Chapter 1592: Enemies Meet

At that moment, Zhang Zijiang couldn't help but whisper, "My lord, this Scarred Yang Shen is a great bandit wanted by the imperial court. This would be a great achievement."

Zu An shook his head slightly, "Yang Shen is a brave man; there's no need to humiliate him. The credit for suppressing the Twin Dragon Mountain rebels is enough for all the soldiers to gain something."

According to imperial law, even if Yang Shen died, he would be subjected to slow slicing, and his head would be displayed in various places as a warning.

Although he was an enemy, he was still worthy of respect, and Zu An did not wish for him to suffer such humiliation after death.

"Yes!" Zhang Zijiang stepped back. If it had been anyone else, he would have argued vehemently, but Zu An had profoundly impressed him in recent days, and his prestige was now soaring, so Zhang Zijiang did not contradict him.

Moreover, Lord Zu wasn't like some officials who only paid lip service to ideals and devotion; he had also considered sharing the credit for suppressing the Twin Dragon Mountain rebels with them, which was more than enough.

Xie Daoyun blinked, looking up at Zu An. She felt that this man was growing taller in her estimation; with such high cultivation, he could still maintain a kind heart. Brother Zu was truly a heroic figure of immense stature.

At this point, the other soldiers cleaned up the scene and discreetly departed, leaving only the two of them.

Only then did Xie Daoyun react, abruptly leaping out of his arms and to the side. Her legs felt extremely weak, and she almost lost her balance.

Zu An chuckled, "Daoyun, are you hurt?"

Xie Daoyun pursed her lips and shook her head, "No, when Yang Shen approached the tent, he triggered the formation I set up, so I woke up in time. Then, Brother Zu, you arrived."

Speaking of which, how many times has Brother Zu saved my life now? As the saying goes, a life-saving kindness can only be repaid by...

Oh, what are you thinking? Aren't you ashamed?

Seeing her face alternate between red and white, Zu An couldn't help but remark, "You rune masters really have many tricks. Even a grandmaster-level expert can fall into your traps if they're not careful."

As he spoke, Xie Daoyun's cheeks grew warm. Actually, she had set up that formation to wait for Zu An, worried that he might arrive suddenly and catch her unprepared. So, she had placed a small formation outside.

Heaven knew how happy she was when the formation was triggered; she thought Brother Zu had finally come for her, only to find an ugly scarred man instead.

"By the way, do you know why he wanted to capture you?" Zu An asked, voicing his doubt.

Xie Daoyun shook her head blankly, "I don't know either."

She was genuinely bewildered. She had lived in Brightmoon City before and in the capital in recent years, leading a secluded life. There was no way she could have crossed paths with Yang Shen, let alone made an enemy of him. She completely failed to understand why he would take such a great risk to capture her.

"Daoyun, don't dwell on it if you can't figure it out. I'll protect you." Zu An remembered Xie Xiu's earlier request and thought to himself that he mustn't let anything happen to her. Fortunately, he wouldn't have to rush to Yi Commandery at night during this period, so even if something unexpected occurred, he could look after her.

Xie Daoyun, however, misunderstood, taking his words as a sign of affection. Her heart pounded faster than it had in all the previous years combined. "Brother Zu, you can call me Ling'er from now on. That's my nickname; my parents call me that."

After saying this, she darted back into her tent without looking back.

Zu An remained standing there, somewhat confused. What did she mean by that? Did she see him as an elder?

For the next few days, the group traveled towards Yi Commandery. During the day, the two discussed cultivation, and in the evenings, they talked about poetry and prose, covering a wide range of topics from all corners of the world and romantic interests. Xie Daoyun admired Zu An's knowledge and unique way of thinking, and Zu An admired her brilliant talent. They grew to understand each other better.

Happy times always passed quickly. After about ten days, they finally arrived near Yi City.

From a distance, they saw a large group of people waiting in the city's outskirts, with various ceremonial banners, clearly local officials from Yi Commandery there to greet them.

Zu An happened to know the leading figures and introduced them to those around him: "The serious-looking man with the goatee at the front is Zhang Jie, the Prefect of Yi Commandery. Beside him, the martial general with the long spear is Commandant Yang Sheng. The somewhat handsome middle-aged man next to them is Liao Ling, the City Lord of Yi Commandery; his Grand Spirit Sword Qi is quite unique..."

Zhang Zijiang remarked with admiration, "Lord Zu truly has an extensive memory. He only passed through Yi Commandery once but knows the local officials like the back of his hand..."

Wang Bolin frowned, annoyed that that scoundrel had beaten him to complimenting Zu An again. Damn!

Zu An remained unaffected, but Xie Daoyun thoroughly enjoyed it, feeling as though compliments for Zu An were also compliments for her.

Soon, the two groups converged, and after routine pleasantries, Zu An introduced Wang Bolin and Zhang Zijiang to the Yi Commandery officials. The two men straightened their chests, shedding their earlier fawning demeanor around Zu An. Although many of the officials present held higher ranks, Wang Bolin and Zhang Zijiang came from the capital, the emperor's direct command, and were members of the imperial guard, so they felt quite superior to these local officials.

The Yi Commandery officials naturally dared not offend them, repeatedly expressing their long-held admiration, which made the two men feel quite pleased with themselves.

Only Liao Ling, the City Lord of Yi Commandery, remained silent. Clearly, as someone who cultivated the Grand Spirit Qi, he disdained the actions of his colleagues.

Seeing his lack of deference, Wang Bolin and Zhang Zijiang felt somewhat put out.

Worried about unnecessary conflict, Zu An, at an opportune moment, led Xie Daoyun forward and introduced her to Liao Ling: "Miss Xie is the last disciple of Master Yan Xiangu. You two actually share some connections."

Liao Ling's Grand Spirit Qi cultivation actually stemmed from the National Academy, where he had studied for some time in his early years. In essence, they were both alumni.

Liao Ling's eyes immediately lit up. "So you are the Grand Master's disciple. Indeed, a person with knowledge and wisdom possesses an inner radiance."

"Greetings, senior!" Xie Daoyun bowed gracefully, a hint of joy on her face. Unlike other places, students of the academy had a strong sense of belonging, and meeting an alumnus naturally felt closer than meeting a stranger.

The officials had initially assumed Xie Daoyun was merely a female companion Zu An brought along. Many had even thought, "This Marquis Shen is truly bold, daring to bring a beautiful young woman along while on imperial duty. Isn't he afraid of being impeached by the Censorate upon his return to the capital?"

Now, upon learning that she was Yan Xiangu's last disciple, they immediately held her in higher regard, eagerly greeting her and inquiring about Yan Xiangu's recent activities.

As the empire's foremost rune master, countless formations in the imperial palace, local government offices, and military camps were attributed to Yan Xiangu.

Court officials considered it an honor to possess a magical artifact or a personal manuscript from Master Yan. Unfortunately, Yan Xiangu rarely produced works for private individuals, making his creations increasingly valuable.

Local officials in places like Yi Commandery had no hope of being eligible for Master Yan's works. However, now that they had the opportunity to meet his last disciple, if they could establish a good relationship, they might in the future acquire some magical artifacts from her. Even if she couldn't compare to Master Yan yet, as his last disciple, she was bound to become a master someday.

Considering these connections, how could these officials not be zealous?

Seeing that Zu An seemed to greatly appreciate Liao Ling, Zhang Zijiang and Wang Bolin naturally wouldn't be so foolish as to provoke him. Instead, they seized the opportunity to lavish praise on Xie Daoyun, believing that complimenting her was tantamount to pleasing Zu An.

Praised to the heavens and beyond, the usually composed Xie Daoyun found herself overwhelmed by the situation and instinctively retreated behind Zu An.

Witnessing this, the old foxes in the official circles exchanged glances, concluding that Miss Xie and Zu An had a rather deep relationship.

Fortunately, a sudden rush of hooves broke the awkwardness. Everyone turned to look, seeing a troop of black-armored cavalry rapidly approaching. Each horse was magnificent, and their armor gleamed menacingly. In terms of equipment quality, they were no less superior than the Emperor's own Feathered Forest Imperial Guard.

Seeing the approaching group, Zhang Jie, the Prefect of Yi Commandery, involuntarily frowned.

Noticing this, Zu An's expression became somewhat amused. It seemed the local officials of Yi Commandery and the Prince of Yan's manor did not have a harmonious relationship.

He recognized the uniforms of the approaching cavalry; they were the black-armored riders from the Prince of Yan's manor. Furthermore, he had a "vengeance for a slain son" with their leader.

He took deep breaths of fresh air, his chest heaving.

Confusion, bewilderment, and various other emotions flooded his mind.

Where was this?

Then, Shi Yu subconsciously observed his surroundings, becoming even more bewildered.

A single dorm room?

Even if he had been successfully rescued, he should be in a hospital room now.

And his body... how could it be completely unharmed?

With doubts in mind, Shi Yu's gaze quickly swept across the room, finally settling on a mirror at the head of the bed.

The mirror reflected his current appearance: around seventeen or eighteen years old, and quite handsome.

But the problem was, this wasn't him!

His former self had been a handsome young man in his twenties, with an extraordinary demeanor, who had been working for some time.

Now, this appearance looked like that of a high school student...

This change left Shi Yu in a daze for a long time.

Please don't tell him the surgery was successful...

His body and appearance had both changed; this wasn't a matter of surgery at all, but rather immortal magic.

He had completely become another person!

Could it be... that he had transmigrated?

Besides the mirror at the head of the bed, which was clearly placed in a bad feng shui position, Shi Yu also found three books nearby.

Shi Yu picked them up, and the titles immediately silenced him.

"Beginner Beast Tamer's Essential Pet Rearing Manual""Postpartum Care for Pet Beasts""Guide to Evaluating Otherworldly Beast-Eared Girls"

Shi Yu: ???

The first two book titles seemed normal enough, but what was going on with the last one?

"Cough."

Shi Yu's gaze sharpened, and he reached out his hand, but his arm quickly stiffened.

Just as he was about to open the third book to see what it was, a sharp pain shot through his brain, and a flood of memories surged forth.

Icefield City.

Pet Beast Breeding Base.

Intern Pet Beast Breeder.

Beast Master?