Chapter 1048: The Invisible Hand

Zu An put on a commoner's mask, changed his clothes, and slipped out of the lodging house, successfully evading the surveillance of the surrounding spies.

Just as he was about to leave, he noticed a beautiful, graceful young woman lingering near the entrance. The way she walked, with her ample curves, made passersby turn their heads.

Who else could it be but Pei Mianman?

Zu An quickly went over and pulled her away.

When someone suddenly took her hand, Pei Mianman was startled, and a black flame flared up in her palm. However, the flame flickered on the other person's hand and then extinguished. She paused, then, realizing something, exclaimed with a mix of surprise and joy, "Ah Zu?"

"Yes, it's me," Zu An said, lowering his voice as he led her into a nearby alley.

Meanwhile, some spies in the vicinity had noticed their unusual behavior, and a few ran to follow them. Pei Mianman casually waved her hand, and a curtain of darkness enveloped the pursuers, instantly blinding them. By the time everything returned to normal, their targets had vanished without a trace.

Had they encountered a 'ghost wall'? The spies were instantly terrified and dared not continue the pursuit.

Meanwhile, Pei Mianman and Zu An were already walking on the main street. She couldn't help but pinch Zu An's cheek. "It feels strange with the mask on," she remarked.

Zu An took off the mask and smiled. "Mainly, everyone is paying attention to my movements right now, so I naturally need some disguise. By the way, why were you at the entrance of the lodging house so early?"

"How could I not know about the commotion in the city last night? But I only found out this morning that you were involved. When I heard you were seriously injured, I naturally came to see you, but those guards absolutely refused to let me in, not even relaying a message," Pei Mianman said crossly. Then, she quickly took Zu An's hand and began examining him all over. "Where exactly are you hurt? Why are you out strolling around instead of recovering properly?"

"Something happened inside the lodging house, and it's under martial law; no one is allowed in or out. That's why you were stopped," Zu An explained, feeling a warmth in his heart as he saw the worry in her anxious eyes. "Don't worry, I'm fine, just a minor injury."

"What do you mean minor injury? I heard you were run through the chest with a sword, couldn't get out of bed, and nearly lost your life!" A mist clouded Pei Mianman's eyes. "Don't try to be brave; rest and recover properly."

"I've recovered almost completely," Zu An said, pulling down his collar to show her his chest. "I cultivate the Grand Clarity Primordial Scripture, which gives me immense regenerative power. Plus, after being tempered by the Primordial Qi, my body is tougher than anyone's. You should know that better than anyone, right?"

"Pfft, you're incorrigible," Pei Mianman scoffed, a blush rising on her charming face, making her look even more alluring.

However, after personally examining him and confirming his injuries were indeed mostly healed, she finally relaxed. "Even if you have a strong body, your injuries aren't fully recovered. Why are you running around so early?"

"If I hadn't come out so early, how would I have met you?" Zu An quipped with a smile, then added, "I came out this time to investigate something."

"What's so urgent?" Pei Mianman asked, surprised.

"Someone previously warned me to be careful of the Flying Horse Merchant Guild," Zu An said, omitting Tang Tian'er's name. "After returning to the lodging house last night, I specifically had someone investigate, and Rouge Bloom is also part of the Flying Horse Merchant Guild."

"What's wrong with that?" Pei Mianman usually didn't concern herself with who owned these shops, so she didn't understand why he was so focused on it.

"Prince Qi's heir hasn't really gone anywhere else recently, apart from visiting the Pei family and the shops where he bought you gifts. So I was wondering if there was anything amiss with those specific shops, worried he might be meeting someone there," Zu An explained. "But after investigating, I found a common thread: all these shops belong to the Flying Horse Merchant Guild."

Pei Mianman also realized something was off. "Are Prince Qi's people colluding with the Flying Horse Merchant Guild?"

"I can't figure it out either," Zu An said, feeling a headache coming on. Han Fengqiu had also appeared at the Zhenyuan Merchant Guild last night, which, by rights, should mean he was associated with them. "That's why I plan to investigate the Flying Horse Merchant Guild."

He had another unvoiced concern: yesterday, just as he uncovered Rouge Bloom's connection, Qiu Honglei led him to the Zhenyuan Merchant Guild. Was it a coincidence, or something more?

He recalled Qiu Honglei's vague words in Yi Commandery about whether he'd be angry if he ever found out she had deceived him. It must have been about this.

"I was used as a pawn," Zu An thought, recalling Qiu Honglei desperately protecting him last night. He finally sighed, figuring she probably didn't know there would be so many top masters gathered inside at the time.

By this time, Zhang Che and the Golden Wanderer had walked into the distance. Pei Mianman noticed Zu An's expression wasn't good and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Zu An replied, letting go of his inner turmoil. He realized he could discern between true and false intentions; there was no need for him to dwell on it.

"Who's that Yan Xuehen they just mentioned?" Seeing that he was fine, Pei Mianman's curiosity returned.

"The Sect Master of White Jade Capital, and also Chu Chuyan's master," Zu An answered casually.

"Ah? She's that Grandmaster from last night?" Pei Mianman was startled, not because of the other person's cultivation level, but because she was Chu Chuyan's master.

Thinking of this, she bit her lip and asked somewhat guiltily, "If she finds out about us, will she intervene on Chuyan's behalf?"

"There's certainly a possibility," Zu An mused, recalling how the woman had come to demand explanations for Qiu Honglei last night. If she were to find out about him and Pei Mianman... *Ugh*, just thinking about it sent shivers down his spine.

Having gained what they came for, Zu An led Pei Mianman away from the Flying Horse Merchant Guild.

After the revelation about Yan Xuehen, Pei Mianman's spirits weren't high; she looked preoccupied. She didn't even have the heart to shop with Zu An anymore. After chatting for a while, they both returned home.

Zu An was equally thoughtful, feeling as if he had fallen into a large net, seemingly guided by an invisible hand to do certain things. However, no matter how much he pondered, he couldn't pinpoint the source of the problem. He could only return to the lodging house for now.

But when he arrived outside the lodging house, he found it completely surrounded by soldiers. These soldiers were formidable, with sharp eyes, and their military formation exuded a palpable killing intent, clearly indicating they were seasoned veterans. They were not the county troops from the Governor's Mansion, but the field army from the Governor-General's office!

Zu An's heart sank. Had Jian Taiding been pushed to the brink and was now preparing a rebellion?

However, after observing for a while, he dismissed that speculation. The soldiers seemed to be merely encircling the lodging house, with no intention of attacking.

After returning to his room at the lodging house, there was a knock on the door. "Ah Zu, I didn't want to disturb your cultivation, but there's an urgent matter now, something important to discuss."

Zu An recalled Daji, then went to open the door.

"Jian Taiding has deployed troops; the situation is very critical now," Sang Hong said, getting straight to the point without formalities upon seeing him.