Chapter 584: The Revenge of the Demon Cult

Murong Qinghe’s wheat-colored skin flushed faintly. She quickly explained, "That's not it at all. My grandfather wants to host a banquet tonight and would like to invite you and Duke Wei to our residence. I just happened to be free, so I took on this task."

Qin Zheng, from the main branch of the Qin family, is Duke Cheng, while Qin Se, from the second branch, is Duke Wei. With two dukes in one family, who also command military power, it's clear how prestigious the Qin family currently is.

A Duke of the State is the highest rank among dukes. For instance, Chu Zhongtian's Duke Mingyue is one rank lower. However, the Chu family possesses actual feudal territory and an army, giving them far greater real power than an ordinary duke, almost comparable to a Duke of the State.

Stopping Murong Qinghe’s rather obvious excuse, Zu An curled his lips. "Who are you trying to fool?" he thought. "You keep glancing at Chu Youzhao while you're talking; anyone can see your real intention."

By the way, does the Qin family head know about Chu Youzhao's disguise as a man? If he knows but stays silent, leading the young lady of the Murong family to fall deeply in love, that's quite a betrayal of a teammate.

Qin Zheng nodded upon hearing this. "Yes, my second brother and I will certainly attend the banquet on time tonight."

He naturally understood the reason for Murong Tong's invitation this time. Thinking of this, he subconsciously glanced at Zu An, and a surge of anger flared up within him.

Originally, in the struggle between Prince Qi and the Crown Prince, Prince Qi's side had a great advantage. However, this unexpected variable appeared, causing severe losses to Prince Qi's faction during this period. Now, they've even lost the crucial position of Sili Xiaowei!

Rage points from Qin Zheng +724!

Seeing the rage points received in the backend, Zu An couldn't help but feel a little frustrated. He could roughly guess the reason, but "was this my fault? I'm a victim too," he thought. It seemed his trip to find Chu Chuyan was destined to be less than smooth.

At this moment, Chu Youzhao hurriedly said, "Grandfather, Brother-in-law has something to discuss with you."

"Brother-in-law?" Qin Zheng frowned. "What brother-in-law are you talking about?"

Chu Youzhao, still not understanding the situation, quickly introduced Zu An, "Zu An, my elder sister's husband..."

Before she could finish, Qin Zheng interrupted, "The Chu family has already written a divorce letter, ending her engagement with him. What relationship does your sister still have with him?"

Chu Youzhao was momentarily speechless; strictly speaking, it seemed to be true.

Zu An frowned. Before he could say anything, he heard Qin Zheng speak again, "Young Master Zu, I hear you presented the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture' to the Emperor, and thus were conferred the title of 'Phoenix Man'?"

Although his tone was polite, there was a clear sense of distance.

However, since this was Chu Chuyan's grandfather, he could only patiently reply, "That's right, I did present the scripture to the Emperor earlier."

Qin Zheng stared intently at him. "Is there truly a method for immortality in this world?"

Zu An replied calmly, "If you believe, it exists. If you don't, it doesn't."

"If there truly were a method for immortality, why would the Emperor spare your life?" Qin Zheng sneered.

Zu An retorted, "Is Duke Cheng suggesting the Emperor is petty and cruel?"

Qin Zheng gasped, realizing he had made such a mistake in his haste. "Of course, that's not what I meant. It's just that as the ruler of a nation, the Emperor cannot be judged by ordinary moral standards. He must consider the empire for generations to come, and so, doing certain things is perfectly justifiable."

Zu An replied, "The Emperor has reviewed the scripture and concluded that while the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture' benefits cultivation, it cannot lead to immortality. That's why he let me go."

This was also the outcome of his discussion with the Emperor. After all, bearing the title of an immortal would be a huge trouble for him; dealing with all sorts of nuisances would be a headache, leaving him no energy to complete his missions.

"That makes sense," Qin Zheng secretly nodded. If immortality were truly possible, there would be no reason for the Emperor to let him go. Furthermore, granting only the lowest rank of baron proved that what he offered wasn't exceptionally valuable.

In fact, previous reports from the imperial palace also indicated this; the Emperor had even explicitly declared that anyone who dared to speak recklessly about immortality in the future would be executed.

But could this be a deliberate ruse by the Emperor to deceive others? He needed to discuss it thoroughly with Murong and the others tonight.

Seeing the fluctuating expressions on Qin Zheng's face, Zu An had to admit the Emperor's cleverness. The blend of truth and falsehood had clearly bewildered these people, leading to all sorts of wild speculation.

Zu An cleared his throat and stated his purpose: "I came here to take Chuyan home."

Having answered the other party's questions and shown his sincerity, it was now the Qin family's turn.

"Home?" Qin Zheng's expression darkened. "You and Chuyan are no longer related. Why would you take her home? Besides, this *is* her home."

Zu An's voice also turned cold. "If I'm not mistaken, Duke Cheng severed his father-daughter relationship with Chuyan's mother long ago. Strictly speaking, there's no real connection between you, so how can this be considered her home?"

"You!" Qin Zheng flew into a rage. Holding such a high position and commanding military power, when had anyone ever dared to speak to him like that?

Rage points from Qin Zheng +999!

Zu An remained expressionless. He had even withstood the Emperor's scrutiny; no matter how formidable Qin Zheng was, could he compare to the Emperor?

"Grandfather, don't be angry," Chu Youzhao, on the side, grew anxious and quickly tried to mediate between them. "Brother-in-law, you don't know, Grandfather has taken great care of my sister... and me over the years."

Qin Zheng snorted, "My daughter's affairs and mine don't need outsiders to comment on. Besides, no matter what, there's still a blood tie between us, which is naturally different from your kind of relationship."

Zu An replied, "If you truly consider her family, then why keep her under house arrest, living like a prisoner here? Can this still be called a home?"

"You!" Qin Zheng was almost provoked to a sarcastic laugh. "Don't you have a clue why Chuyan is under house arrest? It's to prevent her from getting involved in your affairs and doing something foolish!"

Rage points from Qin Zheng +999+999+999...

Seeing the continuous stream of rage points received in the backend, Zu An felt quite exasperated. "Are all military men this quick-tempered?" he wondered.

However, at this point, he naturally wouldn't back down. "If Duke Cheng refuses to let her go, I'll ask the Emperor to arbitrate."

"Even the Emperor cannot interfere in our family affairs." Despite saying this, Qin Zheng hesitated. This brat had just presented the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture' and was currently in the Emperor's good graces. If he really dragged the Emperor into this, wouldn't he become a laughingstock in court?

Suppressing his anger, he said, "Arguing here is useless. Let's hear Chuyan's own opinion and see if she wants to go with you."

Zu An hesitated for a moment and then nodded. "Alright."

If the other party insisted on not releasing her, he couldn't simply snatch her away by force. Not to mention the numerous guards in the vast Qin manor, even the old man before him, with his terrifying primal energy fluctuations, was clearly a grandmaster at his peak—someone he couldn't possibly defeat.

Soon, Chu Chuyan was brought in. She looked somewhat haggard, evidently exhausted from worrying about Zu An and unable to find a way to help him these past few days.

However, the moment she saw Zu An, her eyes instantly shone with astonishing brilliance, and she rushed directly into his arms. "Ah Zu, you're alright?"

Zu An patted her trembling body and gently said, "I'm fine. The biggest hurdle is over."

Chu Youzhao, standing nearby, widened her eyes. In her mind, her sister had always been as cold as ice, embodying the image of a perfect, strong woman who single-handedly supported most of the Chu family. "Who is this demure, clinging woman in front of me?" she wondered.

Murong Qinghe also watched the scene with curiosity. Chu Chuyan had always been her idol—a woman in white, surpassing snow, with extraordinary talent. For years, Murong Qinghe had made Chu Chuyan her benchmark, diligently cultivating to surpass her peer and eventually overtake her.

Yet, she hadn't expected the gap in their cultivation levels to widen even further during this meeting. "Don't practitioners slow down in the later stages?" she thought. She had believed that reaching the fifth rank meant she was catching up, but now, upon meeting, Chu Chuyan was already at the seventh rank.

Why would such a powerful woman behave like this towards a man?

Recalling their recent exchanges, she also realized that Zu An's cultivation was definitely not the 'trash' that rumors claimed. "Hmph, is that Shi family boy blind? Calling a guy like this trash?"

Still, no matter how excellent he is, he's not as good as my Brother Chu.

Her gaze quickly shifted to Chu Youzhao, and her previously sharp eyes instantly became lovestruck.

Qin Zheng, seated at the head, couldn't stand it anymore. "Your engagement has long been broken off. What kind of decorum is this, hugging and embracing like that? You're just making yourselves a laughingstock to outsiders!"

Murong Qinghe wanted to speak but stopped. "Actually, I'm not an outsider," she thought, "I'll be family with Brother Chu sooner or later."

Chu Chuyan's face flushed slightly. She gently pushed Zu An away a little before replying, "Grandfather, the engagement was canceled because Ah Zu was worried about implicating our Chu family. Now that the matter is resolved, our engagement can naturally be reinstated. In truth, the formality of an engagement means nothing to me, because in my heart, he has always been my husband."

Qin Zheng felt a moment of dizziness, as if he had returned to a decade ago when Wanru had argued with him in the same way, eventually eloping with that man named Chu without hesitation.

"Hmph, daughters are always money-losers."

He composed himself. "What you think isn't important. What is important is that you are no longer husband and wife, and everyone else knows it. Your actions will bring shame to both the Chu family and our Qin family."

Chu Chuyan pursed her lips, clearly disagreeing inwardly, but she wouldn't argue with her grandfather over this.

Qin Zheng clearly remembered why he had called her out. "You decide for yourself: will you stay with the Qin family or go with this wild man?"

Chu Chuyan looked a little confused. Chu Youzhao, nearby, quickly ran over to tell her what had just happened.

After listening, Chu Chuyan replied, "Grandfather, may I speak with Ah Zu privately?"

Qin Zheng frowned, then waved his hand, allowing her to go.

Chu Chuyan took Zu An by the hand and led him out of the study, all the way to her own room.

Zu An sighed. "Honestly, I knew your choice even before you spoke. Someone who values responsibility as much as you do would never abandon the Qin family so easily."

Chu Chuyan's face was filled with apology. "I'm sorry, Ah Zu. My mother and grandfather severed their father-daughter relationship. Although she never said it, I know she still has some regrets. But both of them are strong-willed and unwilling to yield, so it's up to us, the younger generation, to mend their relationship. Over the years, Grandfather has looked after Youzhao in the capital, and the relationship between our two families has gradually softened. If I leave now, all our previous efforts would be for naught, and my mother's and grandfather's relationship would never recover. Moreover, how would Youzhao manage in the Qin family afterward?"

Zu An sighed again. "You always think of others, but never yourself. Every time, you make all sorts of sacrifices for the family..."

Chu Chuyan's lips curved into a slight smile. "If it weren't for these sacrifices, how would I have met you?"

With her beauty and cultivation, she could have chosen any excellent young man from prominent families. But for the sake of the Chu family, she had to take a husband who would live with her family, and that's how she ended up with Zu An.

At first, she had been prepared to sacrifice her lifelong happiness, but unexpectedly, by a twist of fate, she met the right person.

Zu An was surprised that she, usually so reserved, could say such affectionate words. Unable to resist, he pulled her into his embrace, lowered his head, and kissed her red lips.

Chu Chuyan blushed deeply. "They're still waiting for our reply."

"Let them wait," Zu An snorted, and continued kissing her.

Chu Chuyan realized she had thought a great deal for her family but not enough for her beloved. Knowing that Zu An had endured much hardship recently, she felt a pang of guilt and allowed him to continue.

As the two embraced passionately, in another courtyard in the capital, members of the Demonic Cult were reporting to a charming and alluring woman: "Saintess, Master Ding has been killed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and his residence has been given to another official."

The woman snorted. "The Embroidered Uniform Guard touched our people; they must pay the price. Send someone to eliminate the new owner of the Ding residence and let everyone know that we are not to be trifled with."

This is the only update for today; I'll make up for it tomorrow.