Salamay couldn't help but feel really happy when she heard him agree. âThen Iâll be waiting for your news.â
âBut how do I contact you?â Zu An asked with curiosity.
Salamay thought for a moment, and then she handed him a jade pendant. She held up the other half of the pendant and said, âInfuse your ki inside and Iâll be able to sense it. I will then come to meet you.â
âAlright, wait for me to contact you.â Zu An put the pendant away.
âYou need to hurry, or else I donât know what kind of torture Uncle Mo will go through. There might even be danger to his life.â Salamay looked really worried.
Zu An nodded. âI need to think a bit about how to persuade the Monster King.â
Salamay voiced her understanding. âThatâs alright; this isnât an easy matter. I wonât disturb you any longer then. Iâm going to gather my subordinates, so I can initiate the rescue at any time.â
After saying that, she bade him goodbye. Zu An returned to the cave dwelling and told the women what had just happened.
âThis Lord of Slaughterâs faction seems a bit too unreliable, right? They were actually captured so easily.â Jiang Luofu couldn't help but feel a bit worried. âWorking with them might actually be very unfavorable for us.â
âDonât worry, I only intend to use their rescue of Mojard as a distraction so I can make a visit to the treasury,â Zu An said with a smile.
Yun Yuqing asked in surprise, âYouâre not going to wait for Salamayâs people to help you?â
Zu An shook his head. âPlacing my hopes on another seems a bit unwise. Seeing as there's such a great chance right now, it seems a bit more reliable to seize the opportunity myself.â
âThat is true.â Yun Yuqing nodded. âThen have you thought of a way to lead the Monster Lord away yet?â
âNot yet, but I already have the beginnings of a plan,â Zu An replied.
Xie Daoyun couldn't help but say with a sigh, âI always feel as if things that seem completely impossible for us never seem to be that big of a deal to big brother Zu.â
Zu An said with a smile, âItâs merely a matter of habit. If you feel as if something is impossible, you'll keep thinking of reasons for why itâs impossible. But as long as you get rid of those distracting thoughts and decide that it is possible, you wonât think about all of those failure scenarios and can instead focus on the matter at hand. That makes problems easier to solve.â
The women all had pensive expressions on their faces. Jiang Luofu couldn't help but give Zu An a second look.
Just how much blood, flames, and hardship did he go through to achieve this calm state of mind?
She had once viewed him as a young boy, but now, she felt more and more that he was a man full of charm.
Pei Mianman picked up that jade pendant and said with an ambiguous smile, âThat Salamay actually gave you a jade pendant. Does that mean she has the other half?â
Zu An replied, âThatâs right. Once Iâve done what I need to do on our side, Iâll send my ki into this pendant and sheâll be able to sense it on her side. She'll then immediately arrange to meet with me.â
For the sake of safety, he'd set up layers of sound-blocking barriers around this jade pendant to guard against potential tricks Salamay could play.
âWhy does it sound like some kind of lovers' keepsake?â Pei Mianman remarked with a teasing expression.
The others all nodded as well. They also felt that this was a special item.
Suolun Shi couldn't help but quietly wonder, âThat first miss doesnât have any feelings for big brother Zu, does she?â
Zu Anâs breath caught in his throat. Salamayâs face appeared in his mind, and he couldn't help but shiver. He quickly said, âYou're all overthinking things. She just wants me to contact her immediately so she can save Mojard.â Then, he took out the jade strips and medicinal ingredients, explaining, âThese contain formation and medicine knowledge I got from Salamay, as well as some special ingredients. We should use this chance to study them properly.â
Xie Daoyun and Ji Xiaoxi both became really happy. One took the formation strips, while the other held the jade strips admiringly. This was precisely what they needed right now. With knowledge of these systems, everything would become much easier. Meanwhile, even though the others werenât good at formations or medicine, learning something was always good. They hoped they could be helpful later.
Zu An picked up the formation jade strips and was about to learn them when a palace emissary called out from outside. âDonaire, I just received news from the lord, asking for you to visit the palace.â
The women's expressions changed. They all looked at Zu An with worry.
âAh Zu, you just came from the palace, but they want you to go back so soon. Could it be because they discovered some unfavorable news?â Pei Mianman grabbed Zu Anâs hand nervously for fear that he would leave her.
âThatâs right. There has to be something wrong if he's calling you back so urgently. In my opinion, you shouldnât go back anymore. Your luck was good last time, but thereâs no way you'll be that lucky a second time.â Jiang Luofu looked really worried.
Zu An thought to himself for a moment, but then said comfortingly, âDonât worry. It should be alright. If the Monster Lord really wanted to capture me, the palace emissary wouldnât be so polite.â
Everyone else was stunned for a moment. They remembered that the palace emissaries had always been extremely fierce. They felt that what Zu An said made some sense. They couldn't help but admire Zu Anâs way of thinking again. He was still able to notice that detail even in such a crucial situation!
âI just happen to need to lure the Monster Lord away too, so I can settle that problem with this trip.â Zu An told the women not to worry and to study the formations and medicines. Then, he got up and walked outside.
â¦
Under the palace emissaryâs guidance, he quickly returned to the palace again. The Monster Lord was sitting on the elevated stage while teasing the three-headed bird next to him.
âI greet the lord!â Zu An saud respectfully.
âDo you know why I summoned you so quickly?â the Monster Lord asked.
âI do not. Please help me understand, my lord.â Zu An tried to gauge whether or not he could swiftly take out the other party at this distance. However, after thinking about it from several different angles, he found that the chance of success was almost nonexistent.
It would be one thing if it was just the Monster Lord. Even though he was stronger than Zu An, he wouldnât be expecting a sudden attack, which meant Zu An would have a chance. However, there was that powerful three-headed bird next to him. When they were together, beating them was almost impossible. This Monster Lord really was inseparable from his pet.
âNot too long ago, I caught Mojard. The two of us actually worked as fellow subjects in the same palace in the past. It is a pity that he showed no understanding of the times and wouldnât yield to the mandate of heaven. In the end, he chose to make me his enemy.â The Monster Lord couldn't help but sneer when he recalled the past.
Zu An was speechless. He wondered why the Monster Lord was telling him these things.
The Monster Lord continued, âRight, the palace emissaries found out that Salamayâs subordinates are currently gathering in secret. They must be trying to save Mojard.â
âThatâs right. Salamay is extremely panicked. How about we use this chance to catch all of them in one go?â Zu An suggested. He knew well that a leader would only listen to the suggestions of his true trusted aides and be extremely guarded against the advice of anyone he didnât trust. They would subconsciously suspect that there were some problems with advice from the latter and definitely wouldnât listen.
Sure enough, the Monster Lord replied with a sneer, âWho said I wanted to capture them all?â
âBut this is such a rare opportunityâ¦â
Zu An was interrupted before he could even finish his sentence. The Monster Lord said, âThe reason I called you here was to talk about this matter. Find a way to help Salamay save Mojard.â
Zu An was shocked. âWhy is that?â
âIt is just too easy for me to catch Salamay. The reason I havenât done anything is naturally because I have my own plans. You donât need to concern yourself with that.â The Monster Lord continued, âYou will help her rescue Mojard and see if you can fully gain her trust that way.â
Zu Anâs mind moved quickly. The Monster Lord was clearly going through such great trouble to obtain something from Salamay. But just what could an impoverished first miss like her possibly have that was worth all of this?
âWhat, is there a problem?â When he saw Zu An become quiet, the Monster Lord sounded a bit unhappy.
âI was just wondering how I can help her without drawing her suspicion.â Zu An pretended to think a bit before saying, âMay I be so bold as to invite the lord to leave the palace for some time?â