Chu Chuyan was alarmed. “Please watch what you say!”

She looked around quickly. Satisfied that no one had heard anything, she said quietly ,“The Embroidered Envoy are His Majesty’s eyes and ears, and Zhuxie Chixin is the emperor’s most loyal aide! If news of what you said reached the emperor’s ears, you’d be dead for sure!”

However, Zu An didn’t seem to mind. He shrugged and said, “I’m already in such dire straits, it doesn’t really matter. If His Majesty finds out, then so be it.”

Chu Chuyan gently held his hand to comfort him. A moment passed before she spoke again. “Actually, several rumors that echoed your thoughts did spread. Without proof, though, they only remained as speculation.”

Zu An smiled. “How can anyone other than the main actors have any proof? There is something else that I’m curious about. All the other princes seem incredibly intelligent. Why is the crown prince the only one who is dumb?”

Chu Chuyan frowned. “There’s no consensus on this subject either. The fiend races claim that His Majesty has too much blood on his hands, and that this is retribution. Some humans believe that someone might have done something to the crown prince while he was still young, leading to his current state… Of course, these are just rumors, and might not be true.”

“Wind in an empty cave has to come from somewhere. They might not be completely unfounded.” Zu An slipped into deep thought.

When they were done discussing important matters, they turned to more personal things. Chu Chuyan said with a gentle voice, “Ah Zu, the Chu clan is truly grateful for what you’ve done. If it wasn’t for you, we might have been destroyed. We’ve never had a chance to formally express our gratitude yet.”

Zu An laughed and said, “Aren’t you my wife? Who else would I help if I don’t help you?”

Chu Chuyan shook her head. “Many married couples aren’t willing to go that far for each other. There are too many examples of couples giving up on each other before a real disaster. You even placed yourself in danger for the sake of the Chu clan. Few husbands in the world are able to do something like that.”

Zu An leaned backwards. “Yes, keep stroking my ego just like that. How are you going to thank me, then? You can’t just use words, right? That wouldn’t be sincere at all.”

Chu Chuyan blushed. She moved closer to him and gave him a kiss.

Right when she was about to pull back, she felt a pair of arms wrap tightly around her waist, and a pair of warm lips pressed against hers.

Chu Chuyan’s entire body went rigid, but she quickly relaxed, and warmly received her lover’s affection.

Her head was in an absolute mess. However, a sudden slight chill caused her to quickly snap out of her daze, and she pushed him away in a hurry.

It was one thing for him to reached his hands into her clothes, but this fellow had actually begun to remove her clothes!

There were still so many people outside. Her fair, snow colored cheeks were already completely red.

This rascal is getting more and more skilled! He probably practiced it on Manman in the dungeon…

Annoyed by this thought, she moved closer and bit down on his shoulder.

“Ssss!” Zu An sucked in air through his teeth. Where did this come from?

Is she blaming me for what I just did? Aren’t we already so familiar with each other? He had no idea that she was currently jealous of another woman.

“I’ll take my leave for now. I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to stay inside this carriage all the time,” Chu Chuyan said with a huff. She left the carriage after sorting out her clothes.

Zu An grew gloomy. He began to fiddle with his spatial storage out of boredom, and mentally went through the things he had learned. He wasn’t going to forget something as important as the Primordial Origin Sutra’s exorcism properties again.

Unexpectedly, he found a secret manual: ‘Flame Blade’. He hadn’t been able to cultivate this before because he hadn’t awakened the fire element. Now that he could borrow Daji’s fire element, he could give it a try.

Zu An even summoned Daji to see if she could learn it as well. After all, she was also a fire element user. Unfortunately, she couldn’t cultivate it without her soul. Zu An gave up after trying several times. “I should’ve let Manman give it a try.” Then again, he remembered how powerful her combat skills were. Her flames could transform into a fire dragon or a rose flower. Those skills were probably better than this one.

He calmed himself down and began to examine it closely, and the various moves within the Flame Blade manual slowly played out in his mind. His only regret was that he couldn’t put it to the test immediately.

Nothing else unusual happened along the way. With Zhuxie Chixin, King Liang, and Liu Yao here, as well as a large contingent made up of the Embroidered Envoy and Imperial Guards, there was no way a small group of assassins could do anything. Only a giant rebel army would stand a chance.

As they drew nearer to the capital, Chu Chuyan grew more and more worried, and regret began to creep into her heart. They were already in critical danger, yet she had let petty jealousy overcome her earlier!

Several imperial guards came by, trying to gain some favors from her, but she only found them annoying. She gave a few curt responses, then went back inside the carriage.

Those guards sighed as they stared at her graceful figure. “She really is a goddess, descended from the highest of heavens! Why is that Zu An so lucky?”

“Is he though? We’re almost at the capital. He doesn’t have many days left to live.”

“Who cares, man. If I could be young miss Chu’s husband for even a single day, I wouldn’t give a shit if I died tomorrow.”

“Look at this disgusting bootlicker.”

“What, you wouldn’t?”

“Of course I wouldn’t! I need two days at the very least.”

…

Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Zu An couldn’t help but chuckle. “It seems your charm is still as potent as ever.”

Chu Chuyan blushed. “Even you are making fun of me,” she said with a snort.

She could vaguely pick up what they were saying behind her back as well. Even though she was a little annoyed, she wouldn’t really do anything about it. Cutting out their tongues as soon as they said something unpleasant was something only a witch would do. It just didn’t match her style.

She suddenly wrinkled her nose. “Huh? Why is there a strange smell in here?”

Zu An began to sweat buckets. It was probably Daji’s scent, lingering in the air. That’s strange, though. Daji doesn’t even have a soul, so there’s no way she would wear any fragrances on herself. Where the hell did this smell come from, then?

Also, this bloody woman’s nose is like a dog’s! Why is she so sensitive towards other people’s smells? Everything is the same to us guys—it all smells good anyway.

He didn’t dare summon Daji to introduce her. After all, Chu Chuyan had already been so jealous just a few days ago. He’d only be asking for a swift death if he summoned another woman now.

He’d tell her about it after she calmed down a little.

Zu An quickly changed the topic. “Didn’t you say that it was better if you didn’t stay inside this carriage all the time? Why does it seem like you’ve been staying longer and longer recently?”

Chu Chuyan sighed. “Ah Zu, it’s only three days before we reach the capital.”

Zu An was stunned. He knew that she was worried for his safety. After all, from her perspective, his future looked grim.

He couldn’t reply to her, though, because a pair of soft lips were pressed against his.

After his initial shock, Zu An reacted quickly. He knew that she was being so proactive because she was afraid that they would soon be separated forever.

Zu An felt a tender warmth surge within him, and he immediately embraced her slim waist.

Suddenly, Chu Chuyan moved her tender body upwards, and faint snowflakes seemed to flutter around the two of them.

“What is this?” Zu An asked curiously.

Chu Chuyan's cheeks were rosy and beautiful. Her voice was incredibly soft. “This blocks any sound from getting out…”

Zu An trembled. He never expected such a proactive move from her usually cold and easily-embarrassed self. He could no longer hold himself back and threw himself at her. “Don’t… don’t take off my clothes. There won’t be enough time if someone comes in…” Chu Chuyan said, biting her lip. She never imagined that she would one day utter such words.

When she thought about how much Zu An had done for her, she gradually calmed down.

Her warning made sense to Zu An. If someone caught them in the act, he would be the one losing out. He let it be, and the two of them made do.

They were newlyweds, yet they had been forced apart due to family circumstances, and were only reunited after such a long time apart. When sparks flew, there was no way for them to hold themselves back.

Chu Chuyan clenched her teeth and held it all in. Even though she had already done what she could to stop any sound from leaking out, she still didn’t dare make any noise. However, the longer things went on, the more quickly her body failed her…

…

Meanwhile, the imperial guards outside glanced at the carriage from time to time.

“Why does it seem like the carriage is shaking a little? Do you think…”

“Shut up! First Miss Chu is a goddess among goddesses. There’s no way it’s what you’re thinking!”

“You’re right, haha… But he is still her husband. My mind can’t help but wander when they’re both hiding inside.”

“There’s no need for you to worry. That Zu fellow doesn’t have many days left to live, anyway. Once First Miss Chu recovers her freedom, she’ll be fair game for all of us.”

“As for me, I don’t even have any excessive expectations. I’d be satisfied if I could just exchange a few more words with her.”

“Pah! Disgusting bootlicker. I’m honestly embarrassed to be in the same group as you.”

…

After what seemed like an eternity, this unattainable goddess was left lying in Zu An’s embrace, drained of all energy. Her rosy complexion and her blissful expression belied her earlier bliss.

“Ah Zu, I’ll have to go off on my own earlier. We’ll meet again at the capital.” Chu Chuyan’s fingers gently caressed her lover’s face, her eyes filled with reluctance.

Zu An knew that she was going to ask her grandfather for help. Even though he knew that there was little chance of success, he didn’t want to dampen her mood. He lowered his head and kissed her glistening red lips. “Let’s leave everything to fate. There’s no need to try to force an outcome. You have to trust me. I have my own way out.”

Chu Chuyan grunted in acknowledgement, then snuggled against him like a kitten. She wanted to stay like this, forever and ever…

Unfortunately, they still had to separate in the end. After a short rest to recover her strength, she left.

…

Zu An was bored to death after she left. Fortunately, they reached the capital in three days.

Zu An was quite shaken when he saw the magnificent city gates. He could vaguely sense a strange pressure surrounding him after entering the city.

As if sensing his confusion, Zhuxie Chixin said, “There is a large formation protecting the capital. It intimidates petty scoundrels and restricts all flight. Those who wantonly cause trouble in the capital will suffer a vicious rebound from the formation. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Zu An smiled. “I don’t have many days left to live in the capital anyway. These restrictions don’t matter much to me.”

Zhuxie Chixin was taken aback. “You’re surprisingly open-minded. It is already dark, so we’ll spend the night in the city. We’ll leave for the palace tomorrow morning.”

Zu An frowned. What kind of joke is this? This is the technique for granting eternal life that the emperor needs! Forget about it being dark—even if the emperor was plowing away at a concubine, he should immediately summon me once he learned that I arrived, right?

Why are they keeping me out in the city for a night? They’re taking risks for no reason.

Something’s not right!