Chapter 660: Don't Underestimate a Poor Young Man

Seeing Zu An’s trembling demeanor, the emperor nodded almost imperceptibly, seemingly quite pleased with his attitude.

As emperor, witnessing his subjects below, filled with trepidation, trembling with fear, their lives hanging by his merest whim – that feeling was truly addictive.

He collected himself and said aloud, "Good, you didn't try to twist words or argue. Otherwise, you would already be a corpse. Very well, seeing that you still have some loyalty, I will give you a chance to atone for your mistakes by performing meritorious service."

Loyalty, you must be joking!

He knew this was a common tactic of the emperor’s. In his heart, he had already cursed the emperor’s family a hundred times, yet his expression was as sincere as could be: "Your Majesty's command, I will brave fire and flood without hesitation."

At the same time, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed his life was spared.

The emperor became even more satisfied with his attitude. He had originally intended to use this opportunity to reprimand Zu An if he had been foolish, but since he was so compliant, the reprimand was unnecessary: "Since you have that connection with the Demonic Sect's Saintess, use this opportunity to infiltrate the sect. Firstly, find out where the Demonic Sect Master, Yun Jianyue, is currently hiding. Secondly, ascertain the precise relationship between the Demonic Sect and Prince Qi. Moreover, if you can establish a firm foothold within the Demonic Sect, you might prove very useful in the future."

Zu An breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the emperor truly didn't know Yun Jianyue was with him. "Hmm, I absolutely must not let him know, or I'll be dead for sure."

He deliberately put on a troubled expression: "The Demonic Sect Master is a Grandmaster. A small figure like me might not be able to handle her."

The emperor said indifferently, "I'm merely asking you to investigate her whereabouts, not to fight her. If she truly needs to be dealt with, I will personally take action. You needn't worry."

Zu An feigned relief, then questioned, "Didn't Your Majesty just say that the Demonic Sect's assassination attempt on the Crown Prince couldn't have been orchestrated by Prince Qi? Why then must we still investigate their relationship?"

The emperor said displeasedly, "Just investigate as you're told. Why so many questions?"

After a moment, as if concerned Zu An wouldn't take it seriously, he continued, "While the probability of Prince Qi instigating the Demonic Sect is low, I fear he might exploit that assumption and do the opposite. That's why I'm asking you to investigate."

Zu An was dumbfounded. Was the emperor schizophrenic? On one hand, he thought there was no connection with Prince Qi, but on the other, he worried there might be. Tsk, tsk, so suspicious – truly a difficult master to serve.

He vowed to take this as a warning in the future and never assume he could earn this man's complete trust.

He cleared his throat and said with some difficulty, "However, I only have a certain personal friendship with Qiu Honglei and no overall connection with the Demonic Sect. Many people within the sect want me dead. I'm concerned it will be very difficult to infiltrate them. My death would be a minor matter, but hindering Your Majesty's grand plans would be a great one."

He still needed to make the right gestures: I have no connection to the Demonic Sect, and I certainly don't know anyone named Yun Jianyue or similar.

The emperor's brow relaxed. Although he knew perfectly well the fellow was flattering him, it was pleasant to hear: "That's easy. Aren't there still a few Demonic Sect assassins imprisoned in the imperial dungeon? Find a way to free them. The Demonic Sect will naturally be indebted to you. Coupled with your connection to Qiu Honglei, you'll naturally be able to infiltrate their ranks."

Zu An was instantly dumbfounded. Such a good opportunity exists?

The crucial point was that both Qiu Honglei and Yun Jianyue had previously pleaded with him to help save these people. They hadn't even dared to hope he could free them, only asking that the cultists be granted a swift, pain-free end to avoid torture.

Who would have thought the emperor would directly order him to rescue them? There was absolutely nothing to fear now.

Seeing him frozen there, the emperor frowned: "What? Can't you do it?"

"I'll do my best to try." Zu An feigned a troubled expression, but secretly almost burst out laughing.

The emperor said, "Don't think this will be easy. There are many intelligent people within the Demonic Sect, especially Yun Jianyue, who could cultivate into a Grandmaster and devise this scheme to frame others. She is definitely among the most brilliant. Your primary consideration should be how to ensure they don't suspect you. Additionally, I will have Grand Eunuch Guo Zhi secretly assist you. Only proceed with the rescue once you are confident."

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty." Zu An secretly scoffed. "You praise Yun Jianyue's intellect to the heavens, yet you easily saw through her scheme yourself. Isn't that just a roundabout way of boasting?"

"Alright, you may withdraw." The emperor waved his hand, clearly about to resume his cultivation.

Zu An gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, I have one more humble request."

"What?" The emperor opened his eyes, a little surprised.

Zu An said, "I am willing to help Your Majesty infiltrate the Demonic Sect, but Qiu Honglei has saved my life multiple times. As the saying goes, 'one should repay kindness.' I dare to request that after Your Majesty defeats the Demonic Sect in the future, you spare her life."

He was doing his best to play the role expected of him, absolutely unwilling to let the emperor realize how overjoyed he was feeling internally.

The emperor sneered, "Is that truly repaying kindness, or are you just lusting after her body?"

Zu An gave an awkward laugh, looking embarrassed.

Only then did the emperor speak: "Very well. As long as you successfully help me destroy the Demonic Sect, a mere woman is yours to have. Of course, the condition is that she completely abandons her rebel identity. Otherwise, do not blame me for showing no mercy."

"That is certainly the case, most certainly," Zu An hastily replied.

"Begone," the emperor said indifferently.

Zu An left the imperial study. Although his face showed no abnormality, his heart was extremely heavy.

In the emperor's eyes, he was merely an ant that could be crushed at any moment, not worth a second thought.

He might escape once or twice, but he didn't believe he could be so lucky every single time.

"Hmph, thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west; don't bully a young man for being poor!" He secretly muttered a famous quote from his previous life but had to return to reality.

Cheng Xiong had tried to kill him repeatedly, and he had managed to successfully retaliate. But now it was the emperor's turn. Did he truly possess the ability to contend with him?

He was the undisputed strongest person in the world!

Unless...

A glint appeared in his eyes, and the outline of a plan seemed to form in his mind.

All the way back to his courtyard, Yun Jianyue feigned nonchalance and said, "Oh, you're fine? I thought the emperor wanted to kill you."

Given her cultivation level, the words Grand Eunuch Wen had let slip earlier had not escaped her notice.

Seeing the beautiful woman with flowing hair before him, Zu An's mood immediately brightened: "If the emperor had truly killed me, would you have committed suicide for me?"

Naturally, he wouldn't reveal what had happened in the imperial study. He had just walked through the gates of hell; if he didn't fully utilize this opportunity to gain favor with the two beauties, it would be a terrible waste.

Yun Jianyue's expression instantly turned cold: "Brat, don't think that just because you saved me, I wouldn't dare kill you."

Seeing that he hadn't received any 'rage points' from his system, Zu An generally understood: "Ah, there are plenty of people who want to kill me. One more wouldn't make a difference."

Yun Jianyue frowned slightly, but sensing the despondency in his tone, she said nothing further.

After a long silence, she suddenly spoke: "I might have to leave."

Zu An immediately grew anxious: "Don't go! Worst case, I won't tease you casually anymore. Actually, I wasn't intentionally trying to be disrespectful; I just thought the dignified Demonic Sect Master would look very beautiful when angry."

Yun Jianyue gave him an exasperated look: "I'll snap one day and kill you, you know."

During their time together, she had come to understand his character somewhat. She knew he was different from many people in this world, unburdened by excessive rules and formalities. Although his words could sometimes be infuriating, it was precisely for this reason that she found him particularly rare.

After all, ever since she had achieved mastery in martial arts, no one had dared to chat or joke with her so freely.

"Sister, you're a typical person with a sharp tongue and a soft heart," Zu An said, then dropped his smile. "But your injuries haven't healed yet. Leaving rashly would be too dangerous."

Yun Jianyue shook her head: "Now that the emperor has returned and we are both within the palace, as my injuries gradually recover, it will be difficult to hide my aura from him. Staying any longer would be even more dangerous and would also put you in harm's way."

Upon learning this reason, Zu An naturally ceased being sentimental: "Very well, I'll figure out a way to get you out of the palace first."

Her departure from the city must not cause any ripples. Otherwise, if the emperor were alerted, she wouldn't be able to leave.

His heart stirred, and he immediately thought of an idea.