Chapter 410: Justice is Accompanied by Life and Death
Translator: Pika
Zu An was dumbfounded. There were question marks all over his face.
He quickly took out that dominating sword immortal book, but it seemed like a completely normal romance novel! Even though some sentences contained a few strange word choices, they didn’t add up to much.
As if sensing his confusion, Chu Chuyan said, “The account book has always been the Chu clan’s main defensive weapon, but it could also bring a huge disaster upon the Chu clan as well. Countless powers have longed for this book, which made me constantly think about how best to keep it as safe as possible.
“However, it was impossible to guard against every possible means. Even if I hid the book in the most secret of locations, it could still be found. That was why one day, I decided to make two copies, one real and one fake. The real account book was hidden in code within Dominating Sword Immortal. After all, no one would suspect that something meant for a young girl’s amusement would contain such important information.”
Zu An was confused. “If I remember correctly, Snow liked to read that book with you, and she was sent by the Shi clan. Weren’t you afraid that she would realize something?”
Chu Chuyan smiled proudly. “Could you be unaware that there are many volumes to the Dominating Sword Immortal?”
Zu An gave a start, and noticed a number in the corner of the book’s cover that proclaimed it as the ninth volume in the series. “Oh my god, why does such an embarrassing book have so many volumes? This author really is something special.”
Chu Chuyan’s face gained a tinge of red. “This book isn’t as bad as you make it sound, okay? The sadomasochism shared by the male and female lead is pretty moving.”
Zu An had no words for that.
He put away the account book with a sigh. “I used to think you were as pure as a white flower. Who knew that you could actually be so sneaky? Not only did you deceive me, you even lied to your own parents!”
He could tell from the way Qin Wanru blamed herself that she had no idea the book she had lost was the fake account book.
Chu Chuyan was somewhat embarrassed. “I didn’t want to deceive you either, but there are just too many people after this account book! It would have been even more troublesome if one of you accidentally leaked this information. Instead of relying on your acting skills, wasn’t it better to just hide it from the start?”
Zu An couldn’t resist a dig at her. “Other people lie to their dads, but you lie to your dad, your mom, your spouse, and your younger sister at the same time!”
Chu Chuyan’s mouth fell open wordlessly.
“But it all turned out well in the end,” Zu An laughed. “It looks like we don’t have to live as refugees after all.”
Chu Chuyan said with a smile, “I’ve completed my own preparations over here. If I’m not mistaken, then news should reach Brightmoon City within the next few days.”
Zu An exhaled in relief. “That’s good. I can strut around with the Red Cloak Army until then. Damn those guys, these bastards think they can just come and go as they please! Do they think the Chu Estate is a public restroom?!”
Chu Chuyan snorted. “What public restroom? Can you pick a better analogy, please?”
...
When the two of them finished their call, Zu An headed straight to the Red Cloak Army’s barracks. His previous worry and discouragement had been completely swept away. He now felt amazing.
“Are you all braindead? The Chu clan is already on the verge of extinction, and you still refuse to go in to save it?!”
“Sorry, the Red Cloak Army has always followed these ironclad rules. Unless the Master himself comes, or someone else comes bearing the military seal, we absolutely will not make a move.”
“The Master and Madam have both been detained! How could they possibly come here?”
“Don’t you even trust us? Would I, the Chu clan’s young master, possibly wish harm upon the Chu clan?!”
...
He heard a group of people arguing noisily outside when he arrived at the barracks. The one who seemed most worked up was a fatty, as round as a ball. Who else could this be but Chu Yucheng of the third branch?
The presence of a second youngster surprised him. Compared to Chu Yucheng, this one looked incredibly heroic and valiant.
“Chu Hongcai?” Zu An frowned. Wasn’t he being detained?
Even though the evidence pointed to the fact that Chu Hongcai had not participated in Chu Tiesheng’s rebellion, he was still Chu Tiesheng’s son. His father had been killed in the rebellion, and there was no question that he felt extremely resentful.
Several officers wearing red armor were standing in front of them with firm and resolute expressions. They refused to budge, no matter what the two youngsters said.
“Ah Zu?” By this time, Chu Yucheng had already noticed Zu An. He waved at him right away. “Hurry! Help me convince them!”
“Zu An!” Chu Hongcai was alerted to Zu An’s presence by Chu Yucheng’s words. “Hand over your life, you bastard!” He yelled immediately.
He drew his sword and thrust it at Zu An.
Zu An immediately deflected it with his Shining Finger. Chu Hongcai felt a strange and powerful force travel up his sword and into his hand, and he almost lost his grip.
His reactions were lightning-quick, however, and he used this momentum to launch his next attack. HIs sword darted about, swift and nimble.
“Guys, stop! We can’t fight amongst ourselves!” Chu Yucheng immediately interposed himself between the two of them.
Zu An frowned. He stopped immediately, worried that he might hurt him.
Chu Hongcai also moved his sword aside, his face a mask of rage. “You damned fatty, get out of the way!” He hollered. “I cannot live under the same sky as the man who killed my father!”
Chu Yucheng cursed. “Are you that stupid? What level of cultivation did your dad and Hong Zhong possess? How could Zu An have possibly killed them? Old Mi was the only one in the Chu Estate at the time who possessed that much strength. Do you really believe every random boast that Zu An makes? Besides, when I got you out, you promised me that you would throw aside your own grudges for the sake of the current crisis!”
Zu An’s face darkened. This fatty really needed to lose some weight, but he was extremely sharp. He’d actually seen right through his boasting.
Chu Hongcai stared blankly for a moment. In truth, he had known this all along. But this matter had been weighing down on him constantly, and he desperately needed a target for his hatred, in order to find the motivation to keep on living. That was why he had subconsciously chosen Zu An as his enemy.
Seeing that he had calmed down, Chu Yucheng turned to Zu An and said, “Ah Zu, you came at the perfect time. I want to lead some men to save Master and Madam, but these guys aren’t listening at all. Help me persuade them!”
He turned back to face those officers. “Perhaps you guys think you don’t have to listen to us since we’re from the branch families, but Ah Zu is here as well! He is the husband of the first miss, so he is part of the main branch. You’ll believe him, right?”
Those officials still shook their heads. “Without the military seal, we cannot comply no matter who it is.”
“Are you guys talking about this?” Zu An fished out the military seal.
The officers all knelt respectfully when they saw it. “Justice can be found everywhere, accompanied by life and death. The heavens are a mirror, our red cloaks serve as proof!”
Chu Yucheng and Chu Hongcai were stunned. They had spent so much energy trying to convince these officers that even their throats had gone dry, yet these fellas didn’t budge an inch. But they knelt down as soon as they saw Zu An?
Could you at least not look so snobbish?
Zu An said in a serious tone, “Follow me. We’re going back to rescue the Chu clan.”
He had initially thought that he would need to say some things to motivate these guys a little, especially since they were facing the imperial guard. To be human was to hesitate, right? Yet, in the end, these officers required no persuasion at all. They quickly summoned all the soldiers and completed their preparations in no time at all.
Seeing how stupefied Zu An was, Chu Yucheng helped to dispel his confusion. “The Red Cloak Army has remained loyal and devoted to our Chu clan ever since the time of our ancestors. They've fought side by side through countless battles. The duties of a soldier are passed on from father to son, and the wives that they married are all maids from the Chu clan. In this way, every single generation of the Red Cloak Army are descendants of the Chu clan, so our fates and theirs are closely intertwined.”
His tone was full of pride. This army was clearly a great source of pride for the Chu clan.
“Of course, for the sake of preventing anyone within the clan from using this army to start a rebellion, an ironclad rule was established. Only if the clan master personally arrived, or if the military seal was present, could these troops be mobilized.” Chu Yucheng gave him an envious look. “I didn’t expect that Uncle would even be willing to give you the military seal! It looks like he really trusts you.”
Chu Hongcai couldn’t resist a snort when he heard this. He was clearly unsatisfied with this result. “I want to make this clear. I am not doing this for you but for the Chu clan! I want to protect my mother too, because she didn’t participate in the rebellion either.”
Zu An smiled. “Brother Chu really is a man of honor. I have always admired your integrity. If the Chu clan makes it safely through this crisis, I believe Master and Madam will surely pardon your mother.”
It really was quite strange, now that he thought about it. Chu Tiesheng was such a treacherous and despicable character, yet his son, apart from being a bit of a disgusting simp for Qiu Honglei, was upstanding and honest. They were two completely different extremes!
Chu Hongcai’s expression finally eased considerably when he heard these words. “Thank you,” he said quietly.
He obviously understood Zu An’s status within the clan now. With his guarantee, his mother’s safety shouldn’t be an issue anymore.
The three of them marched into Brightmoon City, accompanied by the three thousand members of the Red Cloak Army.
The city gates had long been locked up when they arrived, and many soldiers stood guard along the gate towers. However, when they saw this red-clad army, all of them were stunned. They gripped their weapons more tightly, and their hands began to sweat.
All of them were aware of the Red Cloak Army’s reputation. If they really ended up fighting, they would be absolutely crushed.
A high ranking official challenged them from the city gate. “Mobilizing without an order from your superiors? Is your Chu clan trying to start a rebellion?” he roared angrily.
Zu An recognized this man as Vice Magistrate Pang Chun. As such, he urged his horse forward and held up the military seal. “Who said that no order has been given? I am acting under Brightmoon Duke’s orders to bring these men back to defend the Chu clan.”
“The respected imperial envoy is currently investigating the Chu clan. What else could you all be doing if you aren’t starting a rebellion?” Pang Chun replied.
Zu An chuckled coldly. “It seems like any random clan can come in and bully our Chu clan recently! We are worried that the respected imperial envoy might have been deceived. All we want is to head over and have a chat with him. The Chu clan is already in critical danger. If Vice Magistrate insists on standing in our way, I will have no choice but to disregard our past friendship.”
As he finished speaking, the Red Cloak Army gave a uniform battle cry. To a man, they drew their blades and bows in preparation for combat.
For a long time, Zu An had been confused as to the existence of armies in this world, especially when individual cultivators were so strong.
In that instant, however, he finally understood. Even though the individual cultivation of each soldier within the Red Cloak Army wasn’t anything special, he could see a light blue glow flowing through their bodies, linking them together. This was surely the result of a formation which seemed to gather up all of their strength.
Suddenly, he felt a great pressure being exerted outward from this army. It was far greater than that of what he’d felt from Liu Yao!
The soldiers guarding the city gates were in even worse shape. The overwhelming pressure made all of them instantly turn pale, and their limbs began to feel ice-cold. They all turned to Pang Chun, urging him to make a decision quickly.
Pang Chun was anxious as well. He understood that these regional troops had not been in combat for a long time, and were no match for these Red Cloak Army elites. However, he still had his duty to carry out! How could he let them inside the city?
I guess dying for my country is the only choice.
At this moment, a carriage slowly made its way over from the outskirts of the city. Noticing the situation, it stopped near the city gates.
The curtains lifted, and a woman in a graceful skirt slowly walked out. “Lord Pang, why are the gates closed in broad daylight? Please open them so that I can enter.”
Pang Chun didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Young miss, could you somehow have missed what is happening here right now?”
The one who had emerged from the carriage was none other than the City Lord’s daughter, Xie Daoyun. She turned around as if struck by a sudden realization. “Oh! Young master Zu is also here?”
Pang Chun’s face twitched. Young miss, can you at least put a little more effort into your act?