Chapter 1122: Reason for Her Death
Yu Yanluo’s ki was sealed, so she couldn't send a ki transmission. There were many cultivators present as well, so even if she spoke quietly, they could still hear her. That was why her lips were almost pressed up against Zu An’s ear.
The physical contact between his ear and her lips made the onlookers’ hearts beat rapidly. The surrounding men were all incredibly envious. But as the one directly involved, Zu An couldn't bring himself to feel any sense of romance at all.
“Ah Zu, there is already nothing we can do about this. It will be futile no matter how much you argue for my sake. There is no need for you to waste your energy anymore.” Yu Yanluo’s breath had the fragrance of orchids, and her voice was gentle.
Zu An said through ki, “At worst, I’ll just break you out of here.”
Yu Yanluo felt her heart throb. She secretly sized up the man, a light blush crossing her pale cheeks. However, in the end, she still said, “You cannot act recklessly like that. There are so many officials here, and all of them are powerful cultivators. The master rank cultivator Xiao Yao is here as well. You cannot ruin your own future because of me.”
Official ranks in this world correlated with one’s cultivation. Those present were all among Cloudcenter Commandery’s higher level figures. Their cultivation wasn’t low. Most of them were far inferior to Zu An, but added all together, he wasn’t their match.
Seeing that he was going to refuse, Yu Yanluo sighed and added quietly, “I know that you are really strong, but even if you save me, how will you deal with the aftermath?
“Would helping me in front of the Imperial Envoy and all of these court officials not be the same as rebelling against the court? Then, would you not become a wanted criminal? I do not want you to end up like that.”
Zu An replied seriously, “There are many things in this world that can’t be weighed based on interests. We’re friends who have experienced life and death together. You’ve saved my life too. How can I just watch as something happens to you?”
Yu Yanluo was stunned. She asked with a complicated expression, “Would you still be my friend if I really were the Medusa?”
She obviously knew just how great of a grudge the human race felt towards the fiend races after remaining in human society for so long, as well as what kind of existence the Medusa was to them.
Zu An chuckled and replied, “There are good and bad humans, and the same is true for the fiend races. Even if you are the Medusa, you’re probably a nice Medusa, and furthermore my friend. I’ve always been someone who judges individuals myself; it doesn’t matter if that person is a human or a fiend. There’s no harm in telling you that I actually have several fiend race friends.”
Yu Yanluo felt warm inside when she sensed the sincerity in his voice. She bit her lip and said quietly, “Ah Zu, if you really want to help me, contact Maid Xing about what happened here, and have her get into contact with Uncle Fu. Tell them to bring… bring our clansmen back home first.”
The ones she was talking about were clearly not the Yu clan, but rather the Snake race. There was no point in hiding things from Zu An anymore. There wouldn’t be any immediate danger to her life even if she were caught, due to her status, but her clansmen would definitely be assaulted viciously. She naturally had to help them evacuate.
“I got it.” Zu An thought to himself, Maid Xing is probably part of the Snake race too. He was planning to discuss things with her and see if there was any way to save Yu Yanluo.
Uncle Fu’s cultivation wasn’t bad either. Back then, when Zu An had fought against King Qi in the capital, it was precisely because Han Fengqiu was apprehensive toward Uncle Fu that he hadn’t gone all out against Zu An.
But Zu An hadn’t seen the man at all after coming to Cloudcenter Commandery. He didn’t know where Uncle Fu had gone.
…
All of the surrounding officials were filled with jealousy when they saw the two of them whisper toward each other like lovers.
How was this an arrest? It was more like a couple flirting!
But for fear of Zu An’s identity and the intimidating aura he had just displayed, no one dared to say anything. They all glared at Xu Yu, hinting that it was time for him to do something.
Xu Yu coughed and said, “Sir Zu and Madam Yu’s relationship seems to be quite good.” He wouldn’t act all jealous like those other officials, of course. That way, there would still be a bit of face left for everyone.
Yu Yanluo sat up and said calmly, “Sir Zu is a close friend of mine. He was worried that I was framed by someone, which is why we talked for a bit. Sir Zu told me that there will be a fair trial awaiting me in the court, and I felt that what Sir Zu said was reasonable. That is why I am willing to cooperate with your investigation.“
Sang Hong was surprised. Yu Yanluo had completely left Zu An out of being implicated! Even if news of what had happened reached the ears of the capital’s court, the nobles wouldn’t be able to blame Zu An at all. Instead, they would feel that he had done his duty by convincing Yu Yanluo.
How does Ah Zu, this kid, always manage to receive sincere treatment from women?
Even the renowned Yu Yanluo is acting like this… I guess Zheng Dan and the others’ reactions are understandable.
Sigh, how great would it be if Qian’er had been like this?
I can only place my hopes on Qien’er’s son…
Someone quickly escorted Yu Yanluo out. With her status, there was no way she would be shackled. Instead, an expert sealed her acupoints, making sure she couldn't move even after the drug she ingested wore off.
Furthermore, a specially made room had been prepared as her prison. Xu Yu and the Imperial Envoy’s men would both watch over the place to prevent either side from crossing the line.
…
Zu An took the chance to pull Xiao Yao aside. He asked, “Brother Xiao, don’t tell me you didn’t hear the ki transmission I sent you?”
“I did,” Xiao Yao replied. He was surprisingly quiet and still. His expression was extremely grave.
“You knew she was your junior sister, but you still ended up doing that to her?” Zu An asked, confused. “Are you still bitter about what the libationer did to you back then, to the point that you’d feel hatred for anyone from the academy?”
“Of course not. I respect my master a lot. It was my own unworthiness that cut my prospects short and humiliated that elder. How can I blame my teacher?” Xiao Yao replied, sounding moved.
“Then why aren’t you protecting your fellow disciple? Why are you doing this to Yu Yanluo?” Zu An asked with a frown.
Xiao Yao had a look of grief on his face, as if he were immersed in th past. Only after a long time had passed did he ask, “Do you know how Manman’s mother died?”
Zu An was surprised, replying, “I heard her injuries caused her to lose her cultivation. Later on, she ran into danger again and couldn't protect herself…”
“The one who hurt her back then was me, because…” Xiao Yao stopped. Only after a while did he say with a sigh, “In short, due to various coincidences of fate, she ended up being injured by me. Most of her cultivation was lost. However, the real reason for her death was because of poison.”
“Poison?” Zu An felt a weight drop in his stomach. He’s suddenly bringing this up? Don’t tell me…
“Indeed, it was the Medusa’s poison!” Hatred flickered through Xiao Yao’s eyes as he spoke.
Zu An was speechless. This is really bad! We’re done for! Manman’s mom was killed by the Medusa, so how could she live in harmony with someone like Yu Yanluo?
And now that he knew the truth, he couldn't just act as if he didn’t!
Xiao Yao continued, “The Medusas have the ability to petrify others with their eyes. They can make anything they look at turn into stone. However, they can’t always use their eyes every time, so they use their blood to create a kind of poison. That poison can make the bodies of those afflicted slowly turn to stone, leaving no choice but to watch as they slowly die.
“The reason why Manman’s mother lost all of her cultivation was only partly because I injured her severely. The other reason was because she was poisoned by the Medusa. She could only exhaust all of her cultivation to slow down the effects of the poison. Even if that accident hadn’t happened, she would still have been doomed.
“I’ve been searching for the Medusa’s whereabouts all this time, and I finally found some clues. How can I forget the promise I made to her in the past just because of sympathy for a fellow disciple?”
Zu An thought to himself, Isn’t it because you liked Manman’s mom…
However, he finally realized an important point, replying, “But Yu Yanluo is still too young. She shouldn’t have anything to do with the death of Manman’s mother, right?”
But Xiao Yao sneered and replied, “How old do you think Yu Yanluo is?”
“Uh, eighteen? Twenty-eight?”
…
After having several guesses refuted, Zu An’s expression changed. He exclaimed , “You’re not saying she’s eighty, are you?”
Even though he knew this was a world of cultivation and both humans and fiend races lived longer than people in his previous world, and that they also had ways to maintain their appearance, it was still horrifying to think that such a breathtaking woman was so old.