After they left the tomb, the group headed to a tavern in the nearest town for some rest. Qiao Heng was injured quite badly, so he quickly withdrew to his room to rest.
Princess Suolun sought out Zu An. When she found him, she said, “So the young master was the mysterious person who defeated the Golden Crown Crown Prince. No wonder you were unwilling to expose your identity earlier.”
Her features were like jade, her eyes pure like water. When she spoke, her smile was truly gorgeous. Paired with the fair skin of the Demon race and her stunning figure, even Zu An, who was used to being around beauties, had to admit that the woman was extremely alluring.
Zu An gave her an apologetic smile. “This is the fiend race’s territory, after all, so it isn’t too convenient. I hope the princess can overlook that.”
Princess Suolun had a hopeful expression as she asked, “Then can the young master talk about it now?” Seeing that he was still a bit hesitant, she smiled gently and said, “For better or for worse, we are now friends who have gone through danger together, right? Could it be that you are not even willing to tell me your name? Worry not. Since we are friends, I will not tell any of the others about your identity.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about…” Zu An said, then chuckled and told her his name. He was actually more worried that Yu Yanluo would misunderstand and think he was flirting with her. However, after thinking about it, he had a clear conscience anyway so what did he have to worry about?
“Zu An?” Princess Suolun mouthed his name, making sure to remember it well. A happy expression appeared on her face as she said, “This name is quite special. My name is Suolun Shi. In the future, you are welcome to visit the Demon Race as a guest anytime. Even though I do not represent the Demon Race, I can represent the Suolun clan. No matter where you are, the young master will always be our Suolun clan’s most distinguished guest.”
Zu An was a bit surprised. Based on her tone, it seemed her status in the clan was quite special. He nodded toward her with a smile, saying, “I will definitely visit the Demon Race when I have a chance in the future.”
Princess Suolun pursed her lips. She hesitated, but eventually said, “Is the young master going to accompany the Medusa Queen and attend the Fiend Emperor’s great assembly?”
“I’ll travel with her for some time, but I might not go to the Fiend King Court with her,” Zu An replied. There was no need to hide that either.
When Princess Suolun, she first sighed in relief, but then a hint of regret entered her expression. “Young master’s choice to not go to the Fiend King Court is wise. Even though I might come off a bit rude if I say this, you defeated the Golden Crow Crown Prince, and the crown prince is next in line to become the Fiend Emperor. No matter how generous the Fiend Emperor is, there is no way he would be completely disinterested in that matter. He might very well use you as an example in front of all of the fiend races.”
“Thank you for your concern, princess,” Zu An replied. That was the conclusion Yu Yanluo and the others had come to as well. He had to admit that Princess Suolun did indeed have good intentions. “Even though this Golden Crow Crown Prince’s strength is decent, though, it isn’t to a point that he can convince everyone with his power alone. The Fiend Emperor can act in his place while he’s still alive, but once the emperor passes away, will the different clans really bow down to him?”
“The current Golden Crow Crown Prince’s strength is indeed not enough. However, the young master might not know that the successive generations of Fiend Emperors have always carried out an inheritance ceremony. Before the previous Fiend Emperor passes on, he will pass all of his cultivation onto the next Fiend Emperor. At that time, the Golden Crow Crown Prince will naturally be able to convince everyone with his strength,” Princess Suolun explained.
Zu An was stunned, saying, “Looks like I’ll have to be careful the next time I run into the Golden Crow Crown Prince.” If this guy inherits all of the Fiend Emperor’s cultivation, like hell I’ll still fight him.
Princess Suolun smiled and said, “Indeed, you need to be more careful. However, there is no need for you to feel too worried either. Once he becomes the Fiend Emperor, he will have quite a bit on his plate and will not be able to leave the Fiend King Court that easily. There is even less of a chance of him seeking you out on the human side. After all, there is still the human emperor there.
Even though Zu An understood that reasoning, he still didn’t feel too happy about having to avoid someone he had beat up before in the future.
After some hesitation, Princess Suolun continued, “The human territory is quite large. Where does the young master normally reside?”
Zu An couldn't help but chuckle. He asked, “What, does the princess want to find me on the human side?” However, he immediately regretted saying that. Didn’t I already agree to be a respectable man? What the heck am I teasing her for?
Princess Suolun was stunned, and blushed. However, she reacted quickly and said, “Yes. I heard that the human world is beautiful and vast, so I have always wanted to visit, but never had the chance. I cannot help but feel a bit nervous at the thought of doing so. Now that I finally have an acquaintance who can be a guide, of course I need to seek you out.”
Her eyes were normally lovely and expressive, but as she spoke, her expression was clear, as if to suggest that she didn’t have any other intentions.
Zu An had to admit that this woman was quite smart, neutralizing the awkwardness so naturally. At the same time, she had even expressed sufficient goodwill. He said, “I’ll most likely be in the capital. There is a chance of me being in Brightmoon or Cloudcenter City too, though.”
Princess Suolun nodded, silently memorizing the details. After a short period of idle chatter, she got up to leave. She said, “Thank you again for your life saving kindness, young master. However, I have matters to attend to now, so I must leave first.”
Zu An was a bit surprised, but he didn’t keep her. He said, “I wish you a safe journey.”
Princess Suolun bowed and said, “We will meet again if fate wills it.”
She left in a confident and natural manner, even though she actually wanted to share more time with Zu An. It wasn’t because she really did like him, but rather that any great clan would want to rope in such a strong individual. Furthermore, she had indeed developed a good impression of him from their experiences together.
Still, she also knew that Zu An had many beauties at his side already. Approaching him would only produce the opposite result, so she had decided to withdraw gracefully instead. Either way, they would have a chance of meeting again in the human territory in the future.
Not long after Princess Suolun left, Princess Changning came over enthusiastically. She even brought over many fiend race specialties for Zu An to try. Zu An couldn't just refuse such kindness, so he could only accept it.
Meanwhile, Yun Jianyue was about to talk to Zu An about something. However, she saw Suolun Shi visit him, and then Kong Nanjing went over immediately after, leaving her quite annoyed. She shot Yu Yanluo a look and asked, “Are you not going to control your man? Those women have been going in and out of his room so easily. Is it a public toilet or something?”
Yu Yanluo’s expression froze a bit. Only a while later did she say, “Big Sister Yun, you should control him yourself.”
Yun Jianyue frowned and repliedd, “I’m not even his woman, so why would I do that?”
Yu Yanluo said calmly, “There are so many women seeking out Ah Zu, which proves his charm. Doesn’t that mean I have great insight and chose a great man?”
Yun Jianyue almost choked from Yu Yanluo’s indifferent act. She could only take out her anger on Yan Xuehen off to the side, snapping, “What are you laughing at?!”
Yan Xuehen said calmly, “I am laughing because someone is getting all worked up for nothing.”
“Stone cold woman, are you looking for a beating?!” Yun Jianyue exclaimed. The two of them began to fight again. However, Yan Xuehen was clearly on the losing end and was soon pushed down.
Just then, the door opened with a groan and Zu An walked in. When he saw the scene, he looked stunned.
Both of the women’s faces turned red. Such a stance really wasn’t all that elegant, so they both got up and sorted out their clothes.
Yu Yanluo chuckled inwardly, but she still asked, “Why did things end so quickly?”
Zu An had a strange expression. Why did those words sound so misleading? He replied, “I don’t know either. It might be because she got annoyed by how I kept asking about Kong Nanwu.”
He had gotten acquainted with the Peacock race when he was in Cloudcenter City. Back then, Kong Qing had given up so quickly because of Kong Nanwu, so the three women knew about her existence.
“This Princess Changning’s temper is indeed quite poor,” Yu Yanluo said, shaking her head. She didn’t want to talk too much behind someone else’s back and stopped there, however. She asked, “Right, what was that treasure map Lord Sui gave you about? Big Sister Yun has been wondering about it. If you still don’t take it out, she might go crazy.”
“That’s nonsense!” Yun Jianyue exclaimed, but she felt a bit guilty. “Don’t make it sound as if you guys don’t want to know either.”
Zu An chuckled and said, “I haven’t had time to look at it yet either.” He took out the map afterward. He couldn't tell what kind of leather it was made out of, but it felt like a material that wouldn’t be easily damaged.
The three women moved over. Their fragrances wafted over him; each was truly beautiful in its own way. However, their expressions quickly changed when they saw the contents. They exclaimed, “An Unknown Region!”