Chapter 931: Dark Web

Nanxun said, "I am the highest-level spy secretly trained by the Emperor. I found an opportunity to 'accidentally' meet Zhao Jing, and then he took a liking to me and made me his concubine, successfully infiltrating the Prince Qi's mansion."

"During the day, as Prince Qi's concubine, I would secretly send back any information I gathered, provided, of course, that it wouldn't expose my identity. Everything was going well until you entered the secret realm." She looked at Zu'an with a complex expression.

"Related to us?" Zu'an frowned. At this point, he understood many things. No wonder Nanxun could seamlessly transition from Prince Qi's concubine to a courtesan in a brothel; as a top-tier secret agent, she would naturally have mastered skills like seduction, music, and dance.

"Exactly. At that time, the spatial elements within the secret realm were chaotic, and it seemed a significant change had occurred. Initially, the Emperor was fine, but one day he suddenly ordered me to ascertain, at all costs, whether Zhao Jing was still in his residence." Nanxun's voice was full of resentment. "Zhao Jing was in seclusion then, allowing no one to approach, but to complete my mission, I had to risk checking. Given Zhao Jing's shrewdness, how could I hide it from him? Although I successfully transmitted the message, I was ultimately killed by him."

Zu'an thought to himself, the reason the Emperor was so eager to confirm Prince Qi's presence in the residence was likely because he sensed his soul clone had been destroyed and suspected Zhao Jing had infiltrated the secret realm and done it.

In fact, Zhao Jing infiltrating the secret realm alone wasn't a major issue, but it implied that the Grand Libation was colluding with Prince Qi. How could the Emperor not be alarmed? Naturally, he had to confirm it immediately to decide on the next course of action.

What a bunch of old schemers!

Zu'an secretly sighed. The Emperor had tasked him with the investigation, yet he hadn't mentioned a single word about Prince Qi's concubine being his spy. Furthermore, the investigation itself wasn't even to seek justice for Nanxun, but rather to get close, distract Prince Qi, and find a way to give him the fake secret manual.

He couldn't help but glance at Nanxun. "I deeply sympathize with what happened to you, but you've just defected to the demon race like that?"

"I apologize, after all, humans and demons are great enemies now." The latter part was directed at Kong Nanwu.

She remained expressionless, making it impossible to tell if she minded or not.

Nanxun gave a desolate smile. "From childhood, I was cruelly trained as a secret agent; I never truly lived for myself. I had already resigned myself to my fate, believing that obtaining crucial intelligence to help the Emperor overthrow Prince Qi was my life's mission. But I never imagined the Emperor would activate me for such a trivial matter, even at the cost of my life. As a spy, I don't fear sacrifice, but I'm utterly bewildered by such a meaningless sacrifice. All my efforts and sufferings over so many years have become a joke."

Zu'an thought to himself that this was due to information asymmetry. For the Emperor at that time, confirming whether Prince Qi had entered the secret realm was of paramount importance, but as the decision-maker, he couldn't tell his subordinates the reasons for his actions.

Now, Zu'an found it inconvenient to tell her the real reason, as it involved the secret of him killing the Emperor's soul clone, a matter that couldn't be taken lightly.

Nanxun continued, "After Miss Kong rescued me, my first thought was to save my parents and younger siblings. For us secret agents, our families are always held as hostages. But to my horror, by the time we arrived, they had already been killed."

"Heh, I risked my life for that dog Emperor, and eventually even sacrificed myself. Not only did he fail to compensate or care for my family, but he had them all silenced. I want revenge! What's wrong with defecting to the demon race?!"

She was killed by Prince Qi, so defecting to him was impossible. Looking across the land, the only force capable of opposing both the Emperor and Prince Qi was the demon race.

As if sensing her rage and injustice, a chilling wind swept through the room, making the candlelight flicker as if about to extinguish.

Kong Nanwu frowned, feeling Nanxun had said too much. The other party was, after all, an imperial official. Shouting insults about the "dog Emperor" here would only invite trouble.

Sure enough, Zu'an frowned. "Are you cursing His Majesty in front of me as if I don't exist?!"

In truth, hearing her curse the "dog Emperor" made him feel a sense of relief; he almost applauded her.

Unfortunately, in front of people whose backgrounds he didn't know, how could he express his true feelings?

The girl named Hu-Hu immediately said angrily, "You humans are truly not good people, all of you heartless..."

"Silence!" Kong Nanwu sharply cut her off, then looked apologetically at Zu'an. "My apologies, Young Master Zu. Nanxun was overwhelmed with emotion due to her family's tragic deaths and the loss of her own life, which led to disrespectful words. I hope you won't take it to heart."

Nanxun also felt some regret. If he reported what she had just said, not only would she be annihilated, but Kong Nanwu and the others wouldn't be able to escape either. This was, after all, the capital.

Zu'an sighed. "Do not preach kindness to those who have not endured suffering. Given Miss Nanxun's ordeal, I find it difficult to utter any words of righteous condemnation. For Xue'er's sake, I will pretend not to have heard this time, but there won't be a next."

Nanxun paused, looking at Zu'an with an unreadable gaze, then bowed gracefully. "Thank you for your noble generosity, Young Master."

"I'm still pure too," Zu'an muttered a joke they wouldn't understand, and began to ponder how to proceed.

A faint smile appeared on Kong Nanwu's face. "Young Master truly is different from other humans; you possess a compassionate heart that transcends racial boundaries."

"Don't flatter me," Zu'an said coldly. "I don't want to be accused of colluding with the enemy and treason. Why have you infiltrated the capital? Are you paving the way for the demon race's southward advance?"

"You misunderstand, Young Master," Kong Nanwu explained. "Our journey south has two purposes: first, I was curious about human customs and wanted to experience them firsthand. Second, and I won't hide it from you, there is indeed an intention to gather intelligence, but it's certainly not to prepare for a southward invasion; it's merely for passive defense. You must know that many human spies have been sent to our demon race; this is merely the usual back-and-forth."

"That sounds good," Zu'an sneered. "Not long ago, your demon race just massacred a city on the border, leaving no one, neither soldiers nor civilians. That doesn't sound very benevolent, does it?"

Kong Nanwu's expression changed. "The massacre was absolutely not committed by our demon race!"

"If not your demon race, then who?" Zu'an, of course, wouldn't believe her based on a single statement.

"I'm not sure about that, but there are indeed many suspicious points regarding the massacre," Kong Nanwu quickly explained. "You must know that the demon race was severely wounded by humans years ago, and we barely have enough time to recover and recuperate. How could we easily provoke trouble, especially with a no-holds-barred act like a city massacre? Although I'm not a high-ranking figure among the demons, I have some understanding of the leadership's thinking, and they would never do something so unwise."

"The facts are clear; anything more you say is useless," Zu'an said indifferently. "Furthermore, according to what you said earlier, the massacre happened after you arrived in the capital. You weren't with those demons, so how could you know their intentions?"

Kong Nanwu's expression shifted. This was indeed one of her concerns. Among the demon race, there were many warmongers full of hatred for humans, and those individuals were often simple-minded and impulsive. Such an act was certainly possible for them in a fit of recklessness.

She took a deep breath. "I know anything I say now sounds hollow, but I will investigate the truth as quickly as possible and give you an explanation."

Zu'an shook his head. "It's meaningless to talk about this now. The imperial army has already marched north; this war is destined to be unavoidable."

Kong Nanwu remained silent, knowing he spoke the truth.

Zu'an didn't want to continue debating the issue and instead asked curiously, "Is this Red Sleeve Brothel an establishment of your demon race?"

If so, the demon race's influence was quite terrifying; to have infiltrated this deeply without being discovered by the imperial court was remarkable.

Kong Nanwu shook her head. "It is not. We have our own connections, but please forgive me, Young Master, I cannot disclose the specifics."

Zu'an frowned. Could it be that some force within the capital was colluding with the demon race?

Lately, he had a persistent feeling, as if there was a vast, hidden web operating throughout the capital. He wasn't even sure if this web truly existed, especially since even the Embroidered Uniform Guards had no relevant intelligence.

Yet, for some reason, he always had a feeling, especially when Yun Jianyue was still in the palace last time, that someone was tracking him, and he still hadn't found out who it was.

At this moment, Kong Nanwu's voice rang out, "Young Master, how do you intend to deal with us?"

Zu'an chuckled. This woman was cunning. Her cultivation was extremely high, and with that strange feather, it wouldn't be easy for him to apprehend them even if he tried. Yet, she presented herself as if their lives were entirely in his control. Anyone else might have become arrogant.

But truly, how to deal with them was indeed a bit troublesome.