Chapter 590: Appointment Crisis

Upon seeing the person's face clearly, Zu An was startled. He quickly diverted his palm strike, but the sudden cessation of his technique caused his vital energy to churn violently, and he crashed to the ground with a thud, like a heavy stone.

Qiu Honglei's face reverted to its usual charming smile. "What's the matter, young master?" she purred. "Bowing to me the moment we meet? How embarrassing!"

Forget her dignified, aloof act! This woman clearly enjoyed being flirtatious. Compared to Zheng Dan earlier, even after spending time undercover in a pleasure house, he was ashamed to admit he was utterly outmatched by her.

Zu An awkwardly picked himself up. "Haha, so it's Honglei…"

He was cut off before he could finish. "What Honglei? Are we that familiar?"

Zu An was left speechless.

"Didn't I always call you that before? And back then, you were all smiles and seemed pleased!"

Zu An decided to drop the subject and asked, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

Qiu Honglei snorted. "If I had told you in advance, how could I have witnessed such a spectacular scene?"

"Uh… haha…" Even with Zu An's usual thick skin, he was thoroughly mortified. "It's… it's really great to see you again!"

Qiu Honglei sneered, "Is that so? I thought I might have come at the wrong time and interrupted your little tryst."

"No interruption at all, it was… already over… *cough, cough*... Honglei, how did you know I was here?" Zu An quickly changed the subject again. He felt like his recent bath had been a complete waste, having sweated an unknown amount – first from exertion, now from sheer panic.

"Lord Ding, who was staying here, was originally one of our Sacred Cult members, but you've usurped his place. Can't I come and see for myself?" Qiu Honglei felt a growing sense of regret. She truly should have sent her subordinates to assassinate them for a while, just to see if that illicit couple would still dare to be so arrogant.

"So he was one of your people," Zu An said apologetically. "I'm really sorry, but what happened then was beyond my control. Zhu Xie Chixin's people acted too quickly."

Qiu Honglei wasn't actually angry about that; her frustration stemmed from having meticulously dressed up to see him, only to stumble upon such a distressing scene. A surge of irritation had nowhere to vent.

Zu An said, "Honglei, could you please come down from the tree? My neck hurts from looking up at you to talk."

With one in the tree and the other below, they had to constantly crane their necks to talk.

"No, I won't," Qiu Honglei replied, her lips curving slightly upward. "I'm quite comfortable talking like this." Her calves swayed playfully in mid-air, and she felt her mood lighten considerably.

Zu An had to remind her, "Uh, you're wearing a skirt… you're exposing yourself…"

Before he could finish, Qiu Honglei gasped, then quickly leaped down from the tree, her face flushed as she held her skirt tightly. "Why didn't you say so earlier?" she demanded.

"I just hinted at it," Zu An said, looking wronged. "But you didn't get it!"

Qiu Honglei was speechless.

Zu An chuckled. "Honglei, let's talk inside. It's windy out here."

"Who told you not to put your clothes on properly?" Qiu Honglei snorted, slightly turning her face away, avoiding his bare upper body.

Zu An gave an awkward smile and quickly found a jacket to put on.

Qiu Honglei looked around the room. "Oh, you decorated the room so elegantly in such a short time! I didn't realize you were so handy."

"You flatter me, you flatter me." Zu An naturally didn't dare to credit Qiao Xueying. Although he didn't have any specific relationship with Qiu Honglei at the moment, his masculine instincts told him not to court disaster.

Qiu Honglei casually found a stool and sat down. By now, her anger had mostly subsided. "I didn't expect you could actually turn such a certain-death situation around," she said. "Whether as a friend or an enemy, I truly admire you."

"Just a stroke of luck," Zu An said sincerely. "And speaking of which, I should also thank you for taking care of me on the journey; otherwise, I might not have reached the capital safely."

Qiu Honglei scoffed. "Hmph, you make it sound like I'm a traitor to the Sacred Cult, conspiring with you. Your escape was due to your own ability, and has nothing to do with me."

Zu An smiled and nodded. "Yes, yes, yes."

They exchanged glances, and everything was understood without words.

Qiu Honglei cleared her throat and then asked, "Did you really give the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra to the Emperor?"

Zu An hummed in affirmation. Of course, he couldn't tell anyone that he had tampered with the scripture.

"If I had known this, you might as well have given it directly to my master," Qiu Honglei said, a hint of displeasure in her voice. "Perhaps you could have even been appointed a Vice-Cult Leader. Wouldn't that be more impressive than being a mere baron?"

Zu An replied, "But that would bring catastrophic disaster upon your cult."

Qiu Honglei fell silent. She knew that the Sacred Cult currently lacked the power to withstand the Emperor's full wrath. "But why would the Emperor let you live?" she wondered. "Could it be that the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra doesn't grant immortality?"

Zu An couldn't help but laugh. "I've lost count of how many people have asked me that same question. Indeed, the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra cannot grant immortality."

This wasn't a lie; even the true Phoenix Nirvana Sutra couldn't be mastered through solitary cultivation.

"Then why didn't you announce it to the world earlier, saving yourself from being pursued all the way?" Qiu Honglei asked with a hint of complaint, recalling the dangers he had faced on his journey.

"No one would have believed me if I'd said it earlier," Zu An said with a bitter smile.

Qiu Honglei knew this was true. After a moment of silence, she said, "I hear you've become a Crown Prince's Retainer?"

"Mhm."

"Does a Crown Prince's Retainer accompany the Crown Prince during the day or at night?"

Zu An's expression turned a little strange upon hearing her question. "During the day, of course. The East Palace is located within the Imperial Palace itself; they wouldn't keep other men overnight."

"That's good, that's good," Qiu Honglei said, letting out a sigh of relief.

Zu An was a little curious. "Why did you suddenly ask that?"

"Nothing, just asking casually," Qiu Honglei said, her eyes flickering slightly. After a pause, she hesitated, "Don't get too involved with the Crown Prince. When your work hours are over each day, just leave. Don't linger."

Zu An stared into her eyes. "Are you saying this because something is going to happen?"

"Nothing's going to happen," Qiu Honglei said, her expression calming. "I've just heard reports that eunuchs and palace maids often mysteriously disappear from the East Palace, and I was merely worried something might happen to you."

A warmth spread through Zu An's heart. "Thanks, Honglei, but I should be quite capable of protecting myself now."

Qiu Honglei hummed in response, clearly not wanting to talk further. "Since I've seen you're unharmed, I'm relieved. I'll head back now."

"Leaving so soon?" Zu An said, a hint of reluctance in his voice.

Qiu Honglei turned and looked at him with a half-smile. "You just finished messing around with another woman, and now you're trying to provoke me? Don't you think you're a bit of a scumbag?"

Zu An smiled bitterly. "You know I didn't mean it that way."

Qiu Honglei snorted. "It's getting late. I need to go back; there's a pile of things waiting to be handled in the cult."

Zu An quickly said, "If you ever need help in the future, don't hesitate to ask. I'm an official of the imperial court now; perhaps I can look out for you sometime."

Qiu Honglei pointed to the surrounding residences. "The last imperial official who colluded with us just had his family executed and their property confiscated. Do you want to follow in his footsteps?"

Zu An was speechless.

"I'd only be helping you, not the Demonic Cult."

"Hmph, isn't helping me the same as helping the Demonic Cult?"

Although Qiu Honglei said this, her mood had lightened considerably. "Your thoughtfulness makes our acquaintance worthwhile. Until fate brings us together again."

With that, she tapped her toes, and her skirt fluttered as she soared away.

Zu An quickly waved after her. "Oh, I forgot to say, your eyebrows look even better today than usual!"

Hearing his words, Qiu Honglei turned back and smiled enchantingly. It hadn't been in vain that she had gone to the trouble of dressing up specially for him this time.

The next day, as Zu An entered the Imperial Palace, his mind wandered, first to Zheng Dan's lithe and yielding charm from yesterday, then to Qiu Honglei's captivating smile as she flew away. Truly, each possessed her own unique allure, making it hard to say who was superior.

Scumbag!

He found himself feeling a little contempt for himself.

He soon arrived at the East Palace. Someone verified his identity and led him all the way to the Crown Prince's study.

"The Crown Prince is inside; you can go report to him yourself."

Zu An nodded. From outside the door, he announced, "Zu An, the new Crown Prince's Retainer, requests an audience with His Royal Highness."

"Come in, come in quickly!" came the Crown Prince's voice from within.

Just from the voice, Zu An could picture the large man's excitement, and he couldn't help but chuckle. He pushed the door open and stepped inside, when suddenly, a sharp sense of alarm surged within him as a powerful gust of wind rushed towards him.