Chapter 1710: At the Foot of the Mountain

Zu'an rolled his eyes. "Am I that kind of person?"

Mi Li thought about it and realized he had a point; she had just said it casually.

The two chatted for a while longer about various recent events and matters related to his cultivation.

"Brother Zu~" Just then, a graceful figure galloped quickly towards them on a crimson horse. With long legs and a slender waist, she handled the tall horse with great skill, truly looking like a valiant female general.

"Another woman is looking for you," Mi Li said, rolling her eyes before vanishing instantly.

"Sister Qinghe, Brothers Qin!" Zu'an cupped his hands in greeting. Besides Murong Qinghe, the two Qin brothers had also arrived.

The two brothers returned the greeting, their gazes toward him quite complex.

It was Murong Qinghe, with her straightforward nature, who spoke first: "Brother Zu, I heard you're the Regent of the Demon Race?"

Zu'an was taken aback. "Has the news spread so far that even you know about it?"

"It's really true?" Murong Qinghe exclaimed, her pretty face filled with shock.

Not to mention her, even Qin Guangyuan, who always prided himself on his composure, was utterly bewildered.

And the more frivolous Qin Yongde was even more dumbfounded, too shocked to speak.

One must know that coming from the Qin family meant they belonged to the most prominent family in the Great Zhou Dynasty. With such a background, they were considered the top young masters in the capital's social circles.

When they first saw Zu'an, their "brother-in-law," they looked at him with condescending scrutiny and even harbored a subtle contempt.

Although Zu'an later displayed astonishing talent, their impression of him improved slightly at most, but it was far from making them feel inferior or look up to him.

But now, after learning that he was actually the Regent of the Demon Race, they truly felt inferior. When the gap between two parties is too vast, they couldn't even feel envy.

"It was just a stroke of luck, nothing remarkable," Zu'an said modestly.

"It's no big deal, you say?" Murong Qinghe pressed him to explain how he became the Regent. Because of Chu Youzhao, her relationship with Zu'an was quite close.

Moreover, with Chu Youzhao not present, she reverted to her usual tomboyish self from the military, practically ready to throw an arm around Zu'an's shoulders.

The Qin brothers were equally curious and eagerly joined in the questioning.

Left with no choice, Zu'an had to tell them about the Demon Race.

At the same time, he learned from them that some time ago, a storm had erupted in the capital, with ministers once again submitting memorials arguing that as a prince, King Qi should leave the capital for his own fiefdom and no longer remain in the capital.

In previous instances, King Qi's faction had fiercely debated this issue with the Emperor's faction, both sides citing scriptures and historical precedents. However, their forces were now severely weakened, and their momentum was clearly not what it used to be.

King Qi himself also spoke, once again agreeing to go to his fiefdom. He stated that after accompanying the Emperor to the Fengshan Ceremony, he would proceed directly to his fiefdom and not return to the capital.

The Qin brothers sighed, feeling that an era had passed, and were filled with worry about the future.

The Qin family, after all, belonged to King Qi's faction. Now that King Qi was leaving the capital, it signified his failure in the struggle for power. Therefore, it was highly likely that the Qin family would be held accountable later.

...

A few days passed like this, and the group arrived at Yi City. King Yan had already brought people out of the city to welcome them.

The Emperor and his entourage then entered the city. The Emperor privately gave King Yan a stern reprimand, as the previous incidents he caused were truly outrageous.

King Yan appeared genuinely contrite and fearful, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After all, the Emperor's willingness to scold him like this now proved that the matter was considered closed.

As expected, the Emperor subsequently gave King Yan's residence a few minor punishments and also made some personnel adjustments within Yi Commandery's officialdom, but did not truly do anything substantial to King Yan's residence.

The assembled officials also understood the Emperor's intentions, and no one was tactless enough to speak up against it.

Zu'an observed with a detached eye, always feeling that the atmosphere was somewhat strange. He rarely saw such harmony between King Qi's faction and the Emperor's faction.

Mi Li's voice sounded: "This is quite normal. Both King Qi and the Emperor want to deal with each other now; it's likely they're about to make their decisive move. At such a critical juncture, they naturally cannot afford to offend another powerful force, otherwise, if that force supports the other side, it would be troublesome."

Zu'an secretly sighed with emotion, realizing that when one is powerful, they are indeed sought after everywhere.

Just then, an official suddenly came to report urgent military intelligence: the main force of the rebel army, led by Lu Sanyuan, had been discovered near Yi Commandery.

There were many rebel factions across the land, but Lu Sanyuan's was the prominent one. It was rumored that he had intricate ties with the Demonic Sect; not only was his personal cultivation exceptionally high, but he was also skilled in military tactics, having given the imperial army considerable trouble over the years.

Zhao Hao directly ordered King Yan to suppress the rebellion. King Yan said with difficulty: "Your Majesty, as far as I know, this time there seems to be more than just Lu Sanyuan's rebel faction. Bandits and outlaws from all over the land are gathering near here, as if some rare treasure is about to appear. Previously, Prefect Zhang Xie rebelled, and our King Yan's residence suffered significant losses of troops and generals in the ensuing chaotic battle. Now, relying solely on the strength of my residence, I fear we might not even be able to deal with that demon Lu Sanyuan alone, let alone so many outlaw armies."

Zu'an recalled the scene when he previously rescued Xie Daoyun; indeed, bandits from all over the land were gathering in this area. He wondered who had spread such a rumor.

Zhao Hao inquired about some intelligence from the relevant officials and knew that King Yan's words were not false. So he ordered Left Guard General Lü He to lead the troops of the capital's six garrisons to assist King Yan in suppressing the rebellion.

He clearly understood King Yan's subtle intentions, which was to take the opportunity to bring Yi Commandery's local troops under his command as well. But how could he allow King Yan to control both forces at the same time?

King Qi then stepped forward to advise: "Brother Emperor, the six garrisons are meant to protect His Majesty's safety. Now that the main force is being transferred away, I fear it may not be appropriate."

Zhao Hao gave a half-smile. "Thank you for your concern, King Qi. However, even without the six garrisons, Right Guard General Guo Zhi and Grand Master of Ceremonies Murong Tong's forces are more than sufficient. Moreover, with my cultivation level, why would I need protection?"

King Qi bowed. "Brother Emperor is right. I was overthinking it."

At this point, the Liu brothers, Liu Yao and Liu Guang, both offered to help the Emperor alleviate his worries and go together to suppress the rebellion. It turned out that in their view, the main force of the capital's six garrisons would easily defeat those rebels; there was simply no better way to earn military merits.

Furthermore, their official positions were precisely the direct superiors of the six garrisons, so their request to fight was logical at this moment.

Zhao Hao pondered for a moment and then agreed.

Only King Yan and Lü He both frowned. These two incompetents were more likely to mess things up than achieve anything, and they feared that they would hinder them when the time came. However, given their noble status, they couldn't refute them.

Thus, the Liu brothers departed with half of the main army.

The remaining people continued towards Purple Mountain, and a few days later, finally reached the foot of Purple Mountain.

Zu'an gazed at the golden summit hidden in the clouds, his heart filled with worry. He wondered if Yun Jianyue and Qiu Honglei were still on the mountain; if Zhao Hao found them, there would truly be nowhere to run.

He also wondered about Chu Yan and Manman, not knowing if they had emerged from the Daoist sect's secret realm yet.

And where was Sister Yan now...?