Chapter 1046: Come Just in Time

"Grandmaster Yan is gone," Zu An replied."Gone?" Yun Jianyue sounded displeased. "Did she know I was coming, and that's why she left so quickly?"

Qiu Honglei, standing nearby, explained, "Ah Zu just scared her away with an imperial decree."

Yun Jianyue scoffed, "You think a mere imperial decree could scare that woman? He would have been killed dozens of times over in the time it takes him to read it."

Zu An gave an embarrassed smile. What she said was true; given a Grandmaster's skill, if Yan Xuehen had chosen to act, he wouldn't have had time to finish reading the decree.

Qiu Honglei, however, began to explain on his behalf, "That's because Ah Zu was clever and resourceful. He made Grandmaster Yan promise not to interfere beforehand..."She then briefly described what had just happened.

Yun Jianyue remained unimpressed. "War is a game of deception. Only a blockhead like her would actually abide by such an obviously unreasonable condition."

Qiu Honglei's expression was strange. "It's a good thing Ah Zu scared Grandmaster Yan away. Otherwise, with your injuries, Master, you probably wouldn't have been able to defeat her."

Yun Jianyue was speechless. "You wretched girl, why are you always siding with outsiders!"

Qiu Honglei shrank back. "I was just speaking the truth."

Yun Jianyue grabbed her by the collar and drifted away, as if carrying a small chick. "Come back with me and train properly, lest that woman's disciple beats you up next year."

Zu An was bewildered. He quickly called out, "Sister Yun, you're just taking her away like that? What about me?"

Yun Jianyue spat. "Who's your sister? I'm letting you off easy today for Honglei's sake. If you try to flirt with her again, I'll break your third leg."Her voice still lingered in the air, but she had vanished without a trace.

Zu An was speechless. That woman really changes her tune when she's outside the palace. Her attitude in the imperial palace was completely different.

Tang Tian'er, standing nearby, was dumbfounded. She never expected him to have such a good relationship with the Demonic Sect Master, to be able to talk to her like that. Who was Yun Jianyue? A notorious, cold-blooded devil in the pugilistic world! When did she ever just threaten people? If she truly disliked someone, she'd simply eliminate them. Yet, she actually said she'd break Zu An's third leg... It felt more like banter between friends.

At that moment, Zu An swayed. Although his body was robust, he had sustained severe injuries and was now feeling weak. After Yun Jianyue left, he finally found himself unable to stand steadily.

"Are you alright, Young Master?" Tang Tian'er rushed over to support him.

"I'm fine, just need to rest a bit," Zu An nodded to her. At the same time, he glanced behind her and noticed Zhuang Hetong was no longer there.

Tang Tian'er also seemed to realize something, and pleaded softly, "Young Master, could you please spare my uncle for my sake?"

Zu An had to admire this woman; she truly was a born socialite. She had clearly hidden Zhuang Hetong a long time ago, and he wouldn't be able to find him even if he wanted to. Moreover, he was currently inside Zhenyuan Merchant Guild, and if any conflict were to arise, it was obvious who would be at a disadvantage. Yet, in this situation, Tang Tian'er still spoke so softly, giving him plenty of face, truly manipulating men's psychology perfectly.

Zu An smiled. "Miss Tang, there's no need to be so polite. You just saved me, so how could I not give you face?"

Just then, a dense sound of footsteps came from a distance. It was Xu Yu and Gao Ying, who had arrived with the county soldiers and constables after hearing the news.

Tang Tian'er quickly said, "Young Master, it's inconvenient for me to be seen here. I'll take my leave first."She then quickly trotted back, but after a few steps, she stopped and whispered, "Just now in the room... under those circumstances, I wouldn't have saved anyone else."Her ears slightly reddened, she quickly ran back.

Zu An chuckled to himself. This woman was truly adept at leveraging her advantages, making it impossible for others to discern if she was speaking the truth or not, yet somehow without evoking any ill will.

By this time, Xu Yu and his men had arrived with their troops. "What happened? There were towering flames here just now, and it felt like a high-level battle took place."As he spoke, he saw the scene, which looked as if it had been ravaged by a storm, and his expression subtly changed. Finally, his gaze fell upon Zu An.

Zu An pulled down his mask. "Lord Xu, Brother Gao, it's me."

"Lord Zu?""Brother Zu!"Xu Yu and Gao Ying quickly came forward to support him.

"Brother Zu, what happened to you?"

Zu An opened his mouth, then tilted his head and fainted in Gao Ying's arms.Of course, he wasn't truly unconscious; he simply didn't want the people from Cloudmidst Commandery to know the true extent of his injuries. After all, he had just fought a Grandmaster and several ninth-grade experts, not only emerging victorious but even startling a Grandmaster into retreat. If he had no injuries at all, it would be too unbelievable. Furthermore, he had a nascent plan that needed his injuries as a cover.

"Brother Zu!" Gao Ying, naturally unaware of the truth, was greatly alarmed by the sight. He quickly gave him some healing medicine and sent someone to call a doctor.

Xu Yu, meanwhile, sealed off the scene and apprehended some Zhenyuan Merchant Guild members for questioning. However, due to the immense power of the battle's aftermath, the guild members had all hidden far away, and the informed experts had left beforehand at Tang Tian'er's signal. Thus, after a round of questioning, only a vague picture of what had just transpired could be pieced together.

Upon learning that Zu An had fought several Grandmaster-level experts, Xu Yu was greatly shocked. Although Zu An now appeared gravely injured, this accomplishment alone was enough to astound the world.

An hour later, Zu An was taken back to the Imperial Envoy's Residence. Gao Ying trusted the physicians at the residence more than those at the Commandery Governor's Mansion.

Upon hearing the news of Zu An's severe injuries, Sang Hong rushed out in a panic, without a trace of his usual composure.

Zu An secretly observed this and felt a warmth in his heart, realizing that ever since that night, Sang Hong truly regarded him as family.

After the outsiders left, Zu An pretended to slowly regain consciousness. Sang Hong, Pei You, and others quickly stepped forward to check on him. "How are you feeling now?"

"I won't die, but I'll probably need some time to recover," Zu An continued, speaking "weakly."

"What exactly happened? Why are you in such a state?" Sang Hong could no longer contain his curiosity and quickly asked.

Zu An then generally recounted the events at the Zhenyuan Merchant Guild.

"Preposterous! Zuo Su truly colluded with Jian Taiding; he deserves to die, he truly deserves to die!" Sang Hong was exceptionally enraged. After all, in their initial assessment, Zuo Su was considered one of their own from the imperial court, a capable assistant to help deal with Jian Taiding. Now, they discovered that the officials in Cloudmidst Commandery had long been in cahoots with each other.

"Jian Taiding is seriously injured now. Can we go arrest him immediately?" Zu An said regretfully, "It's a pity he got away just now."

Pei You, standing by, couldn't help but say, "Brother Zu, you are truly amazing! You not only defeated a formidable Grandmaster, but you're also regretting not capturing him."

"It was just a clever trick," Zu An said modestly, not wanting to reveal too many of his trump cards.

"Even a clever trick is astonishing enough," Sang Hong said, giving him a complex look. He mused that he had initially hesitated to tacitly approve of his daughter and daughter-in-law's matters, but now it seemed like a truly worthwhile decision.His grandson would wake up laughing from dreams with a father like this.

He quickly composed himself and continued, "Ah Zu, you don't need to blame yourself. Even if you had captured Jian Taiding just now, we wouldn't have been able to convict him. Instead, it would only cause his cronies in the Governor-General's Mansion to take desperate measures, making the situation even worse."

"What do you mean?" Zu An frowned.

Sang Hong explained, "Because we have no evidence. The previous records of collusion with the demon race only implicated Zuo Su, not Jian Taiding."

"Furthermore, regarding their killing of Zuo Su, you were the only one present who heard it. If they deny it, we'll have no recourse."

"Unless you could have captured that demon Grandmaster and the others on the spot. But if that demon Grandmaster had been there, you would likely have been in great danger today."

Zu An considered this. He was able to severely injure Jian Taiding only because the latter hadn't expected his body to be so tough, and it was by exchanging blows that he managed to inflict heavy damage.

If that demon Grandmaster had also been present, he would likely have been the one to die. After all, demons wouldn't adhere to the principles of chivalry like Yan Xuehen, allowing themselves to be outwitted by a gentleman.

Thinking of this, Zu An couldn't help but say, "White Jade Capital seems to be involved as well. With a Grandmaster present, our mission might be beyond our capabilities."

Sang Hong shook his head. "I don't think so. White Jade Capital is a top-tier sect in the martial world, always priding itself on being a righteous and prestigious sect. They shouldn't be involved in colluding with the demon race. They likely intervened to rescue him because Jian Taiding is also a fellow disciple."

Pei You couldn't help but ask, "In that case, can we ask Grandmaster Yan to clean up her sect?"

Sang Hong looked at him as if he were an idiot. "It's not that easy. In recent years, the imperial court's strong stance, gathering cultivators from all walks of life to serve the nation, has actually caused much discontent among various sects. Minor sects might be wiped out, but major sects like White Jade Capital simply seal off their mountains and defend themselves. They've long harbored dissatisfaction with the imperial court, so why would they help us deal with their own members?"Furthermore, if I'm not mistaken, Jian Taiding has presented various wealth and resources to the sect over the years. They will definitely protect him if they can."

"So, what do we do now?" Zu An felt a headache coming on.

Sang Hong said gravely, "Immediately have the Commandery Governor's Mansion issue a warrant for the demon Grandmaster Kong Qing. Neither the Governor-General's Mansion nor Xu Yu will have any reason to object to this. Pei You, you will take people to the Yu family and find Yu Xuantao for investigation. Hmph, if we can't touch Jian Taiding, can't we still touch Yu Xuantao?!"

"Yes, sir!" Pei You left with an excited expression, thinking that this visit to the Yu family would finally allow him to meet the legendary Yu Yanluo.

Zu An, however, was not so optimistic. "Kong Qing is a formidable Grandmaster; what good will a warrant do?"

"It's just a gesture to test the waters," Sang Hong continued. "Additionally, tomorrow morning, I will use the Sound-and-Image Mirror to consult the imperial court and request them to send reinforcements."

For such an important mission, they naturally carried a Sound-and-Image Mirror. However, activating it consumed too many resources, so it was only used for essential matters. Clearly, this was now an essential matter.

"You focus on recovering from your injuries; don't worry about anything else," Sang Hong instructed before leaving, clearly preoccupied.

Zu An lay in the room, secretly channeling his Primordial Qi to heal his injuries. Although his wounds weren't as severe as he had made them out to be, they were certainly not light.

Suddenly, his heart stirred, and he opened his eyes. A woman in white stood quietly by the window, watching him. Who else could it be but Yan Xuehen!