Chapter 346: Providing Assistance

Hearing her serious tone, Zu An was puzzled. "Why? Isn't Chen Xuan already dead? Can those people from the Black Wind Stronghold still cause a major stir?"

Qiu Honglei shook her head. "It's not the Black Wind Stronghold members. It's another force, one you can't afford to provoke."

Zu An grew even more confused. Although the Chu family was currently in trouble, even a starved camel was bigger than a horse, and they still had a private army they could deploy. He was, after all, the Chu family's son-in-law and had a background with the academy. Yet, Qiu Honglei still believed he would be in mortal danger. Who exactly were these people?

"Honglei, could you at least roughly tell me what kind of force is so powerful?" Zu An asked tentatively.

Qiu Honglei sighed. "I can't say too much. I've said all I can. You should take care of yourself."

A sudden realization dawned on Zu An. "Is it the force behind you?"

Qiu Honglei's background had always been mysterious. Such a beautiful and delicate woman, for so many years in a place like the Immortal's Abode, had remained untouched by its corrupting influences. Besides her own capabilities, there must have been a powerful force protecting her.

Furthermore, in the past, he had managed to get answers from her regarding information that even the Chu family couldn't uncover. Zu An had taken note of this at the time.

Qiu Honglei's expression changed. "Don't ask any more questions. Knowing too much won't do you any good."

Zu An nodded. "Alright, I won't ask you anymore, so as not to put you in a difficult position. However, the salt certificate matter is of great importance, and I won't give up so easily. When I return, I will mobilize forces from all sides to investigate until I find its whereabouts."

With that, he stood up to take his leave.

Qiu Honglei stomped her foot in exasperation. "How can you not listen to what I've said!"

She looked hesitant, then finally spoke. "Alright, alright, I'll tell you some things, lest you accidentally do something foolish."

Zu An turned back and looked at her. After a long moment, he couldn't help but sigh, "Honglei, you are truly good to me."

Qiu Honglei pursed her lips and smiled, revealing a myriad of charms in that instant. "You're only realizing that now?"

Zu An said, "To be honest, at first, I was wary when you approached me, constantly wondering what your true intentions were. Looking back now, I'm truly sorry."

Qiu Honglei's face flushed. Moved by the sincerity in his tone, she also said with emotion, "I did approach you with a purpose, so you don't need to apologize."

Zu An immediately looked disappointed. "Ah, so you really didn't want to be my concubine."

Qiu Honglei was speechless.

Did this man have no self-awareness at all?

But she also knew this was characteristic of him, and wasn't it precisely this that made her find him unique?

After they joked around for a bit, Qiu Honglei finally put away her smile and said, "Three days from now, there will be an auction in the black market. The Black Wind Stronghold members will bring those salt certificates to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. If you truly want the salt certificates back, then pay for them."

"The black market, an auction?" Zu An suddenly recalled when he first arrived in this world. At that time, the academy had issued some elemental stones. His cultivation method was unique, preventing him from absorbing the elemental energy from them, and he had heard Wei Suo mention that those elemental stones could be sold in the black market.

However, not long after, he had become incredibly wealthy and naturally didn't care for such a small sum of money, so he had never actually visited the black market.

The black market's ability to remain standing in Brightmoon City for so many years already proved the power of the force behind it. He just hadn't expected it to be the same one behind Qiu Honglei.

Seeing his expression change, Qiu Honglei quickly said, "You absolutely must not think about trying to seize them by force. Since the black market has undertaken this auction, they will naturally be responsible for it. If you try to take them, you'll be in direct conflict with them, and I'm afraid that by then..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the implication was already clear.

"Don't worry, I won't be that reckless," Zu An replied. He knew Qiu Honglei wouldn't speak without reason. It seemed that trying to seize the salt certificates directly this time would not only fail but also put his life in grave danger.

However, the thought of paying money to buy salt certificates that rightfully belonged to the Chu family was something he simply couldn't accept.

What a joke! He, Zu An, had never suffered such a significant loss before.

He was immediately caught in a dilemma.

Qiu Honglei repeatedly made him promise not to act impulsively. Only after he agreed did she let him leave.

After Zu An departed, a man suddenly appeared from another small door. It was Qiu Honglei's senior brother, Gu Yueyi.

He sneered, "Junior Sister, you actually leaked such important information to him?"

Qiu Honglei said indifferently, "How can you call that a leak? I'm simply finding a potential buyer for the auction. As everyone knows, Zu An recently earned a lot of money, so I presume he's qualified to participate in the auction, wouldn't you agree?"

"Junior Sister, you're truly eloquent; I can't argue with you," Gu Yueyi said, "but how could the Sect Master be deceived by your tricks?" A trace of fear and terror flashed in his eyes as he spoke of the Sect Master.

"That's none of your concern," Qiu Honglei said, resting her chin on her hand and leaning languidly on a small table nearby.

Seeing the beautiful woman's graceful figure and captivating charm before him, a hint of intoxication flashed in Gu Yueyi's eyes. He couldn't help but say, "Junior Sister, taking such a big risk for a man... you haven't fallen for him, have you?"

Qiu Honglei's eyes snapped open. She let out a cold snort. "None of your business!"

A flicker of anger suddenly crossed Gu Yueyi's face. "What's so good about a live-in son-in-law like him? All he can do is play a few simple tunes, recite a few poems, and he's only slightly handsome..."

Midway through his sentence, he suddenly froze. How did that end up sounding like he was praising the fellow?

This only made him even angrier.

Rage value from Gu Yueyi +250!

He finally managed to compose himself and continued, "Those are just trivial skills. Ultimately, this is a world that values cultivation. His cultivation is so low, I don't understand what you see in him, Junior Sister! What about me isn't better than..."

Before he could finish, Qiu Honglei impatiently snorted, "Noisy!"

With a casual wave of her hand, Gu Yueyi was thrown out.

This made Gu Yueyi even angrier!

Rage value from Gu Yueyi +711!

Zu An watched the rage values continuously appearing in the background. He couldn't help but feel confused; where had this Gu Yueyi come from?

"It's perfectly normal for a dashing man like me to have a few secretly jealous fellows," he thought. Zu An didn't take this seriously and instead continued to ponder how to obtain the salt certificates.

As he walked along the road, his vision suddenly dimmed. He looked up and found a person blocking his path. It was none other than Wei Suo's older brother, Wei Hongde.

"Brother Wei, what a coincidence," Zu An said, cupping his hands in surprise.

Wei Hongde smiled faintly. "Not a coincidence. I came specifically to find you."

"Looking for me?" Zu An's heart sank, wondering if what had happened that night at the Wei family's residence had been exposed.

"Brother Zu, don't be nervous. You and Wei Suo are friends, so naturally, you are my friend too," Wei Hongde quickly explained, sensing Zu An's apprehension. "The main reason I came to find you this time is that I heard the Chu family is currently facing difficulties, and we happen to have a way to help them overcome this challenge."