Chapter 302: Excessive Demands

Zu An looked in the direction of the sound, and his heart skipped a beat.

He saw a burly red-haired man standing there with an arrogant expression, looking down at him as if he were a hunted animal.

"Chen Xuan! What are you doing here?" Zheng Dan asked, frowning and her voice low.

The man before them was, of course, Chen Xuan of Black Wind Stronghold. He hadn't expected to encounter the captured Zu An here, which was a pleasant surprise.

"Well, I came to discuss something with the gang leader, but who knew she wasn't on the island?" Chen Xuan said, cupping his hands in apology. "Please forgive me."

Zheng Dan frowned. The other man was a significant figure, after all, and since he had apologized—even if not sincerely—she found it difficult to press the matter. "May I ask what important matter brings the Stronghold Master here?" she inquired.

Chen Xuan chuckled, "Before we discuss serious business, allow me to kill this bastard."

With that, he leaped forward, his large hands reaching for Zu An's head.

Zu An was completely restrained at the moment and utterly helpless. He could only watch as the man's taloned hands descended.

A myriad of thoughts flashed through his mind as he desperately searched for a way to escape, but in such haste, no solution came to him.

"I'm finished!"

Just then, a fragrant breeze suddenly wafted by. Zheng Dan had already appeared before him and raised her hand to meet the attack.

The two exchanged a palm strike instantly, and Chen Xuan was sent flying back. After landing, he looked at her and said, "What is the meaning of this, Gang Leader?"

At the same time, he was secretly astonished that this woman's cultivation was more advanced than he had imagined.

He wasn't the only one surprised. Zu An also widened his eyes at that moment, partly surprised that Zheng Dan had intervened to save him, and partly shocked by her strength.

Chen Xuan was a master of the Sixth Rank, yet Zheng Dan had met him head-on without falling behind. Could she also be a Sixth Rank cultivator?

That couldn't be, could it?

At this point, Zheng Dan also spoke, looking coldly at Chen Xuan. "I was about to ask Stronghold Master Chen the meaning of this."

Chen Xuan pointed at Zu An. "Gang Leader Guan should be well aware of the deep enmity between Zu An and me. Now that he's your prisoner, given the relationship between our two factions, handing him over to me shouldn't be a big issue, should it?"

Zheng Dan replied, "If it were anyone else, I would naturally hand them over to the Stronghold Master without hesitation. However, I still have a use for this person, so I apologize."

Chen Xuan was a little surprised, but after a brief moment of astonishment, he smiled. "Alright, it doesn't matter. I'll have plenty of opportunities to kill him later anyway. I'll give the gang leader face today."

"Thank you for your understanding, Stronghold Master," Zheng Dan said. Inwardly, however, she felt a bit strange. Everyone said Chen Xuan was an unreasonable and overbearing man, so why was he so accommodating today?

"Now, may the Stronghold Master explain the purpose of his visit?" Zheng Dan then asked.

"Let's go inside and discuss it in detail," Chen Xuan said with a hearty laugh, making a gesture to invite her in.

For a moment, Zheng Dan felt a sense of disorientation. It was as if Giant Whale Island was Chen Xuan's territory, and he was the host entertaining her.

This feeling greatly displeased her, but she wasn't about to fall out with him over such a minor matter. She could only walk towards the main hall with a grim expression.

"Gang Leader, you're back!" A small, thin man with a mustache came out to greet her with a wide smile.

He was Liu Chan, the second-in-command and strategist of the Giant Whale Gang, and he usually managed the daily affairs when Zheng Dan was not on the island.

"Did you send the carrier pigeon message?" Zheng Dan asked in a low voice.

Liu Chan also lowered his voice and replied, "Yes, Stronghold Master Chen suddenly arrived on the island, and we didn't know how to handle it. So we asked the Gang Leader to come back and take charge."

"Oh," Zheng Dan said, walking directly to the gang leader's seat. Chen Xuan sat in the first chair to her left, and the other important figures of the Giant Whale Gang then took their seats in order.

Ya Xiao was also among them, sitting at the fifth table behind Liu Chan.

As for Zu An, he was thrown into the farthest corner.

Watching the servants serve tea to everyone, Zu An knew they would soon discuss important matters, and once they were done, he would be in trouble.

Moreover, he didn't believe Chen Xuan would let him go so easily. Zheng Dan had protected him once, but might not be able to protect him a second time.

What's more, Zheng Dan herself most likely intended to kill him.

He hastily called out to Mi Li in his mind, "Empress Sister, Empress Sister? If you don't come out now, you'll die with me!"

Unfortunately, no matter how he called, there was no response whatsoever.

He remembered Mi Li saying earlier that the poison she was afflicted with had damaged her soul and that she was currently in a deep sleep to purge it. It seemed she truly couldn't be relied upon.

"This woman is too carefree," Zu An complained inwardly. "Doesn't she fear I'll really mess things up?"

But complaints aside, he could only rely on himself now.

He racked his brain, considering all sorts of methods, but couldn't think of any way to break free.

The ropes binding him were easy enough to deal with. The key was that Zheng Dan had sealed his vital acupoints earlier, preventing his vital energy from circulating and leaving him utterly unable to move.

"Sigh, if only I could mobilize even a tiny wisp of vital energy now, I could slowly unseal my acupoints," Zu An thought. He closed his eyes and began to sense if he could gather any energy within his body.

Unfortunately, Zheng Dan's method of sealing acupoints was highly skilled. He tried many times but couldn't find even a trace of stray vital energy.

Just as he was despairing, he suddenly detected a trace of icy cold energy.

"Eh?"

At first, he thought it was an illusion, but upon closer inspection, indeed, deep within his dantian, there was a faint, icy presence.

"This is..."

Zu An was both surprised and delighted. This aura was all too familiar to him; he had been treating Chu Chuyan's injuries daily for some time and was extremely sensitive to her aura.

Why would Chu Chuyan's Ice-Cold Vital Energy be in his body?

It was worth noting that Chu Chuyan had given him a copy of 'Snowflake Divine Sword' some time ago, and he had browsed through it and practiced it a bit in his free time.

Unfortunately, he hadn't achieved anything significant, not even cultivating a hint of energy.

He didn't know if it was because he was a man, with too much Yang energy in his body, making him unsuitable for cultivating this, or for some other reason.

This trace of icy energy was clearly not something he had cultivated himself. After much thought, a thought suddenly occurred to him:

Could it be that during their intimate moments with Chu Chuyan, their Yin and Yang energies intermingled, and it came from her body?

Thinking this, he hurriedly tried to circulate that wisp of icy vital energy. Unfortunately, it remained coiled in a ball, refusing to move an inch.

His heart stirred, and he immediately tried to summon it using the cultivation route of 'Snowflake Divine Sword'.

As expected, the icy trace in his dantian finally moved.

A wisp of extremely pure cold energy traveled along his meridians through his body. Although it seemed like a tiny amount, it was continuously flowing, constantly seeping into all parts of his body.

At this moment, he was fully focused on cultivating, not paying attention to what was happening outside.

Zheng Dan took a sip of tea and said, "Stronghold Master, what is the actual purpose of your visit this time?"

Chen Xuan said with a smile, "Regarding the salt permits last time, some specific details have yet to be finalized."

Zheng Dan was somewhat displeased, thinking, "Did he specifically call me back for such a minor matter?"

However, she also knew that with Chen Xuan visiting in person, it would be difficult for anyone else in the gang to manage the situation, and only she could truly handle it.

So she patiently let her subordinates finalize some details with him and then draw up contract documents and so on.

The entire process was extremely tedious. Later, Zheng Dan couldn't help but loosen her collar. Was it because she was too agitated? Why did she feel a bit hot today?

Noticing her action, Chen Xuan chuckled, "Gang Leader Guan, there's one more thing I've always been curious about. I hope the Gang Leader can answer my question."

Zheng Dan forced a smile. "Stronghold Master, you are now an ally of the Giant Whale Gang, so feel free to speak. I will certainly do whatever I can."

"The Gang Leader said it yourself," Chen Xuan said, his gaze lingering freely on her. "I've always been very curious about what the Gang Leader looks like. Would you mind removing your veil and letting me see your beautiful face?"

Hearing his request, Zheng Dan's expression instantly changed.