Chapter 982: Unexpectedly Shot

The two men were startled and quickly followed his gaze, only then discovering many people gathered around the envoy’s ship at the pier. The man leading them was none other than Sun Xun, who had left earlier.

“Is he trying to cause trouble for the envoy here?” Pei You sneered. They hadn't been afraid back at the Xiaoyao Pavilion, how much less now that they were on their home ground.

As members of prominent families from the capital, they naturally held a degree of arrogance towards local people. Furthermore, as imperial envoys bearing the Emperor's mandate, they could pretty much do as they pleased.

Gao Ying, however, was more composed. He said in a low voice, “Let’s board the ship from a different direction first. We can figure out what’s happening later.”

After all, it wasn’t exactly respectable for them to have visited a place like the Xiaoyao Pavilion. They were concerned Sun Xun might use this against them. Since they hadn’t shown their faces inside, they could simply deny everything if genuinely confronted.

The group secretly boarded the large ship. They only emerged after changing their clothes.

Sang Hong was already receiving the other party. Although Sang Hong’s official rank and cultivation were lower, his status as an imperial envoy compelled Sun Xun to deal with him cautiously.

“Lord Sang, what’s happening?” the group inquired as they walked over.

Sang Hong replied, “Allow me to introduce you. This is Lord Sun, the Prime Minister of Yan. And these are Zu An, Administrator of the Crown Prince’s Household, and the Feathered Forest Commander…”

After the introductions, the group formally greeted Sun Xun. Sun Xun glanced at them and said with a half-smile, “Ah, so it’s Lord Zu. I’ve heard much about you. In fact, I came specifically for you this time, Lord Zu.”

Gao Ying and Pei You’s hearts skipped a beat. They wondered if he had seen through their disguise.

Only Zu An remained perfectly calm. “Oh, I didn’t expect to have this honor,” he said. “What might Prime Minister Sun need from me?”

Sun Xun replied, “I’ve long heard that Lord Zu has repeatedly solved perplexing cases in the capital. This time, there happens to be a thorny case that requires your assistance, Lord Zu.”

Sang Hong frowned at this. “I hope Prime Minister Sun will understand,” he said. “We are on an imperial mission. We are only making a brief stop here and likely won’t have time to assist with local cases.”

He felt a surge of anger. He thought, 'This Sun Xun is utterly clueless about protocol. Are we here specifically to solve cases for you?'

To everyone’s surprise, Sun Xun calmly stated, “Originally, we wouldn’t have troubled the imperial envoys. However, we were on the verge of apprehending the suspect, but then we encountered a few individuals who claimed to be Feathered Forest Guards. They released some of the suspects, which prevented our investigation from proceeding. That’s why we had no choice but to seek the assistance of the imperial envoys.”

Zu An and the other two exchanged glances. They knew exactly what he was implying.

Sang Hong had already largely guessed that Zu An and his companions were responsible, as they had just been out. But he was extremely shrewd, not even glancing at the three. Instead, he spoke calmly, “Oh, such a thing happened? Lord Sun, did you verify their identities? You know, there are many brazen individuals in the world who dare to impersonate anyone these days.”

Having been in officialdom for a long time, he was an old fox. Without hesitation, he immediately deflected the issue.

Sun Xun sighed. “We local officials are rather unworldly and don’t know how to discern whether they were genuine Feathered Forest Guards. Furthermore, impersonating an imperial envoy appears to be a very serious crime. I presume Lord Sang would have an obligation to assist in clarifying this matter, wouldn’t you?”

“This…” Sang Hong was momentarily at a loss. If such an incident truly occurred, he did indeed have an obligation to cooperate with an investigation. The first step would be to determine if anyone from the envoy team had actually been involved.

Just as he was in a dilemma, Zu An spoke. “It’s just investigating a case. It shouldn’t take too much effort. Just leave it to me.”

He naturally didn’t want the matter to escalate. It would be quite troublesome to prolong it. As for the investigation, he already knew the true culprit, so it would require no effort at all.

Sang Hong had always trusted his capabilities. Seeing him agree, and knowing he had a handle on the situation, Sang Hong nodded and consented. “Very well. Zu An, you can go and assist Lord Sun with the investigation,” he said. “However, our mission is urgent. We can only remain here for one more day at most. By then, regardless of the outcome, we will need to depart. Is that clear?”

“Understood!” Zu An secretly gave a thumbs-up. 'Older folks truly are wiser,' he thought.

Sun Xun inwardly cursed, 'Old fox!' This fellow had addressed Zu An directly, without bothering to consult Sun Xun's opinion. Clearly, it was to provide Zu An with a fallback.

But it didn’t matter. As long as they participated this time, his objective would be met.

“Then I’ll leave it to you, Lord Zu,” Sun Xun said, cupping his hands toward Zu An.

“You’re too kind, Lord Sun,” Zu An replied. His brows subtly furrowed; he felt there was something hidden in Sun Xun’s gaze, so he secretly reminded himself to be cautious. “What kind of case is it, exactly?” he asked.

“Shall we go to the crime scene to take a look? We can discuss the specific details of the case on the way,” Sun Xun said, standing up.

“Alright,” Zu An replied. He wasn’t particularly worried that the other party would try anything. With so many people witnessing Sun Xun personally inviting him to handle the case, if anything were to happen, Sun Xun would certainly not be able to escape accountability.

Sang Hong frowned, then motioned to Gao Ying and Pei You to take a few guards along with Zu An. Zu An was now his ally, and due to his daughter, he now regarded Zu An as a junior family member. Naturally, he didn’t want anything to happen to him.

Gao Ying and Pei You had already intended to do so. So, they immediately gathered some men and followed.

Zu An didn’t refuse either. If power offered convenience, why bother with individual heroics and risk?

Sun Xun didn’t say anything further. He led the group towards the city outskirts.

In truth, he had already recognized Gao Ying and Pei You from the qi fluctuations emanating from them. As for Zu An, he was less certain. Although the man appeared to be only a sixth-rank cultivator, the qi fluctuations from his body gave Sun Xun an elusive feeling. It wasn’t quite the same as the previous 'No. 333'.

However, judging by Gao Ying and Pei You’s reactions, he must be the one.

Even though he knew the three were aware of what had transpired, Sun Xun patiently explained the murder of Sun Ji to everyone: “My son was brutally murdered. I hope Lord Zu can help me find the killer!”

Gao Ying and Pei You looked worried. The death of the other party’s son was indeed a major problem. But why was Brother Zu implicated?

Zu An replied calmly, “I’ll do my best.”

'He’s putting on a good act,' Sun Xun thought with a sneer.

A surge of rage points from Sun Xun: +444, +444, +444...

Before long, the group arrived at a stretch of woods. Sun Xun said with a sorrowful expression, “This is the scene where my son was murdered. I’ve had men guarding it, and nothing has been disturbed. I wonder if Lord Zu can uncover anything.”

As he spoke, his eyes were fixed on Zu An. He seemed to be looking for signs of panic or guilt in Zu An’s eyes.

To his great disappointment, Zu An’s gaze remained perfectly calm. He observed the terrain as if he were seeing it for the first time, then carefully examined the bodies of Sun Ji and the others.

Sun Xun’s expression remained blank. He merely watched Zu An intently, waiting to see what tricks he might try.

After a brief inspection, Zu An asked, “Did your son have any enemies he usually dealt with?”

Sun Xun replied, “My son has always been amiable and has no known enemies. If I were forced to name one, he had a significant conflict with a guest known as 'No. 333' at the Xiaoyao Pavilion earlier today.”

“Oh? What kind of place is the Xiaoyao Pavilion?” Zu An asked, his expression calm.

Gao Ying and Pei You secretly admired him. They thought, 'As expected of Brother Zu! His composure, steady as an old dog, truly puts us to shame.'

Sun Xun was inwardly furious, but he still gave a rough explanation.

A surge of rage points from Sun Xun: +222, +222, +222...

Zu An asked a few more questions, then replied, “Oh, based on what you just said, 'No. 333' couldn’t have had the time to commit the murder. He should be innocent.”

Sun Xun was speechless.

A surge of rage points from Sun Xun: +666, +666, +666...

Seeing Sun Xun’s infuriated expression, Zu An nearly burst out laughing. “Murders are typically either revenge killings or crimes of passion,” he said. “What you just mentioned, Lord Sun, rules out both of those possibilities. Therefore, it must have been for profit. Hearing you mention the Xiaoyao Pavilion just now, he supposedly auctioned off something extremely valuable. Is that item still around?”

“Of course not,” Sun Xun retorted irritably.

“Then the culprit must have been after that,” Zu An concluded.

Sun Xun could barely suppress his anger. “Lord Zu, you’ve investigated for half a day and this is your conclusion?” he fumed. “I’ve heard much about you, but honestly, I’m quite disappointed today.”

Zu An showed no anger whatsoever. “Lord Sun, what are your profound insights?” he asked.

Sun Xun snorted. “While my son doesn’t usually offend anyone, as the Prime Minister of a nation, I handle many state affairs and inevitably offend some individuals, leading to potential retaliation. They dare not come after me directly, so they target my son instead. Among those who would dare to retaliate and possess the capability to do so, it could only be members of the Demonic Cult.”

“The Demonic Cult?” Zu An was startled. He never imagined they would be implicated.

“Precisely,” Sun Xun said. “For years, I have assisted the Prince in campaigning against the Demonic Cult. My hands are stained with the blood of countless Demonic Cult members. They hate me to the bone, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they sought revenge.”

Zu An fell into deep thought. Why would he suddenly say this? Could he genuinely believe I wasn’t the killer?