Chapter 621: Collision

"Woman, you've been reduced to this state, yet you're still putting on airs. I won't humor you."

He still understood that simps come to no good end.

"Are you expecting me to beg you?" As if she had read his mind, a playful look appeared on Yun Jianyue's face.

"I'm not, I didn't, don't talk nonsense," Zu'an denied it outright. "Of course, if you say something pleasant, it's not impossible..."

Yun Jianyue chuckled, "No problem at all. When the guards arrive, I'll tell them you're my accomplice, and that you used your privilege as a Gold Embroidered Envoy to let us assassins in. How does that sound?"

Zu'an was speechless.

"You're incredible!"

With no other choice, he said, "It's probably too difficult to get you out of the palace now. You should hide at my place first, lie low, and leave after your injuries have healed."

The method he used to get Qiu Honglei out before would be difficult to use a second time. Moreover, the Left and Right Guard Generals, Zhuxie Chixin, the Guerrilla General, and others were now leading their respective troops in a massive search throughout the palace. A slight misstep could lead to them running into someone. With Yun Jianyue severely injured, she probably couldn't even climb over the palace walls.

Yun Jianyue didn't refuse. "Okay."

Zu'an stepped out and looked around, seeing no one. He then turned back and gestured to her, "Come out quickly."

Yun Jianyue stood up but suddenly swayed. She was clearly still feeling dizzy.

Zu'an frowned. "I'll help you."

Knowing she wouldn't allow him to carry her, he didn't try to embarrass himself.

Yun Jianyue nodded and slowly extended her hand.

Zu'an was speechless.

The pose was as if she were a traveling consort, and he a little eunuch supporting her arm.

Fine, for Honglei's sake, I'll tolerate this for now.

He reached out and supported her, and slowly walked towards his residence.

"After you recover from your injuries, you won't turn on me and try to kill me just because I touched your hand, will you?"

As the saying goes, 'once bitten by a snake, one fears a rope for ten years'. Previously, he had accidentally made physical contact with the Empress and the Crown Princess, which had led to a heap of trouble. He didn't want to painstakingly save someone only to get no benefits whatsoever, and instead, a whole lot of trouble.

"Why would I kill you?" Yun Jianyue gave him a strange look. "Just because you touched my hand?"

This time, it was Zu'an's turn to be surprised. "Do men often touch your hand?"

"Are you used to it already?"

Considering her background in the demonic cult, this seemed natural. Yet, he felt an inexplicable discomfort in his heart.

Ah, the inherent flaws of men—when they see a beautiful woman, they wish she belonged to them alone.

"I'm almost tempted to kill you later just for saying that." Yun Jianyue snorted.

Hearing that answer, Zu'an actually felt pleased. No one's touched her before. That's good, very good.

Yun Jianyue frowned. "Stop chatting; the palace is swarming with guards right now. Don't bump into them."

Normally, with her spiritual sense extended, anyone within dozens of miles couldn't escape her notice. Unfortunately, due to her severe injuries, she no longer had that ability.

Accustomed to using her spiritual sense to detect enemies, she now felt like she was blind and deaf. It was extremely unsettling.

Zu'an smiled. "Don't worry, there's no one around."

Yun Jianyue was puzzled. She didn't understand the source of his confidence. Could his cultivation also have reached the point of extending his spiritual sense?

But along the rest of the way, she couldn't help but feel admiration. Several times, Zu'an pulled her aside to hide. At first, she thought he was intentionally taking advantage, but when she saw the guard patrols appear immediately afterward, she understood.

Time and again, he managed to evade detection each time. It was as if he already knew their positions.

Yun Jianyue could no longer hold back. "How on earth did you do that?"

Zu'an smiled slightly. "It's a secret."

Of course, he couldn't extend his spiritual sense, but he could achieve similar effects through other means.

That was his jade *cong*. He could control small animals around him. The palace had extensive green spaces, filled with trees and flowers, with many cats, mice, birds, and other small creatures. The guards couldn't possibly be on guard against them, so how could they know these small animals had become someone else's eyes and ears?

Using these small animals, Zu'an was always able to detect the guards' movements ahead of time. So even with the extensive search currently underway in the palace, he still safely brought Yun Jianyue back to his residence.

Seeing his mysterious expression, Yun Jianyue found it difficult to press further. For cultivators, many skills were indeed life-saving techniques, and it was truly inconvenient to reveal them to outsiders.

She mused about finding an opportunity to ask her obedient disciple later, to see if she knew anything.

Zu'an used his waist token to deactivate the protective barrier of his residence. He invited Yun Jianyue inside. "This is the residence of a Gold Embroidered Envoy. Few people typically come here, so you can recuperate here with peace of mind."

When he mentioned 'Gold Embroidered,' he deliberately puffed out his chest, hoping to hear a tone of awe from her and then show off a bit. To his surprise, she didn't seem to care at all.

"Thank you." Yun Jianyue looked around. This place was indeed very secluded, and it was very suitable for her to lie low here in her current state.

Seeing her uncooperative attitude, Zu'an also felt a bit disheartened. "By the way, how did you end up hiding near that rockery? It's not far from the Emperor's imperial study. Weren't you afraid of being discovered?"

Yun Jianyue slowly sat down, steadying herself with a chair. Despite her severe injuries, her posture remained impeccable. Sitting there, her back was perfectly straight, making her chest appear fuller and her waist slender. The curve between her waist and hips was especially enchanting.

Her crimson lips parted slightly. Her voice was soft and enchanting, yet tinged with a hint of coolness. "The most dangerous place is often the safest. Precisely because it's so close to the imperial study, the guards would subconsciously overlook it and search other areas instead. Furthermore, I used 'Mirror Not a Stand' to conceal my aura. It wasn't difficult to evade their senses. Of course..."

She paused, then continued, "If the Emperor himself were in the palace, I wouldn't dare to take such a risk."

Zu'an's eyes lit up, remembering the task the Emperor had given him. He hastily asked, "How did you know the Emperor wasn't in the palace?"

Yun Jianyue merely gave him a faint glance. She clearly had no intention of answering.

Zu'an hadn't expected the tables to turn so quickly. He had no choice but to say, "I'll trade information with you, then. Weren't you just curious about how I knew about the guards' presence in advance?"

A hint of a mocking smile appeared on Yun Jianyue's lips. "No trade. Those two things aren't equivalent. And even if there were equivalent information, I still wouldn't trade with you. I won't betray that person."

Seeing her so resolute, Zu'an felt somewhat dejected. It seemed he would have to find another way.

"How did you meet Honglei?" Yun Jianyue suddenly looked at the Embroidered Envoy before her with a hint of curiosity. She knew her female disciple best. On the surface, she was kind to everyone, making people feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze. But in her heart, she was actually extremely arrogant. She looked down on other men, merely playing games with them.

Yet, she had become friends with this person. Her precious disciple had even given him 'Mirror Not a Stand', and he was also willing to risk extermination of his entire clan to save her for Honglei's sake. Clearly, their relationship was far from ordinary.

Zu'an's first thought was to use this to bargain for information. But he immediately dismissed the idea. There was nothing to hide about it; she could simply ask Qiu Honglei about it later and find out. He might as well give it to her for free to gain some goodwill.

Once her favorability was high enough, he would let her know that he wasn't someone to be freeloaded off so easily.

What's the most expensive thing in the world? Often, it's the free things that come at the highest cost.

"We met in Bright Moon City before."

Hearing his answer, Yun Jianyue's heart stirred. "You're Zu'an?"

Zu'an was a bit surprised. He casually removed the mask from his face. "I didn't expect you to know me."

"Hmph, it's hard *not* to know you." Yun Jianyue recalled the intelligence she had received a few months prior: Qiu Honglei had intended to marry into the Chu family as this man's concubine. At the time, she had actually believed the pretense, thinking it was all part of a plot against the Chu family.

But later, during Zu'an's journey to the capital, Qiu Honglei had spared Zu'an multiple times. The scattered cult members had witnessed it firsthand.

Adding this current incident to the mix, it would be astonishing if there wasn't something going on between the two of them.

Zu'an was about to speak, when suddenly, Zhuxie Chixin's voice came from outside the door. "Eleven, are you there?"