Chapter 352: Too Bad

Zu An explained, "Does Madam think Sang Qian will send troops?"

"Of course he would..." Mid-sentence, Qin Wanru suddenly understood the hidden meaning in his words. These salt licenses nominally belonged to the Chu and Wang families. If Sang Qian were to lead troops to suppress them, the confiscated salt licenses would theoretically be returned to their rightful owners.

In that scenario, the Chu family would overcome this difficulty effortlessly. How could the Sang family allow such a thing to happen?

However, if they did nothing, the Sang family would worry that the salt licenses might fall into the Chu family's hands, a situation they also wished to avoid.

This left only one possibility: they would feel most secure if the salt licenses were in their own hands. Since they couldn't openly deploy troops, they would likely discreetly select a few trusted confidants to handle it.

Qin Wanru couldn't help but glance at Zu An a few more times. Was this fellow still the good-for-nothing hoodlum she remembered?

"Madam, why are you staring at me? Even though I'm handsome, being stared at like this makes me shy," Zu An said, touching his face with a "bashful" expression.

Qin Wanru was speechless.

This guy was as annoying as ever!

Rage points from Qin Wanru +123!

Fearing he might genuinely irritate her, Zu An quickly said, "Madam, please go inside and leave a message for Sang Qian. Otherwise, he probably won't know about these salt licenses. My cultivation is too low; I'd easily be discovered if I went in."

After being flattered by him, Qin Wanru's expression softened considerably. She took the envelope and, with a somewhat proud hum, declared, "Watch me!"

With a flash of her figure, she found a secluded spot and slipped into the River Defense Camp headquarters.

Her heart pounded. In her youth, she had, in fact, undertaken many adventurous deeds. However, after becoming a duchess, she had grown increasingly accustomed to a life of luxury, rarely needing to do things herself, and even neglecting her cultivation significantly.

Now, secretly infiltrating the River Defense Camp and constantly fearing discovery, the thrill made her feel as if she had returned to her girlhood...

Zu An waited outside. After approximately the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he finally saw Qin Wanru emerge.

He hurried forward. "How did it go? Were you able to notify him successfully?"

"How could such a simple thing not succeed?" Qin Wanru scoffed, appearing nonchalant but with her heart pounding. She had been nearly discovered several times inside, but fortunately, the River Defense Camp's guards weren't particularly elite; otherwise, she might not have made it out.

Zu An couldn't help but give a thumbs-up. "Madam is truly impressive..."

Hearing the incessant flattery, as if it cost nothing, Qin Wanru's face also flushed. "Alright, alright, where do we go next?"

"To the auction," Zu An said, pulling out an invitation card that Qiu Honglei had given him earlier.

Qin Wanru took it, turned it over several times, and couldn't help but ask, "Where did you get this?"

Zu An shook his head. "I naturally have my own ways, but I promised that person I wouldn't reveal her identity."

Seeing him say this, Qin Wanru found it difficult to press further. She huffed, "It seems you know quite a lot of people, don't you?"

Zu An chuckled. "What can I say? I just have a strong affinity; I attract a bunch of friends without even trying."

Qin Wanru was speechless.

Why was this guy always so annoying?

The auction was being held in a secluded courtyard in the northern part of the city. However, tonight, it was far from deserted. From a distance, one could see it brightly lit, with many figures moving about inside.

Qin Wanru was about to walk over, but Zu An grabbed her arm.

"What are you doing?" Qin Wanru glanced at his hand on her arm, a little displeased.

"Madam, are you just going to go in like that?" Zu An asked with a wry smile.

"Is there a problem?" Qin Wanru asked, puzzled.

"Although you've changed your clothes, your appearance hasn't changed. As the Duchess, you are the most famous person in Brightmoon City, and you're so beautiful that even in plain attire, you'll still be the center of attention in a crowd," Zu An explained, carefully choosing his words. "What if someone recognizes you? Wouldn't that ruin our plan?"

Qin Wanru felt quite pleased by his overt and subtle flattery, and since she genuinely cared about the success of their mission, she quickly asked, "Then what should we do?"

Zu An thought for a moment, then took a mask from his pocket and handed it to her. "Put on this mask; it can make you look like an ordinary person."

He had found it on Chen Xuan's body last time. Chen Xuan had managed to evade the combined search of the Chu family and Brightmoon City for so many years precisely by using these masks to constantly change his identity.

Qin Wanru held the cicada-wing-thin mask, a little amazed. "Only the most skilled rune masters can create such masks! Where did you get it?"

Zu An spread his hands. "As I said before, I have many friends."

This time, Qin Wanru said nothing. To be honest, even she was a little curious: where did this guy get so many connections?

One should know that even she and Chu Zhongtian might not have been able to obtain an invitation to this auction, let alone such an exquisite mask.

As she put the mask on her face, a cool sensation spread. Blue runic patterns on it flickered into view, then automatically adjusted to her face shape, finally adhering snugly.

Qin Wanru quickly pulled out a mirror and, seeing the unfamiliar woman reflected there, was at once surprised and amazed.

Zu An, standing by, secretly mused, *Women always carry mirrors, no matter the occasion.* He then said aloud, "It's a bit of an inconvenience for Madam, as your appearance will be ordinary, but our main goal is to be discreet, so this is better."

He even admired Chen Xuan's masks; wearing them wouldn't make one beautiful, nor would it make one ugly, as ugliness could also attract attention.

All the masks aimed for ordinariness—a face so common it would be forgotten in a crowd.

Qin Wanru said coolly, "I don't care about such things."

With that, she walked ahead towards the auction.

Zu An quickly put on his own mask and hurried after her.

Qin Wanru also couldn't help but glance at him a few more times, wanting to remember his new face. Otherwise, if they got separated inside, she might not be able to find him.

The two arrived outside the courtyard and were quickly stopped by people.

Zu An calmly took out the invitation card. The people at the entrance carefully checked it before allowing them to enter.

"The people behind this auction are not simple; even the guards at the entrance were at least fourth-rank," Qin Wanru said in a low voice.

Zu An also nodded gravely. "Indeed, so we must be careful. It would be troublesome if we were discovered."

Qin Wanru hummed in acknowledgment, looking around cautiously.

Zu An subtly reminded her, "Madam, act naturally. If you keep doing that, everyone will know you're here to cause trouble."

Qin Wanru's face flushed, but fortunately, the mask concealed it.

"By the way, Madam, you've been in Brightmoon City for so long; don't you know who's behind the city's black market?" Zu An asked. He had been trying to guess which faction Qiu Honglei belonged to, but he knew too little about this world to make effective conjectures.

Qin Wanru shook her head. "I don't know. I originally thought the Plum Blossom Gang was running it, but it seems they aren't."

In the eyes of these high-ranking officials and nobles, a place like the black market was truly unpresentable. Furthermore, it had always been quite well-behaved, never causing any major incidents, so everyone turned a blind eye and no one paid much attention to it.

Just then, a light whistle suddenly sounded from behind, followed by the lewd laughter of several men:"Whoa, that figure is absolutely divine.""I never expected to run into such a stunner in a place like this.""Come on, let's go take a look."

Soon, several thuggish men quickened their pace, circling around to stand in front of the pair."What a shame for such a good figure; that face is ugly as hell!"Qin Wanru was speechless.