Chapter 1118: A Place to Stay

Xiao Yao gasped. "Not necessarily. Her exact age has always been a mystery, but decades ago, she was already the most beautiful woman in the capital. So she definitely isn't in her teens or twenties; at the very least, she's of the same generation as Manman's mother. Therefore, the poison Manman's mother was afflicted with most likely came from her."

Zu An said gravely, "From my interactions with her, though she is resourceful, her nature is kind. She shouldn't be the type of evil person who harms others."

"How long have you even known her? Appearances can be deceiving," Xiao Yao dismissed, looking at him instead and cautioning, "Young man, lust is a sharp blade. Don't be swayed by beauty."

Zu An inwardly scoffed, thinking, 'If you hadn't been captivated by Manman's mother's beauty back then, how could you have fallen from a recognized genius in everyone's eyes to a deplorable drunkard that everyone shakes their heads at?' Aloud he said, "Brother Xiao, you can question my intentions, but do you even doubt the Libationer's judgment?"

Xiao Yao also fell silent. After a long while, he said, "Once I return to the capital, I will verify this with my teacher. But before that, she must first be apprehended to prevent her from causing harm to the world."

Zu An was speechless.

Seeing his firm attitude, Zu An gave up the idea of trying to persuade him and could only say, "After all, she is your junior fellow disciple. For the sake of your shared mentorship, I hope you can ensure her safety before she goes to the capital, and prevent scoundrels from taking advantage of her."

He was uneasy about Yu Yanluo being imprisoned alone. Although Sang Hong's men were watching over her, he couldn't discern Xu Yu's intentions and purpose, constantly feeling a heavy burden in his heart.

Moreover, Yu Yanluo was too beautiful. Ordinarily, she was protected by family experts and her own cultivation, but now she was restrained and powerless to defend herself. It was hard to guarantee that some people wouldn't harbor sordid thoughts.

Xiao Yao nodded. "Don't worry, with me here, no one will harm her."

Zu An naturally trusted his character. Receiving his assurance, he then left with peace of mind.

He quickly rushed to the Yu family estate, only to find the entire estate in chaos.

The meticulously trimmed flowers and trees were disheveled, and many tables, chairs, and other items lay rudely overturned on the ground. The maids were sobbing, while the guards and servants wore expressions of indignation.

Zu An hurriedly found someone to ask what had happened. Because he frequently visited the Yu estate, many people had become familiar with him. Upon seeing him, they rushed to him as if something terrible had happened, pulling him and crying, "Lord Zu, please go and save our mistress!"

"What exactly happened? Where are Gong Pan and the others?" Zu An's gaze swept around, but he didn't see any of the familiar guard leaders.

"They were all arrested..." A group of people began speaking all at once.

After a long while, Zu An finally understood what had happened. At the same time Yu Yanluo was invited to the Prefect's mansion, Xu Yu sent troops to arrest all relevant members of the Yu family.

The official reason was to investigate allegations that someone in the Yu family was colluding with demon clans for smuggling. Many people, led by Yu Xuansu, were taken away for investigation, and Gong Pan was also among them.

Because Yu Yanluo was absent, the Yu family was leaderless and dared not openly resist the imperial army. Moreover, the surprise attack was too sudden, and Yu Xuansu felt guilty, so the Yu family's forces could not be fully mobilized. They could only watch helplessly as their people were taken away.

"What about Xingnu?" Zu An thought to himself, 'Xu Yu is truly cunning and calculating, giving no one a chance to rescue them.' He hurriedly asked if she was among those taken away.

"Sister Xingnu resisted and escaped, and even injured many soldiers. Will she be wanted by the imperial court?" A little maid timidly asked. Obviously, in her understanding, openly resisting the imperial court was a huge disaster.

"Which direction did she escape to?" Zu An naturally had no interest in answering the little girl's question, and hurriedly asked.

"Over there, many imperial soldiers went after her," the little maid pointed in a direction.

The moment her words fell, Zu An, with a light push of his foot, had already vanished.

A group of little maids exchanged glances, then began discussing with some uncertainty:

"Is Lord Zu going to save Sister Xingnu?"

"Probably... yes."

"But he's an imperial official."

"But he has such a good relationship with our mistress, I believe in him."

...

Zu An sped along. Since some time had passed since Xingnu escaped, he simultaneously released his spiritual consciousness and used the Jade Cong to summon nearby small animals to check for any traces.

A short while later, he found some traces of struggle on the road and followed them all the way.

Finally, in the distance, he saw a squad of soldiers searching around. His heart stirred, and he quickly revealed himself and went to inquire.

"Lord Zu!" Zu An had become quite well-known in Cloudridge Commandery these days, and soon an officer recognized him.

"What are you doing?" Zu An asked, feigning ignorance.

"We are apprehending an escaped fugitive," the soldier replied.

"Have you caught her?" Zu An kept looking around. Not seeing Xingnu, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"No, that female bandit is extremely cunning, and her cultivation is very strange. She accidentally got away. However, the city gates have been sealed off, and we are searching everywhere. She won't be able to hide for long," the soldier declared confidently.

Zu An secretly rejoiced. He patted the man's shoulder and said, "Well done. Find that female bandit as soon as possible."

Feeling the affirmation from the esteemed official, the soldier was instantly invigorated.

'One of the imperial envoys patted my shoulder! This means he thinks highly of me! Won't I soon reach the peak of my life?'

Zu An naturally had no mind to ponder the soldiers' psychological activities. He walked along the street, pondering, 'Yu Yanluo asked me to contact Xingnu, but now that Xingnu has disappeared, what should I do? Cloudridge Commandery is so vast, where should I look?'

Suddenly, a thought struck him: 'If I were Xingnu, where would I go at this moment? Most likely, she'd go to a safe house or a similar place that had been prepared in advance. This would be a family's biggest secret; only Yu Yanluo would know. However, the matter of Yu Yanluo's arrest is so significant, it will surely spread throughout the city very quickly. Even if Xu Yu suppresses the real reason, Xingnu would definitely know the serpent clan's secret has been exposed the moment she hears about it. Yu Yanluo trusted her so much. She probably wouldn't hide in a safe house just for her own safety. Instead, she would try to find a way to save Yu Yanluo and her clan members. But her strength alone would certainly not be enough, so she would have to seek outside help. So who would she think of seeking help from first?'

Zu An's first thought was himself, but he quickly dismissed that conjecture. Because Xingnu might not be aware of his true relationship with Yu Yanluo, and he was a member of the imperial envoy delegation. Now Yu Yanluo had been arrested by imperial officials, and soldiers were searching for Xingnu everywhere. The risk of her coming to see him would be too great.

'Then who else could she find?'

Zu An's heart stirred, and he quickly ran towards the Duke's mansion.

Jian Yanyou was Yu Yanluo's husband. Although they were not husband and wife in the true sense, their relationship was very good, having cooperated for so many years, which Xingnu surely knew. Furthermore, Jian Yanyou, as a dignified Duke, also possessed the power to help Yu Yanluo.

Still some distance from the Duke's mansion, his keen spiritual consciousness allowed him to hear sounds of fighting from a secluded alley not far away.

He hurried over to investigate and found Xingnu being besieged by a squad of soldiers.

Xingnu was covered in bloodstains. She inwardly seethed with resentment, thinking, 'If I hadn't been severely wounded by those experts when breaking out of the Yu family estate earlier, how could I be unable to defeat even these ordinary soldiers now?'

Feeling her strength gradually draining away, she knew she couldn't escape this time. Despair filled her heart. At first, she had thought it would be fine as long as her mistress returned, but later she heard the news that her mistress had also been arrested.

Clearly, the serpent clan's secret had been exposed. She couldn't save her mistress, nor could she save her other clan members. 'Is heaven truly set on destroying my clan?' she wondered.

Just then, a black shadow flashed by, and the soldiers besieging her fell one after another. She was startled and was about to prepare for defense when she heard a gentle voice say, "Don't be afraid, it's me. My mistress sent me to save you."

"Young Master Zu!" Seeing him clearly, Xingnu's heart was filled with joy. As Yu Yanluo's personal maid, she naturally knew how unusually her mistress treated him.

The reason she hadn't gone to the imperial envoy's residence to find him was because she was worried the envoy's residence was heavily guarded, fearing she would walk into a trap. Now that he had come to rescue her voluntarily, she realized her mistress truly hadn't misjudged him.

Due to excessive blood loss, now that her spirit relaxed, her whole body went limp. She swayed and nearly fell.

Zu An steadied her and gave her a Jade Marrow Rejuvenation Pill.

Feeling the medicinal power rapidly spread through her body, and even recovering a layer of her cultivation, Xingnu was both delighted and surprised. "Young Master Zu, you actually wasted such a precious spiritual medicine on a mere maidservant!" she exclaimed.

"Your injuries are too severe; ordinary healing medicine won't work. No matter how precious a spiritual medicine is, it's not as important as a life," Zu An said in a deep voice. "Don't worry about the medicine for now. Madam Yu asked me to find you and have you contact Butler Fu to escort the clan members to safety together."

Xingnu stared at him blankly, her mind filled with a myriad of thoughts. After so many years in human society, she naturally knew what humans thought of demon clans.

Now Zu An knew their identity and was still rescuing them like this, even willing to use such precious spiritual medicine on a maidservant. No wonder her mistress regarded him so highly, because this man was fundamentally different from other men in the world.

Just then, a flurry of footsteps approached from a distance. "We just received a signal that the fugitive seems to have been spotted! Everyone, hurry over!"

Judging by the footsteps, many people were clearly rushing over after hearing the news.

Xingnu's face was filled with worry. She wasn't worried that Zu An couldn't win, but rather that as an imperial official, if he engaged these soldiers, so many eyes would certainly not miss it. Then, despite the vastness of the world, there would be no place for him.