Chapter 1020: Concealed
Pei Mianman couldn't help but say, “Cloudcenter Commandery is more than ten thousand li from the capital. The difficulty of contacting the capital far surpasses that of contacting Madam Yu and Gong Pan in Cloudcenter Commandery. So, the second possibility is more likely.”
How could Zu An not know that? It became increasingly suspicious if one considered how Gong Pan could have followed anyone else, yet for some reason, he had insisted on following Yu Yanluo. Yu Yanluo’s smiling face reappeared in his mind. As expected, the prettier the woman, the better they are at lying.
Back then, Chen Zhou had gone all the way to the capital to deliver the report. After he was silenced, he had clearly said that Jian Taiding was the one who had plotted against him, but he hadn’t dared to drag in Yu Yanluo and Gong Pan. Could it be that those two had been in cahoots with Jian Taiding?
“Hmph, you’re clearly thinking about a woman.” Pei Mianman harrumphed. “What, was that Yu Yanluo so beautiful you can’t bear to turn against her?”
Zu An snapped out of his daze. He took her into his arms and said, “No matter how beautiful she is, she’s still someone else’s wife. How can she compare to you in my heart?”
“You smooth talker~!” Even though she knew he was only saying that to make her feel good, Pei Mianman was still extremely happy. “The trail has broken off again, but we didn’t find anything from Chen Zhou’s home. I thought he might have at least left behind some kind of clue.”
“It’s not as if we didn’t find out anything. At the very least, we confirmed Chen Zhou’s identity and know that some people are suspicious. That gives us an entry point into what we have to do from now on too,” Zu An said seriously. “Furthermore, from my chat with his wife, I learned that Chen Zhou was the quiet sort. Someone like that would definitely not do something rash. He definitely knew the trip to the capital would be dangerous, so he would have done a few things to prepare for it. He would have left behind some clues through certain hidden ways.”
“But just now, elder sister said all of his possessions were already seized by Gong Pan,” Pei Mianman said with a frown.
Zu An shook his head and replied, “Since he was a meticulous person, he would definitely anticipate that someone would take his things if something happened to him. The possessions Gong Pan took were most likely useless.”
“But we searched his room too and didn’t find anything.” Pei Mianman thought back to the earlier situation. She just couldn't associate those ordinary objects with any valuable information.
Chen Zhou hadn’t even said anything to his wife or their son before he left. The two of them had already analyzed everything they had discussed earlier, and none of the family’s interactions seemed to have any deeper meaning.
“This is strange.” Zu An felt a huge headache. He rubbed his temples and said, “For now, we can only return and investigate the things Gong Pan collected. Then, we’ll start investigating Chen Zhou’s interpersonal relationships from before he passed away.”
They had asked his wife before too, but she was a model housewife who only took care of household duties, and didn’t know anything about Chen Zhou’s work. Chen Zhou’s job had been special too, and he had rarely shared any information about work with his family.
“You have to be careful. Chen Zhou has already been killed. If you really find anything, the one behind the scenes won’t let you go,” Pei Mianman grabbed his arm and said with a worried expression on her face.
Zu An laughed and said, “Don’t worry. No matter how dangerous this place is, can it be more dangerous than Yinxu? No matter how formidable the one behind the scenes is, can he be stronger than the emperor? Furthermore, my cultivation has already soared by leaps and bounds…”
“Look at how cocky you’re acting.” Pei Mianman recalled many things from the past. She gradually felt more at ease and said, “Right, you didn’t even tell me about what happened after we separated.”
“It’s too cold over here. Should we find an inn to stay the night at?” Zu An looked around. Cloudcenter Commandery was an extremely lively city, and merchants liked to gather in the northwest. Thus, even though they were in the city outskirts, there were still quite a few inns.
Pei Mianman blushed. She obviously knew what he was suggesting. She was about to say something when she raised her head and noticed that night was falling. Her expression changed slightly and she exclaimed, “Oh no, it’s already about to become dark!”
“Yeah, the city gates are probably going to close soon.” Zu An suddenly felt that the scene was a bit familiar. Didn’t students from his previous world love to do this kind of thing? They would invite out a female friend on a date, then stay outside on purpose. The school dorms would close, so they would have a pretext to stay at an inn outside.
“No, I have to go back.” Pei Mianman panicked.
Zu An was stunned. He asked, “It’s already too late, isn’t it? Weren’t you free to move around outside before?”
They were quite a bit of distance from the city gates. The gates would definitely already be closed by the time they rushed back.
Pei Mianman bit her lip. “Before was before! Right now, my home is here. If I stay out all night, stepmother’s annoying gossiping will never end. I don’t care, but I don’t want to bring down my mother’s reputation.”
Zu An immediately understood. If rumors that they had raised a fickle daughter began to spread, his mother-in-law would be unjustly blamed even in the afterlife.
“Don’t panic. I just have to bring you back,” he said as he got onto the horse. He couldn't be bothered with making sure she stayed behind him and took her into his arms. Then, he rushed toward the city gates.
…
Eventually, they arrived at an inn outside the city gates. Zu An handed the horse over to the shop owner to take care of.
When he saw Pei Mianman’s confused expression, he explained, “The city gates are definitely already closed. We have to climb the wall, so this horse definitely can’t come with us. It’s so cold that the horse might freeze to death if we just leave it outside.”
Pei Mianman turned around and gave the horse a look. Even though it was decent looking, it was still far from being a truly precious steed. It was just a standard horse the local officials had provided the Imperial Envoy with. She sighed and said, “Even though people always say all sorts of bad things about you, only I know that you’re actually a gentle and kind person.”
Zu An replied with a laugh, “That elder sister already buttered me up with praise; is it your turn now? I’m not as amazing as you’re imagining me to be.”
“I don’t care. In my heart, you’re the best.” Pei Mianman clung to his arm and leaned happily against his shoulder.
The eyes of the men in the tavern widened. When had they ever seen a woman as beautiful as that? Those two mounds in particular… Tsk tsk tsk, that man’s arm is even about to sink in! Even though it was cold, they only felt their blood race when they saw the scene.
Cloudcenter Commandery was located in the north, and it was often invaded by the fiend races. The local folk were usually tough, and there were always sinister bandits lurking in the surroundings. Many people in the tavern began to think bad thoughts. Those who were brave even swallowed their saliva, then began to walk toward the pair.
Zu An frowned. However, just then Pei Mianman raised a finger and a black flame rushed out. The men’s conical bamboo hats were instantly set aflame. They screamed, quickly throwing their hats to the ground. Even so, a large portion of their hair had been burned.
“Hahaha~” Pei Mianman laughed in her charming voice.
“It’s not common to see you be so lenient,” Zu An remarked, a bit surprised.
“Hmph, am I really that sort of merciless person in your heart?” Pei Mianman said in displeasure. “My mood is good today, so I don’t want to see any blood.” There was actually another reason she hadn’t told him, however. After hearing Zu An say that their child would definitely be even cuter, she subconsciously wanted to avoid these kinds of situations.
The two of them gradually disappeared into the wind and snow. The men in the tavern were disappointed and frustrated, but after what had just happened, they obviously knew that the two were definitely not people they could mess with. But that woman’s stunning appearance was something they might never forget for the rest of their lives. Just who was that man? Why the hell is he so lucky?!
Zu An couldn't help but smile when he saw the Rage points coming through the backend. The ingenious plan he had come up with before of having beautiful female friends around him to earn Rage points really was reliable!
Their mood wasn’t ruined by the previous incident. They quickly arrived outside the city. It was already dark, and the city gates were indeed already locked. However, that wouldn’t stop Zu An. He found a secluded area, then picked up Pei Mianman before stepping onto the city wall and flying over.
“Ah Zu, be careful! There are guards patrolling around the city gates after nightfall. It would be troublesome if the alarm were set off,” Pei Mianman warned him. In a place like Cloudcenter Commandery, once the city defense was alarmed, forget about them, even a master rank would feel a huge headache.
“It’s fine; I already made a cat distract the guards,” Zu An replied. Even as he spoke, the pair had already successfully entered the city.
Sure enough, after the two of them landed, the soldiers by the city walls returned while cursing to themselves.
Pei Mianman had a strange expression on her face. She asked, “It’s that jade badge’s ability, right? Sigh, that thing really is amazing for doing adulterous things.”
Zu An coughed lightly in embarrassment, replying, “Am I that kind of person? Your body is the only one I’ve stolen.”
Sure enough, when Zu An fired back, Pei Mianman’s attention shifted. She remarked, “Hmph, we’re lovers. Why are you using a word like ‘stolen’?”
The two of them teased each other for a bit as they quickly returned to her room in Pei Manor. Pei Mianman grabbed his hand with a blush, saying, “Don’t leave. I’m going to show my face outside, but then I’ll come back.”
“Don’t I still have to tell you about what happened after we separated? I never planned to leave anyway.” Zu An looked at her with a smile.
Pei Mianman’s expression immediately brightened. She got on her tiptoes and gave him a peck. Then, she broke out into a little run and left.
Zu An looked around her room, thinking, So this is where Big Manman grew up. He couldn't help but smile when he saw some toys she had played with before. A cute little girl appeared in his mind. He had seen what Pei Mianman looked like as a little girl.
Zu An was lost in thought when his expression suddenly changed. He dodged, then made a grab toward the side.
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