Chapter 1683: Doubt

In the past, Zu An had obtained ‘The Book’ from Lu Sheng in a secret dungeon, which allowed him to have a kind of natural premonition against danger. In that instant, a few scenes had appeared in his mind. He quickly dodged to the side, then frantically used the Primordial Origin Sutra to protect his entire body.

Still, his opponent’s Curse Arts were too treacherous. It wasn’t something he could avoid on a physical level.

As the straw doll’s right arm was torn off, Zu An felt a mysterious power envelop his shoulder. Then, a tearing pain came from his arm. His flesh was lacerated and blood poured out. Fortunately, after several instances of the Primordial Origin Sutra’s refinement, his body had become incredibly tough. As such, his arm wasn’t immediately removed by the Curse Arts.

He quickly used the Primordial Origin Sutra to treat that arm. The wounds healed at a visible rate. However, that mysterious power didn’t disappear. It still continued to tear at his flesh.

The endless cycle of tearing, regenerating, and tearing again could leave even someone with Zu An’s willpower shocked. The pain wasn’t the main thing; the most important part was that the mysterious power hadn’t disappeared. His body would eventually break down.

However, he suddenly thought of something and began to use the Heaven Devouring Sutra. A black hole appeared over his shoulder, gradually sucking in the mysterious power. His shoulder’s rate of collapse slowed, and his flesh healed once again.

Meanwhile, Zhang Jie was completely stupefied. The sight before him completely toppled anything he knew. How could there be someone who could emerge unscathed against his Curse Arts? He suddenly felt a sense of fear. He was no longer as calm as before and didn’t dare to toy with his prey like before. He twisted the straw doll’s neck to immediately take his opponent’s life.

Zu An felt some pain around his neck, but he had already figured out his enemy’s patterns. He used the Heaven Devouring Sutra at full power to absorb all of the mysterious power.

“How?!” Zhang Jie exclaimed, almost breaking down when he saw that Zu An was still fine. He bit his tongue, causing blood to spray everywhere. Then, he muttered a strange incantation. All sorts of black patterns began to appear on his face.

The atmosphere of the room quickly became extremely strange, as if something was about to be summoned.

Zu An didn’t dare to take any more risks. This guy’s Curse Arts were way too strange; who knew what would happen if he let Zhang Jie continue? As such, he quickly shouted, “What you lookin’ at?”

Zhang Jie was stunned. He instinctively replied, “I’m staring at you, shithead!”

His summoning ceremony was briefly interrupted, and what he was met with instead was a dazzling blade of light.

Ah, I have so many regrets! Really! Why the hell did I have to pay attention to him? I didn’t even use my strongest move yet! Nooooo!

Those were Zhang Jie’s last thoughts before passing on. His regrets were so strong that even after he took his last breath, his eyes remained open. When he died, the strange atmosphere also gradually disappeared. Even that terrifying and powerful aura vanished without a trace.

Zu An wiped away some cold sweat as he thought, These shamans’ skills really are hard to defend against. I was almost done in just now… He then woke up all of the unconscious people in the room.

When Xiao Jianren and the others learned that Zhang Jie was the main culprit, they all sighed in relief. However, when they learned of the deaths of their colleagues, their moods sank again. Those in their trade all knew that such a day would come sooner or later. They wondered when the same fate would befall them too.

Zu An said, “Give the two of them a proper burial and generously support their families. Furthermore, I’ll do my best to give them spots in the Hall of Honor.”

“Sir is noble and righteous!” Xiao Jianren and the others replied, feeling greatly shaken.

The Hall of Honor was the highest honor for Embroidered Envoys after they passed on. There were many Embroidered Envoys who died each year, but those who could make it into the Hall of Honor were pitifully few in number. Not only was it a recognition of their achievements, it would also ensure three generations of their families’ riches and honor.

Zu An gave Zhang Zitong a look and continued, “It was thanks to Zhang Zitong’s report that exposed Zhang Jie in this case. She cooperated with us in trapping him, which was why we were able to take down the main culprit.”

Zhang Zitong was shocked. She looked at him with a conflicted expression.

Xiao Jianren and the others were stunned, but all those who had reached their current positions were intelligent. They realized that Sir Eleven wanted to protect her, so they naturally didn’t voice any objections.

…

The room was just too bloody. With Xiao Jianren and the others dealing with the aftermath, Zu An took Zhang Zitong to another room.

“Don’t think I’ll be grateful to you. All you’ve done was just to prevent me from returning to my previous faction, as well as to draw out the ones behind me,” Zhang Zitong said after remaining silent for a long time.

She and Zhang Jie didn’t share much of a friendship, and this was the first time she had heard of his relationship with her father. Furthermore, he had even tried to kill her, so if he died, then so be it. However, she really couldn't understand why Sir Eleven would release her. In the end, that was the only reason she could think of.

Zu An replied calmly, “If not, what other use would you have for me?”

Zhang Zitong’s face turned pale. RIght, what am I getting so worked up for?

Zu An said, “Seeing as you’ve already died once, take good care of this life and start anew. After all, your parents’ grudge hasn’t been cleansed away yet. Furthermore, Tao Qing and Yan Ke were your colleagues. If you try to kill yourself, will you be able to face them for their sacrifice?”

Zhang Zitong’s expression changed several times. After some time, she nodded and said, “Alright.”

Zu An sighed in relief inwardly. Apart from those reasons, the other reason he had kept her alive was because she was related to the previous dynasty’s imperial descendant, which could be useful in the future. After all, they were Zhao Han’s enemies, so they could be helpful.

…

After taking care of the situation, Zu An went straight to the Yi City Lord Manor. He found City Lord Liao Ling and gave him a summary of the events that had transpired.

There weren’t many officials he trusted in this place, but Liao Ling was an exception. The fact that he had been able to cultivate such a pure and proud sword ki meant that his moral conduct was also reliable.

Liao Ling was shocked to hear the truth behind Zhang Jie. He reflexively doubted the conclusion, but when Zu An gave him all of the evidence, he couldn't help but waver.

Then, Zu An told him to properly manage Yi Commandery; otherwise, Zhang Jie’s trusted aides could start a rebellion out of desperation. As for why he couldn’t just let King Yan’s people take care of the situation, he was concerned that they would take the chance to carry out a complete purge. If that happened, the balance of power in Yi Commandery would fall out of equilibrium.

Liao Ling understood that principle well. Even though he was still a bit skeptical about the circumstances surrounding Zhang Jie, he agreed to keep the situation under control.

…

After making those arrangements, Zu An found some free time to summon the emperor. However, even after he tried many times, the emperor still didn’t respond. Even so, Zu An didn’t give up and just continued to call out.

A while later, an impatient voice resounded from the golden token. “If you don’t have a proper reason this time, this emperor will make sure you pay for it!”

You have successfully trolled Zhao Han for +233 +233 +233…

He was clearly annoyed about being summoned like a monkey again and again. This time, he didn’t send over his divine sense and only sent his voice. He thought that he definitely had to properly display his authority in front of Zu An the next time he saw him.

Zu An gave him a rough summary of what had just happened.

“Zhang Jie, a shaman?” Zhao Han exclaimed in shock, clearly realizing that this was no small matter. He forgot all about the annoyance of being summoned. After some time, he asked in a serious tone “The motive?”

He clearly couldn’t trust Zu An that easily, but he was still curious as to why such an important official as Zhang Jie would take such a huge risk.

“I don’t know the exact details, but there is definitely a mysterious force behind him,” Zu An said, although he didn’t report the information about the previous dynasty’s imperial descendant.

Zhang Jie had told Zu An all of that information firstly because he had needed to buy time to gain the shaman powers, and secondly to plant a vicious scheme. He knew that once Zu An found out about the imperial clan’s secrets, the emperor definitely wouldn’t tolerate his existence any longer, and that he would settle things sooner or later.

As such, Zu An wouldn’t be so stupid as to reveal everything now.

“Mysterious force…” Zhao Han muttered. He fell silent for a while, seemingly thinking about something. The silence went on for so long that Zu An even thought he had already left.

Suddenly, Zhao Han said in a suspicious tone, “Zhang Jie is a master rank cultivator. If he had that shaman ability, how did you end up killing him instead?”