Chapter 1123: Shelter
Xiao Yao’s breath caught. He said, “Let’s not go that far. Her real age is a mystery, but she was already famous in the capital decades ago. She’s definitely not in her twenties; she’s at the very least from the same generation as Manman’s mother. That makes her a likely suspect as the source of the poison.”
Zu An said seriously, “Judging from my time spent with her, I know that even though she does have some cards up her sleeves, her nature is kind. She shouldn’t be the type who would inflict harm and evil on others.”
“How long have you even known her? You can know someone for some time without knowing their true nature,” Xiao Yao replied. He was still unconvinced and looked at Zu An, saying, “Little brother, lust can lead to bitter consequences. Don’t lose yourself over beauty.”
Zu An cursed inwardly. If you hadn’t lost yourself over Manman’s mother, why would a tremendous genius like you become a stinky drunkard now? However, he replied, “Brother Xiao, you can question my attentiveness, but don’t tell me you don’t even trust the libationer’s insight?”
Xiao Yao became quiet for a moment. A while later, he said, “I’ll personally confirm things with master once I return. But until then, she needs to be detained so she doesn’t bring chaos to the world.”
Zu An was speechless. Seeing how stubborn Xiao Yao was, he gave up on persuasion. Instead, he said, “She’s your junior sister, so out of respect for your fellow disciple, I hope you can ensure her safety during the trip to the capital and not let those with different intentions harm her.”
He was worried about Yu Yanluo, since she was trapped in that room all alone. Even though Sang Hong was going to be watching over her, it was hard to say what Xu Yu’s intentions and objectives were. Zu An felt as if there were a large rock weighing down on his thoughts.
Yu Yanluo was also too beautiful. It had still been okay when she had her clan’s experts and her own cultivation to protect her, but now, she was completely restrained. It was hard to say whether anyone would have other thoughts.
Xiao Yao nodded and said, “Don’t worry. With me there, no one will be able to harm her.”
Zu An naturally trusted Xiao Yao’s moral character. Now that he had received such a promise, he left, relieved.
…
Zu An quickly rushed over to the Yu clan’s territory, but he discovered that Yu Manor had been devastated. The carefully trimmed trees and plants were a terrible mess. Many tables and chairs had been cruelly overturned. The maids were sobbing, while the servant boys were all furious.
Zu An quickly found someone and asked what was happening. Because he often came and went through Yu Manor, many people recognized him. When they saw him, they immediately began to sob and cry out, “Sir Zu, will you save our madam?”
“What happened? Where are Gong Pan and the others?” Zu An asked, looking around. He didn’t see the familiar guard captain.
“All of them were captured…” Several people spoke up at once.
Zu An finally found out what had happened after a long time had passed. After Yu Yanluo was invited to the Civil Affairs Manor, Xu Yu had already sent over troops to arrest everyone related to the Yu clan.
The pretext he had used for that was that there had been people in the Yu clan colluding with the fiend races, so Yu Xuansu and many others were going to be brought back for investigation. Gong Pan had been listed as one of them too.
Since Yu Yanluo wasn’t there, the entire Yu clan had been left without a leader. They didn’t dare to go against the court’s troops. Furthermore, the assault had happened too suddenly, and Yu Xuansu had gotten a guilty conscience. That was why the Yu clan hadn’t been able to mobilize in time, and were only able to watch helplessly as those people were dragged away.
“Where is Maid Xing?” Zu An asked. He thought to himself, Xu Yu really is a shrewd schemer. He didn’t even give the others a chance to be rescued and dragged all of them away.
“Big sister Maid Xing fought back and fled, retaliating and wounding many soldiers. Will she become wanted by the court?” a lesser maid asked in a shy and scared voice. She knew just how great of a crime it was to publicly go against the court.
Zu An wasn’t in the mood to explain the young girl’s doubts and hurriedly asked, “Which direction did she escape in?”
“Over there. There are many soldiers chasing after her.” The lesser maid pointed in a direction. As soon as she finished speaking, Zu An instantly vanished.
The lesser maids looked at each other in dismay. They began to talk among each other in confusion.
“Is SIr Zu going to save big sister Maid Xing?”
“Probably…”
“But isn’t he a court official?”
“But he has a good relationship with the madam. I trust him.”
…
Zu An ran quickly. Because it had already been some time since Maid Xing’s escape, he both released his soul and used the jade badge to search for clues.
A while later, he found some traces of combat and continued to follow the trail. Eventually, he saw a group of soldiers looking around. He thought of something and showed himself.
“Sir Zu!” a soldier called out. Zu An was already quite a well-known person in Cloudcenter Commandery. Some officers had quickly recognized him.
“What are all of you doing?” Zu An asked despite already knowing the answer.
“We’re chasing after a major criminal who fled,” the soldier replied.
“Did you catch that person yet?” Zu An looked around. He sighed in relief when he didn’t see Maid Xing.
“We haven’t. That criminal is extremely cunning, and her cultivation is high too. We ended up letting her get away. However, the city gates have already been sealed. She won’t be able to hide for long if we keep searching,” the soldier vowed.
Zu An secretly rejoiced. He patted the soldier’s shoulder and said, “You’ve done well. Find that female criminal as soon as possible.”
The soldier quickly became happy when he heard praise from an important official. The Imperial Envoy’s minister patted my shoulder! He must think highly of me! Doesn’t this mean I’ll soon be enjoying the peak of my life?
Zu An was obviously not in the mood to wonder what the soldiers were thinking. He walked along the street while thinking, Yu Yanluo told me to contact Maid Xing, but what do I do now that I can’t even find her?
Cloudcenter Commandery is so large, where would I even go to find her?
He suddenly realized something and thought, Where would I go right now if I were Maid Xing?
She would probably have been in a safe place that had been prepared ahead of time, but that was usually the greatest secret of a clan, something he would only know if he asked Yu Yanluo.
But Yu Yanluo’s arrest was a huge matter. The entire city would probably know about it soon. Even if Xu Yu kept the information confidential, Maid Xing would know that Yu Yanluo’s Snake race identity had been exposed.
Yu Yanluo trusted her quite a bit, so Maid Xing probably wouldn’t be hiding in that safe place. Instead, she would be trying to think of a way to save Yu Yanluo and her clansmen. However, her strength alone definitely wouldn’t be enough. Thus, she would have to seek external help.
Then, who would she choose to request help from first?
Zu An’s first reaction was himself, but he quickly rejected that thought. Maid Xing might not have known about his true relationship with Yu Yanluo, and he was a member of the Imperial Envoy as well. Yu Yanluo had even been captured by court officials, with soldiers looking everywhere for Maid Xing. The risk would be way too high if she tried to seek him out. But who else would she reach out to?
Zu An thought of something. He quickly rushed toward the Duke Manor.
Jian Yanyou was Yu Yanluo’s husband. Even though the two had never consummated their marriage, their relationship had always been good. Their many years of collaboration were something Maid Xing should have known clearly. Furthermore, Jian Yanyou was the glorious duke. He would have the strength to help Yu Yanluo.
Zu An suddenly heard sounds of fighting in a remote alley through his keen soul senses, some distance away from the Duke Manor. He quickly looked over. He saw Maid Xing currently surrounded by a group of troops.
Maid Xing’s entire body was drenched in blood, and she was full of resentment. If not because she had been severely injured while breaking out of the Yu clan’s encirclement, why would she be suffering at the hands of such ordinary soldiers?
Sensing her strength gradually wane, she knew she was probably finished. She felt a wave of despair. Originally, she had thought that everything would be okay once the madam returned, but then she had received news that the madam had been caught.
It was obvious that the truth of the Snake race had been exposed. Not only had she failed to save the madam, she hadn't saved her clansmen either. Do the heavens really wish for the end of my clan?
Suddenly, a black figure darted out, and the surrounding soldiers all collapsed. Maid Xing was alarmed and was about to face the new enemy when she heard a gentle voice saying, “Don’t be scared. It’s me. The madam told me to come and save you.”
“Young master Zu!” Maid Xing exclaimed, overjoyed to see him. As Yu Yanluo’s personal maid, she knew her master treated the man quite well.
The reason why she hadn’t sought him out in the temporary official residence was because she had been worried that the security there would be too tight, and that she would be walking straight into a trap. But now that Zu An had proactively helped her, she thought that the madam’s judgment hadn’t been mistaken after all.
Because of her excessive blood loss, as her mind eased up, her body became weak. She staggered and almost fell. However, Zu An supported her and fed her a Soul Return Pill.
Maid Xing was shocked when she sensed the medicinal effects quickly dissolving and spreading within her. She even recovered a good amount of her strength. She cried, “Young master Zu, you actually wasted such precious medicine on me!”
“Your injuries were too severe, so ordinary medicines won’t be of much help. Even the most precious medicines aren’t as precious as one’s life,” Zu An said seriously. “Let’s not worry about the medicine for now. Madam Yu told me to seek you out and have you contact Uncle Fu, then for the two of you to escort your clansmen to safety.”
Maid Xing stared at him blankly. Endless thoughts went through her head. In all her years in human society, she had learned clearly how they viewed the fiend races. However, Zu An knew their identity, and yet he was still helping them. He had even fed such a precious medicine to a maid. No wonder the madam treated him so well; this man was different from most men to begin with.
Suddenly, a mass of footsteps rang out. Several people had rushed over when they heard the news, calling out, “There’s been news that the criminal was found just now. Hurry!”
Maid Xing worried that Zu An might not be able to win against them. Zu An was also a court official. If he fought against them, there would be no way to hide the truth. At that point, there would be no place left for him in this world.