Chapter 988: Imprisoned

Not long after, Zu'an followed Sun Xun to the Yan King's Residence. Sun Xun was greatly astonished because he had galloped all the way, much faster than his subordinates. Yet, although Zu'an couldn't fly, his speed was not much slower than his own.

"Is this person's cultivation level approaching mine?" A thought flashed through Sun Xun's mind, but he quickly suppressed it. How old was Zu'an? Even if he had started practicing martial arts from the womb, he couldn't possibly be comparable to Sun Xun himself.

Upon arriving at the Yan King's Residence, Zu'an immediately looked around. At the same time, he activated the power of his Jade Cong, directly controlling small animals near the residence to observe for any signs of disturbance.

The Yan King's Residence was clearly much less grand than the imperial palace, but it was also incredibly magnificent and imposing. 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, its various specifications had to be restrained, so strictly speaking, it was not as imposing as the Yan King's Residence.

Zu'an, however, paid no attention to these details. He quickly searched for traces of Yun Jianyue and Qiu Honglei. However, the battle here seemed to have ended; there was nothing but injured, wailing guards.

Zu'an frowned deeply, suppressing the anxiety in his heart, and looked towards the Chancellor. "Chancellor Sun," he asked, "has the battle ended?"

The Chancellor did not delay, quickly lifting the hem of his robe and heading towards the inner courtyard of the residence. Along the way, they encountered many guards, but upon seeing the Chancellor, they all let them pass.

They continued into the inner courtyard, where many women were crowded in a room, weeping and wailing, vying to express their concern. Not long after, an angry roar came from inside: "I'm not dead yet! Why are you all acting as if it's a funeral?"

As expected, upon hearing his roar, the women immediately quieted down.

It was Sun Xun who had just stood at the door to report to the guards. After the guards went in, the women soon began to disperse one by one. As they left, they all bowed to Sun Xun. Zu'an was greatly surprised. It seemed Sun Xun was truly favored in the Yan King's Residence, as even the Yan King's concubines bowed to him.

Not long after, a guard from inside came out to summon Sun Xun. Zu'an followed Sun Xun and met the so-called King Yan. He was now pale, appearing very weak and frail, with no trace of a Grandmaster's imposing demeanor. Instead, he resembled an ordinary old man on his deathbed.

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

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

Zu'an was startled. Was Yun Jianyue also injured? He wondered how serious her injuries were.

At this point, Sun Xun introduced, "This is Lord Zu'an, from the Imperial Envoy delegation. He currently holds the posts of Crown Prince's Middle Palace Tutor and Imperial Forest Cavalier Commander. He once solved..." His overly flattering praises made Zu'an blush slightly. Sun Xun then continued, "It was thanks to his assistance just now that we uncovered the murderer of my son."

"Something happened to Xiaoji?" King Yan was startled and instinctively tried to sit up. However, this movement clearly aggravated his injuries, causing him to cough repeatedly.

Sun Xun rushed over and helped him lie back down. "I apologize for troubling Your Highness," he said. "Ultimately, it was my worthless son's own incompetence..." He then briefly recounted what had happened to Sun Ji.

King Yan was utterly furious. "This is outrageous! How dare someone act so brazenly in Yi Commandery?" he exclaimed. "Issue my command: a bounty for the Taoist with Thick Brows! Whoever captures him will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold and promoted three ranks. Anyone providing useful clues will be rewarded with at least a thousand taels of gold!"

Sun Xun immediately knelt and bowed. "Thank you for Your Highness's immense kindness," he said. "My son, Ji'er, will be eternally grateful in the afterlife."

Zu'an, standing by, watched their deep master-servant bond and couldn't help but inwardly scoff, "Whose child is this Sun Ji anyway?"

After King Yan had vented his anger, he finally looked at Zu'an. "Lord Zu," he said, "I truly thank you for Xiaoji's matter. You are indeed a young talent, just as the rumors say."

"Your Highness overpraises me. I merely did my duty," Zu'an replied humbly, then began to ask about the matters he cared about. "By the way, we rushed over just now after seeing a major commotion here at the residence. Have those demonic cultists been apprehended?"

King Yan shook his head. "That demonic woman, Yun Jianyue, has too high a cultivation level," he said. "With her protection, although the Demonic Cult suffered some losses, most of them managed to retreat unharmed."

Zu'an breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Yun Jianyue and the others were safe. "I wonder why Yun Jianyue would lead an attack on the residence," he mused. "The residence is heavily guarded, and their attack was bound to be futile. The Demonic Cult Master shouldn't be a fool. Why would she act so unwisely?" This was the point that puzzled him the most. However, given his current status, he could openly ask King Yan.

"It's likely because we've been suppressing and annihilating their demonic cultists for years, making them hate us to the bone," King Yan said resentfully. "However, their all-out assault this time probably stems from our capture of their Saintess a few days ago."

King Yan said this casually, but it stirred up a tempest in Zu'an's heart.

What? Qiu Honglei was captured?

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

Zu'an reacted quickly. He immediately replied, "I once had dealings with that demonic woman in the capital. That woman is incredibly cunning and crafty, and her martial arts are formidable. She even managed to escape from the imperial palace back then. To think she was actually captured by Your Highness now, I am truly impressed."

King Yan stroked his beard with a hint of excitement. A flicker of self-satisfaction unconsciously appeared in his eyes. "Lord Zu overpraises me," he said. "Her capture this time was merely a stroke of luck." He dared not show too much smugness. After all, Qiu Honglei had escaped from the imperial palace but was then captured by the Yan King's Residence. If someone with ulterior motives were to make an issue of this, it could imply: "Your Yan King's Residence is even more powerful than the imperial palace; what exactly are you trying to do?"

Zu'an chatted with the two for a while, then took the opportunity to ask, "May I go see that demonic woman? Mainly because during the battle in the capital, a friend of mine was completely outwitted by her and has always wanted to get some revenge."

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

"No problem. You may take Lord Zu to see that demonic woman," King Yan said. Having already been injured, and after chatting for so long...