Chapter 1577: Night Walking

Wang Bolin and Zhang Zijiang were both excited to receive such important intelligence. This risk was well worth taking; escorting these prisoners back to the capital would surely be a great achievement.

In fact, all of this was thanks to Lord Zu’s wise and mighty leadership!

It was normal for their attitudes to change so quickly. After all, having personally witnessed Zu An’s actions, they realized how ridiculous their previous jealousy had been.

They understood that they were not on the same level as Lord Zu. His future was boundless; a mere General of the Feathered Forest Imperial Guard would certainly not be his ultimate position. When he was promoted in the future, as his former subordinates, they would surely have more opportunities than others. Not aligning themselves with him now would be incredibly short-sighted.

After asking a few more questions and realizing no further intelligence could be gained, the group, along with the captured rebels, decided to search for the main army.

Zu An said to Xie Daoyun, "I heard from your brother that you're going to Purple Mountain, which is also our destination. Since that's the case, why don't we travel together? We can look out for each other."

Xie Daoyun's face flushed slightly. She knew he said this to spare her feelings; what "looking out for each other"? What could she possibly do to help him?

"Thank you, Brother Zu."

Xie Daoyun assented with a hum. She had genuinely been terrified these past few days and truly did not want to experience anything similar again. Being with the Feathered Forest Imperial Guard would be much safer.

More importantly, she would be traveling with Brother Zu…

She secretly glanced at Zu An, her heart pounding.

On the way back, Wang Bolin and Zhang Zijiang eagerly offered their mounts for Zu An and Xie Daoyun to ride. Although grandmasters could typically fly, doing so consumed vital energy and was tiring.

Considering Xie Daoyun's physical condition, Zu An did not refuse their kind offer. However, Xie Daoyun was simply too weak, and with her severe mental exhaustion, she swayed precariously on the horse, almost falling off several times.

Seeing her struggle, Zu An, concerned, simply pulled her in front of him, and they shared one horse.

Xie Daoyun instinctively opened her mouth but ultimately made no sound.

Feeling his strong arm around her, she felt a jolt like an electric current pass through her body, and her heart thumped wildly.

"Given the urgency, please don't take offense, Sister Daoyun," Zu An reassured her.

"No, not at all. Thank you, Brother Zu," Xie Daoyun said, pressing her lips together. A thousand words flooded her mind, but she didn't know how to begin speaking them.

With such trepidation, feeling his warm, masculine, yet reassuring presence, and the rhythmic swaying of the horse, drowsiness soon overcame her. Her head tilted, resting on his chest, and she fell into a deep sleep.

When she awoke, she found herself lying in a bed. The surprise was considerable; she instantly sat up, pulled back the covers, and looked down, relieved to find her clothes intact. Then she let out a wry laugh, wondering what she had been worried about. Brother Zu would never be that kind of person.

Only then did she have a chance to observe her surroundings. She realized she was inside a simple tent, and it seemed to be dark outside. Presumably, the Feathered Forest Imperial Guard had set up camp for the night.

Faintly, she saw bonfires flickering outside. Many soldiers were gathered around them, talking loudly. Listening closely for a while, she realized that those who had witnessed the events of the day were recounting to their comrades how incredibly powerful Zu An had been, single-handedly defeating thousands. Gasps of awe emanated, making it clear that even just hearing the tales was impressive.

Feeling the soldiers' admiration for Zu An, a faint smile involuntarily appeared on Xie Daoyun's face, and a sense of pride welled up within her.

She paused, surprised at this realization. Why would she feel this way?

Just then, the tent flap was lifted, and Zu An entered. "Oh, you're awake," he said.

Xie Daoyun shyly touched her cheek. "I apologize for my disheveled appearance, Brother Zu."

As a young lady from a distinguished family, it was absolutely unheard of for her to receive guests without being properly dressed, let alone while still in bed. At that moment, she felt an awkwardness akin to being completely exposed.

Sensing her embarrassment, Zu An chuckled. "Sister Daoyun is so beautiful that even right after waking up, she possesses the fresh beauty of a blooming crabapple flower. There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"In fact, when I covered you with the blanket earlier, I even wondered if I should take off your outer clothes to help you sleep more comfortably. But I thought it might be too abrupt, so I decided against it. Now, thinking about it, it's a good thing I didn't do anything, or would it have damaged your reputation, Sister?"

"Brother Zu!" Xie Daoyun playfully complained, flustered by his teasing.

After a few jokes, the atmosphere significantly relaxed, and Xie Daoyun was no longer as flustered as she had been initially.

"Thank you so much, Brother Zu, for today. The consequences would have been unimaginable otherwise." Xie Daoyun instinctively started to get up to bow but then realized she was still in bed and quickly pulled back under the covers.

Zu An gestured for her to not be so formal. "It truly is fate; you left so many days ago, yet we still managed to cross paths. Speaking of which, when I left the capital, Xie Xiu asked me to look after you. I didn't expect that day to come so soon."

"It seems I didn't spoil that boy for nothing," Xie Daoyun said, the corners of her lips curving upward, her heart filled with a sense of familial warmth.

Suddenly, she noticed Zu An's expression was a bit strange, as if he was trying hard to hold something back. She couldn't help but ask, "Brother Zu, what's wrong?"

Zu An let out a wry chuckle. "I just remembered how he repeatedly implored me before I left: 'Take care of her, by all means, but whatever you do, don't 'take care of her' into bed.' And here we are, the first time I meet you, and I've already 'taken care of you' into bed."

Xie Daoyun's face instantly flushed crimson. "How dare that rascal speak such nonsense! Brother Zu is a true gentleman, not some playboy like him! He's judging a noble man by his own petty standards!" Zu An felt a bit guilty, thinking he might not be quite as good as she described him.

"How are you feeling now?" Zu An asked.

"Thanks to Brother Zu's Spirit Spring, I'm much better than before, but I'm still very sleepy and incredibly tired," Xie Daoyun said, rubbing her temples. Her delicate features appeared a little more haggard and weak.

"It's true that recovering from mental exhaustion isn't easy," Zu An said, placing the tray he had just brought in beside the bed. "You must be hungry after fleeing for so many days. Since you're awake, have something to eat. Food in a military camp isn't very refined, so please don't mind it, Sister Daoyun."

"I'm not that delicate," Xie Daoyun replied. After confirming her clothes were indeed intact, she simply got out of bed. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the food on the tray. "Barbecue? I've always wanted to try this, but my family never allowed it."

"I just grilled it myself. Don't mind how it looks," Zu An said, handing her a small lamb chop.

Xie Daoyun initially looked for utensils but then realized, seeing Zu An's demonstration, that it was meant to be eaten by hand. Her face flushed slightly; this certainly did not align with her usual upbringing as a lady.

Deep down, she also enjoyed novelties. She took the lamb chop directly with her hand. At first, she was still conscious of her image, chewing slowly and carefully, even trying to avoid letting him see her eat.

However, her body's honesty soon prevailed. Having been pursued for days, she had barely had time for a proper meal and was now ravenously hungry. She quickly began to devour the food.

During the meal, they chatted about various topics, and the atmosphere grew increasingly warm.

But after finishing, Xie Daoyun couldn't help but feel regret. She had been taught from a young age not to speak while eating or sleeping. Her unrefined behavior just now must have severely damaged her impression in Brother Zu's eyes.

Oh, wait, that's not the main point. It's late at night, and an unmarried man and woman are alone in a room. What if Brother Zu...

Just as she was caught between hope and anxiety, Zu An said, "I won't disturb your rest anymore, Sister. I'll order that no one is allowed near your tent. Please get some good rest. I'll take my leave now."

Watching him leave, Xie Daoyun couldn't help but feel a sense of loss. She had been worrying about what he might do, whether she should refuse him, and how to act without ruining their relationship. But he simply left, which ironically made her question everything.

Zu An, of course, had no idea what she was thinking. After returning to his own tent, he quickly changed into his Golden Badge Eleven attire. To prevent anyone from connecting his two identities, he deliberately ordered the two groups to travel separately.

He intended to go to Yi County tonight to see what progress Xiao Jianren had made. This would also help dispel any suspicion that Zu An and Golden Badge Eleven, who were supposedly in two different locations, were the same person.