Sang Hong was incredibly heartbroken. “There’s no bad blood between my son and the blood race—why would they kill him?”

Zhuxie Chixin replied, “Members of the blood race kill without reason. Forget about humans for a minute—even if they ran into isolated fiends, their bloodthirsty nature would drive them to kill.”

Sang Hong finally understood what had happened. It was just bad luck that his son happened to run into someone of the blood race.

“But why would someone of the blood race appear here?” Sang Qien asked while biting her red lip.

“They probably do not wish for his majesty to gain eternal life. Since the fiend emperor has made a move, I need to contact His Majesty as quickly as possible,” Zhuxie Chixin said.

Sang Hong replied, “I wish to avenge my son first before I surrender myself. I hope Lord Zhuxie can show me some leniency.”

“No,” Zhuxie Chixin replied coldly. “I am in charge of capturing you all and bringing you to justice, and I cannot allow you to leave. Besides, you are seriously injured right now, and you will be no match for the murderer even if you run into them. You’ll just be throwing your life away. Men, lock him up.”

In a moment, his hands were bound with special chains. As he felt his ki being restrained, Sang Hong knew that all hopes of revenge were gone, and sadness overwhelmed him.

“Dad!” Sang Qien saw the tears in his father’s eyes. In her heart, her father had always been a heroic figure. He was always incredibly sharp, and being around him always brought her a feeling of safety. When had she ever seen him so powerless?

Zhuxie Chixin frowned as he saw the grief in both father and daughter. “Lord Sang, there’s no need to worry. Since a monster of the fiend race has appeared, I will help you get rid of them if we encounter them.”

Gratitude welled up within Sang Hong. “Thank you, Lord Zhuxie!”

Zhuxie Chixin nodded, then ordered his men to bind Zheng Dan as well. He had clearly done his homework, and knew that she was the daughter-in-law of the Sang clan and one of the prisoners that had been detained.

Zheng Dan knew that resistance was futile in the face of so many cultivators. There was nothing for her to do but glance at Pei Mianman and Chu Chuyan. There were some things that she just couldn’t say.

Pei Mianman smiled. She knew what she was thinking, and sent her a voice transmission. “Don’t worry, we will definitely rescue Ah Zu.”

Zheng Dan sighed in relief. Her lips were trembling as she silently mouthed, “Thank you!”

Pei Mianman nodded in her direction. What the heck was up with Zu An? How the heck did he get so many girls to care about him? Even I am over here trying to appease his wife, for goodness’ sake.

After securing the two criminals, Zhuxie Chixin asked, “Where is Zu An?”

“He was captured by the lady saint of the Devil Sect and their Solitary Eight. He was in the inn of the nearby town earlier. Our earlier attempt to free him failed, so I do not know what the situation is like now,” Pei Mianman replied. To rescue Zu An, they had no choice but to rely on this group. If everything went smoothly, she would try to save Zu An during the chaos later.

“What about King Liang and Liu Yao?” Zhuxie Chixin asked.

“They were attacked by a rebel army led by Lu Sanyuan,” replied Sang Qien. “They ordered the Embroidered Envoy to escape with Zu An and the other prisoners. I do not know where they are now.”

“Hmph, just a bunch of incompetent fools.” Zhuxie Chixin snorted. He was clearly extremely unsatisfied with this development.

The others were shocked. One was the emperor’s uncle, while the other was the empress’ uncle, yet he had dismissed them both so bluntly. It was clear just how much confidence he had in himself.

Zhuxie Chixin hesitated after learning about what had gone down in the small town. Should he rush over, or should he try to make contact with King Liang and the other troops first?

Those fellows from the Devil Sect had most likely already left. They would require more manpower for their search, so regrouping with King Liang was the safer option.

Pei Mianman recognized why he was hesitating, so she suggested, “It’ll create too big of a disturbance if all of us showed up in town. We don’t want to startle them. I’ll head over to scout out the situation first.”

Chu Chuyan chimed in as well. “Indeed. How about I go with her first? That way, we’ll be able to gather more intelligence.”

Zhuxie Chixin nodded and said, “Fine. Of course, if you free Zu An and flee on your own, the Chu clan and Pei clan will be charged with crimes. Don’t say I didn’t warn you both.”

Chu Chuyan and Pei Mianman exchanged glances. They saw the worry in each other’s eyes, but agreed anyway. “Fine!”

Together, the two of them made haste towards the small town. One was elegant and graceful, and the other possessed a fiery charm that was very rarely seen. They moved off together, their movements synchronized in a display of perfection that left even the well-trained Bright Tiger Army and the Embroidered Envoy in a daze.

Zhuxie Chixin snorted loudly to snap his subordinates out of their daze, and then said to Sang Hong and his daughter, “Tell me everything that happened along the way, especially the details about how those embroidered envoys died.”

…

Soon enough, night fell. In the heart of the small town, inside the Four Seas Inn, the Solitary Eight had purchased everything they needed for the journey. After dinner, they returned to their rooms to rest.

Qiu Honglei went to Zu An’s room. The other members of Solitary Eight were not disapproving, because they knew that she was going to try and fish out the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra from him.

But they had also heard about the rumors that Zu An was a playboy. They were worried that this pervert would do something disrespectful to their lady saint, so one of the Solitary Eight stood guard on the roof.

Solitary Ice volunteered for this position. The previous fight against Zu An had left him with a sour taste in his mouth, and he questioned Qiu Honglei’s attitude towards Zu An as well. There was no way he would allow the two of them to engage in anything suspicious.

He lay down on the roof with his legs crossed, straining his ears to listen in on what was going on inside the room.

Zu An said with an embarrassed smile when he saw Qiu Honglei come in, “You guys really are enthusiastic about entertaining your guests. Not only did you guys treat me to food and entertainment earlier, you’ve even sent your lady saint to accompany me for the night. Outstanding!”

Solitary Ice gritted his teeth in anger.

You have successfully trolled Solitary Ice for 358 Rage points!

Screw this guy! I’m going to tell this to everyone who is pursuing our lady saint once we return to the sect. They’ll tear him apart once they find out how this man has harassed their goddess!

Qiu Honglei rolled her eyes. “I really don’t know whether to praise you or scold you. How can you be so carefree as to joke around given the situation you’re in right now?”

What is with this guy? He was so serious earlier on when he was burying those deathsworn soldiers, yet now he’s joking around again.

“You can choose to face each day with a smile, or live in grief every day. If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to choose to live each day joyfully?” Zu An shrugged his shoulders and replied nonchalantly.

A strange look appeared on Qiu Honglei’s face. She sighed and said, “You are the most optimistic person I have ever met.”

Zu An felt a bit embarrassed. “I’m honestly not as great as you make me out to be. But you’re protecting me, and you’re the lady saint of your sect, which means you’re ranked rather highly. Why would I be scared while under your protection?”

Qiu Honglei shook her head. “My status in the sect isn’t as high as you think. This is still a world where strength is everything. I am still too young, and my cultivation is merely at the sixth rank. The sect has far too many powerful cultivators, and many of them do not even treat me as a big deal. The only reason they treat me with any respect is because of my relationship with my master.

“That is why the only way you can secure your position in the sect is by offering your Phoenix Nirvana Sutra to my master.”

Zu An snorted. “If I hand it over, the only thing that is guaranteed is my quick death.”

Qiu Honglei explained herself. “I know what you are worried about, which is why I’ve thought of a mutually beneficial way out for everyone concerned. It’s this: you can become the master’s disciple as well. That way, no one would dare to do anything, and no one will claim that the sect master forcefully seized the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra from you either. You will be safe, and you’ll have a new identity. Your advancement through the sect will be much faster as well.”

Zu An knew that she was being genuine and sincere, given how detailed her plan was. She wasn’t like the others, who were buttering him up just so he would hand over the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra to them. However, even though he was moved, he still had no intentions of joining the Devil Sect. As such, he said with a laugh, “Your sect master must be a pervert.”

“What?” Qiu Honglei was stunned. “Why would you suddenly say something like that?”

Zu An replied, “Why else would he take such a gorgeous woman like you as his disciple?”

Qiu Honglei’s face turned completely red. “What are you saying? My master is a woman!”