Chapter 457: Secret Talk

Zu An was startled and quickly recoiled. "Don't listen to your brother's nonsense," he exclaimed. "I'm your benefactor! Others repay kindness by giving themselves to someone, so why do you want to stab me with a sword?"

"You truly are a scoundrel!" The girl's pretty face flushed crimson. She reached for her belt, yanked it, and a soft sword, accompanied by a dragon's roar and a cold glint, sprang from its scabbard, thrusting directly at him.

Zu An secretly grumbled to himself that her waist was already slender enough, and with the soft sword tied to it, he wondered if she wasn't afraid of accidentally cutting herself.

But complaints aside, he vividly remembered how her gleaming, cold sword had instantly dispatched a group of assassins earlier. How could he dare be careless now? He clumsily dodged sideways using the Sunflower Phantasm footwork, simultaneously shouting, "Old man Sang, if you don't rein her in, I'm going to start swearing!"

Sang Hong's expression by his side was odd. He had deliberately been observing the scene, primarily because this fellow had been bullying Qian'er throughout their journey, so he figured it served him right to suffer a little.

However, seeing that Zu An's life was genuinely in peril, he let out a light cough and ordered, "Qian'er, stop!"

Hearing his words, the girl instantly sheathed the soft sword back into her belt and returned to his side.

Sang Hong secretly nodded, musing that his daughter was indeed far more obedient than his son.

Zu An got back up and brushed the dirt off his clothes. "So, the young lady's lovely name is Qian'er," he remarked. "It sounds much nicer than your brother's."

Sang Qian rolled her eyes, thinking this fellow certainly had a thick skin. "Qian'er" was a name her family used for her, and he was calling her that too...

Sang Qian was enraged. His name and his sister's sounded similar; how could one be considered pleasant and the other not, just because of their gender?

Anger value from Sang Qian +666!

Sang Hong was also somewhat speechless, but he proceeded to introduce his daughter. "This is Zu An. He previously saved your father's and your brother's lives. You should have already heard the other details about him."

Sang Qian nodded. She had conducted a detailed intelligence investigation before arriving and was naturally well aware of Zu An's background. However, she wondered what was going on between him and her sister-in-law.

Of course, she was always meticulous in her thoughts and wouldn't be so foolish as to ask now. Instead, she bowed to Zu An. "Thank you, Young Master. I apologize for my rudeness just now, and I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all, not at all," Zu An chuckled, then looked at Sang Qian. "Learn from her. Your sister is much more polite than you are."

Sang Qian was furious. "You brat, are you deliberately looking for trouble?"

Anger value from Sang Qian +798!

Sang Hong quickly intervened, preventing another argument. "By the way, Qian'er, why are you here?"

Sang Qian glanced at Zu An, then pulled her father and brother aside, lowering her voice. "When the fake ledger incident broke out earlier, the influential nobles in the capital were outraged. Father, in previous years, your impartiality offended many people. Now, many in the capital don't want to see you return alive, so I brought people here to protect you."

Sang Qian listened, dumbfounded, forced to admire his father's foresight for having anticipated this situation from the very beginning.

Sang Hong asked in a low voice, "And what are the Emperor's intentions?"

Sang Qian shook her head. "The Emperor hasn't explicitly stated his position on this, which I presume is a tacit endorsement. That's why those families have been so reckless. It's truly regrettable, Father. You've been loyal your entire life, willing to be a solitary official for the Emperor, yet after offending so many powerful nobles, you've been treated as a discarded pawn. The Emperor is truly cold-hearted."

"Watch your words!" Sang Hong's expression remained calm. "This is a necessary quality for an emperor. Your father was aware of these consequences when he made that choice back then, so there's no need to complain or blame anyone. Furthermore, the Emperor's action is merely to appease those angry nobles. As long as we can safely reach the capital, this ordeal will be over."

Sang Qian replied, "But it won't be that easy. As far as I know, several families intend to kill you. Just like this assassination plot at the inn—if I hadn't infiltrated beforehand, you would probably have already..."

Sang Qian, standing nearby, asked doubtfully, "But why did they send such a few incompetent people to kill us?"

Although those assassins struck mercilessly, they weren't considered masters.

Sang Qian explained, "It was likely to deceive the Embroidered Uniform Guards and others. After all, they couldn't possibly bribe everyone. If a waiter in a dilapidated inn in a small town exhibited energy fluctuations, it would certainly arouse suspicion."

Sang Hong added, "Qian'er, don't be so presumptuous. Although these assassins' cultivation isn't high, they are well-trained. If Zu An hadn't helped just now, and if your sister hadn't appeared in time, your father and I would already be corpses."

Sang Qian responded with a dismissive "Oh," clearly displeased that in his father's eyes, he couldn't compare to his sister in anything, and was even deemed inferior to Zu An.

Zu An, who had been standing by, couldn't help but interject, "You three are over there whispering. Have you considered my feelings?"

Sang Hong offered a slight smile. "My apologies."

Zu An asked, "Let's skip the pleasantries. I'm just curious why the guards outside haven't made a sound for so long."

Sang Hong replied, "Those who want to kill me likely have some connection with Prince Liang or Liu Yao. They cooperated fully in creating this opportunity for the assassins to strike. Of course, the Embroidered Uniform Guards are difficult to bribe, so they were just conveniently diverted under some pretext. If I'm not mistaken, they'll be back soon. Qian'er, you must leave now, or you won't be able to later."

Sang Qian nodded, her lips moving subtly as she evidently transmitted something to him via spiritual energy. Then she said aloud, "Father, please take care. I will remain nearby to protect you throughout this journey." With that, she broke through the window and vanished into the night.

Not long after she left, Huang Huihong returned with his men. Seeing the chaotic scene and the corpses on the ground, their expressions immediately changed dramatically.

Prince Liang and Liu Yao also rushed over upon hearing the news, with surprised expressions: "How could something like this happen? Where are the guards outside?"

Soon, someone finished checking and reported, "They're already dead. They must have been poisoned; it looks like they were ambushed with tiny blow darts."

Huang Huihong's eyes narrowed, and he looked coldly at Prince Liang. "Your Highness, this matter requires an explanation."

Among the dead were two of his own Embroidered Uniform Guards. He and his subordinates had just been diverted under a pretext, but he had taken precautions, deliberately leaving two men behind. He had thought that with the Imperial Army outside, leaving two brothers to guard would be sufficient, never imagining such an unforeseen incident would occur.

Prince Liang looked confused. "What explanation?"

"It was you who sent someone to summon us just now, claiming you wanted to discuss military matters," Huang Huihong stated in a deep voice.

Prince Liang snorted. "Commander Huang, you should be conscientious with your words. When did I send for you? I've been personally patrolling the area for security concerns, and many people can vouch for me. If something happened because you abandoned your post without authorization, you can't pin the blame on me, can you?"

At this moment, Liu Yao, acting as a peacemaker, interjected, "Oh, dear. We're all on the same side, and no one wants something like this to happen. The immediate priority is to investigate if there are any remaining conspirators, not to create internal strife that would delight our enemies and pain our own people."

Huang Huihong's sharp gaze scanned the entire room, but he couldn't find the person who had relayed the order earlier. He presumed he wouldn't see him again.

Although he knew that the person was most likely Prince Liang's subordinate, he had no evidence and could only silently endure the injustice.

Sang Hong witnessed all of this, a faint smile playing at the corner of his lips.

Next, Huang Huihong personally led his men to take statements from several individuals, asking for specific details about what had just occurred.

Except for Sang Qian's presence, none of them withheld any information.

After the others left, Sang Hong nodded at Zu An. "Thanks!"

Zu An smiled slightly. "I naturally have a great fondness for beautiful women, so of course I wouldn't want her to be pursued."

Sang Qian snorted. "Don't you dare have designs on my sister! But even if you do, it's nothing but wishful thinking. My sister is beautiful and resourceful; countless young masters in the capital, far more eligible than you, pursue her, and she doesn't even give them a second glance."

Zu An's expression turned slightly odd. "Originally, I had no such thoughts, but now that you put it that way, you've piqued my interest. Wouldn't winning over your sister provide a strong sense of conquest?"

"You!" Sang Qian roared in anger.

Anger value from Sang Qian +515!

Sang Hong, standing nearby, couldn't help but shake his head, realizing these two were truly born to be at odds.

However, he paid no attention to their bickering. Instead, when Huang Huihong entered, he said, "Commander Huang, there are some matters I wish to discuss with you privately."