Chapter 1106: Behind the Scenes Manipulation

The person hadn't walked in voluntarily; they were pulled in by Yun Jianyue's potent *qi*. While they didn't fall heavily, their entrance was clearly not a polite one.

Upon seeing the person lying on the ground, Zu An exclaimed in surprise, "Tao Hong!"

The woman before him was none other than the missing courtesan from the Jade Pavilion, whom Pei You had been searching for extensively without success. He was surprised to find she had been captured by Yun Jianyue.

"Sect Master," Zu An began, noticing Tao Hong appeared to have her acupoints sealed and her face was etched with terror, "What is this...?"

Yun Jianyue stated calmly, "I heard you arrested some people at the Pegasus Guild. I'm offering her as an exchange for you to release those individuals."

Zu An paused for only a moment before readily agreeing, "Alright!"

This, in turn, surprised Yun Jianyue. "Captured by the Imperial Envoy, releasing them won't be easy, will it? Why did you agree so quickly?"

Gazing at the radiant and captivating long-haired woman before him, Zu An found it difficult to reconcile her image with the terrifying female demon known to strike fear into the hearts of many. "Since the Sect Master has requested it," he replied, "I will do my utmost to help, no matter the difficulty. Besides, you've even brought me a gift for the exchange this time."

Yun Jianyue scoffed, "Smooth talker."

Despite her chiding, a faint smile played on her lips.

"Oh, by the way," she continued, "I sent Honglei back to secluded cultivation. Every time you appear, you disrupt her composure, and she has a duel next year with that Ice Stone Woman's disciple. There's no room for error." She paused, then glanced at Zu An again. "I'm playing the role of the match-breaker; you won't hold it against me, will you?"

"It would be a lie to say I feel no ripple of emotion," Zu An sighed. "Every time I reunite with Honglei, we're forced to part ways. However, I cannot be so selfish as to jeopardize her future. Sect Master, what you did was correct; how could I ever blame you?"

Yun Jianyue nodded with satisfaction. "Very good; you're not like those hypocrites who feign sincerity. If the opportunity arises in the future, I will arrange for you two to meet again. Now that this matter is concluded, I must depart. Until we meet again."

As she was about to leave, Zu An called out to her. Seeing her look of confusion, he lowered his voice and asked, "Sect Master, are you secretly collaborating with King Yan?"

Yun Jianyue's expression flickered slightly. After a moment's hesitation, she nodded and confirmed, "That's right."

She reasoned that he wouldn't ask such a question without cause, and given the recent investigation of the Pegasus Guild, he clearly knew something. Therefore, there was no need to conceal the truth.

Zu An warned, "Sect Master, you must be cautious. King Yan is entirely exploiting you. For instance, he knows exactly who impersonated your sect to plunder imperial supplies, letting you bear the brunt of a massive scapegoat. Yet he didn't inform you, choosing instead to use you to help him seize market share from the Zhenyuan Guild here."

"I am well aware that King Yan is using us; however, we are also using him," Yun Jianyue said with a smile. "Nevertheless, you've provided me with crucial information this time, which proves Honglei's kindness towards you wasn't misplaced."

Zu An couldn't help but interject, "I'm not doing all of this solely for Honglei; the Sect Master has also been very kind to me."

Yun Jianyue's expression immediately turned dangerous. "Are you perhaps tired of living in this world, truly harboring thoughts of taking both master and disciple?"

Feeling the oppressive aura bearing down on him, Zu An hastily explained, "Sect Master, please don't misunderstand. We each have our own relationship. Honglei calls you Master, and I call you Sister; I merely genuinely consider you a friend."

"That's more like it," Yun Jianyue said, her expression softening slightly. "I'm off."

With a light step, her figure vanished into the distance.

Zu An covertly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. What was wrong with that woman? He had just had such an extensive conversation with Yan Xuehen, yet now this was what angered her?

"What just happened? It seems you upset her?" Yu Yanluo's voice chimed in. She had just sensed Yun Jianyue's sudden burst of oppressive aura and had rushed over to investigate.

"Perhaps that's just how the Demonic Cult operates—fickle and unpredictable," Zu An replied. Naturally, he couldn't explain the true reason to her, especially since he genuinely felt innocent.

"That's true," Yu Yanluo conceded, without suspicion. Her gaze then fell upon Tao Hong on the ground. "Who is she?"

Her first thought was that this was another one of Zu An's female confidantes. However, upon closer inspection, while the woman possessed some charm, she wasn't as attractive as even some of the prettier maids in Yu Yanluo's own manor. Moreover, her demeanor suggested a life of hardship, making Yu Yanluo truly doubt Zu An's taste could be so poor.

Zu An explained Tao Hong's background to her. "I need to take her back for interrogation, so I'll take my leave now."

Yu Yanluo nodded. "Important matters come first."

After saying this, she suddenly froze, as if implying that spending time with her wasn't an "important matter." She found their current relationship a bit strange.

Zu An, meanwhile, cast an apologetic glance at the nearby ruins. "I'm truly sorry; your house has collapsed because of what happened."

"It's alright; it won't take long to rebuild," Yu Yanluo replied, gazing at the collapsed room with a hint of reluctance in her eyes. Clearly, after living there for so many years, she had grown attached to it.

After offering a few more words of comfort, Zu An left the Yu residence and hurried back to the diplomatic lodge.

Along the way, he repeatedly asked Tao Hong who had truly instructed her, but she consistently evaded his questions.

Eventually, Zu An stopped pressing her and simply handed her over to Xiao Jianren. Professional matters are best left to professionals; when it came to interrogating suspects for confessions, no one was more skilled than the Embroidered Envoys.

He then went to find Sang Hong. Given their current relationship, he spoke openly, directly proposing his intention to release Golden Master, Wooden Master, and the others.

"Qiu Honglei came to see you?" Sang Hong asked, recalling their shared experience of being escorted to the capital, which had revealed the depth of their relationship.

Zu An gave an indistinct hum. He certainly couldn't tell him it was Yun Jianyue. After all, he and Yun Jianyue were supposed to have no direct connection, with their only public link being the recent imperial palace assassination attempt. He didn't want to alarm Sang Hong and create unnecessary complications by revealing the truth.

Sang Hong, however, frowned. "I know that enchantress is beautiful, but a beauty often spells trouble, as history shows. She's the Saintess of the Demonic Cult; if you associate with her, you'll inevitably get dragged into her affairs."

Zu An explained, "She risked her life to save me back then; I couldn't possibly be ungrateful."

This silenced Sang Hong. If Zu An were truly an ungrateful person, he wouldn't dare to continue their alliance and cooperation.

Noticing Sang Hong's silence and realizing he was hesitating, Zu An pressed on, "Not long ago, the Demonic Cult Master Yun Jianyue appeared in the city. If we accidentally draw her attention, we'll be in serious trouble. Our primary mission here is to handle matters in Cloudtop County; there's no need to create additional complications by confronting the Demonic Cult."

Sang Hong's expression subtly shifted, and he nodded. "Very well. Since nothing has been officially reported yet, find an opportunity to release them. It would be best to create some defensive loopholes and let them escape on their own, so as to avoid leaving any vulnerabilities for the future."

Zu An thought, *He's truly an old fox in official circles, considering everything so thoroughly.* "Thank you, Uncle," he said aloud.

"You should try to maintain your distance from members of the Demonic Cult in the future..." Sang Hong began to advise, but before he could finish, news arrived from Xiao Jianren: Tao Hong had confessed.

"Tell us, who exactly ordered you to do this?" Sang Hong asked in a deep voice upon entering the secret chamber.

Tao Hong offered a mournful smile. "I dare to speak, but do you dare to listen?"

Sang Hong's expression shifted. He waved his hand, dismissing everyone else, leaving only Zu An, Pei You, and Xiao Jianren in the room.

"Don't play games, just tell us!" Pei You snapped, clearly annoyed. He had been thoroughly tormented by this woman recently and was understandably quite displeased.

Tao Hong gritted her teeth. "Unless you can guarantee my safety, speaking will only lead to my death."

"I am the Imperial Envoy; you may speak without fear," Sang Hong said coldly.

"Imperial Envoy..." A flicker of sarcasm crossed Tao Hong's face, yet she knew she had no choice in her current predicament. She then slowly uttered a name: "If King Qi wants to kill me, can you protect me?"