Chapter 679: Setting the Trap

Zuan immediately felt annoyed. He stepped forward and blocked the carriage. "I just saved you," he said. "I'm not asking for your eternal gratitude, but you could at least say thank you, couldn't you?"

The woman inside the carriage remained silent, clearly unwilling to speak with an outsider like him.

The old man at the front of the carriage grinned, sneering, "Over the years, who knows how many men have tried to approach our madam with various excuses. This 'hero saves the beauty' trick is far too cliché."

His mouth was full of large yellow teeth, and one of his front teeth was missing, making him very conspicuous when he smiled.

Zuan paused, then immediately realized they had misunderstood him.

The woman in the carriage must think too highly of herself. How beautiful would she have to be for everyone to be after her looks?

Their carriage looked ordinary, suggesting limited family wealth. However, there's a saying that since ancient times, stunning beauties have come from humble farming families...

He quickly shook his head, dismissing that idea. If she were truly devastatingly beautiful, she would likely have been taken in by a powerful figure long ago and wouldn't be living such a simple life.

This was a world of cultivation where might made right. He didn't believe powerful individuals would ignore a peasant girl who looked like a heavenly fairy.

Distraught by the departure of Qiu Honglei and Yun Jianyue, he was in no mood to argue. Impatiently, he waved his hand. "Alright, alright. My good intentions have been completely misunderstood. Just go."

The toothless coachman chuckled. Such incidents were commonplace for him, and the man's reaction after being exposed was just like others before him. Seeing that the madam in the carriage had no further instructions, he flicked the reins, preparing to drive away.

Just then, a loud voice suddenly called out from a distance: "Stop!"

The toothless coachman raised an eyebrow, thinking he had underestimated the young man, who apparently had another trick up his sleeve. He pulled on the reins, curious to see what the other party would do.

He looked back to see dust rising as a group of knights galloped toward them. The leading knight rode up to Zuan, and upon seeing something, his face changed drastically. He quickly turned back to report: "General, Wuyun Taxue is gravely injured! He probably won't survive!"

"What!" A young man galloped forward on his horse.

The surrounding onlookers' eyes lit up; he was indeed a handsome and dashing young nobleman.

He was dressed in a straight robe of white and light orange brocade, adorned with intertwining peony patterns. A dark orange-yellow golden belt, embroidered with dragon, phoenix, and auspicious cloud patterns, was tied around his waist. His long hair was perfectly neat, and his phoenix eyes had a piercing gaze. Not far away, some women began to cover their mouths and whisper, their eyes sparkling with admiration, clearly adding another "husband" to their list of idols.

The toothless coachman beside him showed a look of surprise. He quietly told the person inside the carriage, "Madam, this time we might truly have misunderstood. The person who came is Prince Qi's heir, and he seems to be here for that fellow."

The madam inside softly hummed in acknowledgment, then said no more.

Zuan's brow furrowed slightly. He subconsciously glanced at the startled steed nearby. The horse was entirely black, with white sections on its four legs as white as snow — no wonder it was called Wuyun Taxue (Dark Cloud Treading on Snow).

But now, it no longer possessed its earlier rampaging vigor. It was foaming at the mouth, blood seeped from the corners of its eyes, and its entire body swayed unsteadily.

Zuan subconsciously released his grip, and the horse could no longer stand. It crashed heavily onto the ground, convulsing, clearly beyond saving.

"What's going on? Although I used a lot of force when pulling it back, it shouldn't have been enough to kill it, should it?" Zuan was completely bewildered.

"Hmph, so many people saw you kill Wuyun Taxue. How dare you try to argue?" The young nobleman remained high on his horse, looking down at Zuan, but did not speak himself; instead, a knight beside him spoke on his behalf.

Seeing this attitude, Zuan also felt a surge of anger. "You let your horses run wild, injuring people in the street, and now you're trying to shift the blame? Is there no law left?"

After all, he was now a legitimate court official, and he naturally intended to make good use of these legal provisions, especially since justice was inherently on his side.

At this point, the young nobleman on horseback finally spoke. "Injuring people in the street, you say? Where is the injured party?"

"Just now, the galloping horse charged through, knocking over who knows how many people's stalls along the way. Many people were injured, to varying degrees." Zuan pointed to the ruined street ahead.

"Is that so?" the young nobleman said loudly. "If anyone here was injured by our horses just now, please step forward. I will certainly compensate whatever is due."

He repeated it three times, but no one around responded.

Only then did he leisurely turn back to Zuan, a hint of a mocking smile playing on his lips. "You see for yourself, no one was injured by my steed. On the contrary, you killed my horse. All the evidence is here. What more do you have to say?"

Zuan's heart sank. He immediately realized these common people were afraid of getting into trouble. This young nobleman was clearly not someone to be trifled with, and the menacing knights beside him, with their wide, glaring eyes, inspired fear of retaliation. So, no one dared to step forward.

He didn't blame them; that's just human nature.

He pointed to the carriage nearby and said, "Besides those on the street, that galloping steed just now charged directly at them. If I hadn't intervened, they would most likely have ended up with their carriage destroyed and lives lost."

The young nobleman subconsciously glanced at the carriage. Seeing that its surroundings were extremely plain, clearly not the carriage of an influential family, he became even more certain. He arrogantly cast a sidelong glance at the coachman. "Is that so?"

The warning in his eyes was quite obvious.

Zuan's brow furrowed. This fellow was clearly trying to oppress people with his power. Well, today he had actually encountered a scammer.

He had thought the toothless coachman would also play it safe like the others, but to his surprise, the coachman grinned. "Indeed, that mad horse did charge directly at us and almost startled our madam."

He didn't explicitly confirm that they would have been killed without Zuan's help, but no one in the crowd noticed that detail.

The young nobleman glanced at him then looked away, as if looking at such an ugly person for too long would spoil his mood. "You weren't injured, were you? Who knows if you're all in this together?"

The toothless coachman chuckled twice but said nothing more.

Upon realizing this fellow was intentionally looking for trouble, Zuan instead calmed down. Was this what the powerful of this world were like? Their ability to twist facts was decent enough, but when it came to shamelessness, this guy was merely an amateur compared to him.

The young nobleman then looked at Zuan and said coldly, "Wuyun Taxue is a military horse that has made great contributions on the battlefield. It's registered with the Ministry of War. Do you know the crime of slaughtering a military horse?"

Zuan said indifferently, "I do not."

He wanted to see how the young nobleman would perform. Currently, Zuan was accustomed to conversing cheerfully with top figures like the Emperor, Prince Qi, and Yun Jianyue. This situation barely stirred any emotion in him; he was almost tempted to tell the nobleman to try harder.

At this, a knight beside him promptly added, "Slaughtering a military horse is a major crime, punishable by at least exile. If the military horse holds a military rank, the crime is compounded, resulting in the death penalty."

Zuan chuckled, staring at the luxuriously dressed young nobleman. "You want my life just for a rundown horse that rampaged through the streets? You're truly despicable."

The young nobleman's face immediately turned cold. Since childhood, no one had ever dared to speak to him like that.

Rage value from Zhao Zhi +444!

Zuan's eyes narrowed. Zhao, huh? In the capital, those with the surname Zhao were very likely to be royalty.

The knights beside them rebuked him one after another, "How audacious! How dare you speak so wildly and contradict the General!"

"General, do you know who I am?" Zuan stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Having just refined the qi of an Earth Immortal and a Grandmaster, he was currently at his peak, unconsciously exuding an air of confidence.

"Oh?" The toothless coachman not far away looked a little surprised.

"What's wrong, Uncle Fu?" came the pleasant voice of the madam from inside the carriage.

The toothless coachman chuckled, "Madam, this young man does have some tricks up his sleeve."