Chapter 1947: Bottom Card

Feeling the coldness in his eyes, Meng Chan became flustered for a moment, no longer daring to be enigmatic. "I heard you're looking for the horn of Bai Ze?"

A chill ran through Zu An, and he quickly asked, "Who told you that?"

Meng Chan replied, "The Regent King needn't concern himself with who told me. The important thing is that I can acquire the horn of Bai Ze."

Zu An scoffed, "Now I find it more important to know why you know I'm looking for the horn of Bai Ze."

He had only mentioned it to a few people at the academy initially. Later, he arranged for Embroidered Uniform Guards, Nan Xun of the Demon Race, and some Eastern Palace officials to assist in the search. Regardless of where she obtained this information, it didn't seem like a minor matter.

"The Regent King is currently unmatched in prestige; countless eyes are watching his every move. When you sent people to inquire about this, it proves that there are no airtight walls in this world," Meng Chan said with a self-deprecating smile. "Although the Substitute King's Residence and the Meng clan have fallen into disrepair, they are, after all, families with a thousand-year legacy. There are always some old acquaintances who remember our kindness. Perhaps they cannot help us with other matters, but a simple favor like this is still possible."

Zu An breathed a sigh of relief. He had initially worried that she might have deduced his connection to the Golden Badge Eleven or the Grand Commander from the Embroidered Uniform Guards, but now it seemed his concerns were unfounded.

In any case, given his current status as Regent King, it would be entirely reasonable for him to commission the Embroidered Uniform Guards to help him search for the horn of Bai Ze.

"Can you truly obtain the horn of Bai Ze? Few in this world have even heard of such a legendary divine beast." Zu An couldn't help but doubt her. Even beings like Shen Xuzi and Ji Dengtu were unaware of it; how could a noble lady like her acquire it?

Meng Chan gave him a lingering look. "Could you let me put my clothes on first? I'm truly feeling a bit embarrassed like this."

Zu An: "..."

Now this woman felt embarrassed?

What was the point of taking off her clothes the moment she came in?

However, since things had come to this, he found it awkward to press further. He turned around and casually waved his hand.

Only then did Meng Chan, blushing, pull her clothes back up. As she fastened her belt and buttons, she remarked, "Outside, everyone says the Regent King is fond of women and lustful. But after meeting you today, I find you far more gentlemanly than I imagined."

"You don't need to flatter me. All I need now is the horn of Bai Ze. If you're lying to me, the Meng clan and the Substitute King will suffer far worse than they are now," Zu An said coldly.

"The Regent King truly has no sense of romance," Meng Chan said, casting him a resentful glance. "Alright, my clothes are on."

With Zu An's divine sense, he naturally knew she was dressed. "Can you explain in detail now?"

Meng Chan hummed in assent. "The Meng clan is an ancient family. This isn't me boasting; it's simply a statement of fact."

Zu An nodded, motioning for her to continue.

Meng Chan continued, "Many years ago, the Meng clan had a prodigy. His favorite pastime was exploring various secret realms. One time he returned, bringing with him the corpse of a strange animal. At the time, no one in the Meng clan knew what it was. The prodigy said the animal was a Bai Ze and instructed the family to preserve it carefully, stating it might be of great use in the future."

"Unfortunately, not long after, that prodigy died during another secret realm expedition. No one ever discovered the true purpose of that Bai Ze. However, the Meng clan still preserved its body by making it into a specimen."

"But as time passed, its corpse gradually decayed, until only one horn remained."

Zu An interrupted her. "That's incorrect. A Bai Ze beast should be incredibly mystical. Even after death, its corpse shouldn't decay within just a millennium."

This world was unlike his previous one. Even after death, some powerful beings could still kill with their lingering aura, and physical bodies remaining incorruptible was a basic ability.

Perhaps after thousands or tens of thousands of years, it might turn to bone, but according to her, it had been at most a millennium. How could only one horn remain?

Meng Chan sighed. "Regent King, I am, after all, the legitimate daughter of the Meng clan and the Substitute King's consort. How could I be so unknowledgeable as to not know that the remains of such mystical beasts can be preserved for a long time, and then invent such a flawed story? This is indeed what happened. The Bai Ze's head decayed at an unimaginable speed, even beginning to rot at an eerie pace not long after that prodigy ancestor brought it back, perhaps due to the influence of leaving that secret realm."

Zu An frowned. What she said did make some sense; such an obviously fabricated statement actually lent it a touch of authenticity.

As for the bizarre rate of decay, he surmised it was because the Bai Ze had left its secret realm. The environments were different, and perhaps the laws of this world were somewhat incompatible with it?

He pondered for a moment and said, "But as far as I know, the Meng clan's treasury has been sealed by the imperial court. Are you trying to trade something that no longer belongs to you?"

Meng Chan shook her head. "A family with a thousand-year legacy like the Meng clan would naturally understand the principle of a cunning rabbit having three burrows. Many of our collections are hidden elsewhere."

Zu An scoffed, "According to you, the Meng clan's accumulated wealth over a millennium should be astronomical. With so many treasures, how could you coincidentally know about this specific horn of Bai Ze?"

He felt everything was too coincidental. Furthermore, this woman was known for her shrewdness and cunning, making him constantly worry she was plotting something.

"There aren't as many treasures as people might imagine," Meng Chan sighed. "While old aristocratic families like ours accumulate a lot, our expenses are also enormous. Especially as time goes on, the common ailments of large families continuously emerge, with more and more profligate descendants, making it difficult to reverse the decline. Our Meng clan was relatively prominent in recent years, barely managing to balance income and expenditure by relying on our influence in court, but many other ancient families have long since begun to deplete their reserves."

"As for the horn of Bai Ze, I also find it very coincidental. Perhaps it's fate's arrangement," Meng Chan said with a self-deprecating smile. "When I was little, I loved playing in the treasury. The moment I first saw that crystal-clear horn, I fell in love with it, so I begged my grandfather to give it to me. Therefore, even if the imperial court sealed all of the Meng clan's treasuries, they couldn't obtain that horn of Bai Ze."

Towards the end, a glimmer of confidence returned to her eyes.

Zu An grunted, "You don't need to be so wary of me. If you truly possess it, I am not the kind of person who would seize it by force."

Meng Chan bit her lip and seized the opportunity to say, "I am willing to offer this item to the Regent King, asking only that you spare the Meng clan and the Substitute King."

Zu An fell into thought. After a moment, he said, "I can ensure they are not eradicated and their homes confiscated, but it's absolutely impossible for them to return to their former state. At most, I can allow the old, weak, and infirm remaining in the residence to retain some ancestral land to survive on."

In truth, the Empress had privately told him earlier that the Meng clan was simply too large and had various marital ties with other prominent families in the capital. If everyone were completely wiped out, it would undoubtedly provoke hostility from various factions and incite criticism.

He was indeed not a cruel and bloodthirsty person. He had already captured all the primary culprits before, and with the complete destruction of the Meng clan's core strength, it was now impossible for the remaining members to regain their former prosperity and power.

Meng Chan's face brightened with joy. "This is already more than enough. Thank you, Regent King, for your generous hand!"

To be honest, she was somewhat surprised. According to common practices in this world, such a situation would absolutely lead to the eradication of the entire clan, rooting them out completely.

She had initially thought it would be good enough if a few Meng clan members could be spared, but she hadn't expected such a favorable outcome.

This man was a bit more merciful than she had imagined, and a sense of gratitude spontaneously arose in her heart.

At the same time, she was somewhat dazed, finding it hard to reconcile the man before her with the killing star she had witnessed that day.

*Sigh*, if only she had met him sooner, she wouldn't have become his enemy.

One wrong move, and the entire game is lost.

"Where is the horn of Bai Ze?" Zu An quietly looked at her.

Meng Chan looked a bit awkward. "I didn't bring it with me."

"Are you toying with me?" Zu An's expression darkened.

"No, no," Meng Chan quickly explained. "Mainly, I wasn't confident before coming here. If I had brought it with me and was captured, I would have had no leverage whatsoever. So, I hid it somewhere. I'll take you to get it now."

Zu An was silent for a moment. "Lead the way."

He would soon find out whether she truly wanted to make a deal with him or sought revenge.

However, after several interactions, he felt that Meng Chan was an intelligent woman who wouldn't be foolish in such a matter.

Meng Chan said, "It's in the northern part of the city..."

Just as she was about to lead the way, she suddenly felt her body lighten, finding herself soaring through the air, already aloft.

The man held her by the shoulder, and they flew towards the northern part of the city, neither too close nor too far apart.

Meng Chan was secretly astonished. As far as she knew, the Grand Formation of the capital had established a no-fly zone. Had his power completely ignored these restrictions?

Little did she know that Master Yan had specially given Zu An a token earlier, which allowed the Grand Formation to sense his presence and prevent it from attacking him for flying.

After all, these formations were originally established to regulate cultivators across the land, and true top-tier authorities had similar exemption mechanisms.

Otherwise, if Zhao Hao had taken flight in the past, how undignified would it have been for the Grand Formation of the capital to attack him?

"That way..." Meng Chan pointed the direction, feeling a bit disoriented herself. She had flown before, in her childhood, carried by skilled elders of her clan.

But as she grew older, she received more education befitting a noble lady, especially since her initial goal was to become the Crown Princess. Such "wild" activities were naturally not permitted.

It was even more unthinkable for other men to touch her body, not even family elders.

A woman destined to be Crown Princess had to maintain absolute purity.

If she wanted to fly like this again, she would have to wait until she cultivated to the Grandmaster realm. Everything had been proceeding as planned; with her aptitude, it would have been a natural progression to become a Grandmaster in a few more decades.

She often lamented then that by the time she could fly, she would be old. What would be the point of flying if she no longer had the mindset of her youth?

It wasn't that she hadn't fantasized about a handsome young hero carrying her across the world's famous mountains and rivers, but the moment the thought arose, she stifled it.

She never imagined that a fantasy she had long harbored in her heart would be realized by her "enemy."

Her heart pounding the entire way, she soon arrived at a secluded, dilapidated small courtyard in the northern part of the city.

Zu An looked around. This place was actually considered a slum in the capital. Hiding something here was indeed most discreet.

His divine sense swept the surroundings: no cultivators, no ambushes, no formations.

He nodded inwardly. This woman wasn't foolish.

Soon, Meng Chan took out a key and entered the house. She lit a candle, fumbled around a corner of the wall, and quickly opened a secret compartment. Inside was a box, which she carefully opened and presented to Zu An.

"This is the horn of Bai Ze. You... you won't go back on your word, will you?" Meng Chan's expression showed some regret. She evidently realized her foolishness in handing over the item based only on the other party's verbal promise. If he were to kill her and seize the treasure now, she would have no means of retaliation, and the Meng clan and the Substitute King would be utterly ruined.

Zu An quietly glanced at her without answering. He directly picked up the horn of Bai Ze. It felt smooth and warm to the touch, entirely translucent. Although he hadn't seen it before, he knew it was indeed the horn of Bai Ze; his keyboard system had already identified it for him.

Seeing him not respond, Meng Chan's anxiety grew. However, when her gaze fell upon the burning candle, a sliver of confidence finally settled in her heart. Yet, at the thought of it, her cheeks couldn't help but flush.