Chapter 1002: Why Should You Believe?

They couldn't help but fall silent. Who was Yun Jianyue? The Demon Sect Leader, a grandmaster at the pinnacle of her power. Over the years, countless imperial experts had fallen at her hands. To the officials of Great Zhou, she was nothing less than a bloodthirsty demoness.

Zuan had actually fought such a demoness and was still here, safe and sound, with no visible injuries. What did that imply?

Not only others, but Zuan himself was startled. "Could Sang Hong already know my identity as an Embroidered Envoy?" he wondered.

At that moment, Sang Hong's voice, transmitted secretly, reached his ear: "Put on a show and boost our presence. Since they're trying to intimidate us, we can't afford to do nothing."

Although Sang Hong was an imperial envoy, he was only an eighth-rank cultivator. With Golden Token Eleven absent this time, and many eighth-rank masters in Yunzhong Commandery—Jian Taiding even being a grandmaster—Sang Hong felt an inexplicable pressure.

If their initial momentum was weak, many subsequent matters would be difficult to pursue. This was why he resorted to such a tactic.

As for the veracity of the claim, Zuan had served in the imperial palace, and outsiders were unaware of the specific details within. Furthermore, now that he held the title of imperial envoy, these officials wouldn't dare test him publicly. This was a lie that couldn't be easily debunked, and he naturally wouldn't let such a good opportunity pass.

Jian Taiding spoke up in surprise: "Lord Zuan has fought Yun Jianyue?"

Although he couldn't physically test it, there was no harm in asking.

Zuan gave a light cough. "Not exactly fought," he clarified, "just exchanged one move with her."

Sang Hong, under the table, gave a thumbs-up. He had initially planned to caution Zuan against overplaying his hand, but he was surprised by Zuan's quick wit and convincing portrayal. It was so convincing that even Sang Hong almost believed Zuan had genuinely fought Yun Jianyue.

Hearing his words, the officials present murmured in astonishment. It seemed highly unlikely that someone so young could have exchanged blows with Yun Jianyue.

However, if it was merely blocking one move, then it wasn't entirely impossible.

Zuo Su, as the Prefect, naturally aligned with the imperial court and thus supported the imperial envoy. He chimed in, "How formidable is that demoness Yun Jianyue? To withstand even one of her moves is incredibly rare. Lord Zuan is truly talented at a young age; it's admirable."

With his lead, the officials of Yunzhong Commandery naturally echoed his sentiments.

While the Governor-General's Residence harbored doubts, the person in question was an imperial envoy. They couldn't simply challenge him directly, as they had done with Vice-Prefect Xu previously. They had no choice but to join in the flattery.

Sang Hong stroked his beard, highly pleased with his spontaneous maneuver.

At this point, Gao Ying and Pei You also spoke up: "That's not all. In the secret realm, Lord Zuan single-handedly vanquished the evolved Azure Sky Moon Dragon to protect the Crown Prince."

"Even top assassins who attempted to murder the Crown Prince all met their defeat at Lord Zuan's hands."

The two indeed praised Zuan to the skies. They were accustomed to this kind of reciprocal flattery, and furthermore, they genuinely admired Zuan, and what they said on this occasion was indeed the truth.

Unfortunately, after their elaborate praise, they noticed the atmosphere had become somewhat awkward.

The officials from Yunzhong Commandery wore peculiar expressions. They hadn't truly believed Zuan could contend with Yun Jianyue from the start; they were simply refraining from exposing the lie out of deference to the imperial envoy.

Yet, their exaggerations grew increasingly outlandish, now including claims of single-handedly annihilating an Azure Sky Moon Dragon.

An Azure Sky Moon Dragon was at least a seventh-rank fierce beast, and an evolved version would surely be at least eighth-rank.

It was well-known that fierce beasts possessed far greater combat prowess than cultivators of the same rank. Many of the masters present wouldn't dare claim they could single-handedly subdue an eighth-rank Azure Sky Moon Dragon. What special ability did this young man have?

As for the "top assassins" they mentioned who tried to kill the Crown Prince, those claims were entirely disregarded by the assembled officials.

This was because Gao Ying and Pei You were only sixth-rank cultivators; presumably, in their eyes, a seventh-rank practitioner was already considered a master.

Sang Hong also shot them a reproachful glare, thinking, *This* is what "too much is as bad as not enough" truly means!

The atmosphere he had carefully cultivated earlier was just right, but these two had jumped in with their wild exaggerations, turning his previous efforts into a laughingstock. Now, everyone was likely mocking him for boasting.

Gao Ying and Pei You felt immensely wronged. *We were speaking the truth*, they thought. *Why does no one believe us?*

"Brother Zuan, could you say something?" The two turned to Zuan, looking for help.

Zuan merely smiled, offering no explanation.

Just then, a lazy voice drifted from nearby: "You can withstand one of Yun Jianyue's moves? I don't believe it."

Though not loud, the voice was incredibly jarring in the current atmosphere. A group of people quickly turned to see the drunkard from earlier, his finger hooked around a wine pot, observing Zuan with a wry smile.

The staff from the Governor-General's Residence had initially disliked this man due to his earlier incident with Commander Dian. Now, however, they found him quite endearing, eager to see how the imperial envoys would manage this situation.

Sang Hong's expression finally changed. He had calculated for every contingency but had overlooked this individual.

Everyone else was part of the official bureaucracy, likely hesitant to openly question or refute him out of respect for his status as an imperial envoy. However, this man was clearly an exception.

Crucially, they had just witnessed him effortlessly defeat the seventh-rank Commander Dian. His true cultivation was unfathomable, likely even beyond that of a grandmaster.

Although Zuan had defeated Lord Liao in Yi Commandery, facing a grandmaster, he might...

Vice-Prefect Xu Yu anxiously tugged the drunkard's sleeve. "Brother Xiao..." he whispered.

From Xu Yu's perspective, he naturally wished to avoid conflict with the imperial envoy, and this man was his friend. His actions might appear to Sang Hong as if he had given the instruction.

Unfortunately, the drunkard completely ignored him, instead gazing at Zuan with keen interest. "Years ago, I fought Yun Jianyue and was defeated by her," he stated. "I understand her cultivation best. I truly don't believe you could withstand one of her moves unscathed."

Upon hearing his words, gasps rippled through the hall. Although the drunkard had previously defeated Commander Dian, most had not paid it much heed, given that many present could have defeated the commander, and they, being high-ranking officials, commanded far more influence than a mere rogue cultivator.

But now, hearing that this man had actually fought Yun Jianyue—though he didn't elaborate, his brief words suggested they had truly engaged in a serious battle, without any artifice.

Although he claimed defeat, to have emerged unscathed from a direct confrontation with Yun Jianyue—how extraordinary was that?

Unlike Sang Hong's earlier forced praise for Zuan, which had been met with widespread skepticism, when the drunkard spoke similar words, everyone involuntarily believed him.

Sang Hong's heart sank. How could he have possibly anticipated that someone in the room had truly fought Yun Jianyue?

The situation was now beyond his control.

Zuan was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Yun Jianyue, who seemed rather demure in his presence, to be so formidable outside. How could her defeated opponents be found everywhere?

"Why do I need your belief?" Zuan asked indifferently, toying with his wine cup.

The drunkard smiled. "That's not up to you," he replied.

No sooner had he spoken than he slapped the table. A stream of wine automatically shot from the pot. With a casual flick of his hand, the liquid shot towards Zuan like an arrow released from a bow.

"Watch out!" many masters in the room exclaimed, their faces instantly paling.

They could discern that it was no longer mere wine, but rather contained an exceedingly profound sword intent, virtually indistinguishable from an actual sword strike.

Sang Hong attempted to intervene, but it was already too late; this "sword" was simply too swift.

Xu Yu's mouth hung agape; he knew this situation was problematic.

Jian Taiding wore a faint, ambiguous smile. This "sword" was far too powerful; the young man certainly wouldn't be able to withstand it.

He wondered if the drunkard would hold back. If he didn't, and Zuan was severely wounded or even killed on the spot, that would be quite a spectacle.

Even if he held back, Zuan would clearly be humiliated by this strike. After this, what authority would these imperial envoys have to investigate cases here? It would be better to formalize the bestowal of titles quickly and return to the capital.

All the officials in the hall harbored their own thoughts, but their eyes soon widened in astonishment.

Zuan picked up his wine cup, held it forward to block, and with a flick of his wrist, perfectly contained all the wine imbued with sword intent within it. "Thank you, sir, for the toast," he said.

He then raised his cup and drained it.

A brief, stunned silence fell over the entire hall.

Such a powerful "sword"—not to mention a fragile wine cup, even a large boulder would likely have been directly pierced. Yet, he had parried it with such ease?

Everyone's gaze toward Zuan instantly transformed. Previously, their compliments had merely been polite gestures out of respect for Sang Hong. Now, they realized they had severely underestimated him.

No wonder Sang Hong, that old fox, held him in such high regard. This person was indeed extraordinary.

At this point, the drunkard's face showed surprise. "For you to withstand my sword attack," he said, "it seems you'd have no trouble taking one of Yun Jianyue's moves. I apologize for my earlier offense; I'll punish myself with three cups."

With that, he immediately embraced his wine gourd and began to drink. With gurgling gulps, he consumed far more than three cups, as if he had found an excuse to drink his fill.

Zuan was somewhat surprised by the man's demeanor and, curious as to why he was near Pei Mianman's residence, tentatively asked, "The sword intent I just felt from you reminded me of someone: Sword Immortal Xiao Yao, the Libationer's third disciple from years ago. You also bear the surname Xiao; might you be related to that Sword Immortal?"