Chapter 139: Whatever You Want, It Is Yours

The visitor was none other than Jiang Gan. As for their relationship, he and Commander Zhou had been classmates and close friends, so Chen Fan knew perfectly well why he had come.

At first glance, his aura was far weaker than Zuo Lengchan’s, and he looked even more timid than some of the domineering NPCs. It seemed the card had not made much of a difference.

“Come now, what are you trying to steal? I have everything. I’ll give it all to you, hahaha.”

With a smile on his face, Chen Fan said courteously, “Brother Ziyi, what brings you here?”

“Oh, nothing. I merely wanted to reminisce about the old days. That’s all.” Jiang Gan wore an ingratiating smile.

“Of course, of course. Come sit with me.”

Chen Fan naturally had no intention of letting this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip away. While the card’s magic was still dormant, he might as well reclaim it early and save himself the trouble.

The two raised their cups to the moon, draining one cup after another of the cool boiled water in their wine goblets. Chen Fan’s face grew increasingly awkward. If this endless cycle continued, who knew when it would end? Jiang Gan, on the other hand, was already slightly tipsy.

“Good heavens, is this boiled water enhanced with special effects?”

Chen Fan frowned, but still downed his cup cheerfully.

As the alcohol took stronger effect, Jiang Gan’s courage grew as well. He opened his mouth and began to flatter him. “Who would have thought that after only a few years apart, Lord Gongjin would have risen so high? You’ve even become one of Sun Quan’s most trusted confidants.”

“Heh. I may have risen in rank, but I’m still a lifelong bachelor…”

Chen Fan’s inner monologue briefly came alive before he replied, “It’s hardly an achievement worth mentioning. The situation is still far from optimistic.”

Seeing that the time was ripe, Jiang Gan pressed on. “Now that Cao Cao is leading an army of eight hundred thousand against us, why not take this opportunity to demonstrate your loyalty? You’re no longer young—you ought to marry and establish a household. I’ve heard that Cao Cao built a Bronze Sparrow Terrace over the Zhang River, gathering countless beauties there…”

His hesitant suggestion did not strike any chord in Chen Fan’s heart. The game was moving so quickly that he might be ejected from the interface the moment he crossed the Yangtze. He might not even get a glimpse of the soil, let alone any beauties.

“Brother Ziyi, you flatter me. What virtue or ability do I possess? I’m hardly worthy of important duties.” Chen Fan politely declined once more.

Jiang Gan urged him earnestly, “Eh, how can you say such a thing? Gongjin, you are a man of great talent. Besides, even nobodies like us have earned Lord Cao’s favor. If you surrender to Cao Cao, you will surely rise to great heights and enjoy a brilliant future.”

“Heh. Your useless-ally aura is shining so brightly I’m afraid it’ll blind me.”

After thinking it over, Chen Fan could not help bursting into loud laughter. Cao Cao, who was now on the opposite bank of the river, had already become an elder who shared his bed. What sort of relationship did this underling think they had, daring to act so familiar?

Still, for the sake of recovering the card, Chen Fan decided to spare Jiang Gan a little dignity and fully commit himself to the act, working with the elder to deceive him.

“Surrendering to Cao Cao? That’s impossible. I’ll never surrender to Cao Cao in this lifetime. I can’t outmaneuver that old Zhang Zhao in domestic affairs, so I can only lead troops outside and maintain good relations with the local magnates. That’s the only way I can preserve my position.”

Jiang Gan grew anxious upon hearing this and hurriedly explained, “Eh, what do you mean by that? Are you worried that you won’t be treated well after surrendering to Cao Cao? Don’t worry. Duke Wei will certainly not mistreat you.”

Chen Fan continued, “Living in Eastern Wu feels just like being at home. I’ve already put down roots here. I know plenty of people, and everyone speaks so pleasantly. Aside from a few troublemaking thorns in my side, there’s really nothing to complain about. I absolutely love it here.”

“Eh, you… Why won’t you listen to reason? Very well, then. I have nothing more to say. Come, let us drink.”

Jiang Gan took a sip from his cup, hesitated, and then downed another.

Chen Fan, of course, had nothing to fear. It was only cool boiled water—what was there to worry about? He drained his cup without hesitation.

“Am I supposed to have something stolen from me by this man?”

At that thought, Chen Fan set down his cup and began searching the room for anything that might be worth taking.

After looking around, he found only one suspicious object beside the pillow. Chen Fan picked up a letter. Written across it in bold, unmistakable brushstrokes were the words:

“Ultra-Secret (Secret) Letter.”

“That has to be it. But what’s inside?”

Too lazy to comment on the spelling mistake, Chen Fan eagerly tore it open and began reading.

“Teach You How to Seduce a Young… Married Woman Within Seven Days?”

“Red Cliffs Gambling Camp, Lotus on the River… Officer Dealing the Cards?”

Chen Fan fell into deep thought.

This letter… was lethally poisonous.

“Gongjin~ Gongjin!”

Hearing Jiang Gan calling for him, Chen Fan hurriedly put the envelope away and shoved it back beside the pillow before turning around.

“Coming, coming.”

After a round of polite conversation, evening gradually descended. Chen Fan made a show of asking Jiang Gan to stay, while Jiang Gan pretended to decline. After Chen Fan urged him several times, he finally relented, and the two of them slept on the same couch.

“It feels strange to expose my back to someone else.”

A chill ran down Chen Fan’s spine. He did not dare fall asleep. Normally, sometime after midnight, Jiang Gan should have quietly risen to search the room, then “accidentally” discovered the letter, and finally stolen it away as naturally as could be expected.

But who could have imagined that the man would sleep straight through until dawn?

“Could you at least take your persuasion seriously? You have no integrity as a strategist whatsoever.”

Chen Fan looked at the sleeping Jiang Gan, shook his head, and moved the secret letter to an even more conspicuous position.

“I refuse to believe you can get out of bed without opening your eyes.”

Still half exasperated and half amused, Chen Fan returned to the main hall, only to remember that he had once again forgotten to spread the poison the night before. He had spent the entire evening listening to that man brag, while the poison in his hand had been left to sit for another night.

“Player Eight is dead. Player Eight, please pass the sheriff’s badge.”

Guan Yu smiled. “Give it to Seven.”

Zhuge Liang accepted the tiger tally with both hands, though his expression seemed somewhat puzzled.

Chen Fan glanced at Yun Chang and saw that the Green Dragon Crescent Blade had returned behind him. The magnificent beard on his face had returned as well, though it had clearly been glued back on. The incongruity was overwhelming.

“Self-destruct.”

No. Nine, Fengchu, knew there was no hope of turning the situation around and blew himself up on the spot. The game entered night once more.

Chen Fan returned to the sleeping quarters and found that Jiang Gan was still sprawled across the bed. He cursed, “What the hell? You shameless pig, how can you sleep this much? You’ve been out for an entire day!”

“Poison Four. Eh, no… wait…”

Halfway through the operation, Chen Fan realized that something was wrong.

“If I poison Four and the game ends, what happens to the card on this man? No, I have to change targets. Poison… who should I poison? If things go wrong while the card is in my hands, I’ll be the one carrying all the blame.”

“Poison Eleven, then. Sun Shangxiang has been contributing almost nothing in her speeches, and Four already pushed her during the day. Besides, once the hunter dies, he’ll shoot Four anyway. No need to worry.”

After weighing his options, Chen Fan decided it was better to preserve his own life first.

“Someone, prepare a boat.”

Chen Fan glanced at the useless Jiang Gan, steeled himself, and decided to take matters into his own hands.

“My lord, may I ask why you require a boat?” one of his soldiers asked in confusion. At a critical moment like this, the commander of the navy ought to be holding down the main camp.

Chen Fan rolled his wrist, removed his armor, and said, “Prepare two boats. No naval soldiers—use local boatmen we can trust. Also, find me a set of plain clothes. And ask no further questions.”