Chapter 716: Another Half of That Person

Zu'an's expression turned peculiar as he read the description of the new skill.

" 'I have a friend,' the description began: 'In this world, there exists the most mysterious and loyal friend. Whether you wish to prove the credibility of your words, or you have something embarrassing that you don't want to reveal about yourself, he will instantly emerge from your mouth to perfectly take the blame. No one has truly seen him, yet he genuinely appears in everyone's life.' "

" 'Usage Effect: When you use "I have a friend" as an opening phrase, everyone will immediately realize that you are inventing a non-existent friend, and that friend is, in fact, yourself.' "

Zu'an stared blankly, completely confused. "What is this?"

"Isn't this skill completely useless?"

"Even without this skill, if I just say, 'I have a friend,' everyone will know I'm referring to myself, right? So what's the point of having this skill?"

"What a scam!"

Zu'an then realized that almost all the skills provided by the system seemed to be problematic.

Having drawn such a useless skill, he was in a foul mood. He could only resume praying, hoping to draw something that might resolve his current predicament.

Thank you for participating... Thank you for participating... Thank you for participating...

His eyelids twitched repeatedly as he saw those words, until finally, he failed to draw any new skills or items.

He could only let out a long sigh, realizing that last-minute efforts truly didn't work without prior preparation.

He ended up drawing a total of 331 Vitality Fruits. Based on the usual ten-to-one probability, he was truly unlucky today.

Zu'an looked around, and seeing no one noticed him, he still felt uneasy. He moved to a corner, using his body to shield himself from view, and secretly summoned Daji, feeding her all the Vitality Fruits at once.

Daji's aura steadily climbed, finally breaking through to the 6th rank.

Zu'an's mood improved slightly. He thought about accumulating a few more waves of Rage points; if he could feed Daji enough to become a Grandmaster or even a Great Grandmaster, wouldn't he be able to walk around fearlessly?

Although his current strength was considerable, it was hardly enough in the capital, where Seventh-Rank experts were commonplace and Eighth-Rank masters were abundant.

The thought made him feel like crying; he trained desperately, yet Daji's leveling speed utterly surpassed his own. Where was the justice in that?

Just then, something occurred to him, and he quickly recalled Daji.

The very next second, Guo Zhi appeared outside the cell. "Brother Zu, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Zu'an replied, deliberately shivering a little before pulling up his trousers. "I was just relieving myself."

"Good, good. Just call if you need anything," Guo Zhi said after observing him and seeing nothing amiss. He then left, muttering, "That's strange, I thought I sensed some energy fluctuation here just now. Was it my imagination?"

Zu'an secretly became vigilant. It seemed he would need to be even more careful in the future; if Daji were seen and the information reached Zhu Xiechixin, it would be troublesome.

He then lay flat on his bed, slowly replaying the details of the entire incident in his mind...

Time passed by unnoticed. He wasn't brought in for further interrogation over the next few days, and he grew so bored in his cell he felt like he was going crazy.

Fortunately, during this time, Chu Chuyan visited him occasionally, bringing him the latest news from the imperial court:

"There have been fierce debates in the imperial court these past few days. Since there's no conclusive evidence, the Crown Prince's faction has launched a full counter-attack, claiming he was framed by someone with malicious intent and demanding a thorough investigation into the mastermind."

"King Qi's faction also refused to back down, making a big deal out of the eyewitnesses and the clothes you left at the scene. By the way, is there truly nothing going on between you and the Crown Princess? Why were your clothes found together?"

Zu'an chuckled awkwardly. "This is clearly a setup. Isn't it easy to steal my clothes?"

"But stealing the Crown Princess's dress might not be so easy, would it?" Chu Chuyan frowned slightly, though she wasn't genuinely suspicious. She continued, "After much argument, someone suggested that Lord Libationer perform a 'Heart Inquiry'."

"Many officials from both sides initially disagreed, each with their own concerns, but with no other solution, they argued for days. However, I believe they will reach an agreement soon; Lord Libationer conducting the 'Heart Inquiry' is almost a certainty."

As she spoke, Chu Chuyan's usually cool eyes filled with worry. "Lord Libationer's strength is unfathomable, no less than King Qi's. Some even speculate he is the most likely person to rival the Emperor. No one can lie in front of him."

Zu'an smiled. "I didn't expect to be so influential as to warrant such a prominent figure's intervention."

He remembered Yun Jianyue once mentioning that there were "two and a half" people in the capital she feared: the Emperor and King Qi were two, so was this Lord Libationer the "half"?

"How can you still laugh?" Chu Chuyan said, a hint of anxiety in her voice. "If you truly did something, Lord Libationer will know."

Zu'an's expression turned peculiar. "I'm just asking, what if? What if something *did* happen between me and the Crown Princess? What would you do?"

Chu Chuyan's delicate eyebrows shot up. "Then you'd deserve whatever you got!"

Rage points from Chu Chuyan +22 +22 +22...

"What a jealous girl!"

Zu'an chuckled wryly. "Don't worry, the Crown Princess and I are innocent."

Of course, everyone has a slightly different definition of "innocent." In his mind, anything less than reaching third base counted as innocent.

Chu Chuyan then breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. Once Lord Libationer intervenes, you should be acquitted very quickly."

Zu'an noticed the weariness in her eyes, and his heart warmed. Taking her hand, he said, "Chuyan, you've been tirelessly reaching out to connections these past few days. It must have been truly taxing for you."

Chu Chuyan, however, sighed softly. "I know deep down that all my efforts these past few days have been futile. The matter involved this time is simply too massive; even the connections of the Chu family, or even the Qin family, can't make much of a difference."

Zu'an smiled gently. "They still played a role. Otherwise, I wouldn't be waiting for the Libationer, but a secret execution."

Chu Chuyan pursed her lips and smiled. "You always know how to comfort me."

***

Not long after Chu Chuyan left, Zhen Xueyi, Jiang Boyang, and Murong Tong arrived together, accompanied by Zhu Xiechixin.

Seeing their procession, Zu'an's heart sank. It seemed the inevitable had finally arrived.

The jailer led Zu'an to a quiet room. Zhen Xueyi and the others did not take their seats as usual but waited silently by the door.

Even Zhu Xiechixin, known for his usual grim expression, had shed his arrogance.

Soon, the large door was pushed open by an invisible surge of energy, and an old man in a long cyan robe slowly walked in from a distance.

His steps were slow, yet in the very next second, he was already inside the quiet room. The spatial distortion in that instant made Zu'an's eyes ache and swell.

Zu'an scrutinized the legendary figure, but his appearance could only be described as utterly unremarkable; he was the kind of person who wouldn't warrant a second glance in a crowd.

In contrast, Jiang Boyang and the others standing nearby were far more handsome and distinguished. Yet, these mature, refined, and striking older men seemed to become mere background figures when next to him.

His eyes were incredibly profound, as if they had witnessed countless ages of change.

In that instant, Zu'an almost forgot the man's face, his mind fixated only on those deep, ancient eyes.

"You are Zu'an?" the Libationer asked, offering no pleasantries to Jiang Boyang or the others, not even a nod. It was unclear whether this was due to disdain or simply because his status rendered such courtesies unnecessary.

Jiang Boyang and the others showed no offense, as if such behavior was expected. "Zu'an, quickly pay your respects to Lord Libationer."

Zu'an bowed. "This junior greets Lord Libationer."

Being arrogant in front of such a formidable person would be foolish, especially when his own fate hung in the balance.

The Libationer smiled faintly. "There's no need to be nervous. You only need to answer one question for me. Just follow your true feelings, and whatever you do, do not resist."

In that instant, Zu'an felt a gentle calm, like a spring breeze. He gathered all his wits. "Lord Libationer, please ask!"

Given how formidable his opponent was, any forceful resistance would likely result in the destruction of his soul. All he could do was rely on the newly acquired skill to see if it would have a miraculous effect.

He had spent these days contemplating how to cleverly use that seemingly useless skill, but he was genuinely unsure if it would be enough to get past the Libationer.

A clear light emanated from the Libationer's eyes. "Are you and the Crown Princess innocent?"

"I have a friend..." Zu'an began, but then he suddenly froze. This question seemed...

He quickly answered, "Yes!"

The Libationer nodded slightly. "The truth. Very well, I'm finished."

With that, he turned to leave.

***

Just one chapter for today. My condition is a bit off. Don't men also have those few days every month when everything feels meaningless, life is dull, and joy is lacking...?