Chapter 1044: Poisonous

Tang Tian’er shook her head and replied, “I don’t even pay attention to my clan’s matters, so I don’t know who they are. But even if I did, of course I wouldn’t tell you.”

Zu An figured that made sense as well. He hadn’t told her the truth when he was at Yi Commandery either. That was why he didn’t pursue the matter either.

Tang Tian’er continued, “However, I heard some rumors in the clan, saying Sir Magistrate was colluding with the fiend races, that he was smuggling ki stones and restricted goods or something. Whether or not Sir Magistrate did those things is something I don’t know about, but our Zhenyuan Merchant Group hasn’t participated in that matter. I hope the young master can understand that.”

“Didn’t participate in that?” Zu An had a strange expression. “Then why did these people gather at the Zhenyuan Merchant Group headquarters? Furthermore, even the perpetrators involved were here.”

Tang Tian’er sighed and replied, “The Zhenyuan Merchant Group wouldn’t have been able to get to where we were today without relying on some people for their protection. That’s an extremely common arrangement.”

Zu An laughed and said, “For better or for worse, I’m a member of the imperial envoy. Are you not scared that your merchant group will get into trouble if you tell me this?”

Tang Tian’er harrumphed and said, “I trust that you’re not the kind of person to forget favors and violate your authority.”

Zu An remembered how she had helped him out. It would indeed not be too good for him to turn his back on her like that. When he remembered what had just happened, that shocking image reappeared in his mind. He felt his nose heat up.

Tang Tian’er was confused when she saw him stare at her belly with a strange expression. She asked, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” Zu An’s face heated up and he quickly changed the topic. “Who was the yellow-patterned man who just came in?”

Tang Tian’er replied, “He’s one of my uncles. But as for who he is exactly, forgive me for not being able to tell you.”

Zu An understood. However, he didn’t fully believe what she had told him previously. According to the conversation he had heard, he could tell that the Zhenyuan Merchant Group was clearly involved in this matter. After all, they were one of the parties in Cloudcenter Commandery who had the most to gain. They were definitely not innocent and pure white lotuses.

Tang Tian’er asked curiously, “Right, where did you get your information from? That there was a perpetrator in our Zhenyuan Merchant Group?”

“I got the information from a friend. As for who he is, forgive me for not being able to tell you,” Zu An quickly replied the same way she had.

“Actually, I know who it was, even if you won’t tell me.” Tang Tian’er smiled. “It was probably the Pegasus Merchant Group’s people who leaked out the information. The Pegasus Merchant Group has always been competing with us over these years, trying to overtake us, committing all manner of crimes. You might just find what you’re looking for if you carry out a public investigation on them.”

Zu An was surprised. He had been investigating Pegasus Merchant Group during the day, discovering that Cassia Moon Restaurant was supported by the Pegasus Merchant Group. Then, when he was investigating Rouge Spice, he had suddenly run into Qiu Honglei. Was that really just a coincidence?

Suddenly, there was a clamor outside. The two of them subconsciously looked outside. They could see a large expanse of dark red even through the window.

“Little Chan, what’s happening?” Tang Tian’er asked.

The maid replied, “Young miss, I think some parts of the merchant group area have caught on fire, and the flames are hard to control. Everyone is rushing out to put out the fire, and many guards seem to be heading in that direction too.”

Tang Tian’er harrumphed and replied, “We’ve had quite a bit of snowfall these past few days, and there’s snow accumulated everywhere. How could it be that easy for a building to catch on fire, let alone for the flames to get so big? It’s clearly someone causing trouble.”

Zu An was shocked. He had almost forgotten that Qiu Honglei was still waiting for him outside while he was chatting leisurely inside. She probably saw that something happened inside and realized that I was being chased, so she started that fire to draw their attention.

Zu An couldn't sit still any longer when he thought of that. He quickly got up and said, “Thank you, Lady Tang, for helping me out today. I’ll repay this favor another day…”

He was interrupted before he could finish his sentence. Tang Tian’er leaned into her seat and looked at him with an ambiguous smile, asking, “And how exactly do you plan to repay me?”

Zu An was speechless. He had always been the one teasing others, and yet today, he was instead the one being teased by this young lady?

But he reacted quickly too and immediately replied with a smile, “A life saving grace naturally needs to be repaid with my entire body.”

Tang Tian’er harrumphed and said, “Hmph, who wants something like that.” She frequently stayed in places like the Hub of Freedom, so she obviously wouldn’t get angry at that mild provocation.

“Is the person who started the fire your companion?” Tang Tian’er looked in the direction of the flames. Zu An nodded. There was no need to hide it.

“Judging from how much of a rush you are in to leave, it seems your companion is a woman.” Tang Tian’er narrowed her eyes a bit. Her smile seemed a bit dangerous.

Zu An gave her a look and asked, “Why is the lady so concerned with this matter? Could it be that you’re jealous?”

“Hmph, why would I be jealous?” Tang Tian’er waved her hand and said, “Get out, get out. But you guys burned down so many buildings. That friend of yours has to compensate me properly next time.”

Zu An opened the window. Before he left, he turned around and said with a smile, “Next time, I’ll help you treat your injuries a few times.” He kicked off after saying that, and he quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Tang Tian’er’s heart began to beat crazily when she heard the words ‘treat your injuries’. When she recalled that feeling when Zu An’s strange ki had entered her, she really couldn't help but want more.

After her injuries had been treated last time, their relationship had become strangely closer. If it weren’t because of that, how could she possibly have let him hide in her bathtub? Forget about hiding there, just the other party seeing her naked was something she would’ve normally ordered an immediate painful execution for.

“Sigh, I feel like I’ve been cheated somehow.” Tang Tian’er covered her face. The more she thought about it, the more embarrassing it was. She grabbed the blanket nearby and buried her head in it, then rolled back and forth in bed. Her two smooth legs kicked around in the air.

…

Meanwhile, Qiu Honglei had been waiting anxiously outside the city walls. It was still alright at first, but as time went on, suddenly, she heard loud shouting coming out from inside. Then, a streak of fire had shot into the sky.

She had seen the Flame Blade before when Zu An saved her in the Imperial Palace, so she was familiar with that fire.

If such a big commotion had broken out, Zu An had definitely run into some trouble. She had subconsciously thought about going in to help him, but she had immediately sensed terrifying ki fluctuations. The energies were all at least at the ninth rank, with some even at the master rank.

As a candidate for the Devil Sect’s Saintess, she naturally wasn’t stupid. She quickly deduced that she wouldn’t be able to offer much help even if she went over and would instead just cause more trouble for Zu An.

She suddenly had another idea. She rushed over to the Zhenyuan Merchant Group’s warehouse to start a fire. Any goods that would be stored in the merchant group’s general headquarters were obviously precious.

Such a place would normally be heavily guarded, but after Zu An’s disturbance, many of the guards had rushed over to encircle him. The guards around the warehouse had ended up having a gap in their defense. Together with Qiu Honglei’s cultivation, defeating those individuals was easy.

The only problem was the recent snowfall. Together with the various fire prevention measures installed, she had to use up a lot of effort to get a fire going. When she thought about how much time she had used up, she worried that something might have already happened on Zu An’s side. As such, she didn’t dare to leave and continued to start more fires, hoping to divert some attention that way.

As time went on, a furious roar exclaimed, “Who dares to do such a thing?!”

A massive golden brick smashed down from the heavens in her direction. She felt as if her body had been completely locked down by the other party’s aura. She didn’t even know where to evade.

She bit her red lips tightly and summoned a soft yellow lantern above her head, forming a faint barrier of light.

The incoming brick seemed to freeze in midair when it made contact with the barrier. It continued to hum with noise, but it wasn’t able to break through its defenses.

The yellow-patterned man’s expression changed. He exclaimed, “The Little Empress Lantern?” The golden brick returned into his sleeves with a wave of his hand.

Even though the other party was masked, he had already recognized Qiu Honglei. He didn’t dare to truly kill her. If anything happened to the Saintess and Yun Jianyue went on a rampage, he wouldn’t be able to handle the consequences.

Suddenly, a teasing voice called out, “Tsk tsk, did your skills become rusty after being a businessman for so long? You can’t even deal with a junior like this?” The blue-patterned man appeared on a nearby rooftop as soon as he spoke

The yellow-patterned man cursed that person inwardly for being a fool. The other party wasn’t someone from the world of warriors; he had never experienced the terror of Yun Jianyue’s wrath. But he didn’t bother explaining and decided to let the other party have a taste of bitterness first, saying, “Why don’t you give it a try then, if you’re so capable.”

“Don’t mind if I do.” The blue-patterned man harrumphed. He reached out his hand, and the ground around Qiu Honglei began to quake. Then, massive tree roots tore out from underground. Large thorns covered their surface, quickly forming a prison of thistles and thorns.

Qiu Honglei was alarmed. She was confined again. Even though she did her best to avoid it, she was still pricked by the roots.

An intense pain tore through her body, and she groaned. Then, she felt numbness and dizziness overtake her. Her expression changed as she exclaimed, “It’s poisonous!”