Chapter 758: Mysterious Teacher

Scarlett turned her head, chuckling sweetly, "Although I'd love to tell you, I've sworn an oath not to reveal his identity, or I'll face divine retribution."

Zu An asked curiously, "What does your divine retribution have to do with me?"

Scarlett was speechless.

"You rotten brother, you have no sympathy for anyone," Scarlett huffed. "But as for who sent us, I'm sure someone as clever as you can easily figure it out."

As she spoke, her gaze subtly flickered towards the corpses of the assassins nearby.

Zu An knew she was hinting at him. Those assassins had used siege crossbows and formation blades, displaying a strong military style. Combined with their distinct personal weapons—golden and silver rings, a gold melon hammer, and a red-tasseled spear—and the fact that each was a seventh-rank master, they were clearly not nobodies. It wouldn't be too difficult to investigate.

Zu An looked at them with some curiosity. "By the way, I overheard your conversation earlier. Weren't you tasked by your master to kill me? Now you're shaking hands and making peace with me. Aren't you afraid of your oath backfiring?"

Scarlett sighed faintly, "We've already tried our best. You broke all my ultimate moves, and you even cut off one of my arms. How could we possibly kill you now? With the city guard approaching, we naturally had no choice but to flee."

Zu An was speechless.

It seemed these individuals were as cunning as ghosts, deliberately leaving loopholes in their oaths.

"Alright, let's stop chatting, or we really won't be able to leave when the city guard arrives. I look forward to seeing you again next time, little brother." Scarlett purred, leaving a string of delightful laughter mixed with the jingle of bells as she cat-walked away.

At that moment, Yun Ruyue, still in his arms, struggled to get up and said weakly, "Quickly, take me out of here."

Zu An knew she didn't want to be discovered by the approaching city guard. He glanced at the corpses of the assassins on the ground, hesitated for a moment, then went over and put them into his Glazed Orb. After a thought, he released a few assassins and left the siege crossbow behind.

He wasn't sure if there would be moles among the incoming city guard, and it would be troublesome if they hid the bodies.

So he needed to take the crucial evidence, but he couldn't leave nothing behind. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain to the Emperor and Zhu Xie Chixin if they investigated later, especially since a bulky siege crossbow would be very hard for one person to carry without an enormous storage space.

Having done all this, he quickly carried Yun Ruyue and departed.

Barely a minute after they left, a group of soldiers arrived. Seeing the scene, especially the siege crossbow, they were all shocked. The commanding officer waved his hand: "Seal off the area! Others, check the surroundings for suspicious individuals!"

By this time, Zu An was already several miles away with Yun Ruyue in his arms. Noticing a hint of dark energy between her eyebrows, he quickly took out the antidote Scarlett had given him, his expression somewhat hesitant. "I wonder if this medicine is real."

Yun Ruyue took the medicine, opened the cap, and sniffed it. "It should be real."

"You understand pharmacology?" Zu An asked cautiously, as a wrong guess wouldn't be good.

Yun Ruyue nodded. "Rune masters generally have some knowledge of medicinal properties. While it might not be profound, we can usually tell if something is an antidote."

She swallowed the pill and, after a moment, opened her eyes. "However, to completely remove the effects of the poison, I'll need hot water. I'm still quite weak right now. Oh, I was so careless earlier; I didn't realize I'd been infected by his corpse poison."

Zu An recalled the eunuch's insidious methods and sighed, "His tactics are impossible to guard against, so it's not your fault. By the way, where do you live? I'll take you back."

With her body still weak, he naturally wasn't comfortable letting her leave alone.

Yun Ruyue didn't refuse. "Let's go back to the capital."

"The capital?" Zu An was surprised. He had assumed she would be hiding somewhere in the suburbs, not living in the capital itself.

According to the Great Zhou laws, feudal princes and their families were not permitted to enter the capital without an official summons; doing so was a serious crime.

Yun Ruyue untied the veil from her face, revealing her exquisite beauty, a faint smile playing on her lips. "The Auspicious White Deer was discovered in Jibei Commandery this time, so I specifically came to the capital to present the omen to the Emperor and Empress. Naturally, I'm staying in the capital."

Zu An secretly admired her cleverness. The Emperor, invincible and lacking nothing, desired longevity above all else. Since the white deer symbolized long life, the Emperor, who might ordinarily scoff at other auspicious signs, would surely be overjoyed by this one.

"But we can't enter the capital looking like this," she said, reaching out to take off her black outer garment, revealing an ordinary commoner's dress underneath.

With a casual gesture, she drew a rune, and the night suit on the ground burst into flames.

Zu An couldn't help but say, "But even dressed in simple clothes and a wooden hairpin, your stunning beauty is impossible to hide. It will only draw more suspicion at the city gate."

"I'll just wear a mask," Yun Ruyue said with a smile, taking out a thin mask and placing it on her face. Her breathtaking beauty quickly transformed into the appearance of an ordinary woman.

Zu An was immediately relieved. As a royal consort and a rune master, it was natural she would possess such a mask.

Yun Ruyue asked Zu An, "Do you want a mask?"

Zu An shook his head. "No need. I can enter and exit the capital normally."

"I'm just worried this might cause you trouble," Yun Ruyue said apologetically. She was still weak and had to lean partly on Zu An.

If someone saw them, people would inevitably be curious about what was going on.

Zu An considered that he couldn't let his reputation be tarnished. While being seen with other women might be one thing, Yun Ruyue's current appearance was simply too plain. If someone saw them, they might think he wasn't particular about his company.

So, he took the mask from her hand and put it on, then lifted Yun Ruyue's soft body and headed towards the city gate.

Along the way, Yun Ruyue lay in his arms. Despite her plain appearance, her eyes were exceptionally bright and spirited. "You truly were willing to fight the Emperor for me in the illusion, weren't you?"

Zu An smiled faintly. "Didn't you also save my life multiple times? How could I stand by and do nothing when I saw you in danger?"

"Just because I saved you?" Yun Ruyue pouted, seemingly a little disappointed.

"Of course not! I wanted to save you because you were in danger!" Zu An immediately realized his mistake. Sweet talk was part of a scoundrel's self-cultivation.

Sure enough, upon hearing his words, Yun Ruyue beamed. "Ah Zu, you're so kind."

The two chatted and laughed along the way, easily entering the capital. Yun Ruyue then directed him to a magnificent residence in the inner city.

Seeing the three large characters "Wu King's Residence" on the gate plaque, Zu An paused, surprised.

Yun Ruyue chuckled, pursing her lips. "Every feudal prince has a residence in the capital; they just rarely get a chance to stay in them. Since I'm in the capital, it's natural for me to stay here."

She then frowned and said, "I came out secretly today and don't want anyone with ill intentions to see me, so please carry me in discreetly."

Zu An expressed some concern. "But the princely manor's guards are very strict..."

He knew that even his dormitory in Brightmoon City Academy had defensive formations. This was a princely manor; there would undoubtedly be numerous defensive formations and offensive restrictions.

Yun Ruyue waved a token. "Don't worry, with this entry token, we won't trigger the manor's restrictions."

Zu An couldn't help but laugh wryly. Indeed, no matter how strong a defense, it was no match for an insider.

With her guidance and forewarning, he didn't trigger the manor's defenses and also avoided the patrolling guards along the way.

Of course, ultimately, it was because this was a vacant princely residence with not many guards in total. Otherwise, even if they bypassed the outer defenses, they would easily be discovered inside.

They arrived at her boudoir, where Yun Ruyue finally let out a sigh of relief. She removed her mask, restoring her original appearance, and the entire room seemed to brighten.

She went to a small pool beside the room, gently turned a valve nearby, and clear hot water gurgled out from the mouths of several nearby statues.

Zu An stared, dumbfounded. "Is this a water heater?"

"A water heater?" Yun Ruyue looked a bit confused. "This uses a rune array to draw water from a nearby hot spring. Many nobles and princes in the vicinity have such pools."

Zu An secretly sighed, these people truly knew how to enjoy themselves.

In fact, since coming to this world, he had seen many things that used rune arrays to enhance daily convenience.

"By the way, you're a rune master. Where did you learn that?" Zu An asked curiously. Rune mastery was primarily a human profession, and she was a demon. How could she know something so strictly guarded by humans?

Yun Ruyue looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, I promised my master I wouldn't reveal anything about him."

"It's fine, I was presumptuous," Zu An said, unconcerned. "By the way, you should detoxify quickly, or it'll be troublesome if the corpse poison stays in your body for too long."

Yun Ruyue hummed in agreement, reaching for her collar to unbutton it. Suddenly, her face flushed slightly, and she opened her mouth as if to speak, but ultimately said nothing. "Ah Zu, please stand guard for me."

With that, her slender, jade-like fingers danced lightly, and her clothes slipped to the ground, revealing her luminous, perfect body.