Chapter 254: Li Kui Meets a Counterfeit Li

Zu An was momentarily stunned. What kind of terrible luck was this? He had just come out to meet a girl and now he was running into robbers trying to kill them.

However, he wasn't overly worried. His cultivation had skyrocketed after his journey through the secret realm. As long as he didn't encounter immensely powerful experts, dealing with ordinary people posed no significant challenge.

Just as he was about to comfort Qiu Honglei, a fragrant breeze wafted past, and she was already standing beside him.

"Young Master, there's no need to fear. I will protect you." Qiu Honglei shielded him behind her, her usual gentle charm replaced by a touch of resolve on her face.

Zu An’s mind reeled. Had they somehow swapped scripts?

While he was still disoriented, the door curtain was roughly yanked down, and several masked men stormed inside.

Upon seeing Qiu Honglei’s graceful figure, the men involuntarily whistled, their eyes filled with infatuation.

Qiu Honglei spoke in a grave tone, "Who are you, to dare cause trouble in Moonbright City? The Divine Immortal Residence is not an establishment you can afford to provoke. Retreat immediately, and I can pretend nothing happened today."

Zu An couldn’t help but admire her. Facing such a situation, she remained remarkably composed. This poise clearly set her apart from other beautiful women.

At her words, the masked men paused in surprise, then burst into uproarious laughter, doubling over.

"The Divine Immortal Residence? Oh, we're simply terrified!"

"Compared to our Black Wind Stronghold, the Divine Immortal Residence means nothing!"

"We’re here specifically to rob your Divine Immortal Residence!"

"The Black Wind Stronghold!"

Qiu Honglei’s beautiful face subtly changed. She had clearly heard of the Black Wind Stronghold. Its leader, Chen Xuan, had led his bandits through the mountains, plundering passing merchant caravans. Duke Mingyue and the City Lord had repeatedly dispatched masters and armies to suppress them, only to meet with failure, sometimes even suffering heavy losses.

"You're from the Black Wind Stronghold?" Zu An was a little surprised. He had seen Chen Xuan before, and he had some recollection of his men.

Although these men were masked, they were clearly not the ones Chen Xuan had brought to the Divine Immortal Residence previously. Were they an ambush force positioned outside?

"What's wrong, scared now?"

The leader chuckled, "Hand over your woman. If we have a good time with her, we might just let you live."

"Young Master, quick, go! I’ll cover you!" Qiu Honglei urgently pushed him outward.

Zu An looked speechless, thinking, *We're in the middle of the river; where exactly am I supposed to go?* Nevertheless, he nodded and said, "Alright, be careful."

With that, he turned and walked out.

Qiu Honglei was dumbfounded. She had expected him to put up a polite refusal, after which she would heroically protect him as he escaped. Who would have thought he would bolt without a moment’s hesitation?

The men opposite all burst into laughter. "My dear beauty, the man you chose is far too cowardly. Why don't you come with us brothers? We'll guarantee you a life of luxury."

Zu An paid no heed to the voices from behind him. He went to the bow of the boat and looked around. Other than a small boat moored alongside, there were no other bandits in sight. In the distance, other pleasure boats were still leisurely drifting, and the entire area remained vibrant and bustling.

Deep in thought, he returned to the cabin.

Seeing him return, Qiu Honglei exclaimed anxiously, "Young Master Zu, why have you come back?"

Before Zu An could answer, the leading bandit’s eyes lit up. "Surname Zu? Could you be Zu An, the Chu family's son-in-law?"

"Oh, am I that famous already?" Zu An asked, feigning surprise, a hint of smugness in his voice.

Qiu Honglei, standing nearby, cast a slightly resentful glance at him, silently questioning how he could admit it so readily.

The bandit leader couldn't help but ask, "I heard you won 7.5 million taels at the Silver Hook Gambling House, and nearly another million taels at other establishments?"

Zu An nodded. "There's no helping it. My luck has always been this good. Winning a bit of small change—it’s hardly worth mentioning, really."

Qiu Honglei pressed a hand to her forehead, clearly having given up on trying to make him act normal.

The bandit leader burst into boisterous laughter. "It seems I’m the lucky one today! Not only do I get a stunning beauty, but a wealthy patron too. Hand over the money, and I might consider sparing your life."

Zu An spread his hands. "But I didn't bring any money with me today. Why don't you go to Duke Mingyue's mansion and get it from my wife?"

The bandit leader sneered, "Don't try to intimidate me with Duke Mingyue. When have we, the Black Wind Stronghold, ever been afraid of someone named Chu?"

Zu An looked at him curiously. "Your tone is remarkably arrogant. May I ask what position you hold within the Black Wind Stronghold?"

"Why, I am none other than Chen Xuan, the Great Leader. What do you say, scared now?" The bandit leader snorted. "Now, obediently write a letter telling the Chu family to pay the ransom, or I'll chop off one of your limbs and send it back to them."

"You're Chen Xuan?" Zu An couldn't help but chuckle.

Qiu Honglei tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Young Master, it's best not to provoke them at such a critical juncture."

Zu An remained noncommittal. Everything unfolding before him seemed suspicious. Had he not known what the real Chen Xuan looked like, thanks to his Rage Value System, he might very well have been fooled by this imposter.

This whole situation, could it be a honey trap? In his previous life, he had often seen online stories of people eagerly traveling to meet young women, only for a group of large men to appear and extort money from them.

What was happening now felt somewhat familiar.

"What's wrong, don't I look like him?" His gaze seemed to offend the man.

Received +233 Rage points from Gu Yueyi!

"Gu Yueyi?" Zu An was taken aback to see this name appear in his system log. He tried to recall, but he had never heard it before.

"Oh, you look just like him, of course." Zu An’s tone held a touch of sarcasm, but he didn't expose the imposter. He wanted to see what these guys were truly planning.

Though masked, it was vaguely clear that Gu Yueyi was not very old. He frowned, evidently finding Zu An’s reaction somewhat off. "Stop wasting time! Write the note quickly, so I can inform the Chu family to prepare the ransom."

Zu An shook his head. "I don't think that's a wise course of action."

Gu Yueyi’s brow furrowed. "Are you trying to tell me what to do?"

Zu An smiled. "I’m merely helping you analyze the situation. Look, even if I write a ransom note and you send someone to the Chu family, how would the esteemed Ducal Residence of Chu save face if they simply handed over the money obediently?"

"What's more, everyone in Moonbright City knows that I, their son-in-law, am not well-regarded by the Chu family. They might even use this as an opportunity, allowing you to kill me, effectively using you to get rid of me, and conveniently seizing my several million taels of silver in the process."

"That way, no one would blame the Chu family for being heartless; they’d only condemn you for your ruthlessness."

The men exchanged bewildered glances at his words. Finally, Gu Yueyi asked blankly, "Then what should we do?"

"How about this," Zu An suggested, "you come back with me to the Chu family, and I’ll retrieve the silver notes for you."

Gu Yueyi sneered, "Do you take me for a fool? What if I go back to the Chu family with you and you simply don't come back out?"

Zu An pointed to Qiu Honglei beside him. "Isn't she still here? With this hostage, I’ll certainly return to redeem her. So, don’t harm her, or I won't pay you a single coin."

Seeing their hesitation, he continued, "While Miss Qiu is indeed beautiful, one person isn't enough to share among all of you. I have several million taels in silver notes, enough for you to get a new bride every day. Wouldn't that be far better?"

Gu Yueyi seemed undecided. He subconsciously glanced at Qiu Honglei, who subtly nodded without revealing anything.

Only then did he say, "Alright, don't try any tricks. Otherwise, not only will we brutalize this woman, but we'll also find every opportunity to kill you."

Zu An observed their exchanged glances keenly. "Don't worry," he said, "I'm more afraid of death than anyone."

Yet, in his mind, he pondered Qiu Honglei's true motive. Was she also after his millions of taels of silver? But given her presence in the Divine Immortal Residence, a hub of information, she couldn't possibly be unaware that most of that silver was in promissory notes, and their collection was far from guaranteed. What could she possibly gain from them?

"Alright, then we'll go to the Chu Mansion!" Gu Yueyi waved his hand, signaling his men to row the boat towards the Chu family residence.

"You two, don't try any tricks." After settling everything, Gu Yueyi and his men positioned themselves behind them, holding two gleaming blades suspended menacingly near their necks.

Qiu Honglei apologized with a troubled expression, "I'm sorry, I've caused you to lose so much money."

"I'm a man who cherishes beauty more than riches. Money can always be earned again, but if you're gone, you're truly gone forever." Zu An said this aloud, but in his mind, he sneered, *Once we're back at the Chu family, I'll be too lazy to come out and save you. After all, you're probably all in this together.* Then, he would have Yue Shan bring a team to apprehend these individuals and subject them to rigorous interrogation to uncover their true intentions.

And as for Qiu Honglei, he’d take her back to his room for a personal interrogation.

The primary reason Zu An didn't act immediately was that Gu Yueyi's cultivation wasn't low; his vital energy fluctuations seemed to indicate a fifth-rank practitioner. Of course, if it were just Gu Yueyi, Zu An wouldn't have been concerned. However, Qiu Honglei was also present. Despite her seemingly delicate and frail appearance, after their interactions, he had no way of gauging her true strength.

The reason for this ambiguity was either that her cultivation far surpassed his by several ranks, or she possessed an artifact that concealed her aura. In either case, he dared not be careless. This wasn't a game where death offered a chance to restart. Furthermore, there was his "Queen Sister." If he were to drag her into this and they both died, he would never forgive himself.

Qiu Honglei, however, was oblivious to his true thoughts. Hearing him offer millions of taels to save her without a flicker of hesitation, her expression instantly became complex.

Both lost in their own thoughts, the cabin immediately settled into an unsettling silence.

The small boat proceeded for a short distance when it suddenly lurched violently, as if it had collided with something. Then, arrogant voices echoed from outside:

"Hahaha, we finally found Miss Qiu’s pleasure boat!"

Gu Yueyi abruptly stood up. "What's happening outside?"

But the only reply he received was several muffled screams.

His expression changed. Grabbing his knife, he rushed out, but he had barely stepped beyond the threshold when he was violently flung back inside, sprawling awkwardly as if hit by a cannonball. The entire cabin was also shattered by the powerful impact, allowing everyone to finally see the situation outside.

They saw several small boats encircling their vessel. At the bow of one, a red-haired man stood arrogantly, his gaze sweeping over Qiu Honglei as if she were his personal trophy. His gaze then fell upon Zu An, and a cruel smile twisted his lips.