Chapter 1054: Chess Piece

Zu An’s reaction was quick. The brief change in his expression vanished almost instantly as he retorted, "Who is Zu An? Could he be your lover, Madam?"

Yu Yanluo glanced at him sideways. "How dare you say that to my face?"

Zu An broke out in a cold sweat. What was wrong with this woman? She had an endless supply of trump cards, and now she even knew his identity?

Was she bluffing?

But how could she accurately call out his name? It couldn't be such a coincidence.

Could it be that she also had a 'true name recognition system'?

As if sensing his confusion, Yu Yanluo spoke. "I've been a little puzzled since earlier. I kept feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity about you, but because your disguise was so good, I couldn't figure out who you were for a while.

"It wasn't until later, when you emerged from the painting world. I was lying in bed barely dressed at the time. After you subdued me, you saw my shoulder exposed and even pulled the blanket to cover me. At first, I thought you were a gentleman, so I treated you with courtesy.

"But then you... you tied me up like that and took out all those strange drugs. That's when I knew you were absolutely no gentleman at heart. Yet, if you weren't a gentleman, why were you so unmoved by such temptation earlier? While I don't rely on charm, I believe I possess some allure. In this world, few men could resist when I'm undressed. Since you're clearly not the gentleman I initially imagined, there's only one possibility: you know me, and we have a decent relationship."

Zu An snorted. "That still doesn't prove I'm the person you're talking about."

Hearing his tone, a faint smile appeared on Yu Yanluo's face. "With that premise, it's easy to deduce. Although I know many people, very few would dare to do something like this. And your actions just now were also different from those acquaintances.

"Furthermore, you're exceptionally concerned about Yan You's disappearance and have repeatedly questioned Jian Taiding's collusion with the demon race in smuggling. Currently, the imperial envoy delegation is the most interested party in this matter in Yunzhong Commandery.

"Within the entire imperial envoy delegation, only three people possess the ability to infiltrate my room. Sang Hong is an old man, and this isn't his style. Besides you, the mysterious Gold Rank Eleven of the Embroidered Uniform Guard might also be capable, but only you, Zu An, could produce a Flood Dragon Sinew to bind me. During the Crown Prince's assessment, you helped him obtain the sinew of an Eighth-Rank Azure Moon Flood Dragon; this is not a secret to those who pay attention.

"Moreover, you are so familiar with the happenings in the back mountains of the Imperial Academy; there's no one else but you."

After hearing her analysis, Zu An was not only shocked but also utterly impressed. "Madam, you are truly Holmes reincarnated."

"Who is Holmes?" Yu Yanluo murmured the name, her mind already searching for famous people with the surname 'Fu' in the world.

"Uh, a detective with god-like deduction skills," Zu An casually replied, trying to gloss over it.

Since his identity had been recognized, there was no need to deny it. His face shifted through a myriad of expressions, gradually returning to his original appearance.

Witnessing the entire process, Yu Yanluo was utterly astonished. "What kind of ability is this? You actually transformed yourself!"

She had originally thought he used some magical artifact, like a mysterious mask. She had no idea he simply transformed directly.

This ability was truly astounding!

Zu An smiled helplessly. "It's the first time I've used it, and you still saw through it."

Yu Yanluo said seriously, "I was able to see through it because of my special ability in the art of painting, which allowed me to perceive a subtle disharmony in your disguise. No one else would have been able to expose it."

Halfway through her sentence, she suddenly felt something unusual with her body and couldn't help but let out a cold snort. "Are you planning to keep me tied up like this?"

"I'll untie you now." Since his identity was exposed, he couldn't interrogate her further, and there was no point in keeping her bound.

He walked behind her and began to untie her hands. He hadn't noticed it during the interrogation, but now, being so close, seeing her strangely contorted posture, and sensing her subtle bodily fragrance nearby, no man could help but have improper thoughts. "Ahem, I apologize for the offense, Madam. Please forgive me."

The moment he loosened the restraints slightly, Yu Yanluo gave a gentle twist, and her entire body, like a graceful snake, slipped smoothly free from the gap.

Zu An's eyes widened. Her flexibility was absolutely incredible!

"Hmph, weren't you quite imposing when you were interrogating me just now? Why the sudden change of attitude?" Yu Yanluo rubbed her wrists while glaring at Zu An irritably.

Zu An felt a bit awkward. "That was different just now; it was mainly for the investigation."

"Heh, investigating a case with aphrodisiacs?" Yu Yanluo looked at him with a strange expression. "Sneaking into a woman's boudoir in the middle of the night disguised as her husband, and carrying so many odd drugs on you... You're not secretly a philanderer, are you?"

Towards the end, her expression became serious and dangerous.

"Absolutely not!" Zu An refused to accept this accusation. "I just acquired this ability by chance not long ago. I've only just learned it, and I used it on you for the first time."

Yu Yanluo lightly spat, her jade-like cheeks slightly flushed. "You certainly have the nerve, trying to bully me on your very first try."

"You're wrong! I truly was investigating a case. I never intended to use it for anything vile or despicable." Even as Zu An explained, he felt a bit guilty. Indeed, appearing in her bed in the middle of the night disguised as her husband looked suspicious from any angle.

"And those 'Spring Wind'... Bah, just saying it makes my mouth feel dirty. How do you explain those drugs?" Yu Yanluo, of course, wouldn't be easily fooled by him.

"Those were spoils of war, confiscated after some people tried to harm me by using them on me," Zu An replied.

Yu Yanluo: "???"

Her gaze towards Zu An immediately became strange. These drugs were used on a man?

Was it a man or a woman who used them on him?

The mere thought of that scene was quite insane.

Seeing her expression, Zu An knew she was thinking the wrong thing. "I truly had no ill intentions. From start to finish, I didn't take any liberties with you, did I? You should know that best."

"And tying me up like that isn't taking liberties?" There was a hint of faint anger in Yu Yanluo's eyes.

Over the years, she had encountered countless admirers, all of whom revered and respected her, meticulously careful not to leave even the slightest bad impression.

Yet this fellow had just humiliated her as if she were a slave girl. Just thinking about it...

Rage points from Yu Yanluo +69, +69, +69...

"That was also out of urgency earlier; after all, you almost counter-killed me moments ago." Zu An still felt a lingering fear recalling the situation. The Libationer's disciples truly were extraordinary, possessing so many trump cards and secrets.

"If you hadn't been somewhat courteous to me before, do you think I would have patiently talked this much with you?" Yu Yanluo straightened her dress, subconsciously intending to sit on the bed. But then she immediately reconsidered, thinking that sitting like that in front of a man late at night might be misinterpreted as a hint, especially after such an awkward incident had just occurred.

So, she moved to sit at the desk nearby, looking at the painting with a hole in it, and said with a touch of regret, "A good painting, ruined."

Zu An couldn't help but exclaim, "I never imagined, Madam, that you hid your strength so well. Everyone thought you were defenseless, but who knew you could even trap a divine dragon? Looking back, for me, a mere Third Rank, to rush to save you outside Mingyue City, it was truly overestimating myself."

Yu Yanluo's face, however, softened with a trace of tenderness. "I don't think so. Whether a person is chivalrous should be judged more by their actions when they are weak. Anyone dares to stand up when they are strong, but risking one's life to save others when weak is truly admirable. Speaking of which, you were quite cute back then, saying you wanted to be my..."

Her smile suddenly froze at this point. In her eyes, his "bold words" back then were merely a boy's naive ramblings, and she hadn't taken them to heart.

But today, this fellow really did impersonate her husband, and just now, he even tied her up like that...

Thinking of this, her expression as she looked at Zu An immediately turned strange.

Noticing her gaze, Zu An's old face flushed, and he continued, "Previously, you interceded for me with the Emperor in the capital. At first, I thought you were repaying a life-saving kindness from back then. But now it seems that even without me, you wouldn't have been in danger, so that life-saving kindness doesn't apply. So why did you specifically travel to the capital just to plead for me?"

"It was my teacher who entrusted me to plead for you back then," Yu Yanluo explained. "After hearing the news, I was quite surprised and couldn't understand why you would have a connection with my teacher. However, I was already planning to save you anyway, as I had always admired you, so I naturally agreed."

"The Libationer?" Zu An's expression subtly changed. Back then, he was just a live-in son-in-law in Mingyue City, a typical good-for-nothing in the eyes of the world. How could he possibly catch the eye of someone like the Libationer?

Wait a minute. Back at Mingyue Academy, Principal Jiang also took good care of him, and Jiang Luofu was also a disciple of the Libationer.

It felt as if he was merely a chess piece in the Libationer's hand. Why did that give him such an unsettling feeling?

Yu Yanluo scrutinized him up and down, then smiled, pursing her lips. "I also found it strange why that old man would pay attention to you. At first, I even thought you were his illegitimate son."

"And then?" Zu An thought to himself, if he had such a powerful patron, it wouldn't be so bad...

"Then I realized I was overthinking," Yu Yanluo said teasingly, "because you don't resemble my teacher at all."

Zu An: "..."

After the two chatted for a while, the conversation returned to their previous focus. Zu An said, "Madam, since you know that Jian Taiding murdered the Duke and colluded with the demon race, please cooperate with us to bring him to justice."

Yu Yanluo shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't."

Zu An was startled. "Why not?"

"Because I have no evidence," Yu Yanluo blinked. "Besides, the relationship between the Yu and Jian families is complicated, and it's not convenient for me to get involved."

Zu An thought, it seems the Yu family is indeed involved.

Yu Yanluo rested her chin in her hand, smiling as she looked at him. "Don't misunderstand; this is actually for your own good. Jian Taiding currently controls the Governor-General's army. If you can't present irrefutable evidence, he could easily incite those troops and cause major disaster."

"If you don't cooperate, where am I supposed to find evidence?" Zu An said, feeling dejected.

"Actually, there is a way," Yu Yanluo smiled, and the whole room seemed to brighten by a third.