Chapter 909: Night Exploration

"What, can't I come looking for you? Are you disappointed it's not my sister-in-law?" The girl's eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled.

Zu An gasped and said awkwardly, "Don't talk nonsense. Even if you don't care about your own sister-in-law's reputation, you should at least consider mine."

The young woman disguised as a man was, of course, Sang Qian, the eldest daughter of the Sang family. He was surprised to find her outside Prince Qi's Residence, seemingly waiting for him.

Sang Qian was momentarily speechless. "Reputation, my ass," she thought. "What reputation does a grown man like you even have?"

Zu An chuckled, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder. "Why did you come looking for me specifically?"

Feeling his touch, Sang Qian stiffened, dodging aside with a wary expression. "What are you doing? Men and women shouldn't touch!"

Zu An chuckled. "You chose to disguise yourself as a man, so in others' eyes, you're a man. It's perfectly normal for two men to be arm in arm. Your awkward dodging will only make people suspicious. Don't forget, many eyes in the capital are on me right now."

Sang Qian knew he was right. He was, after all, the key figure who had emerged alive from the secret realm. To some extent, he had become the focal point of the struggle between the Crown Prince's faction and Prince Qi's party. Both sides would be watching him, and third-party forces would also take note.

This was precisely why Sang Qian had chosen to come in disguise to meet Zu An today; she didn't want to expose the Sang family so soon.

So she stopped resisting. Fortunately, he had only casually placed his hand on her shoulder without any further inappropriate gestures, and she quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"My father said you might need help, so he sent me to check on you," Sang Qian said, her face slightly flushed, as she had never been in such close proximity to another man before.

Zu An couldn't help but smile. "Lord Sang truly understands me. I've certainly had some headaches lately."

He then briefly explained the task the Emperor had assigned him: "I don't understand what's so special about this case. Prince Qi's Residence certainly won't cooperate. And even if they wanted an investigation, wouldn't it be better to send someone else? Why send me? I ruined Prince Qi's plans in the secret realm, and they already view me as a thorn in their side, wishing they could get rid of me."

After hearing his words, Sang Qian frowned in thought. Zu An, observing her, noted how pretty the young woman looked, even with a furrowed brow.

"I understand now. The Emperor sending you to investigate this case must be intentional..." Sang Qian's eyes suddenly lit up, and she was about to say something excitedly when she noticed his intense gaze on her, causing her words to abruptly trail off.

Zu An smiled. "When did you start speaking such meaningless nonsense? Of course, the Emperor intentionally sent me to investigate."

Sang Qian gave him a slightly annoyed look but explained, "What I mean is, the Emperor never intended to find anything out about this case. The reason he sent you is simply to... to provoke Prince Qi."

As she spoke, she subtly checked his expression. Seeing no major change, she continued, "And also to use this matter to distract Prince Qi. If I'm not mistaken, the Emperor should currently be busy preparing other plans to deal with Prince Qi."

Zu An raised an eyebrow. He had initially thought the Emperor's move was primarily to get him closer to Prince Qi, allowing him to pass along the fake martial arts manual. He hadn't expected there was a hidden agenda.

"Qian'er, you truly impress me," Zu An said, tightening the arm he had around her shoulder.

Sang Qian glared at him impatiently. "You should worry about your own case. Even if the Emperor doesn't expect you to find anything, lingering at Prince Qi's Residence for too long is too dangerous for you. Remember, you're the one who caused Prince Qi to be at a disadvantage among the imperial heirs. If you keep appearing before them, even if Prince Qi is magnanimous enough to tolerate you, his subordinates might not."

Zu An nodded discreetly. From what he had witnessed at Prince Qi's Residence today, Prince Qi's attitude was acceptable, but others in the residence, like Yu Nan, looked as though they wanted to skin him alive. It was entirely possible they might try to attack him in private.

"So what can I do now? Without being able to perform an autopsy on Prince Qi's concubine, there's no way to start the investigation," Zu An said, also troubled.

Sang Qian seemed somewhat pleased at his predicament. "I think you should drop that idea. Although she was a concubine, she was still Prince Qi's woman. How could they possibly allow a coroner to perform an autopsy? Not even the Emperor could make that demand."

Zu An asked, "Are there any female coroners in the capital?"

Sang Qian shook her head. "Coroners often deal with decomposing and gruesome bodies, so it has always been men who do that work. I've never heard of any woman willing to do such a thing."

Zu An couldn't help but retort, "Women hold up half the sky! What kind of occupational gender discrimination is this in your world?"

"Women hold up half the sky?" Sang Qian's eyes lit up. "You usually spout nonsense, but that's a rare useful remark. For that, I might be able to reluctantly help you."

"You know a female coroner?" Zu An asked, somewhat confused.

"I already said no women are usually willing to do this work, but..." Sang Qian's tone shifted, "I happen to know a little."

Zu An looked bewildered.

"How do you know that?"

"I was bored back then, so I learned a bit about various trades," Sang Qian replied, a little embarrassed, as women studying corpses wasn't considered proper in that era. "But even if I know a bit about a coroner's skills, it's useless. Prince Qi's Residence won't let us touch her remains."

Zu An smiled mysteriously. "I have a way!"

That evening, Zu An brought Sang Qian near Prince Qi's Residence. Looking at the high walls before them, she said expressionlessly, "This is your plan?"

Zu An said, organizing the tools he had brought along, "Since they certainly won't agree to our inspection, we'll do it ourselves. Don't worry, I have excellent human-skin masks here. Wearing them will change our appearance, so even if we're discovered, our identities won't be revealed."

Sang Qian couldn't help but correct him, "If they catch us, they'll naturally find the masks on our faces. What's the point then?"

"Then don't let them catch us," Zu An said, as he placed the cicada-wing-thin mask on her face. He had acquired it from Chen Xuan back at Black Wind Stronghold; it truly was an essential item for such clandestine activities.

Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Sang Qian truly panicked. "Prince Qi's Residence is heavily guarded and filled with masters. If we just walk in like this, we'll definitely get caught."

She had already decided that if he insisted, she would immediately withdraw. If she were caught, it would implicate the Sang family.

Then, Zu An said in a low voice, "There were even more masters from Prince Qi's Residence in the secret realm."

Seeing the resolve and confidence in his eyes, Sang Qian was momentarily stunned. Though just a second ago she had considered withdrawing, she now chose to trust him.

"Don't worry," Zu An reassured her again. "Even if we encounter any real danger, I'll save you, even if it means sacrificing my looks."

Sang Qian scoffed, "This guy can't be serious for more than three breaths."

"Let's go," Zu An said, taking Sang Qian's hand and vaulting directly over the wall into the Prince's Residence.

Although the Prince's Residence had defensive arrays, activating them at full power across such a large area constantly would consume an astronomical number of elemental stones. Therefore, only the most crucial rooms typically had their arrays active, while other areas relied more on patrolling guards. This provided Zu An with an opportunity.

Sang Qian's heart was in turmoil. She had always regarded a place like Prince Qi's Residence as a dragon's den or a tiger's lair. Even with her cultivation, which was excellent among her peers, she knew that if she broke in, she would be discovered and caught within ten breaths.

But to her surprise, once Zu An entered, he moved effortlessly, as if on flat ground. Each time, he seemed to anticipate the patrolling guards, avoiding them in advance as though taking a leisurely stroll through his own home.

She was about to ask him how he managed it when she suddenly noticed a team of guards approaching them.

And behind them, more guards were approaching from another direction for a cross patrol, clearly indicating that the defense had no blind spots whatsoever.

Sang Qian's face turned pale. At this moment, they had nowhere to hide. In the next second, they would be discovered, and countless masters from Prince Qi's Residence would converge on them.