Chapter 991: Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell

"What do you need to investigate?" Zu'an's tone was solemn. Gold Medal Embroidered Envoys rarely meet, even if it's not as extreme as 'kings not seeing kings'. The fact that the other envoy initiated this meeting clearly indicated it was no small matter.

However, his mind was entirely focused on how to rescue Qiu Honglei, so he clearly had no energy to concern himself with Gold Medal Number Seven's affairs.

Of course, since the other envoy had spoken, Zu'an couldn't refuse. He could only listen for now and then hand the matter over to Xiao Jianren and others to follow up, intending to deal with it himself later when he had spare time.

Gold Medal Number Seven opened his mouth, hesitated, and then said, "I have some suspicions, but no evidence yet. I need to investigate further before I can say more."

Zu'an sensed his hesitation. Clearly, the other envoy didn't fully trust him, and the matter at hand was likely of great importance. Without concrete evidence, it could easily put the envoy in a precarious position.

In this world, unlike the later era of Weibo or online platforms where a single person could write a short exposé and cause someone's social ruin, there were too many powerful individuals who could not be provoked. Moreover, the law explicitly stipulated that accusing princes, dukes, or high-ranking officials without evidence was a serious crime, potentially leading to the confiscation of one's property and the extermination of one's entire clan.

"Does it involve the King of Yan?" Zu'an had initially wanted to avoid the matter, but if it concerned the King of Yan, he wondered if there was a chance to use it to rescue Qiu Honglei.

Gold Medal Number Seven gave him a deep look. "No. And don't make wild guesses, or you'll easily bring trouble upon yourself."

"If you don't tell me what it is, how can I help?" Seeing the other envoy act so mysterious, Zu'an spread his hands, already deciding to disengage.

To his surprise, Gold Medal Number Seven's next sentence nearly made him jump: "Help me rescue the Demon Sect Saintess."

Zu'an: "???"

Though overjoyed inwardly, Zu'an's expression darkened. "What do you mean? Do you know that colluding with the Demon Sect is a grave crime punishable by the confiscation of property and the extermination of one's entire clan?" He thought, *This guy isn't trying to test me, is he?*

"Of course I know," Gold Medal Number Seven explained. "However, I have no connection to the Demon Sect, nor am I trying to rescue her for her sake. I need to verify something."

"This matter is too far-reaching. I regret that I cannot participate. Given that we are both Gold Medal Envoys, I will not report you. You should conduct yourself carefully." Zu'an was a thousand times willing in his heart, but he couldn't fathom the other envoy's true intentions, so he absolutely dared not agree easily.

As expected, Gold Medal Number Seven realized that if he didn't reveal something, the other envoy would most likely not help. So he had no choice but to say, "To be frank with you, I need to apprehend the Demon Sect Saintess and personally interrogate her about certain matters."

Zu'an asked curiously, "Isn't she currently at the King of Yan's manor? The King of Yan's people have already interrogated her, and she'll soon be transferred to the capital. Why do you insist on interrogating her personally? Could it be... you don't trust the King of Yan?"

A hint of surprise appeared in Gold Medal Number Seven's eyes. He clearly hadn't expected Zu'an's information to be so extensive, or that he would know even these details, and his impression of Zu'an immediately improved. "Once I interrogate the Demon Sect witch and verify some of my ideas, I will tell you everything in detail. This is a monumental achievement, and I will share the credit with you. At the same time, it is also an immense disaster; if not handled properly, it will bring ruin upon us. So, I hope you understand."

"This..." Zu'an still pretended to hesitate. "But this matter is too dangerous. The escort for the Demon Sect Saintess will surely be filled with masters."

Gold Medal Number Seven said, "You can rest assured about that. I won't let you take the risk. At that time, I will directly draw the attention of the escort team, and you can take the opportunity to lead the Demon Sect Saintess away."

Zu'an was overjoyed inwardly; this was practically a windfall.

"But what if you use this opportunity to frame me?" Zu'an still dared not lower his guard.

"You and I didn't know each other before, and Gold Medal Embroidered Envoys each oversee a different region; there's never been any conflict of interest between us. Why would I frame you?" Gold Medal Number Seven glanced at Xiao Jianren, who was trembling in the corner. "I haven't let this fellow leave precisely so you'd have another witness to put your mind at ease, haven I?"

Xiao Jianren's face showed a bitter expression. He wished he hadn't heard anything from start to finish. Being entangled in a turmoil that even Gold Medal Embroidered Envoys found dangerous, wouldn't he be shattered to pieces with even a slight involvement?

With the conversation having reached this point, Zu'an nodded. "Alright, I can help."

He was already planning to rescue Qiu Honglei anyway, and now that he had such an ally, why wouldn't he be happy to proceed?

Gold Medal Number Seven cupped his hands. "Good. I'll owe you a favor for this. In the future, as long as it's not something like rebellion and is within my capabilities, I will help you once."

Xiao Jianren, standing nearby, showed a strange expression. This promise was truly significant. The envoy hadn't mentioned terms like "violating imperial law," clearly implying he could even assist with such matters.

One could imagine how much trouble this matter was causing him, to be willing to make such a commitment.

Thinking of this, Xiao Jianren began trembling again. He wondered if these two powerful figures would silence him afterward.

At this point, Zu'an cupped his hands. "No need for formalities. When do we act?"

Gold Medal Number Seven replied, "I still need to investigate their escort route and other intelligence. I'll notify you when I have information."

Zu'an pointed to Xiao Jianren nearby. "If you can't find me then, just send a message through him."

Xiao Jianren was immediately flattered and thought, *Lord Eleven truly values me, entrusting me with such an important matter.*

Gold Medal Number Seven had no suspicions. Gold Medal Envoys were inherently elusive, so it was normal not to be able to find Zu'an directly. Having such a messenger was convenient.

Nodding to both of them, Gold Medal Number Seven pushed open the window and vanished into the night. Not a single sound of movement was heard, demonstrating the incredible depth of his cultivation.

"Lord Eleven..." After Gold Medal Number Seven left, Xiao Jianren started to speak but hesitated.

Zu'an patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I won't silence you. I'm not that kind of person."

Xiao Jianren finally let out a sigh of relief. He didn't know why, but as an Embroidered Envoy, he was accustomed to schemes and deceit, yet he strangely trusted Zu'an's words.

After comforting him, Zu'an quietly departed. However, he didn't return to his room to sleep. Instead, he went into the city and, following the intelligence provided by Xiao Jianren, located the Demon Sect's hideout.

He couldn't put all his eggs in one basket; he still needed to contact Yun Jianyue first.

The hideout was a wine shop, naturally closed in the middle of the night. Not caring about appearances, he directly forced his way inside.

He quickly subdued the personnel inside. Besides the wine shop owner, there were only two employees. Without wasting words, he immediately separated them and interrogated them about how to contact their superiors.

Initially, these individuals refused to speak, but Zu'an had good reason to be forceful. He directly summoned Daji. The cultivation levels of these people were generally not high, and with Daji's world-charming skill, she effortlessly captivated each one.

To his surprise, after a long interrogation, he found that what they knew were only minor details, and none of them knew how to contact the Demon Sect's higher echelons.

Instead, someone from above would periodically come to collect information, a purely one-way contact. Their actions were extremely secretive; even the people in the wine shop themselves didn't know who was collecting the intelligence.

The key was that the last information collection had been three days ago, and the next would be at least ten days later. Zu'an couldn't possibly wait that long.

After having Daji erase their memories of that day, and knocking them unconscious, Zu'an could only helplessly return to the diplomatic mission's grand ship.

Not long after, Sang Hong returned with his people. He called Zu'an over to discuss. "I just met with Governor Zhang. He was originally reluctant to take on this task, but because I personally intervened to persuade him, coupled with pressure from the King of Yan's manor, and other local officials also wanting to seize the opportunity to gain some credit, they began to encourage him to accept the mission. In the end, he agreed."

"He's worried that delays might lead to unforeseen changes and that the Demon Sect might react," Sang Hong continued. "So, he will escort the prisoner away tomorrow noon."

Zu'an was startled. "Tomorrow noon?"

He knew that for the Governor's manor to mobilize its forces, half a day was already a very tight timeframe.

"Indeed," Sang Hong replied. "Governor Zhang will make a grand, public visit to the King's manor to see the injured King of Yan. He'll use that opportunity to transfer Qiu Honglei from the manor's dungeon into his carriage, then lead his forces out of the city. This way, the Demon Sect won't even suspect that Qiu Honglei is no longer at the King of Yan's manor. By the time they realize it, the escort team will already be a thousand miles away, and it will be too late for the Demon Sect to organize a rescue." Sang Hong expressed his great admiration, saying, "That Governor Zhang is truly a remarkable individual; to have devised such a plan in such a short time."

"That truly is impressive," Zu'an said, feeling a headache. If there were no Demon Sect members to help distract the escort, could he and Gold Medal Number Seven alone rescue Qiu Honglei from so many people?

"Who will be in charge of the escort?" Zu'an asked, wanting to seize the opportunity to gather more intelligence so he could have a better chance of success tomorrow.

"Yang Sheng, the Commander of Yi County, an initial ninth-rank master, will be in charge of the escort," Sang Hong replied. "Also accompanying them will be Liao Ling, the City Lord of Yi County, a peak seventh-rank master. I'm not entirely sure about the other officers and guards." Sang Hong watched Zu'an as he spoke, seemingly cautioning him to be careful.

Zu'an knew that a governor was the highest administrative official of a county, and a commander was the highest military official, similar to a regional military commander in his previous world. "Why do the cultivation levels of officials in Yi County seem to be higher than those of officials of the same rank in other counties?" he wondered.

He knew that ordinary county governors and commanders were typically only eighth-rank, and city lords were only seventh-rank. Yi County's situation was clearly unusual.

Sang Hong looked towards the King of Yan's manor in the distance. "That's a long story," he said. "Yi County is a rather special place..."