Chapter 987: Old Friends Reunited

Although his exact purpose was unclear, Zu An didn't want the Demonic Sect to be implicated because of him, as both Qiu Honglei and Yun Jianyue were his close friends. So he said, "Lord Prime Minister, please don't jump to conclusions so quickly. I seem to have made some discoveries here, and it might not necessarily be the work of the Demonic Sect."

Gao Ying and Pei You looked bewildered, thinking, "We finally have the Demonic Sect to blame, why are you stirring things up?" Sun Xun was also full of doubts, unable to comprehend his motives.

Zu An said, "I just made some inquiries, and it seems several of Young Master Sun's guards are missing. Could they have escaped during the chaos?"Sun Xun shook his head. "Impossible. The killer's cultivation is very high; many guards were killed with a single blow. Those people couldn't have escaped. Furthermore, I've sent people to search for dozens of miles around, and there are no traces of anyone escaping."

Zu An continued, "Then is it possible they colluded with the killer and left with them after the incident?""Also impossible," Sun Xun immediately denied. "These people were carefully selected by the Sun family as reliable individuals, and their families are still in the city. No one would take such a huge risk to do something like this." He wouldn't have assigned anyone not loyal to the Sun family to his son's side, and with their families as hostages, how could so many people betray them at once?

"Then the answer is quite obvious," Zu An said, glancing around at the bodies on the ground. "Those people are also dead, but their bodies were taken away by the killer.""You mean, Master Zu?" Sun Xun's expression shifted. At this moment, he suddenly felt that Zu An was not the killer. After all, his previous antagonism towards Zu An at the Carefree Pavilion was mainly to vent his anger for his son. Now, if the real culprit could be found, a little personal spat was nothing.

Zu An said, "After the killer succeeded, they could have simply escaped, yet they chose to spend time and effort taking away the bodies of those few guards. Clearly, there's a reason they had to do this.""What reason?" Even Gao Ying and Pei You were now listening intently.

Zu An glanced at the two with satisfaction, appreciating their perfectly timed interjections. "I just examined the other bodies; most were killed with a single blow, so there was no need to dispose of them. But the fact that those specific bodies were taken away proves that the killer's identity could be discerned from their corpses.""Are you saying his cultivation method could be deduced from the wounds on those people?" Sun Xun wasn't stupid and immediately understood."Exactly." Zu An then pointed to Yang Long, who was nearby. "You just mentioned he was a seventh-rank expert, but his long spear was broken by a frontal blow, indicating the killer's cultivation was much higher than his. However, I just noticed that he didn't die by someone else's hand; he committed suicide by smashing his own skull with his palm."

"Why would he do that?" Sun Xun was also a bit confused by this, though he hadn't had time to think deeply about it before.Zu An explained, "Because he knew he was going to die anyway, and if he didn't commit suicide, remaining alive would be more painful. This indicates he knew the killer would torture him. However, you mentioned you arrived not long after the incident, so the killer certainly wouldn't have had time to torture anyone. Therefore, his suicide must be for another reason. Lord Sun, with your profound cultivation, do you have any insights?"

Sun Xun's eyes narrowed. He murmured to himself, "If it's not fear of torture, it might be fear of a fate worse than death. And judging by their condition, the killer doesn't seem to use poison, so..."Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he said in a deep voice, "In the martial world, there are some evil cultivators who practice by absorbing others' cultivation or souls. Yang Long's suicide was likely to avoid this. But if the opponent needed his soul, his suicide would be useless..."At this point, he quickly looked at his subordinates beside him and asked if any similar experts had recently appeared in Yi Commandery.

An extremely high cultivation level, at least eighth-rank or above, combined with the method of absorbing others' power — these characteristics were rarely found together in one person. As expected, a subordinate soon brought news: "The infamous villain 'Thick-Browed Daoist' is said to have recently appeared in Yi Commandery."

Hearing that name, Zu An felt a sense of relief. The reason he hadn't directly named the person earlier was because people tend to believe more firmly in conclusions they reach themselves.As expected, Sun Xun said in a deep voice, "Immediately send someone to the Carefree Pavilion to verify if the Thick-Browed Daoist participated in today's auction. The distinctive feature of his two thick eyebrows makes him easy to spot, even with a mask."He had also heard of the Thick-Browed Daoist's methods, thinking that if it truly was him, he would flay him alive and pull out his tendons to vent his hatred.

"Yes!" The subordinate quickly rode off.Only then did Sun Xun cup his hands towards Zu An. "Master Zu is truly a genius at investigation; you found the direction in mere moments. I apologize for any past offenses, and I hope you won't take them to heart." This time, he was genuinely grateful. After all, being able to find the true killer of his son made him happier than anyone.

"You flatter me, Lord Sun. Given what has happened, I hope you will temper your grief." Zu An thought to himself, 'You really should thank me, because in a way, I avenged your son.'Just then, he suddenly felt his inner energy become somewhat chaotic, and a surge of violent, bloody intent seemed to stir within him. He calmly suppressed it, thinking he needed to find time to properly purify and refine the Thick-Browed Daoist's cultivation, or it would eventually backfire on him.

"Are you feeling unwell, Master Zu?" After all, Sun Xun was a Grandmaster, and being so close, he sensed that Zu An's inner energy fluctuations were somewhat abnormal."I'm fine," Zu An managed a smile. Just as he was wondering how to explain, a tremendous roar suddenly echoed from afar, and then the entire sky lit up as if it were day.

Everyone present changed color. Gusts of wind swept through, causing those with lower cultivation levels to stumble."This is... the aura of a Grand Grandmaster?" Zu An and Sun Xun looked intently into the distance.Dozens of miles away, two figures stood in the sky above Yi Commandery. One was an old man dressed in a python robe, attire exclusive to princes, clearly Prince Yan. Opposite him was an incredibly beautiful woman with long, cascading hair that reached her hips, exuding an air of cool, mature elegance.

"Yun Jianyue!""The Demonic Sect Leader!"Both Zu An and Sun Xun recognized her.

Just then, the alarm bells began to clang continuously. A guard rushed forward to report, "Lord Prime Minister, it seems people from the Demonic Sect have broken into the Prince's Manor to assassinate His Royal Highness!"Sun Xun's expression drastically changed. "Quick, return to assist His Royal Highness!" Then he said to Zu An and the others, "Masters, please return first. I regret I cannot escort you."

At this point, Zu An said, "I'll go too."Seeing their astonished looks, he quickly explained, "As an official of the Great Zhou, it's my duty to contribute at such a time. Furthermore, I've had many dealings with these demonic fiends in the capital, and I have a score to settle with them."He worried that Yun Jianyue and Qiu Honglei might be in trouble. After all, Yi Commandery was Prince Yan's territory; not only did Prince Yan have many experts under him, but he was also a Grand Grandmaster himself. He was somewhat puzzled, thinking Yun Jianyue wasn't such a reckless or impulsive person. Why would she do something so foolish? However, he quickly recalled that she had even dared to storm the imperial palace before, so attacking Prince Yan's Manor seemed like nothing.

"Brother Zu!" Gao Ying and Pei You quickly tried to dissuade him. "This is a grievance between Prince Yan's Manor and the Demonic Sect; it has nothing to do with the envoy's mission. With Grand Grandmasters fighting, wouldn't getting caught in the slightest ripple mean certain death?""You two go back and inform Master Sang first. I'll go assess the situation. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Zu An instructed, concerned that Yun Jianyue didn't know these two, and he didn't want them to be caught in the crossfire because of him.Knowing he was usually composed, Gao Ying and Pei You stopped trying to dissuade him. "Alright, we'll come over together after we find Master Sang. Just remember not to act impulsively."Zu An nodded, then followed Sun Xun and his group towards the city, ceaselessly praying in his heart: 'Sister Yun, Honglei, please don't let anything happen to you.'

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*Author's Note:* Last night I ran into Huoxing and asked him why he stopped updating. I thought he had writer's block, but it turns out he doesn't at all; he's had the later plot points planned for a long time. It's just that sometimes he demands too much of himself, preferring not to write a plot if he's not 100% satisfied. Well, whether you believe that or not, I certainly do. If you feel my updates are slow and you're out of books to read, you can check out Huoxing's works. I used to really enjoy his books, but I suppose he doesn't need my introduction.