Chapter 273: Such a Friend, Please Give Me a Dozen

Wang Yuanlong: "..."Chu Yucheng: "..."

*What an insolent mouth he has!*

Both of them instinctively glanced at Qiu Honglei, who was playing the zither in the distance. This made them even more despairing, as they didn't know how to refute him.

Rage points from Wang Yuanlong +666!Rage points from Chu Yucheng +666!

Seeing the rage points received in the system backend, Zu An couldn't help but sigh. *They really are good friends, showering me with rage points the moment we meet.*

Behind the beaded curtain, Qiu Honglei took in the reactions of the three men. She couldn't help but smile, thinking, *Ah Zu is indeed unique.*

Wang Yuanlong quickly changed the subject to avoid a devastating blow to his confidence. "Brother Zu, what brings you here to drink and enjoy yourself today? Does your wife know about this?"

*Hmph*, he thought. *Everyone in Brightmoon City knows Chu Chuyan is proud and arrogant. You act so smug here, visiting brothels every day, but once you get home, you'll be kneeling on a washboard.*

He didn't think this with any malice; it was just that men tended to value appearances and were secretly competing with each other.

"You mean Chuyan? Oh, she knows," Zu An said nonchalantly. "She knew I was coming today, and she even gave me extra money, telling me that a man shouldn't be stingy when he's out having fun, especially not to mistreat Miss Qiu."

"Really?" Wang Yuanlong was somewhat bewildered. He couldn't imagine Miss Chu agreeing to share her husband with other women.

Chu Yucheng, standing nearby, said with a bitter expression, "It's probably true today. When he left, Miss Chu even thoughtfully tidied his clothes and indeed gave him such instructions."

Wang Yuanlong: "..."*What kind of world is this? In terms of looks, family background, or character, how am I any worse than this guy?*

Rage points from Wang Yuanlong +233!

Seeing him contribute another batch of rage points, Zu An thought to himself, *When a man is too popular with women, he easily offends his male peers.*

"Forget it," he decided. "No more provoking him. It would be troublesome if I messed up this important business."

Zu An then chatted with him about all sorts of things. With Chu Yucheng, a seasoned regular at such establishments, calling over a group of courtesans to accompany them, the atmosphere quickly became lively amidst the clinking of cups.

When the time seemed right, Zu An had the women withdraw, and then he explained his purpose for coming to Wang Yuanlong: "I have a gift for you, Brother Wang."

"You're too kind, Brother Zu," Wang Yuanlong said, startled, quickly declining.

Zu An didn't say anything further. He simply dragged several large chests out from the back hall. Although the silver was heavy, it was not difficult for a cultivator to move them alone. He opened them directly, and the gleaming silver light brightened the entire room.

"This..." Wang Yuanlong was no fool; upon seeing the silver, he roughly guessed their intentions.

Zu An then said, "Here are 200,000 taels of silver. Brother Wang, please take it back and return the deposits to the scattered investors. Also, please inform your esteemed father that the Sang family aims to sow discord, and we hope everyone will avoid doing things that pain loved ones and please enemies."

Wang Yuanlong stared at him blankly for a long moment before saying, "Brother Zu, you've truly impressed me."

He naturally understood that the 200,000 taels were not from Zu An himself, but from the Chu family. What astonished him was that everyone had considered Zu An, the live-in son-in-law, to be merely a figurehead. Yet now, such an important matter had been entrusted to him. The Chu family's trust in him was truly beyond imagination.

Wang Yuanlong did not decline. He said earnestly, "Please tell Lord Brightmoon and Miss Chu on your return that our Wang family will remember this kindness!"

The Wang family was currently facing financial difficulties, and this sum of silver truly resolved an urgent problem.

As this concerned serious business, the tipsiness in Wang Yuanlong's eyes vanished. Unwilling to continue drinking and carousing, he promptly took the silver and prepared to return to discuss it with his father.

Zu An naturally didn't stop him. "Then I won't keep you, Brother Wang. Once we overcome this difficulty, we'll have a good drink together in the future."

"Of course!" Wang Yuanlong's face showed a slight smile as he saw his family's crisis being resolved.

"Be careful on your way back," Zu An reminded him.

"Don't worry, this amount of silver isn't significant enough for serious trouble. My guards are quite reliable," Wang Yuanlong replied. He knew that while 200,000 taels of silver was an astronomical sum for an ordinary family, it wasn't much for a prominent clan like theirs. Had it not been for the series of misfortunes the Wang family had recently encountered, they wouldn't have been unable to produce this amount. Moreover, they were currently within the city, where security was generally good. Besides, who among those capable of offending the Wang family would risk everything for a mere 200,000 taels?

Zu An had merely said it casually, and then had Chu Yucheng see him out.

After the two men left, Qiu Honglei slowly emerged from the inner hall. "The Chu family actually assigned Ah Zu to such a task. It seems his status within the Chu family is rising."

Zu An chuckled, "Speaking of which, it's all thanks to you. If not for the information you provided last time, I wouldn't have gained the Chu family's trust so quickly."

As he spoke, he reached out to embrace her slender waist. *This woman plays mind games with him; she ought to pay a little price.*

Qiu Honglei subtly dodged his advance, then said with a smile, "I didn't expect my information to be so helpful. Now I have new intelligence about illicit salt. I wonder if Ah Zu is interested?"

"Oh?" Zu An's eyes lit up. "Of course I'm interested. Please enlighten me, Honglei."

Qiu Honglei walked to the doorway and pointed at the shimmering river surface in the distance. "I've received reliable information that the Giant Whale Gang will be transporting a batch of illicit salt at the pier tonight. Whether you can seize this opportunity is up to you, Young Master."

Zu An burst into laughter. "Honglei, you truly are my lucky star to bring such important news so quickly! Come here, give me a kiss."

Qiu Honglei sidestepped him, chuckling softly. "Ah Zu, you should go prepare quickly. Time is short. If you miss this, who knows when the next chance will be?"

"You're right!" Although Zu An was smiling, he was complaining internally. *This woman acted as if she was throwing herself at him earlier, but now she won't let him touch her at all, playing the part of a virtuous and chaste woman.*

Still, complaints aside, important business had to be done. He quickly left the Immortals' Abode, though he didn't fully trust Qiu Honglei's words. He quietly went to the pier and circled around.

After observing secretly for a while, he noticed that the pier seemed busier than usual today. Many men carrying goods kept looking around, acting highly suspicious.

He immediately hurried back to tell Chu Chuyan about it, and she promptly informed her parents.

Chu Zhongtian was overjoyed to learn the whereabouts of the illicit salt and quickly gathered his men, preparing to head to the pier.

Qin Wanru, who was nearby, said, "Although the Giant Whale Gang doesn't have many masters, they have numerous members. Our Chu family's manpower might not be enough. Why don't we call upon Sang Qian's River Defense Anti-Smuggling Battalion? This is their job anyway. Besides, Sang Hong previously used this as leverage, and we made a significant donation, so we can't let them take the money and do nothing."

Although the Chu family had private guards, mobilizing them within the city without an imperial decree was somewhat taboo. Recently, Chuyan had been unwell, and a portion of the estate's guards were assigned to protect her, so there weren't quite enough men to go to the pier and make arrests.

Chu Zhongtian considered this and said, "Ah Zu, take some men and assist Commander Sang. Let him be the one to make the arrests."

He simply decided that the Chu family's guards would not participate this time, leaving the entire operation to Sang Qian's anti-smuggling battalion. If Sang Qian's side botched the job, they would have something to say to Sang Hong in the future.

"Alright!" Zu An noticed Chu Chuyan winking at him, knowing that she had secured this opportunity for him. He readily agreed.

Concerned that Chen Xuan might intervene along the way, the Chu family also dispatched a dozen additional guards to accompany them.

As Zu An hurried towards the River Defense Camp's yamen, he couldn't help but wonder, *If that guy Sang Qian knew I had touched his fiancée's legs all over, would he turn hostile on the spot?*

*Then again, did Zheng Dan deliberately approach me with Sang Qian's instruction? Hmm... Does Sang Qian have some special fetish? Please give me a dozen friends like that!*

---I'm not in good form today, so this should be the only chapter.

Honestly, just thinking about how many chapters I owe makes me feel exhausted. I hope one day my writing flows like a divine intervention, allowing me to catch up. My condition these past few days has been quite draining.