Chapter 301: Deep into the Tiger's Den

When Zu An smelled the strange yet somewhat familiar delicate fragrance, he knew he was in trouble. If he could recognize the person just by their scent, how could they not recognize him, especially when he was only wearing Plum Blossom Gang attire? Unfortunately, he was a step too slow. His vital acupoints were instantly sealed by the opponent, leaving him completely unable to move.

Plum Blossom Four was startled. He quickly stood up, chuckling apologetically, and asked, "Leader, what are you doing?"

The young woman scoffed softly. With a flick of her finger, the finger guard on her fingertip shot out and pierced directly through his forehead. Plum Blossom Four's body trembled, and he collapsed limply onto the table. Even in death, his face still bore the fawning smile he had worn just moments earlier.

The other Plum Blossom Gang members were greatly alarmed by the sight and scattered, running outside. They didn't understand what had happened, but seeing the young woman suddenly attack, they immediately knew something was terribly wrong. If Plum Blossom Four hadn't died, perhaps they would have had the courage to stay and fight. But now that Plum Blossom Four had been instantly killed in a single move, their courage had long since failed them, and they frantically scrambled to escape. They didn't believe they could outrun the formidable leader of the Giant Whale Gang, but if they could just outrun their companions and cause the Giant Whale Gang members to be delayed for a moment, they might have a slim chance of survival.

Unfortunately, with a flick of the young woman's slender finger, the spilled tea on the table seemed to be summoned by an unseen force, forming dozens of water droplets. Then, the young woman flicked her hand, and the water droplets shot out instantly, striking the fleeing Plum Blossom Gang members directly. In the blink of an eye, the backs of those men were riddled with blood and gore, and their screams abruptly ceased.

"Leader, what's wrong?" Giant Whale Gang members from outside, hearing the commotion, rushed in.

By then, the young woman was leisurely sitting on a nearby stool, taking out a new finger guard and carefully putting it on. "Nothing," she said, "I just took care of them." Her subordinates said nothing. In the eyes of the Giant Whale Gang, casually killing a few people was simply too common.

"Ya Xiao, check what he brought," the young woman said, pointing towards Plum Blossom Four's chest.

"Yes, Leader!" The burly man at the front, whose beard was tied in braids, walked over directly. After fumbling around in Plum Blossom Four's clothes for a moment, he pulled out a stack of papers and threw them onto the table. "Damn it," he cursed, "except for a few real silver notes, all the others are fake! Let me kill these Plum Blossom Gang scoundrels!" As he spoke, he cracked his knuckles menacingly and advanced towards Zu An.

"I still have a use for this person," the young woman said lazily. "You can all leave for now." Although her voice was delicate and charming, the Giant Whale Gang members instantly fell silent, as if frozen, and quickly tidied the room before retreating. Ya Xiao, who had just been swaggering, also carried Plum Blossom Four's corpse out.

After the door closed, Zu An let out a long sigh. "I never expected that you, who are usually so delicate and frail, would have such a formidable side," he said.

The young woman removed the veil from her face, revealing a beautiful and familiar countenance. It was none other than Zheng Dan. "That's why you don't understand women," she said. "The prettier a woman is, the easier it is for her to deceive people."

Zu An snorted. "I truly don't understand you," he said. "Normally, you wouldn't even step on an ant, yet now you are so ruthless and merciless, taking four lives with such ease."

"Are you talking about Plum Blossom Four and the others?" Zheng Dan chuckled softly. "These past few years, relying on the Plum Blossom Gang's backing, they have committed all sorts of evil, bullying men and women. They should have died long ago. Not torturing him was already an act of mercy."

"So I should thank you on their behalf?" Zu An said sarcastically.

"You don't need to thank me," Zheng Dan said. "Instead, I should thank you. If I hadn't been preoccupied with how to deal with you, they wouldn't have died so quickly." She stood up and walked over to him.

Smelling the captivating fragrance emanating from her, Zu An smiled. "So, have you figured out how you're going to deal with me?" he asked.

"I haven't figured it out," Zheng Dan replied, rubbing her temples. "I also didn't expect to meet you under these circumstances." Clearly, she was also experiencing a headache.

Zu An couldn't help but exclaim, "For years, everyone has been curious about the leader of the Giant Whale Gang, in some ways even more mysterious than Chen Xuan. But who would have thought that the legendary ruthless underworld titan is actually Miss Zheng, who rarely leaves her family home?" As he spoke, he couldn't help but gaze at the woman's beautiful, flower-like face. "Which image, after all, is your true self?" he asked.

"Which image do you prefer?" Zheng Dan asked, leaning closer to him. Her fingertip slid lightly across his face before slowly coming to rest on his neck.

Zu An hadn't forgotten that Plum Blossom Four had just died by her finger guard, and he couldn't help but feel his throat go dry. "Of course," he said, "I prefer the shy young woman I had pinned against the wall a few hours ago."

Zheng Dan's face flushed, but she quickly masked it. "Hmph, don't try to charm me," she said. "The person I am now isn't the person I was before. If I get upset, I'll cut out your tongue."

"Would you really have the heart to cut out my tongue?" Zu An said with a grin.

Zheng Dan's eyes narrowed, and the killing intent that emerged in that instant startled Zu An. Her fingertip hooked under his chin, and a dangerous smile played on her lips. "You can stick out your tongue," she said, "and see if I have the heart to."

"Mmm, mmm, mmm~" Zu An frantically shook his head, not even daring to open his mouth to speak. He feared that she might actually cut out his tongue if he did, which would truly leave him wanting to cry but unable to shed tears. Sensing that the killing intent she had just shown was not a joke, Zu An dared not provoke her any further. He truly couldn't reconcile this dangerous and stunning woman before him with the gentle and graceful young lady he knew previously. He even wondered, could this woman have a dual personality?

Just then, there was an urgent knock on the door. Zheng Dan's delicate brows furrowed, and she coldly asked, "What is it?"

Ya Xiao's voice came from outside the door: "Leader, a message came from the island saying there's urgent business to discuss. Please return to the island."

Zheng Dan put her veil back on, walked over, and opened the door. "Did they say what the message was?" she asked.

Ya Xiao shook his head and handed her a note. "They didn't say," he replied, "only that you should return quickly."

"Then let's go back and see," Zheng Dan said gravely. Generally, since she usually played the role of Miss Zheng in the city, they wouldn't contact her like this from the island unless it was urgent. But she wasn't overly worried. Both sides had long ago agreed upon certain coded messages, and while this message was urgent, it wasn't the most critical kind. There shouldn't be any real danger on the island. She figured it was likely some business matter or major decision requiring her approval; such things had happened quite often over the years.

Zheng Dan casually pointed at Zu An. "Take him along too," she said.

Zu An looked dejected. He had indeed intended to investigate the leader of the Giant Whale Gang and their stronghold's information today, and he had found out everything, but in this manner... It was truly hard to be happy about it.

Ya Xiao frowned and couldn't help but make a gesturing motion. "It's not very convenient for us to move around in the city with someone like him," he said. "Why don't we find a place to finish off this Plum Blossom Gang nobody?"

Zheng Dan shot him a sideways glance. "Are you telling me how to do my job?" she asked.

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Ya Xiao, and he quickly replied, "This subordinate wouldn't dare!"

Zu An secretly gave her a thumbs up in his heart. Majestic and domineering, she was truly worthy of being a gang leader. The difference between her and the gentle young woman in his impression was simply too great.

Zu An was quickly blindfolded with a black cloth bag. Then he could vaguely feel himself being put into a carriage. The journey was bumpy, and it felt like they changed carriages four or five times before finally settling down. Feeling the rolling motion of waves, he understood that he had been put on a boat. He had originally thought Zheng Dan would come to see him and perhaps untie him. But to his surprise, she didn't come to check on him at all. He was alone in the hold, as if forgotten.

"Damn," he thought. "Could it be that she's worried I'll remember the way to the Giant Whale Gang?" Zu An, however, suddenly calmed down. This proved that she didn't want to kill him; otherwise, if he had truly seen everything, she wouldn't have been able to avoid silencing him. However, he immediately thought again: he already knew Zheng Dan's identity, so how could she let him go?

While he was conflicted, Zheng Dan at the bow of the ship was equally conflicted. The gentle breeze on the river didn't dispel even a hint of her frustration, because she also couldn't figure out how to deal with him. She also hadn't expected to suddenly meet Zu An in the First-Class Restaurant. The moment she noticed his nose twitch, she knew he had recognized her. She had no time to think and could only act. It was all that guy's fault for harassing her back at the academy, which made her anxious and self-conscious when disguising herself later. She even forgot to change her perfume scent, a rookie mistake she would never make on a normal day.

How to deal with him next was truly a headache. Letting him go was definitely not an option; he already knew her identity, and if it were exposed, not only she and the Giant Whale Gang, but the entire Zheng family would face utter destruction. But killing him also seemed a bit regrettable. Forget it. First, let's see if I can extract information about those IOUs from him. It wasn't just the Plum Blossom Gang's over seven million taels; the gambling house in which the Zheng family secretly held shares also owed him five hundred thousand taels! She had used honey traps several times before, but not only did she not get any information, she almost got herself entangled instead. It was a huge loss. So this time, she would change her strategy. If persuasion didn't work, she would resort to force. Under severe torture, this guy might just talk...

Both had something on their minds, and without realizing it, the ship had already arrived at Giant Whale Island.

Zu An was also brought down, his black blindfold was removed, and he finally saw light again. He was on a small island. He looked around; the surroundings were a vast expanse of misty water, with no shore visible in any direction. He thought to himself, 'This Bright Moon River is quite large to have a place like this; it's like the 800-li Liangshan Marsh.'

"Leader, should this person be taken to the dungeon?" Ya Xiao asked for instructions.

Zheng Dan hesitated for a moment. "Bring him with me," she said. She was a bit worried about what might happen if he left her sight. The Giant Whale Gang members were all rough men; it would be troublesome if one of them suddenly got hot-headed and simply chopped him up. She figured dealing with the island matters wouldn't take long anyway; she could settle accounts with him slowly after everything was handled.

The group continued towards the main hall. Just as they were about to arrive, a playful voice suddenly rang out: "Well, well, how true it is that one searches high and low for something only to find it effortlessly! Isn't this Zu An, the live-in son-in-law of the Chu family? Don't you have many experts protecting you? How did you end up in such a state?"