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Yan Xuehen’s declaration left everyone present shocked.
As she looked at Yan Xuehen, Elder Peng’s eyes widened. This stone cold woman really is my sworn enemy! I already changed my appearance like this, and yet she could still sense my aura?
Wang Wuxie asked Yan Xuehen, “Sect Master Yan, why do you think that?”
Zu An also looked at her. Unlike everyone else who was alarmed, he was instead pleasantly surprised. Big sis Yun also came?
Yan Xuehen and Zu An’s gazes separated as soon as they met. She replied, “The Devil Sect’s arranged day of competition with us is about to arrive. Normally, they should have come earlier to familiarize themselves with the situation, but they are nowhere in sight even after all this time. That means either they are overestimating themselves too much, or they are not using their real identities.”
The daoist sects’ leaders all frowned. Even though they didn’t like that Devil Sect witch, they had to admit that she definitely wasn’t just an egotistical fool. It was unlikely for her to overestimate herself that much.
“What Sect Master Yan says makes sense. Even though I already had our disciples strengthen patrols around Violet Mountain, they would not be able to stop someone like Yun Jianyue,” Wang Wuxie said.
“I feel like that may not necessarily be true. Even though Yun Jianyue is formidable, we have so many people here. If she came here in an honorable way, we would be too ashamed to try to ambush her. But if she stirred up trouble first, we would have a reason to act as well. It would be her loss then,” Wan Tongtian suggested.
“Heh, we can only say that Brother Wan doesn’t understand that witch’s nature enough. Yun Jianyue always does things that are completely outside everyone’s expectations. Sometimes, it even comes off as deranged,” Guan Chouhai said with a laugh.
Elder Peng narrowed her eyes slightly. I’ll remember that.
She naturally wouldn’t admit to such a reputation. She continued to argue noisily about how it was definitely someone here who had taken her disciple. In the end, the others could only agree to let her investigate all of their residences, but as expected, there were no discoveries. Wang Wuxie tried to appease her while expressing that he would definitely do his utmost to help her find her disciple.
Thus, the great competition could only temporarily come to a close. Those present all returned to their own residences.
Everyone present on Violet Mountain was anxious. After all, if even someone with Peng Wuyan’s level of cultivation could be kidnapped without a sound, wouldn’t it be even easier to kidnap everyone else?
The elders were also worried. They told their important disciples to not leave their line of sight to avoid repeating such a disaster.
It was to the extent that even Yan Xuehen returned to her courtyard and didn’t come back out. She had some lingering fears. What if that mysterious person had taken Chuyan while she was away last night?
…
Zu An returned to his room. He also warned Xie Daoyun to not run around Violet Mountain for the time being, for her own safety. After all, that Peng Wuyan seemed even stronger than her. Of course, if it really was Yun Jianyue who had done this, he didn’t have much reason for concern. But if it wasn’t, that would make things much more worrisome.
Suddenly, he received news that Emptiness Isle’s Elder Peng was looking for him. He felt his scalp turn numb. He had seen how much of a troublemaker she was. Even all of those sect masters were at their wits’ end with her. Why is she looking for me? Don’t tell me she thinks that I kidnapped Peng Wuyan?
Even though he wasn’t all that willing, he was worried that she would do something irrational because of her disciple’s disappearance. As such, he came out to greet her, asking, “Has Elder Peng found any new clues?”
Elder Peng didn’t reply and just stared at him. Zu An was a bit stunned when he saw how she was looking at him. He could only continue, “Don’t worry, Elder Peng. I’ve also given the order for my subordinates to search around Violet Mountain. I’ll definitely contact you as soon as there’s any sign of Miss Peng.”
Elder Peng finally retracted her gaze. She gave Xie Daoyun, Zhang Zijiang, and the others a look and slowly said, “I have some things to discuss with Sir Zu alone.”
Zu An was stunned. He couldn't figure out what she had to say to him. Could it be that she had evidence that Peng Wuyan really had been captured by a daoist sect elder? Was that why she had sought him out, so he could make things right?
Xie Daoyun and Zhang Zijiang were a bit worried. This Elder Peng’s cultivation was really high. Being with her alone while she was enraged didn’t seem safe at all.
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However, Zu An wasn’t scared and gave them a look that seemed to say ‘don’t worry’. He told them to wait outside. Then, he looked at the middle-aged woman across from him and asked, “Is there anything Elder Peng wishes to talk to me about?”
Elder Peng stared at him, then suddenly chuckled. She said, “Sir Zu loves to fondle the flowers and trample the grass as expected. You even have a great beauty cross-dressing as a man with you during this trip to Violet Mountain.”
Zu An’s eyes immediately widened. It wasn’t because she had recognized Xie Daoyun’s real identity, but because of her voice. Previously, her voice had clearly been that of an old-fashioned middle-aged woman. It had also carried a hint of aloofness that kept others from getting too close. However, her voice was now extremely charming and pleasant, and there was also a natural pride to it. It was as if she considered everyone else trash. There was only one person who could perfectly combine those two entirely different feelings.
Zu An looked at her in complete shock and exclaimed, “Big sis… big sis Yun?”
“Sir Zu has colluded with the Devil Sect Master after all.” Elder Peng said, returning to her previous voice. She sneered as she looked at him.
Zu An was startled. Had he been fooled? What the heck? I won’t be able to wash this off even if I jumped into the yellow springs of hell! Am I really going to take the blame for Peng Wuyan’s disappearance?
Wait…
He looked at the woman doubtfully. How could her voice possibly be that similar?
When she saw his conflicted and stunned expression, Elder Peng suddenly laughed. Then, she removed her face mask. Long hair scattered down, revealing her gorgeous features.
“Big sis Yun!” Zu An exclaimed, feeling happy and surprised. He couldn't help but run over and give her a big hug.
“What are you doing?” Yun Jianyue asked. She hadn’t expected him to be so direct either. After pushing him away, she gave him an annoyed look.
“This kind of feeling is definitely big sis Yun,” Zu An said happily.
Yun Jianyue’s face heated up. This damn brat really was daring! He didn’t hold himself back at all.
Zu An suddenly voiced his surprise. “Was that Peng Wuyan really stolen by you? Just how did you make yourself look so much like Elder Peng? We couldn't even tell today at all.”
Yun Jianyue harrumphed. “Your eyes were full of those other pretty sisters, so of course you couldn't recognize me.”
When Zu An realized what she was implying, he exclaimed in surprise, “So Elder Peng was you the entire time?”
“Of course,” Yun Jianyue said proudly. “That Elder Peng was just an unknown elder from Emptiness Isle, and Emptiness Isle has always resided far away, in a place that isn’t all that close to the other eight sects. Wang Wuxie had never seen her, so I was able to bluff my way through just by changing my appearance a bit.”
“But Emptiness Isle’s disciple was really strong…” Zu An trailed off. His expression suddenly changed. “She was Honglei?” No wonder he had always felt a sense of familiarity from her.
“You only realized now? I don’t even know whether to call you smart or stupid,” Yun Jianyue said with a sigh.
Zu An panicked, exclaiming, “But she went missing yesterday! We have to find her as soon as possible!”
Even though he had been worried about Peng Wuyan’s disappearance before, they didn’t have too much to do with each other. However, if it was Qiu Honglei, things were different.
“Don’t worry. That’s just something I said to fool them,” Yun Jianyue said. Her attitude was completely different from how furious she had sounded at Golden Peak before.
“But where is she then?” Zu An asked, still not fully convinced.
Yun Jianyue was a bit annoyed. She snapped, “What, you don’t even believe my words? Are you scared that I’d sell your little lover away or something?”
Zu An said apologetically, “I’m just worried, okay? It’s been so long since I saw her that I got a bit worked up.”
“Why don’t you say that again in front of that Chu girl? She just happens to be here too,” Yun Jianyue said with a sneer.
Zu An had an awkward expression. It wasn’t just Chu Chuyan; there was Yan Xuehen too! If she found out what was happening right now, wouldn’t things immediately be blown out of proportion?
“Don’t worry. I sent Honglei out on a mission,” Yun Jianyue said.
Zu An was stunned. He said, “No wonder you put on that performance today. You wanted to delay the competition. But what kind of important thing is it that you guys can’t even be bothered with such an important competition anymore?”
Yun Jianyue’s expression suddenly became extremely conflicted. She looked at Zu An for a while before asking, “Can I trust you?”
Zu An was stunned. He reached out to hold her hand before saying, “We’ve already fought through life and death so many times. I thought that was something we didn’t have to worry about anymore.”
“Heh, didn’t you and that stone cold woman also go through life and death together?” Yun Jianyue replied, clearly unsatisfied with his reply.
Zu An said in embarrassment, “It’s different. We have the most intimate relationship.”
Sigh, the mouths of men really are unreliable.
Yun Jianyue’s face heated up. She muttered, “Hmph, why are you bringing that up…” She pushed him away before continuing, “That matter was only because it was an emergency. You were saved, and I was satisfied, so we’re both even. Don’t bring it up again. Also, you have to call me master in front of Honglei. In the future, we’ll go back to how we were before.”
Zu An was stunned. Perhaps it was because she came from the Devil Sect, but Yun Jianyue was clearly a bit more at ease about such a thing than Yan Xuehen. However, that kind of carefree attitude only made him feel that she was farther from him. In that instant, he didn’t even know what to do anymore.
“Our relationship is special, so I’ll count you as trustworthy. Even so, you can’t tell anyone about what you’re about to hear. Otherwise, I might be completely ruined forever,” Yun Jianyue said, her expression grave.
Zu An shivered. He had never seen her act so serious before. He nodded and said, “I understand!”
When she sensed his sincerity, Yun Jianyue asked, “Did you go to arrest King Yan last night?”
“I didn’t expect you to find out so quickly,” Zu An said. Although he was a bit surprised, it wasn’t too unexpected. Violet Mountain wasn’t that close to Yi Commandery, but news of something that major also traveled quickly. She was the Devil Sect Master, so it wasn’t that shocking for her to know. That was before factoring in that she knew about his Golden Token Eleven identity.
“Why did you have to act against King Yan? Don’t tell me it was really because he was going to rebel,” Yun Jianyue said as she looked at him. “Judging from my understanding of you, you’re not all that loyal to Zhao Han either.”
Zu An explained, “The main reason was that I was investigating the murder of Golden Token Seven in Yi Commandery, and it ended up involving these things. Golden Token Seven and I weren’t friends, but I didn’t want him to pass away just like that either.”
“He didn’t kill Golden Token Seven,” Yun Jianyue directly said.
“How do you know?” Zu An asked, a bit surprised at how certain she was.
“King Yan was also investigating Golden Token Seven’s death,” Yun Jianyue began, before pausing for a moment. “And the one he entrusted that task to just happened to be me.”