Chapter 1225: The Troubles of Straight Men

The women immediately grew wary. Was this an attempt to separate them?

A palace attendant arranged for Zu An to stay in one of the side rooms in the outer court. Many officials worked in that area during the day, and occasionally, during special circumstances, they needed to work overnight. For this reason, some rooms were kept ready for emergencies, though they were rarely used on ordinary days.

Yu Yanluo and the other women naturally didn't want to be separated from him, suggesting they stay in adjacent rooms.

The palace attendant, however, stated that accommodating them in the outer court side rooms would imply disrespect from the Qingqiu Nation towards honored guests, and if word spread, other clans would mock Qingqiu.

Since the attendant had framed it as an issue of national dignity, Yu Yanluo found it difficult to object. Nevertheless, a look of concern remained on everyone's faces.

Fortunately, Tu Shan-yu was understanding and arranged for the women to stay as close to Zu An's location as possible, which they reluctantly accepted.

During a moment of free time, Yu Yanluo cautioned Zu An, "You must be careful tonight."

Zu An chuckled. "What does a grown man like me need to be careful of? It's you women who are injured and should be especially cautious."

"Who says men don't need to be careful?" Yan Xuehen couldn't help but interject when she saw his dismissive attitude. "Legends say fox spirits drain men's vital essence. Given the fat Daoist's prophecy from earlier, you absolutely must not let your guard down."

The other two women immediately exchanged surprised glances. Yun Jianyue chuckled, "Well, well, our 'Ice Stone Woman' can show concern for others now, and for a man, no less?"

Yan Xuehen's cheeks flushed slightly, but she quickly retorted, "Companions naturally help each other. Do you think everyone is like you members of the Demonic Sect, who constantly squabble among yourselves?"

Yun Jianyue was about to retort but saw Tu Shan-yu approaching. She swallowed her words and quickly said, "These are our Holy Sect's signal arrows. Release them if anything unexpected happens, and everyone gather together as quickly as possible."

Since they were on someone else's territory, they couldn't afford to be unprepared. She distributed a few signal arrows to each person and quickly taught them how to use them.

Following this, Tu Shan-yu personally escorted Yu Yanluo and the others into the inner palace.

Zu An, meanwhile, was led by a different attendant to the outer court.

Along the way, the fox women were quite curious about Zu An, striking up conversations with him on various pretexts.

However, Zu An was not in the mood for any romantic encounters and responded indifferently.

Seeing his lack of interest, the fox women lost enthusiasm. After leading him to his destination, they cautioned, "This is a sensitive area of the royal palace. Do not wander around at night; it would be troublesome if you accidentally offend an important person."

Zu An smiled. "Don't worry, I won't set foot outside."

To avoid any potential romantic entanglements, he had no intention of leaving, even if the fox women asked him to. He simply planned to get a good night's sleep and depart safely the next day.

"Men should indeed be like this, not drawing attention to themselves." The fox women nodded in satisfaction and then departed.

Zu An smiled without arguing, surveying the room's layout. It was much better than he had expected; though not spacious, its cleanliness was a definite plus.

After washing up, he sat on the bed and began his cultivation practice.

Although outsiders might perceive him as constantly chasing women, in reality, he cultivated whenever he had free time. Otherwise, merely relying on external advantages would render him a hothouse flower, unable to withstand the trials of blood and fire.

Time passed imperceptibly. Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door.

"Who is it?" Zu An opened his eyes.

"Young Master Zu, it's me," a soft, pleasant voice responded from outside.

Zu An's expression shifted in surprise, as his spiritual senses had already revealed the identity of the speaker: Tu Shan-yu, the Queen of Qingqiu.

This greatly surprised him. Throughout their previous encounters, she hadn't given him a single direct glance, and their conversations never extended beyond three sentences. Her indifferent gaze had made him feel as if he were invisible. So why was she coming to see him in the middle of the night?

Zu An replied, "It's quite late already. A man and woman meeting privately at this hour would harm my reputation. Whatever matter you have can wait until tomorrow morning."

Outside the door, Tu Shan-yu's smile instantly froze. "???"

She had come with great enthusiasm, picturing Zu An's astonished and delighted reaction upon seeing her. Instead, she had been shut out?

For years, her beauty and status had ensured she was always the center of attention wherever she went. When had she ever been refused like this?

Anger from Tu Shan-yu +377+377+377...

However, the anger on her face was fleeting. She quickly composed herself and, her voice still soft, said, "I heard from Sister Yu that you need the Azure-Crimson Flower. I just found some in stock and thought you must be in urgent need, so I brought them to you right away."

Zu An was momentarily stunned. Since it concerned the Azure-Crimson Flower, he naturally couldn't refuse to see her.

He went and opened the door, finding Tu Shan-yu standing delicately at the doorway.

Compared to earlier in the day, she had changed into a different outfit, one with a softer, more relaxed fabric. Its diagonal neckline revealed her delicate, fair collarbone and small, gleaming shoulders.

Although a good portion of her skin was exposed, her personal demeanor and the appropriate combination of her attire ensured there was no hint of seductiveness or vulgarity. Instead, it added a touch of vibrancy and playfulness to her pure aura.

However, a man only needed a single glance at this outfit for the image of her fair, delicate collarbone and shoulders to linger in his mind. Even though only a small portion was revealed, it could spark endless fantasies.

Zu An felt a pang of nostalgia. In his previous life, the streets had been full of beautiful young women dressed just like this. Although this world's customs were considered open, it was only in comparison to ancient times in his past life. Compared to the flamboyant displays of modern urban beauties, the fashion here still seemed somewhat limited in imagination.

Forget these simple off-shoulder designs; back then, he had even seen entirely transparent clothes that only covered the most crucial parts, giving the impression of being worn and yet not worn at all.

The key was that those outfits were designed with such elegance that they didn't convey the slightest hint of vulgarity.

Tu Shan-yu was prepared for a look of admiration. She was certain Zu An would either stare openly or pretend not to look while secretly glancing from the corner of his eye. She had seen all these male tricks countless times over the years.

To her surprise, he merely glanced and then casually looked away. She could discern that his gaze was not feigned; moreover, it seemed to carry a hint of viewing a simple village girl?

For a moment, she even began to question her own perception.

Could it be that Queen Medusa was so beautiful that being around her for so long had raised his standards?

This thought, however, made her even more uncomfortable. Didn't it imply she was far inferior to the Queen?

Just then, Zu An spotted the bouquet of Azure-Crimson Flowers she held in her arms and instinctively took them. "Thank you, Queen of Qingqiu!"

With a bang, the door closed again right after he spoke.

Tu Shan-yu: "???"

Anger from Tu Shan-yu +444+444+444...

As soon as Zu An stepped back into the room, a series of urgent knocks sounded on the door.

"Is there something else?" Zu An asked, puzzled.

Hearing the hint of disdain in his tone, Tu Shan-yu gritted her teeth in frustration. "I've given you something so precious, and you have no further acknowledgement?"

"Didn't I just thank you?" Zu An asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice. He was eager to help Daji break through to the seventh rank immediately, but this woman kept bothering him.

Tu Shan-yu: "..."

Anger from Tu Shan-yu +233+233+233...

She took a deep breath, barely suppressing the urge to lash out. "Just a 'thank you'? Young Master, aren't you a bit too stingy? At least invite me in for a cup of tea, won't you?"