Chapter 622: Playing with the Heartbeat

Hearing Zhu Xiechi’s voice, Zu An was startled, and even Yun Jianyue, who was standing nearby, changed her expression.

In her current state, facing Zhu Xiechi would undoubtedly mean death.

How did he find her? Did Zu An secretly inform him? Perhaps the Embroidered Uniform Guards had some private means of communication.

However, she quickly dismissed that thought. If he truly wanted to harm her, he wouldn't have stopped when she was absorbing her cultivation earlier. Why go to such trouble?

Zu An’s mind was also racing with countless thoughts. His first instinct was to play dead, pretending he wasn't in the room and ignoring the other party, hoping Zhu Xiechi would call out a few times without success and then leave.

But he immediately realized that wouldn't work. For Zhu Xiechi to appear so coincidentally at the door, he most likely knew Zu An was inside.

Could he have witnessed Zu An returning with Yun Jianyue?

A shiver ran down his spine at the thought.

He quickly analyzed the situation: probably not. He had been extremely careful on the way back, almost using all the small animals in the palace as his eyes and ears. If even that had been discovered, was Zhu Xiechi a god?

He looked down at his waist token, vaguely feeling a warmth emanating from it. Could it be that these tokens could sense each other?

“Eleven?” Zhu Xiechi’s tone grew a little impatient.

Zu An immediately responded, “Coming, coming!”

He then sent a qi message to Yun Jianyue: “Be careful. I’ll go out and deal with him.”

Yun Jianyue nodded, not even uttering a sound.

Zu An quickly ran out the door and saw Zhu Xiechi standing outside the courtyard.

Hmm, there were no other guards around, so he probably wasn't here to arrest him.

“Greetings, Great Commander.” Zu An bowed after opening the courtyard gate.

“Why did it take you so long to open the door?” Zhu Xiechi frowned slightly, a faint displeasure on his pale face.

He really knew I was inside?

Zu An’s heart sank. He quickly said, “After a series of battles today and being startled, I was quite exhausted. So I just lay down for a short nap on the bed and unintentionally fell asleep. When I heard Great Commander’s voice, I thought I was dreaming.”

Zhu Xiechi scoffed, “Right now, you’re probably the only one in the palace who can sleep.”

“Great Commander, you must be tired,” Zu An said with a forced smile. After a moment, he tentatively asked, “May I ask why you’ve come to see this humble subordinate?”

“Nothing in particular. I just sensed you inside while patrolling nearby and thought I’d come talk to you,” Zhu Xiechi said, pointing to his waist token. His token was different from those of other Embroidered Uniform Guards; it was made of jade, not gold or silver. “This item can sense other Embroidered Uniform Guards within a certain range, which is for timely mutual assistance when we’re on missions.”

Zu An thought, 'It really is the waist token.' But he immediately realized, 'Given Zhu Xiechi’s standing, why would he suddenly come here just to chat with me?'

Zhu Xiechi then continued, “I’ve been busy all night and haven’t even had a sip of water. Would you mind if I came in for some tea?”

Zu An’s heart nearly leaped out of his chest. If Zhu Xiechi went inside and discovered Yun Jianyue, it would be a death sentence.

But how could he refuse his superior, who was merely passing by and asking for a cup of water?

“Uh, Great Commander, you must be truly exhausted…” His mind raced as he tried to find an excuse to decline, but he saw Zhu Xiechi had already walked straight inside.

Zu An was speechless.

His heart was pounding in his throat. He even had a fleeting thought: could he and Yun Jianyue team up to take him down?

However, he immediately dismissed the idea. Not only was Yun Jianyue severely injured and powerless, but even if she still had some fighting capability, it would be extremely difficult for the two of them combined to defeat a half-step Grandmaster.

Furthermore, Zhu Xiechi could summon reinforcements from the palace at any moment. Fighting him was truly the worst possible option.

Seeing that he couldn't stop him, Zu An could only say loudly, “Great Commander, I naturally welcome your visit to my humble abode. However, I’ve just moved in, and many areas haven’t been cleaned yet. I’m afraid I might not be able to treat you properly.”

He deliberately raised his voice to alert Yun Jianyue inside. As a Grandmaster, she shouldn't be foolish, right?

“Don’t be so formal. We’ll be colleagues from now on, one of our own,” Zhu Xiechi said, turning his head to look at him curiously. “Hmm, why are you sweating so much?”

Zu An had just taken off his mask and hadn’t had time to put it back on. Since Zhu Xiechi already knew his true identity, there was no need to hide it.

Zu An quickly replied, “Perhaps I’m a bit worried. So many assassins appeared in the forbidden imperial palace; it feels quite unsettling.”

“Today’s events were indeed absurd,” Zhu Xiechi said, empathizing. He then reminded him, “Oh, by the way, remember to wear your mask when you wear this uniform in the future. Your true identity must not be revealed.”

Zu An cupped his hands. “Thank you for the reminder, Great Commander.”

This guy actually cares about me. Well, if possible, I should try not to act against him.

He stepped into the room ahead of Zhu Xiechi and indeed saw no sign of Yun Jianyue. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. With a cultivation technique like “Bright Mirror, Not a Stand” to conceal her aura, she should be able to get by as long as Zhu Xiechi didn’t see her with his own eyes.

He quickly scanned the entire room, finally resting his gaze on the bed. The bed curtains were drawn, and the bedding was disheveled, as if someone had just gotten up from it.

He secretly praised Yun Jianyue’s meticulousness. He had just told Zhu Xiechi outside that he had slept on the bed for a while, and she had already set up the scene.

Furthermore, she had deliberately only lowered half of the bed curtains. If they were fully drawn, anyone seeing them would immediately suspect someone was hidden inside, but now, half-open and half-closed, it looked natural instead.

Zu An had already guessed that Yun Jianyue was likely hiding behind the lowered half of the bed curtains, probably a fan of risky maneuvers.

He quickly poured Zhu Xiechi a bowl of tea. “Great Commander, please help yourself.”

As he spoke, he naturally positioned himself between Zhu Xiechi and the bed, blocking his line of sight.

“You sit too, no need to be so polite.” Zhu Xiechi picked up the teacup, took a casual sip, and put it down.

Zu An’s heart sank. He clearly wasn't here for water, so what was his real purpose?

Zhu Xiechi also seemed to hesitate, clearly contemplating how to phrase his words. Suddenly, he sniffed. “Hmm, why is there a woman’s scent?”

Hearing his words, Zu An’s scalp nearly exploded. Seeing the other man getting up and looking around, Zu An, with a speed he didn't know he possessed, quickly said, “Perhaps it’s because I hugged the Crown Princess for a moment when I rescued her in the Eastern Palace just now, and some of her scent rubbed off on me.”

Zhu Xiechi frowned. “But this doesn’t smell like the Crown Princess.”

Zu An cursed inwardly. They say women are most sensitive to other women’s scents, but does a grown man need to be like this?

He quickly remedied the situation: “I was also in Kunning Palace for a while earlier and rescued the Empress from the assassins. It might be a mix of several scents.”

Zhu Xiechi nodded, accepting this explanation. He knew that the Empress liked to burn various expensive sandalwood incenses, and a mixture would indeed be hard to distinguish.

Worried that Zhu Xiechi would continue to question him, Zu An quickly went on the offensive: “Great Commander seems very familiar with the Crown Princess’s scent.”

“Those of us in this line of work are naturally more sensitive to smells,” Zhu Xiechi’s face stiffened, and he quickly whispered, “You can’t just say things like that! Are you trying to get me killed?”

Zu An offered an awkward smile. “Great Commander, I absolutely didn’t mean that.”

Seeing him so scared, Zu An felt a surge of satisfaction. Zhu Xiechi had been scaring him senseless from the beginning; it was only fair for him to return the favor.

Zhu Xiechi snorted. “Speaking of which, you’re quite blessed, kid. You actually saved the Empress, the Crown Prince, and the Crown Princess all at once today. Your future prospects are limitless.”

Zu An gave a wry smile. “Don’t even mention it. I almost lost my head because of this.”

Zhu Xiechi was startled. “What do you mean?”

Zu An directly explained, “Just now, His Majesty kept me behind. When he learned I had held the Crown Princess, he wanted to chop off my hands…”

Zhu Xiechi’s expression turned odd. “Be content. You held the Crown Princess and are still alive and kicking. That’s already considered an act of imperial grace.”

“It’s not that easy,” Zu An replied. “His Majesty ordered me to atone for my 'crime' by rendering meritorious service. If I can’t uncover anything, I’ll still face death.” Zu An deliberately guided the conversation in this direction.

“Oh? Atoning for a crime by rendering meritorious service?” Zhu Xiechi’s expression subtly changed.