Chapter 2026: Return A figure darted in from the courtyard. Liu Ning had sensed the activity and rushed over. Perhaps because of how hurried she was, she only had a single robe around her. Her still-wet skin made the robe damp, and it clung to her skin. Even though she didn’t really show anything, her amazing curves were still incredible. Eunuch Lu gave her a look and lowered his head immediately after. His heart was pounding as he said, “A Heart-Devouring Demon Spider invaded just now and was killed by this servant.” “Heart-Devouring Demon Spider?” Liu Ning repeated as her expression changed. She saw the tattered lesser eunuch corpse in the corner and the spider corpse on the other side, remarking, “I never expected these spiders to have even infiltrated the palace.” “There shouldn’t be too many. This servant already obtained some clues and will quickly eliminate the rest,” Eunuch Lu said respectfully. Liu Ning was a bit surprised. She asked, “Oh? How did you get new information? Also, these Heart-Devouring Demon Spiders are always well hidden. How did you find this one?” Eunuch Lu knew that she was full of doubts. If he didn’t explain things clearly, she could start suspecting him. That was why he told her roughly what had just happened. Liu Ning’s brows moved slightly. She looked at him with a strange expression and asked, “You didn’t even agree to such conditions?” To be honest, if she were in his place, even she didn’t know if she would be able to refuse. Eunuch Lu sighed and said, “If I had been given these conditions twenty years ago, I might have just agreed. But now... As long as you’re happy, I'm already more than satisfied and can’t ask for anything more. Besides, these monsters are incredibly cunning and definitely have traps hidden in their conditions. How could I afford to let you experience even the slightest bit of risk?” When she heard that, Liu Ning couldn't help but feel a bit moved too. She stared at him for a while before asking, “Why would you go that far?” Eunuch Lu revealed a sad smile and said, “I’ve already regretted letting you down back then all my life. How can I disappoint you a second time? Besides that, this matter is related to the safety of the entire human race. Could I do something that would bring down the entire human race because of my own selfish desires?” Liu Ning thought for a bit, then bowed toward him. She said with a serious expression, “Compared to other men, you are one with a true indomitable spirit!” When he heard what she said, Eunuch Lu’s eyes shone brightly. He said, “Being able to hear these words from you has already made this humble one’s life worth living.” His mood was really great right now. He left behind a string of laughter as he said, “I must eliminate these monsters that might be hiding in the palace as quickly as possible, or else they’ll alert each other of their companions’ deaths and escape.” As she watched him leave, Liu Ning’s expression became extremely complicated. After all these years, Eunuch Lu had finally recovered his high-spirited self from their youth. Even so, fate loves to toy with people... ... Meanwhile, over by the Lake of Hatred, Zu An immediately sought out Yun Jianyue. After Yun Jianyue opened the door, her expression was a bit strange. She asked, “Why did you come here again? If you want that, go and ask that subordinate with the long legs. I’m not gonna keep you company.” She was seriously injured and weak right now. After his treatment, even though she looked fine on the surface, her body was terribly sore and had almost broken down from it all. How could she still stand another round of tossing and turning? Zu An was speechless. So in her eyes, I was that kind of person? “I have important matters...” he began. Then, he told her about the information he had just received. At first, Yun Jianyue was a bit embarrassed, but as she listened, her expression became increasingly grave. She said, “If something happens to the sealed land, things could turn ugly fast. I didn’t expect the monsters to have already come up with new tricks.” The Holy Sect had just experienced this disaster, but what was happening on the Fiend races’ side was even more severe. If the sealed land were opened up, countless monsters would be able to cross over without any restrictions. The entire world could even face the threat of extinction. “Do you have to go to the sealed land immediately?” Yun Jianyue asked. Zu An nodded, saying, “That’s right. I can't stay here for too long. I might have to entrust dealing with Honglei to you.” When she heard the regret in his voice, Yun Jianyue nodded and said, “Don’t worry, I'll find her. If she learns of the whole story, she won’t blame you either.” Zu An sighed. With this separation, who knew how long it would be before he could see Honglei again? He then asked, “Right, has Lu Sanyuan’s faction been cleaned out yet? How about I help you out a bit before I leave?” Yun Jianyue shook her head and said, “There’s no need. Only Lu Sanyuan’s disciple Ding Xia is missing. Everyone else is already under control.” When she said that, she couldn't help but say with a sigh, “It’s really a pity. Lu Sanyuan was indeed a genius. The two of us were a team, one taking care of matters regarding the world of warriors, and the other dealing with the volunteer army. And yet, he just had to let matters of the past get to him for so long. If I had known about this, I would have told him the truth back then.” Zu An was stunned. He recalled what Lu Sanyuan had said before he passed away. He asked, “Are there still other secrets I don't know about from back then?” Yun Jianyue explained, “In the past, his master and mine were known as a golden couple in the sect. The two also shared feelings for each other, but they never expected that the Unfeeling Path’s skills would be too cruel. If they wanted to reach the highest level, they had to first love someone, then personally kill the one they loved. Only then would they reach the apex. "But during their battle, a few Heavenly Devil School experts helped my master. In the end, his master wasn’t able to win and was defeated by mine. For the sake of his reputation, we didn’t declare the real reason to the outside world. Who could have known that his disciple Lu Sanyuan would harbor hard feelings and think that his master died because of our Heavenly Devil School’s people?” Zu An chuckled and said, “The past is in the past. To be honest, as a regent of the court, if you guys were to come up with another rebel army to face the court, I would have a bit of a headache. I care about both sides equally.” “Who wants you to care about them?” Yun Jianyue replied in annoyance. “However, now that the monsters of the other world have invaded, the human race is in a crisis. Our Holy Sect’s disciples wouldn’t act without any regard for the bigger situation. From today forth, we naturally have to work together against the foreign monsters and can’t waste time fighting among ourselves.” “That’s the best way,” Zu An said, then held her tightly in his arms. When she felt the strength of his arms, Yun Jianyue, after some hesitation, still hugged him again. All her hopes had turned to dust when Honglei saw her. She had already thought about how she would completely leave Zu An. That was why she had agreed to everything, because she thought that it was going to be the last time anyway. And yet, when she sensed his warm hug and his strong affection, she was a bit at a loss. Could she really leave him? ... Zu An then returned to his room. He called out to Zhang Zitong, “I have something to take care of and have to go. The two of us will part ways here. Go where you need to go.” Zhang Zitong rubbed her drowsy eyes. The sudden news made her feel as if her heartstrings were being tugged. She immediately became clear-headed and asked, “Can I return to the Embroidery House?” Zu An was stunned. He hadn’t expected her to say that. He asked, “Don’t you know the Embroidered Envoy’s rules? Someone like you who has already betrayed the organization once will only have death awaiting you once you go back.” Zhang Zitong replied, “If Chief Commander Zhuxie Chixin were still there, I would never dare to return. But sir is now the boss, so I'm still willing to return.” Zu An was speechless. Zhang Zitong continued, “I’ve already paid back the favor I owe the organization behind me, so now I can be wholly devoted to sir’s work. I definitely won’t betray you again.” Zu An said with a frown, “Words are useless for these kinds of things. You should know that in our line of work, we never use anyone with even the slightest stain again.” Zhang Zitong clenched her teeth, saying, “If sir is still not convinced, you can feed me a poison and just treat me once a year.” Zu An asked in confusion, “Why are you so determined to come back?” “Does sir want to hear the truth or a lie?” Zhang Zitong replied as she looked at him. Zu An said with a sneer, “There’s no need for you to play these games with me.” Zhang Zitong then said, “The lie is that I’ve become used to life in the Embroidered Envoy and don’t know what else to do. The truth is...” She paused for a moment, then looked at Zu An with her large eyes, continuing, “I like being at sir’s side.” Zu An was stunned. He had never expected it to be this answer! He immediately refused, saying, “I have no interest in women right now.” Zhang Zitong exclaimed in shock, “Could it be that sir likes men?” Zu An was speechless. He did his best to suppress his rage and said, “The monsters are invading and a great disaster is about to descend. How could I still have the time to worry about things like feelings?” “Sir is different from the past Chief Commander Zhuxie after all; you care much more about the fate of mankind. As expected of the one I admire,” Zhang Zitong said as she stuck out her chest. “Don’t worry, sir, I definitely won’t hold you back. I'll fight side by side with sir against the monsters!” Zu An thought to himself for a bit, then said, “Fine. In that case, you should just return to the Embroidery House. However, you won’t have your status as silver token envoy anymore. Just work your way up from bronze again.” He was lacking manpower to begin with, and he wanted to find out what exactly was going on with the organization behind her. Even though she could be a spy, as long as he used her well, she could very well become his double agent. “Am I going to be a bronze token envoy at sir’s side?” Zhang Zitong asked weakly. Zu An voiced his agreement. It was safer to keep someone dangerous like this right under his watch. Zhang Zitong jumped up excitedly and exclaimed, “Thank you, sir!” She looked so excited that, if not for of her misgivings toward his usual prestige, perhaps she would have just given him a few kisses. Zu An took out a scroll of paper and quickly wrote on it. Then, he put his seal on it before saying, “Once you return, look for Xiao Jianren. He'll assign you appropriately.” Zhang Zitong’s face immediately fell. She replied, “Ah? I can’t go with sir?” “Of course not!” Zu An said with a frown. He was going to the Fiend races' territory and could end up having to expose his real identity. How could he let her tag along? When she saw his firm attitude, Zhang Zitong replied with an ‘oh’ and admitted her fate. Even so, the fact that she had been accepted by him was still something to be happy about. Then, Zu An took Zhang Zitong out of the Lake of Hatred. Otherwise, it would be a bit dangerous to leave her there all alone. He warned her before they separated, “Right, once you go back, don’t tell anyone else anything about the Lake of Hatred." “Got it,” Zhang Zitong said, although she had a gossipy look in her eyes. It seems like sir and the Devil Sect’s witch have quite the special relationship! Zu An didn’t feel like explaining and flew into the sky by himself. “He even flies so handsomely,” Zhang Zitong said, her face red. Her long legs inadvertently swung back and forth. Her mood was clearly really good right now. ... After Zu An left the Lake of Hatred, he got on the Wind Fire Wheels and sped off to the north. After an unknown amount of time passed, he looked down at the snowy mountains beneath him. He was briefly absentminded. Why did it feel as if the Great Snowy Mountain was a bit colder than when he had been there in the past?