Chapter 305: Excessive Demands

Zu An looked in the direction of the sound, and his heart skipped a beat.

He saw a red-haired giant standing there boldly, looking down at him as if he were prey about to be slaughtered.

"Chen Xuan! What are you doing here?" Zheng Dan frowned and asked in a low voice.

The man before them was naturally Chen Xuan from Black Wind Stronghold. He hadn't expected to encounter the captured Zu An here; it was truly a delightful surprise.

"Ah, I came to discuss something with the Guild Master, but it seems she's not on the island. Please forgive me," Chen Xuan said, cupping his hands in apology.

Zheng Dan frowned. The other party was, after all, a powerful figure in his own right. Since he had apologized, even if insincerely, she found it difficult to say more. "May I ask, Stronghold Master, what important matter brings you here?"

Chen Xuan chuckled. "Before we discuss serious matters, let me first kill this little bastard."

With that, he leaped forward, his large hands reaching for Zu An's head.

Zu An was completely restrained at the moment and could not resist. He could only watch helplessly as the other man's hand, like ann eagle's claw, descended upon him.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant as he desperately sought a way to escape. However, in such a hasty situation, he couldn't think of any solution.

"This is the end of me!"

Just then, a fragrant breeze suddenly swept past, and Zheng Dan appeared before him, raising her hand to meet the attack.

The two exchanged a palm strike instantly. Chen Xuan was sent flying backward and, upon landing, looked at her, asking, "Guild Master, what is the meaning of this?"

At the same time, he was secretly astonished. This woman's cultivation was much more advanced than he had imagined.

It wasn't just him who was surprised; Zu An's eyes were also wide with astonishment at the moment. First, he was pleasantly surprised that Zheng Dan had acted to save him, and second, he was shocked by her strength.

One must know that Chen Xuan was an expert with a sixth-grade cultivation. Zheng Dan had actually met him head-on without being at a disadvantage. Could she also be at the sixth-grade level?

"That's impossible, isn't it?"

At that moment, Zheng Dan also spoke, looking coldly at Chen Xuan. "I was about to ask, Stronghold Master Chen, what is the meaning of *this*?"

Chen Xuan pointed at Zu An. "Guild Master Guan should be aware of the deep-seated enmity between Zu An and me. Since he is now your captive, given the relationship between our two factions, handing him over to me shouldn't be a major issue, should it?"

Zheng Dan replied, "If it were anyone else, I would naturally have no problem handing them over to the Stronghold Master. However, I still have a use for this person. My apologies."

Chen Xuan was somewhat surprised, but after a moment of slight astonishment, he began to laugh. "Very well. In any case, I'll have plenty of opportunities to kill him in the future. Today, I'll give the Guild Master some face."

"Thank you for your understanding, Stronghold Master." Zheng Dan, however, felt a bit strange inwardly. Everyone said Chen Xuan was the type to be overbearing and unreasonable, so why was he so agreeable today?

"Now, Stronghold Master, could you please state the purpose of your visit?" Zheng Dan continued to ask.

"Let's go inside and discuss it in detail," Chen Xuan said with a laugh, gesturing for her to proceed.

Zheng Dan felt a moment of bewilderment, as if Giant Whale Island were Chen Xuan's territory and he were the host entertaining her.

This feeling greatly displeased her, but she wouldn't fall out with him over such a minor matter. She could only walk towards the main hall with a grim expression.

"Guild Master, you're back!" A small, thin man with a handlebar mustache came out to greet her with a wide smile.

He was Liu Chan, the second-in-command and strategist of the Giant Whale Guild. When Zheng Dan was not on the island, he was responsible for managing daily operations.

"Were you the one who sent the pigeon message?" Zheng Dan asked in a low voice.

Liu Chan also lowered his voice and replied, "Yes. Chen Xuan suddenly showed up on the island, and we didn't know how to handle it. We requested the Guild Master to return and take charge."

"Oh." Zheng Dan walked directly to the Guild Master's seat. Chen Xuan sat in the first chair to her left, while other important members of the Giant Whale Guild took their seats in order.

Ya Xiao was also among them, seated at the fifth table behind Liu Chan.

As for Zu An, he was tossed into the furthest corner.

Watching the servants serve tea to everyone, Zu An knew they would soon discuss serious matters, and once those discussions were over, he would be in trouble.

Moreover, he didn't believe Chen Xuan would let him go so easily. Zheng Dan had protected him once, but she might not be able to protect him a second time.

Furthermore, Zheng Dan herself most likely intended to kill him.

He hastily called out to Mi Li in his mind: "Empress Sister, Empress Sister? If you don't come out now, you'll die with me!"

Unfortunately, no matter how he called, there was no response whatsoever.

He recalled that Mi Li had previously mentioned the poison she had taken had damaged her soul, and she was in a deep sleep to purge it. It seemed she truly couldn't be relied upon.

"This woman is truly reckless, not worried that I might really screw things up," Zu An grumbled.

Grumbling aside, he could only rely on himself now.

However, he racked his brain for all sorts of methods but couldn't think of any way to break free.

The ropes binding him were easy enough to deal with, but the crucial issue was that Zheng Dan had previously sealed his vital acupoints, preventing his primal energy from circulating and rendering him unable to move at all.

"Sigh, if only I could muster even a tiny wisp of primal energy now, I could slowly unseal my acupoints," Zu An sighed, closing his eyes and trying to sense if he could gather any primal energy within his body.

Unfortunately, Zheng Dan's method of sealing acupoints was extremely clever. He tried many times but couldn't find even a trace of stray primal energy.

Just as despair set in, he suddenly detected a trace of icy aura.

"Hmm?"

At first, he thought it was an illusion, but upon careful examination, he indeed found a faint trace of icy presence deep within his Dantian.

"This is..."

Zu An was both surprised and delighted. He was all too familiar with this aura; he had been treating Chu Chuyan's injuries daily for some time, making him extremely sensitive to her aura.

Why would Chu Chuyan's ice-element primal energy be in his body?

It should be noted that she had given him a copy of "Snowflake Divine Sword" some time ago, which he had looked through and practiced a bit in his spare time.

Unfortunately, he hadn't achieved any significant results, not even cultivating a hint of internal energy.

He wondered if it was because he was a man, with too much yang energy in his body, making him unsuitable for this cultivation method, or for some other reason.

This icy trace was clearly not something he had cultivated himself. After much thought, a sudden idea popped into his mind:

Could it have come from Chu Chuyan's body during their intimacy, as their yin and yang energies intertwined?

Upon this thought, he immediately tried to circulate that icy primal energy. Unfortunately, it remained coiled in a ball, not moving an inch.

A thought struck him, and he hastily used the cultivation route of "Snowflake Divine Sword" to summon it.

Sure enough, the icy trace in his Dantian finally moved.

An extremely pure wisp of cold energy flowed along his primal meridians throughout his body. Though seemingly small, this wisp of cold energy continuously nourished his limbs and bones.

He was now fully engrossed in his cultivation, paying no attention to what was happening outside.

Zheng Dan took a sip of tea and then spoke, "Stronghold Master, what exactly is the purpose of your visit this time?"

Chen Xuan said with a smile, "Regarding the salt permit issue from last time, some specific details still haven't been finalized."

Zheng Dan was somewhat displeased, thinking, "Did he specifically call me back for such a minor matter?"

However, she also knew that with Chen Xuan coming in person, it would be difficult for anyone else in the Guild to manage the situation; only she could truly handle it.

So, she patiently instructed her subordinates to finalize some details with him and then draft the contract documents.

The entire process was extremely tedious. Eventually, Zheng Dan couldn't help but loosen the collar of her garment. Was it due to her irritation, or did she simply feel a bit hot today?

Noticing her action, Chen Xuan chuckled. "Guild Master Guan, there's one more thing I've always been curious about, and I hope you can satisfy my curiosity."

Zheng Dan managed a faint smile. "Stronghold Master, you are now an ally of the Giant Whale Guild, so please speak freely. Anything I can do, I will certainly not refuse."

"The Guild Master said it herself," Chen Xuan remarked, his gaze lingering freely on her. "I've always been curious about what the Guild Master truly looks like. Would you be willing to remove your veil and allow me to behold your beauty?"

Hearing his request, Zheng Dan's expression instantly flashed with anger.