Chapter 1007: Doubts Arise

On the other side, Zu An slept until noon and woke up feeling refreshed.

The servants at the inn had prepared fruits and pastries. Looking at the various meat dishes, Zu An thought, "This is indeed the Northwest; even the snacks are much more substantial."

He casually picked at some food, as he wasn't particularly picky about what he ate.

A short while later, a commotion suddenly arose outside. It turned out to be Sang Hong and his group returning.

"Did it not go well?" Zu An asked, noticing the somber expressions on their faces.

Sang Hong grunted in affirmation, while Pei You, standing nearby, quickly chimed in, "We went to the Yu residence and waited there for half the day, only to be told that Lady Yu was unwell and not seeing visitors. It was infuriating!"

They had been eager to catch a glimpse of the most beautiful woman, and on their way, they had even planned how to present themselves to leave a lasting impression. Being turned away left them feeling utterly dejected.

"Could she have been put under house arrest by Jian Taiding?" Zu An asked curiously, echoing their earlier suspicions.

Sang Hong shook his head. "We initially thought Yu Yanluo lived in the Duke's mansion, but we later found out she has always resided in the Yu residence. She's the spokesperson for the Yu clan in Yunzhong Commandery, and the Yu residence is primarily staffed by her own people. Who could possibly place her under house arrest there?"

Gao Ying also gave a wry smile. "Ultimately, she simply doesn't want to see us. The key is her special status, and since she's a woman, there's really nothing we can do."

"If we can't see Yu Yanluo, then there's no way to investigate the Duke's disappearance," Pei You complained. "As the Duchess, she's the one who knows most about many things."

Sang Hong's brows were also tightly furrowed. "I can't understand why she refused to see us. Could it be that she doesn't want us to find the culprit?"

Zu An's heart skipped a beat as he recalled Qiu Honglei's warning in Yi Commandery. She had also said that Yu Yanluo was by no means the harmless innocent girl that people imagined her to be.

He pondered for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "I'll try to visit her."

"It's no use. Even Lord Sang was turned away just now," Pei You said, putting an arm around his shoulder.

"Exactly. Years ago, Yu Yanluo's beauty was so renowned that countless nobles and aristocrats in the capital tried to see her, but none succeeded. Some young gentlemen, brimming with self-proclaimed talent, went confidently only to be turned away as well," Gao Ying recounted stories he had heard from the capital back then.

Although Zu An knew Yu Yanluo was popular, he hadn't realized she was *this* popular. What was more, everyone described her as exceptionally aloof, yet he hadn't sensed that at all before. "I think she'll probably see me," he said. "We're actually quite familiar."

The moment he said this, the surroundings immediately fell silent. Gao Ying and Pei You stared at him with extremely strange looks, and Sang Hong hesitated to speak several times.

Finally, Gao Ying spoke earnestly, "Brother Zu, we know you've always been popular with women, but Yu Yanluo is no ordinary woman. There's no need to waste your energy going there again."

Pei You nodded in agreement repeatedly, and even Sang Hong said in a deep voice, "If we can't see Yu Yanluo, we'll have to start our investigation with other members of the Jian family."

Although their words were tactful, their meaning was clear: they all thought Zu An was bragging.

Who was Yu Yanluo? When she was the most beautiful woman in the capital, Zu An was probably still a baby. How could she be familiar with him?

However, out of respect for him, they didn't explicitly call him out.

Zu An cleared his throat. "I'll give it a try. There's nothing to lose, anyway."

The group assumed he was simply trying to save face and said nothing more. They figured he would regret it after hitting a wall, and resolved not to mock him then, given their prior friendship.

With that, the group parted ways. Sang Hong and the others went to the Jian family to gather information, while Zu An went alone to find Yu Yanluo.

The Yu family residence was not hard to find. The most luxurious and imposing building in the entire Yunzhong Commandery was not the Prefect's mansion, nor the City Lord's residence, nor even the Duke of Yunzhong's estate, but the Yu residence, which had accumulated hundreds of years of heritage.

Rumor had it that half of Yunzhong City's territory belonged to the Yu family.

While perhaps an exaggeration, it still illustrated the Yu family's immense influence in Yunzhong Commandery.

Arriving before a magnificent mansion, Zu An was somewhat dazed, feeling as if he stood before a miniature imperial palace.

No wonder the Emperor was so wary of the Yu family; this was truly excessive.

He recalled that the Chu family, who dealt in salt and iron in Brightmoon City, were also said to be wealthy enough to rival a nation, but compared to the Yu family, they were clearly a tier below.

Upon reaching the gate, he spoke to the guards, "Please inform your lady that an old friend from Jackal Valley outside Brightmoon City is here to visit her."

The guard scrutinized him for a few moments, then waved his hand dismissively. "Go away. Our lady is unwell and has been refusing visitors recently."

Having served as a gate guard for so long, he had seen countless people concocting all sorts of bizarre reasons to approach their lady.

This young man barely had any hair on his lip. Could the lady truly be friends with him?

All the Yu family guards felt a natural sense of duty to protect their lady and prevent any ill-intentioned individuals from approaching her.

This feeling had grown particularly strong after the incident involving the Duke of Yunzhong.

Zu An felt a sense of déjà vu. This scene was familiar; he had encountered similar difficulties with the gatekeepers when he went to find Yu Yanluo at the Yu family's branch in Brightmoon City before.

However, his mindset was completely different now. He showed no sign of anger. "I'm not lying. I even have a token from your lady that she gave me. Please take it inside and inform her..."

Mid-sentence, he suddenly froze. He remembered that Yu Yanluo had taken back the jade pendant she had given him when they were in the capital.

Noticing his expression, the guard said coldly, "Don't bother. Our lady isn't seeing anyone. She didn't even see the Imperial Envoy just now. Are you more important than the Imperial Envoy?"

Zu An's brow furrowed slightly. Just then, a voice filled with surprise and uncertainty came from beside him: "Cheng... Brother Cheng?"

A guard dressed in white clothes and white trousers was returning to the residence from the street. As he passed by, he noticed the commotion, took a few more glances, and then exclaimed.

Zu An turned around. The person looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't recall who it was at the moment.

"Brother Cheng, don't you remember me? I'm Yu Bin. You saved me outside Brightmoon City back then," the guard said with a smile.

"Oh, it's you!" Zu An finally realized. Back then, he had been too focused on gaining Rage points, and the person's name had flashed several times in the system notifications, so it was no wonder he couldn't quite remember.

As for why the guard called him "Brother Cheng," it was because Zu An had used the alias Cheng Shoubing to hide his identity at the time.

"Yu Bin, you know this person?" The other gate guard was dumbfounded.

Yu Bin chuckled. "Of course. He even saved our lady before."

The first gate guard immediately apologized to Zu An, "I am so sorry, young master, I completely misunderstood... I almost turned away our lady's lifesaver. I deserve to die!"

As he spoke, he suddenly raised his knife to his neck. Fortunately, Zu An reacted quickly, knocking the blade away. "What are you doing? It's just a small matter!"

"I've failed our lady, and I've failed you, young master..." The gatekeeper's face was filled with agitation.

Yu Bin quickly intervened, "Brother Cheng hasn't blamed you, and our lady certainly won't. Why go to such extremes?"

It took some effort for the two of them to calm the man down. During this time, Yu Bin learned of Zu An's purpose and said, "Brother Cheng, I'll take you inside. However, our lady hasn't been feeling well recently, both physically and emotionally, and she genuinely hasn't been seeing outsiders. I can't say for sure whether she will agree to see you."

"Thank you, Brother Yu." Zu An followed him into the Yu residence, observing the various arrangements and defensive measures along the way, while also asking, "Why did that man just try to kill himself?"

The scene earlier made his heart pound, because the man's attempt at suicide was not an act; if Zu An had reacted even slightly slower, he would have truly died.

"Everyone in the mansion holds our lady in great reverence. You are her lifesaver, but he caused you to be humiliated, so naturally, he couldn't bear it," Yu Bin said, as if describing something commonplace.

Zu An's brows furrowed subtly. Were the Yu family members a bit too fanatical about Yu Yanluo?

He could tell that there was no lust or wicked intent in their eyes, just pure, extreme reverence for the beautiful woman.

Qiu Honglei's words resurfaced in his mind, and his resolve began to waver. Yu Yanluo truly was not simple.

Yu Bin asked Zu An to wait in the living room, then hurried inside to report.

Not long after, he rushed out, his face alight with excitement. "Brother Cheng, our lady said you can go in."

"This is truly unexpected; our lady hasn't seen any outsiders for a long time."

"Brother Yu, actually, my name isn't Cheng Shoubing..." Zu An took the opportunity to explain his true identity. "I used an alias back then because I was worried about retaliation. I hope Brother Yu can forgive me."

Yu Bin was slightly taken aback but didn't seem to mind. "Brother Zu, your meticulous planning is admirable. And your willingness to be truthful now truly shows you are a gentleman. Please, come in!"

He led Zu An to a room, then quietly withdrew. As Zu An stepped through the doorway, he instantly felt a wave of warmth wash over him.

Outside, it was freezing cold, but inside, it felt like summer. He instinctively loosened his collar.

"They must have put too many braziers in here," Zu An muttered to himself, but he was soon stunned by the sight before him.