Just like that, their group waited for a bit longer. However, Zu An still didn’t appear. Bi Linglong’s originally high spirits gradually died down.

Gu Xing said in dissatisfaction, “Linglong, I think that guy is too scared and won’t come. But you don’t have to worry; with us brothers here to protect you, there won’t be any problem at all with this mission.”

Bi Linglong forced a smile and said, “One more person is an additional share of strength.”

Gu Heng also spoke up. “It sounds as though the crown princess favors this Sir Zu quite a bit.”

Rong Mo pouted and said with strong resentment, “That’s exactly what it is! There was supposed to be one seventh ranked cultivator who could enter. The crown princess didn’t take me and insisted on choosing him.”

“Don’t speak frivolously. This is the conclusion everyone reached after a discussion.” Bi Linglong shot her a look. This girl was getting more and more out of hand.

The Gu clan brothers exchanged a look, both of them seeing shock in each other’s eyes. Judging from all their experience with the Bi clan, they knew just how important Rong Mo was.

Even though this woman looked young, she actually wasn’t young at all. Otherwise, how could she have cultivated beyond the seventh rank? It was just that she had been raised by the Bi clan since she was little and forced to cultivate away from the rest of the world, which had caused her psychological age to be a bit lower than her real age. That was why she had been assigned to Bi Linglong as her maid. From that, it was also clear to see just how much the Bi clan and Bi Linglong trusted her.

And yet the crown prince’s exam was such an important matter, but Bi Linglong actually wasn’t going to bring her and had instead chosen Zu An. The implication behind that was obvious. Either Zu An’s cultivation was far beyond Rong Mo’s, or he was more important to her.

Rong Mo was already at the seventh rank, while Zu An was young and had grown up a commoner, nor did he have any special cultivation education. How could he possibly surpass her?

In their opinion, it was the latter. Both of them felt a strong sense of danger when they thought of that.

Gu Heng thought for a bit, and then said, “Crown princess, if Sir Zu still does not come in the end, will we just continue to wait here forever? It is not a problem for us brothers to wait, but it is improper for the crown prince to wait here like this. Furthermore, it will be bad if we do not enter the dungeon and it closes.”

Gu Xing nodded in admiration. His big brother’s thoughts were in line with his own, but he was able to hide his real objective behind some high-sounding reasons. He had always felt that that was too hypocritical, but he now felt his big brother was much more likeable.

The fatty also became noisy when he heard that. “Exactly, exactly! It’s so boring just sitting here.”

Gu Heng and Gu Xing silently exchanged a look when they saw the crown prince’s reaction. A small smirk appeared on their lips.

A look of disappointment flashed through Bi Linglong’s eyes when she saw how the crown prince was making a scene, his behavior unlike how a crown prince should act at all. She said quietly, “Momo, all of you should escort the crown prince to the academy first. I will pay Sir Zu’s home a visit.”

“Yay! We’re going to play at the academy!” the crown prince exclaimed, running off excitedly.

Rong Mo didn’t even have time to say anything. She quickly rushed out to escort the crown prince. Many guards from the Eastern Palace quickly followed behind them.

The Gu clan brothers didn’t move. They said, “In that case, we will remain here to ensure the crown princess’ safety. We want to see just what kind of hero this Sir Zu is as well.”

Bi Linglong was actually going to personally pay his home a visit? Both of them felt incredible jealousy. They obviously wanted to follow along to take a look for themselves.

The crown princess frowned. She could sense their hostility toward Zu An. It wasn’t a good idea to bring them with her.

However, after thinking about it, she felt that it might be beneficial for them to meet each other now, since they would be spending some time together in the dungeon later on. As such, she nodded and called over Piao Duandiao and Jiao Sigun from outside. After all, she had never been to Zu An’s home before.

…

Zu An’s residence was inside the city. They quickly arrived outside. Bi Linglong didn’t have anyone else send a message, and instead walked straight toward the house.

When the servants saw the crown princess, they panicked and greeted her. Bi Linglong didn’t see Zu An anywhere after looking around, asking, “Where is Sir Zu?”

“Sir Zu left early in the morning,” a maid replied.

“He left?” Bi Linglong was stunned. Why hadn’t she seen him yet, then? Then did something really happen to him along the way?

After having that thought, she quickly asked Piao Duandiao, “Guard Piao, did any fights happen in the city today?”

Piao Duandiao shook his head. “I didn’t receive any information of the sort.”

Bi Linglong frowned. Then where is that guy? This was inside the city, after all. With Zu An’s cultivation, there was no way he could have been kidnapped without anyone knowing.

Gu Xing remarked with a smile, “Maybe he found out about how dangerous a secret dungeon was, so he was too scared and ran away?” The crown prince wasn’t here, so he didn’t have to worry about that anymore.

Jiao Sigun harrumphed and said, “Sir Zu isn’t that type of person.” He was already extremely pissed off from hearing these two talk badly about Zu An on the way here.

“It’s possible to know someone for a long time without understanding his true nature. You can see the situation for yourself right now. He didn’t show up at the agreed upon time, did he?” Gu Xing remarked with a shrug.

“Sir Zu might be held up by some other matter.” Piao Duandiao also spoke up.

Gu Heng frowned. Looks like this Zu An is quite popular in the Eastern Palace… Even these two lesser guards were speaking out for him.

Gu Xing burst out laughing. “What could possibly be more important than the crown prince’s exam today?”

Piao Duandiao was at a loss for words. He didn’t know how to reply.

Gu Xing gave the house a look. “Maybe Sir Zu only pretended to leave, but he’s just hiding inside.” He walked straight in after speaking. Because the crown princess was here, none of the servants dared to stop him. They could only anxiously follow behind him.

After some hesitation, Bi Linglong didn’t stop Gu Xing in the end. She was actually starting to get angry as well. Zu An had clearly promised her, yet he was actually late for such an important appointment. She had gotten up early and done her makeup for nothing. She also wanted to see what the heck was going on.

You have successfully trolled Bi Linglong for +233 +233 +233…

This courtyard wasn’t that big. Gu Xing quickly searched through the entire place, but he didn’t see any sign of Zu An. He laughed and said, “Looks like he’s hiding outside.”

Gu Heng coughed. “Brother, please do not jump to conclusions. Sir Zu might already be at the Eastern Palace.”

Gu Xing sneered. “How is that possible? We just came from the Eastern Palace, yet we didn’t see any sign of him. Sigh, I guess we can’t expect much from a kid off the streets after all. It’s fine in normal situations, but when push comes to shove, his cowardly and pathetic nature becomes apparent.”

“Nonsense!” Jiao Sigun argued, “Sir Zu even dared to face the eighth ranked King Qi’s heir head on, and even defeated him! He fought on par with the ninth ranked expert Han Fengqiu, so why would he be scared of a secret dungeon?”

Gu Heng said, “That battle has indeed roused up the entire capital, but we investigated the matter afterward. There was actually a powerful expert in hiding, and he secretly summoned the water element when King Qi’s heir used his ultimate lightning move. That was why he was mysteriously defeated.”

“Exactly! Sir Zu was born on the streets after all. If he really were a talented genius, why would he let himself become a drafted son-in-law?” Gu Xing felt a bit guilty when he said that, because he had seen Chu Chuyan’s beauty from afar in the past. If a goddess like her was going to take a drafted son-in-law, even he himself would be willing. “Ahem, he’s only around the fifth or sixth rank in cultivation. Maybe the seventh rank at most. How could he possibly win against the eighth ranked King Qi’s heir? Or fight on equal grounds with Han Fengqiu or whatever? That’s even more ridiculous.”

He continued, “What kind of strength does someone like Han Fengqiu represent? Everyone in the capital knows that he’s at the peak of the ninth rank. Someone like that could easily crush someone at the seventh or eighth rank with just a single finger; how could a youngster possibly go toe to toe with him? It was probably because Han Fengqiu was on guard against that mysterious expert, but that ended up spreading falsehoods of Zu An having some kind of accomplishment. This really is absurd!”

Piao Duandiao and Jiao Sigun opened their mouths, but they didn’t know how to retort. After all, to them, someone at the peak of the ninth rank really was someone who was impossible to defeat for someone of lower rank. They looked around in frustration and helplessness. Big bro Zu, where are you?