Chapter 1129: Stealing Heaven and Changing the Day

Evidently, Jiang Luofu, being cautious, did not call out a name directly.

The "Drunkard" naturally referred to Xiao Yao, who constantly carried a flask and was perpetually inebriated. The description couldn't have been more apt.

“In the past few days, I found an opportunity to enter the prison and set up a small device inside. It should be able to help you…”

Immediately, a chess piece dropped from the glow. Zu An reached out and took it, noticing its strong resemblance to the 'Substitute Plum for Peach' token Hei Baizi had given him previously.

“This is a new contraption developed by Fifth Senior Brother, called 'Stealing Heaven and Changing Sun.' It consists of a pair of chess pieces. By using one piece as a coordinate, anyone holding the other piece can, within a limited range, directly teleport to the location of the paired piece by casting a spell.”

Zu An was astonished, thinking to himself that the academy's members consistently developed bizarre yet incredibly practical devices.

With this 'Stealing Heaven and Changing Sun' device, he could enter the prison directly, bypassing the need to storm in from the outside.

The critical point was that a direct assault from the outside would grant the defenders more reaction time, potentially allowing both Xiao Yao and Xu Yu to rush back upon hearing the alarm, which would complicate matters significantly.

Alternatively, he could set the teleportation point outside. Then, by quietly infiltrating the prison, he could rescue the person without anyone knowing.

However, Xu Yu was so meticulous that he had created an impenetrable defense system around Yu Yanluo, making silent infiltration utterly impossible.

After much thought, disguise seemed like the only way to enter without conflict. However, a post-event investigation would expose his 'Thousand Faces' skill, inevitably leading to suspicion regarding the earlier Jian Yanyou incident. The repercussions of such a chain reaction were simply too severe.

Therefore, it was better to discreetly enter first, rescue Yu Yanluo, and then both of them could fight their way out together.

He sighed, wishing there were more pairs of 'Stealing Heaven and Changing Sun' pieces; it would certainly alleviate many of his current worries.

He understood, of course, that such items were exceedingly precious. Possessing even one pair was a rarity, and wishing for several more was pure fantasy.

After silently memorizing the usage instructions mentioned in Jiang Luofu's letter, he put on a human-skin mask and departed.

Since he couldn't risk exposing his 'Thousand Faces' ability, the masks he had acquired from Chen Xuan long ago proved useful once more.

Upon reaching the vicinity of the mansion where Yu Yanluo was held, he observed the patrolling soldiers from afar. He had to concede that despite Xu Yu's trickery, the man was genuinely talented; the defensive layout was truly seamless.

He found a secluded spot, took out the white piece, activated it according to Jiang Luofu's instructions, and then crushed it in his hand.

Immediately, the light around his body shimmered and distorted, and within seconds, his form vanished from where he stood.

Meanwhile, in the innermost courtyard, several guards were chatting:

“I finally caught a glimpse of Madam Yu during the day; she’s truly stunning.”

“Please, don’t be so provincial. I’ve seen her multiple times. She even smiled at me once.”

“Do you really think such a beautiful woman could be from the demon race?”

“Hard to say. The demon race is notorious for deception; perhaps even her beautiful appearance is a disguise.”

“No, seriously, is her beauty artificial?”

“Who knows? But with looks like that, even if I knew they were fake, I’d still go for it.”

“Dream on, kid.”

The men in the room chuckled coarsely. The more they talked, the more agitated they became, and their gazes began to drift towards the inner courtyard.

They yearned to enter and gaze upon her a few more times. Even if they did nothing else, simply admiring her beauty felt as though it could extend their lives by several years.

Unfortunately, an Embroidered Uniform Guard's seal protected the interior. This seal had been jointly established by Sang Hong and Xu Yu, both for mutual checks and balances and to ensure Yu Yanluo's safety.

As the men stood disheartened, they failed to notice a black chess piece on a table beam in the corner of the room, which began to crumble into dust.

Immediately, the air around that spot rippled, and a figure materialized in the room.

The guards stationed here were all high-ranking experts from the Governor's residence. They immediately sensed the anomaly, drawing their weapons from their belts. One even reached out to strike a nearby alarm bell.

They weren't foolishly brave; their immediate priority was to alert the rest of the mansion, thereby fulfilling their duty.

It had to be admitted that Xu Yu's security measures were quite formidable. If anyone else had broken in, even if they could overcome these highly skilled guards, they wouldn't have had enough time to prevent them from sounding the alarm.

Unfortunately, Zu An had spent the past two days meticulously studying the mansion's defenses. Given his status, acquiring such detailed information was not difficult. Thus, the moment he materialized in the room, he instantly lunged towards the bell.

With his divine soul now fully formed, the movements of the guards in the room were entirely under his control. He even anticipated their every move.

The guards merely saw a blur, and then their target vanished.

The guard attempting to strike the bell found his hammer frozen mid-air. He looked up in horror, realizing the mysterious figure had appeared directly in front of him without warning.

He instinctively retaliated with his other hand, but a peculiar burst of energy surged through his pulse point from where the opponent had gripped him. His vision blurred, and he promptly fainted.

The other guards moved to assist, but found their eyes utterly unable to track the opponent's speed. One after another, their vision went black, and they sequentially collapsed to the ground.

Zu An caught them, gently lowering them to the floor to prevent any noise that might alert those outside.

He then proceeded without hesitation, heading directly towards the inner courtyard.

Since Yu Yanluo was, after all, a woman—and a very beautiful one at that—no further guards were stationed in this small courtyard. Instead, two maidservants were assigned to attend to her.

Both maidservants were ordinary individuals, typically residing in the adjacent side rooms, and Zu An subdued them with ease.

Having completed these tasks, he finally reached the innermost room. The doors and windows bore seals left by the Embroidered Uniform Guards, presumably Xiao Jianren’s work.

These seals were incredibly difficult for outsiders to break, and any forceful attempt to dismantle them would trigger an alarm, immediately summoning other mansion residents.

It wasn't that Xu Yu hadn't considered the possibility of Zu An interfering. However, he believed that while the Embroidered Uniform Guards were part of the imperial envoy delegation, their unique status meant they were absolutely loyal to the Emperor and would never collude with Zu An on such an issue.

His reasoning was sound; Xiao Jianren and the Embroidered Uniform Guards wouldn't even heed Imperial Envoy Sang Hong, let alone Zu An.

Yet, no matter how expansive his imagination, he could never have conceived that Zu An held another identity: one of the world's rare Golden Embroidered Uniform Guards.

The seals established by Silver Embroidered Uniform Guard Xiao Jianren offered no defense whatsoever against a higher-ranking Golden Embroidered Uniform Guard!

Zu An produced the Golden Embroidered Uniform Guard plaque and placed it directly on the seal. Like a lock turning, the seal instantly disengaged.

“Who’s there?” a low voice demanded from within the room. Imprisoned, Yu Yanluo’s vigilance was at its peak. Despite her cultivation being sealed, her instincts as a master allowed her to immediately sense an anomaly.

“It’s me,” Zu An replied, closing the door behind him and immediately removing his mask.

“Ah Zu!” Yu Yanluo, who had been in a defensive stance, immediately lowered her guard upon seeing him. She rushed forward, her face a mixture of surprise and joy. “You… how did you get in?”

“Now isn’t the time for questions. Quickly, take off your clothes,” Zu An urged.

Yu Yanluo’s smile instantly stiffened.

Zu An then produced a set of clothes. “Put these on.”

Yu Yanluo then saw clearly that it was a guard’s uniform, identical to those worn by the men outside. She immediately realized her misunderstanding.

Her cheeks flushed, and she quickly tried to conceal her embarrassment as she asked, “What exactly is happening? If you rescue me, you’ll have no place left in this Great Zhou Dynasty.”

Hearing the concern in her voice, Zu An felt a warmth spread through his heart. She was indeed thinking of him, fearing to implicate him even in this dire situation.

“Don’t worry, I’ve made all the arrangements. If everything goes smoothly, we won’t be exposed.” Seeing her about to ask more, Zu An added with a smile, “If you keep asking questions and waste time, things might not go as smoothly.”

“Alright!” Yu Yanluo was no ordinary woman; she wasted no more time. She took the guard’s uniform from the side and immediately began unbuttoning her own clothes.