Chapter 669: Two Faces

Zu'an was uneasy. In the palace, fraught with danger, he dared not be careless. Although his cultivation was good now, there were countless people in the palace who surpassed him. Moreover, many in the world were skilled at concealing their presence, so it was normal for him not to sense them with his vital energy.

He quickly activated the jade cong's ability, communicating with nearby small animals to observe the situation within a thirty-meter radius through their eyes.

Aside from the occasional patrolling guards, there was no one else around...

Wait, Zu'an suddenly saw a familiar face a few meters away, around a corner: a plump, fair-skinned eunuch.

"Is that him?" Zu'an's brow furrowed instantly. This was Eunuch Wen, the emperor's personal attendant.

Normally, Eunuch Wen always smiled when speaking to anyone, and his plump, fair appearance made him seem very kind. But now, his face was gloomy, starkly different from his usual amiable persona.

Could this be his true nature?

A chill ran down Zu'an's spine. He realized he had truly been deceived by the eunuch's smiling demeanor before.

He had initially thought Prince Qi, having been humiliated, had sent someone to track and retaliate against him. Instead, it was someone from the emperor's side.

Had the emperor been tracking him all along?

No, given the emperor's terrifying divine sense, there was no need to send people to track him. Besides, this feeling of being followed was recent; it must have started after he offended Prince Qi. Wait, could Eunuch Wen be Prince Qi's man?

This thought startled Zu'an. Eunuch Wen was the emperor's personal attendant; if even he had been bribed by Prince Qi, it showed how terrifying Prince Qi was.

But if that were the case, wouldn't the emperor seem foolish? With his power, how could he not know if someone close to him had been bribed? That seemed impossible.

Yet, he immediately recalled the TV shows and movies he had watched in his previous life: the least likely suspect often turned out to be the real culprit...

Various thoughts swirled in his mind, making his head feel like a muddle.

Just then, Eunuch Wen straightened his clothes behind the corner, then rubbed his plump cheeks, and his face once again displayed his usual common smile.

After rounding the corner, he looked at Zu'an with a mix of surprise and delight: "Master Zu, I've been looking all over for you."

Zu'an forced a smile. Knowing the eunuch had two faces, it was hard to act as casually as before. "Oh, it's Eunuch Wen," he said. "Is there something you need me for?"

Eunuch Wen said with a smile, "The emperor wishes to see you. Master Zu, please come to the imperial study."

Even though the sun was shining brightly on him, seeing the eunuch's smiling face sent an inexplicable shiver down Zu'an's spine. "Thank you, Eunuch," he replied. "I'll go there right away."

"This way, Master Zu!" Eunuch Wen said, still smiling.

Zu'an bowed, then followed him towards the imperial study.

Having met the emperor several times, he was now less afraid than before.

After all, the emperor still had several important tasks that relied on him. At most, the emperor would use imperial tactics to test him, but wouldn't truly harm him.

Instead, it was Eunuch Wen, with his hidden motives, whom Zu'an felt he couldn't guard against.

Should he privately ask the emperor later to confirm if Eunuch Wen was indeed Prince Qi's man?

As soon as the thought arose, Zu'an dismissed it.

What if Eunuch Wen was sent by the emperor to monitor him? Asking directly would only expose himself.

Even if Eunuch Wen truly had issues, he had no proof. As the saying goes, "strangers don't come between relatives," and after serving the emperor for so many years, the emperor would surely trust him more.

If Eunuch Wen retaliated afterward, it would be quite troublesome.

So, it was better not to expose him for now. Since Eunuch Wen didn't know Zu'an was aware of his true nature, Zu'an had the advantage of being in the dark. Once exposed, that informational advantage would be lost.

"Master Zu, is something on your mind today?" At that moment, Eunuch Wen's smiling voice came from beside him. "You seem much more subdued than usual."

A chill ran down Zu'an's spine. Had Eunuch Wen seen through him? He quickly forced a smile and explained, "I'm always a little nervous when summoned by the emperor."

"I see," Eunuch Wen said, relieved. "Actually, Master Zu, there's no need to worry too much. It seems the emperor is in a good mood today."

"Thank you for the tip, Eunuch." Zu'an casually slipped two more 100-tael silver notes to him. It was best to keep such a sly old fox appeased for now.

Seeing the money, Eunuch Wen smiled even more broadly, his eyes almost narrowing into slits.

They arrived at the imperial study. Eunuch Wen stood guard outside while Zu'an entered. The emperor was sitting leisurely on his throne, reading a book.

"Greetings, Your Majesty," Zu'an bowed.

The emperor grunted, then after a moment, put down his book. "You've already released the assassin from the celestial prison?"

"I was fortunate not to fail my mission," Zu'an replied, thinking the emperor was asking the obvious, especially since his divine sense had descended upon them then.

The emperor nodded with satisfaction. "Do the demon cult members suspect anything?"

"They shouldn't," Zu'an replied. "I pinned the blame on Prince Qi..." He then recounted his plan, which was... more like ninety percent truth and ten percent falsehood.

"You're quite clever. This way, those in the celestial prison won't suspect anything afterward, and the information won't leak out." A faint smile appeared on the emperor's face. This fellow, who had risen from the streets, was far more useful than many formally educated officials. Most others couldn't have handled the matter so flawlessly.

Zu'an quickly added, "But after I left the celestial prison, I accidentally ran into Prince Qi. At that moment, he grew suspicious of the demon cult members disguised as guards. In a moment of crisis, I had to trick him by saying that the head guard, Liu Chenyu, had been summoned by Your Majesty..."

The emperor chuckled. "I never thought my second brother, usually so resourceful, would be completely played by you today."

Zu'an's expression was odd. He knew they were blood brothers—the emperor was the eldest son, and Prince Qi was the second, thus ranking second. But the term "second brother" sounded strange to him.

Not wanting to arouse suspicion, he quickly said, "That was just a bit of petty cleverness on my part. Prince Qi was caught off guard, which is why he fell for it. He'll know I was lying as soon as he investigates afterward."

As he said this, he appropriately displayed a worried expression.

*Sigh, after battling these sly old foxes in the palace for so long, I'm almost becoming one myself.*

The emperor waved his hand dismissively. "You needn't worry about that. I will handle it properly."

Zu'an breathed a sigh of relief. He had been afraid Prince Qi would investigate Liu Chenyu's whereabouts. Now that the emperor had said so, there would definitely be no problems.

The emperor mused for a moment, then said, "Given that you've offended Prince Qi like this, how will you complete the first task I assigned you?"

Zu'an explained, "Prince Qi is very suspicious and extremely cunning. If I were to directly ingratiate myself with him and give him a fake manual, he would become suspicious. So, I'm doing the opposite: I'll let him believe he obtained the real manual through his own efforts, which will make him more likely to practice it."

"Hmm, not bad. That makes sense," the emperor nodded. Given his understanding of his brother, it was indeed as Zu'an described.

Zu'an suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "Your Majesty, Prince Qi just struck me three times. I'm concerned he might have used some sinister technique, like a Bone-Melting Palm, to leave a hidden force in my body that would cause me to suddenly die mysteriously after a while. Could Your Majesty please examine me? My personal life and death are minor; I only fear it would delay Your Majesty's task."

The emperor was taken aback. Hearing Zu'an's description, he only then realized what a Bone-Melting Palm was, and his expression grew solemn. "Come here and let me see," he commanded.

"Yes!" Zu'an's heart swelled with joy. With the world's foremost powerful expert helping him, any restrictions Prince Qi might have placed on him could easily be removed.

The emperor observed him for a moment, then suddenly extended his hand and lightly tapped him three times. "There," he said.

Zu'an was overjoyed. "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The emperor then sneered, "Don't rejoice too soon. Prince Qi doesn't possess the kind of restrictive technique you described. On the contrary, I happen to. Your words just now reminded me, so I specifically placed a restriction on you. This way, you will be more dedicated to the tasks I assign."

Zu'an: "???"