While Zu An was immersed in his own musings, Yun Jianyue was fretting over matters as well. After some hesitation, she said, “You don’t have to worry about me. I don’t want to drag you down.”

Zu An was stunned. “What are you saying? If I was afraid of being dragged down by you, I wouldn’t have saved you back then.”

“I know you’re a chivalrous man, but this is different. I plan to visit the imperial prison. You’ve already helped me enough, and I cannot burden you further.” Yun Jianyue watched him carefully as she spoke. Even though this man was usually too liberal with his words, he was much more reliable than the members in her sect who were always bragging about how loyal they were. It wouldn’t be a disgrace if Honglei ended up with this man in the end. It was just a pity that the two of them couldn’t do anything together because of the technique she cultivated.

Zu An was slightly embarrassed when he heard her call him a chivalrous man. Honestly, I wouldn’t be trying so hard if you weren’t so pretty.

As a seasoned pervert, he at least had that level of self-awareness.

Something she said struck him, leaving him in shock. “You’re going to the imperial prison? Don’t tell me you still want to rescue your companions? Are you that eager to die?”

Yun Jianyue shook her head, her long hair fluttering behind her. “I’m not going to rescue them, but to kill them.”

Zu An was at a loss for words.

Do all Devil Sect people make such strange leaps in logic? I can’t keep up at all.

Yun Jianyue explained herself. “Don’t worry, I know the situation we’re in. Now that the emperor’s divine senses cover the palace, I won’t be able to rescue them even if I were at my strongest, let alone now, when I’m still injured. I only wish to end their suffering. You’ve told me about how badly they’ve been tortured. As the sect master, if I cannot set them free, I should at least end their suffering.”

His tone was incredibly bleak. She felt powerless in this situation, and was left both angry and conflicted.

Zu An looked at her strangely. Yun Jianyue assumed that he was about to dissuade her, and said, “Don’t bother. My dao will suffer if I do not settle this matter, and I might not be able to make any more progress. If I do this, you won’t be exposed either.”

It had already been a few days since Zu An convinced Gu Yueyi and the others that he could rescue them. Now that so many days had passed, they were probably starting to grow worried. Once they gave in to despair, they might end up betraying Zu An.

Zu An felt slightly ashamed when he heard her say this. His big sis sect master was always thinking about his well-being, yet he was only focused on getting all that he could out of her.

He cleared his throat and said, “The security around the prison is tight. It’ll be too dangerous if you go. Leave it to me. I’ll see if I can find a way to rescue them.”

“You’re going to try to rescue them? How?” Yun Jianyue was stunned. She clearly wasn’t expecting this from him. From her point of view, rescuing them was impossible, especially with the emperor overseeing the palace.

Zu An pointed at his head. “Not through force, of course, but through wit.” He gave her a sincere look and said, “I’ve been to the imperial prison already, so I’m more familiar with the people there. Things will go much more smoothly if I’m the one to go. All this while, I’ve been trying to figure out a way to rescue them. You’re always staring in the direction of the imperial prison, lost in thought. I wanted to surprise you, but now that you’re talking about taking such a risk, I have no choice but to let you know.”

As he spoke, a white-robed angel appeared on his shoulder, cursing him for being an incorrigible playboy. He was using the favor granted to him by the emperor to pick up girls.

A black-robed devil appeared on his other shoulder and sneered. “Pah, you’re just playing with her feelings. You aren’t even doing anything serious.”

Yun Jianyue was slightly alarmed by the intensity burning in his eyes. She subconsciously took a step back. “You… You’ve already done so much for me.”

Zu An sighed inside when he saw how flustered she was. This woman might be a grandmaster in terms of cultivation, but she’d been a maiden for so long, she was completely naïve when it came to such matters. She was a complete novice when compared to him.

“We can at least be considered friends who have lived together for some time, right? How can I stand aside when a friend is in need?” Zu An did not go any further. Their relationship hadn’t reached that point yet. Going any further now would only ruin things.

My mission, given to me by the emperor, is to infiltrate the Devil Sect. Does this count?

“Friend…” Yun Jianyue’s frazzled heart began to calm down when she heard him say this word. She looked at him sideways. “Who’s living… living together with you? Why did you have to put it that way?”

She always appeared cold and arrogant, and rarely showed this immature side of her.

Zu An was momentarily stunned.

Yun Jianyue saw his dazed expression and realized that she had lost her composure. She quickly assumed her usual haughty and domineering demeanor. “What are you looking at? I’ll dig your eyes out if you keep staring.”

At the same time, she warned herself that this was Honglei’s man, and that she shouldn’t do anything embarrassing.

“Big sis sect master really is a goddess. You’re so beautiful even when you’re angry.” Zu An almost burst out laughing when he saw her act angry on purpose. You can’t hide anything from me when it comes to such matters. Besides, I didn’t register any Rage points from you.

His honeyed words eased the frown that creased Yun Jianyue’s brow. However, she still said stubbornly, “I am Honglei’s master. I advise you to be more careful when making jokes.”

Zu An wrinkled his nose at her. “Didn’t I say that we should agree to disagree?”

Yun Jianyue’s eyebrows rose. She was just about to lose her temper when Zu An quickly said, “I’m going to the Eastern Palace. The crown prince’s secretary can’t always be missing.”

Yun Jianyue laughed when she saw him fleeing in such a shameful manner. “Hmph. And here I thought that you were so fearless that you were about to do something.”

The smile that blossomed on her face was as beautiful as the first buds of spring, adding a sliver of warmth to this otherwise cold and lonely lunar goddess.

…

As he made his way to the Eastern Palace, Zu An’s mind worked on the problem of how to rescue the Devil Sect prisoners. Even though he had the emperor’s permission to do so, he didn’t dare make this matter public. He could only drop hints to those who were related to this matter. He still had to figure out how he was going to rescue them himself.

It wasn’t that hard to rescue them from the prison. It was the consequences that worried him more. He couldn’t attract the Devil Sect’s suspicion, nor did he want to draw any suspicion from the Imperial Guard. After all, none of them knew the emperor’s true motives. Their first instinct would be to execute him for breaking criminals out of prison.

Getting them out of the palace was another headache.

Lost in his thoughts, he unknowingly arrived at the Eastern Palace. The scene that greeted him almost bowled him over.

The fat crown prince was respectfully offering a cup of tea to someone.

The crown princess was also standing respectfully to the side, her discomfort clearly visible. She seemed to be on the verge of snapping.

Zu An was rather curious. The crown princess usually strutted about like a proud little hen, looking down on everyone else as though they were trash. Who in the world could make her behave in this way?

The one who was seated was a scholarly middle-aged man. Even though there were some traces of age on his face, his brows were sharp, and his eyes were as calm as the surface of a pond. It was easy enough to see how popular he would have been with the girls when he was younger.

His hair was meticulously combed, and white locks framed his temples. They did not make him seem old, however, but gave him a suave, classy aura.

“Great tutor, please have some tea,” the crown prince said weakly.

A jolt ran through Zu An’s mind. He finally recognized this man. No wonder he bore a slight resemblance to the emperor!

It was none other than King Qi—Zhao Jing!

King Qi opened his mouth to speak. “It seems that, in the time this king hasn’t shown up in the Eastern Palace, the crown prince has forgotten many of the rules. That’s why I am having the crown prince review them today. I am your teacher, as well as your uncle. Do you have any complaints about having you serve me tea?”

“Not at all, not at all.” The fatty was clearly frightened of his uncle. He didn’t dare talk back to him.

The crown princess’ eyes clearly betrayed her resentment, but she couldn’t find any reason to retort, and she was left to sulk by herself. Her anger grew steadily when she saw how timid and useless her husband was.

As he watched this scene unfold, a flash of inspiration struck Zu An. There’s a solution!