Chapter 32

That man sneered and said, "You really are a highborn who forgets things easily. I am Plum Blossom Thirteen. We gambled together before, and you’ve already forgotten so quickly?"

"Plum Blossom Thirteen!" Zu An recalled that Plum Blossom Twelve had mentioned him. He was the most powerful of Mei Chaofeng’s thirteen adopted sons, having already broken through to the third rank.

Thinking about this, he felt a bit frustrated. Why is everyone’s level higher than mine?

He also lamented how reckless the previous owner of this body had been, to gamble with such people?

"Where is my Twelfth Brother?" Plum Blossom Thirteen asked in a deep voice.

"What Twelfth Brother? Why are you asking me?" Zu An immediately distanced himself, while wondering why the other party had come to him so quickly.

"Don’t pretend with me. Someone saw him leave the city with you. Why hasn’t he been heard from since?" Plum Blossom Thirteen said coldly.

"Oh, I remember now. It was him," Zu An thought quickly, "We left the city together, but soon after, we ran into someone surnamed Tan. Then he went to chase after him, and we parted ways. I don’t know what happened after that."

"Surnamed Tan, could it be the traitor Tan Wei?" Plum Blossom Thirteen pondered.

Zu An said, "Since it’s clear, I have something to do, so I’ll be going." If the other party was the cute female assassin from *Wu Liuchu*, he might have been interested in chatting a bit more, but a fierce, scar-faced man was not worth his time.

"Wait!" Plum Blossom Thirteen grabbed his shoulder.

Feeling the strength from his shoulder, Zu An immediately judged that the other party was far stronger than him, so he suppressed the urge to fight back: "What else?"

Plum Blossom Thirteen took out a piece of paper from his pocket: "It’s about time to settle the gambling debt you owe."

"What? Gambling debt?" Zu An looked puzzled.

"You’re not trying to dodge the debt, are you? The contract is clear, with your fingerprint on it." Plum Blossom Thirteen sneered.

Zu An quickly focused and saw that it stated he owed the other party 1,000 taels of silver, with a fresh red fingerprint at the end. Seeing this, memories flooded his mind.

At the time, he had followed Plum Blossom Thirteen to a gambling den, lost his head, and borrowed money from him, eventually losing a total of 1,000 taels.

Damn, this guy is a complete waste, a loser. No wonder everyone looks down on him, even a maid can scold him.

Zu An felt a bit disdainful towards his former self in this world, living was a waste of food. 1,000 taels of silver is equivalent to 1,800,000 RMB in the modern world!

"You said you would have money to pay me back once you entered the Chu family. Where is the money?" Plum Blossom Thirteen extended his hand in front of him, "If you don’t have the money, I’ll cut off your hands as agreed."

"I am the Chu family’s son-in-law. Do you dare to touch me?" Zu An said with a stiff upper lip. Although he had earned some silver from Ji Xiaoxi and Plum Blossom Twelve, it was far from enough to pay 1,000 taels.

Moreover, even if he had enough, he was reluctant to use it to pay off the debt of a deadbeat. Why should he pay for something he owed by his own doing? Besides, he now had the Chu family as a powerful backing.

"If you really owe him 1,000 taels, I advise you to pay it back honestly. In this world, the power of oaths and contracts is very strong. Anyone who violates them will suffer divine retribution. Even the Duke’s mansion can’t protect you unless they pay the debt for you." A cold voice came from the pavilion, and it was the woman who spoke.

"Is there actually such a beautiful woman hiding here?" Plum Blossom Thirteen finally noticed the woman in the pavilion, his eyes showing a hint of surprise.

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

Plum Blossom Thirteen laughed: "I tease...?" But his gaze suddenly fell on the green wine bottle she was holding, and he thought of something. He quickly changed his tone: "Miss, you flatter us. The Plum Blossom Gang is a legitimate organization and would never do such things."

Zu An was curious about who this woman was and why the previously arrogant Plum Blossom Thirteen dared not provoke her. He took the opportunity to study the IOU in her hand.

Plum Blossom Thirteen sneered: "What, trying to tear up the IOU? I have a backup. It won’t do you any good."

Zu An ignored him and quickly read the entire document, his eyes brightening: "According to the agreement, the final repayment date is three days from now. Why are you rushing me? I’ll pay you back in three days."

Plum Blossom Thirteen frowned, originally not planning to let him off so easily, but after a glance at the woman in the pavilion, he finally agreed: "Fine, if you don’t pay up in three days, even the Heavenly King can’t save you."

With that, he took back the IOU and left, planning to report today’s events to the gang leader and prepare in advance.

Zu An couldn’t help but look at the woman in the pavilion: "He seems to be afraid of you?"

The woman in the pavilion smiled slightly: "He’s not afraid of me, but he doesn’t want to cause trouble for the gang. By the way, I’m curious, how will you manage to get 1,000 taels of silver in three days?"

Zu An returned to the pavilion, grinning: "If you’re willing to lend me the money, I can go and pay off the debt right now."

The woman looked at him with surprise: "You really have a thick skin."

Zu An sighed: "No choice. In any world, honest people are the most disadvantaged. You have to have a thick skin to survive."

The woman shook her head and took a small sip of wine: "I don’t know you well, why should I lend you money? Besides, I don’t have that much."

Zu An didn’t get angry, smiling: "Then, out of the friendship we shared over a drink, tell me what the most profitable industry in the city is. I’ll try my luck."

The woman put down the wine bottle and looked at him: "You’re an interesting person. The most profitable industry in the city is, of course, the salt and iron trade of the Chu family. Most people in the world are ordinary, needing to eat and farm, and these two things are essential in life."

"Then there’s the Yu family’s spirit stones, a highly profitable industry. Spirit stones are rare and valuable, and each one is priceless."

"Of course, those are business routes. If you are strong enough, you won’t lack money."

Zu An rolled his eyes: "If I were strong enough, would I be threatened by the Plum Blossom Gang?"

"There’s no way around it." The woman smiled.

Zu An continued: "Actually, there’s another way to make money quickly and easily."

"Oh? What is it?" The woman was interested.

"I once heard a handsome guy say a theory. He said that the women in this world are infinite, while our energy is limited. Using the limited to chase the infinite is bound to fail, so he decided not to chase infinite women but to focus on a wealthy one. The more I think about it, the more I agree. I’m going to follow his example." Zu An said seriously.

"Only you could make being a kept man sound so refined." The woman was speechless.

"Do you want to consider me? I’m handsome, charming, and considerate." Zu An said with a self-promoting tone.

"You’ve already successfully become the Chu family’s son-in-law. Why are you still trying to seduce other women?" The woman spat, "Scumbag!"

Zu An was taken aback: "You know me?"

"I didn’t know you before, but from your conversation with Plum Blossom Thirteen, it’s easy to guess," the woman smiled, "Recently, there’s been a lot of talk in Bright Moon City about the marriage of the princess and the Chu family’s eldest daughter. The groom is not from a noble family but a complete loser."

"To be honest, I was also curious why someone as outstanding as Chu Chuyan would choose such a husband."

"But after seeing you, I suddenly understand."

Zu An puffed out his chest: "Is it because I’m handsome?"

"No, it’s because you’re shameless enough." The woman stretched, revealing a beautiful curve, "I’ve been out long enough. I’m leaving. See you again if we have the chance."

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

Watching her leave, Zu An felt a sense of loneliness and isolation. Although she laughed from time to time in the pavilion, there was always a hint of sorrow in her eyes.

"I wonder what she’s sad about." Zu An thought for a moment, then shook his head. "What am I thinking? I just want to get close to her."

He decided to find Yu Yanluo first.

Meanwhile, Plum Blossom Thirteen hurried to the south of the city, to the headquarters of the Plum Blossom Gang, and directly ran to the leader’s study.

Bang!

"Bad news, Leader..." He pushed the door open and heard a woman’s scream, stopping in surprise. A naked woman was frantically trying to find something to cover herself.

"If you don’t have a good explanation, you’ll get twenty lashes in the punishment hall." A one-eyed man sitting at the desk grabbed the woman’s hair and forced her to kneel back under the desk.

Murmurs...

Only the woman’s muffled voice could be heard.

Plum Blossom Thirteen swallowed, thinking how fair-skinned Tan Wei’s wife was.

Hearing the question, he quickly said, "I just ran into Zu An."

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

"Who is Zu An?" Mei Chaofong leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed.

"He’s the one you asked Twelfth Brother to take care of." Plum Blossom Thirteen answered quickly.

"The Chu family’s son-in-law?" Mei Chaofong sat up straight, his eyes flashing with a fierce look.

Cough... A woman’s dry heaving came from under the desk.

Mei Chaofong glanced down, then looked up as if nothing had happened: "Twelfth Brother messed up last time, so I gave him another chance. What, he still hasn’t done it?"

Plum Blossom Thirteen replied, "We received word that Twelfth Brother and Zu An left the city together yesterday morning. I thought it was a sure thing, but Twelfth Brother hasn’t returned, and Zu An has reappeared in the city."

"What’s going on?" Mei Chaofong frowned, sensing something was off.

Plum Blossom Thirteen answered, "I asked him, and he said they ran into Tan Wei shortly after leaving the city. Twelfth Brother went to chase Tan Wei, and they split up."

"Ugh..." Hearing Tan Wei’s name, the woman under the desk became agitated, struggling to get up but was held down by Mei Chaofong.

Plum Blossom Thirteen felt dry-mouthed: "Father, could Twelfth Brother have been...?"

"Impossible!" Mei Chaofong waved his hand, "Tan Wei, whether in cultivation or cunning, is far inferior to Twelfth Brother. He can’t cause much trouble."

"Report!" A gang member ran to the door, "A member found Tan Wei’s body outside the city."

"Report!" Another gang member ran to the door, "A member found Tan Wei’s body outside the city."