Chapter 2418: Trapped in the Prison

Soon after, Zu An followed Sun Xun to the Yan King's Residence. Sun Xun was greatly astonished because he had ridden at top speed, much faster than his subordinates, yet Zu An, though unable to fly, was not much slower than him.

"Could this person's cultivation be close to mine?" The thought flashed through Sun Xun's mind, but he quickly suppressed it. He reasoned that no matter Zu An's age, even if he had started cultivating in the womb, he couldn't possibly be comparable to him.

Upon arriving at the Yan King's Residence, Zu An immediately looked around, while simultaneously activating the power of his Jade Cong. He directly controlled the small animals near the residence, observing any disturbances.

The Yan King's Residence was clearly much inferior to the Imperial Palace, yet it was still magnificent and grand. Among all the residences Zu An had seen, perhaps only the Qi King's Residence could rival it. However, because the Qi King's Residence was in the capital, there were always concerns about various regulations, so strictly speaking, it was less impressive than the Yan King's Residence.

However, Zu An paid no attention to these details. He quickly searched for traces of Yun Jianyue and Qiu Honglei. But the great battle here seemed to have ended; there was nothing left but wounded and wailing guards.

Zu An frowned, suppressing the anxiety in his heart. He looked at Sun Xun and asked, "Prime Minister Sun, has the battle ended?"

"Let's go see the King first," Sun Xun replied, quickly walking towards the inner court of the residence without delay, pulling up the hem of his robe. They encountered many guards along the way, but upon seeing Sun Xun, they all let them pass.

Arriving at the inner court, many concubines were crowded in a room, weeping and vying with each other to express their heartfelt concern. Soon after, a furious roar came from inside: "I'm not dead yet! What's with all this wailing, like at a funeral?"

As expected, upon hearing his roar, all the concubines immediately quieted down. This was after Sun Xun had just reported to the guards at the door. After those guards went inside, the concubines soon began to leave one after another, all bowing to Sun Xun as they departed. Zu An was greatly surprised, realizing that Sun Xun was truly favored in the Yan King's Residence, to the point that even the Yan King's concubines bowed to him.

Before long, the guards inside came out to announce Sun Xun's entry. Zu An followed Sun Xun and met the so-called Yan King. The King was pale and looked very weak, showing no hint of a Grandmaster's bearing; instead, he resembled an ordinary old man on his deathbed.

"Your Highness, what happened to you?" Sun Xun asked, greatly alarmed.

"It's nothing serious; I was injured by Yun Jianyue of the Demonic Cult," the Yan King replied weakly from his bed. "However, she's not doing much better than me." He then looked at Zu An with a questioning gaze.

Zu An's heart sank. *Yun Jianyue was also injured? I wonder if her injuries are severe.*

At this point, Sun Xun introduced, "This is Lord Zu An, from the imperial envoy mission. He currently serves as the Crown Prince's Vice Tutor and a Colonel of the Feathered Forest Guard, and he once solved..." His somewhat sickening flattery made Zu An blush slightly. Sun Xun then continued, "It was thanks to his assistance just now that we found the murderer of my late son."

"Little Ji is in trouble?" The Yan King was startled and instinctively tried to sit up, but this action clearly aggravated his injuries, causing him to cough repeatedly.

Sun Xun quickly rushed over and helped him lie back down, saying, "I'm sorry to trouble Your Highness. Ultimately, my son was simply not capable enough..." With that, he briefly recounted what had happened to Sun Ji.

The Yan King was furious. "How dare they! Someone actually dared to be so presumptuous in Yi Commandery!" he roared. "Issue my order: put the Taoist with Thick Eyebrows on wanted list. Anyone who can capture him will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold and three ranks of promotion. Those who provide any useful clues will receive at least a thousand taels of gold."

Sun Xun immediately knelt and bowed, saying, "Thank you for Your Highness's kindness. Ji'er, with his spirit in heaven, will also be eternally grateful."

Zu An, observing the deep bond between master and servant, couldn't help but secretly grumble, *Whose child is this Sun Ji anyway?*

After the Yan King had vented his anger, he looked at Zu An. "Lord Zu, I truly thank you for what you did for Ji'er," he said. "You are indeed a young talent, just as the rumors say."

"Your Highness, you flatter me. I was merely doing my duty," Zu An replied modestly. He then began to ask the questions that concerned him. "By the way, we rushed here after seeing a major commotion at the residence. Have those demonic cult members been apprehended?"

The Yan King shook his head. "That vixen Yun Jianyue's cultivation is too high," he said. "With her protecting them, although the Demonic Cult suffered some losses, most of them managed to retreat safely."

Zu An breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Yun Jianyue and the others were unharmed. "I wonder why Yun Jianyue would lead people to attack the King's Residence," he mused. "The residence is heavily guarded; their attack was bound to be futile. The Demonic Cult Master shouldn't be a fool, so why would they act so unwisely?"

This was the point he found most puzzling. However, given his current identity, he could openly ask the Yan King.

"Presumably, it's because we've suppressed and encircled the demonic cult members over the years, making them hate us to the bone," the Yan King said resentfully. "However, what truly prompted them to come out in full force this time, I suppose, is because we captured their Saintess a few days ago."

The Yan King had merely mentioned it casually, but it stirred up a huge commotion in Zu An's heart. *What? Qiu Honglei was captured?*

"Lord Zu, what's wrong?" Sun Xun, standing nearby, looked at him with a suspicious gaze. Even the Yan King noticed his unusual reaction.

Zu An reacted quickly and immediately replied, "I once had dealings with that vixen in the capital. That woman is exceptionally cunning and sly, and her martial arts are not weak. She even managed to escape from the Imperial Palace back then. To think she's now been captured by Your Highness, it truly fills me with admiration."

The Yan King stroked his beard with a hint of excitement, a trace of self-satisfaction unconsciously appearing in his eyes. "Lord Zu, you flatter me. Being able to capture her this time was merely a stroke of luck." He dared not appear too triumphant; after all, Qiu Honglei had escaped from the Imperial Palace only to be captured by the Yan King's Residence. If someone with ill intentions were to exploit this, it could be twisted to imply, "Your Yan King's Residence is even more powerful than the Imperial Palace. What are you trying to achieve?"

Zu An chatted with the two for a while, then seized the opportunity to suggest, "May I go see that vixen? Mainly, during a battle in the capital, a friend of mine was completely outmaneuvered by her and has been longing to vent his frustration."

Hearing the phrase "I have a friend," both the Yan King and Sun Xun exchanged knowing smiles.

"No problem. Take Lord Zu to see that vixen," the Yan King said. He was already injured, and after chatting for a while, he felt a bit tired.

"Your Highness, please rest well," Sun Xun said, quickly bowing to the Yan King. Then he turned to Zu An and added, "Lord Zu, please follow me."

Zu An also bade farewell to the Yan King and followed Sun Xun out of the room, feeling anxious all the way.

"I wonder which master captured that vixen?" Zu An asked. "To accomplish such an extraordinary feat, I will certainly report it to the Emperor upon my return to the capital and ensure they are well rewarded."

Sun Xun smiled faintly. "To capture that vixen, naturally, it was the King himself who took action," he said. "Therefore, there's no need to ask for rewards; his status isn't quite suitable for it."

"I see!" Zu An feigned a look of sudden realization. *No wonder Qiu Honglei fell; how could she escape when a Grandmaster personally intervened?*

Soon, Zu An arrived at a secluded courtyard. The guards along the way were noticeably much stricter, making it clear this was the Yan King's private prison. After unlocking several heavy restraints along the way, they reached the deepest part of the prison cell. From afar, Zu An saw a woman in a black dress sitting in the corner, hugging her knees. She looked somewhat listless and pale, but it still couldn't hide her captivatingly beautiful face. The vixen who was usually flamboyant and wicked now had a touch of innocent fragility, making her even more alluring.

Zu An's heart sank. All along the way, he had been praying that the Demonic Cult Saintess they spoke of was not Qiu Honglei. Unfortunately, he was ultimately disappointed.

Qiu Honglei heard the commotion and looked up. Her exquisite face even stunned Sun Xun.

"What more is there to say to you..." she retorted coldly. Then she suddenly saw Zu An behind him, and her expression froze.

Sun Xun said meaningfully, "Do the two of you know each other?"

Zu An laughed heartily. "After catching a fleeting glimpse of the Demonic Cult Saintess's breathtaking beauty last time, her face remained etched in my mind," he said. "Seeing you today, you are still as beautiful. Compared to before, I actually prefer your current appearance."

Qiu Honglei snorted, "Damn you, imperial lackey!"