Chapter 345: Killing Disaster

Zu An quickly pulled her back. "It's my fault. I'm with the Chu family now, and when the nest falls, no egg remains intact. So I was simply thinking about how to get through this difficult time, not for anyone specific, as you seemed to think..."

He felt truly despicable. He had just been intimate with her, and already he was asking about how to save another woman, especially since their families were sworn enemies.

Zheng Dan scoffed, "You could easily extricate yourself. Why do you insist on staying with the Chu family now?"

Zu An sighed. "If I leave the Chu family, where else would I go? To your Zheng family?"

Zheng Dan opened her mouth, but considering her own circumstances, she was at a loss for words.

"I won't ask for your help for nothing," Zu An said. "If you provide me with information about those salt permits, I'll give this back to you." With that, he produced an IOU for 500,000 taels. It was from the time Zu An won at the gambling house during the family competition; the opponent had paid 500,000 taels then, with the remaining 500,000 on an IOU.

Zheng Dan's expression was a little awkward. "What does this IOU have to do with me?"

Zu An smiled. "My dear Miss Zheng, we're past the point of hiding things, aren't we? After all this time, I've already uncovered the connection between that gambling house and your Zheng family."

Zheng Dan snatched the IOU, and scoffed, "What's this, payment for my favors?"

Zu An: "..."

"Miss, please don't speak so harshly. What we have is clearly love."

"Love? Do you even believe that yourself?" Zheng Dan scoffed.

Zu An took her hands, looking gently into her eyes. "I do!"

Zheng Dan's face flushed. "You scoundrel, you always try to charm your way with me!"

Zu An sighed. "I don't want to be an enemy of your Zheng family either. Rest assured, I would never do anything to harm their interests."

"Hmph, helping the Chu family means harming the Zheng family," Zheng Dan said, clearly displeased. "I'm not sure where those salt permits are. Chen Xuan wouldn't be foolish enough to give them to us right away. You know what happened later." She added, "I suspect those salt permits are with the Black Wind Stronghold's subordinates."

Zu An paused, remembering the people he had seen with Chen Xuan at the Immortal's Abode. "Do you have any information about them?" Zu An asked. Zheng Dan had, after all, once been a gang leader, and even though the Giant Whale Gang was now defunct, she certainly had her own intelligence network.

"No," Zheng Dan scoffed. "What, do you regret giving me the 500,000 taels?"

"Of course not," Zu An said, pulling her into his embrace. "Giving them to you for free wouldn't be a loss, let alone learning that the salt permits are in the hands of the Black Wind Stronghold's people."

"You're all talk," Zheng Dan said, though her expression softened slightly.

Seeing this, Zu An showered her with more sweet words, finally coaxing a smile back onto Zheng Dan's face.

After school, Zu An waited for Chu Huanzhao on her way home.

All the way home, Chu Huanzhao kept pressing him. "I heard you went to see that woman Zheng Dan today?"

"You're quite well-informed," Zu An said, a little surprised.

"Of course! Don't you know my standing in class?" Chu Huanzhao said proudly, though her expression quickly fell. "Why did you go to see her? Everyone at school is saying you looked like a creep."

Zu An: "..."

*Does that word even exist in this world?*

Chu Huanzhao grew angrier as she spoke. "Isn't having my sister enough for you? Why go and fawn over her? And Sister just left today!"

*Chu Huanzhao's Rage +33, +33, +33...*

Zu An had a terrible headache. "I had a legitimate reason to see her; it was to help the Chu family overcome their difficulties."

"The Zheng family and our Chu family have always been at odds. She would help?" Chu Huanzhao asked, her face full of disbelief. "Smelly brother-in-law, if you're going to make excuses, at least make them believable."

"Normally, she definitely wouldn't help, but what can I say, your brother-in-law is just too handsome," Zu An scoffed.

"You're so shameless~" Chu Huanzhao chuckled, but the diversion made her forget to press him further.

Upon returning to the Chu manor, Zu An told her to go inside first.

"Where are you going?" Chu Huanzhao asked curiously, seeing that he had no intention of entering the house.

"I'm going..." Zu An began to answer, but then remembered something, his expression stiffening. "Why so many questions? I have important business to attend to."

Chu Huanzhao pouted. "You're dodging the question; you're probably off to a brothel, hmph!" With that, she walked into the manor, a look of resentment on her face, her footsteps deliberately heavy as if to...

Zu An: "..."

*A woman's intuition is truly terrifying!*

He was indeed planning a trip to the Immortal's Abode, though not for entertainment, but to gather relevant information from Qiu Honglei. He knew that all previous information about Chen Xuan had come from her, so perhaps she had some intelligence regarding the missing salt permits this time.

Upon arriving at the Immortal's Abode and having his presence announced, it wasn't long before a maid led Zu An into Qiu Honglei's room.

Catching sight of the beauty before him, Zu An couldn't help but exclaim, "Honglei, you seem to have a lot on your mind."

Qiu Honglei paused, then smiled faintly. "Young Master Zu has such keen insight; I'm surprised you could tell."

Zu An couldn't help but lament, "Honglei, we've grown distant. You used to call me A'Zu."

Qiu Honglei: "..."

*His conversations are always so unpredictable.*

However, she was long accustomed to his nature, and smiled faintly. "A'Zu, if you had come just two days later, you might not have seen me."

Zu An was startled. "Are you leaving?" In fact, her tone had been somewhat peculiar during their last meeting.

"Yes," Qiu Honglei nodded.

"Where are you going?" Although he knew her previous displays of affection towards him were insincere, learning she was truly leaving still filled him with a sense of reluctance.

Qiu Honglei smiled, shaking her head without a word.

Knowing she wouldn't tell him, Zu An wisely did not press further.

Silence quickly fell over the room.

"By the way, is there something specific you came to see me about this time?" Qiu Honglei finally broke the silence.

"Can't I come see you even if there's nothing wrong?" Zu An looked at her, still as radiant and captivating as ever. *Unfortunately, she would soon no longer be his.*

*Alas, men are truly pathetic. Even knowing her previous smiles and kind words had ulterior motives, he still felt a sense of loss.*

Qiu Honglei smiled, pursing her lips. "I've been here for so long, yet I haven't seen you come to visit me on your own initiative."

Zu An's face reddened, and he had no choice but to state the reason for his visit.

Qiu Honglei couldn't help but remark, "You and Miss Chu truly have a deep marital affection, to be running around so much for her sake."

Zu An looked deeply into her eyes. "Honglei, are you jealous?"

Qiu Honglei met his gaze. "A'Zu, do you want me to be jealous for you?"

Zu An chuckled. "For a celestial beauty like you, Honglei, what man in this world wouldn't want you to be jealous for him?"

A hint of a smile touched Qiu Honglei's face. "Your words are always so sweet; no wonder Miss Chu also fell for you." She paused, then added, "I happen to know a little about the whereabouts of the salt permits, but I cannot tell you."

"Why?" Zu An froze.

"I cannot tell you the reasons," Qiu Honglei hesitated. "I advise you not to pursue this further, lest you bring about your own demise."