Chapter 808: 兵分两路

Zu An felt a sense of unease. He recalled Jiang Luofu’s warning before he left, the various red-marked dangerous areas on the map, and the unknown schemes Prince Qi might have in store. “Since the Azure Moon Flood Dragon isn’t here, why don’t we go back?” Zu An suggested. “We can report the situation to the Emperor and request a different test.”

As soon as he said this, others immediately began to protest:

“What kind of joke is that? We just set out, and you want us to turn back right away? Where would we put our pride?”

“Exactly! What would going back now accomplish? Failure? I can’t afford to be disgraced like that.”

“If you’re scared, just go back by yourself.”

They whispered amongst themselves, casting disdainful glances at Zu An. *And to think the Crown Princess trusted this man so much; he’s nothing but a coward!*

Zu An ignored them and looked towards Bi Linglong. “Crown Princess, what do you say?”

Bi Linglong shook her head. “We cannot go back. All parties have coordinated for a long time for this Crown Prince’s Grand Examination, and we’ve also expended significant resources. To fail now would be an immense loss. Moreover, if we return, Prince Qi’s faction might seize the opportunity to attack us for not completing the mission, which would put the Crown Prince in an extremely passive position.”

“Exactly!” Hearing the Crown Princess agree, the Gu brothers straightened their backs. “The Azure Moon Flood Dragon not being here might be part of the test. Otherwise, if we found and killed it so quickly, the mission would seem too easy. This is the Crown Prince’s Grand Examination, after all, concerning the succession to the throne; it wouldn’t be completed so simply.”

“Indeed, the Gu brothers make a good point.” Others quickly agreed; they clearly thought the same.

Zu An stated gravely, “But the Azure Moon Flood Dragon isn’t here now, and we don’t even know if there *is* one in this secret realm. If we can’t find it and have to withdraw later, it will be even more embarrassing.”

“Furthermore, this secret realm isn’t as safe as we imagined; there are dangerous fierce beasts everywhere.”

Meng Pan scoffed, “What are a few fierce beasts? With so many masters here, we could drown them with our spit.”

Zu An said calmly, “If you truly encounter those powerful fierce beasts, a mouthful from each of you wouldn’t even be enough to fill their teeth.”

“You!” Meng Pan was furious. “If you’re a coward, then be one, but don’t assume everyone else is as timid as you!”

The other young masters from noble families, having grown up privileged and rarely experienced setbacks, were all very proud. Thus, they readily agreed with Meng Pan.

At this point, Pei You said, “You don’t need to worry about the Azure Moon Flood Dragon’s whereabouts. I have a way to track it. I just checked the surroundings, and it seems to have gone deeper into the mountains.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go after it quickly, or the trail will disappear over time!” Others clamored, all turning their gaze to the Crown Princess. Clearly, everyone knew the Crown Prince was only here to eat and relieve himself.

Bi Linglong pondered for a moment before finally saying, “Alright, the main group will continue searching for the Azure Moon Flood Dragon deeper in the mountains. Additionally, just in case, send someone to the entrance of the secret realm to inform those outside of our situation here.”

The group inwardly admired her. To have contended with Prince Qi for so many years while having the Crown Prince as such a deadweight teammate, the Crown Princess was indeed more than just beautiful; her foresight was truly meticulous.

Zu An also nodded secretly. This was indeed the best option at the moment, and he hoped his concerns were unfounded.

The group resumed their journey, with Pei You leading the way, searching for traces left by the Azure Moon Flood Dragon.

Bi Linglong took the opportunity to move closer to Zu An. “I didn’t follow your advice. You’re not angry, are you?”

Zu An smiled. “I’m not that petty.”

Bi Linglong also showed a faint smile, then lowered her voice and asked, “Is this secret realm really very dangerous?”

Zu An nodded, briefly explaining about the map Jiang Luofu had given him. “The deeper you go into the mountains, the more dangerous it becomes. In the past, academy disciples only trained in the outer regions of the secret realm; they rarely ventured into the deep mountains.”

Bi Linglong’s expression changed. She looked at Pei You, who was at the front, and said, “Actually, I’ve always had a concern. Do you remember what I told you before?”

“Are you worried the Pei family is a mole?” Zu An followed her gaze to the silent, sword-carrying man.

Bi Linglong murmured, “Mmm. I’m a little worried he might deliberately lead us into dangerous areas… No, I must take precautions.”

Without waiting for Zu An’s reply, she gathered everyone and stated gravely, “This journey is of great importance; there’s no room for error. Therefore, everyone must not take it lightly. The mountains in this secret realm hold countless dangers, so you must all obey instructions and absolutely refrain from acting on your own. Let me formally introduce you: this is Advisor Zu An from the Eastern Palace. He is quite familiar with this secret realm and has extensive experience in wilderness adventures. For the foreseeable future, everyone’s movements will be according to his arrangements.”

Zu An was momentarily stunned, not expecting her to entrust him with such an important task. However, considering the unknown dangers ahead, he did not decline.

But the others immediately objected:

“Why should we listen to his arrangements?”

“What gives him the right to command us?”

“There are so many people here with higher cultivation than him; why should we obey him?”

Bi Linglong snorted coldly. “Silence! What, do my words no longer count once we’re in the secret realm?”

Those people quickly claimed they wouldn’t dare.

Only then did Bi Linglong say, “This matter is settled; there’s no need for further discussion! I am well aware of Advisor Zu’s cultivation and capabilities. You will experience it yourselves during the journey, so I won’t say more. Let’s go!”

With various thoughts, the group resumed their journey. Since the Crown Princess had spoken, everyone had no choice but to comply.

Pei You and the scouts from various families devised a route and sought Zu An’s opinion. Zu An saw that this area was still considered the outer perimeter of the mountains, far from the dangerous regions, so there was no need to deliberately avoid anything. Thus, he did not change the route they had planned.

After several such instances, everyone else began to feel contempt. They thought, *We expected some brilliant insights from this guy, but it turns out he’s just a hands-off manager.*

Zu An could sense their thoughts, but he didn’t care in the slightest. His only task was to protect Bi Linglong and the Crown Prince. As for the Azure Moon Flood Dragon, with his current cultivation, he could handle it alone without issue; these people would only get in the way. Instead, he scanned the young masters in the group, wondering if any of them might be problematic.

He knew that the secret realm had just opened, and countless eyes were watching the entrance. Prince Qi couldn’t possibly send people in. The only ones who entered were their own group. So how could Prince Qi manipulate things? The greatest possibility was to have moles planted within their team. However, these families were all pillars of the Crown Prince’s faction and had been carefully selected, so he wasn’t sure if his suspicion was correct.

He didn’t care about his relationship with these people, but Bi Linglong had to. Sensing the undercurrents among them, she leaned closer to Zu An and whispered, “A’Zu, these people are from prestigious families, and they’re all quite proud and generally don’t submit to others easily. They might not harbor ill intentions toward you; don’t take it to heart.”

Zu An chuckled, “Don’t worry, I won’t hold a grudge.”

Only then did Bi Linglong point to each person, introducing their personalities, relationships, cultivation levels, and other information to Zu An. There had been too many things happening along the way earlier, and she hadn’t had a chance to share this yet.

From a distance, the young masters saw the Crown Princess and Zu An in close conversation, laughing together, and they were quite displeased.

The Gu brothers were particularly consumed by jealousy. Having grown up with Bi Linglong, they keenly noticed her treatment of Zu An was completely different from her treatment of others. Though they found the thought astonishing, they dared not take it lightly.

Gu Xing leaned in close to his elder brother. “Big Brother, quickly think of something! That Zu An, I don’t know what kind of bewitching spell he’s put on Linglong to win her favor like this.”

Gu Heng’s eyes glinted with thought, and he soon had an idea. He found an opportunity to approach the Crown Prince. “Your Highness, Advisor Zu and the Crown Princess are walking a little too close. It’s truly unbecoming for a subject, and more importantly, it could easily harm the Crown Princess’s reputation. Aren’t you going to do something about it?”

In his view, no man could tolerate another man being so close to his wife, especially when their relationship appeared so intimate. Although the Crown Prince was foolish in other respects, he was fiercely possessive of what he considered his.

Seeing the Crown Prince look in Zu An and Bi Linglong’s direction, the Gu brothers exchanged glances, their lips curving slightly upward.

“Zu An, let’s see how you’ll die this time!”

Who knew that after watching for a moment, the Crown Prince would say, “They’re not that close.”

“Not that close?” The Gu brothers were astonished. The two were walking shoulder-to-shoulder, their bodies occasionally brushing against each other while walking.

“What’s this? Zu An even hugged Linglong before.” The Crown Prince quickly lost interest and went back to gnawing on the five-spiced pork hock the eunuch had prepared for him.