Chapter 1113: Blood Debt Must Be Paid in Blood

A wrapped scroll of paper fell from the center of the broken sword. The paper was made of a special material, allowing it to resist water and fire to some extent.

Zu An unrolled the paper, and his expression shifted dramatically.

"What's wrong?" Sang Hong asked curiously, noticing Zu An's expression.

Zu An had already motioned for his subordinates to withdraw to a distance. He then whispered, "The evidence we've been searching for was left here by Shen Zhou."

"What?!" Sang Hong quickly took the scroll to examine it. He saw that it was a simple ledger, which corroborated the one previously found at the Zhenyuan Merchant Association.

The only difference was that this ledger also contained extensive records of smuggling activities between Prince Qi's faction and the demon race.

No wonder Prince Qi's side had not spared the entire village. They must have feared Shen Zhou had left behind evidence, and since they couldn't find it, they simply burned everything to ensure any evidence was destroyed.

They had never imagined, however, that Shen Zhou would hide the evidence inside a toy wooden sword he made for his son. And by a twist of fate, that very sword had been given to Zu An, saving him from the flames.

Truly, there was a sense of divine will at play.

At that moment, Sang Hong said, "A'Zu, I need to go immediately and apprehend everyone on this list. Care to join me?"

After all, a ledger alone wasn't enough; it required real people and physical evidence to be truly conclusive.

Zu An shook his head. "Uncle, you go ahead. I have something even more important to do."

As he spoke, his gaze drifted towards a particular direction within Cloudcentral City.

Sang Hong seemed to intuit his thoughts and said with concern, "A'Zu, don't act rashly. Let's plan this out carefully."

Zu An's voice was low. "What is cultivation for if not to exact justice and settle scores? I simply cannot stand idly by."

Without waiting for Sang Hong to try and stop him, Zu An disappeared into the distance with a few rapid movements.

Sang Hong's expression was grim. He gestured for his subordinates to return to the city. To aid Zu An, he needed to secure all the evidence as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, Zu An sped through the city, arriving swiftly outside a particular residence.

"Zhao Zhi, get out here!" a furious shout thundered.

Inside the house, several people were clinking glasses around a wine table. The silver-haired Han Fengqiu was toasting a few burly men. "You've all worked hard!" he said.

The leader, whose face was marked with distinctive yellow and black patterns, spoke with a voice like a booming bell. "That was no hardship at all, just a few mountain villagers. It took no effort. What I don't understand is why these mortals needed us to intervene."

Han Fengqiu chuckled. "Mainly, Cloudcentral Prefecture has been quite volatile lately. If things couldn't be settled quickly, any misstep could lead to complete failure."

The big man nodded, saying with a hint of regret, "As I suggested, we should have just eaten them all. No trace would have been left."

Han Fengqiu secretly cursed him as a fool, but replied amiably, "That would risk exposing your identities, which would hinder future operations."

"Hmph, I can come and go as I please in Cloudcentral Prefecture," the big man snorted. "Who could possibly stop me?"

Han Fengqiu mentally sighed, confirming his belief that these demon creatures were indeed savage and rude; dealing with them was truly exhausting.

Just then, Zu An's angry shout echoed from outside.

The people inside the room erupted in fury and rushed outside.

"I wondered who was brazen enough to cause trouble here," Han Fengqiu sneered, recognizing the newcomer. "So it's Lord Zu."

Zu An's gaze fell on the burly man beside Han Fengqiu. His round face, with its striking yellow and black patterns, made Zu An frown. "Tiger clan?" he murmured.

The patterns so closely resembled tiger stripes that they were unmistakable.

Han Fengqiu secretly regretted their actions. These simple-minded, brawny brutes had charged out without hesitation. He also blamed himself for being too angry to stop them.

However, since the situation was already out in the open, there was no point in hiding it. He said calmly, "These are guards I've temporarily hired. The court hasn't forbidden employing them, has it?"

After the demon race's defeat years ago, many demons remained in human territory as slaves. Numerous noble families kept demon slaves, and over time, the type and quantity of demon slaves even became a measure of a family's wealth and influence.

Zu An had no intention of debating such matters. He asked coldly, "Where is Zhao Zhi? Why isn't he coming out?"

Han Fengqiu frowned. "Lord Zu, it's improper to address the Young Prince by his given name. If we were to pursue it, you could be charged."

Zu An completely ignored him. Instead, he asked directly, "Were Shen Zhou's wife and child killed by your people?"

Hearing this, the demon man beside Han Fengqiu narrowed his eyes, but he understood the gravity of the situation and remained silent for the moment.

Han Fengqiu scoffed. "What are you talking about, Lord Zu? Who did we have killed? I don't even know who Shen Zhou is. As fellow court officials, you should speak with evidence, or I'll see to it you're impeached. I guarantee you'll regret it."

Zu An looked at him calmly. "Do you think I've come here to investigate a case, to slowly present evidence to you?"

"My Great Zhou is a land of laws," Han Fengqiu said with a contemptuous smirk, crossing his arms. "What, does Lord Zu intend to execute someone without cause?"

"Congratulations," Zu An said, his voice barely fading before he was already in front of Han Fengqiu, unleashing a forceful palm strike.

Despite his brave words, Han Fengqiu was caught off guard by Zu An's swift and decisive attack. He hurriedly drew his sword, but he was a fraction of a second too late. Zu An's palm struck the blade, pushing the long sword directly into Han Fengqiu's chest.

Han Fengqiu spat a mouthful of blood, feeling as if several of his ribs had shattered. He reeled backward like a broken sandbag.

Zu An, however, frowned. Han Fengqiu's injury didn't appear as severe as it seemed; he must have been wearing some kind of protective artifact over his heart.

Just then, a furious roar erupted from the side as the tiger-patterned man charged forward.

Zu An instantly understood the meaning of the phrase "tiger's roar echoing through the mountains." A visible ripple of sound energy surged towards him.

Even with his current cultivation, he was momentarily shaken and dazed by its force.

This was clearly an innate skill of the Tiger clan, seemingly unrelated to cultivation level.

The tiger-patterned man's fist, as large as a mortar, was already hurtling towards Zu An's waist. The white flash indicating it had broken the sound barrier suggested that if this punch landed, his internal organs would be utterly shattered.

His invincible trump card was to disorient opponents with a tiger's roar, then strike them with supreme fist force while they were momentarily stunned.

To his surprise, however, Zu An recovered faster than expected. His palm moved with lightning speed, blocking the incoming fist.

With a loud thud, both men recoiled.

A surge of energy erupted, snapping all the surrounding flora and trees in a wide circle around them.

Zu An now realized he had initially underestimated the man. This Tiger clan expert appeared to be at the peak of the ninth rank. Crucially, his formidable physique and racial talents likely gave him significantly greater combat power than human cultivators of the same rank.

At that moment, the sound of a dragon's roar echoed, and an incredibly sharp sword qi shot towards his throat.

Zu An casually flicked his hand, deflecting the incoming flying sword.

The flying sword had already returned to Han Fengqiu's hand. With blood streaking his lips, he scrambled back to his feet. "You, Zu, are you insane?" he spat.

Han Fengqiu's Rage: 433,433,433...

He felt utterly frustrated. During their previous encounter in the capital, Zu An had clearly been inferior, yet after their exchange, Han Fengqiu had gained no advantage and had even allowed the Young Prince to be injured, leading to rumors of his defeat.

The crucial point was that in that battle, he had been wary of the Yu clan's masters and hadn't used his full strength, so he had been seething with resentment ever since.

To his dismay, before he could clear his name from that previous humiliation, he was injured by Zu An in a single exchange today. If word of this spread, how could he ever show his face again?

What truly maddened him was that in both encounters, he had suffered because the opponent had used deceit!

Zu An's voice was icy. "The blood feud of Shen Zhou's wife and child, and the lives of over thirty innocent villagers, must all be repaid with blood!"