Chapter 569: Exceeding Cognition

Zu'an was about to tell her that there was no need for such a risk; he intended to confront the Emperor directly and resolve the matter completely.

But then he suddenly realized how strange the night had been. First, not directly entering the palace and spending an extra night outside, then being easily ambushed by assassins. If it weren't for his rapid cultivation progress, he might have been dead by now.

He wasn't sure who was behind all this. What if Zhuxie Chixin was also involved? If these assassins failed to kill him, they might send more powerful experts, or even act himself, which would be troublesome. So, it was better to leave and lie low for now.

He nodded, "Alright, let's leave here first."

A hint of joy appeared on Qiao Xueying's face. She took his hand and was about to leave through the window.

"Wait..." Zu'an hurried back and picked up Chu Youzhao.

"Why are you bringing him?" Qiao Xueying was slightly displeased by the sudden presence of a third wheel. "Now that the assassins have failed, the guards will be here soon. Given his status, no one would dare harm him."

Zu'an shook his head. "Everything today has been a bit strange. It wouldn't be good if something happened to him by leaving him here."

If it were anyone else, Qiao Xueying wouldn't have cared whether they lived or died, but considering he was, after all, a member of the Chu family, she didn't object further.

Zu'an picked up Chu Youzhao, but his hand accidentally brushed against something soft and elastic. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly adjusted his grip.

He wasn't sure what the girl was wearing; there was no visible abnormality. Only by touching it directly could one sense its strangeness.

His gaze caught the corpses on the ground. He quickly composed himself, waved his hand, and four flames flew onto the bodies. He didn't want anyone to infer what had just happened from these corpses – whether it was Qiao Xueying's sneak attack on the Kameda ninja or the wounds left by his killing of the other three. If such details fell into the wrong hands, it would be easy to deduce their secrets.

The four flames quickly spread, making no sound. In a few breaths, the four corpses were burned to ashes.

Seeing this, Qiao Xueying was somewhat surprised. "Did you awaken a fire element ability? Your flames feel different from other fire cultivators; they seem special."

"Naturally, it's different. This should be considered a nine-tailed fox's demonic flame." He was using Daji's flame ability, so it was, of course, no ordinary fire.

Previously, he had envied Pei Mianman's black flames for being excellent for destroying corpses and evidence. He hadn't expected his own current flames to be just as good.

The two whispered as they used the cover of night to climb out of the courtyard.

Zu'an specifically looked around and noticed many guards battling with the black-clad figures. Some of these black-clad figures had cultivation levels far superior to the four who had tried to kill him.

Presumably, they needed to tie down the main force of guards, so they could only send those few rank six cultivators to deal with him.

At this moment, the black-clad figures were fighting and retreating, likely believing their companions inside had succeeded and there was no need to fight to the death.

The two stealthily moved through the shadows. Soldiers were already patrolling the streets, clearly having detected the disturbance in the city.

Qiao Xueying was very familiar with the capital. She led him through twists and turns, perfectly evading soldier patrols each time, until they finally arrived at a secluded, quiet small courtyard.

Qiao Xueying opened the door and led him in. "This is one of my secret hideouts. We'll stay here for a bit, and once the commotion outside dies down, I'll take you to reunite with my people."

"Okay." Zu'an looked around. Although the interior was simply furnished, it was quite elegant. Various flowers and plants filled the space, giving off a vibrant feeling. The elves truly were naturally close to nature.

Qiao Xueying helped place Chu Youzhao on a nearby chair. She clearly wouldn't let another man lie on her bed, not even the Chu family's heir apparent.

Zu'an guessed her little thought and couldn't help but chuckle.

"By the way, do you know anyone from the Fox Tribe?" Qiao Xueying asked, a bit puzzled. It hadn't been convenient to ask on the road, but now they finally had some free time. "Wait, no, those are inherent bloodline abilities of the Fox Tribe; they can't be taught to you."

"The reasons are a bit complicated," Zu'an wasn't sure how to explain. "In short, I can borrow a nine-tailed fox's flame ability."

Qiao Xueying's face showed pleasant surprise. "I was a bit worried there might be trouble once I sent you to the Demon Race, but if you can use the power of a nine-tailed fox, things will be much easier. You know, there haven't been any true nine-tailed foxes in the Fox Tribe for many years. You'll definitely be treated like a distinguished guest, and you might even become a Holy Son or something. Although the Fox Tribe isn't a particularly powerful race among demons, their status is special, and they have considerable influence. Protecting one person should be effortless."

Zu'an was momentarily stunned. "You plan to send me to the Demon Race?"

"What else?" Qiao Xueying replied. "You're currently wanted by the Great Zhou Emperor, so you probably have no place to stand within the Great Zhou territory. But no matter how powerful the Great Zhou Emperor is, he can't extend his reach into our Demon Race's territory. So, you can hide there for a few years and return after the Great Zhou Emperor dies."

Zu'an chuckled wryly. "I'm wanted by the Great Zhou Emperor mainly because of the immortality method in the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture.' Won't people in the Demon Race covet my cultivation method once I'm there?"

Qiao Xueying paused, clearly not having realized this before. She hesitated, saying, "The lifespan of the Demon Race is generally longer than that of humans, so they don't have such an urgent need for methods of immortality..."

Zu'an shook his head, gently caressing her delicate, beautiful braids. "Xue'er, thank you for thinking of these plans for me. However, I still intend to enter the palace tomorrow and meet the Emperor directly to resolve this issue."

Qiao Xueying immediately grew anxious. "The Great Zhou Emperor is widely recognized as the strongest in the world. Although your strength has improved a lot, you're still nowhere near his match."

Zu'an smiled. "Silly girl, I'm not going there to fight him. Don't worry, I have a plan. If it still fails, then I'll follow your arrangement and escape to the Demon Race."

Qiao Xueying looked worried. "But I'm afraid you might not even have a chance to escape then."

Zu'an pulled her delicate body into his embrace. "Trust me, it'll be fine."

Qiao Xueying hugged him back tightly, as if afraid that if she held him with slightly less strength, she would lose him forever.

As the saying goes, a long absence makes the heart grow fonder. As they embraced, their body temperatures quickly rose.

Qiao Xueying's body grew softer and softer, while Zu'an's body grew harder.

Without a word, everything happened naturally as the two kissed passionately.

After a while, Qiao Xueying quickly covered her disheveled clothes and glanced back at Chu Youzhao nearby, her small face flushed crimson. "Don't... not here."

Zu'an chuckled wryly. He had been about to say it didn't matter, since Chu Youzhao was also a woman and was unconscious anyway.

But seeing her pleading eyes, he didn't want to waste words explaining and simply carried her to the bed nearby.

Qiao Xueying, with a gentle flick of her fingers, extended tiny vines that pulled down the bed curtains on both sides.

...

She didn't know how much time had passed, but Chu Youzhao felt she had a strange dream. The entire dream was pink, incredibly embarrassing. She dreamt that she was sleeping with a man, and that man was riding passionately on her, while she herself was making all sorts of shameful noises.

Unfortunately, she couldn't see the man's face clearly. She tried hard to open her eyes wide, and finally, she saw his face—it was her brother-in-law?

She woke up with a start, terrified.

"So it was just a dream."

She let out a long sigh of relief, then subconsciously twisted her legs. How could she have such a shameful dream, and with that scoundrel?

Wait, why were those shameful sounds from her dream still going on?

She instinctively turned her head to look, and her eyes widened instantly. Even though there was a layer of gauze curtain, she could still see the figures inside.

What were they doing? Riding horses?

Chu Youzhao's face was blank; she hadn't fully processed it before a tree vine suddenly whipped out and knocked her unconscious again.