Chapter 1682: Cursing Techniques

"Some say he's dead, others say he was captured and secretly imprisoned... who really knows?" Zhang Jie scoffed. "Besides, even if that Prince Imperial were alive, what kind of waves could he possibly stir up?"

Zu An largely agreed with this assessment. The Great Zhou Dynasty was now firmly established, and with the presence of someone as formidable as Zhao Hao, who would risk their life for an obscure former imperial grandson?

He suddenly noticed something amiss. "You're not a remnant of the previous dynasty?"

"Remnants of the previous dynasty?" Zhang Jie sneered. "Those deranged fanatics? I have nothing to do with them."

"Then why have you been talking about the former Prince Imperial for so long? And why are you taking such a huge risk?" Although Zu An's tone was unfriendly, many of his doubts were being resolved. He'd had almost no way to learn about the secrets of the previous dynasty before this.

"I already told you, it's to repay Brother Zhang's kindness from back then," Zhang Jie stated calmly.

"That's not right," Zu An said coldly. "As a high-ranking official like the Prefect of Yi Commandery, you're accustomed to the deceit and schemes of officialdom. It's impossible for you to still retain the youthful idealism you once had. Even if Zhang Zhiqian was incredibly kind to you, privately looking after his orphaned daughter would be the most you'd do. It's inconceivable that you'd take such a huge risk to deal with a vassal prince."

Although the Prince of Yan was a member of the imperial clan, he wasn't directly related to Zhao Hao's lineage but was his cousin's uncle. Vengeance wouldn't be sought against him.

He paused, then added, "Moreover, you were just trying to kill her. That certainly isn't to repay a debt of gratitude, is it?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zitong looked at Zhang Jie with a hint of fear. Previously, consumed by thoughts of revenge, she hadn't given it much thought, or perhaps hadn't wanted to. Now that her great revenge was accomplished, this reminder indeed made things feel off.

Zhang Jie smiled. "You're very clever, almost the cleverest Embroidered Uniform Guard I've ever met. But since you're so smart, why don't you consider why I've been telling you so much?"

"To buy time..." Zu An naturally understood his intention, but he had enough confidence and wanted to extract sufficient information from him, so he played along with the game.

Mid-sentence, his expression suddenly changed, as Zhang Jie's aura began to grow increasingly unsettling.

The candlelight in the entire room flickered, brightening and dimming. Even though the candles were still burning, the room suddenly grew dark, as if the light itself was being absorbed by something. The shadows in the room seemed to come alive, surging towards Zhang Jie.

A thought suddenly struck him. "You're the wizard who killed Gold Badge No. 7!"

He had previously examined Gold Badge No. 7's body. His cultivation wasn't low, and with the various enchanted equipment of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, he could even hold his own against a Grandmaster. Yet, there were no signs of resistance on his body; it was as if he had died in his sleep.

Initially, they suspected Mr. Huo from the Prince of Yan's manor, but while Mr. Huo's cultivation was good, Gold Badge No. 7 had been investigating the Prince of Yan's manor and wouldn't have been entirely unprepared for a renowned retainer there. Moreover, Mr. Huo's cultivation wasn't high enough. So, he had always wondered about the identity of that mysterious powerful wizard, and now he seemed to have his answer.

However, he was somewhat puzzled. "If you're a wizard, how could you have evaded the imperial court's scrutiny during your assessment?"

For a high-ranking official like a prefect, the court's review would be paramount; it was impossible they wouldn't have known about his wizard identity beforehand.

Zhang Jie chuckled. "I am not a wizard, but I happened to cultivate a technique that allows me to invite a wizard's spirit to possess my body, gaining abilities equivalent to a wizard. The only drawback is that this process takes time."

The reason he hadn't used the wizard's power to silence Zhang Zitong earlier was primarily fear that the Embroidered Uniform Guards would realize the true culprit of the case was still at large. But now, he didn't need to be so cautious.

As he spoke, his eyes turned completely pitch black, like ink. "Since I could kill Gold Badge No. 7, I can naturally kill another Gold Badge Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Zu An wondered, "What on earth is this 'wizard possession' business? Why are there so many bizarre techniques in this world?"

He didn't hesitate any longer, as he had already sensed that the opponent now possessed the ability to threaten him. Without seeing any specific movement from him, the Soul-Reaping Rope appeared in his hand and lashed out towards Zhang Jie. The Soul-Reaping Rope was a standard weapon for the Embroidered Uniform Guards and was quite effective at countering various abilities. He didn't want to expose his other identity, so he didn't use a sword.

Zhang Jie was clearly wary of the Gold Badge Embroidered Uniform Guard's Soul-Reaping Rope. As he dodged, his ink-black eyes fixed directly on Zu An.

Zu An felt as if the air around him had become viscous, his eyelids grew extraordinarily heavy, and a profound drowsiness washed over him. The whistling Soul-Reaping Rope inexplicably went limp.

With a thud, Zhang Zitong, who was nearby, collapsed onto the bed. Although Zhang Jie's attack wasn't aimed at her, even a slight ripple was enough for her to be unable to bear it.

Having learned from his previous encounter with Mr. Huo, Zu An instantly closed his eyes and simultaneously summoned Hundred Chirps for a counterattack. Mental attacks often require mental counterattacks to be effective.

As expected, a look of pain appeared on Zhang Jie's face, and his hypnotic skill loosened its grip. However, Zu An wasn't having an easy time either. This skill, whether it was hypnosis or dream intrusion, was too overbearing; he was deeply affected even with his eyes closed. Fortunately, with his experience fighting Mr. Huo and Hundred Chirps' counterattack, he didn't immediately fall asleep. Last time, Mr. Huo had pulled him into a dream, and while he eventually saw through the dream's falsehood and woke up, this time, facing the much stronger Zhang Jie, he dared not risk entering a dream. There was no guarantee he could wake up from it, especially if the opponent could still move while he was hypnotized and deliver a fatal blow. That would be troublesome.

Just then, the door was thrown open with a bang, and Xiao Jianren, along with several other Silver Badge Embroidered Uniform Guards, rushed in. They had heard the commotion of combat, realized something was wrong inside, and hurried to help.

However, as soon as they entered the room, Xiao Jianren felt as if a pair of ink-black eyes were gazing at him. He grunted and collapsed straight onto the floor. He wasn't known for his combat prowess, and his mental state had been volatile recently due to Zhang Zitong, leaving his spiritual energy weakened. Thus, he was the first to fall victim. Another Silver Badge Embroidered Uniform Guard lasted only a second longer before collapsing as well.

Only the remaining two Silver Badges, though also feeling drowsy, gritted their teeth and swung their Soul-Reaping Ropes towards Zhang Jie. Zhang Jie's primary focus was on countering Zu An, with only minor residual power directed at the others. These two, capable of becoming Silver Badge Embroidered Uniform Guards, possessed strong willpower, which allowed them to endure.

At this moment, Zhang Jie let out a cold snort. Suddenly, two copper coins appeared in his hand and shot towards the two guards.

"Be careful!" Zu An noticed that the principles entwined around the two copper coins seemed very strange and quickly shouted a warning.

But it was too late. The two Silver Badge Embroidered Uniform Guards had already swung their Soul-Reaping Ropes, striking directly at the copper coins. How could a single copper coin withstand the full force of a Silver Badge Embroidered Uniform Guard's attack?

The two copper coins were instantly shattered into pieces by the Soul-Reaping Ropes, but at the same time, the two Silver Badge Embroidered Uniform Guards who had attacked also disintegrated.

This was a Voodoo Art! Some of the peculiar methods used by wizards often link a person's life to certain objects: if the object exists, the person lives; if the object perishes, the person dies.

Zu An's eyes turned red with fury. He had never expected that two Silver Badge Embroidered Uniform Guards would be implicated. To be honest, he had been busy moving between two places recently, and as they were Silver Badge guards under Gold Badge No. 7, he hadn't even memorized their names. He only remembered one was surnamed Yan and the other Tao. They usually seemed carefree, yet now they faced a powerful enemy with such bravery and fearlessness, dying under this unknown danger.

As Zhang Jie's attention was divided, the boundless, viscous drowsiness finally loosened its grip slightly, and Zu An made his move. A brilliant sword beam flashed, dispelling the darkness from the entire room and illuminating the trace of fear that flickered in Zhang Jie's eyes.

He retreated hastily, then noticed a strangeness in his body and was horrified to find his entire right arm was gone, shredded by the series of sword qi just unleashed.

Zu An frowned. That last sword strike should have been unavoidable for the opponent; why had it only severed a right arm?

At this moment, Zhang Jie's face was filled with horror, completely devoid of his previous composure. He clearly understood that he had just had a brush with death. The substitute puppet he had refined, which he carried with him, had turned into dust. With the puppet, he effectively had an extra life, and his main body should have been absolutely safe. He never expected that sword strike to be so powerful, not only destroying his substitute puppet but also having enough residual force to sever one of his arms!

He dared not delay any longer. With his left hand, he pulled out a straw doll: "A blood debt for a blood debt! You too shall taste the pain of a severed hand!"

As he spoke, he violently twisted the doll's right hand and tore it off.

At the same time, Zu An's right shoulder suddenly burst open with blood, and his entire arm began to tear and bleed.