Chapter 1603 – New Clues

“Remarry?” Zu An repeated in surprise. Soon after, he said with a sigh, “That might not be a good choice in the short term.”

After all, Chu Chuyan was cultivating that shoddy Unshakeable Daoist Manual, and even talking with her would affect her mental state and cultivation. If they got married again and constantly messed with each other, how was she supposed to cultivate?

Furthermore, if they decided to talk about remarriage, all sorts of older generation individuals would get involved.

I don’t really mind on my end, but Chu Chuyan is in the White Jade Sect, and Yan Xuehen would definitely get involved. Just the thought of having to ask her for Chu Chuyan’s hand in marriage…

That was a possibility he simply didn’t dare to think about.

Furthermore, he still had other close female friends to think about, such as Big Manman, Qiu Honglei, Yu Yanluo… It was one thing for him to have gotten married before knowing them. But now that they had all shared ‘that’ kind of relationship, getting married to another woman would definitely make them feel hurt.

Sigh, the life of a playboy isn’t so easily enjoyed…

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from ".com".

Xie Daoyun didn’t know what Zu An was thinking. When she saw his surprised expression, she didn’t know why, but she suddenly felt a bit happy. She said, “Big brother Zu, don’t let that bother you too much. When the time is right, the heavens will decide who to bring together.”

Zu An chuckled and replied, “Thank you for consoling me, little sister Ling’er.”

Xie Daoyun actually felt a bit guilty. Her thought process made her feel like a bad woman. She felt so uneasy that she was too embarrassed to remain. After chatting a bit more, she got up to leave.

After Zu An saw her back to the room, he secretly changed into his Golden Token Eleven outfit. He rushed toward the Embroidered Envoy’s secret meeting spot in the darkness.

…

As soon as Zu An entered, he smelled a strong medicinal fragrance, and saw the normally calm Xiao Jianren running around in circles. Xiao Jianren glanced toward the inner room from time to time, seemingly wanting to say something, but stopping several times.

Dai Seventh and Chen Eighth were much bolder as they spoke up.

“Miss Zhang, do you really not need us to help you apply the medicine?”

“Miss Zhang, I have experience! In the past, I was always the one who patched up the old female boars who fought at the village entrance. All those who were treated all said that I did a good job!”

“There is no need to trouble this big brother!” Zhang Zitong snapped, clearly holding back anger.

“Oh,” the two said, taking several steps back. Their Mediterranean Sea and M-shaped bald patterns made a comical sight together.

Chen Eighth was still unresigned. He wanted to say something else, but Xiao Jianren stopped him, saying, “Let’s not anger Lady Zhang anymore.”

Dai Eighth said with a snicker, “This is where you’re lacking in knowledge. A woman might not remember someone who make her laugh, but she’ll probably like a man who makes her cry…”

Xiao Jiarnen smacked his head before he even finished. “Look at all that cliched garbage you’re spewing. Are you about to take a civil service exam or something?”

The door suddenly opened, and the tall and slender Zhang Zitong charged at him. She was just about to lash out when she suddenly saw Zu An in the corner. She quickly bowed and said, “I greet Sir Eleven!”

Xiao Jianren and the others jumped in fright. They only noticed Zu An’s presence when they turned around. They quickly followed suit in greeting him and exchanged looks with bowed heads.

“Sir Eleven really is mysterious. None of us noticed anything even when you were already so close to us. If you were a thief, we would already be dead.”

“Ah!! I’m screwed! Do you think Sir Eleven heard the things we were saying? Do you think his impression of us would be lowered?”

…

Zu An ignored the guilty men and looked at the bandages around Zhang Zitong’s leg. He asked, “Was that inflicted by a guard from King Yan Manor?”

Zhang Zitong was shocked. No wonder Xiao Jianren always said their Sir Eleven was profound and unfathomable. He clearly seemed to have disappeared for several days, and yet he actually knew she had just escaped from King Yan Manor.

Xiao Jianren and the others looked at her long legs with worry. They all wondered whether it would leave a scar. If a scar were really left behind on such beautiful legs, that really would be a loss for all men.

“Yes. A few days ago, we were looking into Sir Huo’s information, but because he rarely made an appearance, it was hard to gather anything useful. For the sake of my duty to investigate the truth for Sir Eleven, I decided to personally look around the king manor…” Zhang Zitong explained, feeling guiltier and guiltier as she spoke.

“You’ve just been causing trouble!” Zu An berated them. “Who do you think you are? King Yan Manor is a place full of powerful cultivators, and King Yan is a grandmaster himself. You’re just a trifling Silver Token Envoy, and yet you dare to trespass into King Yan Manor?”

“I didn’t rush in blindly, though… I learned that he was inviting some esteemed guests and that he’d probably be too busy, which was why I used that opening to investigate…” Zhang Zitong trailed off; she didn’t have much confidence, as she really had acted a bit impulsively.

If she hadn’t been saved by that person, she might just have been finished in King Yan Manor. Because she had gone using her own personal identity, the Embroidered Envoy wouldn’t even have been able to defend her. Golden Token Seven had already passed away, leaving her branch leaderless; furthermore, Embroidered Envoys had to obey the court’s laws. As she had barged straight into a king’s manor, it would have been perfectly reasonable and fair even if they decided to kill her.

“Then should I be thanking you for being so resourceful?” Zu An retorted with a sneer.

“This subordinate knows that she has made a mistake!” Zhang Zitong replied, realizing that she had acted a bit too impulsively this time. However, she was still a bit unsatisfied. How gentle and handsome had that young master’s smile been when he saved her in the king manor? It really was like the difference between heaven and earth compared to Sir Eleven.

Xiao Jianren and the others quickly came forward to smooth things over, saying, “Sir Eleven, Miss Zhang did manage to successfully escape from King Yan Manor in the end, and didn’t leave behind anything else to worry about. That should be a sign of her competence in itself.”

Zu An sneered and replied, “Do you think she escaped through her own abilities? Wasn’t it because someone saved her?”

Zhang Zitong was shocked, thinking, How does he know? However, she quickly remembered that Golden Token Envoys were at the peak of prowess. It was normal for them to have their own intelligence networks.

“That’s right, I met a young master in the manor…” Zhang Zitong recounted what had happened. Her cheeks unknowingly heated up a bit.

“There were quite a few guests who attended the banquet today, but the only one who matches your description is Sir Zu from the Eastern Palace,” Xiao Jianren deduced.

Zhang Zitong’s face turned red. I didn’t say he was young and handsome, right? Did I really make it that obvious?

“Sir Zu? Why would he save me?” she wondered. As a Silver Token Envoy, she naturally knew that the one accompanying the Armed Escort Division on a mission from the emperor was Zu An. However, she had never seen him before, so she didn’t recognize him. 

“Maybe it was out of respect for our…” Xiao Jianren began, sticking his chest out proudly, but he noticed that Sir Eleven was still there and quickly changed his tone. “It was probably out of favor for Sir Eleven. In the past, we went to Cloudcenter Commandery and worked together. He must have done it out of consideration for our shared past.”

“So that was it,” Zhang Zitong said. She was still a bit confused, though. She hadn’t even been in her uniform, so how had Sir Zu known that she was part of the Embroidered Envoy? Still, that doubt was quickly replaced by joy. After all, she finally knew who her benefactor was.

“Then, what did you find out from this trip?” Zu An asked.

“That Sir Huo is indeed good at mental attacks. The patterns on his forehead form something that resembles a vertical eye. It’s normally closed, but when it opens, it unleashes tremendous power. Anyone who looks directly at it is caught in a hypnotized state they can’t escape from. I suspect that Sir Seven fell unconscious and drowned precisely because of that skill,” Zhang Zitong said seriously.

Zu An frowned. After thinking for a while, he shook his head and said, “If even you could escape from him, I don’t believe that Golden Token Seven could have fallen victim to his skill.”

Zhang Zitong’s cultivation wasn’t weak; otherwise, there was no way she could have become a Silver Token Envoy at such a young age. But even so, she was still just a Silver Token Envoy. There was still quite a difference between her and Golden Token Seven.

Zhang Zitong quickly explained, “I naturally wouldn’t have succeeded by relying on my own strength alone. Before the investigation, I already made preparations. I applied for a magic treasure that has strong defensive properties against spiritual attacks. Furthermore, I encountered a similar treasure through a chance encounter in my earlier years, which was why I recovered at a crucial moment and managed to escape.

“Even so, the Embroidery House’s magic treasure instantly shattered under his attack. That protective treasure I carry with me has cracks in it as well. I don’t think I would be able to escape if I had to go through that again.”

“Oh?” Zu An asked. “Then what level do you think his cultivation has reached?” He had met Sir Huo before, but the other party hadn’t used all his strength then, so it was hard to say how strong he was.

“It should at least be at the master rank,” Zhang Zitong said decisively. She still felt lingering fears when she recalled the power she had encountered.

Zu An nodded. The Embroidered Envoys didn’t always need to have powerful cultivation, but their judgment needed to be sharp.

Then, the group discussed the intelligence they had on Sir Huo for a while longer. They now had a much better picture of him than before. Still, they didn’t have any real details.

Seeing their troubled expressions, Zu An said, “You don’t have to worry about Sir Huo anymore. Leave it to me to investigate.” He was worried about the possibility of them continuing to act rashly. Next time, he wouldn’t necessarily just happen to be there to save them.

The three subordinates sighed in relief. After all, a master rank shaman was just too powerful; they just couldn't deal with that at all.

Xiao Jianren suddenly smacked his head and exclaimed, “Right, boss! We have clues for the investigation into the women Sir Seven came into contact with while he was still alive!”