Chapter 1302: Never Spoken a Lie

King Qi cursed the emperor for being an old fox. He clearly already has an idea, but he still wants me to say it.

Still, even though he couldn't figure out what kind of scheme the emperor was cooking up, Zu An had already destroyed his major plans again and again. The worst part was that the two of them had clearly formed an alliance recently, and yet his many years of preparation in Cloudcenter Commandery had still been ruined. King Qi was incredibly annoyed.

Because of that, a huge series of consequences had followed. Many of the core powers under him had needed to personally help their subordinates in maintaining cohesion. That was why, even though he knew the emperor definitely had ulterior motives, he still played along and said, “What the crown princess said is not entirely without reason. Using a transport formation to reach the Snake race involves too much risk, making it highly unlikely.

“However, there is an absolutely vital need for us to gain control over any such transport formation. Otherwise, there will always be a risk of the fiend races invading our world.”

Bi Linglong panicked when she heard that. She replied, “But there is no conclusive proof stating the existence of a transport formation, let alone anything proving that Zu An really did come here through one!”

King Qi said with a smile, “What the crown princess says is true, but this matter is related to the future of the human race. This is a case where we would rather wrong the innocent than allow even a chance of the alternative to occur. Otherwise, untold numbers of common people might end up suffering. However, the crown princess needs not worry too much. As long as Zu An is innocent, those managing the case will naturally release him.”

Bi Linglong was now really, really scared. She wasn’t a three-year-old child. They all knew that if Ah Zu got captured, he would be tortured cruelly. Even if he turned out to have been wrongly accused, he would probably still just rot to death in that cell. Who would let him out? Now that Zu An was being accused under the pretext of righteousness, though, anything she said at this point would sound selfish and narrow-minded.

However, she had no choice. She was about to defend herself when the emperor immediately said, “As expected, King Qi is aged and wise. In that case, Sir Xu, you will be the one to find out the truth.”

Sang Hong’s heart hit rock bottom when he heard that. It’s all over… The emperor himself already spoke, which means he doesn’t want this to go on any further. The matter has already been decided. Ah Zu is finished! The Sang clan is also done for.

Suddenly, a cold and clear voice rang out. “Why is there a need to interrogate Sir Zu?”

Then, a beautiful figure dressed in white slowly walked in. She gave off a unique presence, as if she were a goddess from the nine firmaments above. And yet, there seemed to be a hint of secular anger in her eyes.

“Goddess Yan!”

“Sect Master Yan!”

Many people cried out. Those who had the qualifications to attend the meeting were all high-ranking officials. Many of them had witnessed Yan Xuehen’s elegance before, and a lot of them were her fans. Even the emperor had consulted her on healthy lifestyle habits in the past.

Even if one were to say that the reason why people all chased after Yu Yanluo was because she was too beautiful, so they couldn't help but have some base motives, their attitude toward Yan Xuehen was entirely different. Her status was special, and she was too strong. Between that and her aloof and transcendent temperament, they all worshiped her like a goddess. They didn’t dare to have the slightest evil thought about her.

Zu An clicked his tongue in disdain when he saw how even through a recording mirror, those officials couldn't even hide their expressions.

So Wifey Xuehen was actually this popular?

If I went over to hug her and give her a kiss, wouldn’t the Rage points I could collect be astronomical?!

Of course, he gave up on that thought in the end. Forget about how inappropriate it was, Yan Xuehen could end up directly drawing a sword to cut him down.

After his initial excitement, King Qi couldn't help but ask, “Goddess Yan, why do you say that?”

Zu An was a bit surprised. He hadn’t expected even someone like King Qi to be so polite to Yan Xuehen. It seemed he really had underestimated her popularity.

Yan Xuehen’s red lips opened gently. She said, “I have managed to get a rough idea of what is happening from the conversations. However, Zu An was indeed wrongly accused.”

Xu Yu’s expression changed. He replied, “Has Sect Leader Yan perhaps made a mistake? We have conclusive evidence here!”

He understood just what kind of status and reputation this woman had. If such a person spoke out for Zu An, things would really get tricky. That was why he had to warn her not to make a mistake.

“I am not making a mistake. Sir Zu was with me this entire time,” Yan Xuehen said. She spoke casually, but it was as if a huge bomb had been dropped into the middle of a calm lake.

“What?!” those present exclaimed in shock.

Forget about the ordinary subjects, even King Qi was stupefied. Furthermore, even the emperor subconsciously shifted his body forward.

Eunuch Wen was shocked. His majesty is always composed, so this kind of behavior is already tantamount to losing self-control! This Sect Master Yan must be really special to him!

Bi Linglong was also stupefied. Earlier, she had been cursing Zu An for even flirting with the capital’s number one beauty, and yet now, the world’s number one goddess also seemed to have been won over by him?

However, when she looked at Yan Xuehen’s cold and clear expression, she quickly shook her head, concluding that she was definitely overthinking things. How could Goddess Yan possibly like this perverted guy?

Pei Mianman didn’t really doubt Zu An’s charm, but when she thought about how Yan Xuehen was Chu Chuyan’s master, she also felt that it was impossible.

The others began to react too, one after another. They didn’t get the impression that what Yan Xuehen said was intended in a romantic way, so they began to ask about what was going on.

Sang Hong cursed all of them for being old perverts. These old bastards had remained completely calm even when the discussion over Zu An’s case reached its climax, and yet now, they were all worked up trying to gain Yan Xuehen’s favor.

Yan Xuehen then said, “Sir Xu asked me to help catch Yu Yanluo, as well as the mysterious person who broke her out.”

The others looked at Xu Yu. Xu Yu nodded slightly, indicating that it had indeed happened. At the same time, he began to feel regret. If he had known that it would end like this, he wouldn’t have asked that of her before.

Yan Xuehen continued, “Later, I ended up in the Yu clan’s mines, and then I ran into Zu An.”

“He was the one who saved Yu Yanluo after all! Otherwise, why would he be there?!” Xu Yu screamed. He wasn’t someone who easily lost his composure like that normally, but today, he felt as if he had been riding the most violent wave of his life up and down.

Zu An replied, “Didn’t we already make it clear that I was investigating a case? What’s the big deal with running into Sect Master Yan?”

King Qi frowned and said, “Sect Master Yan said that the two of you have been together all this time. What exactly happened?”

“There was something wrong with the Yu clan’s mines. A spatial rift had opened inside, and some terrifying creatures came out…” Yan Xuehen gave the assembly an account of the Scaled Deathworms and the black fog.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Many officials nodded in agreement. One said, “Indeed. The guards in the mines also noticed a mysterious black fog. Those who came into contact with it either felt their bodies immediately decay or lost their minds.”

Sang Hong’s face darkened. He had received reports about that before too, but no one had treated it as a big deal. And yet, now that Sect Master Yan brought it up, those present were all kissing up to her.

Yan Xuehen then talked about how she had worked together with Zu An to defeat the terrifying Scaled Deathworm, as well as how they had completely destroyed the spatial crack. She said, “I was seriously injured then. If not for Sir Zu saving me, I might have died. Furthermore, if that spatial crack opened fully, countless terrifying creatures would have invaded our world. At that time, the common people would have been in a truly terrible situation. As such, not only has Zu An not committed any crimes, he has earned tremendous contributions. The court should be rewarding him greatly.”

All the courtiers were powerful cultivators. Even through the recording mirror, they could sense that Yan Xuehen was much weaker than usual, and that she was injured. They all sighed in amazement at how strong that Scaled Deathworm was, considering the way even someone like her had been injured to that extent.

Xu Yu’s entire body turned ice-cold. He hadn’t expected there to be such a variable! He could only give one last push. “How long was Sect Master Yan with him for? According to the report of my spy, he was clearly together with Yu Yanluo…”

Yan Xuehen gave him a cold look and said, “I already said that I was with him all this time. As a consequence of destroying that spatial crack, the entire mine collapsed. We were also trapped inside… and we only managed to return just now. Everything I have spoken is the truth. If you do not believe me, I can swear a vow to the heavens. You can also invite the libationer to question my heart if you so wish.”

Zu An chuckled inwardly. This woman looked as pure and innocent as a little white flower, but she was actually full of tricks inside. Everything she had said was indeed true, but some key components were missing. Furthermore, because she had emphasized a specific perspective, it had achieved an entirely different result.

Sure enough, those present in the court cried out in support.

“There is no need for that at all!”

“Exactly! Everyone knows how noble and lofty the goddess is. She has never spoken a lie.”

“Of course we trust Goddess Yan!”

“Zu An is a hero of the human race; he ought to be conferred another noble title!”

…

Bi Linglong now had a big smile on her face. She hadn’t expected that Ah Zu would not only make it through this situation alive, but also benefit greatly! I should find a chance to properly express my thanks to Sect Master Yan in the future.

I guess we really have neglected the hidden sects in recent years. I’ll prepare some generous gifts and bring them to White Jade Sect.

Pei Mianman sighed in relief. She thought to herself, As expected of Chuyan’s master, she acted out of consideration for her disciple’s husband after all.

Wait, then she absolutely can’t know about me and Ah Zu! Otherwise, if she gets upset and tries to bring justice for her disciple, there’s no one in Cloudcenter Commandery who can stop a grandmaster!

There were some clans that were delighted, and others that were worried. Xu Yu knew that it was all over from the sound of discussions around him. He felt his throat fill up, and a mouthful of blood emerged from his mouth. Then, his vision darkened and he fainted out of anger.