âIt seems to be that princess from the last generation.â Pei Mianman had a strange smile as she said, âYou should hurry and go. Donât leave her waiting for too long.â
The other women couldn't help but smile. They all urged him to go. If it were any other woman who was so devoted to Zu An, perhaps they would feel some jealousy. But this Salamay really was⦠a different kind of aesthetic. They had complete trust in Zu An here.
âI greet the first miss.â Zu An bowed after exiting the cave.
Salamay seemed to have been lost in thought before she heard him. She gave him a look, and her eyes moved slightly. âI thought you had been captured by the Monster Lord and interrogated, but you donât even have a single injury on your body.â
Zu An smiled. âMaybe Iâm the lucky sort.â
âThat luck really is quite something.â Salamay sized him up with a big smile. âThe Monster Lord is known for being temperamental. His mood has gotten even worse recently because of the front lineâs repeated defeats. After you killed his male pet, I thought I wouldnât be able to see you again.â
Zu An frowned slightly. âThe first miss seems to be implying something...?â
Salamay stared straight into his eyes. âCan I trust you?â
âWhat does the first miss mean?â Zu An responded in surprise. This Salamay wasnât stupid. He keenly sensed that something was wrong.
Salamay put away her smile. A curved blade suddenly appeared in her hand, aimed at his neck. She said fiercely, âSpeak! Have you already secretly sided with the Monster Lord?!â
Even though she was fast, with Zu Anâs current cultivation, it wasnât too hard to avoid it. However, he stood in place and let the blade rest on his neck. âIf the first miss doesnât trust me, would a few words from me make you change your mind?â
A hint of surprise appeared in Salamayâs eyes. She pulled the blade back. âIf you had tried to say things with a guilty conscience, then you would already be dead.â
Zu An chuckled and didnât bother arguing with her. âThank you for showing leniency, Salamay.â
Salamay gave him a doubtful look. âYou really didnât sell me out?â
âFirst miss, please think about what kind of reaction the Monster Lord would have if he found out about our relationship. Is there a need for me to take that risk?â Zu An replied.
âThat is true.â Salamay nodded slightly. âI trust that you arenât that stupid.â
Zu An sighed in relief. Compared to the Monster Lord, Salamay was still a bit inexperienced. On the other hand, just what was the Monster Lord trying to do? He knew everything Salamay wanted to do, but he hadnât decided to get rid of her.
âFirst miss, you didnât come here only to tell me these things, right?â Zu An asked.
âOf course not.â Salamay had a slightly embarrassed look. âSince you are still trustworthy, I need to ask you for some help.â
âWhat kind of help?â Judging from how she was hesitating, Zu An knew this wasnât going to be an easy job.
Salamay hesitated for some time before finally saying, âHelp me save Uncle Mo.â
âWhat happened to Mojard?â Zu An asked, stunned.
âWhen we heard that something happened to you, I tasked Uncle Mo with finding a way to save you. However, his whereabouts were discovered, and the palace emissaries captured him. He is currently locked up in the palace,â Salamay quickly said.
âThatâs quite the unbelievable lie,â Zu An said with a sneer. The interference of the Time Scribe had taken place too quickly. He refused to believe that she had received information that quickly, and even less so that she would make Mojard go through such a huge risk to save him with their current relationship.
Salamayâs face heated up. âThe young master is smart, as expected. I really had no choice and said that out of desperation. I hope the young master can excuse that blunder.â
âWhat exactly is going on with Mojard?â Zu An naturally wouldnât criticize her over such a small matter.
Salamay now explained, âActually, strictly speaking, what I said wasn't too far from the truth. The Green Iguana King and the Mad King were killed, so we needed to find another way to enter the treasury. Uncle Mo went to contact his old friends to see if they could help you enter the treasury and find those special materials you asked for. However, who wouldâve thought that he would be discovered by the palace emissaries? He was outnumbered and was arrested. He is currently locked up in the imperial prison.â
Zu An didnât even know what to say.
Even people like you want to go against the Monster Lord?
He thought for a bit before saying, âI fear that the first miss has found the wrong person for this. What kind of superpower would I have that could save Mojard from the imperial prison?â
He added inwardly, You canât trust important matters to an immature child after all. It seems I have to find some other way to enter the treasury.
âI naturally wouldnât make you do something so difficult. We donât need you to do anything like that; we only need you to find some way to draw the Monster Lord out of the palace. We will then have our own people infiltrate the imperial prison and save Uncle Mo.â Salamay gave him a look. âThat Manager Pi he was so fond of was killed, yet he didnât even use any torture on you. It seems he trusts you quite a bit. I trust that you will definitely have a way.â
She couldn't figure out why the Monster Lord would let Donaire go either. She'd thought that Donaire had sold her out, but judging from their earlier conversation, that didnât seem to be the case. That meant the Monster Lord probably liked him.
Manager Pi was dead, so the Monster Lord naturally needed a new male pet. Meanwhile, Donaire was smooth-skinned and famously handsome. He was much better looking than Manager Pi. The Monster Lord definitely wanted him. If Donaire used just a bit of a honey trap, he would be able to bring the Monster Lord out for a stroll. Of course, she considered his dignity and couldn't speak those words out loud.
Zu An felt that her expression was really weird, but he couldn't figure out why. He harrumphed and replied, âWhy would I take such a huge risk to help you?â
Salamay cursed inwardly, thinking, With your relationship with the Monster Lord, what kind of risk would there be? Of course, on the outside, she said, âWeâve already told you about the benefits you will receive by working with us. Besides, could it be that you are really okay with forever being⦠ahem, forever serving the Monster Lord?â
She knew that Donaire was a famous playboy. He liked beautiful women, though, and definitely didnât want to become a second Manager Pi. It was just that the situation was greater than the person. She was giving him a chance to break free from thatsuffering!
Zu An felt as if her words were a bit strange. He replied, âThatâs it? Thatâs not enough.â
Salamay clenched her teeth. âThen what do you want?â
When he heard her ask that, Zu An sized her up. He began to think to himself.
Salamay covered her chest and reflexively backed up. âYou'd better not have any thoughts about me! I already have someone I love.â
Zu An was speechless.
This woman seems to have a lot of confidence in herself!
âI need these formation manuals, medicine manuals, and some special medicineâ¦â Zu An spoke the names of some medicines. They were all things he'd been told about by Ji Xiaoxi. The True Demon raceâs medicine field was still limited, after all, so they were still missing a lot of ingredients. Ji Xiaoxi needed more ingredients and knowledge to accomplish her goals.
âWhat do you need all of these things for?â Salamay was confused. âFrom what I know, the young master comes from a great formation family to begin with.â
âIâve been studying formations recently and have hit a bit of a bottleneck, so Iâm gathering as many resources as I can to see if I can make a breakthrough.â Zu An already had an explanation prepared. âAs for the medicine, my female servant is interested in it.â
Salamay couldn't help but smile. âThe young master really does treat the fairer sex well. No wonder you acted so rashly to protect those women. Fine, I just happen to have some with me.â
She swiftly took out a pile of jade strips and some storage pouches. âThese are the formation manuals and medicine manuals we have collected. Even though they carry good knowledge, they might not be of useto the young master. The more complete collection is in the palaceâs warehouse. I will fulfill my promise of getting you inside.â
âThank you, first miss. I will find a way to draw the Monster Lord out.â Zu An took everything without batting an eyelid.
He'd actually already been prepared to help her from the very start. These things were just an unexpected bonus. He was just a visitor to this Monster World, after all, and had little to no help. He naturally wouldnât give up these large cookies Salamay was throwing at him.
Salamayâs experts attacking the imperial prison would be a good opportunity; he could use that chance to enter the treasury. At the moment, the only problem was figuring out a way to lead the Monster Lord away.