Chapter 1108: Blood Debt Must Be Repaid in Blood

A rolled-up paper fell from the center of the broken sword. Made from a special material, it was resistant to water and fire to a certain extent.

Zu An unrolled the paper, his expression shifting dramatically.

"What's wrong?" Sang Hong asked, noticing Zu An's expression.

Having just sent his subordinates away, Zu An whispered, "The evidence we've been looking for—Shen Zhou left it here."

"What!" Sang Hong quickly took the scroll to examine it. It was a simple ledger, one that corroborated the records found earlier at the Zhenyuan Merchant Association.

The only difference was that this ledger also contained extensive records of smuggling between the Qi King's lineage and the demon race.

No wonder the Qi King's faction didn't spare the entire village. They feared Shen Zhou had left behind evidence, but since they couldn't find it, they decided to burn everything, ensuring any evidence would be reduced to ashes. They had never imagined Shen Zhou would hide the evidence within the toy wooden sword he made for his son, or that the sword would accidentally end up with Zu An. Otherwise, he might not have escaped the inferno this time either.

It seemed like an act of providence.

At that moment, Sang Hong said, "A'Zu, I need to secure everyone on this list immediately. Shall we go together?"

After all, a ledger is just a ledger; it requires corroboration from actual people and physical evidence to become undeniable proof.

Zu An shook his head. "Uncle, you go ahead. I have something more important to attend to." He then cast his gaze toward a specific direction in Cloudmount City.

Sang Hong seemed to anticipate his thoughts, and said with concern, "A'Zu, don't be rash. Let's plan this carefully."

Zu An said in a deep voice, "What is the purpose of cultivation if not to exact justice and settle grievances? My heart cannot be at peace otherwise." Without waiting for Sang Hong to try and stop him, Zu An vanished into the distance in a few swift movements.

Sang Hong's face was grim. He waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to return to the city. To help Zu An, he needed to secure all the evidence as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, Zu An sped through the city, arriving outside a certain mansion.

"Zhao Zhi, get out here!" a furious roar echoed.

Inside the mansion, several people were clinking glasses around a wine table. The silver-haired Han Fengqiu was toasting a few burly men. "You've all worked hard!" he said.

The leader of the burly men, whose face bore striking yellow-and-black markings, spoke with a booming voice. "What's so hard about that? Just a few country bumpkins, no effort required at all. I just don't understand why these mortals need us to act."

Han Fengqiu chuckled. "Mainly because things have been quite unpredictable in Cloudmount Prefecture lately. If we can't settle this in the shortest time, any small mistake could ruin everything."

The large man nodded, regretting slightly as he said, "As I suggested, we should've just eaten them all. No trace would've been left."

Han Fengqiu silently cursed him as an idiot but still replied courteously, "That would risk exposing your identities, which would cause significant disadvantages for future operations."

"Hmph, I can come and go as I please in Cloudmount Prefecture. Who can stop me?" the large man scoffed.

Han Fengqiu thought to himself that these demon-folk were indeed barbaric and impolite; dealing with them was utterly exhausting.

Just then, Zu An's furious roar echoed from outside.

Enraged, everyone in the room rushed out.

"I wondered who had the audacity to cause trouble here, daring to be so reckless. Turns out it's Master Zu." Han Fengqiu sneered after recognizing the newcomer.

Zu An noticed the large man beside him. His round face and strikingly prominent yellow-and-black markings made Zu An frown. "Tiger Clan?"

The patterns were so distinctly tiger-like that they were impossible to mistake.

Han Fengqiu inwardly regretted that these simple-minded, brawny brutes had charged out directly. He also blamed himself for being caught up in the moment and forgetting to stop them. However, since the situation was already out in the open, there was no need for pretense. He said indifferently, "These are temporary guards I've hired. The imperial court hasn't forbidden employing them, has it?"

After the demon race's defeat years ago, many demons remained in human territories as slaves. Many noble families kept demon slaves, and over time, the type and number of demon slaves even became a measure of a family's prestige.

Zu An, naturally, wasn't there to debate such matters. He asked coldly, "Where is Zhao Zhi? Why isn't he out here?"

Han Fengqiu frowned. "Master Zu, isn't it improper to address the Young Master by his given name? If one were to delve into it, you could be charged."

Zu An completely ignored him and directly asked, "Were Shen Zhou's wife and child killed by your people?"

Hearing his words, the large demon man beside Han Fengqiu narrowed his eyes but wisely remained silent for the moment, understanding the gravity of the situation.

Han Fengqiu sneered. "What is Master Zu talking about? Who did we send to kill? I don't even know who Shen Zhou is. We are all officials in court; you must speak with evidence, or I'll report you. I guarantee you won't escape consequences."

Zu An calmly met his gaze. "Do you think I'm here to investigate a case, patiently presenting evidence?"

"My Great Zhou is a land of law. What, does Master Zu intend to execute without proving guilt?" Han Fengqiu said dismissively, crossing his arms.

"Congratulations, you're absolutely right." The words had barely left Zu An's lips before he was already in front of Han Fengqiu, unleashing a palm strike.

Though Han Fengqiu had spoken boldly, he hadn't anticipated Zu An would act so decisively. He swiftly drew his sword, but was a fraction of a second too slow. Zu An's palm pressed directly onto his sword blade, and the long sword offered no resistance, continuing its path to strike Han Fengqiu's chest.

*Pfft!*

A mouthful of fresh blood gushed out. Han Fengqiu felt several ribs might have broken, and he recoiled like a tattered sandbag.

Zu An, however, frowned. Han Fengqiu's injuries weren't as severe as they appeared; he seemed to be wearing some kind of heart-protecting artifact.

Just then, a furious roar came from the side as the tiger-striped large man charged forward, howling.

Zu An instantly understood the meaning of the phrase "tiger's roar echoing through the forest" as a visible wave of sound attacked him. Even with his current cultivation, he felt a powerful jolt and a fleeting moment of disorientation. This was clearly an innate skill of the Tiger Clan, seemingly unrelated to cultivation level.

The tiger-striped man's massive fist, as large as a grinding mortar, was already hurtling towards Zu An's waist. A white glow, indicative of breaking the sound barrier, emanated from it. If this punch connected, Zu An's internal organs would likely be shattered. Using the tiger's roar to disorient an opponent, then following up with a devastating punch while they were momentarily stunned, was his unfailing killing technique.

To his astonishment, however, Zu An recovered prematurely, his palm arriving before the punch and blocking it.

With a resounding *thud*, both men recoiled.

The unleashed energy spread outwards, snapping all the surrounding flora within a radius centered on the two combatants.

Only then did Zu An realize he had underestimated him. This Tiger Clan expert seemed to have reached the peak of the Ninth Rank. Crucially, his formidable physique and various racial talent bonuses meant his actual combat strength was likely significantly higher than human cultivators of the same level.

At that moment, a dragon's roar resounded as an incredibly sharp sword qi shot towards his throat.

Zu An casually flicked his hand, deflecting the incoming flying sword.

The flying sword returned to Han Fengqiu's hand. With blood staining the corner of his mouth, he had already risen from the ground. "Zu, are you insane?" he spat.

(Anger from Han Fengqiu: +433, +433, +433...)

He was inwardly seething with frustration. During their previous encounter in the capital, the opponent had clearly been inferior to him, yet he had gained no advantage from the skirmish and even allowed him to injure the Young Master, leading to rumors of his defeat. The crucial point was that during that battle, he had been wary of the Yu family's experts and hadn't used his full strength, so he had been harboring resentment ever since. To his dismay, before he could avenge his previous humiliation, he was injured by Zu An in a single exchange today. If this became known, how could he ever show his face again? What stung most was that in both confrontations, he had suffered losses because Zu An had resorted to trickery!

Zu An said in a chilling voice, "The blood feud of Shen Zhou's wife and child, along with the thirty-odd innocent lives from that village, must all be repaid in blood!"