Chapter 1685: Sending a Death Sentence to Wu Zeng'ao

Zu An paused, then calmly replied, "I receive a salary from the imperial court, and as a Brocade Guard, loyalty is paramount to me. How could I not serve the country with utmost loyalty?"

Tang Tian'er sighed softly, "It seems you don't truly consider me a friend; you're unwilling to be honest with me."

Zu An smiled slightly. "Don't you also have many secrets? I haven't asked you to tell me all of yours."

"But I've clearly given you more information than you've given me," Tang Tian'er retorted, pouting, evidently displeased.

Zu An remarked, "I even told you my identity as Gold Token Eleven. Do you still think I don't consider you a friend?"

Tang Tian'er was taken aback, then her usual sweet smile appeared on her face, indicating a much improved mood.

"Did you come to see me about something this time?" Zu An seized the opportunity to probe.

"Can't I come see you for no reason?" Tang Tian'er scoffed, but then added, "Actually, there is something I need to tell you this time. After you hear it, you can decide whether such an emperor is worth your loyalty."

"What is it?" Zu An's spirits lifted immediately upon hearing it concerned the emperor.

"You should know why the imperial court has been at war with the demon race recently, right?" Tang Tian'er asked.

"Apparently, a small city on the border was massacred by the demon race, which enraged the emperor. So, he dispatched the two Dukes of the Qin family to lead a large army to punish them," Zu An replied. He noted that the Qin family had been campaigning for a long time, but the demon race was no pushover; both sides were locked in a fierce struggle, initially a stalemate. His return from the demon territory, however, had brought an opportunity for peace talks.

However, he had always found the massacre strange. As the former regent of the demon race, the intelligence he had gathered at the time indicated the demons were not responsible, leading him to believe it was a human fabrication.

But he hadn't dwelled on it much, reasoning that the official demon leadership might deny it, and given the demon royal court's weak control over regional factions, it was possible some autonomous local demon groups might have secretly committed such an act and then denied it.

At this point, Tang Tian'er suddenly spoke. "That massacre was not carried out by the demon race. It was the emperor who did it."

"What?" Zu An was startled, his first reaction being disbelief. Although Zhao Hao's character might be flawed, he was still considered an accomplished emperor, and the small city's inhabitants were his own subjects. Why would he commit such an act?

"You know the Soaring Phoenix Pavilion excels at gathering intelligence. When that massacre occurred, we immediately suspected something was amiss and sent people to investigate further. We only recently confirmed it," Tang Tian'er said, pausing. "Has your superior, Zhuxie Chixin, disappeared recently?"

"Yes, he seems to be on some kind of secret mission," Zu An replied in a deep voice.

"Secret mission? Ultimately, it was just to massacre the people of that small city," Tang Tian'er said with a cold expression.

Zu An frowned. "Why would they do such a thing?"

"According to our recent investigations, Zhuxie Chixin appears to be refining an evil elixir using the lives of an entire city. After analysis by the high-ranking members of the Soaring Phoenix Pavilion, we suspect that Zhao Hao's five decays of heaven and man period has either arrived early or he has been injured, thus requiring the vital essence and souls of a city's populace to replenish himself. However, Zhao Hao is already unrivaled, and we haven't heard of him engaging in combat recently, so it's most likely the former."

A realization dawned on Zu An. He naturally knew what was wrong with Zhao Hao. In the Secret Realm of Xi-Quanqiu, the part of Zhao Hao's soul that possessed the crown prince was utterly destroyed. His loss was immeasurable.

He had never imagined that Zhao Hao would be so depraved as to use an entire city's population for alchemy.

At the same time, he finally understood the mysterious list. He had previously wondered why anyone would be audacious enough to target Zhao Hao. Now it seemed they had all learned through their own channels that Zhao Hao was injured, which made them eager to act.

"You seem to believe it already?" Seeing his expression, Tang Tian'er was somewhat surprised. She had expected to have to expend much effort to convince him.

"Do you have proof?" Although Zu An largely believed her, he maintained a poker face.

"No, the entire city's population was massacred. Who could find evidence? It's simply our most probable conclusion based on synthesizing various intelligence," Tang Tian'er added. "Unless Zhuxie Chixin is captured and interrogated."

Zu An knew that was impossible. He said in a low voice, "Did you come here this time to ask me to cooperate with you?"

Tang Tian'er shook her head, smiling. "No, I just wanted to tell you this. Don't think I have ulterior motives for you~"

Then she waved to Zu An. "I still have things to attend to, so I'll be leaving now. Let's talk again when there's an opportunity."

With that, she skipped away, clearly in good spirits.

Zu An fell into contemplation. Sooner or later, he and Zhao Hao would have to settle things. Before, it was merely for self-preservation; now, it was also for the innocent souls of that massacred city.

As for Tang Tian'er suddenly telling him this with no apparent demands, it was also understandable. She probably wanted to plant a seed in his mind, so that if things truly came to a head in the future, he might not side with Zhao Hao.

However, she didn't know that he also intended to oppose Zhao Hao. Of course, even if he told her now, the Soaring Phoenix Pavilion might suspect he was trying to infiltrate them and become wary. It was better to maintain the current state.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. The little girl has been gone for so long, and you're still gazing longingly in the direction of her back," Yun Jianyue's sarcastic voice suddenly broke the silence.

Qiu Honglei stood beside them, her expression extremely odd. She felt as if her master had stolen her line. Shouldn't she be the one to express such temper?

*Sigh*, it must be because Master pities me, worrying that I might become a jealous woman in Azu's eyes and lose points when competing with Chu Chuyan.

Oh, Master is truly too good. She considers me in every way, even playing the villain herself. I must repay her kindness properly in the future.

Zu An retorted irritably, "Sister Yun, what are you thinking? She just told me something truly shocking."

"What?" Seeing how serious he was, the two women forgot their bickering.

Zu An then recounted the massacre. Qiu Honglei listened, incensed. "How utterly inhumane! How could that despicable emperor commit such a bestial act!"

Yun Jianyue sneered, "Compared to the desires of these emperors, what are the lives of ordinary people? Especially Zhao Hao, who is inherently cold-hearted. However, with such perverse actions, his downfall is not far off."

She had now made up her mind to find a way to spread this news, thereby shaking Zhao Hao's foundation. After all, their demonic sect had always been dedicated to opposing the imperial court.

After they discussed for a while, Zu An asked, "What are your plans next? Are you still intending to return to Purple Mountain?"

At this point, Qiu Honglei looked at him with a half-smile. "Do you want me to return to Purple Mountain and fight with that Miss Pei?"