Chapter 999: Spy Obtained Through Deceit
Zu An said indifferently, “You’re very smart; you know that you have to pretend to be my woman while in the presence of others. But do you think this is enough for me to let you go?”
Tang Tian’er immediately felt as if she had lost all motivation. She scowled and said, “Young master, I really didn’t come to assassinate you! I just came to test you out a bit to play around… But I didn’t expect your cultivation to be that high! That attack was so strong that I was seriously wounded before I could even explain myself.
“Young master, you know that I held back too, right? Even though I was coming after you, I didn’t really aim at your vitals. You should have been able to sense that with your high cultivation!”
Zu An harrumphed. “If it weren’t for the fact that I realized that later, do you think I would’ve bothered to use all that effort to save you?”
Tang Tian’er was overjoyed when she heard his tone soften. She moved closer to him and said sweetly, “Young master, you’re so bad. I really was scared just now, you know?”
“Did you come here on your own accord or are you representing the Hub of Freedom?” Zu An asked seriously.
“Of course it was on my own. Everyone from the Hub of Freedom still thinks that the young master is from the ocean race,” Tang Tian’er said gently. “I was curious about the young master, so I came to test things out. But I didn’t expert things to turn out this way.”
“The ocean race…” Zu An had a general idea of why they thought that.
Tang Tian’er quickly said, “Young master, please don’t worry. I’m the only one who knows about your identity. I definitely won’t tell anyone else.”
“The mouths of women and the words of men in bed; both of these can’t be trusted,” Zu An said with a laugh.
“Then what would make the young master believe me?” Tang Tian’er suddenly had a bashful expression as she said, “If the young master is willing, I can become the young master’s woman. That way, the young master will trust me, right?”
“Stop trying to test me. If you were willing to use your body as a weapon, you wouldn’t still be a virgin in a place as complicated as the Hub of Freedom.” Zu An immediately exposed her lies.
Tang Tian’er put away her professional smile and said with a sigh, “I’ve met all kinds of men in my life, but young master is the only one who understands me… These words aren’t praise, but rather my real, sincere thoughts.”
“Don’t try to flatter me.” Zu An took out two pills, one red and one blue, saying, “Choose one and eat it. Then, I’ll feel at ease.”
Tang Tian’er’s expression changed a bit. She asked, “What are these?”
Zu An said indifferently, “The red one is called the Brain Parasite Pill, while the other is called the Pill of Alteration.
“The Brain Parasite Pill is made of three different types of brain parasites. After ingesting it, nothing wrong will happen in one’s body for a while, but at noon on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month afterward, if one doesn’t take an antidote for the brain parasites, they’ll breed and spread throughout the body. If they reach the brain, the one who has ingested the pill will become like a living corpse who will even eat their father, mother, or spouse.”
Tang Tian’er’s expression finally changed. Even though she had guessed that these were poisons, she had never expected them to be such a vile sort. She asked, “Then what about that one?” Girls had a natural rejection toward things like bugs and ghosts. Her finger was shaking as she pointed at the blue pill.
“This one is called the Pill of Alteration,” Zu An explained with a mocking expression. “It’s made from leopard fetus, deer fetus, human placenta, fur seal kidney, and other rare ingredients. Ingesting this pill will greatly strengthen the body for a year, but if the antidote isn’t taken after a year, several side effects will happen. It can make a fat person suddenly grow by three feet within three months, leaving their skin entirely covered in blood. Alternatively, it can make a thin person become short, turning them into an obese ball of meat. With someone of your build, that would probably be the side effect you’d experience.
“So? Have you decided which one you want to eat?” he finally asked.
Tang Tian’er’s complexion became deathly pale. She asked in a trembling voice, “Can I choose to take neither?” With how much detail Zu An had used to explain the medicines’ effects, there was no way he had come up with them on the spot. She was now really panicking.
Zu An shook his head and said, “You must choose one, or else you’ll die right now.”
Tang Tian’er’s expression flickered several times, and her breathing became rough. She appeared to be experiencing a severe internal struggle.
“What, are you thinking about putting up one last fight before your death?” Zu An asked indifferently.
Tang Tian’er finally gave up and said, “Your cultivation is far above mine, so I wouldn’t stand a chance.”
After saying this, she picked up the blue pill with a trembling hand. Compared to having parasites inside of her that would devour her brain, that other pill was easier to accept.
She suddenly looked toward Zu An as she brought it up to her face, asking, “Are you planning to make me your spy in the Hub of Freedom?”
“Lady Tang is very smart.” Zu An nodded in praise. “As long as you’re obedient, I’ll give you the antidote every year. That way, you won’t have to worry about anything bad happening to you.”
Tang Tian’er swallowed the ‘Pill of Alteration’ when she heard Zu An say that, exclaiming, “You’re satisfied now, right?!”
You have successfully trolled Tang Tian’er for +555 +555 +555…
Zu An smiled. Of course he didn’t have any ‘Brain Parasite Pill’ or ‘Pill of Alteration’. However, he needed some way to control her, so he had thought of some famous pills from wuxia novels. He hadn’t expected to actually fool her just like that. He was actually feeling a bit sorry now that he saw how she was about to cry.
“Sit down,” he said.
“Why?” Tang Tian’er immediately became a bit defensive. Her previous sweet smile was nowhere to be seen, and she now looked like a demon instead.
“Your injuries haven’t fully healed yet. Since you’re one of my people now, how can I let you leave with injuries?” Zu An replied. He had just played the bad cop for so long, so he figured there was no harm in being a bit nicer now.
“Hmph, who’s yours?” Tang Tian’er wanted to stick to her pride and refuse. After all, this person was just way too hateful. She had gone all the way over to meet him in the middle of the night like those love stories, and yet this guy had actually done something so infuriating!
But when she remembered that comfortable feeling from earlier, she couldn't resist the temptation in the end. She obediently sat down. Zu An reached out his finger and pressed against her back, using his primordial ki to continue treating her injuries.
“Hnng…” Tang Tian’er moaned when she felt that familiar comfortable feeling again.
Zu An was speechless. “Can you not make those noises? Those who don’t know anything might think I was doing something to you,” he said. This kind of moaning really startled him.
“Did the young master not do enough to me yet? I’m already about to break,” Tang Tian’er said resentfully.
Zu An was stunned. He said, “If you don’t know how to speak properly, don’t say anything.”
“But am I wrong...?” Tang Tian’er gradually calmed down from her earlier anger. “I’ll obey you in the future, so you’ll give me the antidote, right?”
“Of course.” Zu An had a grin on his face. He wondered how she would react if she learned the truth.
“Then how will I find you in the future? What if something happens to you and I can’t get the antidote? Wouldn’t I feel really wronged then?” Tang Tian’er asked worriedly.
“Don’t worry, I’ll give you the antidote ahead of time. Also, I’ll be in the capital, so it’ll be easy to find me. Instead, it’s someone like you from the Hub of Freedom who’s more mysterious and hard to find.” Zu An thought to himself, You only ate a sugar-coated bean; it’d be weirder if some poison really did activate then.
But he could try to give her a real Pill of Alteration the next time she came for the antidote. Of course, that was based on the premise that he could actually make a pill like that.
Tang Tian’er obviously didn’t know that she had been schemed against badly. She said, “You have a jade token from the Hub of Freedom now; you can contact me in any of our locations.”
Zu An was surprised. He remarked, “Your status in the Hub of Freedom doesn’t seem as insignificant as you made it sound…”
“But of course. I am the flower of the Hub of Freedom…” Tang Tian’er replied, but her face fell as she continued, “But unfortunately, I still ended up being done in by you.”
“Right, where’s my remuneration?” She suddenly reached out her hand.
“Remuneration?” Zu An was stunned. “Stop moving randomly. I’m still treating your injuries.”
Tang Tian’er replied with an ‘oh’. Then she continued, “Of course I need remuneration! Even though I was forced to obey you and I have to work for you, I might not try as hard if you don’t give me anything! If you only continue to threaten me, even though I won’t go against your orders, I won’t do it that seriously either. I’m only going to do a barely passable job.
“But remuneration and reward are different. Not only will I complete the mission, I’ll think about how to complete it in an even better way.”
“What you say makes some sense.” Zu An really didn’t know if he should call her optimistic or something else. She shifted her mindset so quickly… He asked, “What kind of remuneration do you want? I have to make it clear that right now, I’m extremely poor.”
Concocting pills, his own cultivation, Daji’s breakthrough, and other things all needed a lot of medicine. These things were all money-burning machines! The Hub of Freedom’s auction house had also made him learn just how broke he was for the first time.
“I don’t know if you really are poor or not, but you’re definitely stingy.” Tang Tian’er rolled her eyes. She had seen him spend extravagantly back in the Hub of Freedom. How could someone like that possibly be poor?
She began, “Don’t worry, I don’t want your money, I only want you…” Her expression turned a bit red halfway through her sentence. “I only want you to treat me like this once in a while.”
Zu An was stunned.