Chapter 889: Interrogation

Zhuxie Chixin looked into the distance and quietly asked, "Crown Princess, are there any other survivors?"

Bi Linglong shook her head. "None of those who were with us survived, but many people were separated earlier. I'm not sure about them."

"Then it seems there are none," Zhuxie Chixin nodded. "When we came in, we only found Gao Ying from the Liu family, Pei You from the Pei family, and two East Palace guards. For some reason, they were all hanging from trees, severely wounded. I've already sent them back to the Imperial Hospital for treatment."

Bi Linglong's heart skipped a beat. "Thank you, Grand Commander."

She wondered if these few knew something, but then remembering that they had all separated by that point, they likely wouldn't know what happened later. This put her mind at ease.

While "unconscious," Zu An secretly sighed with emotion. Those two East Palace guards must be Jiao Sigun and Piao Duandiao. Although their cultivation wasn't high, their luck was truly good; they had survived such dangers earlier.

Still, it was good news that they were safe after all. He had felt a little guilty earlier for not taking better care of them.

Next, Zhuxie Chixin left some of his subordinates to search the secret realm for other survivors, while he himself led the main force to escort Bi Linglong and her group out. Obviously, his mission was complete once the Crown Prince and Crown Princess were found; as for finding anyone else, he didn't care.

At the entrance to the secret realm, a large crowd of people were craning their necks and looking expectantly. Some had worried expressions, some paced anxiously, while others secretly rejoiced.

Those secretly rejoicing were naturally from King Qi's faction. Given the huge commotion in the secret realm earlier, the Crown Prince and his entourage were clearly in grave danger, which meant no one would be able to contend with King Qi anymore.

As for the Emperor's other sons, without the status of the eldest legitimate son, they were not worth mentioning in front of King Qi.

More importantly, for so many years, many ministers had rallied around the Crown Prince. Changing allegiance now would not be easy.

Ah, what a glorious day.

Of course, they were seasoned politicians. Although they were inwardly overjoyed, on the surface, they all appeared deeply sorrowful, so as not to give their political rivals any leverage.

However, among this group, there were still genuinely sorrowful people. A handsome youth with rosy lips and white teeth now had red-rimmed eyes, constantly wiping away tears. Who else could it be but Chu Youzhao?

"Brother Chu, you don't need to worry too much. Brother Zu is blessed by heaven; he'll definitely be fine," Murong Qinghe, who was beside him, consoled him.

A disciple from the Murong clan nearby mumbled softly, "A real man doesn't just cry and weep at every turn, acting effeminate."

"What do you know?" Murong Qinghe glared fiercely at the other person. "This is called emotional sensitivity for Brother Chu, valuing relationships and loyalty. Do you think everyone is as uncivilized as you?" She then gently resumed comforting Chu Youzhao.

Chu Youzhao, however, felt a chill in her heart. She had been waiting outside this whole time and had heard many analyses and speculations about what happened in the secret realm. One point was widely accepted: the secret realm inside seemed to have suffered an apocalyptic disaster. No matter how high her brother-in-law's cultivation was, he was likely in grave danger.

Sharing her worry were the people from the academy on the other side. Xie Daoyun, with a worried expression, asked Jiang Luofu, "Teacher Jiang, do you think Brother Zu is still alive now?"

Xie Xiu, who was beside her, opened his mouth. On any other day, seeing his sister like this, he would complain that Zu An didn't have a younger sister and that he himself was at a great disadvantage, but now, he couldn't muster any desire to complain.

Jiang Luofu also had a headache. "You've been pestering me with these questions all these days. I don't know either. When it comes to familiarity with the secret realm, no one can compare to Teacher Qi. Go ask her."

Xie Daoyun looked eagerly towards Qiyao Guang, who was beside them. Qiyao Guang rubbed her hair. "Earlier, the space inside was chaotic, so I couldn't investigate. But now the secret realm has reopened, Commander Zhuxie and his men have already gone in. There should be results soon."

Although she had a good impression of Zu An, that was all it was. After all, they had only known each other for a short time and hadn't developed deep feelings. If he died inside, she could only express regret, and her sadness would pass in a few days. Relatively speaking, she was more concerned about the sudden changes in the secret realm: what caused them, if there were any ways to avoid them in the future, and what to do if such problems occurred again—these were the academic questions that truly interested her.

Seeing this, Jiang Luofu patted Xie Daoyun's shoulder. "Don't worry. He has the pawn given to him by Black and White Child, and the Life-Saving Talisman you gave him. Even if he encounters danger, he should be able to turn misfortune into blessing."

Although she offered this comfort, she actually had no real confidence herself. After all, what good would those items be against the destruction of a world?

Just then, there was a fluctuation of spatial elements at the entrance. Qiyao Guang immediately stood up. "Someone is coming out."

Everyone stared at the activity at the entrance and, seeing this, swarmed forward. Fortunately, the Embroidered Uniform Envoys were maintaining order, preventing them from getting too close lest they try to pull any tricks.

Soon, Zhuxie Chixin and his group emerged. Seeing the corpulent figure, those from the Crown Prince's faction were first stunned, and then erupted into huge cheers.

To be honest, they had already assumed Zhao Ruizhi was dead. After all, with such a huge commotion in the secret realm, even a Grandmaster would most likely face certain death inside. How could an idiot like him survive?

During this time, the Crown Prince's faction had been in low spirits, and some had even begun considering changing their allegiance.

Now, seeing him suddenly return safely, how could they not be excited?

The people from King Qi's mansion, on the other hand, all had drastic changes in expression. Their previous smiles hadn't even faded, and their hearts were filled with shock. "How is this possible? How can he still be alive!"

Many confidants of King Qi's faction actually knew more inside information. Even without the secret realm collapsing, the Crown Prince should have died inside. How did he manage to get out?

Although his face was quite dusty and worn, his clothes were tattered, and it was clear he had sustained many injuries, he was clearly not in mortal danger. Look, he was even clamoring that he was hungry and wanted to eat pastries from Sanhezhai in the capital.

Unlike King Qi's faction, who looked as if they had lost a parent, the faces of the Crown Prince's faction were about to burst into smiles.

Bi Qi, the head of the Bi family, hurriedly walked towards his daughter. "Linglong, are you hurt... Eh, your hair?"

The Crown Prince was alive. If the Crown Princess had died, then the Bi family's efforts for so many years would have been in vain, working for others' benefit.

Bi Linglong shook her head. "I'm fine. I'll explain to Father later."

Bi Qi was about to ask more, when Chu Youzhao had already squeezed through. "Where's my brother-in-law? Crown Princess, where's my brother-in-law?"

Seeing her anxious expression, Bi Linglong thought that their relationship was quite good, but for some reason, the words "brother-in-law" sounded strangely grating.

Before she could consider whether to answer, Chu Youzhao had already spotted Zu An, who was being carried out on a stretcher from behind.

"Brother-in-law!" Chu Youzhao cried as she ran over. The person lay motionless on the stretcher. Could he be dead?

Zu An, who was currently feigning unconsciousness, secretly sighed, noting that his several sisters-in-law seemed quite nice. How sadly she cried.

He originally wanted to use a secret voice transmission to tell her he was fine, but then remembering her acting wasn't good and she couldn't hide her thoughts at all, he secretly apologized and gave up the idea.

On the other side, Jiang Luofu and Xie Daoyun also came closer, but they were much more reserved and did not wail and cry like Chu Youzhao, just quietly waiting for a response from the side.

At this moment, Zhuxie Chixin came over and stopped everyone. "Now I need to take them back to the Imperial Palace. The Emperor has personally summoned them. Before that, no unauthorized personnel are allowed to approach."

Chu Youzhao was stunned, realizing the hidden meaning in his words, and immediately burst into a smile through her tears. "My brother-in-law isn't dead?"

Zhuxie Chixin was unwilling to answer. It was his duty to keep many matters confidential until explicitly revealed by the Emperor.

It was Bi Linglong who came out to explain. "Rest assured, he is not in mortal danger; he merely sustained relatively severe injuries while saving the Crown Prince and me."

Now, with all eyes in the capital on this spot, she once again characterized Zu An's actions in front of so many people.

Having spent years in the palace, she could tell lies without batting an eye, and no one around noticed anything amiss.

Hearing her say this, Chu Youzhao's suspended heart finally settled. However, she immediately reacted, "My brother-in-law is so severely injured! Why aren't you treating him first? Instead, you're taking him to the Imperial Palace for questioning! Is there any humanity left?"

Zhuxie Chixin snorted coldly. "This is an imperial decree personally issued by the Emperor. Do you have an objection?"

Chu Youzhao wanted to say more, but Murong Qinghe quickly stopped her. "Brother Chu, you don't need to worry. The imperial physicians in the palace are even more skilled in medicine."

In case he spoke disrespectfully without thinking, that would be a huge problem.

During this time, everyone in the capital knew the Emperor was in a bad mood. Several ministers made minor, inconsequential mistakes which usually wouldn't matter at all, but it incurred the Emperor's thunderous rage and resulted in the most severe punishments.

At this time, if Brother Chu angered the Emperor, the outcome would clearly be unfavorable.

Fortunately, the reason she gave was very convincing. Chu Youzhao thought of the skill level of the imperial physicians and no longer insisted.

Jiang Luofu, Xie Daoyun, and others also breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this. Given the current situation, it wasn't appropriate for them to step forward and say anything.

Just then, the roaring voice of King Liang, Zhao Yi, came from nearby. "Where is my son Zhao Xi?"

"I haven't seen Xian'er either." This was the voice of General Wei, Liu Yao.

"And my Meng Pan is also missing," Meng Yi, the Supervising Secretary of the Chancellery, also exclaimed.

They watched as people emerged one after another from the secret realm, but they never saw their own relatives, and one by one, they finally lost their composure.

Bi Linglong opened her mouth, but in the end said nothing. Too many things had happened inside, and it couldn't be explained in a few words. Furthermore, many pieces of information couldn't be disclosed there.

Fortunately, Zhuxie Chixin came out and stopped them, then, with his confidantes, escorted the Crown Prince and his party back to the Imperial Palace.

Upon reaching the Imperial Palace, Zu An and Bi Linglong separated. After all, as the only conscious survivor (excluding the fat idiot Zhao Ruizhi), the Emperor would certainly question her about the relevant matters first.

Bi Linglong originally felt a bit uneasy, but as she passed Zu An, she heard his elemental energy transmission and gradually calmed down.

Not long after Bi Linglong left, someone quickly came to check on Zu An's condition.

The person sat down beside him and gently placed a hand on his pulse, clearly an imperial physician or similar figure.

"How is he?" a guard left by Zhuxie Chixin asked.

The imperial physician didn't reply immediately, and only spoke after a moment of taking his pulse. "His internal energy is a mess; he is very severely injured, requiring long-term recuperation. Furthermore, even if the injuries heal, such severe injuries will affect his cultivation, and he will likely never recover to his peak."

Zu An breathed a sigh of relief. It seems he had indeed fooled them.

With his current cultivation, it wasn't difficult to simulate severe injuries within his body, but he was still a little worried that the imperial physicians were too skilled and might detect something abnormal.

"That serious?" The guard was startled. One must know that in this world, cultivation was a person's lifeblood, and "unable to recover to peak" had another meaning: that he would have no room for further advancement.

Although Zu An had various flaws, he possessed one significant advantage: his remarkably high cultivation at a young age, almost unrivaled among his peers. Under normal circumstances, his future ascension to Grandmaster was a certainty, and at the Grandmaster level, especially entering it at a young age, becoming a marquis or prime minister might not be impossible.

Unfortunately, all of this was now gone. The world never lacked geniuses, nor did it lack geniuses with broken wings; talent that could not be realized was meaningless.

"I will first prescribe some medicine for him to recuperate," the imperial physician advised. "Given Sir Zu's current condition, he must rest completely and cannot engage in combat with others for a long time. Otherwise, his meridians could be completely destroyed, rendering him crippled."

The guard hummed in acknowledgment. Soon the room fell silent, with only the sound of the imperial physician preparing medicine.

After a while, the door creaked open, and Zhuxie Chixin's voice came. "How is he?"

The guard repeated the imperial physician's diagnosis.

"So when will he wake up?" Zhuxie Chixin couldn't help but frown.

"In three days at the earliest, or up to half a month at the latest," the imperial physician replied.

Zhuxie Chixin shook his head. "We can't wait that long. The Emperor needs to question him immediately. Is there any medicine that can make him wake up right away?"

The imperial physician hesitated before replying, "There is, but that kind of strong medicine is very harmful to the body, and Sir Zu is so severely injured that it could very likely worsen his injuries and put his life in danger."

"The Emperor is waiting in the Imperial Study. Why don't you go and explain to him?" Zhuxie Chixin looked at him coldly.

The imperial physician's heart tightened, and he immediately changed his tone. "I will go prepare the medicine now, Grand Commander, please wait a moment."

He had spoken those previous words out of a physician's conscience, but he couldn't possibly throw away his life for that little bit of conscience.

In this man-eating Imperial Palace, kindness was the most useless thing.

Zu An, lying on the bed, cursed inwardly, thinking that Zhuxie Chixin usually called him "brother," but as soon as something happened, he tried to kill him.

Although this matter was forced by the Emperor, he wasn't without options, yet he chose the most brutal and straightforward one.

Everyone in the capital said Zhuxie Chixin was the Emperor's loyal dog, and it seemed to be true now.

Not long after, the imperial physician brought a bowl of medicine. A guard had already helped Zu An sit up, and the imperial physician poured the medicine into his mouth.

However, as soon as the medicinal liquid entered Zu An's body, it was enveloped by his elemental energy and then slowly refined directly, naturally unable to harm his body.

After a while, Zu An coughed, pretending to be roused by the medicine.

"This... where is this?" Zu An naturally put on an act, looking around blankly.

Zhuxie Chixin changed his previous cold expression and approached with a face full of smiles. "Brother Zu, this is the Imperial Palace. How are you feeling?"

The guards and imperial physicians nearby kept their eyes downcast, and no one showed anything unusual.

Zu An sneered inwardly. If he hadn't been feigning unconsciousness just now, he might actually have been fooled by Zhuxie Chixin's acting.

He also didn't show anything. "My whole body aches, and my stomach, I don't know what's going on, it feels like it's burning."

The imperial physician nearby's lips moved, but Zhuxie Chixin gave him a sharp glance, and he immediately quieted down.

Zhuxie Chixin said, "It might be a lingering effect of your injuries. The Emperor is waiting to see you in the Imperial Study right now. How about we go there first, and after we return, I'll send you some spiritual medicine to help you recuperate?"

Zu An forced a smile. "Then thank you, Grand Commander." After speaking, he made to get out of bed, but his body swayed as if he might collapse at any moment.

Zhuxie Chixin quickly supported him. "How can you walk by yourself when you're so severely injured? Guards! Carry Sir Zu to the Imperial Study."

"Wouldn't this be improper in front of the palace?" Zu An asked, feigning worry.

"No, it won't," Zhuxie Chixin laughed heartily. "You saved the lives of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. The Emperor is too overjoyed; how could he care about such minor details?"

Zu An cursed inwardly, *You know I saved the lives of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, yet I'm severely injured and lying on the bed, and you force me awake with medicine. Is there any humanity left in you?*

Soon, the group brought Zu An to the Imperial Study. After setting down his stretcher, even Zhuxie Chixin quietly withdrew, leaving only Zu An and the Emperor in the room.

"G-Greetings, Your Majesty," Zu An tremblingly made to get up and bow, but failed several times.

"You are severely injured now, no need for excessive courtesy," Zhao Hao said, his face grim. At this moment, he was concerned about other matters and naturally didn't care for such formalities.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Zu An said "gratefully," while secretly sizing up the Emperor.

In the secret realm, the two had fought desperately, and the Emperor's once invincible image in his mind had faded. Now, he had the courage and qualification to confront the Emperor directly.

Zhao Hao's brows furrowed slightly. He somewhat disliked the look in the other man's eyes. For some reason, after this secret realm incident, he subconsciously disliked seeing this fellow.

He merely assumed it was because his clone had died, putting him in a bad mood, and didn't think too deeply about it. He cleared his throat and asked, "I heard you saved the lives of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess?"

"I merely did my best," Zu An replied, "unfortunately, my skills were insufficient, and they still sustained considerable injuries."

"Oh, what exactly happened in the secret realm?" The Emperor straightened his body on the dragon throne, gazing at him with piercing eyes. "Tell me in detail. Do not omit a single thing."

Zu An thought to himself that Zhao Hao had probably questioned Bi Linglong already. It seemed Bi Linglong hadn't revealed any flaws; that woman was indeed reliable in this regard. Now it remained to be seen if their testimonies would match.

He pretended to recall for a moment, then slowly began, "When we entered the secret realm, we didn't find the Azure Sky Jade Dragon in the Azure Water Cold Pond, and had to continue deeper into the mountains..."

He recounted in detail the later betrayal by the Gu brothers and Shi Tong's infiltration into the team, as there was no need to hide these. He then continued, stating that after dealing with the Azure Sky Jade Dragon, experts from King Qi's mansion suddenly appeared, and his group began to flee, followed by the world beginning to collapse...

What he said was nine parts true and one part false. The key lay in him moving forward the time when the Xiquanqiu secret realm appeared, which explained why they could escape the pursuit of several Grandmaster-level experts from King Qi's mansion, while also making the Emperor believe that Zhao Ruizhi didn't need to expose his clone at that time.

He then recounted the various encounters in the Xiquanqiu secret realm, using the collapsing world to eliminate several Grandmaster-level experts from King Qi's mansion one by one.

During this time, he used the pawn given by Black and White Child from the National Academy and the Life-Saving Talisman given by Xie Daoyun, barely managing to save his life.

The Emperor nodded subtly as he listened. Bi Linglong hadn't mentioned these details to him before; only now did it make sense. Otherwise, with so many experts from King Qi's mansion besieging them, it would have been difficult for Zu An to withstand them, no matter how heaven-defying his cultivation and tactics were.

Zu An continued, saying that when they entered the last floating island, they were still caught by the remaining experts from King Qi's mansion.

Just as everyone was in despair, that ancient secret realm suddenly triggered an ancient formation, and a blood-pond octopus monster emerged, sucking King Qi's experts dry.

Even with the Emperor's firm resolve, upon hearing this, his eyelids couldn't help but twitch. "What happened next?"

His only concern was how his clone had died. Of course, anyone who knew of his clone's existence also had to die.