Chen Luomeng seemed to have complete control of the situation as she looked at He Yan and let out a cold laugh.
“He Yan, you’ve got some nerve!”
“Killing a Prefecture Magistrate just like that.”
“Who exactly gave you the authority to do that?”
“Or was it that Lu Xuan who ordered you to do it?”
Seeing Chen Luomeng interrogating him like this, He Yan knew things were turning bad.
It was just as he had suspected.
These people from Prince An’s residence had traveled all the way from Qingling Prefecture to Baidao Prefecture just to cause trouble for him.
Naturally, He Yan couldn’t agree with what Chen Luomeng was saying.
These words were clearly an attempt to pin the crime of arbitrarily killing a court official on him.
“Miss Luomeng, I think you might be misunderstanding.”
“The death of Luo Jinhe, the Prefecture Magistrate of Baidao Prefecture, was handled by me in accordance with the laws of the court.”
“According to court law, the murderer who harmed a member of the Xuan Niao Guard can be executed first and reported later, punished on the spot!”
Seeing He Yan’s careful and cautious response, Chen Luomeng quickly lost interest.
“Hmph, you sly-tongued old man.”
He Yan naturally ignored Chen Luomeng’s rudeness.
He Yan had lived most of his life and had seen plenty of storms.
Chen Luomeng’s provoking tactics no longer worked on him.
Seeing that He Yan was impervious to her goading, a flash of anger crossed Chen Luomeng’s beautiful face!
This old man was truly cunning and slippery; she had no way to deal with him.
This meant Chen Luomeng’s plan to use the Luo Jinhe incident to make things difficult for He Yan had failed.
So, Chen Luomeng changed the subject and stated the real purpose of her visit.
“Where is your Xuan Envoy, Lu Xuan?”
“Our Prince wants to see him!”
“Tell him to come back with us immediately to meet His Highness!”
Prince An wanted to see Lu Xuan?
Hearing this news, He Yan seemed a bit dazed, as if pondering Prince An’s intentions for wanting to meet Lu Xuan.
Could it be that Prince An suspected Luo Jin’s death was related to Lu Xuan?
But these weren’t matters for He Yan to worry about.
Right now, the problem before He Yan was that he had no idea where Lu Xuan was either.
If I knew where the Xuan Envoy was, would I be letting you people boss me around like this?
However, letting these people just stay around the Xuan Niao Guard headquarters wasn’t a solution either.
While answering Chen Luomeng, He Yan also subtly suggested they should leave.
“Miss Luomeng, I’m not sure about that either.”
“How about you all head back for now? Once the Xuan Envoy returns,”
“I’ll be sure to pass along Prince An’s message to him.”
“The Xuan Niao Guard headquarters is a place of importance, and as members of Prince An’s residence, I’m sure you understand this principle.”
“I won’t be keeping you all here then.”
He Yan’s clear intention to show them out was not lost on Chen Luomeng and the others.
But this time, before Chen Luomeng could flare up, the elderly man who had been sitting silently with his eyes closed finally opened them, fixing his gaze on He Yan.
“Hmph, for a mere Deputy Envoy, you certainly have a big mouth.”
“Even the Earth-grade Deputy Envoys in your Xuan Niao Guard wouldn’t dare act so presumptuously in front of me!”
As the old man spoke, a flash of cold light shot from his eyes, streaking towards He Yan.
Seeing this, He Yan rapidly circulated his internal energy throughout his body, striking out with both palms to meet that flash of light.
Thud!
A muffled sound rang out. He Yan, who had just recently entered the Internal Energy realm, was sent flying out the main entrance like a cannonball.
“Deputy Envoy, are you alright!”
Several Xuan Niao Guards stationed outside the door saw He Yan get blasted out, their faces turning pale as they rushed forward to help him up.
At the same time, within moments, over a dozen men in azure Xuan Niao uniforms quickly gathered around He Yan.
“Master!”
Among them was He Yan’s apprentice, Su An, who had broken through to the Blood Refining realm just two days prior.
“Outrageous, these people dare lay hands on you, Master, I’ll…”
Just as Su An was about to charge into the main hall, He Yan grabbed his shoulder firmly, suppressing Su An’s boiling blood energy.
“Xiao An, don’t be impulsive.”
Good grief, Su An’s reaction almost gave He Yan a heart attack.
He knew that old man inside was a Martial Arts Grandmaster!
If Su An, with his current capabilities, rushed in and offended that old man, the consequences would be dire.
That old man had held back just now because He Yan was the Deputy Envoy of the Xuan Niao Guard, so He Yan wasn’t seriously injured.
But Su An was a different story; He Yan couldn’t guarantee that old man wouldn’t go all out against him.
Just then, Chen Luomeng and her group walked out of the main hall, still carrying that same air of contempt for everything.
It was as if the dozen or so Xuan Niao Guards before them were nothing but worthless, unworthy of their consideration.
Chen Luomeng frowned slightly, glanced around, and then turned to look at Lin Yu beside her.
“It seems Lu Xuan really isn’t here. What should we do, Elder Lin?”
Lin Yu’s earlier attack wasn’t just a simple lesson for He Yan.
He wanted to see if Lu Xuan was hiding somewhere, afraid to come out and meet them.
So Lin Yu thought attacking He Yan might force Lu Xuan to reveal himself.
But now it seemed Lu Xuan truly wasn’t here.
If someone came knocking on your door like this, anyone in charge would have come out immediately.
“His Highness instructed that Lu Xuan must be brought back.”
“If Lu Xuan refuses to come with us, then don’t blame this old man.”
“We’ll wait here for Lu Xuan to appear.”
“I refuse to believe this Lu Xuan can stay hidden forever.”
Chen Luomeng had no objections to Lin Yu’s suggestion.
It aligned perfectly with her own thoughts.
She didn’t believe Lu Xuan could hide like a turtle in its shell forever.
“Alright, let’s do as Elder Lin suggests.”
“You few, go find some rooms and clean them up properly.”
Chen Luomeng naturally began directing the few guards behind her, acting as if this place were her own residence.
The Xuan Niao Guard members standing nearby, completely disregarded, felt a wave of frustration and helplessness wash over them.
However, unlike Su An, they weren’t rash enough to attack Chen Luomeng and her group.
After all, Deputy Envoy He Yan, a cultivator at the Internal Energy realm, was no match for these people.
And they were merely at the Blood Refining realm; they’d likely be swatted away by that terrifying old man before they could even make a move.
Just then, from a distance, the urgent, powerful sound of horse hooves broke the quiet atmosphere, approaching like rolling thunder.
The figure on horseback rode swiftly, as if flying through the air, heading straight for the Xuan Niao Guard headquarters.
Finally, as the horse neared the headquarters, the rider pulled on the reins.
The horse stopped steadily, standing quietly right in front of the Xuan Niao Guard’s main gate.
The rider was none other than Lu Xuan, who had just returned from Jingtai Prefecture.
