Chapter 755: Mysterious Teacher

Jia Sili turned her head and chuckled sweetly, "Although I'd love to tell you, I've sworn an oath not to reveal his identity, or I'll face divine retribution."

Zu An asked, surprised, "What does your divine retribution have to do with me?"

Jia Sili was speechless.

"You stinky brother, you don't know how to be considerate at all," Jia Sili huffed. "But with your intelligence, I'm sure you can easily figure out who sent us." As she spoke, her gaze seemingly casually flickered towards the corpses of the assassins nearby.

Zu An knew she was hinting at him. He understood that the assassins had deployed siege crossbows and used simple sabre formations, displaying a distinct military style. Furthermore, their use of twin gold and silver rings, a gold gourd hammer, and a red-tasseled spear showed clear individual characteristics. Each of them was a seventh-rank master, clearly not nobodies, so investigating their identities wouldn't be too difficult.

Zu An looked at the two with some curiosity. "By the way, I overheard your conversation earlier. Weren't you tasked by your master to kill me? Now you're shaking hands and making peace with me. Aren't you afraid of your oath backfiring?"

Jia Sili sighed faintly, "We already tried our best. You broke all my ultimate moves, and you even cut off my arm. How could we possibly kill you now? With the city guard approaching, of course, we had no choice but to run."

Zu An was speechless. It seemed these people were as cunning as foxes, intentionally leaving loopholes in their oaths.

"Alright, no more talking. Otherwise, when the city guard arrives, we really won't be able to leave. I look forward to seeing you next time, little brother~" Jia Sili purred, leaving with a string of delightful giggles mixed with the sound of bells as she cat-walked away.

Just then, Yun Yuqing, who was in his arms, struggled to get up and said weakly, "Quickly, get me out of here."

Zu An knew she didn't want to be discovered by the approaching city guard. He glanced at the corpses of the assassins on the ground, hesitated for a moment, then went over and placed them directly into his Glazed Pearl. After a moment of thought, he released a few assassins and left the siege crossbow there.

He wasn't sure if there would be any moles among the incoming city guard. It would be troublesome if they concealed these corpses later. Therefore, he needed to take the crucial evidence, but he couldn't leave nothing behind. Otherwise, it would be difficult for him to explain himself if the Emperor and Zhuxie Chixin investigated later. After all, it would be hard for one person to carry away such a bulky siege crossbow without an enormous storage space.

After completing all this, he quickly carried Yun Yuqing and departed.

Less than a minute after they left, a group of soldiers quickly arrived. Seeing the scene, especially the siege crossbow, they were all visibly shocked. The commanding general waved his hand, "Secure the area! Others, go check the surroundings for any suspicious individuals!"

By this time, Zu An was already several miles away with Yun Yuqing in his arms. Noticing a trace of black mist between Yun Yuqing's eyebrows, he quickly took out the antidote Jia Sili had given him, his expression somewhat hesitant. "I wonder if this medicine is real."

Yun Yuqing took the medicine, opened the cap, and sniffed it. "It should be real."

"You understand medicinal properties?" Zu An asked cautiously, as a wrong guess could have serious consequences.

Yun Yuqing nodded. "Runemasters generally have some knowledge of medicinal properties. While it might not be profound, we can certainly distinguish whether something is an antidote or not."

She took the pill inside and swallowed it. A moment later, she opened her eyes. "However, to completely eliminate the effects of the poison, I'll need hot water. I'm still quite weak right now. Sigh, I was truly careless just now; I didn't realize I'd been infected with his corpse poison."

Zu An recalled the methods of the hermaphrodite and sighed with emotion, "His techniques are impossible to guard against, so it's not your fault. By the way, where do you live? I'll take you back first." Given her current weakened state, he naturally didn't feel comfortable letting her leave alone.

Yun Yuqing didn't refuse. "Let's go back to the capital."

"The capital?" Zu An was surprised. He had thought she would be hiding somewhere in the suburbs, not living in the capital itself. According to the Great Zhou laws, feudal kings and their families were not allowed to enter the capital without an imperial summons; doing so was a serious crime.

Yun Yuqing untied the veil from her face, revealing her stunning beauty, a faint smile playing on her lips. "This time, a white deer omen was discovered in Jibei Commandery, so I specifically came to the capital to present the auspicious omen to the Emperor and Empress. Naturally, I'm staying in the capital."

Zu An secretly admired her cleverness. The Emperor was unparalleled in the world and lacked nothing but longevity. A white deer was a symbol of long life. While the Emperor might normally scoff at other auspicious omens, this one would surely delight him.

"But we can't enter the capital looking like this," she said, reaching out to remove her outer black clothes, revealing a simple commoner's dress underneath. She casually drew a rune, and the set of night clothes on the ground immediately burst into flames.

Zu An couldn't help but say, "But even in such simple attire, your beauty is hard to conceal. It might make you more suspicious at the city gates."

"I'll just wear a mask," Yun Yuqing smiled, taking out a thin mask and placing it on her face. Instantly, her exquisite features transformed into those of an ordinary woman. Zu An was immediately relieved. As a royal consort and a Runemaster, it was only natural she would possess such a mask.

Yun Yuqing asked Zu An, "Do you want a mask?"

Zu An shook his head. "No need. I can enter and exit the capital normally."

"I'm just worried this might cause you trouble," Yun Yuqing said apologetically. She was still somewhat weak and had to lean on Zu An. If someone saw them, they would inevitably wonder what was going on. Zu An considered that it wouldn't do to tarnish his reputation for life. Being with other women was one thing, but Yun Yuqing's masked appearance was now too ordinary. If someone saw him, they might think he wasn't particular at all. So, he took the mask from her hand and put it on, then picked up Yun Yuqing's soft body and hurried towards the city gate.

Along the way, Yun Yuqing lay in his arms. Though her appearance was now plain, her eyes were remarkably bright and lively. "You truly were willing to fight the Emperor for me in the illusion, weren't you?"

Zu An smiled faintly. "Didn't you save my life multiple times? How could I stand by idly when I saw you in danger?"

"Just because I saved you?" Yun Yuqing pouted slightly, seemingly a little disappointed.

"Of course not! I wanted to save you because you were in danger!" Zu An immediately realized his blunder. Sweet talk was a rogue's self-cultivation. As expected, upon hearing his words, Yun Yuqing beamed with joy. "Ah Zu, you're so kind."

The two chatted and laughed along the way, easily entering the capital. Yun Yuqing directed him to a magnificent residence in the inner city. Seeing the three large characters "Prince Wu's Residence" on the gate's plaque, Zu An paused, surprised.

Yun Yuqing pursed her lips and smiled. "Every feudal prince has a residence in the capital, though they rarely get to stay in them. Since I'm in the capital, this is naturally where I'll be staying." Then she furrowed her brow and added, "I came out secretly today and don't want to be seen by anyone with ill intentions, so please carry me in discreetly."

Zu An had some reservations. "But the Prince's residence has strict guards..." He recalled that even his dormitory in Mingyue City Academy had defensive formations. This was a Prince's residence; there would certainly be no shortage of defensive arrays and offensive restrictions.

Yun Yuqing held up a token and shook it. "Don't worry, with this entry and exit token, we won't trigger the residence's restrictions."

Zu An gave a wry smile. Indeed, even the strongest defenses were no match for an insider.

With her guidance and forewarning, he didn't trigger the residence's defensive mechanisms and also avoided the patrolling guards along the way. Of course, ultimately, it was also because this was a vacant princely residence with a relatively small number of guards. Otherwise, even if they had bypassed the outer perimeter, they would have easily been discovered inside.

They arrived at her private chambers, and Yun Yuqing finally sighed in relief. She removed her mask, restoring her original appearance, and the entire room seemed to brighten.

She walked over to a small pool beside the room and gently turned a valve nearby. Streams of clear hot water gurgled out from the mouths of several nearby statues. Zu An watched, dumbfounded. "Is this a water heater?"

"A water heater?" Yun Yuqing looked puzzled. "This uses a runic array to draw water from a nearby hot spring. Many nobles and royalty in the area have such pools." Zu An secretly sighed, impressed by their penchant for luxury. In fact, since coming to this world, he had seen many conveniences created by runic arrays.

"By the way, you're a Runemaster. Where did you learn that?" Zu An asked, curious. Runemasters were primarily a human profession, and she was a demon. How could she know something so strictly guarded by humans?

Yun Yuqing looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, I promised my master I wouldn't reveal anything about him."

"It's fine, I was being presumptuous," Zu An said nonchalantly. "By the way, you should detoxify yourself quickly. It'll be troublesome if the corpse poison stays in your body for too long."

Yun Yuqing hummed in agreement, then reached her hand to her collar, about to unbutton it. Her face suddenly flushed slightly, and she opened her mouth as if to speak but ultimately said nothing. "Ah Zu, please stand guard for me." With that, her slender, jade-like fingers gracefully moved, and one by one, her clothes slipped to the ground, revealing her perfectly glowing white body.