Chapter 330: Exposed

However, when he smelled the stench covering his body, his expression grew ugly.

Damn it, I’m really suffering because of this stupid Old Mi’s task.

Wei Hongde had a servant escort Wei Suo in first. Then, he said to Zu An, “Thank you brother Zu for bringing my younger brother back. I’ve already had someone prepare a guest room for you with a tub of hot water. Once brother Zu takes a bath and has a change of clothes, you’re most welcome to stay the night if you wish.” 

Zu An nodded and said, “Thank you, brother Wei. I’ve had a little too much to drink today. If I go back like this, my wife will definitely kill me. I’ll gratefully accept your hospitality.”

Wei Hongde’s breath caught. He had made the offer just to be polite, and hadn’t expected him to actually stay the night.

However, since the offer had already been made, he couldn’t just change his mind and refuse him. “Brother Zu is too polite. However, it’s quite hard for me to imagine Chu First Miss being that aggressive.”

Zu An chuckled. “She’s only a goddess in front of others. She is the same as other women in private.”

Wei Hongde was incredibly jealous when she heard this. “Brother Zu is truly blessed.”

If I had a wife like Chu First Miss, I would be by her side every moment I can! Why would I ever sleep outside?

Those who are well-fed truly fail to comprehend the sufferings of the starving!

You have trolled Wei Hongde for 99 Rage points!

“Haha, you’re flattering me. Honestly, a wife like her comes with its own set of troubles,” said Zu An with a sigh.

“What sort of troubles?” Even though Wei Hongde didn’t have much of a personal friendship with Zu An, as a man, there was no way he would miss out on a chance to hear the secrets of a goddess.

Zu An sighed. “My wife is too pretty! I always end up incurring the jealousy of other men! Do you know the extent to which people would go just to curse me over this?”

Wei Hongde was speechless.

Why do I feel like this guy is indirectly scolding me?!

You have successfully trolled Wei Hongde for 66… 66… 66…

Unknowingly, the two of them found themselves by the guest room. Wei Hongde smiled and said, “All right, we’ve arrived at your room. If you require anything, you can just order any of the servants to bring it to you. I shall take my leave and allow brother Zu to rest undisturbed.”

“Thank you for your trouble.” Zu An clasped his fist.

Wei Hongde turned around to leave. After he had taken a few steps, a sudden thought came to him. He stopped and turned around. “By the way, there is something else I almost forgot to tell brother Zu. If brother Zu wishes to go for a walk, feel free to walk around the estate.” He pointed. “However, that area is the place where one of the clan’s elders rests. He enjoys peace and quiet, and he doesn’t like to be disturbed, so…”

Zu An smiled widely. “Don’t worry, I won’t go that way,” he reassured Wei Hongde.

He was just wondering how he was going to navigate such a large estate. How considerate of you to tell me exactly where I should go.

As for the supposed presence of the clan elder, he didn’t pay it much attention. This was probably just some pretext to prevent him from going there.

“Thank you for your understanding.” Wei Hongde smiled and took his leave.

Zu An entered his room. A servant had already brought over clothes and other necessities. A large tub of hot water was placed at the center.

“I like taking long baths, so please do not disturb me.” Zu An took care to instruct the servants, to prevent them from discovering his later activities.

“Understood!” Those servants put down the things they were carrying and left.

Zu An curled his lips. Isn’t this Wei clan too stingy? They didn’t even send over a single maid! Are they scared that I’ll do something to their girls or something?

Naturally, these were just jokes. He hadn’t forgotten his true purpose in coming today. After locking the door, he went to the tub, stripped down, and brought out the stealthy outfit that he had prepared beforehand.

Appropriately dressed, he leaped silently out through the window and snuck into the inner section of the Wei Estate.

For some reason, there weren’t many lights in the Wei Estate. The grounds were much dimmer than the Chu Estate.

Of course, this made it more convenient for him to execute his task.

He silently headed in the direction that Wei Hongde had warned him not to go.

Perhaps because he was already inside the Wei clan estate and had gotten past the tightest defensive line, he didn’t encounter many guards along the way.

He easily made his way past the few guards he encountered.

Employing the Mirror Mirage skill to mask his aura made it extremely hard for others to detect him unless they were looking right at him. This really was a powerful weapon of concealment!

When he arrived at that courtyard, Zu An snuck into a room and began to search.

Unfortunately, he didn’t find a case like the one Old Mi had shown him. How could it be that easy to find a single item in such a large place?

Zu An gave up after searching for a while. Brute force wasn’t his style at all.

It’s a pity that I have no idea what’s inside that case. I don’t even have a single clue, so how the heck do I go about finding it? Zu An felt a headache coming on.

He got up and walked over to the window. When he looked out, he discovered that there was a single room that was still lit.

After some hesitation, he decided to head over for a look. Perhaps he could find some clues there.

Besides, he could still conceal himself with Mirror Mirage. As long as he was careful, there wouldn’t be much danger.

He made his way cautiously to the room. When he reached it, he could vaguely make out some conversation. Alarmed, he immediately squatted down by the wall. He had seen too many dramas where an intruder’s shadow was glimpsed through the window. He didn’t want to make such a brainless mistake.

“Adoptive father, what troubles your respective self to personally make a trip here?”

This voice didn’t belong to either of the Wei brothers. It was a middle-aged voice, most likely the Wei clan’s master.

“We received an important piece of news earlier regarding an old friend who has been missing for a long time. The emperor has sent me to look into this matter.”

This voice was dark and gloomy, and sounded extremely unpleasant to the ear.

Zu An frowned. Why did this voice bear a passing similarity to Old Mi’s?

“I see. I wonder what sort of issue can alarm even the emperor?”

“Hmph. Don’t ask questions that you shouldn’t ask.”

“Of course, of course. Adoptive father’s criticism is perfectly warranted. This adopted son misspoke. However, I am still quite familiar with Brightmoon City. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Not right now. If I need your assistance, I will let you know. Heh, that old friend is incredibly cunning. If we end up scaring him away too early, it’ll be quite difficult for us to find him again.”

“As expected, adoptive father is both wise and brilliant… ”

Zu An’s brows were knit together tightly as he eavesdropped on this conversation from outside. This adoptive father seemed like a court eunuch from the imperial palace.

How could he possibly know that this man was a court eunuch, you may ask? It was clearly because there were just too many examples in television dramas to draw from. The tone and color of that voice was exactly the same as what he was used to.

Wait, Old Mi’s style of speaking is also quite similar…

Who is this mysterious court eunuch after? He seems to be acting on an imperial order too.

He suddenly broke out in cold sweat. The Chu clan was standing up to the emperor. However, after giving it more thought, he dismissed the idea that this eunuch had come for Chu Zhongtian. After all, he had called the target an old friend. Chu Zhongtian didn’t seem like the type to have such people as friends.

Was he here for Old Mi, then?

This possibility seemed more likely the more he thought about it. There was too much mystery surrounding Old Mi after all, and his cultivation was also extremely high.

All of a sudden, a cold voice boomed from inside the house. “Who’s there?!”

Zu An turned pale with fright. He’d been exposed! He prepared to use Grandgale to teleport away. If these people were really looking for Old Mi, there was no way he would be able to fight them.

Right then, he heard a strange sound coming from the roof above him. A black-clad individual took off in a different direction with even greater speed than him.