Chapter 893: Provocation

Soon after, Zu An patted Bi Linglong's shoulder. "Alright, I'm leaving now to avoid being discovered."

"They..." Bi Linglong glanced at the two old nannies, hesitating.

"What's wrong? Don't want me to leave?" Zu An leaned close to her cheek, saying with a smile.

"Pfft, go, go!" she said, her face flushing as she pushed him into the secret passage under the bed. After closing the mechanism, she looked at the bolt above. She reached out to touch it, then released her hand, then reached out again...

Clearly, she was deeply conflicted.

Just then, the Queen's questioning voice came from outside: "Hasn't the examination finished yet?"

Bi Linglong was startled. She quickly rearranged the bedding and replied, "It's done."

At that moment, the two old nannies also snapped back to reality and rushed to open the door.

After the Queen entered, she saw Bi Linglong had just finished dressing. She then looked inquiringly at the two old nannies.

The old nanny subtly nodded to her and whispered, "She's still intact."

Bi Linglong, who had been listening intently, breathed a sigh of relief. She had been absolutely terrified just now. That Zu An, he always managed to turn the impossible into possible.

Seeing that the task was complete, the Queen didn't want to linger. After exchanging a few polite words with Bi Linglong, she left with the two nannies. She still had to report the investigation results to the Emperor.

Meanwhile, Zu An emerged from the secret passage and returned to the guards' quarters where the Emperor had assigned him. Although he had a "White Sand Courtyard" in the palace, that was the residence of Gold Medallion Eleven. As he couldn't expose his identity, being placed in the guard rooms was naturally most suitable.

From a distance, he saw two heavily bandaged guards knocking on his door:

"Huh, why has no one answered after knocking for so long?"

"Could he be asleep?"

From their voices, it was clearly Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun.

"What's going on?" another voice asked. Zhu Xie Chixin happened to be passing by and couldn't help but inquire when he saw their situation.

"Nothing much?" Pu Duandiao answered subconsciously, then pulled Jiao Sigun away.

"We're just out to stretch our muscles," Jiao Sigun replied, playing along.

"You two are seriously injured. Why are you wandering around instead of resting properly?" Zhu Xie Chixin snorted. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly stopped, turned, and looked at the door. "Is Master Zu not inside?"

Pu Duandiao replied, "He's probably asleep. I just heard some junior eunuchs mention that Master Zu was severely injured and was in very poor spirits when he was brought back."

"Is that so?" Zhu Xie Chixin hesitated, then still knocked on the door. "Brother Zu, Brother Zu, are you there?"

"Let's go in and check, just in case something happened to him and no one noticed." As he spoke, he used his palm to force the door open.

Inside, Zu An was lying on the bed, feigning confusion as he opened his eyes. "C-Commander?"

He made to get up, but Zhu Xie Chixin quickly said, "No need for formalities. I just called you from outside and received no answer, so I was worried something might have happened to you alone, and I wanted to be able to call the imperial physician in time."

"Thank you for your concern, Commander." Zu An sneered inwardly. It was clear the other party was suspicious. If he hadn't returned in time, he might have been exposed then.

He thought, *We used to be on good terms, even drinking buddies. Why is he targeting me everywhere now?* He realized that Zhu Xie Chixin, as the Emperor's most trusted subordinate, likely reflected the Emperor's attitude. It seemed that while the Emperor believed his words, he still disliked him deep down. A shrewd person like Zhu Xie Chixin would naturally distance himself immediately to avoid the Emperor suspecting his loyalty.

Zhu Xie Chixin subtly scanned the room, saw nothing unusual, then stood up to leave. "Since Brother Zu is alright, you should rest well. I won't disturb you."

With that, he stood up and left.

Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun stood to see him off. After he left, they closed the door again. Pu Duandiao came over to Zu An's side and complained, "The Commander was clearly doing that on purpose just now."

Zu An smiled without speaking.

Pu Duandiao seemed to have opened a floodgate, complaining incessantly: "We risked our lives in the mystic realm to protect the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, almost losing our lives. But instead of rewards, we were met with various interrogations upon our return. It's truly disheartening."

Zu An's heart tightened. It seemed the Emperor had interrogated all relevant personnel upon their return and must have learned about his battle with those masters from others. *The Emperor must now believe he fully understood my hidden strength. Hmm, this is perfect; it lets him think everything is under control.*

Jiao Sigun said coldly, "If you speak any louder, it could lead to big trouble if someone hears."

"Don't be a spoilsport! Brother Zu isn't an outsider. I'm just saying this privately here," Pu Duandiao grumbled.

Zu An comforted them, "Such a huge incident occurred this time, and so many people died, so it's understandable for the palace to conduct more investigations. Speaking of which, it's truly good to see you two again."

Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun's voices choked up. "If it weren't for Brother Zu, our lives would have been lost in the mystic realm."

Zu An patted their shoulders. "Between us, there's no need for such formalities. If I were in danger, wouldn't you save me?"

Both replied in unison, "Of course we would!"

But they quickly deflated. "But with your cultivation, Brother Zu, how would it ever be our turn to save you?"

"That's not necessarily true," Zu An replied. He thought of how they had instinctively covered for him when facing Zhu Xie Chixin earlier, and his heart felt especially warm.

At this point, Pu Duandiao seemed about to speak but stopped. He wanted to advise Zu An about the Crown Princess, as he had clearly sensed an overly intimate relationship between them in the mystic realm. But after thinking about it, he decided not to say anything. It was better to keep such matters to himself.

The three then chatted casually, recalling their time fighting side by side and sharing their relief at having survived the ordeal.

Suddenly, a young eunuch's shrill voice announced from outside, "Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"

Immediately after, a beautiful woman dressed in luxurious attire gracefully entered.

Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun were startled. They quickly stood up to bow, almost stumbling.

Only Zu An remained lying on the bed.

"All of you are brave warriors who have rendered great service this time, so there's no need for excessive formality." The Queen smiled, gesturing for them to stand upright, but her beautiful eyes remained fixed on Zu An.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun were a little excited. After all, being personally praised by the exalted Empress, for a moment, they felt all their previous grievances were worth it.

The Queen nodded to the two. "I've brought some medicinal herbs and tonics this time. Take them and distribute them to the others."

Jiao Sigun thought to himself, *Only the two of us guards who participated in this mission are still alive. Who else is there to distribute them to?*

Fortunately, Pu Duandiao, who was beside him, reacted quickly and hurriedly pulled him out. "Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Your Majesty."

After the two left the room, Jiao Sigun complained, "Why did you pull me out in such a hurry? I still had a lot to say to Brother Zu."

"Are you stupid? It's obvious Her Majesty the Empress wants to talk to Brother Zu. Why were you still standing there?" Pu Duandiao scoffed.

"Oh, I see. I didn't expect that besides the Crown Princess, even Her Majesty the Empress values Brother Zu so much," Jiao Sigun said with an envious expression.

"Shhh, don't talk nonsense!"

...

While the two gossiped, on the other side, the Queen had Eunuch Lü stand guard at the door. She sat by Zu An's bed, gently touching his bandaged wounds with her fingers. "It wasn't convenient to ask when I was with Linglong. Does it hurt?"

Smelling the mature woman's fragrance from her, Zu An said with a smile, "It did hurt, but after Your Majesty touched it a few times, it doesn't anymore."

"You're still such a smooth-talker," the Queen chided with a laugh. "I've brought you many healing and nourishing medicines. Make sure to take them on time, so you don't have any lingering effects."

Zu An chuckled, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Even if other parts have lingering issues, the crucial parts will definitely be fine."

The Queen's face flushed, and she secretly cursed him. "You scoundrel, your complexion is so poor, yet you're still acting tough. If you're so capable, come to Kunning Palace tonight."