Chapter 657: Don't Underestimate a Young Man in Poverty

Seeing Zu'an's trembling demeanor, the Emperor imperceptibly nodded, seemingly quite pleased with his attitude. As Emperor, he found an irresistible pleasure in seeing his subjects cower and tremble before him, their lives hanging by his whim.

He collected himself and declared in a clear voice, "Good, you did not try to argue or make excuses. Otherwise, you would be a corpse by now. Very well, seeing your apparent loyalty, I shall give you a chance to atone for your mistakes."

Loyalty, my foot! He knew this was a typical ploy by the Emperor, and though he had cursed the Emperor's ancestors a hundred times in his mind, his expression was as sincere as could be. "Your Majesty's command, I will go through fire and water," he declared. At the same time, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed his life was spared.

The Emperor grew increasingly satisfied with his attitude. He had originally intended to put Zu'an in his place if he proved difficult, but since he was so compliant, the reprimand was unnecessary. "Since you have this connection with the Demon Sect Saintess, use this opportunity to infiltrate the Demon Sect. Firstly, find out where their leader, Yun Jianyue, is currently hiding. Secondly, ascertain the precise relationship between the Demon Sect and Prince Qi. Moreover, if you can establish yourself within the Demon Sect, you might prove very useful in the future."

Zu'an breathed another sigh of relief. It seemed the Emperor truly didn't know Yun Jianyue was with him. "Good," he thought, "he must never find out, or I'm dead."

He deliberately put on a troubled expression. "The Demon Sect leader is a Grandmaster. A small fry like me might not be able to handle her."

The Emperor said indifferently, "I'm merely asking you to find out her whereabouts, not to fight her. If she truly needs to be dealt with, I will personally intervene. You need not worry."

Zu'an pretended to be relieved, then asked in confusion, "Didn't Your Majesty just say that Prince Qi couldn't have ordered the Demon Sect's assassination attempt on the Crown Prince? Why then investigate their relationship?"

The Emperor replied displeased, "Investigate because I told you to investigate. Don't ask so many questions."

After a moment, as if worried Zu'an wouldn't take it seriously, he continued, "While it's unlikely Prince Qi orchestrated the Demon Sect, I fear he might use that assumption against us and do the opposite. That's why I want you to investigate."

Zu'an was dumbfounded. Was the Emperor schizophrenic? On one hand, he thought there was no connection with Prince Qi, but on the other, he worried there might be. "Tsk, tsk," he thought, "so paranoid. He's certainly a difficult master to please." He vowed to remember this, never to assume he could earn this man's complete trust.

He cleared his throat and said with some difficulty, "But I only have a certain personal friendship with Qiu Honglei; I have no connection with the Demon Sect as a whole. Many within the sect wish me dead. I fear it will be very difficult to infiltrate them. My death would be a minor matter, but delaying Your Majesty's important affairs would be grave." He needed to maintain this facade. "I have no real ties to the Demon Sect," he thought, "and certainly don't know anyone like Yun Jianyue."

The Emperor's brows relaxed. Although he knew Zu'an was flattering him, it was pleasant to hear. "That's easy. Aren't there still a few Demon Sect assassins imprisoned in the Imperial Dungeon? Find a way to rescue them. The Demon Sect will naturally owe you a favor, and with your existing connection to Qiu Honglei, you can naturally infiltrate their ranks."

Zu'an was instantly dumbfounded. Such good fortune existed? The key was that both Qiu Honglei and Yun Jianyue had previously asked him to help rescue these very people. They hadn't even dared to hope for their release, only wishing for them to die quickly and without torture. Who would have thought the Emperor would directly order him to rescue them? What was there to fear now?

Seeing him standing there frozen, the Emperor frowned. "What, can't you do it?"

"I'll do my best," Zu'an said, feigning a troubled expression, though he nearly burst out laughing inwardly.

The Emperor continued, "Don't think this will be easy. There are many intelligent people within the Demon Sect, especially Yun Jianyue, who could cultivate to Grandmaster level and devise such a clever scapegoating scheme. She is undoubtedly a brilliant strategist. Your primary concern should be how to prevent them from becoming suspicious. Additionally, I will have Guo Zhi secretly assist you. Only attempt the rescue when you are confident."

"Thank you for the guidance, Your Majesty," Zu'an said, secretly scoffing. "You praise Yun Jianyue's intellect to the skies, yet you easily saw through her scheme. Isn't that just a roundabout way of blowing your own horn?"

"Enough, you may leave," the Emperor waved his hand, apparently about to resume his cultivation.

Zu'an gritted his teeth. "Your Majesty, I have one more humble request."

"What is it?" The Emperor opened his eyes, a little surprised.

Zu'an said, "I am willing to help Your Majesty infiltrate the Demon Sect, but Qiu Honglei has saved my life multiple times. As the saying goes, one must repay kindness. I humbly request that when Your Majesty eventually vanquishes the Demon Sect, you spare her life." He was trying his best to play the part, determined not to let the Emperor realize how delighted he was inwardly.

The Emperor sneered, "Is that truly repaying kindness, or are you just lusting after her?"

Zu'an gave an awkward smile, looking embarrassed.

The Emperor then said, "Very well. If you successfully help me destroy the Demon Sect, I shall reward you with a mere woman. Of course, the condition is that she completely abandons her rebel identity. Otherwise, do not blame me for showing no mercy."

"Absolutely, absolutely," Zu'an eagerly replied.

"Begone," the Emperor said coolly.

Zu'an left the Imperial Study. Though his face showed no abnormality, his heart was extremely heavy. In the Emperor's eyes, he was merely an ant that could be crushed at any moment, not worth a second thought. He might escape once or twice, but he couldn't believe his luck would hold every time.

"Hmph, thirty years on the east side of the river, thirty years on the west. Don't bully a young man for being poor!" He muttered a famous saying from his past life to himself, but then had to return to reality. Cheng Xiong had tried to kill him repeatedly, and he had successfully fought back. But now it was the Emperor. Did he truly have the ability to oppose him? He was the undisputed strongest man in the world! Unless... His eyes gleamed, and a nascent plan seemed to form in his mind.

As he made his way back to his courtyard, Yun Jianyue casually remarked, "Oh, you're fine? I thought the Emperor was going to kill you." Given her cultivation, the words Grand Eunuch Wen had let slip earlier had not escaped her notice.

Seeing the beautiful woman with flowing hair before him, Zu'an's mood immediately brightened. "If the Emperor had really killed me, would you have died for me?" He naturally wouldn't reveal what had happened in the Imperial Study. He had just walked through the gates of hell, and it would be a waste if he didn't use this to earn the favor of the two beautiful women.

Yun Jianyue's expression instantly turned cold. "Brat, don't think I won't kill you just because you saved me."

Seeing no "Rage points" notification, Zu'an roughly understood her reaction. "Well, there are plenty of people who want to kill me; one more won't make a difference," he sighed.

Yun Jianyue frowned slightly, but sensing the desolation in his tone, she said nothing further. After a long silence, she suddenly spoke, "I may have to leave."

Zu'an immediately grew anxious. "Don't go! I promise I won't tease you so casually anymore. Honestly, I never intended to be disrespectful; I just thought the formidable Demon Sect leader looked quite beautiful when angry."

Yun Jianyue gave him an exasperated look. "One of these days, I will lose my patience and kill you." During their time together, she had come to understand his personality. She knew he was different from many people in this world; he didn't have so many rigid rules and conventions. Although he sometimes said things that were infuriating, it was precisely for this reason that she found him exceptionally rare. After all, ever since she mastered her martial arts, no one had dared to chat or joke with her so casually.

"Sister also has a sharp tongue but a kind heart," Zu'an said, his smile fading. "But your injuries haven't fully healed yet. It's too dangerous to leave rashly."

Yun Jianyue shook her head. "Now that the Emperor has returned and we are both in the palace, as my injuries gradually heal, it will be difficult to conceal my aura from him. Staying here longer would be more dangerous and would also endanger you."

Knowing the reason, Zu'an naturally didn't let emotion cloud his judgment. "Alright then, I'll figure out a way to get you out of the palace first." Her departure from the city absolutely could not cause any ripples, or if the Emperor was alerted, she wouldn't be able to leave at all. An idea suddenly sparked in his mind.