Keyboard Immortal - Chapter 2845

Chapter 1358: Water Flows Naturally

Zu’an did indeed go to the capital quite some time ago. During the Battle of Songjin, the merchants thought he was dead and reportedly held a grand memorial ceremony.

Of course, news of his surrender soon reached the capital, causing immense shock and anger.

Isabella must be heartbroken.

He wasn’t worried about Chu Yan; he knew she would trust him, and even if he did defect to the Extinction Alliance, she would likely follow him, unlike Isabella who had an Order faction.

He had also lost contact with Tang Tian’er; now that Li Zicheng’s forces had become the Breeding Alliance, he didn’t know if she was in danger.

Previously, Wu Lu Zhi Xian disagreed with his return to the capital, fearing he would betray them again. Now, the Conqueror King understood they were now bound together, so he wouldn’t turn against them again.

Furthermore, Jiang Luofu remained there, ostensibly as Empress Dowager, but actually as a hostage; he was bound to return. Besides

, there was Zhao Xiaodie; in a sense, he was still his son-in-law.

After being freed from her identity as Hailanzhu, the Little Demon Queen originally planned to go to the capital with him. However, considering the danger of Jiang Luofu staying alone, she ultimately decided to stay, disguising herself as a palace maid to look after him.

The two women bid him a reluctant farewell. After leaving Shengjing, Zu An found Zhao Xiaodie waiting for him at the city gate.

“What are you doing here?” Zu An asked, surprised.

“It wouldn’t be good to compete with those two women in the palace, so I came here to wait,” Zhao Xiaodie said with a smug smile, like a triumphant little fox.

Zu An’s heart skipped a beat; she had clearly recognized the disguised Little Demon Queen.

“You told the Conqueror King about this?”

Zhao Xiaodie’s smile froze instantly, and she said quietly, “So that’s how you guard against me.”

“This matter concerns the lives of countless people; I had to be careful,” Zu An said apologetically.

“He’s not really my father. Even if he were, a married woman follows her husband, and I would never do anything to hurt you,” Zhao Xiaodie sighed softly. Although they were only engaged in an alliance in this world, she already considered him her husband.

Seeing her on the verge of tears, Zu An was somewhat lost in thought. Had he bullied this girl so much that she developed Stockholm syndrome?

To be honest, they hadn’t had much romantic experience, so he subconsciously became wary and suspicious. But the deep affection in her eyes was undeniable.

However, after experiencing so much, he understood how wondrous love truly was.

If one could clearly explain the specific reason, it probably wasn’t love.

He took her hand and used his charm to comfort her.

Sure enough, Zhao Xiaodie quickly stopped crying and smiled: “Then take me with you to make it up to me.”

Zu An: “???”

So that was her purpose all along.

“Don’t be ridiculous. If the Ming court finds out your identity, ten lives wouldn’t be enough to kill you.”

“Now that you’re a traitor, even if you’re discovered, ten lives wouldn’t be enough to kill you. Compared to me, an insignificant princess, they’d probably rather you die.”

“I’m different…”

“What’s different? Anyway, you’re protecting me. You can take me as a prisoner to plead guilty to the Ming court, or sell me, it doesn’t matter. I’m already married to you.”

“We’re not married yet.”

“You want to deny it?”

…

In the end, Zu’an couldn’t persuade her otherwise and took her with him to the capital.

Mainly, Zhao Xiaodie’s last words convinced him. Firstly, with her by his side, using their marriage as cover, they wouldn’t easily be mistaken for spies by the towns along the way; secondly, with her by his side, the Jiemie camp felt more at ease.

If she didn’t come, the Jiemie camp might send other spies to monitor him, which would actually hinder their actions.

Fortresses like Shanhaiguan were mainly for defending against large-scale troop movements. Zu’an and Zhao Xiaodie traversed the mountains and fields cautiously, avoiding being discovered by patrolling troops.

The arrival of these extraterrestrial visitors had drastically altered the world; wild animals had all become monsters, and ordinary people venturing into the mountains would almost certainly die.

The two weren’t afraid of the monsters, but they were mainly worried about the aftermath of the battle attracting patrols.

Fortunately, torrential rains had fallen for the past few days, enough to conceal their movements.

Taking advantage of the rain, they finally bypassed Shanhaiguan. Their

tense nerves relaxed, and they finally had a chance to rest.

They found a cave, lit a campfire, built a makeshift rack to separate themselves, and took off their clothes to dry them.

Although their current cultivation levels were sufficient to dry clothes, they weren’t born this strong and still retained many habits from their ordinary lives. As

Zu An was pondering his next plan, a head suddenly popped out from the rack: “Brother Zu~”

“What’s wrong?” Zu An snapped out of his daze. Luckily, it was just drying clothes, and he was still wearing his pants; otherwise, he would have been completely exposed.

“It’s nothing, I just felt a little uneasy because these clothes were blocking my view of you,” Zhao Xiaodie said with a smile, her eyes darting around at his body, a faint blush rising on her cheeks.

What man could resist such genuine affection from a young girl? Zu An chuckled. “Get some rest. We have to travel early tomorrow morning. Our identities are very dangerous in Ming Dynasty territory right now, and we might not have many more opportunities to rest like this in the coming days.”

“Okay,” Zhao Xiaodie mumbled, reluctantly pulling her head back.

The two chatted intermittently through the clothes on the rack, their conversations devoid of their usual purposeful purpose, purely casual.

After a long while, Zhao Xiaodie suddenly sighed, “Brother Zu, although these past few days of hiding from the patrol team have been very tense and dangerous, they have been the happiest days for me. I even hope these days will never end.”

Zu An was silent for a moment, then comforted her, “I will always be with you from now on.”

“Mm.”

The two chatted and gradually fell asleep. In the middle of the night, Zu An suddenly felt a stirring in his heart as a smooth, youthful body snuggled into his arms.

Before he could speak, the girl had already kissed his lips.

Zu An stiffened, but the next second he still hugged her.

He knew how much it would hurt to reject a woman at this moment, and given their special relationship, it might turn into hatred.

Feeling his embrace, the girl’s heart, which had been pounding, completely relaxed, and her kiss became even more passionate.

Feeling the youthful, vibrant body in his arms, Zu An’s breathing quickened.

In truth, the Little Demon Queen had been urging him to force the issue and completely bind Zhao Xiaodie to him.

But he ultimately didn’t want to be so calculating. However, now that everything had fallen into place, he naturally wouldn’t act like a saint.

The girl’s naive skills quickly crumbled, her initial initiative turning into a shy defensiveness…