Just like that, their group waited for a bit longer. However, Zu An still didnât appear. Bi Linglongâs originally high spirits gradually died down.
Gu Xing said in dissatisfaction, âLinglong, I think that guy is too scared and wonât come. But you donât have to worry; with us brothers here to protect you, there wonât be any problem at all with this mission.â
Bi Linglong forced a smile and said, âOne more person is an additional share of strength.â
Gu Heng also spoke up. âIt sounds as though the crown princess favors this Sir Zu quite a bit.â
Rong Mo pouted and said with strong resentment, âThatâs exactly what it is! There was supposed to be one seventh ranked cultivator who could enter. The crown princess didnât take me and insisted on choosing him.â
âDonât speak frivolously. This is the conclusion everyone reached after a discussion.â Bi Linglong shot her a look. This girl was getting more and more out of hand.
The Gu clan brothers exchanged a look, both of them seeing shock in each otherâs eyes. Judging from all their experience with the Bi clan, they knew just how important Rong Mo was.
Even though this woman looked young, she actually wasnât young at all. Otherwise, how could she have cultivated beyond the seventh rank? It was just that she had been raised by the Bi clan since she was little and forced to cultivate away from the rest of the world, which had caused her psychological age to be a bit lower than her real age. That was why she had been assigned to Bi Linglong as her maid. From that, it was also clear to see just how much the Bi clan and Bi Linglong trusted her.
And yet the crown princeâs exam was such an important matter, but Bi Linglong actually wasnât going to bring her and had instead chosen Zu An. The implication behind that was obvious. Either Zu Anâs cultivation was far beyond Rong Moâs, or he was more important to her.
Rong Mo was already at the seventh rank, while Zu An was young and had grown up a commoner, nor did he have any special cultivation education. How could he possibly surpass her?
In their opinion, it was the latter. Both of them felt a strong sense of danger when they thought of that.
Gu Heng thought for a bit, and then said, âCrown princess, if Sir Zu still does not come in the end, will we just continue to wait here forever? It is not a problem for us brothers to wait, but it is improper for the crown prince to wait here like this. Furthermore, it will be bad if we do not enter the dungeon and it closes.â
Gu Xing nodded in admiration. His big brotherâs thoughts were in line with his own, but he was able to hide his real objective behind some high-sounding reasons. He had always felt that that was too hypocritical, but he now felt his big brother was much more likeable.
The fatty also became noisy when he heard that. âExactly, exactly! Itâs so boring just sitting here.â
Gu Heng and Gu Xing silently exchanged a look when they saw the crown princeâs reaction. A small smirk appeared on their lips.
A look of disappointment flashed through Bi Linglongâs eyes when she saw how the crown prince was making a scene, his behavior unlike how a crown prince should act at all. She said quietly, âMomo, all of you should escort the crown prince to the academy first. I will pay Sir Zuâs home a visit.â
âYay! Weâre going to play at the academy!â the crown prince exclaimed, running off excitedly.
Rong Mo didnât even have time to say anything. She quickly rushed out to escort the crown prince. Many guards from the Eastern Palace quickly followed behind them.
The Gu clan brothers didnât move. They said, âIn that case, we will remain here to ensure the crown princessâ safety. We want to see just what kind of hero this Sir Zu is as well.â
Bi Linglong was actually going to personally pay his home a visit? Both of them felt incredible jealousy. They obviously wanted to follow along to take a look for themselves.
The crown princess frowned. She could sense their hostility toward Zu An. It wasnât a good idea to bring them with her.
However, after thinking about it, she felt that it might be beneficial for them to meet each other now, since they would be spending some time together in the dungeon later on. As such, she nodded and called over Piao Duandiao and Jiao Sigun from outside. After all, she had never been to Zu Anâs home before.
â¦
Zu Anâs residence was inside the city. They quickly arrived outside. Bi Linglong didnât have anyone else send a message, and instead walked straight toward the house.
When the servants saw the crown princess, they panicked and greeted her. Bi Linglong didnât see Zu An anywhere after looking around, asking, âWhere is Sir Zu?â
âSir Zu left early in the morning,â a maid replied.
âHe left?â Bi Linglong was stunned. Why hadnât she seen him yet, then? Then did something really happen to him along the way?
After having that thought, she quickly asked Piao Duandiao, âGuard Piao, did any fights happen in the city today?â
Piao Duandiao shook his head. âI didnât receive any information of the sort.â
Bi Linglong frowned. Then where is that guy? This was inside the city, after all. With Zu Anâs cultivation, there was no way he could have been kidnapped without anyone knowing.
Gu Xing remarked with a smile, âMaybe he found out about how dangerous a secret dungeon was, so he was too scared and ran away?â The crown prince wasnât here, so he didnât have to worry about that anymore.
Jiao Sigun harrumphed and said, âSir Zu isnât that type of person.â He was already extremely pissed off from hearing these two talk badly about Zu An on the way here.
âItâs possible to know someone for a long time without understanding his true nature. You can see the situation for yourself right now. He didnât show up at the agreed upon time, did he?â Gu Xing remarked with a shrug.
âSir Zu might be held up by some other matter.â Piao Duandiao also spoke up.
Gu Heng frowned. Looks like this Zu An is quite popular in the Eastern Palaceâ¦Â Even these two lesser guards were speaking out for him.
Gu Xing burst out laughing. âWhat could possibly be more important than the crown princeâs exam today?â
Piao Duandiao was at a loss for words. He didnât know how to reply.
Gu Xing gave the house a look. âMaybe Sir Zu only pretended to leave, but heâs just hiding inside.â He walked straight in after speaking. Because the crown princess was here, none of the servants dared to stop him. They could only anxiously follow behind him.
After some hesitation, Bi Linglong didnât stop Gu Xing in the end. She was actually starting to get angry as well. Zu An had clearly promised her, yet he was actually late for such an important appointment. She had gotten up early and done her makeup for nothing. She also wanted to see what the heck was going on.
You have successfully trolled Bi Linglong for +233 +233 +233â¦
This courtyard wasnât that big. Gu Xing quickly searched through the entire place, but he didnât see any sign of Zu An. He laughed and said, âLooks like heâs hiding outside.â
Gu Heng coughed. âBrother, please do not jump to conclusions. Sir Zu might already be at the Eastern Palace.â
Gu Xing sneered. âHow is that possible? We just came from the Eastern Palace, yet we didnât see any sign of him. Sigh, I guess we canât expect much from a kid off the streets after all. Itâs fine in normal situations, but when push comes to shove, his cowardly and pathetic nature becomes apparent.â
âNonsense!â Jiao Sigun argued, âSir Zu even dared to face the eighth ranked King Qiâs heir head on, and even defeated him! He fought on par with the ninth ranked expert Han Fengqiu, so why would he be scared of a secret dungeon?â
Gu Heng said, âThat battle has indeed roused up the entire capital, but we investigated the matter afterward. There was actually a powerful expert in hiding, and he secretly summoned the water element when King Qiâs heir used his ultimate lightning move. That was why he was mysteriously defeated.â
âExactly! Sir Zu was born on the streets after all. If he really were a talented genius, why would he let himself become a drafted son-in-law?â Gu Xing felt a bit guilty when he said that, because he had seen Chu Chuyanâs beauty from afar in the past. If a goddess like her was going to take a drafted son-in-law, even he himself would be willing. âAhem, heâs only around the fifth or sixth rank in cultivation. Maybe the seventh rank at most. How could he possibly win against the eighth ranked King Qiâs heir? Or fight on equal grounds with Han Fengqiu or whatever? Thatâs even more ridiculous.â
He continued, âWhat kind of strength does someone like Han Fengqiu represent? Everyone in the capital knows that heâs at the peak of the ninth rank. Someone like that could easily crush someone at the seventh or eighth rank with just a single finger; how could a youngster possibly go toe to toe with him? It was probably because Han Fengqiu was on guard against that mysterious expert, but that ended up spreading falsehoods of Zu An having some kind of accomplishment. This really is absurd!â
Piao Duandiao and Jiao Sigun opened their mouths, but they didnât know how to retort. After all, to them, someone at the peak of the ninth rank really was someone who was impossible to defeat for someone of lower rank. They looked around in frustration and helplessness. Big bro Zu, where are you?