Chapter 2853: About Time

Zu An had been wanting to visit the capital. The Universal Conglomerate thought that he'd died in the Battle of Songjin and had held a huge funeral for him.

Not long later, news about his surrender reached the capital. That caused great anger and shock within the Universal Conglomerate.

Isabella must be in anguish.

In contrast, he wasn’t too worried about Chu Chuyan. He was certain that the latter would trust him. Even if he'd truly defected to the Annihilation faction, she would be willing to accompany him there. Unlike Isabella, she wasn’t tied to any faction.

Also, he had lost contact with Tang Tian’er. I wonder if she’s in danger now that Li Zicheng’s army has become a part of the Reproduction faction.

Dissonant Melody had refused to let him return to Beijing because he feared that Zu An would rejoin the Order faction. In contrast, the Conqueror King knew that he had tied Zu An onto the same boat as him, so there was no way Zu An would turn his back on him.

Not to mention Jiang Luofu and Zhao Xiaodie were still with the Annihilation faction. Unless he planned to abandon the two of them, he would have to return here.

The Little Fiend Empress, who had been relieved from role-playing Harjol, had wanted to follow Zu An to the capital to take a look around; but she thought it was too dangerous to leave Jiang Luofu here alone, so she decided to stay behind and disguise herself as a palace maid to take care of the latter.

The two ladies reluctantly bade Zu An farewell.

Shortly after Zu An left the palace, he saw Zhao Xiaodie waiting for him at the city gates. Surprised, he asked, “What are you doing here?”

“I can’t vie with those two women in the palace, so I chose to wait for you here instead,” Zhao Xiaodie said with a sly grin resembling a little fox.

Zu An’s heart shuddered. She must have recognized the disguised Little Fiend Empress. “Did you tell the Conqueror King about that?”

Zhao Xiaodie’s smile stiffened. She murmured in displeasure, “So that’s how you view me.”

“I have to tread carefully because this concerns the lives of many,” Zu An replied apologetically.

“He’s not my real father. Even if he is, you’re my husband now. I won’t do anything that hurts you,” Zhao Xiaodie said. It might have only been a marriage of convenience in this world, but she already viewed him as her husband.

Her sorrowful expression left Zu An in a daze. I've bullied her so much that she’s really suffering from Stockholm syndrome.

Frankly speaking, there wasn’t much of a history between them, which was why he remained guarded against her. However, her sentimental eyes didn’t seem to be a lie.

After all he had been through, he realized that love could be whimsical. Indeed, something that could be properly explained and justified might not necessarily be love.

He grabbed Zhao Xiaodie’s hands and consoled her.

It didn’t take long for Zhao Xiaodie to wipe off her tears and break into a smile. “You should compensate me by bringing me along.”

Zu An was stunned So that’s what she’s after!

“You have betrayed the Order faction. They would probably want your life much more than an insignificant princess like me.”

“It’s different...”

“What’s different? You can use me however you like. Sell me out to the Ming imperial court if you want to. I’m yours anyway.”

“We aren’t married yet.”

“You want to shirk responsibility?”

...

Zu An ended up bringing Zhao Xiaodie with him to the capital.

Her words had convinced him. Having her tag along made him seem much less suspicious to the guards along the way, and the Annihilation faction would feel much more at ease with her by his side.

Otherwise, the Annihilation faction was likely to send spies to keep tabs on him. That would make it tough for him to move around.

Fortresses like Shanhai Pass served to guard against large armies, but Zu An and Zhao Xiaodie traveled alone through the mountains. They had to keep their guard up to make sure that they weren’t discovered by sentries.

The arrival of foreigners like them had induced great changes in this world. Even wild animals had mutated into powerful monsters. There was no chance that normal people could survive in the mountains.

Zu An and Zhao Xiaodie weren’t afraid of the monsters; they were more worried that if they got into a fight, the commotion would attract the attention of sentries.

It was a good thing that it had been raining heavily in the last few days. That helped to conceal their tracks. The two of them made use of this natural cover to circumvent Shanhai Pass.

Their tense nerves loosened, and they could finally get some rest. They took cover in a cavern, started a campfire, and built a simple rack to serve as a divider and to dry their clothes.

They could have dried their clothes with their cultivation, but they still retained habits from the time they were weak.

Zu An was planning their next move when a head popped over the rack. “Big brother Zu~”

“What’s wrong?” Zu An snapped out of his daze. Luckily, I’m still wearing my pants, or else she would have seen me completely naked now.

“Nothing. I just feel uneasy not being able to see you through these clothes,” Zhao Xiaodie replied with a grin. She eyed his body, and her cheeks turned red.

What man could reject a lady’s adoration? Zu An chuckled. “Have a good rest. We still have to travel tomorrow morning. Given our identities, we won’t be able to let our guard down and catch a proper rest once we’re inside the Ming Empire.”

“All right.” Zhao Xiaodie nodded as she reluctantly retracted her head.

The two of them casually chatted over the rack. Their conversation was no longer filled with ulterior motives; it was just casual talk about daily life.

Some time later, Zhao Xiaodie remarked, “Big brother Zu, even though it has been tense and nerve-wracking trying to dodge the sentries, these are some of the happiest days I have had in a long time. I wish such days could continue forever.”

Zu An was silent for a while before he replied, “I’ll be with you from now on.”

“Mm.”

The two of them slowly fell asleep amid chatter.

Halfway through the night, Zu An suddenly felt a smooth and youthful body slipping into his arms. Before he could utter a word, the woman sealed his lips.

Zu An’s body stiffened up, but he still embraced her the next second. He knew how damaging it was to reject a woman at a time like this. Considering their unique relationship, the love she had for him could even turn into hatred.

His embrace put Zhao Xiaodie’s heart at ease, and her kiss became more passionate.

Zu An’s breathing also hastened.

The Little Fiend Empress had already advised him to do the deed with Zhao Xiaodie and completely bring her over to their side, but he didn’t want to make things happen between them with an ulterior motive.

But now that things had finally reached a tipping point, there was no reason for him to continue playing the gentleman.

Zu An took the reins, forcing Zhao Xiaodie to defend herself in embarrassment...

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