The man sneered coldly. "You sure are forgetful! I am Plum Blossom Thirteen! I even went gambling with you once. Have you forgotten me so quickly?"
"Plum Blossom Thirteen!" Plum Blossom Twelve had named him the strongest amongst Mei Chaofeng's thirteen godsons, having reached the third rank in his cultivation.
Zu An was exasperated. Why must all the enemies I encounter be stronger than me? At the same time, he marveled at how the previous owner of this body was so talented at diving headfirst into danger. To think that he'd actually gone gambling with people like this!
"Where's Twelve?" Plum Blossom Thirteen asked.
"What Twelve? Why are you asking me?" Zu An feigned ignorance. He was surprised at how quickly Plum Blossom Thirteen had come for him.
"Stop pretending. Someone saw you leaving the city together with him, and now he's nowhere to be found!" Plum Blossom Thirteen said with a chill in his voice.
"Ah, I remember now! You're referring to Plum Blossom Twelve!" Zu An clapped his hands together as if he'd hit upon something. "Shortly after we left the city, we bumped into a person who went by the surname Tan. He took off after that Tan guy, and we parted ways. I've no idea what happened to him afterward."
"A person who went by the surname of Tan… Could it be that traitor, Tan Wei?" Plum Blossom Thirteen demanded.
Zu An said, "It seems like you have an idea of what happened. Great! Since we've cleared the air, I'll be taking my leave now." If he were facing a beautiful female assassin, he might have considered chatting a little longer. However, he wasn't interested in the company of a fierce-looking man with a scar on his face.
"Wait a moment!" Plum Blossom Thirteen reached out to grab Zu An's shoulder.
The assassin's crushing grip showed Zu An that Plum Blossom Thirteen's strength far exceeded his. He suppressed the urge to attack him. "What else do you need from me?"
Plum Blossom Thirteen dipped a hand into his robe and withdrew a piece of paper. "Isn't it about time you repaid the debt you owe me?"
"Huh? What debt?" Zu An was dumbfounded.
"You aren't thinking of shirking your debt, are you? It's written out clearly on paper, and you marked it with your fingerprint, too!" Plum Blossom Thirteen wore a dangerous smirk.
Zu An leaned in to take a closer look. The document stated that he owed Plum Blossom Thirteen a thousand silver taels, and it was marked at the bottom with a red fingerprint. Memories began to surface in his mind.
Apparently, he had visited a gambling den together with Plum Blossom Thirteen, and had ended up losing all of his money. Desperate to recoup his losses, he'd borrowed more from Plum Blossom Thirteen, only to end up losing yet another thousand silver taels.
Shit! This fellow really is a useless trash. It's no wonder why everyone looks down on him, so much so that even a maid dares to lecture him to his face!
Zu An was disappointed by the previous owner of his body. His existence had really been a complete waste of space in this world. A thousand silver taels was equal to 1,800,000 RMB!
"You said that you'd repay me once you returned to the Chu Estate. So where's my money?" Plum Blossom Thirteen stretched out his empty palm towards Zu An. "If you don't have money, I'll follow the terms of the contract and sever your hands."
"I'm the young master of the Chu clan! You dare raise your hand against me?" Zu An found the courage to stand up for himself. Even though he had earned a bit of money from Ji Xiaoxi and Plum Blossom Twelve, he wasn't even close to having a thousand silver taels to his name.
Besides, even if he had the money, he wasn't willing to waste it on repaying the debt of some useless rascal! Why should he use his hard-earned money to repay the debt owed by another man? Not to mention, he had the Chu clan backing him up!
"If you really owe him money, my honest advice would be to return his money to him. Vows and contracts hold great power in this world, and anyone who dares to violate them will suffer heavenly retribution. Even the Brightmoon Duke wouldn't be able to protect you if you go against your promise," a cold voice drifted over from the gazebo.
"Oh? There's actually such a beautiful woman hiding here?" Plum Blossom Thirteen's eyes filled with wonder upon seeing the woman in the gazebo.
"Are you thinking of flirting with me?" The woman tilted her head slightly, her tone one of idle curiosity.
Plum Blossom Thirteen laughed heartily. "So what if I…" He trailed off as he saw the green wine gourd dangling from her fingers, twirling lazily. Something seemed to come to his mind, and he laughed awkwardly. "Miss, you're misunderstanding me. Our Plum Blossom Sect is an upright sect. There's no way I would do something like that."
This deepened Zu An's curiosity over the woman's identity. She had to be a formidable figure if even the arrogant Plum Blossom Thirteen didn't dare to provoke her. He made use of this opportunity to snatch the promissory note from Plum Blossom Thirteen. He needed a closer look.
"Are you thinking of ripping up this promissory note? It's no use. I have spare copies with me. It won't change a thing at all," Plum Blossom Thirteen scoffed coldly.
Zu An paid him no heed. He scanned the terms of the agreement, and his eyes lit up. "According to this contract, the loan is only due in three days. There's still time, so why are you in such a rush? Don't worry, I'll repay your money in three days' time!"
Plum Blossom Thirteen frowned. He didn't want to let Zu An off the hook so easily, but the woman in the gazebo… He decided to go along with Zu An. "Fine. If you can't return my money in three days, not even the Jade Emperor will be able to save you!"
He snatched the promissory note back from Zu An's hands before taking his leave. He headed for their sect's headquarters. He had to inform the sect master about what he had seen today so that he could take the necessary precautions.
As he left, Zu An looked over to the woman in the gazebo. "He seems to be quite afraid of you."
The woman in the gazebo smiled at him. "He's not afraid of me; he just doesn't want to make trouble for his sect. I must say, I am quite curious as to how you're going to raise a thousand silver taels within three days."
Zu An returned to the gazebo and put on a mischievous smile. "If you're willing to lend it to me, I can chase after him and return him his money right away."
The woman was stunned for a moment. She observed in a low voice, "You really are thick-skinned."
Zu An sighed. "What else can I do? Honest men are disadvantaged no matter which world you are in. Having thick skin goes a long way."
The woman shook her head and took another sip of wine. "I don't know you well, so why should I lend you my money? Besides, I don't have that much either."
Zu An had anticipated her response, and chuckled cheekily. "On the account that we once shared a gourd of wine together, why don't you tell me what the most lucrative sectors in the city are? I'll try my luck with those."
The woman put down her wine gourd and studied him again. "You're quite an interesting person. The two most lucrative sectors in Brightmoon City are salt and metal. Most people in this world are ordinary mortals; they need to eat, and they farm. Life in this world revolves around those two things.
"Besides those, there are also the Yu clan's ki stones. Ki stones are a highly profitable business. They are rare and valuable, and the demand for them far surpasses the supply.
"Of course, I have only highlighted the commercial avenues that the city has to offer. If you're sufficiently strong as a cultivator, there are far more means for you to earn money."
Zu An rolled his eyes. "If I were strong enough, I wouldn't have been threatened by those scoundrels from the Plum Blossom Sect."
"Then it can't be helped then." The woman laughed casually.
"Actually, there's a far easier and more convenient way to earn a lot of money at once."
"Oh? What is it?" The woman's interest was piqued.
"I once heard of a theory from a handsome guy. He said that there were countless women in this world, but a man's energy is limited. If we men use our limited energy to flirt with every woman we come across, we're just wasting our energy for nothing. So, he decided to devote his energy solely towards flirting with rich women. Now that I think about it, his words make a lot of sense. I should learn from his example," Zu An's tone was dead serious.
"What a refreshing way of describing a mooch. You really are one-of-a-kind," the woman replied snidely.
"Miss, won't you consider me? A suave, considerate, and ravishing man like myself would be perfect for you." Zu An marketed himself flamboyantly.
"Aren't you already the young master of the Chu clan? And yet, you still want to flirt with me?" The woman spat on the floor. "Scumbag."
Zu An was shell-shocked. "You know me?"
"Not at the start. But it wasn't hard for me to guess after hearing the conversation between you and Plum Blossom Thirteen," the woman pointed out with a smile. "The news is all around town. The princess of Brightmoon City, the First Miss of the Chu clan, has just gotten married, and her spouse isn't any distinguished young master, but a useless piece of trash.
"To be honest, I was curious as to why someone as outstanding as Chu Chuyan would choose a person like you for her husband. However, now that I've met you in person, I think I know why."
Zu An puffed out his chest. "Because I'm good-looking?"
"No, it's because you're shameless." The woman stretched, her body drawing a beautiful arc. "I've been out for a while, so I should be heading back now. If fate permits, we'll meet again."
She turned and left, heading toward the bamboo forest behind the gazebo.
Her departing silhouette looked a little forlorn. Despite her occasional smiles and chuckles, a cloud of sorrow hung around her that refused to dissipate.
"I wonder what's weighing down her mood." Zu An slipped into deep thought, then shook himself. Hm? Why am I so intense all of a sudden?
Zu An quickly reined in his thoughts and headed off in search of Yu Yanluo.
Meanwhile, Plum Blossom Thirteen sprinted all the way to the headquarters of the Plum Blossom Sect, located in the southern district of the city. He headed straight for the sect master's study room.
*BAM!*
"Bad news, sect master…" As soon as he barged in, he heard a shriek of horror. A naked woman darted to one side, scrambling to find something to cover her body.
"If you can't give me an appropriate explanation for this, report to the Enforcement Hall and submit yourself to twenty lashes." A one-eyed man sat behind a formidable desk. He grabbed the hair of the panicking woman and pressed her down beneath it.
"Wuuuuu…"
The room was silent save for the indistinct mumbling of the woman.
Plum Blossom Thirteen swallowed hard. Tan Wei's wife sure has fair skin. He banished the thought and regained his focus. "I just met Zu An."
Needless to say, the one-eyed man was the sect master of the Plum Blossom Sect, Mei Chaofeng.
"Who is Zu An?" Mei Chaofeng leaned against the back of his chair as a hint of pleasure rippled across his face.
"It's the man whom you ordered Twelve to eliminate a while ago," Plum Blossom Thirteen replied hurriedly.
"Ah, the young master of the Chu Clan?" Mei Chaofeng's body straightened, a hint of rage coloring his lone eye.
Cough cough… The woman beneath the table dry-heaved.
Mei Chaofeng glanced under his desk before returning his focus to Plum Blossom Thirteen. "Twelve messed things up the last time, so I gave him another chance to make up for his mistakes. What's wrong? Did he fail his mission again?"
Plum Blossom Thirteen replied, "I heard from our brothers in the sect that they spotted Twelve leaving the city together with Zu An. I thought the matter settled. Yet, Zu An has appeared in the city again, even though Twelve hasn't returned."
"What's going on?" Mei Chaofeng frowned, sensing something amiss.
"I asked him about it. He said that the two of them bumped into Tan Wei not too long after leaving the city. Twelve chased after Tan Wei, and they parted ways."
"Wuuuuu~" Hearing the name 'Tan Wei', the woman under the table struggled anxiously, trying to rise to her feet. Mei Chaofeng held her down firmly.
Plum Blossom Thirteen's throat went dry. "Godfather, is it possible for Twelve to have been…"
"Impossible!" Mei Chaofeng dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "Be it in terms of cultivation level or wits, Tan Wei is far from being a match for Twelve. There's no way he'd pose a threat to Twelve."
"Report!" A sect member appeared in the doorway to the study. "We have found Tan Wei's corpse outside the city."
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