Chapter 1578: Forensic Examiner

Normally, this would be impossible. Even a Grandmaster couldn't travel such a long distance and return in one night.

But Zu An was different. With the help of his Wind-Fire Wheels, it was like having a private jet in his previous life, ready to depart at any moment—no, the Wind-Fire Wheels were much faster than a private jet.

Zu An settled affairs in the camp and instructed everyone not to disturb him that night.

Given the day's battle, his prestige among the troops was soaring. The soldiers instinctively admired him, thinking, 'No wonder General Zu is so powerful; he even trains diligently at night.' Naturally, they all promised not to disturb him.

To be safe, he specifically left Daji to wear his clothes and impersonate him. He then quietly slipped away, found a secluded spot, and shot into the sky. Only after he was far from the military camp did he take out his Wind-Fire Wheels and sped towards Yi Commandery.

Yi Commandery was nearly ten thousand kilometers away. Zu An dared not delay even for a moment, propelling the Wind-Fire Wheels with maximum power. He shot across the sky like a meteor, and after breaking the sound barrier, the surrounding air became as viscous as water. Only his current physical strength could withstand the powerful gales generated by such speed; ordinary cultivators would likely have their bodies disintegrated.

Traveling at lightning speed, he finally reached Yi Commandery City in the middle of the night. Even with Zu An's current cultivation, he was somewhat out of breath from exhaustion.

He found an opportunity to land secretly within the city. Large cities like this often had defensive formations, but their effect on cultivators above the Grandmaster level was limited. Of course, unless enemies infiltrated on a large scale, a few Grandmasters posed little threat to such a large city.

He had passed through Yi Commandery once before, on his way to Yunzhong Commandery. So, this time, he was somewhat familiar with the route.

After circling the city for a while, he finally found the secret signal left by Xiao Jianren. Fortunately, it was late at night and quiet, which saved him a lot of trouble.

Following the signal, he eventually arrived at a secluded courtyard. Zu An used his divine sense to scan the surroundings, confirmed there was nothing unusual, and then quietly scaled the wall to enter.

From a distance, he saw candlelight in the main house and what looked like shadowy figures. Zu An paused, surprised. 'They're still awake this late?'

He immediately felt a sense of relief. Xiao Jianren was quite reliable; he must still be researching the case. He decided he would report back and request a promotion and raise for him.

Just as he was about to go in and praise them, he suddenly heard Xiao Jianren's voice: "Miss Zhang, next time you're in the capital, I'll take you to the Sky Bridge area. It's the liveliest and most prosperous place in the entire capital, and the customs there are completely different from Yi Commandery."

"'Master Xiao, you're wrong. Since we're in the capital, we must try its delicacies. The roast duck there, wrapped in a thin pancake and drizzled with a special sauce—now that's authentic!'" Another somewhat 'naughty' voice chimed in; it was Old Seven Dai.

"'That roast duck is just for fooling outsiders. If you want real capital cuisine, it has to be the charcoal-fired copper hotpot, especially for shabu-shabu lamb on a freezing cold day. That's true enjoyment.' This was Old Eight Chen's voice.

Zu An listened, puzzled. 'Who is this Miss Zhang they're talking about?'

Why did their tone carry such a strong hint of fawning?

He peeked inside and saw the three men fawning over a tall woman. She wore a high ponytail and practical, close-fitting attire, exuding a clean, sharp, and heroic aura.

Especially her long, well-rounded, and proportionate legs beneath her leather armor—one glance and you'd imagine being caught between them would be a fate worse than death.

The woman was already beautiful, and with her captivating long legs and heroic demeanor, her charm was further enhanced. No wonder the men were completely captivated by her.

He had sent them here to investigate a case, but they were actually here flirting?

The high-ponytail woman seemed somewhat indifferent to their solicitous expressions: "I came here to discuss the case of Lord Seven with you."

Xiao Jianren chuckled, "One needs to balance work and life, Miss Zhang. You're just too tense. Relax a little, and maybe you'll find new inspiration."

Zu An couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. He thought, 'The usually dull Xiao Jianren is surprisingly talkative now. I never would have guessed he had this kind of taste.'

The high-ponytail woman frowned and was about to speak when she suddenly sensed something. She abruptly turned her head, staring at the doorway. "Who's there?"

Xiao Jianren and the others were startled and turned to look. Upon seeing Zu An, their expressions drastically changed. They immediately dropped their playful smiles and bowed in salute: "Greetings, Lord Eleven!"

Zu An said coldly, "You all are truly working hard, investigating a case so late into the night."

Xiao Jianren and the others couldn't possibly miss the sarcasm in his tone. However, with guilty consciences, they dared not retort.

The high-ponytail woman, hearing that this was Golden Badge Eleven, also looked him over with curiosity.

It was well known that for a long time, there had only been ten Golden Badge Embroidered Uniforms in the empire. Each one commanded a region and was an influential figure.

In recent years, a Golden Badge Eleven had suddenly appeared, and various rumors made this person exceptionally mysterious. Speculations about his cultivation varied widely.

In her view, since he could be ranked among the Golden Badges, on par with her adoptive father, he shouldn't be too weak.

But upon seeing him, two words popped into her mind: "That's it?"

Although he looked relatively sturdy, there was no trace of vital energy fluctuations about him, and he was subtly out of breath. He looked like an ordinary person in every way. Could he be someone promoted by the Emperor through connections? Or was he a strategist, relying on his intellect?

Since the other party was a Golden Badge Embroidered Uniform, he surely possessed unknown abilities. She dared not underestimate him and also bowed in salute: "Silver Badge Zhang Zitong, subordinate of Golden Badge Seven, greets Lord Eleven!"

Zu An was startled. This woman was actually a subordinate of Golden Badge Seven, clearly a capable officer under his command.

However, while he surrounded himself with bitter and resentful middle-aged men like Xiao Jianren, Golden Badge Seven actually hired a long-legged woman. Was he looking for a subordinate or a secretary?

In his previous life, he had heard too many stories about 'secretaries handling everything, and secretaries handling nothing...' He subconsciously suspected the woman's relationship with Golden Badge Seven, even wondering if she was involved in Golden Badge Seven's death.

Having been accustomed to similar gazes for years, Zhang Zitong still couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. 'This guy just stared at my legs when he first saw me, and now his eyes are clearly thinking something lewd again. No wonder Xiao Jianren and the others behave that way; if the top beam isn't straight, the bottom ones will be crooked.'

Rage points from Zhang Zitong +250 +250 +250...

Noticing the rage points in the system, Zu An paused, but roughly guessing why she was angry, he dismissed it and simply nodded at her.

He then turned to Xiao Jianren: "I had you come early to investigate. Have you found any useful information?"

"'Yes, yes...' Xiao Jianren replied somewhat guiltily, handing him a booklet. It was a summary of the recently uncovered intelligence."

Zu An quickly scanned it, his expression darkening. "There's basically no new progress. Is this all you've found after being here so long?"

Xiao Jianren looked somewhat ashamed. "Lord Eleven is right to reprimand us, but no matter how much we've investigated, this case simply looks like a pure accident. We can't find any flaws."

Zu An frowned. "Summon the coroner who performed the autopsy on Lord Seven. I want to question him personally."

At this point, Zhang Zitong, who was standing nearby, spoke up: "I was the one who performed the autopsy on Lord Seven."

"'You?' Zu An was stunned. Although the young woman was heroic and spirited, he never expected her to be a forensic examiner?"

"'Can a coroner not be a woman?' Zhang Zitong challenged, looking directly at him with her chin raised. 'I swear on my reputation and my life that my autopsy report is absolutely not falsified. Although Lord Seven was my superior, his kindness to me was as vast as a mountain. He adopted me when I was a child wandering the streets. I have long considered him my father in my heart. I want to find the murderer more than anyone else here!'"