Chapter 1570: Entrustment

"I want..." Seeing Zu'an on guard, Kong Nanwu couldn't help but smile. "I want a new story from *Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio*. *A Chinese Ghost Story* is good, but I'm too familiar with it; it lacks freshness."

"That's it?" Zu'an was somewhat taken aback. He had worried her request would be difficult, so he never imagined it would be incredibly easy.

"Don't think it's simple, young master," Kong Nanwu reminded him, seeing his relaxed demeanor. "After all, for an ordinary person to write even one story like *A Chinese Ghost Story* in their lifetime would be remarkable. Please don't fob me off with just any story."

At this, Nanxun, standing by, covered her mouth and chuckled, "Since the young master could write *A Chinese Ghost Story*, he's clearly no ordinary person. I imagine such tales come effortlessly to him."

Seeing the two women and the fox gaze at him expectantly, Zu'an secretly wiped away a bead of cold sweat. He thought to himself that without drawing upon the wisdom of his predecessors, he would never have been able to think of another brilliant story so quickly.

He thought for a moment and then said, "This time, I'll tell you the story of *Painted Skin*. Once upon a time..."

He didn't follow the *Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio* version exactly, but incorporated plot elements from the movies *Painted Skin 1* and *2*. After all, these young girls were more interested in stories about love.

As expected, after the story concluded, Nanxun and the little fox were in floods of tears. Kong Nanwu was relatively more composed, but her eyes were red-rimmed, clearly showing she was deeply affected.

"That female ghost was so pitiful," Nanxun said, wiping her tears. "She gave everything for love, but all the tragedy fell upon her, and she received nothing in return." As she was now, to some extent, a ghost herself, she naturally felt a stronger connection to the character.

Kong Nanwu frowned. "I actually found that female ghost a bit... 'green tea,' wouldn't you say?" She glanced at Zu'an for confirmation, as she had learned the term "green tea" from him. After he nodded affirmatively, she continued, "She clearly knew he was a married man, yet she insisted on clinging to him and resorted to schemes to meddle in their relationship."

As a high-ranking princess of the Peacock Royal Clan, if she were to have an engagement, she would undoubtedly be the primary wife, just as she had almost become the Crown Princess. Therefore, she naturally harbored a sense of caution towards "the other woman."

Nanxun immediately bristled. "That's not fair. She was just doing it for love."

At that moment, the little fox spoke in a soft, delicate voice: "I think the male lead was quite bad. He was clearly married, yet he still had ambiguous relationships with other women."

Hearing her words, the women in the room involuntarily turned to look at Zu'an, making his scalp tingle. "What are you looking at me for?"

"The male lead was actually not bad," Kong Nanwu said, then paused, looking at Zu'an with a strange, faint smile. "He always maintained his composure, and even when he thought his wife was a demon, he didn't abandon her. He even purposefully blinded himself to prove he wasn't someone who valued appearance..." She continued, "Young master, did you also think the male lead was too much of a scoundrel, and subconsciously tried to make him look better?"

Zu'an said, feeling dejected, "The male lead in my story isn't based on me..."

He tried to explain for a long time, but even though the three women claimed to believe him, their expressions clearly indicated that they "understood," leaving him with a deep sense of powerlessness.

After a while, Kong Nanwu brought up Zu'an's upcoming trip to Purple Mountain. Clearly, as someone well-informed, she was aware of the imperial appointment. "Young master," she said, "this trip to Purple Mountain will likely be tumultuous. I've received news that many martial artists are heading there, though their purpose is unknown."

Zu'an was momentarily stunned. "Where did you get that information?"

He thought to himself that he was, after all, the Demon Regent, a position considerably higher than hers, yet he had received no such news. How was it possible that she had?

"I've been among humans for a while now; I've naturally made some gains," Kong Nanwu said casually, though an undeniable look of triumph crept onto her face.

Zu'an found it inappropriate to ask for details about her intelligence network. "Thank you for the reminder, Miss Kong."

At the same time, he found it strange. What was going on? Why would even those martial artists dare to get involved in the affairs of Purple Mountain? One must remember that the Empire had gathered most of the world's elites. While there were indeed masters among those who lived outside the court, they were like ants trying to shake a tree compared to the mighty imperial government. Normally, they would be too busy hiding to get involved.

Kong Nanwu picked up the wine pot and poured two cups of wine, handing one to Zu'an. A glimpse of her fair wrist and delicate hand emerging from her sleeve shimmered against the jade cup holding the wine. "A small toast, young master, wishing you a safe and successful journey."

"Thank you!" Zu'an took the cup and drained it in one gulp. At the same time, he felt a flicker of confusion: weren't peacocks green? Why was she so fair-skinned?

***

After arranging all matters in the capital, Zu'an set off for Purple Mountain, accompanied by a detachment of Imperial Guards and the skilled artisans prepared by the Ministry of Works.

Clearly, Zhao Hao attached considerable importance to this mission, as the size and composition of the dispatched contingent surpassed that of the previous envoy team sent to Yunzhong Commandery.

Not only was the number of personnel greater, but two deputy generals from the Imperial Guards were also assigned to accompany him.

The elder of the two, a swarthy man named Wang Bolin, wore a perpetual frown, as if everyone owed him money.

The slightly younger one was named Zhang Zijiang. He usually smiled at everyone, but occasionally a sharp glint in his eyes betrayed that he wasn't as amiable as he appeared.

While their outward demeanor differed, Zu'an could sense the hostility in both their hearts.

This was hardly surprising. Both men were known for being astute and capable within the Imperial Guards, having served as deputy generals for many years. Their abilities and prestige were widely recognized.

In their daily work, the two had openly competed and secretly schemed, both striving to distinguish themselves and become the new Imperial Guard Commander.

Who would have thought that after years of contention, Zu'an would be parachuted in and given the position?

If he had hailed from a prominent noble family and possessed established prestige, it would have been acceptable. However, he was remarkably young, even younger than many new recruits in the Imperial Guards.

Furthermore, he came from a humble background, and it was rumored he had once been a live-in son-in-law.

Therefore, despite Zu'an's rising prominence in the past two years, both men were deeply resentful.

With this shared "enemy," the two sworn rivals surprisingly developed a sense of mutual appreciation. In truth, this was thanks to Bi Linglong. After learning that both deputy generals would accompany him to Purple Mountain, she had specifically alerted him to the intricacies of their situation, without which Zu'an wouldn't have been able to discern their general mindset so clearly.

"Although Linglong has been sulking lately, she still cares about me quite a bit," Zu'an thought, a slight smile curving his lips as he recalled Bi Linglong's tsundere demeanor—clearly angry but unwilling to admit it.

"Brother Zu, which woman are you thinking of now, to be smiling so wantonly?" At that moment, someone patted his shoulder, and a face adorned with a silver mask appeared before him. Though masked, those "peach blossom" eyes, even more moist and captivating than a woman's, could only belong to Xie Xiu.

Looking at Xie Xiu, who was even more handsome than many women, Zu'an couldn't help but maliciously wonder if the young man wasn't afraid of being abducted and violated one day.

"Xiuer, how do you have time to see me off? Did your female fans follow you?" Zu'an still vividly remembered his female fans from his last visit to the Imperial Academy.

Xie Xiu shivered, glanced around, and then whispered, "Don't be so loud; I snuck out."

"To come see me off even under these circumstances, you're truly a good brother," Zu'an said, glancing around. He was a little surprised not to see that quiet and graceful figure.

"Stop looking, my sister isn't here," Xie Xiu said, rolling his eyes.

Zu'an gave an awkward laugh. "Is your sister very busy with cultivation these days?"

Xie Xiu shook his head. "Besides seeing you off, I have another matter to ask of you. My sister took on a task earlier, and it seems she's also heading to Purple Mountain. She left a few days ago..."

He gave a general overview, though he wasn't clear on many details, as Xie Daoyun's trip was confidential. "My sister's cultivation is quite good, but her experience in the martial world is too shallow. While she isn't completely sheltered, in Brightmoon City, she only interacted with people of similar backgrounds, and everyone knew she was the City Lord's daughter, so they wouldn't dare cause trouble. After coming to the capital, she mostly stayed in the academy's back mountain, rarely having to deal with various people. This time, she's traveling alone..."

"So you're worried something might happen to her in the martial world?" Zu'an laughed heartily. "I didn't realize you had a sister complex!"

"What's a sister complex?" Xie Xiu asked, looking bewildered. He shook his head and continued, "Your travel routes are similar, so I specifically came to ask you to look after her. I wanted to go with her, but that old geezer, Black and White, has been acting crazy lately, giving me a ton of tasks, so I can't possibly leave the capital. If anything happens to my sister, how will I explain it to our parents?"

Zu'an's expression became odd. *What a filial and respectful handsome young man...*

"Don't worry," he promised, patting his chest. "Your sister is a good friend of mine too, so I'll naturally take good care of her." He thought to himself that it was quite a coincidence that Xie Daoyun was also heading to Purple Mountain.

"Just ensure her basic personal safety; you don't need to take *too* good care of her," Xie Xiu suddenly said, becoming wary. "Otherwise, if your 'care' extends to the bedroom, that would be unfortunate."

Zu'an's face darkened. "Do I look like that kind of person to you?"

Xie Xiu scrutinized him carefully, then nodded solemnly. "Yes, you do!"