Chapter 976: Seven Li Soul-Chasing Incense

After Zu An fell, Tang Tian'er was still uneasy. She reached out and sealed several vital acupuncture points on his body, only then breathing a sigh of relief.

She then sat down beside Zu An and reached her small hands into his clothes, searching. After a moment, she angrily muttered to herself, "Hmm, where did those things go?"

Anger points from Tang Tian'er: +88, +88, +88...

She wanted to see if Zu An carried any rare treasures or items that could prove his identity, but she found nothing except some loose silver and other miscellaneous items.

"What about the bag I just gave him?" Tang Tian'er searched for a long time without success and immediately realized he must possess some kind of spatial artifact.

Unfortunately, she searched him thoroughly for a while but found nothing.

"He really is from the Aquatic Race; there's such an air of mystery about him." Tang Tian'er stared at his mask, and an idea suddenly sparked in her mind. "I wonder what he looks like?"

With that thought, she reached out and removed his mask. She then froze, utterly stunned.

After staring at him for a long time, a blush suddenly appeared on Tang Tian'er's cheeks. "He's even more handsome than I imagined. If I had known, I wouldn't have hidden just now, hehe."

Just then, a knock sounded from outside. Tang Tian'er frowned. "Don't rush me, I'll be out soon."

Then she leaned down and gently blew a warm breath into Zu An's ear, whispering, "Have a good dream. Let's have a nice date in your dream."

After speaking, she left with a string of bell-like laughter and walked out. Opening the door, the Fat Venerable was already waiting outside.

He then glanced inside through the crack in the door. Seeing Zu An was asleep, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, did you find anything?"

"He is indeed from the Aquatic Race, and likely holds a noble status among them," Tang Tian'er replied while closing the door. She added that he clearly paid little heed to even the Prince of Yan or Sun Xun, indicating a remarkably strong background.

The Fat Venerable nodded. "Just as I thought. Our establishment has never been able to establish a connection with the Aquatic Race, and it seems he will be the key."

Tang Tian'er was about to speak when her expression suddenly changed, and she and the Fat Venerable quickly hid in a corner.

No sooner had they disappeared than a shifty-eyed person appeared nearby. Although he tried to conceal himself, his occasional glances toward Zu An's room still betrayed his purpose.

"It's one of Sun Ji's men," Tang Tian'er said, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.

"Indeed," the Fat Venerable explained. "Sun Ji just left, likely rushing to deliver that jade pendant home. But he doesn't intend to let guest number 333 off the hook, which is why he sent someone to stake out here."

Tang Tian'er was a little worried. "Is the establishment really not going to intervene? Even if Young Master An is from the Aquatic Race, he's far from the sea here, so he could very well be at a disadvantage."

Although Zu An had been full of confidence earlier, she only took it as a young man boasting in front of a beautiful woman to save face and didn't take him too seriously.

The Fat Venerable frowned. "The Carefree Pavilion has always refrained from interfering in matters between guests..."

Before he could finish, Tang Tian'er tugged at his sleeve and shook it. "Uncle Fat, Young Master An is different from others. We finally managed to establish a connection with the Aquatic Race; we can't miss this opportunity. I'm thinking of the establishment's interests!"

The Fat Venerable rolled his eyes. "I'm afraid you're smitten with that young man, aren't you? Hmph, fine. The Carefree Pavilion will protect him. But we can't intervene too early; let him suffer a bit at the hands of the Sun family. When we step in to help him then, he'll be even more grateful."

Tang Tian'er giggled, her eyes curving like crescent moons. "Uncle Fat, you truly have foresight. Your niece is immensely impressed."

"Stop flattering me," the Fat Venerable snorted. "Don't say I didn't warn you: you can play around with him, but don't get yourself entangled."

Tang Tian'er snorted. "Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

"That's true," the Fat Venerable chuckled wryly. Over the years, the young girl had toyed with so many young masters, and he had never seen her truly suffer any loss.

***

After the two outside had left, Zu An opened his eyes. He had only been playing along with Tang Tian'er, not genuinely captivated by her beauty. Instead, he planned to use her as an alibi to clear himself of suspicion afterward, as this was the territory of the Prince of Yan and Sun Xun, and causing a big scene would be troublesome.

However, he had been troubled about how to deceive Tang Tian'er. Knocking her out was easy, but she would definitely know what happened when she woke up, which would negate her use as a witness.

Originally, if the other person had been a man, he could have used Daji to mesmerize them, and altering their memory would not have been difficult. Unfortunately, she was a woman, and Daji's ability had no effect on women.

He had originally intended to use his 'Key' ability, but he hadn't tried this kind of memory modification before. He didn't know how effective it would be or how severe the backlash might be.

He never expected the other party to drug him first!

When he saw pink smoke coming from her mouth, he almost burst out laughing.

He was extremely cautious, so he didn't inhale the smoke at all.

Although he was now immune to all poisons, who knew the nature of her tranquilizing smoke? What if it wasn't poison but an aphrodisiac? That would be troublesome.

After hearing the Fat Venerable and the others leave, he summoned Daji, put his jacket and mask on her, and then had her lie on the bed, pretending to sleep.

After doing all this, he went straight out the door and quickly sealed the acupuncture points of Sun Ji's subordinate who was staking out, then had Daji use her "Worldly Charm" skill on him.

This way, the Carefree Pavilion, and even Sun Ji's own subordinate, could serve as human witnesses, ensuring no one would suspect him.

Without notifying Gao Ying or Pei You, he quietly slipped out of the Carefree Pavilion.

The Carefree Pavilion had strict external security but was lax internally, primarily to prevent outsiders from entering. The checks for people leaving from inside were not as strict.

Along the way, by interacting with surrounding animals using the jade cong, he was consistently able to track Sun Ji and his group in the correct direction.

After less than half an hour, he finally caught up with the Sun family's convoy.

He detoured ahead of them, intending to choose a good opportunity to act.

This was Yi County after all; if it dragged on and something unexpected happened, it would be troublesome.

If it were merely his personal grievance with Sun Ji, he wouldn't resort to robbery. But to save Mi Li, he couldn't afford to care about such things.

What's more, he had just learned from Sun Ji's subordinate that the other party would gather men to ambush him upon returning. He wasn't a saint, so naturally, he would retaliate in kind.

Watching the carriage rapidly approach from a distance, he was about to make his move when his heart suddenly stirred, and he looked in another direction.

A chilling whooshing sound filled the air as dozens of bamboo shafts shot out. Almost instantly, nearly half of Sun Ji's guards were killed or wounded.

At this moment, a figure shot out from the carriage: Yang Long, Sun Ji's bodyguard master.

He saw him press his hands together, and a transparent surge of energy instantly crushed the incoming bamboo shafts into splinters. "What despicable scoundrel dares to ambush the Sun family's carriage!"

At this moment, Sun Ji also emerged from the carriage, and his remaining guards quickly surrounded him in the center.

"Don't always bring up the Sun family," a sinister voice rang out. "What I hate most in my life are aristocratic families like yours who bully ordinary people by relying on their family background." Immediately after, a black-robed figure slowly emerged from the bamboo forest ahead.

"It's you!" Yang Long clearly recognized the person as the one who had appeared at the Carefree Pavilion's auction earlier. He could feel that the other party's vital energy fluctuation seemed to be above his own. However, his side had the advantage in numbers, so he might not necessarily be at a disadvantage in a real fight.

"Leave the item, and perhaps I might consider sparing your lives," the black-robed man said, his voice devoid of emotion.

"How did you track us?" Yang Long's expression turned grim. He knew that the Carefree Pavilion kept the identities of all guests confidential. Although his young master was high-profile, his departure from the establishment was kept secret, and only those from the Carefree Pavilion knew the route. Other guests shouldn't possibly know.

Could it be that someone from the Carefree Pavilion intended to double-cross them?

"By planting the Seven-Mile Soul-Tracking Incense on you," the black-robed man said proudly, "I could find you with my eyes closed."

"Seven-Mile Soul-Tracking Incense? It's you!" Yang Long's face instantly changed drastically.