A burst of laughter filled the air, and a voice said, “Fairy Yan, Sir Zu came back at the perfect time. We are still confused right now about what is happening, so why not tell us a bit about what really happened?”
Zu An glanced toward the voice and saw a familiar face. This was the crown princess’ father, the Imperial Secretariat’s Right Confidential a.s.sistant, Bi Qi. He was actually quite handsome in appearance, but the glint flickering in his eyes always made him seem like a wily old fox.
“Sir Bi!” Zu An called out, cupping his hands. He figured he couldn't be too rude out of respect for Bi Linglong.
Yan Xuehen only nodded slightly in greeting, just as cold as ever.
Bi Qi walked over happily and remarked, “Hm? King Yan and General Zhao are both here as well? It seems we’re having quite the lively and happy conversation here.”
King Yan and the others couldn't help but roll their eyes. Which eye of yours saw a happy conversation? We were clearly about to attack each other already.
“The wind here on this mountaintop is a bit too strong. How about we head on to the garden below to talk things out slowly? We can also use the chance to let everyone wash up a bit,” Bi Qi said to those present enthusiastically, as if he were welcoming a group of esteemed guests.
Zu An frowned slightly and asked, “You’re not going to lock me up in the prisons below, are you?”
Bi Qi gave him a look, replying, “What are you saying? You are an important minister of the court, someone who has his majesty and the crown prince’s trust. Furthermore, you are also the Fiend Races’ Regent. From both a personal and logical perspective, who would dare to lock you up?”
King Yan and Zhao Yuan’s eyelids twitched when they heard that. However, Zu An really was a bit tricky to deal with, given his current status. Bi Qi was also too partial to him, so if they continued to insist on locking him up, they would be embarra.s.sing themselves.
Bi Qi tugged on Zu An’s hand and was about to leave, but Zu An didn’t move. Instead, he looked at King Yan and Zhao Yuan and asked, “The two of you aren’t opposed to this, right?”
King Yan was a bit unhappy about the result, but he reacted quickly and immediately showed a smile, saying, “Sir Zu speaks too seriously. We were merely acting according to the rules earlier and inadvertently troubled you.”
Zhao Yuan forced a smile and didn’t say anything else.
Zu An gave them a look and said, “These are all my friends. Are you going to lock them up?”
“Since they are Sir Zu’s friends, there is naturally no need,” Zhao Yuan said, his expression stiff.
Yan Xuehen’s status was extraordinary, while Chu Chuyan had been Zu An’s wife. The other two women seemed to have close relationships with him too. The academy’s Miss Xie had been sneaking glances earlier too…
…
The whole group of people started heading down the mountain shortly after. Only Lou Wucheng was left standing there alone awkwardly. It would be a bit weird for him to follow them, and yet he couldn't just stay here either.
If I follow them, the problem is that I can’t really be considered Zu An’s friend. Not only are we not friends, we’re even kind of rivals in love… I was never satisfied that my G.o.ddess used to be his wife.
However, if I don’t follow them, I might just be immediately locked up by these vicious-looking guards. At that point, even if I don’t die, I’ll probably at least have a layer of skin shaved off.
While he was at a loss for what to do, Zu An suddenly turned around and called out, “Brother Lou, what are you still standing there for? Let’s go together.”
“Huh? Oh, alright!” Lou Wucheng replied. In that instant, he felt almost overwhelmed by favor.
Before today, he had actually looked down on Zu An a bit. Even if Zu An had displayed the power of his sword on that judge's seat before, Lou Wucheng had still believed that he was no weaker. However, in that instant, he finally discovered in frustration that they hadn’t even been running on the same race course to begin with. Zu An was someone who talked and joked together with King Yan, Sir Bi, and even his own master’s generation.
Previously, he had thought of himself as someone important, as he had the honorable t.i.tle of the White Jade Sect’s representative disciple. People had always treated him with respect and courtesy wherever he went. However, whether it was King Yan or Sir Bi, or even General Zhao, they hadn’t even given him a single look.
He finally understood the difference between himself and Zu An. At the same time, he also began to admire Zu An’s temperament a bit. In that instant, he felt as if he were facing a great mountain.
Next, he suddenly saw the look of admiration and gentleness in Chu Chuyan’s eyes when she looked at Zu An, and he was completely stunned. When had this junior sister who was as cold as ice ever shown anyone else such an expression?
He released a long sigh and reflexively clenched the sword in his hands.
Lou Wucheng, Lou Wucheng…. Your sword was originally meant for cultivating immortality, and yet you’ve been so obsessed with romance for all these years. Do you know no shame?
In that instant, he seemed to have gained some enlightenment. He felt as if his spirit and temperament had become a bit different.
Just then, Yan Xuehen seemed to have sensed something. She gave him a look, then said to Zu An through ki transmission, “Thank you!”
Zu An replied with a smile, “What is there to thank me for? I’m not so petty as to leave him behind.”
“That’s not all. It’s also because your generosity seems to have granted him some insight. That child actually has talent, but unfortunately, because of his infatuation with Chuyan, it seemed as if he was going the wrong way in life. Now that senior brother is no longer in this world, you’ve just saved the White Jade Sect’s future,” Yan Xuehen said gratefully.
Zu An couldn't help but reply, “The White Jade Sect has you for its previous generation and Chuyan for the next, right? She isn’t any weaker than him.”
Yan Xuehen harrumphed. “Chuyan will follow you sooner or later, so how could the White Jade Sect’s future depend on her? At that time, the entire sect would just end up as your dowry.”
When he sensed the annoyance in her tone, Zu An chuckled in embarra.s.sment. He sensibly chose not to argue with her.
Chuyan suddenly said from his other side, “Ah Zu, thank you.”
“Because of Lou Wucheng as well?” Zu An asked, stunned.
“As well?” Chu Chuyan repeated, keenly noticing the wording.
Zu An was alarmed, but he didn’t hide it and said, “Your master also thanked me just now.”
Chu Chuyan was relieved and said, “Martial uncle died in the great tomb, and he partic.i.p.ated in the ambush, so the White Jade Sect’s future is in imminent danger. Senior brother Lou is martial uncle’s inheritor, so if something happened to him, it wouldn’t just be the White Jade Sect’s future; even martial uncle’s inheritance would be cut short.”
“You guys are surprisingly worried about your sect. How will you thank me? You aren’t just going to offer me some lip service, are you?” Zu An replied, dealing with the conventional greetings of the people around him while giving her a teasing look.
A faint blush flashed across Chu Chuyan’s face. She suddenly asked, “How did you make master thank you?”
Zu An was startled. He felt a shiver run throughout his entire body. He replied, “How could I dare offend her? You can’t joke around like that with me!”
Chu Chuyan smiled when she heard that, saying with a proud expression, “You probably wouldn’t dare either.”
…
Their group arrived at Guidance Temple, which was located midway up the mountain. It had been an important place for the Righteous Sun Sect, but now, it was completely controlled by soldiers.
Zu An’s group was quickly brought into the main hall. After some tea was served, Bi Qi led the conversation, saying, “Oh, Ah Zu, none of us are outsiders here, so why don’t you tell us about what exactly happened?” Because of his daughter, he naturally acted a bit closer to Zu An.
Zu An had also been looking for a chance to talk about it, so he took the chance to say, “Back then, I sensed that there was something strange happening on the mountaintop, so I went up to take a look out of curiosity.”
King Yan and Zhao Yuan’s eyes twitched. Back then, he had actually been kept in custody because of the risk posed by him being the Regent of the Fiend races. Even so, they wouldn’t be so foolish as to mention that at present.
Bi Qi didn’t have such misgivings and asked, “None of the officials could go up, so why were you able to enter Golden Peak?”
Zu An said, “It was all thanks to Sect Master Yan. Her knowledge of formations is extremely profound, so back then, we all found a way to pa.s.s through the Righteous Sun Sect’s Mountain Protecting Formation together.” However, he didn’t mention Xie Daoyun to protect her.
“Sect Master Yan’s skills are truly incredible!” the others exclaimed, praising Yan Xuehen together, but they weren’t so convinced deep down. After all, there had been too many formation experts from the court present back then. There was no way all of their brains added together couldn't compare to a single person. They all a.s.sumed that w.a.n.g Wuxie had probably given her some special privileges in the past to curry favor with her.
“And then? What happened on Golden Peak? Just who partic.i.p.ated in the ambush on his majesty?” Zhao Yuan quickly asked.
However, Zu An sipped on some tea and didn’t reply.
King Yan was alarmed when he saw that. He had all of the people idling around the area leave. The only ones left on his side were himself, Bi Qi, and Zhao Yuan. Even Lou Wucheng was politely asked to leave. Of course, he was promised that he would be taken care of well. However, on Zu An’s side, he didn’t ask any of those women to leave.
When they saw that, the others had their own thoughts. Zu An seemed to really care about these women! The others were one thing, but wasn’t Sect Master Yan acting a bit too close to him? She was a glorious grandmaster, someone who couldn't be looked down on no matter where she went. Could it be that she was acting for her disciple’s sake? It was rumored that her disciple had been married to Zu An before.
King Yan set up a sound-blocking barrier before saying, “Sir Zu can speak now.”
Zu An then replied, “By the time I went up, I saw that King Qi had already died.”
“King Qi died? Was he killed by his majesty?” the others immediately asked.
.
King Qi’s prestige had been incredible in recent years, to the point that the other factions couldn't even breathe. Even though people had all suspected that it was King Qi who had acted this time, they had no proof. There had been almost nothing left behind on Golden Peak. Furthermore, King Qi had chosen to self-detonate himself, so there was naturally no way they could find any clues about him that way.
“I don’t know. He was already dead when I arrived,” Zu An said calmly.
“What?” King Yan exclaimed. His people all stood up as he asked, “Then who else could have viewed his majesty unfavorably?”
“I don’t know. When we went up there, we just happened to see a huge vortex appear in the skies above. All of us were sucked in,” Zu An said with a frightened expression.
King Yan’s group was speechless.