Chapter 281: Beautiful Visitor

"Oh? What kind of business is it?" The woman behind the screen sounded curious.

Chen Xuan chuckled, not rushing to answer. "For a business discussion, both parties must be sincere," he said. "My personal visit to the gang leader already shows sufficient sincerity. However, the gang leader still hasn't revealed herself; doesn't that suggest a slight lack of sincerity on your part?"

A soft laugh came from behind the screen. "It's just a habit developed over many years. I hope Fortress Lord Chen doesn't take offense."

As soon as her voice faded, a radiant and captivating figure slowly emerged from behind the screen.

Chen Xuan's eyes lit up immediately. The woman before him wore a fiery red outfit. Her top was very short, revealing a flat, toned, and alluringly fair stomach. Although she seemed delicate and fragile, his first thought upon seeing her was that her waist must be incredibly flexible, capable of graceful yet powerful movements.

Not only was her attire short at the bottom, but the neckline was also very low, creating a deep cleavage that instinctively drew one's gaze, yet revealed nothing. The more it concealed, the more it tantalized.

The only regrettable thing was that her face was covered by a red veil, obscuring most of her features, making it impossible to discern her appearance. However, her beautiful large eyes suggested that the face beneath the veil would certainly not disappoint. Chen Xuan thought to himself that with such an amazing figure, whether he saw her face or not no longer mattered.

At the same time, he found it somewhat odd. Logically, someone leading a smuggling gang, constantly exposed to the elements, should have more of a tanned complexion. Yet, her skin appeared as if bathed in milk, making her seem more like a noble young lady than a gang leader. On second thought, the leader of the Giant Whale Gang had always been mysterious and never appeared in public, so it was perfectly normal that her skin wasn't tanned.

Noticing the fiery intensity in his gaze, the girl in red seemed unfazed, a seductive smile playing on her lips. "Does this sufficiently demonstrate my sincerity now?" she asked.

"Absolutely," Chen Xuan replied, thinking to himself that if she were to reveal a little more, her sincerity would be even greater.

"So, what kind of business does Fortress Lord Chen intend to discuss with me?" The woman's voice was enchantingly sweet, and combined with her alluring and seductive appearance, it was enough to make any man's heart race.

"This woman is no less captivating than Qiu Honglei from the Divine Immortal Pavilion," Chen Xuan thought, swallowing hard. He longed to immediately pin her down and have his way with her. However, the Giant Whale Gang's reputation preceded them, and he harbored some reservations, unwilling to act rashly without knowing her background.

"My visit today is to discuss a partnership with the leader," Chen Xuan said, his gaze shamelessly lingering on her shapely, perky bottom.

"What exactly does Fortress Lord Chen mean?" The woman sounded puzzled.

"Smuggled salt business, of course. Does the Giant Whale Gang engage in other ventures?" Chen Xuan leaned back comfortably in his chair, openly admiring the beauty before him. Conducting business with such a beautiful woman was truly a pleasure.

The woman frowned, speaking in a low voice, "For many years, Black Wind Fortress and the Giant Whale Gang have kept to their own affairs, never interfering with each other's business. What do you mean by this, Fortress Lord?" The smuggled salt trade was highly lucrative, and she naturally preferred to keep all the profits for herself. She was unwilling to share a piece of the pie with anyone else.

"No need to worry, Gang Leader," Chen Xuan explained. "I'm not here to steal your business; I wish to cooperate with your esteemed gang."

The woman asked, intrigued, "How would this cooperation work?"

Chen Xuan said, "The business your gang conducts is, in some ways, even riskier than ours at Black Wind Fortress. Both the imperial court and Duke Mingyue want to eliminate it swiftly. Yet, the salt you sell is no worse than official salt, sometimes even better. The fundamental reason for this distinction is that you lack official salt permits. The same salt becomes 'smuggled salt' without them."

"Are you suggesting you can acquire salt permits?" The woman immediately realized.

Chen Xuan smiled faintly. "Otherwise, why would I dare to come to this island and bother the Gang Leader?"

"The imperial court controls these salt permits extremely strictly, and there's a fixed quota each year. How could you possibly..." Mid-sentence, the woman finally caught on. "I heard that Young Master Wang was arrested. I presume that was your doing, Fortress Lord?"

Chen Xuan was a little surprised. "I didn't expect the Gang Leader, out here on a desolate island, to be so well-informed about the city's affairs."

The woman smiled subtly. "There's no other way. In our line of work, if we weren't well-informed, we'd have been dead countless times over by now."

Chen Xuan conceded the point. "Indeed. I have a way to obtain a batch of legitimate salt permits from the Wang family, and I wish to use these permits to invest in the smuggled salt business."

The woman pondered for a moment, then nodded. "That is indeed somewhat tempting. What percentage of the shares does Fortress Lord Chen propose to take?"

Chen Xuan laughed. "Since we're both so sincere, it should naturally be a 50-50 split. No one loses out."

The woman scoffed. "A fine idea, 'no one loses out.' Fortress Lord, you're only providing a batch of salt permits, doing nothing else, and these permits are a no-cost acquisition for you. To demand half the profits immediately, isn't that a bit excessive?"

Chen Xuan's smile vanished. "That's not fair, Gang Leader. The salt trade is inherently lucrative. The biggest difference between smuggled salt and official salt lies precisely in the presence or absence of a permit. Now that I'm offering you a channel to legitimacy, how is asking for fifty percent excessive?"

"That's not how the accounts work," the woman stated firmly. "Our smuggled salt business and the official salt trade operate on two different paths. If you take half the profits out of thin air, our final income might end up being less than if we simply continued smuggling salt. What would be the point of all our effort then?"

Chen Xuan shook his head. "Gang Leader, don't try to fool me about market prices. Smuggled salt sells for twenty to thirty *wen* per *jin*, while official salt typically sells for 100 *wen* per *jin*, sometimes even up to 150 *wen*. There's a six to seven-fold profit difference there. How could there be no profit to be made?"

"Fortress Lord, you only know one side of the coin," the woman explained. "Official salt indeed commands a high price, but the common people simply cannot afford it, so they all turn to buying our smuggled salt. Therefore, that six to seven-fold difference you mentioned is merely a theoretical value; in reality, it's far from achievable, I'd say."

"Then what percentage do you think is appropriate, Gang Leader?" Chen Xuan actually understood the nuances himself; he had merely been deliberately asking for an exorbitant amount.

The woman was silent for a moment, then parted her crimson lips to state a number: "A maximum of ten percent of next year's profits."

"Ten percent?" Chen Xuan exploded in anger, abruptly standing from his chair. "Are you treating me like a beggar? I came with sincerity, and for the Gang Leader to do this is simply outrageous."

An immensely powerful aura radiated outwards. Outside, members of the Giant Whale Gang heard the commotion and rushed to enter and check, but the woman signaled them not to come in.

After halting her subordinates, the woman finally turned to him, calmly replying, "Fortress Lord Chen, please calm down and allow me to explain in detail. Our current smuggled salt business doesn't actually require salt permits that much, as they are two fundamentally different paths. Of course, having permits can provide some insurance and reduce some of our business risks. However, it's unfortunate that your salt permits are only a one-time acquisition, destined not to last for many years."

"Furthermore, Fortress Lord, please don't assume we're living lavishly. In truth, a large portion of our income goes to bribing various departments; otherwise, how could we have survived all these years? The lion's share is taken by those people, and we only receive a small portion. So, offering you ten percent is already something we've managed to squeeze out with great difficulty."

Chen Xuan's face showed a playful smile. "I've long heard that the Giant Whale Gang has some connections with the authorities. May I ask which esteemed official you're benefiting from?"

The woman's expression changed. "Fortress Lord, that question crosses a line."

Chen Xuan knew she wouldn't answer, so he laughed. "Then let's say twenty percent. I can't go any lower."

The woman shook her head. "A maximum of fifteen percent!"

Chen Xuan fell silent. "Alright, deal!"

*Humph*, Chen Xuan thought. *One day, I'll take you into my chambers. Then I'll have both the money and the person. Either way, it will all be mine, so a little less now is fine.*

"A pleasant cooperation," the woman said with a slight smile, raising her teacup to signify a toast with tea instead of wine.

Chen Xuan, being experienced, wasn't afraid of her poisoning him. He clinked his cup against hers in the air, took a small sip, and then said, "We've been talking for so long, and I still don't know the Gang Leader's esteemed name."

The woman replied, "My surname is Guan."

"Guan..." Chen Xuan felt a flicker of annoyance, thinking that this woman wouldn't even give her full name. But he knew he would find out eventually.

While profits were being negotiated on the island, Zu An in the city began searching for Chen Xuan's hideout, using the roster given to him by Jiang Luofu. Ever since Zu An handed the IOU for 7.5 million taels to Jiang Luofu, she had begun planning to take over the Plum Blossom Gang's assets. With the academy's resources, it wasn't difficult to investigate the gang's overt and covert properties.

When Zu An came calling, Jiang Luofu didn't hesitate, directly handing him the compiled ledger. After all, he would eventually be the one to officially take over these assets, so there was no harm in letting him see it beforehand. Looking at the densely packed list of properties and addresses in the ledger, Zu An secretly clicked his tongue in amazement. It turned out operating a casino was incredibly profitable.

Without further delay, he took Jiao Shan and other Chu family guards to search everywhere. Unfortunately, after searching for most of the night, they still found nothing. "Could I have been wrong?" Zu An felt a bit disheartened, deciding to return to the Chu mansion for now. After all, he still had to treat Chu Chuyan that night.

Upon returning to the Chu family to report these matters, both Mr. and Mrs. Chu and Chu Chuyan frowned, clearly indicating that the current situation was their greatest concern. If Wang Yuanlong couldn't be saved and the Wang and Chu families broke ties because of it, that would indeed be a significant problem.

Just then, Cheng Shoubing excitedly ran over, a thrilled expression on his face. "Young Master-in-law, Young Master-in-law, someone's looking for you outside!"

"Who is it?" Zu An was curious. Who would come looking for him so late at night? And why was this fellow so excited?

Cheng Shoubing opened his mouth, then suddenly noticed Chu Zhongtian and the others nearby, quickly swallowing his words. "This humble one dares not say."

"What's there to be afraid of saying? When did you learn to be so hesitant?" Qin Wanru said impatiently. She remembered this house servant; he had caused her much annoyance back when he was arranging concubines for the master.

Cheng Shoubing thought to himself that the injuries from his last beating hadn't even healed yet. But with the master, madam, and young lady all staring at him, he dared not prolong the suspense. "It's Miss Qiu," he replied.

"Which Miss Qiu?" Chu Zhongtian was momentarily stunned, not immediately understanding.

Cheng Shoubing proudly announced, "Who else in Brightmoon City would be called Miss Qiu? Of course, it's Qiu Honglei from the Divine Immortal Pavilion!" He knew countless men tried to visit her but rarely succeeded in seeing her. Now, she had actually come looking for the Young Master-in-law herself, in the middle of the night. He immediately felt a sense of shared glory.

This is the only chapter for today. I'm very tired from lack of sleep and can't write anymore. Apologies.