But after seeing some of the skills and artifacts you used, I began to piece it together."

The Mermaid Queen's expression became quite a sight. She had assumed he was unaware of her various disguises as both the Mermaid Queen and Suyin. Yet, he had been watching her performance from start to finish! A wave of mortification washed over her. Her body tensed, and her toes curled. The embarrassment was so intense she felt like she could have carved out another Dragon Palace from the seabed.

Rage surged from Gong Suyin.

The Mermaid Queen's composure shattered. She had truly lost it. She had initially felt a hint of remorse, believing she had him completely under her control, only to realize, after all this time, that she was the one who had been made a fool of.

Sensing her volatile emotions, Zu'an sighed. "Don't worry, Queen," he said. "From beginning to end, I've had no designs on the mermaid race. I am not your enemy."

"Heh, not a single truth from start to finish, you've led me around in circles, and you call that 'not an enemy'?" The Mermaid Queen sneered, "And what about saving your sister…?"

"That part was true," Zu'an quickly interjected.

The Mermaid Queen fell silent. So, it was only towards *me* that you were being dishonest!

"Tell me, what is your true purpose, or you might not leave here alive today," the Mermaid Queen demanded, rising to her feet, her beautiful hair swirling in the water. She was truly furious now.

Rage surged from Gong Suyin once more.

Cherry looked utterly bewildered. Had the mood really shifted so dramatically and so quickly? Just a moment ago, they were so sweet it was almost unbearable, and now, in the blink of an eye, it's become a torturous romance. She couldn't help but whisper, "Is there some misunderstanding here?"

"You shut up! I want him to say it himself," the Mermaid Queen snapped, glaring at her. This man was truly adept at deceiving women. How long had Cherry even known him, and she was already siding with him so quickly?

Zu'an felt a pang of frustration. Despite all his precautions, he had still ended up in this predicament. "I have no ulterior motive," he stated. "In fact, I don't want to get too deeply involved with you. I never wanted to come here in the first place."

The Mermaid Queen's expression froze. She remembered previous interactions: how reluctant he had seemed when she proposed bringing him back here, and how she had practically dragged him by the hand. The realization brought a fresh wave of embarrassment, as if she could now construct three more halls and two courtyards for the underwater Dragon Palace. It turned out that he had no interest in her whatsoever, from start to finish; her pursuit of him had been entirely one-sided.

But the confidence of being the most beautiful woman in the sea for so many years snapped her back to reality. Wait, why would any man in this world not want to be close to her?

"Are you my enemy?" she probed.

"No enmity," Zu'an explained after a moment's thought. "In some ways, we actually have quite a deep connection."

"What kind of connection?" The Mermaid Queen pondered deeply, but couldn't recall any way she might be related to him.

Zu'an remained silent, clearly unable to elaborate.

The Mermaid Queen was so incensed she let out a bitter laugh. "So, are you actually a demon?" She reasoned that unless they shared a deep-seated animosity or were on opposing sides, leaving him with no choice, there was no logical reason for him to resist her so strongly. Just moments ago, she had been pondering how to persuade him not to fall too deeply for her. Now, she realized, it was she alone who had fallen too deeply.

"No, I am human," Zu'an replied. "And I am an enemy of demons."

"Human?" The Mermaid Queen sank into thought. Although the human race had seen some prosperity in recent years, they were still far too weak compared to the demon and sea races. When did the human race produce such a formidable individual?

"Let me see your true appearance," the Mermaid Queen said, staring intently at him. Everything she knew about him was false; at the very least, she should know what he truly looked like. How else could she claim to know him?

Zu'an hesitated, then shook his head. There were too many ways in this world to record appearances—through audio-visual mirrors or highly skilled paintings—all capable of perfectly preserving a person's true looks. He couldn't take that risk.

The Mermaid Queen's face turned icy. He wouldn't even show her his true appearance! Alongside her anger, a sense of curiosity arose: why was this the case?

"You're not, by any chance, related to me by blood, are you? My long-lost brother?" the Mermaid Queen sneered. Of course, she had no brothers, so she utterly dismissed his words as nonsense.

Just as Zu'an was about to speak, his expression suddenly shifted. "Careful," he warned, "someone has broken in."

The Mermaid Queen was momentarily stunned. This was her temporary palace, guarded by numerous attendants outside, and she hadn't detected any anomalies herself. Was this merely a tactic to change the subject? Just as she was about to utter a sarcastic remark, the nearby window suddenly shattered, and a figure burst in from outside, instantly lunging towards the Mermaid Queen.

Fortunately, Zu'an's recent warning had put her on alert. Her hands swiftly unleashed various spells, and simultaneously, her Deep Sea Zither appeared, emitting beautiful yet dangerous notes. Their clash was swift and decisive; the entire room's furnishings were scattered by the violent surge of energy.

Zu'an watched, speechless, as Cherry, having stumbled in the chaos, instinctively flailed and ended up clutching his thigh. It was, quite literally, a case of "clinging to one's leg."

A trickle of blood escaped the Mermaid Queen's lips, but she made no move to wipe it away, instead staring in shock at her assailant. "Who are you?" The assailant was clad in black and wore a ghost-face mask, rendering their appearance completely indiscernible. Yet this individual had silently infiltrated her territory and, despite her preparedness, instantly wounded her. There were likely only a handful of beings in the entire sea race capable of such a feat.

The figure in the ghost-face mask spoke with a sinister tone, "Oh, I didn't expect the Mermaid Queen, renowned for her beauty, to possess such high vigilance." He had originally planned a surprise attack to instantly subdue her, but to his astonishment, she had reacted with remarkable speed, as if she had already anticipated his arrival.

The Mermaid Queen subtly glanced at Zu'an, her surprise deepening. He had actually sensed the assailant's arrival in advance. Could his cultivation be so much higher than she had imagined? Despite this realization, she couldn't bring herself to feel pleased. Compared to this now unfathomable individual, she found herself feeling more affinity for the somewhat naive-looking guard he had portrayed earlier. Seeing Cherry desperately clinging to his thigh, the Queen felt intensely annoyed. That girl truly lacked any sense of dignity!

"The esteemed Lord of Debauchery, hiding his face and sneaking into the Mermaid Queen's bedchamber in the dead of night. If word of this were to spread, I wonder what the various sea tribes would think." Zu'an interjected, noticing the Mermaid Queen's distraction and worried she might underestimate their opponent. He quickly spoke to warn her. He even pondered if this was the day the Mermaid Palace's royal family, of the Gong surname, was historically destined to decline...

As expected, upon hearing that the assailant was Mogarde, the Mermaid Queen's hair stood on end. She no longer dared to let her mind wander.

Seeing his identity exposed, Mogarde dropped his disguise, removing the ghost-face mask from his face. "Oh? I've long been able to conceal my aura. Even the Mermaid Queen didn't realize it was me, yet you could tell?" He simultaneously grew wary, thinking, *This individual seems stronger than I imagined.*

Zu'an offered a slight smile. "I merely bluffed on a whim; I didn't expect it to actually be you."

Mogarde was left speechless.

Rage surged from Mogarde.