Chapter 837: Dead For Sure

“Damn it, these women act so high and mighty on ordinary days. To pin them down and have my way with them, tsk tsk, the thought alone is unbearable.”

“To get to play with the Crown Princess in this lifetime, my ancestors’ graves must be smoking with good fortune.”

“My beauty, big brother is here. Mine is quite large, you’ll have to bear with it.”

Seeing the beautiful Crown Princess sitting there, appearing delicate and helpless, the eyes of the three assassins from the Prince of Qi’s manor turned red. They could no longer restrain themselves, roaring as they lunged forward.

Bi Linglong attempted to bite her tongue and commit suicide, but her body was restrained, rendering her completely unable to move. She had no choice but to close her eyes in despair.

However, the foul-smelling bodies she expected did not pounce. She felt a gust of wind flash past her, followed by the screams of several men.

She hastily opened her eyes to find the assassins sprawled awkwardly on the ground, their eyes filled with terror. They were clearly lifeless.

A familiar back stood before them. He let out a soft sigh: “It seems your ancestral graves weren’t well-placed for you to run into her today.”

Hearing that familiar voice, Bi Linglong was both surprised and delighted. She gazed at the person in disbelief. “A’Zu!”

Zu An turned around and smiled slightly. “Why are you in such a sorry state when I’m not around?”

With that, he walked over, flicked his finger, and a wisp of wind shot out, unsealing her pressure points.

“A’Zu!” Bi Linglong could no longer hold back and threw herself into his embrace, sobbing.

Too many things had happened today; she had hovered between life and death multiple times within a single day and had almost been violated just now. Crucially, she had believed Zu An was dead, and now he was standing alive before her. Even though she usually valued her composure greatly, at this moment, she couldn’t control the tumultuous emotions in her heart.

“It’s alright, everything is over.” Feeling her constantly trembling body, Zu An comforted her, then hastily added, “We should leave here quickly; it’s very dangerous.”

“What danger?” A voice came from behind at that moment.

Hearing that voice, Zu An’s hairs stood on end. He stiffly turned his head and saw the corpulent Zhao Ruizhi standing not far away, looking at them. He no longer wore the idiotic smile he usually had; his sharp gaze fell upon their tightly intertwined embrace.

“It’s over!” A wail rose in Zu An’s heart. “Empress Sister, why didn’t you warn me?”

Mi Li snorted. “Even if I had warned you, you wouldn’t have had time to run. You might as well let nature take its course.”

Zu An: “…”

Let nature take its course, my foot! Don’t you see I’m still hugging his daughter-in-law and his future pre-arranged wife?

Hmm, why is that title so strange? Ah, the nobility’s world is truly chaotic.

Zu An was even impressed with himself; on the verge of death, he still had the presence of mind to quip about this.

At that moment, Bi Linglong also saw the Crown Prince nearby. Her pretty face flushed, and she instinctively pushed Zu An away. “Ruizhi, you’re alright!”

Although the Crown Prince was foolish, he was still her nominal husband. Hugging another man in front of him inevitably gave her a sense of impropriety.

Zhao Ruizhi gave a faint hmph. “Were you hoping something would happen to me?”

“No, of course not,” having just been caught by her husband, Bi Linglong felt a strange pang of guilt, and for a moment, she didn’t even register his unusual demeanor. “I remember we ran in different directions earlier. And why are you here alone? Where are Guardsman Piao and Guardsman Jiao?”

As Bi Linglong spoke, she glanced around, but there was no one else in sight.

“Did you deliberately send me away just to have a secret meeting with him?” Zhao Ruizhi said coldly.

Rage points from Zhao Hao: 222,222,222…

Seeing this rage points record in the background, Zu An felt numb all over.

He racked his brain for ways to save himself, but no matter how much he thought about it, given the current disparity in their cultivation levels, he was surely doomed.

However, he didn't give up. At worst, he would fight a glorious battle; he had to fight for that slim chance of survival.

“What are you talking about?” Hearing the Crown Prince’s words, Bi Linglong became a little angry. Since when did this guy dare to speak to her like this? Normally, if she even glared at him, he wouldn’t dare breathe. “I also just escaped here and almost… by the Prince of Qi’s assassins. Thankfully, Master Zu arrived and saved me.”

Zhao Ruizhi said faintly, “You must be mindful of your status. You are the Crown Princess, and you should not show the slightest intimacy with any other man, even if he saved you.”

Bi Linglong froze and stared blankly at him. She finally realized that the Crown Prince now seemed different from before.

“Aren’t you coming over?” Zhao Ruizhi frowned, clearly displeased that she was still standing beside Zu An after so long.

Bi Linglong’s heart trembled. At that moment, she felt as if she could sense his authority and oppressive presence.

This foolish fat man actually possessed an air of authority?

Bi Linglong felt a profound sense of absurdity. However, there was some truth to his words. She was, after all, the Crown Princess; it was indeed inappropriate to be intimate with an outside official in front of the Crown Prince.

She walked towards the Crown Prince, feeling a little guilty. At the same time, she realized something seemed off and subconsciously spoke up for Zu An. “Ruizhi, Master Zu contributed greatly to this imperial examination. If he hadn’t fought with his life on the line, we would have died countless times over. He has saved us so many times; we should be grateful to him, not hurt his feelings over such trivial matters.”

“Are you telling me what to do?” Zhao Ruizhi snorted. “He saved me? What a joke!”

Bi Linglong had now stopped walking, her delicate brows furrowed tightly. “Ruizhi, what is wrong with you today?”

Although she had complained countless times about the Crown Prince’s foolishness in the past, she had grown accustomed to being with that simple-minded, foolish fat man over the years. Sometimes she even found his foolishness somewhat endearing. But now that this person had abandoned his usual foolishness—which was actually the shrewd demeanor she had hoped the Crown Prince would possess countless times in previous years—yet, now that this day had truly arrived, she felt a wave of unfamiliarity and fear instead.

Zhao Ruizhi ignored her and looked at Zu An. “You were hiding there just now, weren’t you?”

Zu An’s heart skipped a beat, but fearing the other party was trying to trick him, he said with a smile, “What is the Crown Prince talking about? I don’t understand.”

“You are clever,” a hint of mockery flashed across Zhao Ruizhi’s face. “Unfortunately, the sachet on your body betrayed you. I smelled the same scent just now, but I didn’t realize it at the time. It’s also strange to mention, how did you manage to hide from my energy detection?”

Only then did Zu An realize he was truly exposed. He sighed. “Ah, if I were truly clever, I wouldn’t have been led around by the nose like this.”

Bi Linglong was completely bewildered and couldn’t help but say, “What are you two talking about? We should leave here as soon as possible, before the Prince of Qi’s experts catch up to us.”

“‘We’?” Zhao Ruizhi sneered repeatedly. “The ‘we’ you speak of probably refers to you and Zu An. My presence is superfluous to you.”

Bi Linglong frowned and said, “What are you talking about? Master Zu saved us, so what’s wrong with me being kind to him? Moreover, we’ll still need him to protect us.”

“Shut up, you slut!” Zhao Ruizhi’s face suddenly turned savage. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking. Every day, you’re in the Eastern Palace, carrying on with him like lovers. Do you even consider me your husband anymore?!”

“What nonsense are you spouting? My relationship with Master Zu is pure and beyond reproach, as clear as the sun and moon! You can’t just slander me as you please!” Bi Linglong also became angry.

“Pure and innocent?” Zhao Ruizhi laughed loudly. “Who was it that was naked and embracing in the imperial palace? And who was it that often had secret meetings in the Eastern Palace later? Before, when Zu An fell into the pond and his life was uncertain, who was it that jumped in recklessly to save him? And you’re telling me it’s pure and innocent?”

Bi Linglong’s face paled. “Regarding the incident in the palace last time, both the Emperor and the Grand Sacrificial Wine proved it to be baseless. Don’t listen to slanderous words. The other matters are even more groundless. And it wasn’t to save him before, but to complete this…”

Halfway through her explanation, she finally came to her senses, staring at him with inexplicable horror. “You’re not Ruizhi. Who exactly are you?”