Chapter 1138: To Hide
Xu Yu quickly brought a group of people to the temporary residence. Pei You’s Armed Escort troop stopped them, asking, “Excuse me, what is Sir Xu trying to do?”
The other party had a vicious expression on his face, and he had come with so many subordinates. He clearly hadn’t come with good intentions.
Xu Yu asked indifferently, “Where is Sir Zu?”
Pei You frowned. He didn’t like Xu Yu’s overbearing appearance, but the other party had the Imperial Edict in hand, and he was pretty much the person with the most authority in Cloudcenter Commandery at that point, so Pei You didn’t want to offend him. He could only reply, “Sir Zu was injured a few days ago, so he is resting inside.”
“Bring me to meet him then.” Xu Yu pressed forward as he spoke.
Pei You panicked and exclaimed, “Ah, Sir Xu! Sir Zu is seriously injured and recovering in seclusion. He warned us to not let anyone disturb him, or else his cultivation might deviate!”
“He is recovering in seclusion?” Xu Yu sneered. “He even participated in the meeting a few days ago, looking as lively as could be. I really couldn't tell that he needed rest.”
Pei You explained, “Sir Zu ended up overexerting himself then, causing his wounds from when he fought against Jian Taiding to worsen. He had no choice but to enter seclusion again.”
His excuse was reasonable, but Xu Yu obviously wouldn’t believe it. He replied, “Oh? That means I have some responsibility for Sir Zu’s injuries too, so there’s even more of a need for me to visit him.”
Pei You wasn’t stupid. Even though he didn’t know why, he could sense that Xu Yu wasn’t there with good intentions. He worried that Zu An’s recovery would really be disturbed and quickly tried to think of ways to stop Xu Yu. Unfortunately, Xu Yu’s ranking was higher than his, and his cultivation was greater too. He even had the Imperial Edict in hand, so Pei You couldn't stop him even if he wanted to.
As they got closer and closer to Zu An’s room, Pei You finally couldn't take it anymore and braced himself. He stood in front of the door and said, “Sir Xu is a cultivator as well; you should understand what kind of consequences there are when you disturb someone’s seclusion. I hope that Sir Xu won’t force us to do things we don’t want to do.”
Xu Yu replied with a chuckle, “Of course I do. I don’t wish for anyone to be disturbed in this matter either. However, something just happened by the prison and someone broke Yu Yanluo out. We still have no idea who it was. I heard Sir Zu An’s investigative abilities were incredible, so I came to ask for some guidance.”
“Someone broke out Madam Yu?” Pei You replied, sounding incredibly shocked. He had noticed the disturbance taking place in the distance too, with tolling bells and fireworks everywhere. He had thought that there might have been an attack, but he never would have expected the intruder to have really succeeded! After all, the security over there was basically an inescapable net! Just who had the ability to rescue her?
Madam Yu really was devastatingly beautiful. The instant Pei You learned that she had escaped, he didn’t know whether to feel happy or disappointed.
Xu Yu said, “I understand that you’re scared that I might be disturbing Sir Zu. How about this? I’ll just exchange some words with him through this door, and I’ll leave after I ask for his opinion. Is that okay?”
“Um…” Pei You hesitated. He didn’t know if Zu An had gone to save Yu Yanluo either. The other party was here to catch him in the act. But seeing as Xu Yu’s suggestion was reasonable, Pei You didn’t know how to refuse either.
Seeing that Pei You’s attitude was no longer as resolute, Xu Yu sneered. Then, he prepared to holler from outside.
Just then, however, a voice interrupted him. “What is Sir Xu trying to do here?” It was Sang Hong, having suddenly arrived with a group of people.
Xu Yu was stunned. He then repeated his explanation again.
Sang Hong was obviously not so easily fooled. He replied with a smile, “Sir Xu came at such a great time. I just chatted with Sir Zu not too long ago. He cannot take any visitors right now because of his injuries, so I fear that he will not be able to hear your voice outside. If you enter and disturb him, it will easily cause his cultivation to deviate.”
“You chatted with Sir Zu just now?” Xu Yu’s voice rose when he heard that. His expression was full of suspicion.
“Indeed. Didn’t something happen where Madam Yu was being held? My first thought was the same as Sir Xu’s; I went to ask for Sir Zu’s opinion.” Sang Hong seemed to be recalling what had happened. “But before I was able to ask him about it, he mentioned that his injuries had worsened and he needed to rest. He entrusted me with the task of allowing no one to disturb him. Out of concern that he might be distracted, I did not tell him about the matter of Madam Yu being broken out.”
Xu Yu’s expression darkened. He asked, “Sir Sang, do you know what your words represent right now?”
Sang Hong replied, sounding shocked, “What is Sir Xu trying to say? Could it be that you are doubting the words of this humble official?”
Xu Yu and Sang Hong exchanged a look. Then, a smile appeared on Xu Yu’s serious face and he said, “Haha, Sir Sang must be joking. You are an honorable Imperial Envoy; how could you publicly say false things to shelter others? After all, if that were the case, you would be in deep trouble too.”
Sang Hong remained unfazed, replying, “What is Sir Xu saying? I do not understand.”
Even Pei You could sense that something wasn’t right. He secretly moved his hand to his blade handle. At the same time, he gave the Armed Escort some glances, telling them to get ready. They were all members of the Imperial Envoy, so they would obviously stand on Sang Hong’s side.
Xu Yu also sensed their movements. He said with a smile, “Forget it. It is a pity that I cannot speak with Sir Zu, so I will go and chase after the criminal now.”
Sang Hong said with a fake smile, “Seeing that Sir Xu is here right now, I thought that you had already captured the criminal. It turns out you have not yet done so.”
Both sides had attacked each other from various angles, cursing each other for being old foxes.
When Xu Yu left the temporary residence, Sang Hong’s smile immediately vanished. He ordered his subordinates, “Watch the surroundings and record every single person who enters and leaves. Pay attention to Zu An in particular. If anything happens, issue me a report immediately!”
“Understood!” His trusted aides understood what he meant. They quickly left to convey his commands.
…
Xu Yu asked his subordinates, “Has Sect Master Yan left Cloudcenter City yet?”
“She has not. She is currently in a cold and cheerless monastery,” a subordinate said.
“Alright. Come with me to ask for Sect Master Yan’s help,” Xu Yu said seriously.
“Hero Xiao has already chased after the intruders. Could it be that sir is worried that Hero Xiao isn’t enough?” a trusted aide asked.
Xu Yu looked worried as he replied, “Judging from the description given by the manor’s people, that person’s cultivation is deep and profound. If Yu Yanluo and the Snake race’s other experts get involved, Xiao Yao alone might not be enough.” As he spoke, he mounted a horse, heading toward the monastery Yan Xuehen was staying at.
…
Meanwhile, Zu An and Yu Yanluo borrowed the city walls and other obstacles to quickly shake off the pursuers. He intended to bring Yu Yanluo to the Duke Manor to hide her there for a while, but an incomparably sharp wave of sword ki rushed in their direction.
“Xiao Yao!” Zu An exclaimed. He had faced him before. The other party’s distinctive traits were too clear and easy to recognize.
“You should leave the city first, or else it might affect your identity as ‘Jian Yanyou’,” Yu Yanluo suggested. With the speed at which Xiao Yao was coming after them, they might be caught the moment their toes touched the Duke Manor’s gates.
They could borrow physical structures to throw off ordinary soldiers, but it was different if a master rank targeted them. Even though they were still far away and the attack’s precision wasn’t the greatest, it had still accurately tracked their general location.
If the story of Jian Yanyou’s return they had crafted with such difficulty were exposed here, the consequences would be too severe. Zu An knew how important it was. He didn’t hesitate at all and took Yu Yanluo in another direction.
As she saw the buildings and trees rush past them, Yu Yanluo was amazed. He is way too fast, not slower than a master rank at all! But there should be no way he could be this fast at his current level…
A while later, she slowly realized something. It wasn’t that Zu An had always been so fast; many times, he had used instantaneous movement skills before slowing down for a while. However, he would then quickly follow up with another instantaneous movement. She had seen him fight a few times before, and knew that his movement technique was special. She thought to herself that even if she exerted herself with everything she had, she still wouldn’t even be close to his speed.
Even so, the two couldn't completely shake off Xiao Yao. No matter how they changed directions, he continued to remain on their tail.
Yu Yanluo frowned and remarked, “Is this drunkard tired of living? If the two of us join hands, there will be no chance for him to survive if we stake it all.”
She had had too many misgivings before because she didn’t want to expose her identity. But if she really were forced to that point, just her alone, using the Medusa’s eyes at full power, was something even Xiao Yao might not be able to deal with; let alone in the current situation where she had Zu An’s help.
She was still a clan leader, after all, and she had the Medusa’s blood within her. She was full of vexation from being locked up for so long. Now, she was being chased relentlessly, leaving her incredibly annoyed.
Zu An shook his head and said, “Xiao Yao’s character is still worthy of respect. Unless absolutely necessary, I don’t wish to fight against him. Besides, he’s the libationer’s disciple. For better or for worse, offending the academy and the libationer isn’t a wise choice. Furthermore, his sword skills are brilliant, and I don’t have any way to take him down quickly. If the army from the city arrives, we’ll be in a difficult spot.”
Apart from that, because of Xiao Yao’s relationship with Manman’s mother, as well as how he had secretly protected Manman for so many years, there was no way Zu An would ever choose to kill him.
“Then what do we do?” Yu Yanluo asked, slowly calming down.
Zu An suddenly noticed a splendid building in the distance: Jasper Lane. He thought of something, saying, “I have an idea!”
His figure appeared to split into many that headed in different directions at the same time. He jumped off the eaves, then took out two sets of clothes to cover both of them. Then, he snuck into Jasper Lane.