149: Do you suggest a little physical contact?

"Fellow Daoist Zhou!"

"You took the money but won't do the job! Do you have any sense of propriety?!"

Boss Mei was truly getting angry.

How could Zhou Yan act more like a Demonic Sect member than their Demonic Sect?

After accepting the Core Formation gift, he kept trying to leave after only a few words.

Could it be that he only agreed to come just to scam a gift?

Zhou Yan smiled faintly and explained.

"Boss Mei, you misunderstand. Accepting the gift doesn't mean I agree to cooperate."

"Furthermore, that wasn't a deposit for cooperation. It was a personal gift you, as a friend, unilaterally gave me, wasn't it?"

"Don't worry, I'll remember this favor. When you next reach Core Formation, I'll send you a gift too."

Boss Mei almost wanted to report him to the authorities. This person from a local Sect was too lawless.

In fact, she had misunderstood Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan originally came because he considered the Joyous Union Sect and the Truth Cult to be of similar standing.

There weren't many helpers on the Sect's side. If he went to the Capital, he might be able to win over some people from Sect backgrounds, but those might not be enough.

Regardless of whether the historical records were true or false, the battle achievements of the Old Duke were indeed terrifying.

Moreover, having actually understood the values after the Truth Cult's modifications, he was even clearer about the true value of the path of evolution.

Therefore, even if that Old Duke was an idiot, after so many years of human experimentation, the degree of his Physical Body modification was something no ordinary Soul Transformation expert could hope to match.

Thus, he originally thought that having one more friend meant having one more path, and perhaps the Joyous Union Sect could provide some manpower to help.

But what was the result? The other party acted like they knew everything, but in reality, they knew nothing.

The intelligence held by both sides was not on the same level at all, making cooperation impossible.

Furthermore, they were a Demonic Sect, and fundamentally, an unreliable organization.

With the massive Sect looming over them, they might not dare to betray him, but slacking off or even running away was highly possible. Zhou Yan dared not imagine the consequences that would bring.

He was originally a Little Noob who mistakenly entered a High-level Game; if he lost another teammate after forming a party, he couldn't afford it.

Therefore, he truly found such cooperation unacceptable.

"Don't get angry. My actions here are actually paving the way for all of you."

"When you have leisure, you might want to investigate more. The old affairs of Great Yu are hidden in the mist. The time we arrived here is nearly the same, yet what we have seen and heard is vastly different."

"What you have seen is merely the tip of the iceberg. If you haven't glimpsed the full picture, how can you speak of accompanying me?"

Zhou Yan struck the pose of an expert and entered the Riddle-speaker mode.

Being a Riddle-speaker was certainly interesting.

"Do you know something?! Tell me quickly!"

Song Ling was agitated and reached out, trying to grab Zhou Yan's shoulder.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Yan shifted his body, agilely dodging the grab, and casually smoothed his hair.

Perfect Dodge!

This kind of maneuver, which had little practical use, was quite satisfying when bullying weaker players in Low-level Games.

Song Ling tried a few more times afterward, but Zhou Yan skillfully dodged every attempt, striking various showy poses while evading, which made Song Ling furious.

"Enough."

Boss Mei spoke up, interrupting the playful exchange.

Zhou Yan was in good spirits, while Song Ling's cheeks were puffed out in anger, making her look even cuter.

After some thought, Boss Mei had generally understood the deeper meaning behind Zhou Yan's words.

Zhou Yan must have learned news that even they were unaware of. In that case, his trip to the Capital was probably not just for seeking revenge or extracting benefits; he must have other plans.

Continuing to press him would definitely be useless.

Since the other party was unwilling to share the intelligence, it meant the information was extremely important—so important that even Zhou Yan, who was backed by the Qingxu Grotto-Heaven, had to gauge whether they were reliable enough to become partners in sharing secrets.

They originally thought Zhou Yan went to the Capital merely to settle scores with those who used him as a pawn.

Now it seemed this young man probably wanted to become the Chess Player himself. Though young, his courage was considerable. In that case... "Immortal Master Zhou."

This time, Boss Mei's attitude was much more serious, and her previous distracting thoughts had vanished.

She was genuinely speaking to Zhou Yan as an equal partner for cooperation.

"I don't know exactly what you know, but I hope you understand the stance of our Joyous Union Sect."

"For many years, we have been the branch of the Demonic Sect that has the most amicable relationship with the Righteous Path. You can certainly give us some trust."

"Next, we will prove our strength and sincerity. In order for future possible cooperation to proceed more smoothly,"

"how about we start with a small cooperation first?"

Zhou Yan looked at Boss Mei with some surprise.

"What cooperation? Is it also related to the Capital?"

Boss Mei nodded, then shook her head.

"It's slightly related, but not much. Your Highness Song Ling, in the eyes of the world, should be dead."

Zhou Yan subconsciously looked at Song Ling.

Another Soul Cultivator? But she doesn't look like one. Don't Soul Cultivators lack a Physical Body?

Seeing his confusion, Song Ling said impatiently.

"What, do you want to reach out and pinch me to see if Your Highness has a body temperature?"

Zhou Yan ignored her and looked back at Boss Mei, waiting for her to continue.

"During the reign of the Former Emperor, Your Highness Song Ling was once nominated by the Duke as the successor."

"Empresses are uncommon in history, but not rare."

"In the past, it was usually because a royal woman had outstanding talent or a great Opportunity that she became an Empress; this was normal."

"But there were also isolated cases where, due to the decline of the royal family and the dominance of powerful officials, people sought to use this to sideline the royalty and gain personal benefits."

"Your Highness Song Ling belongs to the latter category."

"Anyone with eyes could see what the Duke intended to do, but no one dared to oppose him."

"Only until the birth of the Current Emperor, according to the ancient Rites and Laws of Great Yu, was this matter suppressed."

"However, after the Former Emperor passed away, Duke Zhenguo brought up the old matter again, proposing that Your Highness succeed the throne, citing the Emperor's young age."

"It was then that Prime Minister Zhang's people made their move."

"They plotted to kill Your Highness, but Your Highness was ultimately saved by Prince Kang."

"Prince Kang brought the matter to a close by agreeing to act as Regent and later return the government to the Emperor."

"Now, we need a legitimate justification to intervene in the current court situation, allowing Princess Song Ling to reappear, and with the assistance of other forces,"

"we can get involved, seizing the Opportunity to overthrow the Duke and restore Clarity and Order to Great Yu."

"We originally hoped you could join, but now it seems we were too naive."

"So now my proposal is to ask you to step forward and provide testimony, proving that the Princess is genuine and not an imposter, and that she was not harmed back then."

"We will collect multiple such testimonies, and you are just one of them."

"This way, we won't be deeply involved, yet it leaves room for future cooperation."

"What does Immortal Master think?"

"Ding, Opportunity Mission: 'Join the Princess Faction'."

An Opportunity refreshed?

Zhou Yan frowned, pondered for a moment, and decided to forgo accepting it.

They were still unreliable, and Zhou Yan didn't believe in their so-called plan to overthrow the Duke and restore Clarity and Order to Great Yu.

But just helping to provide testimony was harmless.

"I can help you provide testimony."

After Zhou Yan finished speaking, Boss Mei smiled, and even Song Ling's attitude softened slightly.

"Then, Immortal Master Zhou, please accompany us to the Capital."

"There's no need for that!" Zhou Yan waved his hand and smiled confidently.

He looked at Song Ling and smirked mischievously.

"Your Highness Princess, my method of verification might be a bit offensive."

"Do you mind a little physical contact?"

Seeing Zhou Yan's malicious grin, Song Ling subconsciously guarded her chest, feeling a bit scared.

"W-what do you want to do!"

Zhou Yan continued to smirk as he approached.

"It's fine, just a quick touch, it'll be over soon."

Watching that 'Demonic Claw' slowly approach, Song Ling cast a pleading look toward Boss Mei.

Seeing Boss Mei turn her head away without speaking, she had no choice but to accept her fate.

Then, she turned her head back to look at Zhou Yan.

Actually, upon closer inspection, Zhou Yan was quite handsome.

His handsome face was complemented by dark golden eyes and a gentle demeanor.

If they hadn't gotten off on the wrong foot initially, Song Ling might have noticed this long ago.

As Zhou Yan approached now, she could feel her heart rate subtly quicken.

She couldn't help but think to herself.

Forget it. I'll just treat it as being bitten by a dog. I still need to secure Zhou Yan as an ally.

However, the expected situation did not occur.

What actually happened was...