“Hu Su?” Yun slightly frowned. “Never heard of him.”

“That’s the name he left.”

“What does he look like?”

“Tall and handsome, with two small mustaches on his lips, and here,” the shopkeeper pointed to the right side of his neck, “he has a small mole.”

Just then, footsteps sounded from outside as the assistant returned.

Before he could come near, Yun snapped his fingers, and the shopkeeper immediately regained his clarity.

He seemed completely unaware of his previous state and continued to enthusiastically attend to Yun.

Xu Guangxiang returned to the inn after touring Luosha City extensively, then sighed for the fifth time. Her guard followed her into the room, holding a local specialty, crispy duck, to comfort her: “General, don’t be angry. Haven’t you already discovered that the State Preceptor likes sweet food? This crispy duck is fragrant, crispy, and delicious. Even locals have to queue to buy it. The young master will surely be delighted when he tastes it.”

Xu Guangxiang glared at her: “How many times have I told you, what should you call me now?”

The guard stuck out her tongue: “Young Miss!” They were always either in the palace or in the military camp, never changing their identities, unlike this infiltration mission where they had to disguise themselves as Jin people.

“If you ruin the Kingdom’s—ruin the young master’s affairs, I’ll skin you alive!” Xu Guangxiang was also somewhat melancholic. The State Preceptor always greeted her with a smile, but his politeness carried a sense of distance, completely different from how he behaved with his attendant An’an. At those times, he was unrestrained and willful, yet more authentic.

Shortly after entering the room, a drizzling rain began outside. The guard put down the duck and went to close the wooden window. Xu Guangxiang was about to order water for bathing when her expression suddenly changed: “Who’s there?”

The guard immediately stood at attention, hand on her sword hilt. The diplomatic mission had rented the best inn in town, but this room was less than thirty square meters, divided into two sections, clearly visible at a glance. Where could anyone hide?

Xu Guangxiang, having faced life and death on battlefields, had senses far more acute than ordinary people. She gave a cold laugh and took out dozens of red beans, scattering them casually.

These beans, once on the ground, seemed to have a life of their own. With a fine rustling sound, they quickly rolled in all directions, sliding into every corner of the room.

This was another application of the “Scatter Beans to Form Soldiers” technique.

Every corner the beans passed through appeared normal, except… except for the corner by the window, where they suddenly disappeared upon approach.

Without waiting for Xu Guangxiang’s command, the guard thrust her sword toward that spot.

With a light “ding,” her sword seemed to strike nothing, yet was blocked by something. Then the light twisted, and suddenly a person appeared out of thin air in the corner of the room.

It was a young man with extraordinarily handsome features but a pale complexion, possessing a kind of frail beauty. His left hand pressed against his abdomen, where his clothes were wet with seeping blood. In his right hand, he held a jade ruler that had blocked the guard’s weapon, but his gaze was fixed on Xu Guangxiang: “Miss, I seek refuge in your quarters to escape danger. Please forgive my intrusion!”

Xu Guangxiang’s gaze was piercing: “Who are you? And who pursues you?”

“My surname is Zuoqiu. My pursuer is General Jin Peiyan of the Human Division.” The young man spoke quickly, yet his demeanor remained composed. “If the miss saves me, I will reward you generously.”

Zuoqiu?

This was once a surname of high position and great power in the Kingdom, but now, there was only one Zuoqiu left as a fugitive. That had been a major incident that shocked the world, and Xu Guangxiang had certainly heard of it. Her expression changed slightly: “Zuoqiu Yuan? How will you prove your identity?”

He smiled bitterly: “Is proof necessary? Who would impersonate a fugitive, a wanted criminal?”

Just then, sounds of commotion came from outside, and Zuoqiu Yuan’s face grew paler.

Everyone present had excellent hearing and could tell the pursuers had arrived.

There was truly nowhere to hide in this room. Zuoqiu Yuan looked around, smiling bitterly: “They’ve come so quickly! Very well, I’ll leave now and won’t implicate you, miss.” He was a criminal accused of murdering the Crown Prince, and those who harbored him would also face punishment by association.

With that, he placed his hand on the window.

Xu Guangxiang’s eyes revealed hesitation. Seeing he was about to jump out, she quickly said: “Wait, I can save you.” She took out a white bottle from her bosom and poured out a green pill. “This was given to me by my father. It was originally just a plaything, but now it can help in this emergency. Take it, and I guarantee they won’t recognize you.”

Zuoqiu Yuan was stunned, and now it was his turn to hesitate.

What did “won’t recognize” mean?

Xu Guangxiang gave a slight smile and began to withdraw her hand: “If you don’t want it, so be it.”

“Thank you, miss, for this medicine!” Zuoqiu Yuan reached out to take the pill, sniffed it—no smell. Hearing the commotion growing closer, he threw back his head and swallowed the pill.

As soon as the pill entered his throat, it dissolved into a bitter slurry with a somewhat foul taste, not seeming like anything good. Zuoqiu Yuan silently exclaimed, “Not good!” Then the ground beneath his feet suddenly appeared closer in his vision, while the two women before him seemed to grow increasingly tall.

Hmm, that wasn’t right—it wasn’t the surroundings changing, but he was becoming smaller, shorter!

Zuoqiu Yuan looked down and saw a body covered in smooth scales, a white belly, and five small, sharp toes.

Humans certainly didn’t look like this.

From the perspective of the two women, the person before them had disappeared, replaced by a four-legged snake no larger than a palm on the ground.

“On a small island in the East Sea, there’s a lizard monster that excels at shape-shifting. Pills made from its blood and flesh allow one to transform into its form, with the effect lasting half a quarter of an hour.”

Outside, the sound of doors being pounded grew louder—the pursuers were checking the rooms ahead, and another group of footsteps was approaching. Xu Guangxiang beckoned to it: “Come.”

Though Zuoqiu Yuan’s body had transformed, his consciousness remained. The small four-legged snake quickly darted into her palm and was hidden in her sleeve.

No sooner had she concealed him than the door began to bang loudly with the characteristic roughness of soldiers: “Open up! We’re pursuing a dangerous criminal!”

The guard opened the door, and several burly soldiers entered. Unexpectedly seeing a beauty like Xu Guangxiang, they were momentarily stunned, their wild demeanor somewhat restrained: “We’re after a wanted criminal. Have you seen any strangers?”

Xu Guangxiang smiled: “We’ve come from the Chiqian Plains. Everyone here is a stranger to us.”

Realizing they were visitors from elsewhere, the soldiers didn’t say much more and began searching the room. The room was so small that after checking the cabinets, under the bed, outside the window, and the ceiling, with no one hidden, they basically determined the place was clear.

However, at this moment, another soldier entered, leading a slender hound.

This dog was small and short, its belly almost touching the ground, evidently struggling to climb stairs. Nevertheless, once inside, it began sniffing left and right and suddenly rushed toward the window.

The hearts of Xu Guangxiang and her companion immediately rose to their throats.

Although Zuoqiu Yuan had transformed, he had been standing there just moments ago, and he was wounded. Could he escape the keen nose of this small dog?

The evidence proved he could not.

The small hound sniffed a couple of times, then went directly to the window, turning two circles at the spot where Zuoqiu Yuan had previously stood. It was about to proudly bark several times…

Just then, a cold voice rang out: “What is going on here?”

Everyone, including the dog, turned to look and saw a handsome young man leaning against the doorframe, his face so beautiful it seemed unreal.