Chapter 409: Winning People Over with Virtue

His expression changed as he saw the opponent reaching out to grab him. Just as he was about to dodge, a group of archers suddenly emerged from the red-robed army behind him, firing at the ethereal handprint.

The arrows they shot glowed with a red light, and when fired together, they resembled a meteor shower.

Zu An secretly marveled; they were just like the magic arrows seen in movies.

The red meteor shower collided with the ethereal handprint, instantly scattering it, and then continued its flight towards the opponent.

However, each arrow was nearly spent, and they were quickly parried away by the imperial guards' swords.

Zu An's eyes widened. He had never imagined that the combined strength of an army could achieve such an effect.

Liu Yao's face, on the other hand, was extremely grim. Having failed in front of so many people, he roared, drawing his long saber. A hundred-meter-long wave of blade energy slashed towards the red-robed army's formation, intending to completely shatter their ranks!

"Form ranks!"

Commands rang out, and the red-robed army immediately and uniformly raised their shields at a forty-five-degree angle. Blue light pulsed across each small shield, finally merging to form a massive shield that hung horizontally in the sky.

Liu Yao's hundred-meter-long blade energy, originally grand and imposing, suddenly appeared insignificant before this massive shield.

With a deafening crash, the blade energy shattered into several sections, then fragmented into countless pieces.

The massive shield, meanwhile, produced rings of ripples, yet it remained steadfast.

Zu An had been observing the entire process. He noticed that the ripples had spread out and finally dispersed onto each individual soldier's shield.

Any power, no matter how immense, when divided among thousands, becomes far less terrifying.

Zu An would not let such a good opportunity slip by. Grinning, he looked at Liu Yao: "I wonder if General Liu has any further wisdom to impart?"

Provoked and mocked in such a manner, Liu Yao was utterly furious.

Rage value from Liu Yao +999!

"If you've got guts, don't hide in the army formation! Come out, and I'll let you fight with one hand behind my back!" Liu Yao roared. "This little wretch, he could usually crush him with a single finger, but now that he was hiding within the formation, I find myself powerless to act."

Zu An sighed, "Are you naive, or am I? You, a peak ninth-rank master, want me, a junior, to duel you one-on-one? Did I hear that correctly?"

It was clear that the other party was at odds with the Chu family; even if he adopted a better attitude, they wouldn't spare them. So, why bother with scruples? He might as well have some fun and earn some rage points along the way.

"You!" Liu Yao nearly choked, barely catching his breath. He knew his demand was unreasonable, but he was simply infuriated by the fellow's smug, triumphant look.

Rage value from Liu Yao +991!

At this moment, Xie Daoyun spoke: "General Liu, Young Master Zu has come mainly out of concern for the safety of Duke Mingyue and the others. I ask that you understand his filial devotion and allow them to protect the perimeter."

Liu Yao glanced at Xie Daoyun, recognizing that she was providing him an honorable exit. His expression softened slightly as he said, "You must be Xie Yi's daughter. I've heard of your talent in the capital. You were even among the candidates when the Crown Prince was selecting his consort; we nearly became relatives."

Zu An cast a surprised look at Xie Daoyun. He hadn't realized she was once a candidate for Crown Princess. Didn't that mean he had nearly embraced the future Crown Princess?

Xie Daoyun's face flushed with embarrassment. "General Liu, you jest," she said. "I am well aware of my meager talents and humble appearance; I am unworthy to serve the Crown Prince."

She had heard about this matter, but everyone in the Xie family knew that too many factors were weighed when selecting a Crown Princess. The Xie family's background was insufficient to form a marital alliance with the Crown Prince, so they never took it seriously.

Besides, given the Crown Prince's reputation, even if she had been chosen, she would have been reluctant.

Liu Yao continued, "Miss Xie, why are you here? I just heard that a hostage was taken and brought into the city, and I presume that was you. Humph, these ruffians are utterly lawless, brazenly kidnapping the City Lord's daughter to force their way in! Tell me if you have any grievances, and I, this general, along with these imperial guards, will ensure justice is served!"

He had already made up his mind: if she uttered a single word, he would lead his imperial guards to forcibly eliminate Zu An. If the red-robed army dared to resist, all the better.

Although the imperial guards were few, their combat prowess was not to be underestimated, and they could also draw City Lord Xie's army into the conflict.

Even taking a step back, if he ultimately failed, he could easily escape. While the red-robed army could withstand his attacks with their formation, they could not prevent him from fleeing.

Furthermore, a direct confrontation between the Chu family and the imperial and city defense armies would be a capital crime, punishable by confiscation and extermination of the clan. He wouldn't need to worry about the aftermath; his mission would be complete.

To his surprise, Xie Daoyun smiled faintly and said, "Thank you for your kind offer, General Liu. Ah Zu and I are friends; he did not abduct me."

Hearing her words, Chu Yucheng nudged Chu Hongcai beside him with his elbow and whispered, "Why does Ah Zu have so many beautiful women falling for him? In terms of looks and physique, I'm surely not inferior to him."

Chu Hongcai glanced at Chu Yucheng's barrel-like figure and couldn't help but sneer repeatedly, "You truly have no self-awareness."

Yet, the memory of their group visit to the Immortal Abode also surfaced in his mind. Back then, Qiu Honglei had also seemed deeply affectionate towards Zu An. It still pained him to think about it.

The other red-robed soldiers exchanged bewildered glances. To them, Miss Chu was like a celestial maiden, and they hadn't expected her to suddenly marry someone they had never even heard of.

Privately, the group had often sought information about this mysterious son-in-law, and his romantic exploits were naturally well-known. They never imagined that even the City Lord's daughter would be so eager to pursue him. What exactly were his redeeming qualities?

Unlike their lighthearted curiosity, Liu Yao's expression completely darkened. "Miss Xie," he said, "do you understand what you are saying?"

Xie Daoyun maintained her polite, faint smile. "Naturally, I do," she replied.

Seeing her so firm, Liu Yao felt a mix of surprise and apprehension. Had the Chu family completely aligned themselves with Prince Qi? It seemed he needed to report this matter to the Empress as soon as possible.

Seeing that Liu Yao remained silent, Zu An spoke up. "We would like to request an audience with the Duke and Madam," he said. "I wonder if General Liu could facilitate this for us."

Liu Yao's eyes nearly bulged. This fellow was simply going too far!

Rage value from Liu Yao +666!

Just then, a clear, ringing laugh echoed. "Duke Mingyue has not yet been convicted," a voice said, "so he is not a criminal, is he? It is perfectly reasonable for his family to visit him."

A group of people hastened towards them. Leading the way was none other than Xie Yi, the City Lord of Brightmoon City, and by his side was a man even more beautiful than a woman, who was, in fact, his son, Xie Xiu.

"Father~" Xie Daoyun exclaimed in delighted surprise upon seeing their arrival.

Xie Yi glared at her. "Come here quickly," he admonished. "What sort of decorum is this, embracing an outsider?"

"Oh~" Xie Daoyun lowered her head guiltily, stuck out her tongue, and whispered to Zu An, "Ah Zu, I'm heading back now."

"Alright, thank you, Miss, for today," Zu An replied with a smile.

Xie Daoyun's face flushed faintly, and she hurried with small steps to Xie Yi's side.

Seeing his sister's bashful demeanor, Xie Xiu, standing nearby, couldn't help but glance at Zu An. *You little rascal, I considered you a friend, but it turns out you want to be my brother-in-law?*

But when did his sister become involved with him?

At this moment, Liu Yao's voice reached them. "So it's City Lord Xie," he said. "May I ask the purpose of your visit today?"

Xie Yi smiled faintly. "I mainly heard there were some misunderstandings here," he replied, "so I specifically came to observe the situation."

"What misunderstandings could there be? Since Zu An is willing to guard the perimeter, I thank him for his efforts," Liu Yao said, suddenly putting on a smiling face. Seeing that Xie Yi clearly stood with the Chu family, he knew that in a real conflict, he would certainly be at a disadvantage. Therefore, there was no need to continue posturing. In any case, it wouldn't be too late to settle accounts with the Chu and Xie families once conclusive evidence was found.

Seeing how quickly Liu Yao's expression changed, Zu An was dumbfounded. He thought to himself that he considered himself quite shameless, but compared to those who navigated the political arena, he was still clearly inferior. If it were him, he would never be able to shift from anger to joy so swiftly.

However, since the other party had softened, he saw no reason not to press his advantage. "General Liu," he said, "wouldn't it have been better to be like this from the start? You just had to force me to subdue you with my superior virtue."

Liu Yao's expression suddenly darkened. "What did you say!"

Rage value from Liu Yao +666!