As of late, because of the invasion of the alien monsters, some issues had formed with the world’s natural barrier. Could that be the reason why some beings had crossed over from the abyss too? But why hadn’t they just invaded this world, as opposed to impersonating the Dragon King? That really didn’t make sense.
All kinds of possibilities appeared in Zu An’s mind, but he really didn’t have enough information and couldn't make an accurate judgment.
“By the way, that Ka Qier didn’t suspect my return, did he?” Shang Hongyu suddenly asked.
“I managed to fool him, but he still wasn’t fully convinced and gave me this thing.” Zu An took out a bottle. “He said that using this could put you fully under control, and that you’d be of one mind with the rest of them. This is probably some kind of poison, but I couldn't ask him about it, nor did I have a chance to investigate it.”
Shang Hongyu sighed in relief and said, “That’s easy enough. You can just tell them that I’ve already taken the drug.”
“Yeah.” Zu An nodded. There was no way he would make her take such a mysterious drug.
Shang Hongyu picked up the bottle with a curious look and said, “But we should still examine what kind of drug this really is and what kind of use it has. That way, you won’t raise suspicion when you interact with them.”
She opened the bottle and a wave of pink mist sprayed at her face. She was frightened and quickly tossed the bottle to the side.
Zu An quickly supported her and asked, “What’s wrong, were you poisoned?”
He tried to check her meridians, but Shang Hongyu blushed a bit and she awkwardly pushed his hand away, saying, “It isn’t some poison, but rather the Desires Unleashed Dew made from the mucus of a Kraken.”
Zu An was stunned. He naturally knew what the mucus of a Kraken could be used for. He had even collected some while he was on the ship a few days before. On top of that, the drug this thing made was called Desires Unleashed Dew. Anyone with a brain could figure out what it was.
“Were you affected?” Zu An quickly asked. “You absolutely can't use your cultivation to remove the drug. That can easily accelerate this thing's spread throughout your body. I’ll find some clear water to wash your face first.”
Shang Hongyu looked at him with an ambiguous smile, replying, “Are you hoping for me to be affected or not?”
Zu An looked at her impatiently and shot back “Do you know what kind of a situation we’re in? And yet you’re still in the mood to make these kinds of jokes.”
He prepared to look for some water when she stopped him and said, “Don’t worry, I’m not stupid. I knew it was a poison, so how could I not be prepared at all? I already held my breath and focused my will, and I also used ki to produce a defensive barrier around me. I wasn’t affected.”
Zu An sighed in relief and said, “That’s good then.”
“Are you really disappointed?” Shang Hongyu bent over and shifted closer to him, then sized up his expression with a mischievous look.
Zu An was speechless. He really didn’t feel like responding.
This woman really is addicted to playing these kinds of games.
Shang Hongyu chuckled and said, “That guy really is hateful, but their plan is perfect. If it were the fake Dragon King, there's no way he would let this kind of opportunity go. He would definitely have tricked me into drinking this, then used that chance to dominate me. The Mermaid race cares the most about purity. I wouldn’t have the face to say anything else and could only tacitly approve.”
Zu An was a bit surprised. “Your Mermaid race even has that kind of tradition?”
“Of course.” Shang Hongyu looked a bit proud as she explained, “In all of our Mermaid race’s history, our women have always been faithful unto death. It's only because of our reputation of purity that we were able to obtain the position of queen of the Ocean races.
“So if those guys really had succeeded, I definitely couldn’t say anything. That wouldn’t only affect me, but rather the entire Mermaid race. Our reputation would be ruined right there and then. Shame would be brought upon generations and generations of the Mermaid race to come.” As she spoke, Shang Hongyu had a look of lingering fear on her face.
Zu An didn’t know whether to feel admiration or mockery. He clearly sensed that the way of life was more free and open here, even more so than among the Fiend races. And yet the Mermaid race was still so pure and reserved. That really was strange.
That guy Ao Yong really wasn’t all that bright. He had to know of the Mermaid race’ traditions, yet he still dared to love his sister-in-law?
Suddenly, Ka Qier called out from outside, “Your majesty, this guard will stand outside today to prevent any shameful individuals from disturbing you.”
Zu An was speechless.
This guy sounds all nice and proper, but he’s clearly here to monitor the situation!
Wait, could it be that I exposed any mistakes before?
He recalled everything that happened and ascertained that he couldn’t have made any mistakes. The biggest opening would have been when he brought back the queen. If it had been the Fake Dragon King who did that, it would be a bit risky. That had to be why the other side wanted to nip all potential troubles in the bud.
Shang Hongyu also scoffed with a reddened face.
That guy really is shameless!
Zu An replied toward the door, “I won’t be troubling you for that. We have the maids to take care of this place. You can return to get some rest first.”
If it were just the maids, they would be easy enough to fool, but this guy’s cultivation was too high. Even though he wouldn't necessarily go so far as to look inside the room, there were still many things that wouldn’t escape his eyes and ears.
“Thank you for your concern, your majesty, but this officer is in charge of protecting the king and queen. I wouldn’t dare to show the slightest negligence,” Ka Qier replied. “At the same time, I must remind your majesty not to forget about the duty you bear.”
Zu An had a bitter smile.
Hmph, this guy is rushing me, isn’t he?
“What do we do now?” Shang Hongyu asked through ki transmission as she bit her lip. Her expression was a bit unnatural.
Zu An replied through ki transmission, “Why don't I set up a ki barrier and screen off everything? That way, he won’t be able to hear anything. Tomorrow, I’ll just tell him that the deed is already done.”
“No, he’s definitely already suspicious. We can still explain things by saying that the Fake Dragon King is perverted, but if you try to hide it like this, he might end up doubting your true identity. If that happened, everything would be completely over.” Shang Hongyu shook her head and refused.
Zu An rolled his eyes. “What else can we do then? We can’t really do it just to fool him, right?”