Zu An knew that Bi Linglong was really angry from the Rage points that were coming in. He quickly realized that she had smelled Zheng Danâs scent on him. He immediately screamed âDamn it!â inwardly. Just how many times had he made this stupid mistake already?
His brain moved at lightning speed, trying to find a solution to the issue. Taking a shower and changing into a new set of clothes was the safest way, but there were many times where it just wasnât convenient for him to do those things! Hm⦠I think I remember a true master of the craft who used mandarin skins to hide these kinds of smells. Iâll have to give that a try next time for sure.
But he still had this hellish battlefield to deal with. Zu An didnât panic at all and instead said with a sigh, âI didnât expect you to still not trust me even after all the things we went through.â
Bi Linglong felt a bit sorry when she heard his long sigh. After all, he had protected her the entire time by risking his life. She unknowingly felt a bit of a guilty conscience. But she was smart as well, and not so easily fooled. She quickly responded, âHah, are you going to tell me that the smell on you isnât from another girl?â
âThis is indeed that kind of smellâ¦â Zu An began, but Bi Linglongâs eyebrows already rose before he even finished his sentence. He quickly changed the topic. âBut this is the smell of King Qiâs concubine.â
Bi Linglong was stupefied. Wasnât King Qiâs concubine dead? Why would he smell like her?
âWhen I infiltrated King Qi Manor last night, I snuck into the concubineâs burial site at a crucial momentâ¦â Zu An thus told her about what had happened the previous night. Of course, he left out Sang Qien to avoid pissing off Bi Linglong even more.
âYou really have guts⦠King Qi Manor is like a tigerâs den. Were you hurt at all?â Bi Linglongâs attention was diverted in the end. She quickly checked his body to see if there were any wounds.
âThere were several times when I was almost discovered. I really did dance around the entrance of hellâ¦â Zu An said, as if he still felt lingering fear. It hadnât actually been that dangerous, but he needed to create that kind of atmosphere.
Sure enough, Bi Linglong couldnât help but feel conflicted and said, âSorry, I wasnât trying to cause trouble out of nothing. I just⦠justâ¦â
Zu An said with great remorse, âI thought that after we experienced all of that in the dungeon, there wouldnât be any of these kinds of misunderstandings aymore, but I guess it was just my own wishful thinking. You were even doubting me on such a small matter; wouldnât our enemies be able to break us apart using any random tricks in the futureâ¦?â
Bi Linglong felt hurt when she saw that there were tears in his eyes. She quickly said, âIâm sorry; I wonât doubt you for no reason in the future! I was just waiting for you day after day, and yet I didnât see you at all, so thatâs why I got angry and⦠treated you like that.â
With how pridefully she normally acted, she would never talk about these things normally. However, Zu Anâs acting was too good, leaving even her flustered. When she saw how sad he was, she felt even more pain. She felt as if she were about to lose something and blurted those words out.
Zu An looked at her with an ambiguous smile and said, âSo, you were waiting for me every night.â
Bi Linglong blushed profusely. âI was talking about daytime, not nighttime!â
âIsnât it all the same?â Zu An chuckled. He picked up a strand of her hair with a look of pity, saying, âIt looks like the medicines in the palace werenât too useful.â
Bi Linglong finally couldnât sit still anymore. The two of them had already taken off before they even got to know each other properly. She was still shy like a young girl, so how could she handle all of this? She said, âStop saying nonsense. I keep that door locked at night anyway, so donât come.â
Zu An pulled her into his arms with a smile and said, âI didnât even say that I was going to treat you or anything. Why are you thinking about that?â Bi Linglong was really embarrassed. She hit his chest with her fists.
Suddenly, Rong Mo said from outside, âCrown princess, his majesty is about to finish the court session. Eunuch Wen has already sent over some men to escort Sir Zu to meet with him.â
An emperor never waited for a subject. It was one thing if the emperor thought of something and needed to bring him in. Today, it was Zu An who had requested the meeting, so why would the emperor wait for him?
Bi Linglong quickly pushed Zu An away. She sorted out her clothes while warning him, âYou have to be careful.â After what had happened in the dungeon, every meeting with the emperor placed Zu Anâs life on the line.
âDonât worry, I still need to stay alive to treat you.â Zu An kissed her on the cheek, then left with a smile.
Bi Linglong held her cheek and harrumphed, thinking, This guy is just way too shameless! She had wanted to keep some distance between them, but she couldnât stop his aggression at all. She had already ended up letting him do whatever he wanted. But she thought of the treatment he was talking about and felt conflicted again. Should I just unlock that passageâ¦
â¦
Meanwhile, Zu An arrived at the imperial study. The emperor returned soon afterward and summoned him inside.
âWhy were you in such a rush to meet with me?â The emperor picked up his teacup and took a sip. His throat was already a bit dry from the morning court session, so he took the chance to soothe it. There was naturally no subliminal message that he didnât want to see anyone, even if he sipped on his tea then.
âResponding to your majesty, Iâve already found out the truth regarding the death of King Qiâs concubine.â Zu An maintained some distance between them. I was just hugging the crown princess and even kissed her, but thereâs none of her smell on me, is there?
But men werenât as sharp in such areas. Combined with the way he and the crown princess didnât really interact much in private, the emperor was unlikely to be able to differentiate between those smells.
Zu An thought, Hmph, I have both Zheng Dan and King Qiâs concubineâs smells on me. If he can distinguish Bi Linglongâs from among those, then just kill me already; I donât care anymore.
âYour investigation has finished so quickly?â The emperor frowned. âTell me, what happened?â
Zu An shivered inwardly. The other partyâs first reaction wasnât happiness, and he didnât care about who the killer was at all. Did this mean that he had already known who it was a long time ago? As such, he spoke about his discovery while paying close attention to the emperorâs reactions. Sure enough, there wasnât the slightest bit of surprise when he heard that the killer was King Qi.
âHow did you discover this so quickly?â the emperor asked with a frown.
Zu An was stunned. âIs it a bad thing that I found out the truth too quickly?â
âOf course itâs bad,â the emperor said unhappily. âThe reason I assigned you to this case, apart from finding out the truth, was for you to use this chance to get closer to King Qi, then hand him that fake secret manual. What are you going to do about that manual now that youâve solved the case so quickly?â
Zu An thought, Sure enough, for the emperor, the life and death of a woman really doesnât matter. What he cares more about are people who threaten his authority. However, he explained, âPlease donât worry, your highness. Iâve already started to gain King Qiâs trust.â
âOh?â The emperor was now interested. âWhat do you mean?â
âI paid King Qi Manor a visit before I entered the palace, pretending to rely on King Qi for helpâ¦â Zu An told him half-truths about what had happened that morning. He left out the part about how he had offered to ally with King Qi, while talking about everything else. He even included what King Qi had said.
That had been his plan from the very start. If he was going to wander between both of these big shots, he couldnât treat them as fools, as theyâd notice any tricks he played eventually. Rather than that, he might as well take the initiative to talk about it.
Normally speaking, King Qi would definitely think that Zu An would hide things from the emperor, while the emperor would think that he was hiding things from King Qi. Meanwhile, they would have no idea at all that Zu An was thinking the exact opposite. Zu An was the lord of the sea, but while the kingdoms of other sea lords had pretty fish to look at, his fish pond had these two monstrous and vicious sharks.
Sure enough, the emperor was happy to hear what he said. âYou really are quite something, kid!â
He was actually a bit excited and began to pace back and forth in the study. He was clearly digesting the information he had just received. A while later, he stopped and said, âKing Qi wonât trust someone so easily. Heâll definitely arrange some difficult tasks for you to complete.â
Zu An said with a smile, âThatâs why I might need your majesty to help me when the time comes.â
The emperor also smiled. âKid, youâre as crafty as expected. Zhao Jing probably has no idea that heâs about to be ruined by your hand.â