Chapter 32: The Fastest and Easiest Way to Make Money

The man sneered, "You really are forgetful, aren't you? I'm Plum Blossom Thirteen. We even gambled together before. Have you forgotten so quickly?"

"Plum Blossom Thirteen!" Zu An recalled Plum Blossom Twelve mentioning him. He was the most skilled of Mei Chaofeng's thirteen adopted sons, having already reached the third rank.

The thought made him wince. How was it that everyone's rank was higher than his?

He also marvelled at how reckless the previous owner of this body had been, getting involved in gambling with someone like that.

"Where's my twelfth brother?" Plum Blossom Thirteen asked in a low voice.

"What twelfth brother? Why are you asking me?" Zu An immediately disavowed any knowledge, wondering why the man had found him so quickly.

"Don't play dumb with me. Someone saw him leave the city with you. Why hasn't there been any news of him?" Plum Blossom Thirteen said coldly.

"Oh, I remember now, it was him," Zu An's thoughts raced. "Not long after we left the city, he ran into someone named Tan and went after them. That's when we separated; I don't know what happened after that."

"Tan? Could it be Tan Wei, that traitor?" Plum Blossom Thirteen pondered.

Zu An said, "Since that's settled, I have to go." If the man had been the pretty female assassin from 'Scissor Seven,' he might have been interested in chatting a bit more. But for a burly, scar-faced man, he had no time to spare.

"Wait!" Plum Blossom Thirteen grabbed his shoulder.

The grip on his shoulder immediately told Zu An that the man's strength far surpassed his own. He suppressed the urge to retaliate. "Is there something else?"

Plum Blossom Thirteen pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. "It's about time, isn't it? Time to settle your gambling debt."

"What? Gambling debt?" Zu An's face was a picture of confusion.

"You're not thinking of welching on your debt, are you? It's clearly written in black and white, and your fingerprint is right there," Plum Blossom Thirteen sneered repeatedly.

Zu An quickly focused his gaze, seeing that it stated he owed the man one thousand taels of silver, followed by a vivid red fingerprint. As he looked at it, snippets of memories flashed through his mind.

It seemed he had followed Plum Blossom Thirteen to a gambling house, lost heavily, and then borrowed from him. In total, he had borrowed and lost a full thousand taels.

Damn it, this guy was truly a good-for-nothing, a piece of trash. No wonder everyone looked down on him; even a maid dared to point at his nose and curse him.

Zu An felt a surge of contempt for his past self in this world. Living was truly a waste of food. One thousand taels of silver was equivalent to 1,800,000 RMB in his previous life!

"You said you'd have the money to pay me back once you entered the Chu manor. So, where is it?" Plum Blossom Thirteen extended his hand towards Zu An. "If you don't have the money, I'll chop off your hands as agreed."

"I'm the Chu family's son-in-law, do you dare touch me?" Zu An said, steeling himself. Although he had earned some silver from Ji Xiaoxi and Plum Blossom Twelve, it was nowhere near enough for one thousand taels.

Even if he had enough, he wouldn't be willing to use it to pay off that deadbeat's debt. Why should he pay money that was 'owed by skill'? Moreover, he now had the powerful backing of the Chu family.

"If you truly owe him a thousand taels, I advise you to honestly repay the debt. In this world, the power of vows and contracts is extremely potent; anyone who violates them will suffer divine retribution. Even a ducal manor cannot protect you unless they pay the debt on your behalf." A clear, cool voice came from the pavilion. It was the woman who had spoken.

"There's a stunning beauty hidden here?" Only then did Plum Blossom Thirteen notice the woman in the pavilion, a hint of astonishment appearing in his eyes.

"Are you going to flirt with me next?" The woman tilted her head slightly, looking curious.

Plum Blossom Thirteen chuckled, "I would flirt, but..." His gaze suddenly fell on the green wine pot she was toying with. Realizing something, he quickly gave an awkward laugh and changed his tune: "Young lady, you misunderstand. Our Plum Blossom Gang is a respectable organization; we would never do such a thing."

Zu An was curious about who this woman was and why Plum Blossom Thirteen, who had been so arrogant just moments ago, didn't dare provoke her. He took the opportunity to snatch the IOU from the man's hand and examine it.

Plum Blossom Thirteen sneered, "What, trying to tear up the IOU? I have a copy; tearing that one won't do you any good."

Zu An ignored him and quickly read through the entire document. His eyes lit up at the end. "According to the agreement, the final repayment deadline is three days from now. Why the rush? I'll pay you back in three days."

Plum Blossom Thirteen frowned. He hadn't intended to let Zu An off so easily, but after glancing at the woman in the pavilion, he finally agreed. "Fine. If you still haven't paid in three days, not even the King of Heaven will be able to save you."

With that, he took back the IOU and left reluctantly. He needed to report today's events to the gang leader immediately, so the leader could prepare in advance.

Zu An couldn't help but glance at the woman in the pavilion. "He seemed quite afraid of you?"

The woman in the pavilion smiled faintly. "He's not afraid of me; he just doesn't want to cause trouble for his gang. By the way, I'm curious: how do you plan to gather one thousand taels of silver in three days?"

Zu An returned to the pavilion, saying with a cheeky grin, "If you're willing to lend it to me, I can go after him right now and pay off the debt."

The woman looked stunned. Gazing at him, she couldn't help but say, "You, sir, truly have thick skin."

Zu An sighed. "There's no other way. In any world, honest people are always at a disadvantage, so one naturally needs to have thicker skin."

The woman shook her head and took another small sip of wine. "I don't know you well; why would I lend you money? Besides, I don't have that much either."

Zu An wasn't offended. He chuckled and said, "Well then, given that we've shared a drink, why don't you tell me what the most profitable industries in the city are? I'll try my luck."

The woman set down her wine pot and studied him for a few moments. "You're quite interesting. If you're asking about the most profitable industries in the city, the Chu family's salt and iron business certainly comes first. After all, most people in the world are ordinary; they need to eat and farm, and these two things are indispensable in every aspect of life."

"Then there's the Yu family's elemental stones, a highly lucrative industry. Elemental stones are rare and precious; though they have a value, they are almost never available on the market."

"Of course, those are all business ventures. If you are strong enough yourself, you naturally won't lack money."

Zu An rolled his eyes. "If I were strong enough, would the Plum Blossom Gang be extorting me?"

"Then there's nothing more I can do," the woman said with a nonchalant smile.

Zu An continued, "Actually, there's another way to make money the quickest, and it's much easier."

"Oh? What is it?" The woman seemed intrigued.

"I once heard a very handsome man put forth a theory," Zu An said earnestly. "He said that women in this world are infinite, while our energy is finite. Using finite energy to pursue infinite women is a losing battle. So, he decided to stop pursuing an endless stream of women and instead focus on a rich one. The more I think about it, the more sensible it seems, and I've decided to learn from him."

"To describe being a kept man so refreshingly and elegantly, you might be the only one in the world," the woman said, dumbfounded.

"Ma'am, would you consider me? I'm good in bed and not clingy... Bah, I mean, I'm handsome, charming, and considerate," Zu An said, shamelessly praising himself.

"Haven't you already successfully become the Chu family's son-in-law? And you're still bothering other women?" The woman spat. "Scum!"

Zu An paused. "You know me?"

"I didn't, initially, but your conversation with Plum Blossom Thirteen just now made it easy to guess," the woman said with a faint smile. "A few days ago, it was all over Moonbright City that the princess of Moonbright City, the Chu family's eldest young lady, got married. And her husband wasn't some noble young master, but a useless good-for-nothing."

"Honestly, I was quite curious myself as to how someone as outstanding as Chu Chuyan would choose such a husband."

"But after seeing you, I suddenly understand a little."

Zu An puffed out his chest. "Is it because I'm handsome?"

"No, it's because you're utterly shameless." The woman stretched, her chest immediately revealing a graceful curve. "I've been out long enough; I'm leaving now. Perhaps we'll meet again if fate allows."

With that, she turned and walked into the bamboo grove behind, leaving behind a graceful and elegant figure.

Watching her depart, Zu An felt a sense of loneliness and melancholy. Although she had smiled occasionally in the pavilion, a persistent sorrow seemed to linger between her brows.

"I wonder what she's so sad about," Zu An thought for a moment, then suddenly paused. "Why am I pretending to be a literati? Aren't you just lusting after her body?"

Shaking his head, he pushed away these thoughts and decided to go find Yu Yanluo first.

Meanwhile, Plum Blossom Thirteen hurried along, arriving at the Plum Blossom Gang's main headquarters in the south of the city. He then rushed directly towards the gang leader's study.

"It's bad, Leader..." He had just pushed open the door when he heard a woman's startled cry from within. He froze. A naked woman was scrambling to hide, frantically searching for something to cover herself.

"If you don't have a good explanation, you'll go to the Hall of Punishments for twenty lashes later," said a burly, one-eyed man seated at the desk. He grabbed the terrified woman by the hair and pressed her back down, kneeling her under the desk.

Muffled sounds... Only the woman's indistinct whimpers remained.

Plum Blossom Thirteen swallowed hard, thinking how fair Tan Wei's wife was.

Hearing the man's interrogation, he quickly said, "I just ran into Zu An."

This fierce, one-eyed man was naturally Mei Chaofeng, the leader of the Plum Blossom Gang.

"Who's Zu An?" Mei Chaofeng leaned back in his chair, a hint of comfort on his face.

"He's the person you asked Twelfth Brother to deal with earlier," Plum Blossom Thirteen quickly replied.

"The Chu family's son-in-law?" Mei Chaofeng immediately sat upright, his eyes snapping open with a ferocious glint.

Cough, cough... Muffled retching sounds came from under the desk.

Mei Chaofeng glanced down, then nonchalantly looked up. "Last time, Old Twelve messed things up, so I gave him another chance. What, has he still not dealt with it?"

Plum Blossom Thirteen replied, "We received news earlier that one of our brothers saw Twelfth Brother leave the city with him yesterday morning. I thought it was a sure thing, but Twelfth Brother hasn't returned yet, while Zu An has reappeared in the city."

"What happened?" Mei Chaofeng frowned, realizing something was amiss.

Plum Blossom Thirteen replied, "I asked him, and he said that shortly after they left the city yesterday, they encountered Tan Wei, and then Twelfth Brother went to chase Tan Wei, and they separated."

"Wuwuwu"—hearing the name Tan Wei, the woman under the desk became agitated, clearly struggling to get up. However, Mei Chaofeng held her down firmly, preventing her from moving an inch.

Plum Blossom Thirteen felt his mouth go dry. "Godfather, could it be that Old Twelve was... by Tan Wei?"

"Impossible!" Mei Chaofeng waved his hand. "Tan Wei is far inferior to Old Twelve, both in cultivation and cunning. He can't cause any major trouble."

"Report!" A gang member ran to the doorway. "A member found Tan Wei's body outside the city."