âOhâ¦â Sighs came from all around them. The expressions of the onlookers were just like those of all Zu Anâs classmates from his previous world as they looked for some drama.
Tang Tianâer lowered her reddened face, looking incredibly shy. However, inside, she wanted to curse these boorish men to death! She sighed inwardly, feeling as if all of the prestige she had accumulated over the years was probably gone.
Zu An saw a string of Rage points enter through the back end. Upon closer inspection, he saw that there were fewer Rage points coming from the guests and more from the Hub of Freedomâs staff! It seemed Tang Tianâer was actually the Hub of Freedomâs idol.
Sun Xun harrumphed. âArenât you all making a fool of me? This woman was clearly not inside when I opened the doors, and only now did she hurry over from outside. How can she be a witness? Even if your Hub of Freedom intends to defend a criminal, thereâs no need to speak such a blatant lie, right?â
Zu An feigned a shocked expression as he looked at Tang Tianâer. âTianâer, you werenât in the room earlier?â
The Hub of Freedomâs staff members all thought to themselves, That guy is already close enough to call her Tianâer! Sigh, this guest managed to sleep with our prettiest girl so quickly; why are the rest of us so disappointedâ¦
Even when compared to the beautiful courtesans on the second floor, Tang Tianâer was only superior and not inferior to them in any way. Together with her sweet smile when she spoke, and her friendly vibe, she was extremely popular in the entire place.
Tang Tianâer was quite frustrated as well. When did I ever get that close to you?
However, she quickly realized that it was probably because of the dream he had after he was knocked unconscious, making him think she really had accompanied him in various ways. Yet with how things stood, she couldnât really defend herself. She could only brace herself and admit it. âAhem, I saw that you were already asleep, so I didnât wake you up and went out for a bit first.â
Aaah! Now everyone will think I slept with him! But the worst part is that what Iâm saying is like tacitly approving it too. How am I even going to show myself in public after thisâ¦
The onlookers shot Zu An looks of disdain when they heard what Tang Tianâer said. If we had someone this beautiful accompanying us, we might not even be able to sleep all night! And yet this bastard just fell asleep? Are you kidding me?
They were all men, so Zu An could practically telepathically know what they were thinking. He was left at a loss too. He felt exactly what Tang Tianâer had been feeling earlier. There was no way for him to explain himselfâ¦
Sun Xun said darkly, âEven if what Lady Tang says is true, that can only mean she was with number 333 for a short time. He can still use the remaining time to go out and commit the deed.â
After some hesitation, Tang Tianâer insisted, âYour honor, the amount of time I left for was only long enough to drink some tea. There should be no way he could have committed the crime in such a short time.â
Chubby Senior was getting nervous. Why is she taking responsibility for this matter? Sheâs already going above and beyond compared to earlier when she spoke up as a witness! Even Zu An gave her a look of surprise. He really couldnât figure out why she would side with him like this.
Sun Xun gave Chubby Senior a look, revealing a penetrating gaze. âDoes your Hub of Freedom dare to vouch for the credibility of her words?â
Chubby Senior panicked. This wasnât something he could just reply to casually! Even though he didnât feel that guest 333 could have gone out to commit the deed, he didnât want the Hub of Freedom to get caught up in the matter either. As such, he didnât reply directly to the question and instead said, âIf the minister doesnât trust us, you can ask the Sun clanâs people. I noticed earlier that young master Sun left behind some people to monitor guest 333 before he left.â
Hisses of displeasure filled the air. None of the onlookers were fools; they immediately realized what Sun Ji had planned to do. However, he probably hadnât expected to not only fail to get revenge on guest number 333, but also to come to ruin himself.
Sun Xun frowned. He quickly turned around and gave orders to his subordinates. Soon, they brought a guard over. Sun Xun asked, âDid the young master leave you behind to monitor the situation?â
The guard quickly nodded. âReplying to sir, thatâs correct.â
âThen, has anything strange happened since then? Did he leave his room or not?â Sun Xun asked.
The guard shook his head. âHe didnât. I was always guarding this spot without a moment of distraction. He didnât come out.â
Zu An suddenly exclaimed, âIsnât the whole truth revealed now? I only put up with this nonsense out of respect for your grief toward your sonâs death. Isnât it time for you to apologize to me now?â
Chubby Senior broke out into cold sweat. Kid, are you really not scared of anything? How can you say something like that?!
Sun Xun gave Chubby Senior a deep look. Then, he gave the window a look. âIs there a chance that he left through here? That way, the guards outside wouldnât be able to see him.â
Chubby Senior said, âThat is impossible. Outside is the auction hall with many people passing by, and there are many powerful cultivators there. If he left through the window, he definitely would have been noticed by someone.â
Zu An sneered. That Sun Ji wanted me to die so badly, but he never would have imagined that the person he left to keep an eye on me would instead become my witness!
Sun Xun waved his hand, saying, âDrag him back and slowly interrogate him later.â
Tang Tianâer and Chubby Seniorâs expressions changed. They quickly asked, âXiang Minister, why must you do this? His innocence has already been proven!â
âThen why did Yang Long leave his number behind before his death? Even if it wasnât him who did it, he might have colluded with a criminal outside. Arrest him.â Sun Xun clearly didnât wish to waste any more words on them. He directly gestured for his men to arrest Zu An.
âYour highness is a glorious court official; do you judge cases without any regard for life like this?â Zu An sneered. âMany people saw my conflict with Sun Ji earlier, so if anyone was going to frame me, I would naturally be the most suitable candidate.â
That was also why he hadnât erased that number. Firstly, he wasnât the one who had killed them, so he had a completely clear conscience. The second was that everyone knew about his grudge with Sun Ji, so even if he erased it, the other party would still seek him out. In that case, he might as well leave a clear point of contention behind.
âA brat like you dares to teach this minister how to do things? Drag him back, have him carefully interrogated, and search this room for any stolen property,â Sun Xun said expressionlessly. Even if he isnât the criminal, just the fact that he offended Jiâer like that means I have to make him regret living.
âFurthermore, not a single one of the guests who participated in todayâs auction is allowed to leave. Iâll have people interrogate you one by one,â he continued. After saying that, he said to Chubby Senior, âGive me the list of names of everyone who participated in the auction today. Iâll check them one by one.â
The surroundings erupted into a commotion when Sun Xun spoke those words. They had just been here to join in on the liveliness, how had they all gotten caught up in this disaster? None of them were having it anymore. They argued noisily, saying that they wanted to leave, and they also publicly denounced the Hub of Freedom for going against its rules.
Chubby Senior was starting to panic. He quickly pulled Sun Xun aside and said quietly, âXiang Minister, you must not do this! These guests are all important individuals! If their identities are exposed, we will all lose our dignity. I ask the minister to please be lenient; our Hub of Freedom will definitely cooperate with you as much as we can!â
Sun Xun frowned slightly. He felt a bit of regret after saying what he had just said. Forget about the Hub of Freedomâs hidden background, just these guests alone were likely his colleagues in court or some other commanderyâs big shots. If he really offended them, he might be biting off more than he could chew.
After realizing all of that, he took the chance to say, âFine, Iâll leave your Hub of Freedom some dignity. However, this person must have his body searched.â He clearly still hadnât given up on his suspicion towards Zu An. At the same time, he wanted to find a reason to bring him away.
After some hesitation, Chubby Senior still didnât say anything in the end. Sun Xun was already showing him quite a bit of respect. If he didnât take a step back and completely angered the other party, the situation would only become even worse. As for having a connection to the ocean races, he couldnât be bothered with that. He would just think of some other way to contact them in the future.
Tang Tianâer wanted to say something, but Chubby Senior stopped her. She could only look at Zu An with worry.
Zu An didnât look panicked in the slightest and retorted indifferently, âWhat, Iâm going to get searched just because you say so? Why? Doesnât that mean that if I tell you to eat two bowls of shit, you have to cut open your stomach to show me you ate them?â
Sun Xun had never heard such a phrase before, but he could hear the mockery behind the other partyâs words. He immediately became angry. How many years had it been already since someone dared to speak to him that way? Furthermore, it was from a young junior!
You have successfully trolled Sun Xun for +272 +272 +272â¦
âWhy? Because Iâm the Yan Stateâs most senior minister.â Sun Xunâs gaze was completely cold.
âEven the most senior minister has to obey the law. My innocence has already been proven through all manner of evidence, so why do you still insist on searching me?â Zu An replied indifferently.
Sun Xun finally couldnât take it anymore and exclaimed, âThe law? In this place, I am the law!â
Just then, someone sneered in the distance. âYou are the law? How bold!â