Chapter 1977: The Moth Flies Into the Flame

Zu An had actually already obtained that intelligence a long time ago, but things had constantly been happening in the capital recently. He'd been forced to run around because of the Meng clan and King Dai, and because he had been strong enough already at the time, he hadn't been in too much of a rush to look for it.

But now, things were different. There were monsters invading from a different world, so he felt as if there were a sword of Damocles constantly suspended over his head. He had to grasp every chance he had to become stronger; otherwise, if he really encountered an enemy that he couldn't face, the consequences would be too horrible to imagine.

Previously, Yun Jianyue and Qiu Honglei had left in a hurry. He hadn’t received any news from them even now, which was a bit strange. This was a good opportunity for him to head over and check up on them.

Of course, he had to make many arrangements before he left. He put away the Forging System and left his small residence. He looked at the distant setting sun and sighed. Time really passed quickly; just repairing these two weapons had taken up an entire day.

His divine sense covered all of Mount Yuquan, allowing him to ‘see’ how the young ladies were all cultivating earnestly. They were all under a lot of pressure at the moment, it seemed. Even Huanzhao was surprisingly serious. Of course, perhaps it was because Chu Youzhao and Murong Qinghe were with her, so she had rivals that gave her more motivation to cultivate. In contrast, Sang Qien, Zheng Dan, and Xie Daoyun were already quite mature, and worked hard even without anyone keeping any eye on them.

Zu An nodded in appreciation. Then, his divine senses moved across other places.

Jiang Luofu was also pretty… Umm, pretty fair…

Why is this woman taking another bath?

Jiang Luofu seemed to have sensed something. She crossed her arms in front of her and turned toward the summit with an indignant expression. Zu An was clearly the only one in the entire academy who had the ability to send his divine sense through her various defensive formations.

Zu An quickly pulled back his divine sense. He couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed. He had just been looking around, so how could he know that she was taking a bath in the middle of the day?

Soon after, he saw Jiang Luofu rush up the mountain angrily while hastily dressed in a spacious gown. Zu An felt a bit guilty and quickly flew up toward the capital from another direction.

…

Zu An landed in one of Scarlet Invitation’s courtyards and didn’t hide himself.

“Who dares?!” Nan Xun cried as she quickly rushed out with a sword. She seemed to have just woken up from her dreams and was still in her nightwear. Her clothes hadn't been completely buttoned up, so her beautiful shoulders and collarbone were in full view.

When she saw that it was Zu An, she sighed in relief and asked, “Can’t the young master enter properly from the front? You’re always giving this lady a fright.”

“Are you sure you want me to come in from the front entrance?” Zu An replied calmly. “Who knows how many pairs of eyes are watching my every move right now. If they knew I'd come here looking for you, your identity would quickly become exposed. At that point, many self-righteous warriors could come here to execute fiends.”

“Forget it, forget it…” Nan Xun said as she waved her hands awkwardly. She was nothing but a ghost now. If her identity were exposed, she would be killed immediately!

When he saw that her clothes weren’t tidy, Zu An frowned slightly. He asked, “Why are you still sleeping at this kind of hour?”

“Unfortunately, this one still needs to receive guests in the evening,” Nan Xun said. She paused for a moment before explaining, “Young master, don’t worry, I only sell art, and don't sell my body.”

Zu An couldn't help but asked, “Do you really enjoy being a courtesan? For better or for worse, you used to be King Qi’s concubine. Do you really have an interest in these kinds of things?”

Nan Xun pouted and replied, “Do you think I want to either? I’m merely a ghost and can only sustain myself through the yang energy of men. Young master isn’t willing to give it to me, so I can only get it from other people.”

Zu An was speechless.

Nan Xun moved closer and placed her chin on his shoulder, saying, “Don’t worry, young master, I only sell art and not my body. I only exchange poetry and songs with others and use those chances to absorb a bit of their yang energy. I wouldn’t let those stinky men take advantage of me.”

Zu An didn’t doubt her either. With her ability, it naturally wasn’t too hard for her to accomplish something like that. No wonder she always played the role of a courtesan and entertained guests. So that was the reason! He couldn't help but feel a sense of pity, asking, “Aren’t you working too hard then? I’ll help you make some pills that can replenish yang energy somehow another day. You won’t need to work so hard then.”

Nan Xun’s eyes immediately lit up when she heard that. She replied, “Thank you, young master!” She got on her tiptoes and gave his cheeks a peck before saying, “The young master actually doesn’t need to go that far. Just let this humble one serve you for an evening. With how powerful the young master is, I won’t need to bother with yang energy for a long time. This one actually secretly learned a lot of things from Scarlet Invitation, and I feel I can satisfy the young master.”

Zu An was speechless. Men really need to take good care of themselves when they leave their house. There are vixens who lust after our bodies everywhere.

“There’s proper business I need your help with,” Zu An said as he made her sit down off to the side. “I need you to send a message to the Fiend races’ side.”

Then, he told her about Shadowmoon Lake’s events in detail. When she heard about what had happened, Nan Xun was horrified and no longer continued her playacting. She said, “I never expected the sealed land’s monsters to have already appeared in the human side as well! The ones that appeared were even more powerful, no less.”

Zu An said seriously, “The sealed land still has the past seal, so that's why those especially powerful creatures cannot cross over. On the other hand, it's more suitable for ordinary monsters to cross over. That's why even though the main army was situated there, the Second Prince still suffered heavy casualties.”

“This is indeed extremely important information that I'll quickly send back. We’ll be more mindful of any hidden spatial rifts that have appeared as well,” Nan Xun replied in a serious tone.

“There is another matter. The human empress wishes to meet with the Second Empress to discuss the matter of forming an alliance,” Zu An added.

“Alright,” Nan Xun voiced her understanding. “But even though the Second Empress can make decisions for that side, the human empress doesn’t have such status, right? From what I know, the crown princess’ influence isn’t beneath that of the empress.”

“You don’t need to worry about those things. You only need to focus on sending the message,” Zu An replied.

“Okay," Nan Xun said. Now that they had finished talking about important matters, she moved over and asked, “Young master, do you really not need me to service you?”

…

After finally managing to struggle free from Scarlet Invitation, Zu An wiped off the lipstick on his face. He couldn't help but laugh to himself.

Why did I never put my hands on Nan Xun? Is it really because she's a ghost?

But in that secret dungeon, the Ghost King and I even… Ahem, it didn’t seem to be all that bad either.

Am I just overthinking it? I’ve sucked away the War Priest’s cultivation and feel quite restless to begin with, and I do need some proper adjusting anyway. I didn’t want to torment Bi Linglong too much, but if it's Nan Xun…

He shook his head and tossed those thoughts out of his mind.

He couldn't really just publicly fly into the air after leaving Scarlet Invitation, so he went for a stroll on the main street. He sighed deeply as he admired the lively night atmosphere of the capital. He wondered just how much longer these peaceful days could continue for. Once the monsters invaded, these ordinary civilians likely wouldn't be able to experience such joyful livelihoods anymore.

He unknowingly ended up walking by King Dai Manor. After some hesitation, he decided not to make the stop. Since the other side had used Worries Be Gone Rosemary back then, it was best to let bygones be bygones.

…

Meanwhile, Meng Chan was in a daze inside the attic. Even though she had already been released from prison, King Dai Manor was already completely different from before. Only a few servants were left, and the manor that had once been brightly lit and full of activity was now cold and cheerless. She couldn't help but sigh deeply, feeling as if life was drab and that living itself lacked meaning.

She was about to turn around and return to her room when her eyes narrowed. She saw a familiar figure on the street. She suddenly trembled, and her dispirited heart began to pound fiercely. She only felt a moment of hesitation before raising her dress and running out.

She just happened to bump into the drunken King Dai in the courtyard. When he saw her run out, he couldn't help but ask, “Where are you going so late at night?”

After learning that he could keep his life and having that falling-out in the prison, he naturally guessed what was happening. Both of them had tacitly agreed to not mention the matter again, but afterward, she no longer showed him much respect. The two lived in their respective sides of the king manor and rarely met each other. They were like the most familiar strangers.

“I’m going to have a chat with a good friend,” Meng Chan said distractedly. She ran over to the entrance and suddenly stopped, adding, “I’m going to stay over at my friend’s place and won’t be coming back tonight.” Then, she opened the door and left.

King Dai drained his alcohol in one gulp. A hint of self-mockery hung on the corners of his lips. “Close friend? Who would even want to be your close friend after both King Dai Manor and the Meng clan have fallen so far?”

Even though he wasn’t smart, he wasn’t stupid either. Especially after what happened, he seemed to have suddenly understood many things. Normally, with her personality, why would Chan’er bother explaining so much to him? The fact that she was acting like this proved her guilt. The veins on his hand that held the wine cup popped a bit, but in the end, he could only release a sigh of ruin. He knew that the fact that he could even keep his life was all because of Chan’er, so what right did he have to say anything?

“Be gentle with her, Chan’er is scared of being hurt more than anything…” he muttered to himself. He'd already had a lot to drink to begin with, and now, he quickly fainted. The wine cup in his hand slid down to the ground, and all that remained in his courtyard were the sounds of snoring.