Chapter 605: Reunion

The Empress was greatly troubled. Originally, she could have used Zuan’s disrespect towards her as leverage, constantly threatening him and forcing him to yield, ultimately keeping him completely under her control.

However, Zuan had suddenly transformed a negligible "disrespectful offense" into a tangible incident, and that instantly made things complicated.

Before, whether he had been "disrespectful" was subject to her interpretation, allowing her to handle it as she pleased.

But now that he genuinely had been disrespectful, the interpretation lay with the Emperor. If the Emperor truly knew about this, Zuan would certainly be executed, and the Emperor would also grow to despise her.

What was originally a small secret she used to control Zuan had instantly become a shared secret that both of them had to keep.

If she had been alone and affronted in such a way, she might have taken a drastic risk and eventually found a way to eliminate Zuan.

However, she was not alone; she had the powerful Liu clan backing her. She dared not take any risks, or else, if something went wrong, the entire Liu clan would pay the price with her.

But could she just let it go?

She, the dignified Empress of the realm, had been hit and kissed by this scoundrel, for nothing?

She pondered for a long time, only to dispiritedly realize that there truly seemed to be no solution.

The thought infuriated her even more.

Rage points from Liu Ning: 1024, 1024, 1024...

Seeing the string of rage points in the system, Zuan knew he had truly provoked the Empress. Unfortunately, he had no other recourse; short of ruthlessly destroying her, there was no better solution.

Just as the Empress was about to speak, a cold sneer suddenly echoed from nearby: "What a perfect pair of adulterers!"

Turning around, they saw a black-clad assassin standing at the doorway, coldly staring at them.

The Empress's mind reeled. She had been pondering how to deal with the scoundrel Zuan, but at that instant, she instinctively told him, "Quick, kill him!"

Originally, only she and Zuan knew about the incident; with a tacit understanding, they could have kept it completely secret. But now that a third person knew, it was a disaster of monumental proportions.

Unconsciously, she had begun to think of Zuan and herself as being on the same side. This was indeed true; at this moment, they were both in the same boat.

Zuan's scalp tingled too; with the assassin having witnessed this, even nine lives wouldn't be enough for him.

So, without hesitation, he charged directly at the assassin.

The assassin reacted even faster, fleeing outside before Zuan could make his move.

Zuan paused, stunned. Wasn't this assassin here to kill the Empress? Why was he just running away?

The Empress was close to tears. Seeing his momentary daze, she urgently cried out, "Quick, chase him! If he escapes, he can kill us even without a blade!"

Zuan snapped out of it and immediately rushed out.

By now, the battle outside had significantly changed. After some time, guards from other parts of the palace had arrived upon hearing the commotion. More and more assassins were being cut down. These palace guards were no ordinary fighters; each one was hand-picked, a master among masters.

Upon seeing this, one of the Shadow Tower assassins suddenly blew a sharp whistle, and all the black-clad assassins began to retreat.

The assassin who had been engaging Eunuch Lu was clearly the leader of this Shadow Tower operation. He used the recoil from clashing palms with Eunuch Lu to quickly retreat, covering his comrades' escape.

Eunuch Lu did not pursue. After all, the opponent's cultivation was not inferior to his own, and he was already injured. He truly did not wish to fight a desperate battle with a master of equal rank.

But the most crucial reason was his concern for the Empress's safety. He had witnessed a black-clad assassin and Zuan rushing out one after the other. His expression slightly changed, and he quickly rushed inside, hoping the Empress was unharmed.

Seeing Eunuch Lu go in to protect her, Zuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. His greatest fear was that while he pursued the assassin, other Shadow Tower assassins might slip in and kill the Empress, leaving him nowhere to turn for comfort.

The Empress's tone and words towards him just now clearly implied an acknowledgment of their shared predicament, at least enough to maintain a delicate balance where neither dared expose the matter, thus providing a safeguard for both.

The only thing left to do was silence the Shadow Tower insider who knew their secret.

However, as he continued the pursuit, his brow furrowed. Why did this person's figure seem somewhat familiar? Yet, he was certain he had never heard the voice the person used earlier. So, despite his confusion, he pressed on.

The person's movements were extremely elusive. Although the distance between them was steadily closing, Zuan couldn't catch up immediately and began to feel anxious. Just as he was about to use some of his trump cards, he saw two guards rush out ahead.

The Shadow Tower members were dressed distinctively, so the two guards immediately drew their swords and blocked the figure. "Stop!" they commanded.

The two guards attacked the black-clad figure from left and right. The black-clad figure changed directions several times but couldn't escape, instead being forced into precarious situations.

Zuan was secretly startled. The imperial palace truly had hidden talents. These two seemingly ordinary guards were both Fifth Rank, and they even seemed proficient in a two-person combined attack technique, which doubled their power when fighting together.

Soon, the black-clad assassin was in increasing peril and grunted as a palm strike landed on their shoulder.

That grunt sounded familiar. And the voice in the Empress's bedchamber was male earlier; how had it become a woman's now?

The two imperial guards showed no mercy just because their opponent was a woman; their attacks were relentless.

At this point, the black-clad woman could no longer hold back. Suddenly, with a flick of her hand, countless vines shot out, entangling the two guards.

"Wood element?" The two imperial guards showed no panic; soon, flames erupted from their blades.

Originally, the black-clad woman's cultivation wouldn't have put her in such a disadvantageous position against the two, but unfortunately, she had encountered two fire-element users, a severe elemental clash.

"Ah!" the woman cried out again. She had already been cut by a blade; although she dodged quickly, a bloody gash still marked her body.

How could Zuan stand by? He immediately rushed forward: "Brothers, guards, let me assist you!"

The two imperial guards noticed Zuan's official uniform and that he had been chasing the assassin. Thus, they lowered their guard. "Just stand by and prevent his escape," they said. "Coming closer would interfere with our combined attack."

"Alright!" Zuan agreed verbally, but his body continued to rush towards the two guards.

"What are you doing?" As imperial guards, their vigilance was extremely high. They immediately sensed something amiss and quickly swung their swords defensively.

Unfortunately, the elemental energy from their blades seemed to vanish into a black hole, completely absorbed.

They hadn't anticipated this. The momentary sensation of weightlessness almost made them vomit.

Zuan took advantage of their dazed state, delivering a fatal blow with a single finger to each.

Though not a bloodthirsty person, he wouldn't show weakness when someone close to him was in danger.

After dealing with the two guards, Zuan turned back to the black-clad young woman. "Xue'er, how are your injuries?"

"Hmph, finally recognized me?" The black-clad young woman pulled off her veil, revealing a charming face, both sweet and a little cross. It was none other than Qiao Xueying.

"I actually thought your figure looked familiar earlier, but you deliberately used a male voice then, so I wasn't sure," Zuan said, a mix of surprise and joy. He hadn't expected to encounter her here.

Qiao Xueying took a small jade pendant from her neck. "It's from the Shadow Tower; it can alter your voice to some extent to protect your true identity."

After explaining, she huffed, "Who told you to be messing around with that Empress? Of course, you wouldn't recognize me!"

"That was a misunderstanding..." Zuan immediately broke into a cold sweat. Who would have thought she'd see such a thing by chance? Just as he was about to explain, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps nearby. Clearly, guards were approaching.

"The assassin is over there!" Someone had clearly spotted them.

Now even Qiao Xueying's expression changed. If she were truly trapped in the palace, she would surely die, and it might even drag Zuan down with her.