Chapter 728: Father's Kindness and Filial Piety

The embroidered-uniform envoys in the room, all holding their weapons, looked warily at the doorway. "Who dares to cause trouble in the Embroidered Envoy Building!"

What a joke! The Embroidered Envoy Building was the headquarters of the embroidered-uniform envoys. Any official brought here from the imperial court would tremble with fear, yet someone actually dared to run wild here?

Several embroidered-uniform envoys near the door immediately swung their Soul-Snatching Ropes and charged forward, intending to subdue the person at once. Unfortunately, just as they were about to strike, they were sent flying by an invisible burst of energy, scattering the group in disarray.

Although the embroidered-uniform envoys had combined attack formations, and the Soul-Snatching Ropes could break through cultivators' protective vital energy, these were meaningless in the face of an absolute disparity in power.

A Grandmaster! Everyone's heart tightened.

Zu'an also turned around and clearly saw the newcomer: a tall, white-haired old man with sword-like eyebrows, his eyes now filled with rage.

Zu'an couldn't help but smile faintly. "I wondered who it was; so it's Grand Marshal Shi. I wonder what Grand Marshal Shi means by trespassing into the Embroidered Envoy Building."

The last time Yun Jianyue and her group attempted an assassination, Zu'an had seen Shi Miao take action in the Eastern Palace, which was why he recognized him.

"Father, save me, Father!" Seeing his father, Shi Jun was incredibly agitated, like a drowning man clutching at a dead branch. After all, the punishments of the embroidered-uniform envoys were too terrifying, and he absolutely did not want to experience them.

Shi Miao looked at him, saw the bloodstains on his body, and his expression darkened. His sharp gaze swept across the room: "Who inflicted these injuries on him?"

The embroidered-uniform envoys who had laid hands on Shi Jun exchanged glances. While they were usually arrogant, that didn't mean they were foolish. With a Grandmaster present, stepping forward would only invite punishment. They all looked at Zu'an as if seeking help.

He was the highest-ranking person here, so naturally it was his place to speak.

However, they were not optimistic. Although the Gold-Token Embroidered Envoys were formidable, none seemed to have reached the Grandmaster realm. What could they do in such a situation?

Most likely, a few of them would be pushed forward to take the blame, and then Grand Commander Zhuxie would settle the score with this person upon his return. Who cared about the lives of foot soldiers like them?

Just as they felt disappointed and afraid, Zu'an spoke calmly: "Stop looking around, I'm the one who did it."

"Lord Eleven!" A group of Silver-Token and Bronze-Token Embroidered Envoys felt both grateful and worried.

As expected, Shi Miao immediately roared in fury: "You seek death!"

Rage from Shi Miao +444 +444 +444...

No sooner had he spoken than he shot forward like a cannonball, appearing before Zu'an. A sudden whirlwind seemed to erupt in the room, and the immense wind pressure shattered and toppled many surrounding tables and chairs.

"Lord Eleven is finished!" This was the thought in every embroidered-uniform envoy's mind. The strength of the embroidered-uniform envoys lay in their coordinated combat, and in the entire Embroidered Envoy Building, apart from Grand Commander Zhuxie, anyone caught in close proximity by a Grandmaster faced certain death.

To everyone's surprise, with a bang, Zu'an swiftly raised his hand and met the blow with a palm strike.

The aftershocks of the palm strike caused dust to flutter down from the walls and beams. The embroidered-uniform envoys were jolted, stumbling unsteadily, and some with lower cultivation even bled from their mouths and noses.

Yet Zu'an, at the center of the storm, merely staggered back about ten feet. He appeared relaxed, as if completely unharmed.

And Shi Miao was also forced back nearly ten feet!

Everyone was stunned, their jaws nearly hitting the floor as they stared at him.

To take a strike from a Grandmaster in a furious rage, yet emerge completely unharmed, and even push him back ten feet—just what level of cultivation did Lord Eleven possess?

Shi Miao also wore a bewildered expression. He had expected this strike to be enough to severely injure his opponent. He had intended to "kill the chicken to warn the monkey," but instead of killing the chicken, he had merely disgraced himself.

This person's fist was somewhat strange. He recalled the moment of their exchange: a huge suction force seemed to emanate from the opponent's fist, absorbing and dissipating a large portion of his palm power. This was why their palm strike seemed to be evenly matched.

At this moment, other embroidered-uniform envoys, having heard the commotion, swarmed in, forming a circle around Shi Miao to prevent him from launching another sudden attack.

As the saying goes, "strike while the iron is hot, then wane, then exhaust." Shi Miao's previous palm strike had been easily parried by his opponent, leaving him in a state of shock and uncertainty. How could he dare to strike again?

Zu'an stated gravely: "How bold of you! Do you know the penalty for trespassing into the forbidden grounds of the Embroidered Envoy Building?"

"Trespassers in the Embroidered Envoy Building shall die!" an embroidered-uniform envoy beside him added. Many had just been injured while trying to stop him, and they were full of suppressed anger. Since the establishment of the embroidered-uniform envoys, when had they ever suffered such a humiliation at their own headquarters?

So what if he was a Grand Marshal? The embroidered-uniform envoys were inherently independent of the imperial court, so they naturally didn't need to give him face.

Zu'an was amused. Usually, he had no effective way to deal with the Shi clan, but today, Shi Miao was courting death himself. How could he miss such a good opportunity?

So he decisively gave the order: "Men, kill this intruder on sight!"

Although the opponent was a Grandmaster, there were many experts in the Embroidered Envoy Building who were skilled in combined attack formations to apprehend people. With his own assistance, capturing or killing Shi Miao would not be difficult.

Shi Jun, standing nearby, was dumbfounded. This fellow dared to kill even his father? Was something wrong with this world?

Seeing the embroidered-uniform envoys drawing their weapons and swarming towards his father, a chill ran through his bones. If his father were truly killed here, he would be utterly finished.

Thinking of this, he hastily cried out: "Death-exemption token! Father, the death-exemption token!"

Originally, if he had taken down that Gold-Token Envoy upon arrival, Shi Miao was confident his cultivation would be enough to intimidate everyone present, especially since Zhuxie Chixin was not here today. But he hadn't expected that Gold-Token Envoy to be evenly matched with him, which greatly boosted the morale of the other embroidered-uniform envoys. If a real fight broke out, he might indeed die here with regret.

At this moment, hearing his son's reminder, he had an epiphany. He quickly pulled out a dark gold token and held it above his head: "This is the death-exemption token personally bestowed by His Majesty! Who dares to kill me?"

The embroidered-uniform envoys exchanged glances, and one by one, halted their advance. They were a secret intelligence agency directly under the Emperor, capable of disregarding the threats of any official, but they could not disregard an imperial decree.

At this point, Zu'an felt a slight ache. He hadn't expected this fellow to have such a thing in his possession.

Historically, those who possessed such death-exemption tokens usually didn't come to a good end. For example, during the Ming Dynasty, every single minister who held a death-exemption token issued by Emperor Hongwu eventually met a fate where even the execution of their entire clan was considered light.

Of course, the Emperor had the right to decide whether to grant an exemption from death. As subjects, they could not overstep their bounds, otherwise, it would only arouse the Emperor's suspicion.

Zu'an could only point at Shi Jun and say: "There's only one death-exemption token. Since he doesn't have it, then continue the beating."

Shi Jun was dumbfounded. He hadn't realized he was the clown all along.

He hastily stretched out his hand past Shi Miao: "Father! Father! Quickly lend me the token!"

Zu'an smiled but said nothing, finding this a truly amusing display of filial piety.

"Shut up!" Shi Miao's face darkened. Had his son taken the wrong medicine today? How could he be so foolish? "This token doesn't just protect one person! His Majesty personally said back then that as long as our Shi clan doesn't rebel, this token is enough to protect our entire family!"

Shi Jun finally woke up as if from a dream. He really had been terrified out of his wits by these embroidered-uniform envoys. In his embarrassment, he cast a venomous glance at Zu'an, especially at this fellow.

Rage from Shi Jun +233 +233 +233...

In the end, Shi Miao managed to take Shi Jun away, protected by the death-exemption token. The people in the Embroidered Envoy Building were hesitant to act for fear of repercussions, and furthermore, the procedure for Shi Jun's arrest was indeed flawed. They could only let them leave.

A group of embroidered-uniform envoys, filled with righteous indignation, prepared to go to the Emperor to lodge a complaint. However, Zu'an knew that the Emperor would likely not intervene, as the Shi clan's status was extraordinary. Furthermore, given that Shi Kun had "accidentally" died in the Eastern Palace earlier, the Emperor could not be too harsh.

As expected, the Emperor merely reprimanded Shi Miao, imposing a superficial penalty of a year's salary. The matter was thus left unresolved.

With Shi Jun's matter stalled, Zu'an was troubled when a eunuch from Kunning Palace came with a message: Her Majesty the Empress wished to see him.