Chapter 2130: Suspicion and Probing

Zu An was surprised. It seemed there was something wrong with this person after all! As such, he harrumphed and said, “The Dragon King and the queen have always shared loving affection. The reason given for the previous arrest order on the queen has already drawn suspicion from many among the Ocean races. Now that she is under my control, it can save us from a lot of issues.”

The guard leader briefly fell silent. What Zu An said did make some sense. Countless important subjects had admonished the decision, and the Dragon Palace had entered an uproar. At the same time, even more people had begun investigating what really happened between the two of them, and they were unable to find any reasonable explanations.

Fortunately, there were lechers who had created that sex scandal between the queen and the Fiend races’ regent. That had diverted people's attention a bit. Now that the queen returned to the palace, the previous chaos had calmed down considerably. However...

The guard leader harrumphed. “You make it all high-sounding, but in the end, isn’t it because you're after her body? Even so, the queen is a rarely seen beauty, so it’s natural for you to be tempted.”

Zu An chuckled.

It seemed that what Shang Hongyu guessed was correct. After all, with the fake Dragon King’s strength, if not for the fact that he still had some feelings for the Mermaid Queen, then no matter how many treasures she had, she wouldn’t have been able to get away. As a woman, she could clearly sense the desire others had for her body. That was the foundation for this entire plan. Otherwise, how could she possibly be allowed to remain alive in the Dragon Palace?

Furthermore, judging from recent developments, Zu An was sure that the fake Dragon King was the same as the real Dragon King in one respect, which was that they were both extremely perverted.

“I really can’t figure out what’s so interesting about that stuff.” The guard leader harrumphed before taking out a bottle and said, “This is what you wanted me to find. I’ve already found it for you.”

Zu An was full of questions. How could he possibly know what the thing the fake Dragon King wanted the guard to find was? As such, he said ambiguously, “Alright, you can just put it over there.” He’d slowly investigate it once the other side left.

The guard leader frowned and said, “You can't act carelessly in an affair like this. We’ll be using it tonight.”

“Tonight?” Zu An remained calm, but he began to wonder what was in that bottle. He absolutely couldn't make any mistakes here.

“Of course, the longer we wait, the more variables come into play,” the guard leader said seriously. “The Mermaid Queen is soft on the outside but stubborn on the inside; she isn’t someone who would give in so easily. Only if we completely move her over to our side can we be sure that she won’t betray us.”

“Fine!” Zu An figured that this bottle probably had some drug that controlled one’s mind. Could it be that it was how these guys controlled the others too?

He almost gave into the impulse to subdue this guard leader in front of him, in order to see if he could get more information out of him. But when he thought about how this individual didn’t treat the fake Dragon King with as much respect as an ordinary subordinate would give their superior, he realized that the other person's strength was probably greater than it seemed to be. More importantly, he didn’t know how many others were a part of their group. If he ended up making a mistake, he’d end up being on the defensive both out in the open and in the dark.

When he saw that the guard leader was still standing in place, Zu An asked, “Is there anything else?”

“No, but it’s time for your majesty to turn in for rest.” The guard leader looked at him just like that.

“I got it.” Zu An was a bit confused.

What does whether or not I rest have to do with you?

But he wasn’t sure how these guys really interacted with each other in private, so he didn’t dare to say anything else.

“Remember to take this thing with you.” The guard leader's eyes landed on the bottle on the desk. His expression was a bit strange.

Zu An didn’t say anything. He put away the bottle before walking toward the resting chambers. Along the way, several maids and eunuchs tended to him. Zu An had spent a long time in other palaces, and Shang Hongyu had even trained him for such situations, so there were naturally no flaws in his behavior.

Once he returned to the resting chambers, he found Shang Hongyu sitting by the window with a blank look on her face. There were several maids behind her who seemed to be advising her about something. However, she was still sitting there in a sullen mood. There was no sweet smile on her face like the one she'd put on during the banquet.

Zu An sighed in amazement. This woman’s acting skills really were first-rate. After all, the banquet was just for dealing with outside ministers. Deep inside the palace was the fake Dragon King’s home territory, and the people within naturally knew that the queen wasn’t fully willing to return. If she pretended to be really happy, that would only seem weirder.

“We greet your majesty!” The maids all bowed when they saw Zu An’s return.

Shang Hongyu pretended to be shocked when she saw him, exclaiming, “What are you doing here?!”

Zu An chuckled and said, “I am the Dragon King, and you are the queen. This is our sleeping chamber. What do you think I’m doing here?”

Shang Hongyu looked so ‘scared’ that she immediately backed up a few steps. “This is different from what we previously agreed on!”

The maids looked at them with strange expressions.

What are these two playing at?

Zu An didn’t know which of these maids were the fake Dragon King’s eyes and ears, so he decided to just wave his hand and said, “All of you, leave.”

Whether it was the fake or real Dragon King, there was no way these maids would be allowed to see what happened next. Sure enough, they didn’t suspect anything and left.

“Don’t leave...” Shang Hongyu who ‘urged’ them to stay. However, the maids seemed to not have heard her. They all left without even a backward glance. They even considerately closed the door behind them.

Zu An and Shang Hongyu’s expressions darkened when they saw that. So it turned out these maids were most likely all the Fake Dragon King’s people! In just a short amount of time, he had already managed to co-opt the palace to this extent.

“What are you doing? Don’t come over here!” Shang Hongyu cried in alarm. At the same time, she was really grateful that all of this was just an act. If she hadn't run into Zu An, just how much despair would she be in if this really happened?

“Keep yelling. Even if you yell your throat out, no one will come to save you,” Zu An said with a snicker. He had to admit that playing this kind of role did feel pretty good. No wonder villains all loved to do this kind of thing. It really did hit the spot!

Shang Hongyu couldn't help but stare at him.

Is this guy really just acting? Why is it so realistic?

“If you move any further, I will end my life right now!” She was already prepared as well. She removed her hairpin and brought it to her throat.

“Fine, fine, I won’t come closer, alright? We’ll talk just like this.” Zu An played along, but his expression darkened. Their voices weren’t too loud, but they weren’t too soft either, just enough for the maids and guards outside to hear. But even after all this time, no one came to check on the situation. It seemed things were even worse than he imagined.

“Leave! I don’t want to talk to you!” Shang Hongyu shouted while secretly expressing similar concerns, saying through voice transmission, “These maids and guards are all unfamiliar faces. It seems all of the people at our side have been swapped out.”

“Sure, sure, I won’t get any closer to you. That’s okay, right?” Zu An deliberately stood a bit farther away, as if he was scared of forcing her to make an impulsive decision while secretly replying, “I already asked around earlier. That guard leader is named Ka Qier. Do you have any impression of him?”

Shang Hongyu nodded and secretly said, “From what I know, Ka Qier is a warrior from the Shark race. He was bold and powerful in battle, and he was previously appointed to enter the Dragon Palace. But back then, he was only in charge of patrols around the Dragon Palace, unlike now, when he's become the Dragon King’s personal guard leader.”

“He was probably already replaced by those mysterious fellows. I could sense that he was deliberately hiding his cultivation. His real strength might be on par with the fake Dragon King's," Zu An said worriedly.

“I really wonder just where these guys came from. We were planning to quietly capture one or two for interrogation, but their people are everywhere, so we probably can’t continue with that plan anymore,” Shang Hongyu said in frustration.

“From what I know, they're probably not beings of this world. They might be from beyond this world.” Zu An frowned. “But I already eliminated the hidden alien monsters before, and the seal has been reinforced. Just where did these guys come from?”

Shang Hongyu suddenly thought of something and immediately said, “Maybe they didn’t come from the worlds beyond, and instead came from the abyss.”

“Abyss?” Zu An repeated, stunned. This was the first time he had heard the term.

“I've only heard the Dragon King casually mention it once in the past. At the time, he was drunk and became really sentimental all of a sudden. He said that the King of the Ocean races seemed formidable, but that he was nothing more than a guard dog for the abyss,” Shang Hongyu said with a pensive expression. “At the time, I was really curious and even asked him what he meant. However, he was suddenly startled and wasn’t willing to say another word. He even said that I'd heard incorrectly. At first, I didn’t pay it too much mind, but what you just said made me recall it."

Zu An sank into his own thoughts and muttered, “The abyss...”

He'd found it a bit strange when he entered the Dragon Palace too. There were many formations that he didn’t understand. Could it be that they were seals meant to contain the place known as the abyss?

As of late, because of the invasion of the alien monsters, some issues had formed with the world’s natural barrier. Could that be the reason why some beings had crossed over from the abyss too? But why hadn’t they just invaded this world, as opposed to impersonating the Dragon King? That really didn’t make sense.

All kinds of possibilities appeared in Zu An’s mind, but he really didn’t have enough information and couldn't make an accurate judgment.

“By the way, that Ka Qier didn’t suspect my return, did he?” Shang Hongyu suddenly asked.

“I managed to fool him, but he still wasn’t fully convinced and gave me this thing.” Zu An took out a bottle. “He said that using this could put you fully under control, and that you’d be of one mind with the rest of them. This is probably some kind of poison, but I couldn't ask him about it, nor did I have a chance to investigate it.”

Shang Hongyu sighed in relief and said, “That’s easy enough. You can just tell them that I’ve already taken the drug.”

“Yeah.” Zu An nodded. There was no way he would make her take such a mysterious drug.

Shang Hongyu picked up the bottle with a curious look and said, “But we should still examine what kind of drug this really is and what kind of use it has. That way, you won’t raise suspicion when you interact with them.”

She opened the bottle and a wave of pink mist sprayed at her face. She was frightened and quickly tossed the bottle to the side.

Zu An quickly supported her and asked, “What’s wrong, were you poisoned?”

He tried to check her meridians, but Shang Hongyu blushed a bit and she awkwardly pushed his hand away, saying, “It isn’t some poison, but rather the Desires Unleashed Dew made from the mucus of a Kraken.”

Zu An was stunned. He naturally knew what the mucus of a Kraken could be used for. He had even collected some while he was on the ship a few days before. On top of that, the drug this thing made was called Desires Unleashed Dew. Anyone with a brain could figure out what it was.

“Were you affected?” Zu An quickly asked. “You absolutely can't use your cultivation to remove the drug. That can easily accelerate this thing's spread throughout your body. I’ll find some clear water to wash your face first.”

Shang Hongyu looked at him with an ambiguous smile, replying, “Are you hoping for me to be affected or not?”

Zu An looked at her impatiently and shot back “Do you know what kind of a situation we’re in? And yet you’re still in the mood to make these kinds of jokes.”

He prepared to look for some water when she stopped him and said, “Don’t worry, I’m not stupid. I knew it was a poison, so how could I not be prepared at all? I already held my breath and focused my will, and I also used ki to produce a defensive barrier around me. I wasn’t affected.”

Zu An sighed in relief and said, “That’s good then.”

“Are you really disappointed?” Shang Hongyu bent over and shifted closer to him, then sized up his expression with a mischievous look.

Zu An was speechless. He really didn’t feel like responding.

This woman really is addicted to playing these kinds of games.

Shang Hongyu chuckled and said, “That guy really is hateful, but their plan is perfect. If it were the fake Dragon King, there's no way he would let this kind of opportunity go. He would definitely have tricked me into drinking this, then used that chance to dominate me. The Mermaid race cares the most about purity. I wouldn’t have the face to say anything else and could only tacitly approve.”

Zu An was a bit surprised. “Your Mermaid race even has that kind of tradition?”

“Of course.” Shang Hongyu looked a bit proud as she explained, “In all of our Mermaid race’s history, our women have always been faithful unto death. It's only because of our reputation of purity that we were able to obtain the position of queen of the Ocean races.

“So if those guys really had succeeded, I definitely couldn’t say anything. That wouldn’t only affect me, but rather the entire Mermaid race. Our reputation would be ruined right there and then. Shame would be brought upon generations and generations of the Mermaid race to come.” As she spoke, Shang Hongyu had a look of lingering fear on her face.

Zu An didn’t know whether to feel admiration or mockery. He clearly sensed that the way of life was more free and open here, even more so than among the Fiend races. And yet the Mermaid race was still so pure and reserved. That really was strange.

That guy Ao Yong really wasn’t all that bright. He had to know of the Mermaid race’ traditions, yet he still dared to love his sister-in-law?

Suddenly, Ka Qier called out from outside, “Your majesty, this guard will stand outside today to prevent any shameful individuals from disturbing you.”

Zu An was speechless.

This guy sounds all nice and proper, but he’s clearly here to monitor the situation!

Wait, could it be that I exposed any mistakes before?

He recalled everything that happened and ascertained that he couldn’t have made any mistakes. The biggest opening would have been when he brought back the queen. If it had been the Fake Dragon King who did that, it would be a bit risky. That had to be why the other side wanted to nip all potential troubles in the bud.

Shang Hongyu also scoffed with a reddened face.

That guy really is shameless!

Zu An replied toward the door, “I won’t be troubling you for that. We have the maids to take care of this place. You can return to get some rest first.”

If it were just the maids, they would be easy enough to fool, but this guy’s cultivation was too high. Even though he wouldn't necessarily go so far as to look inside the room, there were still many things that wouldn’t escape his eyes and ears.

“Thank you for your concern, your majesty, but this officer is in charge of protecting the king and queen. I wouldn’t dare to show the slightest negligence,” Ka Qier replied. “At the same time, I must remind your majesty not to forget about the duty you bear.”

Zu An had a bitter smile.

Hmph, this guy is rushing me, isn’t he?

“What do we do now?” Shang Hongyu asked through ki transmission as she bit her lip. Her expression was a bit unnatural.

Zu An replied through ki transmission, “Why don't I set up a ki barrier and screen off everything? That way, he won’t be able to hear anything. Tomorrow, I’ll just tell him that the deed is already done.”

“No, he’s definitely already suspicious. We can still explain things by saying that the Fake Dragon King is perverted, but if you try to hide it like this, he might end up doubting your true identity. If that happened, everything would be completely over.” Shang Hongyu shook her head and refused.

Zu An rolled his eyes. “What else can we do then? We can’t really do it just to fool him, right?”