Chapter 1677: The Art of Avoiding Misfortune

"Some say he's dead, others say he was captured and secretly imprisoned... who really knows?" Zhang Jie sneered. "Besides, even if that imperial grandson were still alive, what difference could he make?"

Zu An largely agreed with this assessment. The Great Zhou Dynasty was now firmly established, and with the unparalleled existence of Zhao Hao, who would risk their life for some obscure former imperial grandson?

He suddenly realized something was off. "You're not a remnant of the former dynasty?"

"Remnant of the former dynasty?" Zhang Jie scoffed. "Who would associate with those delusional fools?"

"Then why have you been talking about the former imperial grandson for so long? And why take such a huge risk?" Although Zu An's tone was hostile, many of his doubts were resolved. He had previously had almost no way of learning about the secrets of the former dynasty.

"I've already told you, it's to repay Brother Zhang's kindness from back then," Zhang Jie said calmly.

"That's not right," Zu An said coldly. "You became a high-ranking official like the Grand Warden of Yi County, accustomed to the intrigues of officialdom. It's impossible for you to retain the innocence of your youth. Even if Zhang Zhiqian had shown you immense kindness, secretly looking after his orphan would be the most you could do. You wouldn't risk so much to oppose a vassal king."

Although the Prince of Yan was a member of the imperial clan, he was not directly descended from Zhao Hao's line, but rather his cousin-uncle. Seeking revenge against him wouldn't make sense.

After a pause, he added, "What's more, you just tried to kill her. That certainly isn't to repay kindness, is it?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zitong looked at Zhang Jie with a hint of fear. Previously, consumed by thoughts of revenge, she hadn't given it much thought, or perhaps had been unwilling to. Now that her great revenge was satisfied, this reminder made her realize something was indeed amiss.

Zhang Jie smiled. "You are very clever, almost the cleverest Embroidered Envoy I've met. But since you're so smart, why do you think I've told you so much?"

"Stalling for time..." Zu An naturally understood his intention. However, he had enough confidence and wanted to extract more information, so he played along with the game.

Mid-sentence, his expression suddenly changed as the other man's demeanor gradually turned eerie.

The candlelight in the room flickered, dimming despite the flames still burning. The entire room suddenly grew dark.

It was as if all the light was being absorbed. The shadows in the room seemed to come alive, surging towards Zhang Jie.

A thought suddenly struck him. "You're the wizard who killed Gold Rank Agent Seven!"

He had previously examined the body of Gold Rank Agent Seven, who had a high cultivation level. With the various enhancements from the Embroidered Envoy's equipment, he could even contend with a grandmaster.

Yet, there was no sign of struggle on his body, as if he had died in his sleep.

Initially, they suspected Mr. Huo from the Prince of Yan's manor. While Mr. Huo's cultivation was decent, Gold Rank Agent Seven had been investigating the manor and would not have been entirely unprepared for such a well-known retainer. Furthermore, Mr. Huo's cultivation wasn't high enough to achieve such a clean kill.

Thus, he had always wondered who the mysterious master wizard was. Now, it seemed he had an answer.

However, he was puzzled. "If you're a wizard, how could you have hidden your identity from the imperial court's scrutiny?"

For a high-ranking regional official, the court's review would be paramount. It was inconceivable that they wouldn't have known about his identity as a wizard beforehand.

Zhang Jie chuckled. "I am not a wizard myself, but I have cultivated a technique that allows me to invite a wizard's spirit to possess me, granting me abilities equivalent to a wizard's. The only drawback is that this process takes time."

Previously, he hadn't used the wizard's power to silence Zhang Zitong because he feared the Embroidered Envoys would realize the true culprit of the case was still at large. But now, he no longer needed to hold back.

As he spoke, his eyes turned ink-black. "Since I could kill Gold Rank Agent Seven, I can certainly kill another Gold Rank Embroidered Envoy."

Zu An wondered what this "wizard possession" was. How could there be so many bizarre techniques in this world?

He no longer hesitated, for he sensed that the other man now possessed the ability to threaten him.

Without a visible movement, the Soul-Reaping Rope appeared in his hand, lashing out towards Zhang Jie. The Soul-Reaping Rope was a standard weapon of the Embroidered Envoys, highly effective in countering various abilities.

He didn't want to expose his other identity, so he didn't use his sword.

Zhang Jie clearly had some apprehension towards the Gold Rank Embroidered Envoy's Soul-Reaping Rope. As he dodged, his ink-black eyes fixated on Zu An.

Zu An felt the air around him turn viscous, his eyelids grew exceptionally heavy, and a profound drowsiness washed over him. The whistling Soul-Reaping Rope inexplicably went limp.

With a thud, Zhang Zitong, who was nearby, collapsed onto the bed. Although Zhang Jie's attack wasn't aimed at her, even a slight ripple was enough to overwhelm her.

Having learned from his previous encounter with Mr. Huo, Zu An instantly closed his eyes and simultaneously summoned the Hundred Chirps counter-attack.

Mental attacks often required mental counter-attacks to be effective.

As expected, a pained expression appeared on Zhang Jie's face, and the hypnotic skill he was employing loosened its grip.

However, Zu An was not unaffected. The opponent's skill, whether it was hypnosis or dream intrusion, was too overbearing, impacting him even with his eyes closed.

Fortunately, thanks to his prior experience fighting Mr. Huo and the Hundred Chirps counter-attack, he didn't fall asleep instantly.

Last time, Mr. Huo had pulled him into a dream, and while he eventually saw through its falsehood and woke up, he dared not risk entering a dream state against the much stronger Zhang Jie. There was no guarantee he could wake up, especially if Zhang Jie could hypnotize him yet leave him mobile, delivering a fatal blow. That would be troublesome.

Just then, the door burst open with a bang, and Xiao Jianren and several other Silver Rank Embroidered Envoys rushed in.

They had heard the commotion of the fight, realized something was wrong inside, and hurried to help.

However, upon entering the room, Xiao Jianren felt as if a pair of ink-black eyes were gazing at him. He grunted and collapsed stiffly onto the floor.

He wasn't known for his combat prowess, and his mental state had been fluctuating due to Zhang Zitong recently, making him mentally weak. Thus, he was the first to fall victim.

Another Silver Rank Embroidered Envoy lasted only a second longer before also collapsing.

Only the remaining two Silver Rank Envoys, though also feeling drowsy, gritted their teeth and swung their Soul-Reaping Ropes towards Zhang Jie.

Zhang Jie's primary focus was on countering Zu An, with only residual effects directed at the others. These two, being Silver Rank Embroidered Envoys, possessed strong willpower, which allowed them to endure.

At this moment, Zhang Jie snorted coldly, and suddenly two copper coins appeared in his hand, shooting towards the two envoys.

"Watch out!" Zu An sensed that the laws entwined around the two copper coins were very strange, and he quickly shouted a warning.

But it was too late. The two Silver Rank Embroidered Envoys had already swung their Soul-Reaping Ropes, striking the coins directly.

How could a single copper coin withstand a full-strength attack from a Silver Rank Embroidered Envoy?

The two copper coins were instantly shattered into pieces by the Soul-Reaping Ropes. However, the two Silver Rank Embroidered Envoys who had attacked also simultaneously burst into pieces.

Sympathetic Magic!

Some of a wizard's eerie methods could link a person's life to certain objects: if the object remained, the person lived; if the object was destroyed, the person died.

Zu An's eyes reddened. He had never imagined that two Silver Rank Embroidered Envoys would be caught in this. To be honest, he had been too busy traveling between the two locations, and as they were Silver Rank Envoys under Gold Rank Agent Seven, he hadn't even remembered their names.

He only remembered one was named Yan and the other Tao. Usually carefree, they had faced a powerful enemy with such bravery and fearlessness, dying amidst this unknown danger.

As Zhang Jie's attention was divided, the vast, viscous drowsiness finally loosened its grip slightly, and Zu An made his move.

A brilliant sword gleam flashed, dispelling the darkness from the entire room and illuminating the flicker of fear in Zhang Jie's eyes.

He retreated rapidly, then noticed something amiss with his body. To his horror, he found his entire right arm was gone, shredded by the series of sword qi moments before.

Zu An frowned. That last sword strike should have been unavoidable for his opponent; how had it only severed one arm?

Zhang Jie's face was now filled with terror, his previous composure completely gone. He knew very well he had just narrowly escaped death.

The decoy puppet he had refined in his possession had turned to dust. With that puppet, he effectively had an extra life, ensuring his main body was absolutely safe.

He had never imagined the opponent's sword strike would be so powerful, not only destroying his decoy puppet but also having enough residual force to sever his arm!

He dared not delay further. With his left hand, he pulled out a straw doll. "A life for a life! You too shall taste the pain of a severed limb!"

As he spoke, he violently twisted and tore off the doll's right arm.

At the same instant, blood suddenly burst from Zu An's right shoulder, and his entire arm began to tear open.