Chapter 283: Apology

. "Wuqing has been captured by An Yunshan's men." Hu Die, one of the women who had been drugged by An Shigeng and sent undercover alongside Ji Yaohua, was grateful to Ji Yaohua for detoxifying Hu Die, even considering herself one of her own. Upon receiving Ji Yaohua's instructions, she came to tell Ye Xiu the news.

Ye Xiu frowned at this. Wuqing was now considered his own, and he couldn't just stand by and watch Wuqing's capture. Of course, the most important factor was Ye Xiu's status as a Celestial Realm Grandmaster.

Even though Ye Xiu knew what was going on, his rise to Grandmaster status inevitably inflated his expectations. He truly desired a duel with An Yunshan.

He felt the likelihood of his defeat was slim, and even if he did, he was confident he could escape unscathed.

Even before Wuqing's capture, Ye Xiu would have been ready to find An Yunshan, a matter of two days sooner or later.

Since Wuqing was captured, Ye Xiu prepared to act early.

...

Ye Xiu returned to the capital again.

The capital at this time was very different from what it felt like before. The most obvious thing was that it gave people a feeling of depression.

Originally, the capital was very lively, with people coming and going. But now, the number of people on the street was almost two-thirds less. Even among the remaining one-third, most of them had nervous expressions and were in a hurry.

However, no one paid much attention to this.

After arriving in the capital, Ye Xiu headed in one direction, which was the Sky Prison.

According to Hu Die, Wuqing was imprisoned in the Sky Prison after he was captured.

The Sky Prison was obviously the imperial prison, and the prisoners were supposed to be imprisoned there. But at this time, the Sky Prison was almost An Yunshan's own prison. He could imprison whoever he wanted, regardless of whether the other party had committed a crime or was guilty.

The Sky Prison was heavily guarded, with numerous soldiers surrounding the prison. Beyond the soldiers, several Xiantian and even Grandmaster-level masters also stood guard. Ye Xiu even keenly sensed the presence of a Grandmaster lurking within.

Clearly, An Yunshan was worried about a prison break at this time, so he had specially assigned these masters to guard the area. After all,

the prison currently held numerous inmates. Besides Zhuge Zhengwo and Wuqing, there were also numerous former imperial officials. Whether to release, execute, or promote these individuals would naturally be decided upon An Yunshan's ascension to the throne.

It was precisely because of the large number of prisoners, many of them of high status, that a Grandmaster secretly guarded the area.

However, none of this mattered to Ye Xiu.

Upon reaching the prison, Ye Xiu practically ignored the soldiers and martial arts masters, charging straight inside.

"Stop, who are you—"

Ye Xiu flung his hand, a powerful burst of Qi erupting, instantly knocking down the soldiers and even some of the martial arts masters blocking his path. Then, with a calm stride, Ye Xiu continued inside.

"How dare you break into the Heavenly Prison!!!!" The noise Ye Xiu made was quite loud, naturally alerting the other masters present. A Grandmaster shouted loudly, then soared into the air, thrusting his sword towards Ye Xiu.

Ye Xiu simply extended two fingers and gently pinched them—

crack!

The blade was grasped between them. Then, with a flick of his finger, his fingertips ricocheted against the blade, instantly shattering it into countless fragments. The fragments, like sharp swords, pierced the body of the wielder.

With a plop—

the Grandmaster's body fell directly at Ye Xiu's feet.

And throughout this, Ye Xiu didn't even pause for a moment.

He walked step by step to the prison gate. With a flick of his hand, the chained door swung open, and Ye Xiu stepped inside.

Just as Ye Xiu entered, the gate blocked the sunlight, casting a shadow that happened to block Ye Xiu's eyes.

While Ye Xiu's vision wouldn't be affected, the transition from light to darkness would inevitably affect normal vision to some extent.

At that moment, the Grandmaster, hiding in the shadows, suddenly attacked.

He instantly appeared behind Ye Xiu, fist clenched, and struck him hard in the back. His fist even shone with a faint metallic hue.

Ye Xiu seemed completely oblivious to the attack, allowing the punch to land firmly on Ye Xiu.

The man watched his fist impact Ye Xiu's back, a sinister smile on his face. The next moment, his smile froze as he realized that his punch, while clearly landing on Ye Xiu, felt as if it had landed in the void.

It was like cotton, almost completely unaffected by any force. The man was shocked and instinctively stepped back.

But before he could move away, Ye Xiu grabbed his wrist.

"Who are you?" the Grandmaster asked in a horrified tone.

"A Grandmaster of the Vajra Realm, your strength is totally not up to par." Ye Xiu shook his head.

"Do you know—"

Bang—

Ye Xiu kicked him directly in the chest.

With a puff, the Grandmaster's chest collapsed instantly, and his body flew backwards. When he landed on the ground, he was no longer breathing.

A Grandmaster of the Vajra Realm died in just such a short encounter.

Ye Xiu didn't even look at the man's body, but turned around and continued to walk towards the prison.

In the prison, the jailers turned around and ran after seeing Ye Xiu. No one dared to come forward.

Ye Xiu was too lazy to chase after the jailers, and continued to walk in slowly.

The jailer and guards fled frantically, and when the inmates realized something was wrong, their faces lit up with surprise.

"Young man, please let me out! If you do, I'll definitely reward you handsomely!"

"Quickly let me out! If you do, I'll give you money, a hundred thousand taels of silver!"

"Young man..."

they shouted, trying to get Ye Xiu to release them.

Ye Xiu ignored them completely. Whether these people were good or bad was irrelevant to him, and releasing them or not made no difference to him at all.

Ye Xiu simply scanned the area, trying to find any trace of ruthlessness.

The inmates, seeing Ye Xiu's complete indifference, completely ignoring them, became furious. Some even cursed Ye Xiu and threatened him to release them.

As for these people, Ye Xiu simply flicked his fingers lightly, and fine streams of sword energy shot out from his fingertips. Anyone who uttered a curse word would have the tiny sword energy ricochet directly into their mouth, severing their tongue and then piercing their skull. Pah, pah, pah

— corpses fell to the ground one after another.

The previous cries of pleading, pleas, curses, threats, and inducements vanished instantly.

Each of them dared not utter a single sound, looking towards Ye Xiu with fear.

As they fell silent, Ye Xiu was relieved to find some peace and quiet.

Soon, Ye Xiu spotted Wuqing.

Wuqing was slumped in a cell. The cell was small, not clean, but not filthy either. The floor was covered with straw, and Wuqing sat there, silent and silent, his eyes somewhat lost, his thoughts unsettled.

"Hi, Wuqing!" Ye Xiu called out with a smile, observing Wuqing's stunned expression.

"Huh? Ah? You're—Ye Xiu?" Wuqing stared at the stranger who greeted her, stunned for a moment, then asked with a hint of surprise.

"Yes!" Ye Xiu nodded. Since he wasn't yet a master of the Celestial Realm, and no match for Pang Ban, Ye Xiu had disguised himself this time, disguising himself as a man in his thirties.

Wuqing had never seen a face like Ye Xiu's before, but Ye Xiu seemed familiar to her, so she asked tentatively and finally got the correct answer.

Ye Xiu flicked his finger, and a wisp of sword energy shot out, breaking the iron lock on the cell, opening the cage and coming to Wuqing.

"I'm here to get you out." Ye Xiu said to Wuqing with a smile.

"Thank you, thank you." Wuqing's voice was filled with a hint of joy.

"You're welcome. You're mine anyway, so of course I came to save you." Ye Xiu said, bending down and picking Wuqing up in a princess hug. Wuqing subconsciously put her arms around Ye Xiu's neck.

But after being picked up, Wuqing's body pressed against Ye Xiu's, and she could faintly hear the strong beating of Ye Xiu's heart. She couldn't help but blush slightly, like a delicate peach blossom, with a hint of shyness.

Wuqing's body was light and soft when he held her. She even had a faint aroma of milk. Ye Xiu was a little disappointed because, besides the milky scent, Wuqing also had a faint odor of sweat, which made her feel a little off.

Just as Ye Xiu was about to leave the prison, Wuqing suddenly spoke, "Um, Ye Xiu, can I ask you for a favor?"

"A favor? What is it?" Ye Xiu asked.

"My uncle is also in this prison, so, can you please rescue him as well?" Wuqing pleaded softly at Ye Xiu. Ye

Xiu glanced around and saw Zhuge Zhengwo in a cage.

Zhuge Zhengwo looked calm and composed, though he looked a little disheveled.

Zhuge Zhengwo's clothes looked a little dirty, his hair was a little messy, like a chicken coop, and his eyes had lost their former luster, looking a little dull, like the eyes of a dead fish. There were also some more wrinkles on his face, and even some dirt on his body, making him look like a sloppy man.

Seeing Zhuge Zhengwo like this, Ye Xiu's mood suddenly brightened.

Zhuge Zhengwo, who had come to cause trouble for him, had become like this. Ye Xiu felt so happy.

"Oh, isn't this our Lord Shenhou? How did you become so embarrassed and sloppy? Look at how you look now, you are too embarrassed. What? How did the good Lord Shenhou become like this? Come on, tell me, tell me, let me have some fun too." Ye Xiu teased Zhuge Zhengwo in a gloating tone.

After hearing what Ye Xiu said, Zhuge Zhengwo's face darkened slightly. He pulled the corner of his mouth, and his expression became even more bitter: "You, are you the man from An Mansion that day?"

Zhuge Zhengwo did not know Ye Xiu. After all, this was the first time Zhuge Zhengwo saw Ye Xiu's current face.

However, Ye Xiu's sarcastic voice, coupled with the relationship between Ye Xiu and Wuqing, made Zhuge Zhengwo vaguely grasp something, so he asked with some tentativeness.

"Lord Shen Hou can actually recognize me. He is indeed worthy of being Zhuge Shen Hou. Think about it, I told Lord Shen Hou that day, don't be impulsive, don't be impulsive, otherwise you will be in trouble. Look, what happened now. You were directly crippled by An Yunshan's martial arts. You became a prisoner. How about it? Do you regret it now? Do you regret being too impulsive back then?" Ye Xiu teased Zhuge Zhengwo.

"I do regret it. Since you were able to break into the Heavenly Prison at this time, it's clear that you and An Yunshan weren't on the same page. If I hadn't been so impulsive and expelled you from the An Mansion, I'm afraid I wouldn't have ended up like this." Zhuge Zhengwo sighed. "But if I could do it all over again, if I could make the choice all over again, I'm afraid I would still choose the same answer. After all, I was blessed by the Emperor, and I still have to do what needs to be done." Ye

Xiu curled his lips. "Yes, Father, the Emperor's grace. That's why the Emperor is dead now. You picked an idol," Ye Xiu said with a mocking smile.

"What did you say?" Zhuge Zhengwo was stunned for a moment, looking at Ye Xiu in surprise.

"What? You suspect I'm lying to you? There's no benefit in lying to you. And the Emperor is indeed dead. After all, the Emperor won't necessarily cooperate with An Yunshan's scheme. An Yunshan naturally needs to arrange for someone to obey. As for the original disobedient one, you are naturally aware of it." Ye Xiu shrugged.

To be honest, Ye Xiu really wanted to see what kind of expression Zhuge Zhengwo would have when he heard this.

After hearing what Ye Xiu said, Zhuge Zhengwo subconsciously looked at Wuqing.

Wuqing lowered her head slightly. She had naturally never seen the emperor, and she didn't know whether An Yunshan had gotten rid of the emperor. However, she didn't doubt what Ye Xiu said.

So when Ye Xiu said that the emperor was dead, Wuqing thought that the emperor was really dead.

Then, Wuqing's mood became very subtle.

After all, the emperor was Wuqing's enemy.

It was just that because the emperor's identity was too important to the Song Dynasty, Wuqing had to give up revenge on the emperor.

But now that the emperor was dead, Wuqing's heart suddenly felt relieved. The shackles of hatred were finally broken.

Zhuge Zhengwo looked at Wuqing's expression and probably knew that there was a high possibility that the emperor was killed.

The thought of the emperor being killed made Zhuge Zhengwo feel a little stuffy in his heart.

Thinking back, when Ye Xiu was in the An residence, he seemed to hold some secrets, so the An residence seemed safe and sound, and An Yunshan was out on business, everything seemed so harmonious and stable.

But it was Zhuge Zhengwo who came to the An residence and drove Ye Xiu away. With Ye Xiu's departure, something hidden or something he had already planned was instantly disrupted.

An Yunshan returned, and after his return, he directly threatened to rebel, and the emperor was killed for it.

If he hadn't gone to the An residence and driven Ye Xiu away, An Yunshan wouldn't have returned so soon, and the emperor wouldn't have been in trouble.

Thinking of this, Zhuge Zhengwo felt even more depressed, annoyed, and even a hint of regret.

Ye Xiu watched Zhuge Zhengwo's expression change, and the smile in his eyes grew wider.

Ye Xiu simply loved seeing Zhuge Zhengwo's regretful expression.

He was so aggressive back then, but now he couldn't continue? Obviously, he couldn't.

Zhuge

Zhengwo's cell door was flung open by Ye Xiu.

"Let's go, Lord Divine Marquis!" Ye Xiu continued in a sarcastic tone.

Wuqing remained silent despite Ye Xiu's sarcastic tone. After all, Ye Xiu and Zhuge Zhengwo already had a conflict. Ye Xiu's willingness to help her at her request was already a great honor, and Wuqing couldn't push

his luck any further. Zhuge Zhengwo, on the other hand, felt even more uncertain.

He had initially believed Ye Xiu was out to overthrow the Song Dynasty, a heinous criminal. But now, he was being rescued by Ye Xiu.

He was now a crippled man, unable to stop An Yunshan with his own strength.

Although he had amassed a considerable network of connections during his time as a Divine Marquis, they had faded into obscurity. He was no longer a Divine Marquis, and even his martial arts, which had been his foundation, were gone. He feared finding anyone to stop An Yunshan would be impossible.

Zhuge Zhengwo felt bitter, and then he looked at Ye Xiu. He couldn't help but think that perhaps, Ye Xiu before him, was the one who could resolve the current dilemma.

However, he had previously offended Ye Xiu so severely that Ye Xiu probably wouldn't offer any help.

Zhuge Zhengwo couldn't help but lower his gaze, landing on Wuqing, who was in Ye Xiu's arms.

Ye Xiu and Wuqing seemed to have a close relationship; even as soon as Wuqing was captured and imprisoned in the prison, Ye Xiu rushed to his rescue.

If he asked Wuqing to help, and had Wuqing ask Ye Xiu for help, would Ye Xiu help him out of Wuqing's face? Zhuge Zhengwo's eyes flickered.

"Hey, hey, hey, old man, you look so dreadful, I'm afraid you're up to something bad." Ye Xiu sneered at Zhuge Zhengwo's flickering eyes.

"Brother, I'm sorry, I misunderstood you back then," Zhuge Zhengwo apologized sincerely, clasping his hands and bowing ninety degrees to Ye Xiu. His expression was one of genuine sincerity, of a genuine heart.