Chapter 932: Life-and-Death Friendship

Deep down, he didn't actually want to deal with them. After all, he and the emperor were bound to fall out eventually, and as the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Having them around would be an additional source of help.

However, he didn't want to show this, lest they take the opportunity to extort him, which would be troublesome.

At this point, Kong Nanwu said, "Actually, Young Master Zu, you don't need to worry too much. We have connections with quite a few officials in the capital. Everyone gets what they need, and it's always better to have more friends than enemies."

Zu An asked in a deep voice, "Which officials are those, if I may ask?"

Kong Nanwu shook her head. "Young Master, that's an abrupt question. How could I possibly tell you their information? Even if someone asked me about you, I wouldn't say anything. Besides, if you don't trust me, don't you trust Sister Xue'er?"

Zu An then seized the opportunity to say, "All right, for Sister Xue'er's sake, I won't dwell on what happened today, nor will I report you. But let's not contact each other again in the future."

After speaking, he stood up to leave.

Kong Nanwu stood up and blocked his path. "Young Master Zu, it's not appropriate for you to leave at this moment."

"What, you won't let me go now?" Zu An said indifferently.

"Not at all," Kong Nanwu smiled faintly. "It's just that everyone outside now knows that Naxun chose you as her special guest. If you leave so soon, busybodies might fabricate strange rumors, and clever people will grow suspicious, especially since Naxun's charm is well-known."

Zu An's heart stirred. He also knew she was speaking the truth. Those young masters outside might not have left yet, and if they found out he left so early, they would definitely make all sorts of wild guesses.

Seeing his hesitation, Kong Nanwu smiled and said, "Young Master, you've passed several challenges and won the beauty's favor. Let Naxun serve you well. It won't be too late to leave after resting for the night."

Zu An glanced at Naxun, speechless. "If you're going to use a honey trap, at least use a real person."

Kong Nanwu smiled and explained, "Young Master, there's no need to worry. The form of a 'chang-gui' (vampire ghost) is different from the ghosts described in your human storybooks. Besides her extremely cold, Yin-infused body and inability to bear children, she's not much different from a normal woman."

Zu An: "..."

He had to admit, he was somewhat tempted. After all, the kind of deep bond shared by Ning Caichen and Nie Xiaoqian had always piqued his curiosity.

However, he quickly banished this strange thought from his mind. "Who do you take me for!"

Kong Nanwu continued, "Naxun was once Prince Qi's consort. She's no different now than she was in life, and she's still a virgin in her current state. It's like Prince Qi's consort is serving you. I doubt any man could resist such a temptation, could they?"

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. This woman was truly a master at manipulating people, knowing how to stir a man's most primal desires.

However, he still said indifferently, "No need. I'll just rest here for the night; I don't need anyone to accompany me. You don't need to try any more honey traps."

Kong Nanwu sighed. "Young Master, do you think I'm persistently doing this just to tempt you?"

"Isn't it?" Zu An's heart remained unperturbed.

Kong Nanwu sighed. "Young Master, you don't know, Naxun, in her current form, cannot exist in the world indefinitely. She must regularly absorb a man's vital essence. This beauty pageant was also held for that very purpose, hoping to let her choose someone she likes. She painstakingly chose you in the end. But if the Young Master is unwilling, to prevent her from dissipating entirely, I will have no choice but to let her serve other men."

Zu An: "..."

This woman was truly formidable. She appealed to his emotions and reasoned with him, making it seem as if not sleeping with Naxun was akin to pushing her into a fiery abyss.

At this moment, Kong Nanwu said, "Ordinarily, if a man's vital essence is absorbed by her, his health would suffer, and after a few times, his life might even be in danger. However, the cultivation method Young Master practices is unique, making you immune to her Yin energy. Therefore, I hope Young Master will lend a hand and help Naxun. After all, she was a virtuous woman in life and truly doesn't wish to fall into such a degraded state, surviving by sleeping with various men."

Zu An frowned and said, "In the end, isn't it just that your demon race's cultivation method is too sinister!"

At this point, Naxun, who was standing nearby, said, "I don't blame Miss Kong at all; instead, I'm very grateful to her. If it weren't for her rescue, I would have already dissipated."

Well, if even the victim herself was so grateful, then there was nothing more to say.

At this moment, Kong Nanwu curtsied slightly. "We won't disturb your rest, Young Master."

Without waiting for Zu An to try and stop her, she left with her maid, thoughtfully closing the door behind them.

Zu An looked dejected. "What kind of person do they take me for? Would I really be so easily swayed by beauty?"

At this point, Naxun softly said, "Young Master, let me give you a head massage."

Zu An paused, wondering which "head" she meant.

But soon, a pair of soft hands rested on his forehead, cool to the touch, which was extremely comfortable.

Her hands were very gentle, and she seemed skilled in massage techniques. In just a few strokes, Zu An's tense body unconsciously relaxed.

"Oh, your technique is very good," Zu An couldn't help but ask.

"When I was a secret agent, I perfected the skill of serving people," Naxun said, her tone tinged with self-pity.

Zu An was silent for a moment. Anything more said at this point would be meaningless.

At the same time, he felt a little envious of Prince Qi. With such a beautiful woman by his side, and such skillful hands, his daily life must have been incredibly comfortable.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but say, "Actually, this isn't our first meeting."

"Huh?" Naxun was surprised. "Young Master, you've seen me before? That's impossible. In my early days, I was in secret training and met very few people. After entering Prince Qi's mansion, I lived in seclusion, and even within the mansion, very few people saw my true face."

Zu An hesitated for a moment, but still roughly recounted how he investigated her cause of death, and how he was almost discovered and had to hide in her coffin.

"No wonder Young Master recognized me at a glance," Naxun said, looking shocked. She then gracefully curtsied to him. "Thank you, Young Master, for clearing my name."

Zu An couldn't help but say, "Although I uncovered the truth of your murder, it doesn't necessarily mean I can help you clear your name publicly."

"I know," Naxun smiled sadly. "The Emperor will most likely not make this matter public."

She was a highly trained secret agent, so she naturally understood the intricacies of the situation.

"Nevertheless, I must still thank Young Master," Naxun said, displaying a radiant smile. "When you hid in my coffin back then, in a way, we shared a bed."

Zu An: "..."

Sensing his entire body tense up, Naxun let out a soft laugh. "Young Master, don't worry. I am willing to serve you wholeheartedly; it's not because of any coercion."

Zu An made one last struggle. "I just feel like something is off."

"Young Master, you don't need to do anything; I will handle it." Naxun smiled at him, then swept her long dark hair to one side, and slowly knelt down, revealing her fair, jade-like neck.

Early the next morning, when Zu An left, Gao Ying and Pei You had already been waiting outside for a long time. As soon as they saw him, they rushed over. The outwardly reserved Pei You winked and asked, "How was it?"

Even Gao Ying, who was always composed, pricked up his ears, his eyes filled with gossip.

"Uh, would you believe me if I said nothing happened?" Zu An's expression was odd. Indeed, nothing truly happened between them yesterday. He wasn't so lustful as to go that far; he had merely, out of goodwill, given her a bit of vital essence, but he couldn't refuse her insistence on absorbing it.

"Unless you're not a man." Both men clearly didn't believe him. They had witnessed Naxun's charm firsthand, and couldn't imagine anyone resisting her allure.

Zu An thought to himself, "Of course I'm a man, but your goddess isn't human."

"If you don't believe me, then don't." He clearly didn't want to delve deeper into the topic.

After parting ways with the two, Zu An decided to go straight to the palace. He needed to report the previous night's events to the Emperor. It wasn't that he wanted to be so proactive, but rather that such matters would lose their relevance if delayed too long.

At the palace gate, he unexpectedly ran into Prince Qi, who was on his way to court. The prince said, surprised, "What a coincidence! I heard that Master Zu had quite a successful night yesterday. Why are you up so early? Did that courtesan not serve you well?"

Clearly, what happened at Red Sleeve Pavilion last night had already spread. Although both men harbored their own ulterior motives, they were, after all, secretly allied. Thus, for the sake of improving their relationship, he felt compelled to exchange pleasantries.

Zu An's expression was extremely peculiar at that moment, especially since Naxun used to be the prince's consort. "No, she was excellent. She's very skilled at serving people."