Chapter 903: 妖族 Invasion

"Oh, it's Chu Chuyan's younger brother," Zheng Dan thought, her panic subsiding. Being from Brightmoon City, and a classmate of Chu Chuyan, she regarded Chu Youzhao like her own younger brother, feeling none of the apprehension she'd shown towards the Sang family.

Zu An, however, felt his hair stand on end and quickly tugged at Zheng Dan's clothes.

Zheng Dan's face instantly flushed. "What are you doing? Chu Youzhao is about to come in!" Her unspoken meaning was clear: she wouldn't object if he wanted to undress her at another time, but with her 'brother-in-law' about to enter, wouldn't it be a bit too audacious?

Noticing her strange gaze, Zu An realized her misunderstanding and quickly blurted out, "Your clothes!" Currently, she appeared as Chu Chuyan to others, a disguise more than sufficient to fool the Sang father and daughter. However, in front of someone close, the deception would easily be revealed. Moreover, Chu Youzhao frequently communicated with his sister and would know she couldn't possibly be in the capital at this moment.

Zheng Dan, too, had a realization. She wasn't aware her appearance had changed, only that she was wearing Chu Chuyan's clothes, which could indeed lead to misconceptions. With an alluring smile, she said, "Next time, when no one's around, I'll wear it for you." After saying this, she swayed gracefully behind the screen to change back into her own clothes.

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. Zheng Dan truly knew how to handle men, having their psychology firmly in her grasp. However, he had no time to dwell on this. He quickly moved to the door to buy Zheng Dan some time.

"Sis..." Chu Youzhao had run too quickly and crashed straight into Zu An's arms. Her small face slightly flushed, she quickly stepped back from his embrace. "You scoundrel brother-in-law, you did that on purpose!"

Zu An rubbed her head. "Whose fault is it that you can't change your impulsive nature?" Then he nodded to the tanned, sunny girl beside her. "Qinghe is here too." It was a needless remark, as the two were inseparable. It would have been strange if she *hadn't* come.

"Hello, Elder Brother Zu," Murong Qinghe said with a shy smile. Though typically a tomboy in the military camp, she always felt a little self-conscious around Brother Chu's family.

"Huh, where's my sister?" Chu Youzhao asked, standing on tiptoes to peer over Zu An's tall frame into the room.

Zu An feigned a bewildered expression. "What sister of yours?"

Chu Youzhao squeezed past him. "I just ran into someone from the Sang family outside, and they said sister was here." Murong Qinghe instinctively started to follow, but feeling too awkward to duck under another man, she stood there looking exceptionally embarrassed.

Fortunately, Zu An immediately moved away from the doorway. "What sister? How could your sister be here?"

"It's certainly unlikely," Chu Youzhao admitted, though she was skeptical. She knew her sister was swamped with urgent matters in Brightmoon City and couldn't possibly be here, yet Sang Hong hadn't seemed to be lying. Suddenly, her gaze swept to the screen nearby, where a light blue dress hung. She smiled. "Sister, it really is you!" She rushed over, but the next moment, she gasped in surprise. "How is it you?"

Zheng Dan walked out, smiling. "Otherwise, who did Young Master Chu expect?" At the same time, she subtly shot Zu An a glare. *This man didn't even try to stop her. If I hadn't finished changing, wouldn't I have been seen by another man? You'd be the one losing out.*

Zheng Dan was naturally unaware that Chu Youzhao's cross-dressing was the Chu family's biggest secret.

Chu Youzhao first looked bewildered, then quickly registered the situation, her gaze full of suspicion darting between the two of them. "Why are you here, hiding suspiciously behind a screen by yourself?"

Zheng Dan calmly replied, "I accidentally knocked over my teacup while drinking tea, which got my clothes wet, so I went behind the screen to straighten myself out." Chu Youzhao's gaze swept over her for a moment, *thinking, "I don't see anywhere you're wet," but then conceded, "perhaps she already wiped it clean."*

She couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. "Miss Zheng... oh no, I should call you Madam Sang now. As a married woman, aren't you afraid of gossip, tidying your clothes in another man's room?"

Hearing the words "Madam Sang," Zheng Dan's eyelid twitched. *This young man is as sharp-tongued as a woman, hitting exactly where it hurts.* She calmly replied, "Who said I was alone? I came with... with my father-in-law and sister-in-law. I only stayed a little longer because I needed to tidy myself up. As for anything else, your sister and I are classmates, and your brother-in-law is my teacher—a renowned gentleman. So why would I worry about baseless rumors?"

Chu Youzhao's breath hitched. While she was genuinely pleased to hear her brother-in-law praised, the mention of him being a "gentleman"... *This woman is quite beautiful, but what a shame she's blind at such a young age.*

Zu An gave a light cough. "Alright, alright. Miss Zheng is a fellow native of Brightmoon City. You're interrogating her like a criminal the moment she arrives, which is a bit impolite."

Although the explanation was logical, Chu Youzhao still found the entire situation odd. She suddenly pointed at the light blue dress on the screen. "Then why is my sister's dress there?"

Zheng Dan's expression changed; she truly didn't know how to explain this. Fortunately, Zu An reacted quickly, immediately saying in a somber tone, "Your sister and I have been separated for too long. During those difficult times in the secret realm, it was always your sister who helped me through. After I came out, I could only hold her old clothes to ease my longing, as if she were still by my side, accompanying me."

"Brother-in-law!" Chu Youzhao's eyes instantly welled up. *'So my brother-in-law is truly this devoted to my sister. And I doubted him; I'm truly a terrible person.'*

Murong Qinghe, standing by, had a strange expression. Having grown up in the military camp, she had heard many things about soldiers: how virile men, often pent up, would have to take care of themselves, and that they particularly liked to use women's clothing... *'I wonder if Elder Brother Zu is doing that too?'* A faint blush appeared on her honey-colored skin as she considered this.

Seeing one young girl teary-eyed and the other blushing, Zu An secretly felt pleased. *'Glad I reacted quickly,'* he thought. Rage points from Zheng Dan +555,555... However, a series of smaller rage points brought Zu An back to his senses. Clearly, his passionate display of affection for Chu Chuyan had offended another woman. He quickly whispered an explanation, "This was to resolve the immediate crisis. I often thought of you in the secret realm too."

Zheng Dan wasn't so easily fooled. She replied via Qi transmission, "Heh heh, what did you think of me?"

"Uh," Zu An immediately replied, "I thought of your fiery lips, your soft hands, and..."

"Stop, stop, stop!" Zheng Dan finally couldn't hold back. Although passionate in private, she was still somewhat shy in front of others. "Since everything's fine, I'll take my leave now and not disturb your reunion." After speaking, Zheng Dan fled as if escaping, though her walking posture seemed a bit unnatural.

After she left, Chu Youzhao couldn't help but grumble, "The Sang family gets more outrageous by the minute. Not only did they bring their daughter, but they also left their widowed daughter-in-law here. What exactly are they trying to do?" She was clearly still resentful about Sang Hong's deception.

Zu An coughed lightly. "Gossiping about others behind their backs is quite contrary to noble etiquette."

Chu Youzhao snorted. "I say a few words about those vixen, and you get protective?" She felt that as soon as her sister left, all sorts of beautiful girls started appearing around Zu An, and she had an obligation to guard her sister's interests.

Zu An's breath caught. He knew reasoning was useless at this moment and could only fight fire with fire. "Oh, it's been so long, your brother-in-law missed you terribly," he cooed. "Come, give your brother-in-law a hug, let's see if you've gained weight."

Chu Youzhao gasped, her attention successfully diverted. She quickly hid behind Murong Qinghe. "You pervert brother-in-law!"

Zu An was about to embrace her, but seeing it was Murong Qinghe, he quickly pulled back his hands, saying awkwardly, "We're all men, what's wrong with a hug?" Murong Qinghe also found it strange, but what was more frustrating was that Brother Chu had pushed her forward. If his brother-in-law were to hug her, whose responsibility would that be?

Chu Youzhao's expression was a bit unnatural. *'That scoundrel brother-in-law clearly knows I'm...'* But in front of Murong Qinghe, she naturally couldn't show her true feelings. She quickly changed the subject. "Brother-in-law, quickly tell me what happened in the secret realm."

Now even Murong Qinghe stared at him with wide eyes. After all, apart from the few survivors, no one knew what had truly happened in the secret realm. Perhaps after so many days, the family elders had heard rumors through various channels, but youngsters like them certainly wouldn't know.

"Ah, that's a long story..." Zu An pulled over a stool, sat down, and slowly recounted his experiences during that time. Of course, he omitted key details like Prince Qi's assassins and the Emperor's split soul. Even so, the events he described were full of twists and turns, incredibly perilous, making the two girls' expressions change constantly as they gasped repeatedly.

"Brother-in-law, I didn't realize you encountered so many dangers."

"The Shi family truly are scoundrels."

"And the Gu family's two brothers, who betrayed their master for glory, are even more despicable."

Murong Qinghe's expression was more complex. To some extent, they belonged to Prince Qi's faction, so what the Shi family and Gu family had done was actually beneficial to them. Without Zu An, Prince Qi might have already become the legitimate Imperial Prince. *'Brother Chu really forgets everything else when his brother-in-law is around. Oh, never mind. I'm definitely going to advance and retreat with Brother Chu.'*

Next, Chu Youzhao pulled Zu An out. "Brother-in-law, let's go! I'll treat you to a grand meal at the Pavilion of the Moon to celebrate your safe return!" The Pavilion of the Moon was one of the most famous restaurants in the capital. It was said that the emperor himself, while dining there incognito, had highly praised its cuisine, which speaks volumes about its quality. Of course, the prices were certainly not cheap, but for the Chu family's heir, the Qin family's beloved grandson, it was no concern at all.

Originally, such celebrations should take place at home, but with no mistress of the house, it was inevitably a bit desolate and unprepared. As for the Qin family, it was unthinkable; if Zu An were to go there, he'd likely be kicked out by the Qin family members.

Eating with two beautiful girls, Zu An was naturally pleased. He even hoped to encounter some villainous young master later who would try to harass the girls, allowing him to heroically rescue them. Unfortunately, no incidents occurred until they finished their meal and he escorted them home.

"What's written in novels is indeed all lies," Zu An muttered to himself, sitting in his room. But then he reconsidered, *'It's probably because I'm not as inherently annoying as those protagonists who attract hatred, wahaha.'*

With nothing else to do, he took out the Tiger Talismans he had just drawn, along with the ones he had previously held onto. He now had a total of six. "What should I draw this time? Xishi or Diaochan? Hmm, even Xiao Qiao wouldn't be bad..." Zu An began the draw, lost in fanciful thoughts. He once again felt his soul ascend, as if he had entered the cosmos, where he saw various twinkling lights in the distant starry sky. He opened his mind and tried to communicate with them. Soon, he received a response, and a bright spot rapidly flew towards him. "Xishi, Xishi..." Zu An secretly clenched his fists.

However, when that bright spot finally appeared before him, Zu An was stunned. It was a bright green hat! "Damn it!"

Zu An couldn't help but curse his bad luck, then continued drawing. This time, he didn't dare to push his luck, nor did he dare to directly hope for someone of Xishi's caliber. He simply wished for anything usable. After six draws, Zu An's eyelids twitched. He was almost driven mad looking at the six neatly arranged green hats before him. *'Don't play me like this. The emperor gave me a "Green Hat" title, and now all my draws are green hats? And just ordinary ones, with no special functions at all.'*

"Damn it, I have to get this title changed as soon as possible. Otherwise, if I ever make a name for myself, and people introduce me as 'Zu An, the Hereditary Green Hat King,' I'd truly rather die."

Finding the green items an eyesore, Zu An simply summoned Phoenix Flame and burned them all to ashes. *'From now on, I'll specialize in wholesaling green hats for others to wear!'*

The more Zu An thought about it, the angrier he became. Unfortunately, it was late and quiet, and there was no one to talk to. Helpless, he could only summon Daji and recount his grievances. Unfortunately, from beginning to end, Daji merely gazed at him with her beautiful, alluring eyes, offering no response whatsoever.

"I forgot you don't have a soul," Zu An couldn't help but sigh. He thought for a moment, then took out the Primordial Qi fruits he had won from previous draws and fed them to her. She was now at the sixth rank. To advance from sixth to seventh rank, she needed 800 Primordial Qi fruits, and she had already consumed 360, meaning she was almost at the fifth stage of the sixth rank.

It was important to know that her "Bewitching the World" skill was linked to her cultivation level; the higher her own level, the higher the level of people she could control. Previously, to control the Imperial Physician, he had tried various methods to improve her "Bewitching the World" skill, including alchemy and preparing rare materials. Yet, the result was merely an improvement from controlling those lower than her in rank to controlling those of equal cultivation. The improvement was truly insignificant, far less cost-effective than simply raising her own cultivation.

He studied for a while, roughly determining that it was easier to raise Daji's cultivation initially, but it would become much harder in later stages. After all, it seemed Daji's cultivation system could only reach the ninth rank. After that, further increasing the level of the "Bewitching the World" skill would prove more useful.

"Earn 440 more Primordial Qi fruits and you'll reach the seventh rank," Zu An muttered, studying the system's explanation of Daji's cultivation. He suddenly noticed that as her cultivation increased, more related information appeared in the system. After these Valkyries reached the sixth rank, breaking through a major rank wasn't simply about accumulating Primordial Qi fruits; they also required specific special items to aid in the breakthrough.

For instance, for Daji to break through from peak sixth rank to seventh rank, she would need 5 Wuyang Jade, 10 Teeth of the Azure Wolf King, 30 Qinghuo Flowers, and 20 Nine-headed Pheasant Feathers. Zu An had never heard of these names before. He hastily checked the descriptions, which stated that Daji belonged to the Qingqiu Nine-tailed Fox clan, and her homeland, Mount Qingqiu, was rich in jade on its sunny side and Qinghuo on its shady side. Wuyang Jade was described as a fire-element jade, while Qinghuo was a cold, yin-type plant.

The Azure Wolf clan was the greatest enemy of the Qingqiu Nine-tailed Fox clan. Young nine-tailed foxes were often hunted and killed by Azure Wolves. Therefore, for successive generations of nine-tailed foxes to grow strong, they had to prove themselves by hunting Azure Wolf Kings to protect their kin. The Teeth of the Azure Wolf King, as the name suggested, were the two sharpest canine teeth of an Azure Wolf King. Since each pack had only one king, only two such teeth could be obtained from a single pack. Zu An was filled with regret. He had encountered Azure Wolf packs in the secret realm before; if he had known, he would have captured a few and put them in his storage space.

He hastily continued reading. The Nine-headed Pheasant Feather was the most unique feather under the Nine-headed Pheasant's wing; once lost, the pheasant would lose its ability to fly swiftly. As for why Daji needed this feather for breakthrough, the description stated that the Nine-tailed Fox clan loved to eat chicken, and the Nine-headed Pheasant was a rare wild pheasant species with the most delicious meat.

After reading these descriptions, Zu An was utterly bewildered. Gazing at the incredibly beautiful woman in white before him, he wondered if he should find a roasted chicken to place before her and see if she would eat it. However, he immediately realized that raising her cultivation might not be as easy as he had initially thought, primarily due to the restrictions of these special items. The Teeth of the Azure Wolf King were manageable; he could pry a few out next time he had the chance. The Nine-headed Pheasant Feathers were also available in the previously unlocked store, and while each required a considerable amount of rage points, at least there was hope. As for Wuyang Jade and Qinghuo Flowers, he had never even heard of them, and they weren't available in the store system.

"Tomorrow, I'll go to the Imperial Hospital and ask," he thought. While contemplating, Zu An unconsciously fell asleep, while Daji, dressed in white, sat silently by the bed, watching him.

When Zu An woke up the next day, he was startled to see someone by the bed. But after realizing it was Daji, he couldn't help but laugh. "It was you all along! I'm sorry, I forgot to put you away. Sitting there all night must have been very boring, right?" Daji continued to watch him silently. Zu An felt a bit dispirited. "How can I find your soul? It's such a pity otherwise." Daji blinked, seemingly a bit touched, but was instantly speechless after hearing his next sentence: "Once you have a soul, the first thing I want to do is hold you while we sleep."

Daji remained silent.

After washing up, Zu An headed to the palace. His main goals were to inquire at the Imperial Hospital about Wuyang Jade and Qinghuo Flowers, and to meet with Bi Linglong to deepen their relationship. However, as soon as he arrived at the palace, he noticed a somber atmosphere hanging over it. He hastily sought out palace guards to inquire. Knowing he was currently favored, they spoke openly, chattering explanations:

"Last night, an urgent military dispatch from 800 *li* arrived in the capital. We hear something major happened in the north: the demon race, dormant for many years, suddenly marched south, breaching the Great Zhou's frontier defenses. They burned, killed, and plundered along the way, even slaughtering an entire city."

"Those damned demons! As expected, those not of our kind are bound to be treacherous. If only His Majesty had wiped out that demon race back then."

"It's not that easy. The demon race is very powerful. After their defeat, they hid in the far north; there was nothing we could do."

"Will His Majesty lead the expedition himself this time?"

"How could that be? I think it'll most likely be Duke Cheng leading the army."

"That's right. Given Duke Cheng's reputation in the military, it'll probably be none other than him."

Hearing their discussion, Zu An's heart stirred. Duke Cheng was Qin Zheng, Chu Youzhao's maternal grandfather. Sang Qian had just mentioned that the Qin family would be the Emperor's first target, and now Qin Zheng was about to be transferred to the border. Was this intentional, or purely a coincidence?

He went all the way to the Imperial Hospital. Unfortunately, he asked several imperial physicians, but none had heard of Wuyang Jade or Qinghuo Flowers. However, one imperial physician offered a suggestion: "I'm not sure about Qinghuo Flowers, but regarding Wuyang Jade, one person might know. The Yu family deals in all jade throughout the world, and Madam Yu Yanluo is the head of their jade business. If anyone in the world knows about Wuyang Jade, it would definitely be her."

Zu An's heart stirred as a devastatingly beautiful figure appeared in his mind. He couldn't help but laugh. *'This woman truly has a connection with me.'*

With this progress, Zu An's mood lightened considerably, and he headed straight to the East Palace. Upon seeing him, Bi Linglong's eyes first lit up, but she quickly composed herself. In a neutral tone, she said, "Master Zu has suffered such serious injuries; you should be resting and recuperating properly. Why come to the East Palace so soon?"

Zu An smiled. "My skin is thick; these injuries are nothing. Rather, the thought that my inadequate protection caused the Crown Princess's lifespan to be harmed keeps me awake at night, constantly worrying and wanting to heal her."

A faint blush appeared on Bi Linglong's pretty face. She, of course, knew exactly how her illness needed to be treated. *'This scoundrel is flirting with me in front of so many people!'*