Chapter 619: Playing with Heartbeats

Hearing Zhu Xie Chixin's voice, Zu An was startled, and even Yun Jianyue, who was standing beside him, changed color.

In her current state, she would surely die if she faced Zhu Xie Chixin.

How did the other party find her? Could Zu An have secretly informed them? Perhaps there was some private communication method among the Embroidered Uniform Envoys.

However, she quickly dismissed this thought. If he truly wanted to harm her, he wouldn't have stopped when absorbing her cultivation; why would he go to such trouble?

At this moment, countless thoughts flashed through Zu An's mind. His first idea was to play dead, pretend he wasn't in the room, ignore the other party, and let him shout a few times outside without success before turning to leave.

But he immediately realized that wouldn't work. Zhu Xie Chixin's timely appearance at the door likely meant he knew Zu An was inside.

Had he witnessed Zu An bringing Yun Jianyue back?

A chill ran down his spine at the thought.

He quickly analyzed: "Probably not. I was extremely careful the whole way, almost using all the small animals in the palace as my eyes. If even that was discovered, is Zhu Xie Chixin a god?"

He lowered his head to look at his waist token, vaguely feeling a warmth emanating from it. Could it be that these tokens could sense each other?

"Eleven?" Zhu Xie Chixin's tone became a little impatient.

Zu An immediately responded, "Coming, coming."

As he spoke, he sent a spiritual message to Yun Jianyue: "Be careful. I'll go out and deal with him."

Yun Jianyue nodded, not even making a sound.

Zu An hurried out the door and saw Zhu Xie Chixin standing outside the courtyard.

"Hmm, there are no other guards around, so he's probably not here to arrest me."

"Greetings, Commander," Zu An said, bowing after opening the courtyard gate.

"Why did it take so long to open the door?" Zhu Xie Chixin frowned slightly, a faint displeasure showing on his pale face.

"He really knew I was inside?"

Zu An's heart sank. He quickly explained, "After several battles today and being quite startled, I was exhausted. So I just lay down on the bed for a short nap and fell asleep without realizing it. When I heard the Commander's voice, I thought I was dreaming."

"You're probably the only one who can sleep in the palace right now," Zhu Xie Chixin retorted dryly.

"You've worked hard, Commander," Zu An said, forcing a smile. After a moment, he cautiously asked, "May I know what business you have with your humble subordinate?"

"Nothing in particular. I just sensed you were inside while patrolling nearby, so I thought I'd come and chat," Zhu Xie Chixin said, pointing to his waist token. His token, unlike those of other Embroidered Uniform Envoys, was made of jade, not gold or silver. "This thing can sense other Embroidered Uniform Envoys within a certain range. It's so we can help each other out promptly when on missions."

Zu An thought, "So it really was the waist token." But then he quickly realized, "Given Zhu Xie Chixin's standing, why would he suddenly come here wanting to talk to me?"

Zhu Xie Chixin then continued, "I've been busy all night and haven't even had a sip of water. Would you mind if I came in for a cup of tea?"

Zu An's blood ran cold. If Zhu Xie Chixin went inside and found Yun Jianyue, they would both be dead.

But how could he refuse his superior, who was merely passing by and asking for a cup of water?

"Uh, Commander, you've really worked hard..." His mind raced as he tried to come up with an excuse to decline, but then he saw Zhu Xie Chixin already walking straight inside.

Zu An was speechless.

His heart was pounding in his throat. He even had a fleeting thought: "I wonder if Yun Jianyue and I can take him down together later?"

However, he immediately dismissed the idea. Not only was Yun Jianyue severely wounded and weakened, but even if she still had some fighting capability, it would be extremely difficult for the two of them combined to defeat a Half-Grandmaster.

Furthermore, Zhu Xie Chixin could summon reinforcements from the palace at any time. Fighting him was truly the worst possible option.

Seeing that he couldn't stop him, he quickly said in a loud voice, "Commander, I'm honored that you wish to visit my humble abode. It's just that I've only just moved in, and many areas haven't been cleaned, so I'm afraid I might not be able to offer you proper hospitality."

He deliberately raised his voice to alert Yun Jianyue inside. As a Grandmaster, she shouldn't be foolish.

"Don't be so polite. We're colleagues now, family," Zhu Xie Chixin said, turning to look at him with some curiosity. "Huh, why are you sweating so much?"

Zu An had just removed his mask and hadn't had time to put it back on. In any case, Zhu Xie Chixin knew his true identity, so there was no need to hide it.

Zu An quickly replied, "Perhaps it's worry. So many assassins appeared in the Forbidden Palace; it's quite unnerving."

"Today's events were indeed outrageous," Zhu Xie Chixin said, empathizing. He then reminded, "Oh, and remember to wear your mask when you wear this uniform in the future. Your true identity cannot be exposed."

Zu An cupped his hands and bowed, "Thank you for the reminder, Commander."

"This guy still cares about me. Well, I should try not to attack him unless absolutely necessary."

He stepped into the room first and indeed did not see Yun Jianyue. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. With her "Clear Mirror, Not a Platform" technique for concealing her aura, as long as Zhu Xie Chixin didn't see her directly, she should be able to get by.

He quickly scanned the entire room, his gaze finally settling on the bed. The bed curtains were drawn, and the bedding was disheveled, as if someone had just gotten out of it.

He secretly praised Yun Jianyue for her meticulousness. He had just told Zhu Xie Chixin outside that he had slept in the bed for a while, and she had already set the scene.

Furthermore, she had deliberately only pulled down half of the bed curtains. If they were fully drawn, anyone seeing it at first glance would suspect someone was hidden inside. But with them half-open and half-closed, it looked more natural.

Zu An already guessed that Yun Jianyue was likely hidden behind the half-drawn curtains. She was clearly someone who enjoyed taking calculated risks.

He hastily poured Zhu Xie Chixin a bowl of tea. "Commander, please help yourself."

As he spoke, he naturally stood between Zhu Xie Chixin and the bed, blocking his view.

"You sit too, no need to be so formal," Zhu Xie Chixin said, picking up the teacup, taking a casual sip, and then setting it down.

Zu An's heart sank again. He clearly wasn't there for water. So what was his true purpose?

Zhu Xie Chixin seemed hesitant to speak, clearly thinking about how to phrase something. Suddenly, he sniffed. "Huh, why is there a woman's scent?"

Hearing his words, Zu An's scalp nearly exploded. Seeing the other man stand up and look around, Zu An, with a speed he didn't know he possessed, quickly said, "It might be from when I saved the Crown Princess in the Eastern Palace earlier and held her for a while. I must have gotten some of her scent on me."

Zhu Xie Chixin frowned. "But this doesn't smell like the Crown Princess."

Zu An cursed inwardly. They say women are most sensitive to other women's scents, but does a grown man need to be like this?

He quickly tried to remedy the situation: "I was also at Kuning Palace earlier and saved the Empress from assassins. It might be due to a mixture of several scents."

Zhu Xie Chixin nodded, accepting the explanation. He knew the Empress liked to burn various precious sandalwood incenses, and mixing them would indeed make it difficult to distinguish.

Worried that he would ask further questions, Zu An quickly took the initiative. "Commander, you seem quite familiar with the Crown Princess's scent."

"We in this line of work are naturally more sensitive to smells," Zhu Xie Chixin's face stiffened, and he quickly whispered, "You can't say such things carelessly! Are you trying to get me killed?"

Zu An gave a sheepish smile. "Commander, I assure you, I had no such intention."

Seeing him so startled, Zu An felt a sense of relief. "You've been scaring the living daylights out of me since you arrived; it's about time I scared you a little."

Zhu Xie Chixin snorted. "Speaking of which, you're quite blessed, kid. You saved the Empress, the Crown Prince, and the Crown Princess all at once today. Your future prospects are limitless."

Zu An gave a wry smile. "Don't even mention it. I nearly lost my head over this."

Zhu Xie Chixin paused. "What do you mean?"

Zu An stated directly, "The Emperor kept me behind just now. When he found out I had held the Crown Princess, he wanted to cut off my hands..."

Zhu Xie Chixin's expression was odd. "Be content. The fact that you held the Crown Princess and are still alive and well is already a testament to the Emperor's mercy."

"It's not that simple. The Emperor told me to atone for my sins by performing meritorious service. If I can't find anything, I'll still be dead," Zu An said, intentionally steering the conversation in that direction.

"Oh? Atoning for your sins by performing meritorious service?" Zhu Xie Chixin's expression subtly changed.