Chapter 317: New Mission

Seeing Sang Qian’s excited expression, Zheng Dan felt no worry. After all, the dragon was gone. She could always claim it had been disturbed by humans, worried about its nest being exposed, and simply moved away.

She also secretly congratulated herself for having just cleaned the cave, erasing all traces of her time with Zu An. Otherwise, if a large group of people came to inspect it, there was no telling what they might discover.

“Let’s return to the Giant Whale Gang first. The previous rebellion needs to be dealt with,” Zheng Dan said. After all, Chen Xuan had only colluded with the mid to high-level members. Now that these individuals were dead, she could regain full control of the Giant Whale Gang upon her return.

Sang Qian said gravely, “Let’s go straight back to Brightmoon City. There’s no need to go to Giant Whale Island.”

“Why?” Zheng Dan asked, bewildered.

“I’ve already led my troops to wipe out the Giant Whale Gang,” Sang Qian stated casually.

“What?!” Zheng Dan exclaimed, her face draining of color.

Sang Qian calmly replied, “If they could betray you once, they could betray you a second time. Furthermore, you are marrying into our Sang family. If it ever came out that you were the leader of the Giant Whale Gang, it would be very troublesome. So, I took this opportunity to eliminate that hidden danger completely.”

Zheng Dan was furious. “How could you do that? That was years of my hard work!”

“It’s time to let it go. The Giant Whale Gang has served its main purpose over the years; keeping it would only be a source of trouble. You should prepare to settle down and raise a family. That’s what a lady of your status should be doing,” Sang Qian said, waving his hand to signal his subordinates to escort Zheng Dan away.

Hearing that the Giant Whale Gang had been annihilated, Zheng Dan was utterly distraught as servants helped her away.

Watching the group leave, Zu An, still in the tree, felt a chill run down his spine. Sang Qian looked dashing and handsome, but he hadn’t expected him to be so ruthless. Giant Whale Island had at least several hundred people, possibly over a thousand including their families, and he had massacred them all, leaving no one alive. No wonder Zheng Dan had stopped him from appearing earlier. Given Sang Qian’s cruelty, he might very well have used the opportunity to kill Zu An as well.

After Sang Qian and his group departed, Zu An finally set off towards Brightmoon City, arriving back at the Chu family estate by evening.

“The young master is back!” Cheng Shoubing, who was squatting by the entrance, cried out in ecstasy when he saw Zu An. The entire Chu family estate erupted, with many people rushing out. The first person to emerge was none other than Qin Wanru. Seeing that it was indeed Zu An, she was both surprised and overjoyed. “Where have you been all these days? But it’s good you’re back, so good you’re back. Quick, go tell Master, and tell Chuyan and Xiao Zhao to come back; they don’t need to search anymore.”

Zu An was wondering why he hadn’t seen Chu Chuyan, and hearing Qin Wanru’s words, he was startled. “Are Chuyan and the others out looking for me?”

“Yes,” Qin Wanru sighed. “Ever since Teacher Shang from the academy came to inform us that something might have happened to you, Chuyan has been so worried she hasn’t slept for days, constantly taking people out to search for your whereabouts. Even Xiao Zhao has been at it, though I’m not sure why she’s joining the commotion.”

“Her body hasn’t fully recovered yet...” Zu An felt touched, but also deeply guilty. Although his time in the cave had been partly for recuperation, it had mostly been spent in intimate activities with Zheng Dan.

Not long after, Chu Zhongtian and others also rushed back upon hearing the news. While Chu Chuyan’s eyes glistened slightly, her calm nature kept her mostly composed. Chu Huanzhao, however, disregarded everything else, rushing into his arms and bursting into tears. “Brother-in-law, where have you been all these days? We’ve been so worried about you, wuwu...”

Chu Zhongtian exchanged a strange look with his wife. Qin Wanru also frowned slightly, but seeing their second daughter so emotional, she said nothing.

After a moment, Chu Zhongtian could no longer stand his second daughter clinging tightly to Zu An. He cleared his throat. “A’Zu, where exactly have you been these past few days?”

Seeing everyone’s gazes fixed on him, Zu An awkwardly pushed Chu Huanzhao away, though the front of his clothes was already soaked with her tears. Women truly are creatures of emotion.

While sighing, Zu An quickly replied, “That day, I was with people from the academy. Later, I got a lead on the Giant Whale Gang’s leader and went to investigate. Who knew I’d be discovered by them, captured, and taken to Giant Whale Island?”

Those around him changed expression. Though he spoke lightly, they could fully imagine the danger involved.

“Do you know the identity of the Giant Whale Gang’s leader?” Qin Wanru asked anxiously. Over the years, the Giant Whale Gang’s salt smuggling had seized a significant portion of the Chu family’s market, and the leader’s identity was even more mysterious than Chen Xuan’s.

“I don’t know. When I was brought to the island, I happened upon an internal conflict within the Giant Whale Gang. I used the chaos to escape,” Zu An replied, mixing seven parts truth with three parts fabrication. He felt a little apologetic, but he couldn’t very well expose Zheng Dan.

“What a pity you didn’t find out his identity!” Qin Wanru lamented.

Chu Zhongtian said, “Knowing or not knowing is irrelevant now. News just came that Sang Qian discovered Giant Whale Island and led the River Defense Camp to completely wipe out the Giant Whale Gang.”

“Is there a connection between Giant Whale Island and the Zheng family? What about the people who were captured? Have Xie Yi interrogate them,” Qin Wanru quickly said.

Chu Zhongtian shook his head. “There were no survivors. Not even a chicken or dog was left alive on the island!”

Qin Wanru took a deep breath. “That Sang is truly ruthless.”

Zu An’s expression also changed. It had been just a guess before, but now it was confirmed. Chu Chuyan’s cool voice then sounded. “It seems the Giant Whale Gang was indeed connected to the Zheng family. Otherwise, Sang Qian wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to silence them.”

Zu An secretly gave a thumbs-up. *My wife truly is clever. Dan Dan, you can’t blame me for this; they figured it out themselves.*

“By the way, A’Zu, why did the Giant Whale Gang suddenly have an internal conflict?” Chu Chuyan asked, her beautiful eyes fixed on him. Having managed the Chu family and dealt with the Giant Whale Gang for years, she couldn’t imagine such a formidable opponent experiencing internal strife.

“Because Chen Xuan also arrived on the island and incited many members of the Giant Whale Gang to defect. Those people had long been dissatisfied with the previous leader’s conservatism and wanted to expand their salt smuggling operations, which led to a fierce conflict. That’s what gave me the chance to escape,” Zu An explained. This part was harmless to reveal.

“Chen Xuan!” Even Chu Zhongtian was startled to hear that name.

“What was the outcome of their conflict, then?” Qin Wanru quickly asked.

“They should all be dead,” Zu An replied.

“Dead?” Everyone looked puzzled, clearly unable to fathom how someone like Chen Xuan could die so easily.

Zu An then recited the story he and Zheng Dan had prepared. “While I was fleeing, I suddenly heard a dragon’s roar, followed by a terrifying aura that spread outwards. From a distance, I saw a massive dragon in mid-air. I imagine Chen Xuan and his group were pursuing the Giant Whale Gang leader and accidentally trespassed into the dragon’s territory. The dragon was flying up and down, constantly spewing fire from its mouth. Even with Chen Xuan’s high cultivation, he couldn’t stand against a dragon. After some time passed, I secretly crept closer to take a look. I found a pile of charred corpses and a mass of trampled, indistinct flesh. Next to it was Chen Xuan’s golden saber, so I presumed that was his body.”

“A dragon! Our ancestors had legends that dragons existed in Dragon Concealment Mountain, but for hundreds of years, no one had actually seen one, so we just thought they were myths. I can’t believe it’s true,” Chu Zhongtian exclaimed in awe. “It seems I need to invite some old friends to Dragon Concealment Mountain to investigate the dragon’s whereabouts.” The allure of a dragon was something even he couldn’t resist. At the same time, he knew very well that if a real dragon existed, he alone would be no match for it.

Zu An thought to himself, *You’ll find it when hell freezes over; that dragon is in my Glazed Orb.*

A smile also appeared on Qin Wanru’s face. “Although this was dangerous, overall it brought back two good pieces of news. The Giant Whale Gang and Chen Xuan were both serious threats to our Chu family, and I can’t believe they were resolved at the same time.”

Chu Zhongtian also laughed. “Indeed, indeed, I never thought A’Zu would be our lucky star.”

Chu Chuyan came to Zu An’s side and said softly, “A’Zu, don’t do such dangerous things in the future. If you discover anything, come back and inform us first. I can go with you.”

A warmth spread through Zu An’s heart, and he couldn’t resist holding her cool little hand. Chu Chuyan, embarrassed, instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but his grip was too tight for her to withdraw it. She had no choice but to let him hold it.

Chu Zhongtian, observing from the side, widened his eyes and couldn’t help but glance at his wife. Qin Wanru thought to herself, *What good is looking at me? If you knew your daughter had already slept with him, you’d probably die of anger.*

After the questions were mostly answered, Chu Chuyan, worried he was tired, arranged for servants to prepare hot water for him to bathe and change. Chu Huanzhao loudly insisted on cooking a dish herself to welcome her brother-in-law and wash away the bad luck of his recent days. Chu Chuyan couldn’t dissuade her, so she went to the kitchen with her, also instructing the kitchen staff to prepare some other dishes for him.

Zu An was comfortably soaking in the hot tub, enjoying the moment, when suddenly a warning bell rang in his mind. He quickly turned to look. A thin, old man stood beside the tub, grinning eerily. “Your vigilance is growing.”

“Senior.” Looking at Old Man Mi, Zu An always felt uncomfortable. He subconsciously shrank deeper into the water, hoping to avoid him seeing his ‘extraordinary talent’ and realizing his body had been cured. Fortunately, Old Man Mi carried emotional trauma and instinctively avoided looking at “those places.” “You’re getting wilder and wilder, kid. One day you’re going to get yourself killed.”

Zu An gave an awkward smile. “I didn’t want this to happen this time either; it was truly beyond human control.”

“It’s good you’re back, it’s good you’re back,” Old Man Mi grunted. In the estate, he was probably among the top three most concerned about Zu An’s safety, as he no longer had time to find another suitable candidate. At that moment, he even considered breaking one of Zu An’s legs, so he would stay safely at home and avoid any further dangers outside. However, considering he still had tasks for Zu An, he ultimately abandoned that tempting idea.

“I came to see you because I have a new task for you,” Old Man Mi said gravely.

“A new task?” Zu An was taken aback.

Old Man Mi pulled a small, delicate brocade box from his robe. “Go to the Wei family and find me a box exactly like this one. Bring it back to me.”