Chapter 275: Such Friends, Please Give Me a Dozen

Wang Yuanlong: “…”

Chu Yucheng: “…”

Why was this guy's mouth so rude?

They both spontaneously glanced at Qiu Honglei, who was playing the zither in the distance, and couldn't help but feel even more desperate, as they didn't know how to refute him.

Rage from Wang Yuanlong: 666!

Rage from Chu Yucheng: 666!

Seeing the rage values received in the system backend, Zu’an couldn't help but sigh. Indeed, they were good friends; they offered various rage values as soon as they met.

From behind the pearl curtain, Qiu Honglei took in the three men's reactions, a slight smile gracing her lips. This guy, Ah Zu, was truly unique.

Wang Yuanlong quickly changed the subject to avoid a devastating blow to his confidence. "Brother Zu, what brings you here today to drink flower wine? Does your wife at home know about this?"

*Humph, everyone in Mingyue City knows Chu Chuyan is haughty and proud. You swagger around brothels every day, but when you go home, you'll be kneeling on a washboard.*

His thoughts weren't malicious; it was just that men cared about such matters of face and were secretly competing with each other.

"You mean Chuyan? Oh, she knows. She knew I was coming today and even gave me extra silver, saying that a man must not be stingy when he's out having fun, especially not with Miss Qiu," Zu’an said nonchalantly.

"Really?" Wang Yuanlong was a little bewildered. Miss Chu didn't seem like the type to agree to share her husband with other women.

Chu Yucheng, standing beside him, said bitterly, "Today, it's probably true. When he left, Miss Chu even thoughtfully tidied his clothes and indeed gave him that instruction."

Wang Yuanlong: "…"

What kind of world was this?

In terms of appearance, family background, or character, how was I any worse than this guy?

Rage from Wang Yuanlong: 233!

Seeing him contribute another sum of rage, Zu’an thought, *when a man is too popular with women, it's easy to offend his peers.*

*Never mind, don't provoke him anymore. It would be troublesome if this important matter was ruined.*

Zu’an then started chatting with him about all sorts of things. With Chu Yucheng, an experienced patron of flower wine, they called a group of courtesans to accompany them, and amid the clinking of cups, the atmosphere quickly became lively.

Seeing that the time was right, Zu’an dismissed all the women and then revealed his true purpose to Wang Yuanlong. "I have a gift for you, Brother Wang."

"Brother Zu, you're too kind," Wang Yuanlong was startled and quickly declined.

Zu’an said no more, directly dragging out several large chests from the back room.

Although silver was heavy, it wasn't difficult for a cultivator to move it alone.

He opened them directly, and the gleaming silver light brightened the entire room.

"This…" Wang Yuanlong was no ordinary person; seeing the silver, he roughly guessed their intentions.

Zu’an then spoke, "Here are two hundred thousand taels of silver. Brother Wang, please take it back and return the deposits to those individual investors. Also, please inform your esteemed father that the Sang family is aiming to sow discord. Please don't do anything that causes sorrow to our own people and joy to our enemies."

Wang Yuanlong stared at him, and after a long moment, he said, "Brother Zu, you've truly impressed me."

He, of course, knew that the two hundred thousand taels of silver weren't given by Zu’an but were from the Chu family.

What surprised him was that everyone thought this son-in-law-in-residence only had a title, but now it seemed that such an important matter was entrusted to him. The Chu family's trust in him was truly beyond imagination.

Wang Yuanlong didn't decline, saying solemnly, "Please relay to Lord Mingyue and Miss Chu that our Wang family will remember this kindness!"

The Wang family was currently facing a difficult cash flow, and this sum of silver truly solved an urgent need.

With the serious business at hand, the drunkenness in Wang Yuanlong's eyes disappeared. He didn't wish to continue drinking flower wine and quickly took the silver, intending to return and discuss with his father.

Zu’an naturally didn't stop him. "Then I won't keep you, Brother Wang. After we overcome this difficulty, we'll have a good drink together in the future."

"Of course!" Seeing his family's crisis resolved, a few smiles appeared on Wang Yuanlong's face.

"Be careful on your way back," Zu’an reminded him.

"Don't worry, this amount of silver isn't a problem. My guards are very reliable." Two hundred thousand taels of silver might be an astronomical sum for an ordinary family, but for these prominent families, it wasn't a large amount. If not for a series of misfortunes that had befallen the Wang family this time, they wouldn't have been unable to produce even this much money.

Besides, they were in the city, so public security was decent.

Moreover, who among those capable of offending the Wang family would risk their necks for a mere two hundred thousand taels?

Zu’an merely mentioned it casually, then had Chu Yucheng see him out.

After the two left, Qiu Honglei slowly emerged from the inner hall. "The Chu family actually arranged for Ah Zu to carry out such a task. It seems Ah Zu's status in the Chu family is growing higher and higher."

Zu’an laughed heartily. "Speaking of which, this is all thanks to you. If not for the intelligence you gave me last time, I wouldn't have gained the Chu family's trust so quickly."

As he spoke, he reached out to embrace her slender waist. This woman played mind games with him; she always had to pay a little for it.

Qiu Honglei subtly evaded him, smiling sweetly. "I didn't expect my intelligence to be so useful. Now I have new information about illegal salt. I wonder if Ah Zu is interested?"

"Oh?" Zu’an's eyes lit up. "Of course I'm interested. I hope Honglei will enlighten me."

Qiu Honglei walked to the doorway, pointing to the shimmering river in the distance. "I've received reliable news that the Giant Whale Gang will be transporting a batch of illegal salt at the dock tonight. Whether you can seize this opportunity depends on you, young master."

Zu’an laughed heartily. "Honglei, you truly are my lucky star to bring such important news so quickly. Come, give me a kiss."

Qiu Honglei ducked back, giggling. "Ah Zu, you'd better hurry and prepare. Time is critical. If you miss it, who knows when the next chance will be?"

"You're right!" Although Zu’an was smiling, he was complaining inwardly. This woman had acted as if she was throwing herself into his arms before, but now she wouldn't let him touch or embrace her, playing the role of a chaste and virtuous woman.

However, complaining aside, important matters still needed to be done.

He hurriedly left the Immortal's Dwelling but didn't completely trust Qiu Honglei's words. He quietly went to the dock and circled around.

After observing for a while, the dock seemed busier than usual today. Many men carrying goods looked around suspiciously, acting extremely strangely.

So, he quickly returned to tell Chu Chuyan about it, and Chu Chuyan immediately informed her parents.

Chu Zhongtian was overjoyed to learn the whereabouts of the illegal salt and quickly gathered his men to head to the dock.

Qin Wanru, standing beside him, said, "Although the Giant Whale Gang doesn't have many experts, they have a large number of members. Our Chu family's manpower might not be enough. Why don't we call upon Sang Qian's River Defense Anti-Smuggling Camp? This is their job anyway. Sang Hong used this as a bargaining chip before, and we made such a large donation. We can't let them take the money and do nothing."

Although the Chu family had private soldiers, moving them privately within the city without an imperial order was somewhat taboo.

Recently, Chuyan had been unwell, and some of the mansion's guards were assigned to protect her, so manpower for arresting people at the dock wasn't quite sufficient.

Chu Zhongtian also thought it was a good idea. "Ah Zu, take some men to assist Commander Sang and have him lead the arrest."

He simply decided that the Chu family's guards wouldn't participate this time, leaving everything to Sang Qian's Anti-Smuggling Camp. If they messed things up, he would have something to say to Sang Hong in the future.

"Alright!" Zu’an noticed Chu Chuyan winking at him, knowing that this was an opportunity she had won for him, and readily agreed.

Because they were worried that Chen Xuan might interfere midway, the Chu family sent more than a dozen guards to accompany him.

Zu’an hurried towards the River Defense Camp's yamen, thinking to himself, *If that guy Sang Qian knew that I felt up his fiancée's legs, would he flip out on the spot?*

But then again, Zheng Dan deliberately approached me. Was Sang Qian behind it?

Did Sang Qian perhaps have some special fetish?

*Please give me a dozen friends like that!*

My condition isn't good. This should be the only chapter today.

Speaking of which, just thinking about how many chapters I owe makes me a bit tired. I hope one day my writing flows like a god's, so I can pay back what I owe. My condition these days is really tough.