Chapter 719: Another Half of That Person

Zu An's expression was strange as he read the introduction next to him.

"I have a friend who says: There is the most mysterious and loyal friend in this world. No matter if you want to prove your words are credible, or if you have something unspeakable that you don't want to reveal yourself, he will appear from your mouth immediately to perfectly take the blame for you. No one has truly seen him, yet he genuinely appears in everyone's life."

"Usage effect: When you use 'I have a friend' as an opening, everyone will know that you are fabricating a friend, and that friend is actually yourself."

Zu An was completely bewildered. What was going on? Wasn't this skill useless? Even without this skill, if I just say "I have a friend," everyone will know I'm talking about myself, right? So what's the point of this skill? What a rip-off! Zu An then realized that few, if any, of the skills produced by the system weren't scams.

Drawing such an unhelpful skill put him in a bad mood, so he began praying to the gods and Buddhas for a skill that could solve his current predicament. "Thank you for participating... Thank you for participating... Thank you for participating..." Seeing those words repeatedly, his eyelids twitched until, in the end, he didn't draw any new skills or items. He could only sigh, knowing that it was indeed useless to seek help only in times of desperate need if he hadn't prepared beforehand.

In total, he drew 331 Vitality Fruits. Based on the usual ten-to-one probability, he was truly unlucky today.

Zu An looked around. Seeing no one was paying attention, he still felt uneasy. He went to a corner, used his body to block the view, and secretly summoned Daji, feeding her all the Vitality Fruits. Daji's aura climbed steadily, breaking through to the 6th rank in one go. Zu An's mood only then improved slightly. He thought that if he could accumulate a few more waves of rage value and feed Daji enough to become a Grandmaster or even a Great Grandmaster, wouldn't he be able to walk around with ultimate confidence? Although his current strength was decent, in the capital, where "rank seven is worse than a dog and rank eight can be found everywhere," it was simply not enough. Thinking of this, he almost wanted to cry. He had trained desperately, yet Daji's leveling speed absolutely crushed his. Was there any justice?

Just then, something stirred within him, and he quickly recalled Daji. The next second, Guo Zhi appeared outside the cell: "Brother Zu, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just relieving myself here," Zu An said, deliberately shaking his body, then pulling up his trousers.

"Good, if you're fine. Just call if you need anything," Guo Zhi said. He looked around and, seeing nothing unusual, left. "That's strange, I seemed to sense an energy fluctuation here just now. Was it just my imagination?"

Zu An secretly became more vigilant. It seemed he needed to be even more careful in the future. If Daji were seen and the news reached Zhu Xie Chixin's ears, it would be troublesome. He then lay flat on the bed, beginning to slowly review the details of the entire incident...

Time passed unnoticed. He wasn't interrogated again for the next few days, and he was so bored in his cell he felt like he'd grow feathers. Fortunately, during this time, Chu Chuyan visited him occasionally, bringing him the latest news from the imperial court:

"These days, there's been intense debate in the imperial court. Because of the lack of hard evidence, officials from the Crown Prince's faction have begun a full counterattack, claiming that someone framed them with malicious intent and demanding a thorough investigation into the mastermind."

"The King Qi faction also refused to show weakness, making a big deal out of the eyewitnesses and the clothes you left at the scene. By the way, was there really nothing between you and the Crown Princess? Why were your clothes found together?"

Zu An chuckled awkwardly, "That's clearly a frame-up. Isn't it easy to steal my clothes?"

"But stealing the Crown Princess's dress might not be so easy?" Chu Chuyan's delicate brows furrowed slightly, though she didn't truly suspect him. She continued, "After much argument, someone suggested inviting the Grand Academician to conduct a heart-searching inquiry."

"Initially, many ministers from both sides disagreed, each with their own concerns. But with no other options, they argued for several days. I believe it won't be long before they reach an agreement. It's almost a certainty that the Grand Academician will come to conduct the inquiry." As she spoke, Chu Chuyan's cool eyes were filled with worry: "The Grand Academician's strength is unfathomable, no less than King Qi's. Some even speculate he's the most likely person to rival the Emperor. No one can lie in front of him."

Zu An chuckled, "I can't believe I have such influence, to be able to get such a great figure to make an appearance." He recalled Yun Jianyue mentioning that there were two and a half people in the capital whom she feared: the Emperor and King Qi were confirmed. Was this Grand Academician the "half"?

"You're still in the mood to joke," Chu Chuyan said, a little anxious. "If you really did anything, you won't be able to hide it from the Grand Academician."

Zu An's expression was peculiar: "I'm just saying, what if? What if I really did have something with the Crown Princess? What would you do?"

Chu Chuyan's willow-like eyebrows shot up: "Then you'd deserve to die!"

Rage value from Chu Chuyan: 222222...

This little jealous one! Zu An burst into laughter: "Don't worry, the Crown Princess and I are innocent." Hmm, it was just that everyone's definition of "innocent" differed slightly. In his mind, to be "not innocent," at least third base would have to be reached.

Chu Chuyan finally breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. Once the Grand Academician steps in, you should be acquitted soon."

Zu An noticed the weariness in her eyes, and his heart warmed. He took her hand and said, "Chuyan, you've been running around making connections these past few days. You've really gone through a lot for me."

Chu Chuyan, however, sighed softly: "I know in my heart that what I've been doing these past few days has been largely futile. The matter involved this time is simply too massive; even the connections of the Chu family, or even the Qin family, can't make much of a difference."

Zu An smiled gently: "It still made a difference. Otherwise, I wouldn't be waiting for the Grand Academician, but a secret execution."

Chu Chuyan pursed her lips and smiled: "You always know how to comfort me."

Not long after Chu Chuyan left, Zhen Xueyi, Jiang Boyang, and Murong Tong arrived together, accompanied by Zhu Xie Chixin. Seeing this lineup, Zu An's heart tightened. It seemed the inevitable was finally here. The jailer led Zu An to a quiet room. Zhen Xueyi and the others didn't sit down as usual, but waited silently by the door. Even Zhu Xie Chixin, abandoning his usual grim expression, shed his arrogance.

Soon, the large door was pushed open by an invisible force, and an old man in a long green robe slowly walked in from the distance. His steps were slow, yet almost in the next second, he was already in the quiet room. The sensation of spatial distortion in that instant made one's eyes ache and swell intensely. Zu An scrutinized this legendary figure. However, his appearance could only be described as unremarkable; he was the kind of person who wouldn't get a second glance if thrown into a crowd. In contrast, Jiang Boyang and the others next to him were far more handsome and elegant, yet these mature, refined, and dashing older men became mere supporting characters beside him. His eyes were incredibly profound, as if they had witnessed countless vicissitudes to become such. In that instant, Zu An somewhat forgot the other man's face; only those ancient, profound eyes remained in his mind.

"You are Zu An?" The Grand Academician didn't bother with pleasantries with Jiang Boyang and the others, not even a nod of acknowledgment. It was unclear if this was due to disdain or if his status simply didn't require it. Jiang Boyang and the others showed no sign of anger, as if this was perfectly natural: "Zu An, quickly pay your respects to the Grand Academician."

Zu An bowed: "This junior greets the Grand Academician." Being defiant in front of such a formidable person would be foolish, especially since this individual held the key to his immediate future.

The Grand Academician smiled slightly: "No need to be nervous. You only need to answer one question for me. Just follow your heart and do not resist." In that instant, Zu An felt a gentle, refreshing warmth, and he immediately focused his full attention: "Please ask, Grand Academician!" The other party was so formidable that if he were to forcibly resist with his cheat, the likely outcome would be the destruction of his soul. All that remained was to see if the newly drawn skill would have any miraculous effect. In recent days, he had already thought about how to cleverly use that seemingly useless skill, but he truly had no confidence if it would help him pass this test with the Grand Academician.

The Grand Academician's eyes glowed with clear light: "Are you and the Crown Princess innocent of wrongdoing?"

"I have a friend who..." Zu An was about to begin his opening, but suddenly paused. This question seemed... He quickly replied: "Yes!"

The Grand Academician nodded slightly: "The truth. Good, I am finished asking." With that, he turned to leave.