Chapter 1040: Round Table Mystery Man

I first heard about the Zhenyuan Merchants' Association while investigating Shen Zhou's case. I learned that he had been investigating a smuggling case involving them before his death.

However, Zu'an knew that Shen Zhou had died near the capital. At that time, he should have been on his way to the capital to deliver a message, making it impossible for him to investigate any smuggling cases. Furthermore, the charred body found in the warehouse in the smuggling case was not Shen Zhou's. Therefore, he hadn't paid much attention to the Zhenyuan Merchants' Association.

However, as the investigation continued, the Zhenyuan Merchants' Association kept appearing. Now that he knew the demon expert might also be hiding within the association, he realized this association was definitely problematic.

“Let me go with you to investigate the Zhenyuan Merchants' Association,” Zu'an said.

Qiu Honglei was pleasantly surprised. “Won't that delay your important business?” she asked.

Zu'an shook his head. “It's fine. I have some things I need to verify there anyway.”

Qiu Honglei leaned her head on his arm, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled. “Ah Zu, you're so good to me.”

Zu'an patted her hand. The two then chatted about their lives since their last separation.

Unbeknownst to them, they soon arrived near the Zhenyuan Merchants' Association. Strictly speaking, many shops in Cloudtop City belonged to the Zhenyuan Merchants' Association, so it occupied a vast area. However, according to the intelligence Qiu Honglei had gathered, Kong Qing was likely hiding in the main headquarters.

The two strolled around the headquarters like a couple, while secretly observing the association's security arrangements, and noting their patrol routes and shift changes.

After their investigation, Zu'an was secretly astonished. “Is this Zhenyuan Merchants' Association trying to ascend to heaven? The security around here is even more exaggerated than that of the Prefectural or City Lord's Mansions.”

Qiu Honglei replied, “The Zhenyuan Merchants' Association is already extremely large, with branches all over the world. Cloudtop Prefecture is where their headquarters are located, so naturally, the security here is more intense than elsewhere.”

Zu'an hesitated, wondering if it would be safer to call in troops for an investigation. However, mobilizing troops would cause too much commotion, and he had no evidence. If they found nothing in the end, it would lead to significant trouble later. After all, bringing troops to search a major taxpayer of the imperial court without reason would create a very negative impression. So, he decided to investigate the situation first before taking further action.

Soon, they waited until nightfall. Qiu Honglei wanted to go in, but Zu'an stopped her. “Wait outside,” he said. “After all, Kong Qing managed to escape from your master, so his cultivation must be very high. And this Zhenyuan Merchants' Association is so large that it must have many experts guarding it.”

Qiu Honglei huffed, clearly a little displeased. “I am also the esteemed Saintess of the Holy Sect; I can certainly protect myself.”

“This time it's really different,” Zu'an said gravely. “Not only does this involve the murder of your sect's elder, but it also concerns major changes in the officialdom of Cloudtop Prefecture. It's definitely not simple inside. Even I have to be extremely cautious when entering, and I'm not confident I can guarantee your safety then.”

Given Qiu Honglei's talent and resources, she would undoubtedly become one of the world's top experts in time. However, she was too young; she had only cultivated for a little over ten years at most. How could she compare to those old monsters who had cultivated for decades or even centuries? This time, they were facing a Grandmaster-level expert. Uncertain of the situation inside, he dared not let her take the risk.

Hearing the seriousness in his tone, Qiu Honglei thought for a moment and nodded. “Alright, lest I hold you back if I go in. How about this: I'll wait outside to provide support. If I sense you're in danger, I'll create a diversion outside to draw their attention.”

If she were alone, she might have gone. But with Zu'an, if she were to accidentally implicate him, that was something she absolutely did not want to happen.

Zu'an smiled and squeezed her cheek. Just as he was about to sneak in, Qiu Honglei suddenly grabbed him, offering him a lantern she held. “Take this with you. This item is called the Small Changxin Palace Lamp. Once lit, it can restrain creatures within a few zhang radius. Of course, if the target's cultivation is very high, it won't be able to fully restrain them, but it can still slow their movements. Keep it for self-defense.”

Just as she was about to teach him how to use the Small Changxin Palace Lamp, Zu'an gently pushed her hand back. “Don't worry, with my current cultivation, I won't need this,” he said. “This is your trump card; you should keep it for self-defense. You'll also be providing support for me later, and if some experts come to besiege you, I'll be more at ease knowing you have this.”

Seeing the calm in his tone and eyes, Qiu Honglei smiled, pursing her lips, and no longer insisted. “I completely forgot your cultivation is far beyond what it used to be. Very well, be careful.”

Zu'an nodded, and slipped inside during the brief interval after the guards had just finished their patrol and left. He easily breached the defenses of the outer guards because he had observed their patterns during the day. However, as he went deeper, he clearly sensed the internal security tightening. Many hidden spots had concealed sentries secretly observing the entire area. They would sound an alert at the slightest disturbance.

“A mere merchants' association is this secretive,” Zu'an muttered, his brows furrowed. He felt increasingly certain that the Zhenyuan Merchants' Association was problematic. Of course, with his current cultivation and the Jade Cong providing X-ray vision, evading these hidden sentries was not difficult.

However, the Zhenyuan Merchants' Association had far too many buildings. Zu'an searched for a while but found nothing. He quickly stopped this needle-in-a-haystack search method. Instead, he hid in the shadow of an attic, and used the Jade Cong to expand his influence, activating all the small animals throughout the Zhenyuan Merchants' Association to help him search.

Of course, with the intelligence of those small animals, it would be difficult for them to understand how to find a demon expert. But Zu'an didn't need them to understand; he only needed them to be afraid. The target was a Grandmaster-level demon. And these small animals were, broadly speaking, also demons, though they were merely low-level beasts without sentience. Therefore, higher-level demons naturally exerted pressure over lower-level creatures. Once within a certain range, these small animals would sense extreme fear. That way, he would know where his target was.

The small animals began scurrying around the various buildings of the Zhenyuan Merchants' Association, making the guards in the manor quite bewildered. They wondered if something supernatural was happening today. However, no one paid too much attention, simply assuming the little creatures were hungry and looking for food.

The search continued. After about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, there was finally a result. Zu'an opened his eyes and looked towards a courtyard several hundred meters away. It was completely dark there. None of the small animals dared to approach, and even passing cats and mice were trembling.

“That's it!” Zu'an tapped his toe, and like a night owl, he silently soared towards the location.

The entire courtyard was silent. However, Zu'an dared not be careless. Carrying Bai Fei's sachet, he suppressed his aura to an extremely low level. Then, he used 'Clear Mirror, Not a Stand' to conceal even the faint fluctuations of his primordial energy. Only then did he slowly creep inside.

Although the opponent was a Grandmaster, he had faced Grandmasters before, and even more powerful opponents.