Qiu Honglei had grown dead serious. Zu An was confused. “Why? Isn’t Chen Xuan already dead? At this point, what can the Blackwind Stockade even do?”

Qiu Honglei shook her head. “It’s not the Blackwind Stockade that you should be worried about. There is another organization that you cannot afford to provoke.”

Zu An grew more and more puzzled. Even though the Chu clan was in a sticky situation, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. They still had a private army at their disposal. He himself was the young master of the Chu clan, and he had the backing of the academy as well. Why would Qiu Honglei still feel like this power was one that they couldn’t handle? Just what kind of organization were they?

“Honglei, could you at least give me some hints? Just how strong is this organization?” Zu An probed.

Qiu Honglei sighed. “I cannot tell you anything else. This is already all that I can reveal. The rest is up to you.”

A sudden thought struck Zu An. “Is this the organization that is backing you?”

Qiu Honglei’s background had always been a mystery. There was no way such a beautiful girl could remain untouched for so many years in a place like the Immortal Abode, unless she had a formidable power backing her.

She had even been able to provide him with information not even the Chu clan could obtain. This had set alarm bells ringing quietly in the back of Zu An’s mind before.

Qiu Honglei’s expression clouded over. “Don’t ask anymore. Knowing more won’t help you at all.”

Zu An nodded. “Forget it then, I won’t make things harder for you by questioning you further. However, this matter regarding the salt permits is serious, so I can’t drop it just like that. I will transfer more men to track them down, and I won’t stop until I find where they are.”

With that, he got up and bid his farewell.

Qiu Honglei stamped her foot in agitation. “Why won’t you listen?!”

She hesitated some more, before she finally said, “Whatever! I’ll tell you more, before you really do something stupid.”

Zu An turned around to look at her. “Honglei, you really are too good to me,” he said with a sigh.

Qiu Honglei smiled. This smile made her entire being seem absolutely enchanting. “Did you only realize this now?”

“To be honest, I’ve always been slightly wary of you since you first approached me,” Zu An replied. “I figured that you surely had some ulterior motive in mind. I have to apologize for that.”

Qiu Honglei’s face went red. She was moved by the sincerity in his voice. She sighed. “I indeed had ulterior motives in approaching you. There’s no need for you to apologize.”

Zu An couldn’t hide his disappointment. “Ah… so you didn’t really want to become my concubine…”

Qiu Honglei stared at him, speechless.

Is this guy actually an idiot?

But she knew that this was just his nature. Wasn’t this precisely the reason why she felt like he was different from other men?

The two of them joked around a while longer, then Qiu Honglei’s smile slowly faded. “There will be a black market auction in three days. During which, the Blackwind Stockade will auction off the salt permits to the highest bidder. If you want to take back those salt permits, you’ll have to purchase them with money.”

“Black market? Auction?” Zu An suddenly remembered the ki stones he’d received from the academy when he first arrived in this world. His cultivation method was different, so he couldn’t absorb the ki inside them. Wei Suo had mentioned that he could sell them on the black market.

However, he’d made a ton of money soon afterwards and forgot about this small change. That was why he never went to the black market.

The black market had existed for so many years in Brightmoon City without any sign of collapsing, which meant it had the backing of a formidable power. He hadn’t expected Qiu Honglei to be a part of this same group.

When she saw the change in his expression, Qiu Honglei quickly said, “You absolutely must not try to steal them. Since those who run the black market have already agreed to auction these items, they will take responsibility for them. If you try to steal them, you will be clashing head-on with them. If that happens, I fear that you…”

She trailed off, but the implication was clear.

“Don’t worry, I won’t be that reckless.” Zu An could sense her meaning. If he tried to steal them, not only would he fail, he might just throw away his life too.

However, it seemed like a miserable deal to have to spend money to buy back these salt permits, especially since they were the Chu clan’s to begin with.

What kind of joke is this? There’s no way I’ll ever let someone wrong me like this.

He was well and truly trapped in a dilemma.

Qiu Honglei warned him again and again to not act recklessly. Only when he agreed not to did she let him go.

After Zu An left, a man entered from a side door. It was none other than Qiu Honglei’s senior, Gu Yueyi.

He sneered. “Junior sister, you actually leaked such important intelligence to him?”

Qiu Honglei’s tone was indifferent. “This can’t be considered leaking. I’m merely helping to find suitable clients to attend the auction. Everyone knows that Zu An has made a lot of money recently, so I believe he has the right to take part in this auction.”

“Junior sister really has a slick tongue. I might not be able to win against you in a debate, but the sect master might not be so easily swayed.” A small trace of fear flashed across his eyes when he brought up the sect master.

“That’s not something you need to worry about.” Qiu Honglei rested her chin on her arm and leaned against the table next to her.

Gu Yueyi was completely enchanted by her alluring figure. He couldn’t help but say, “Junior sister, why are you willing to take such a risk for a single man? Don’t tell me you actually like him?”

Qiu Honglei’s eyes widened instantly. “That has nothing to do with you!” she huffed. Her tone was cold.

Gu Yueyi felt a sudden flash of anger. “What’s so special about a drafted son-in-law like him? He only knows a few shoddy songs and a bit of poetry. His appearance might be all right as well…”

He froze midway through his sentence. Why did it sound like he was praising that guy?

His anger flared further.

You have successfully trolled Gu Yueyi for 250 Rage points!

Taking a moment to calm himself, he continued, “These are nothing more than tricks. In this world, strength in cultivation is what matters in the end! Why in the world would junior sister like a person with such low cultivation? Compared to him, I…”

Before he even finished his sentence, Qiu Honglei cut him off. “So noisy!” she cried out in annoyance.

With a wave of her hand, Gu Yueyi was thrown out of the room.

Gu Yueyi felt his anger explode.

...

You have successfully trolled Gu Yueyi for 711 Rage points!

Zu An was puzzled when he saw the notifications for these Rage points. Where did this Gu Yueyi pop up from?

I guess it’s natural for a popular guy like me to be the target of others’ jealousy. Zu An dismissed it casually, and instead focused his attention on how he was going to acquire those salt permits.

A shadow fell across him. He raised his head and saw someone standing in front of him. It was Wei Suo’s older brother, Wei Hongde.

“Brother Wei, what a coincidence.” Zu An was startled. He clasped his fist in greeting.

Wei Hongde smiled. “It’s not a coincidence. I came seeking you.”

“Seeking me?” Zu An’s heart skipped a beat. Did they find out what he had done that night in the Wei Estate?

“Brother Zu, there is no need for alarm. You are Wei Suo’s friend, so you are naturally my friend as well.” As if sensing Zu An's sudden change in mood, Wei Hongde cut straight to the chase. “I wanted to meet with you. We have a way to help your Chu clan out of your troubles.”