Had he gone mad?

Chen Yi had not, of course, gone mad.

But that didn’t stop him from pretending for a moment.

"So, the great ’Sword Madman’ plans to go back on his word?"

Liu Lang opened his mouth, but only after a long moment could he force a bitter smile. "Boss, you’ve truly given me a difficult task."

"Burning the Three Towns—no, even just burning one town’s summer grain—is a task with no chance of survival."

"The Dingyuan Marquis’s Mansion’s fury would be a given, but even the Holy Emperor and the entire Imperial Court would be shaken. When that time comes, the worst I face is death, but you, my lord..."

Liu Lang looked at Chen Yi’s calm expression and hesitated. "You would have no way to escape involvement either."

"Scared?"

"This—it’s not a matter of being scared or not..."

"Mm, it’s not a bad thing to admit you’re a coward."

"..."

Liu Lang finally understood. The young Medical Saint Hand before him was dead set on burning the Three Towns’ summer grain.

He decided to throw caution to the wind, gritting his teeth. "Since you’ve already made your decision, I won’t try to persuade you further."

"Just tell me. When do you need me to go? Which garrison town should I burn first?"

Seeing Liu Lang utter such righteous words with such an aggrieved expression, Chen Yi could no longer maintain his calm facade. He broke into a smile and said:

"As expected of the ’Sword Madman.’ You even dare to undertake such a treasonous act. I’m impressed, truly impressed."

When Liu Lang saw him laughing so heartily, he knew he had been played. He couldn’t help but fume.

"To toy with me like this is truly going too far, my lord."

Chen Yi shook his head, still smiling. "It’s not exactly toying with you. The matter of burning the summer grain is real."

"Uh."

Liu Lang was utterly confused by this back-and-forth. "So are you going to burn it or not?"

But Chen Yi just shook his head. "We’re not burning it."

He then explained, "I’m not actually asking you to do the burning. I just want you to find some people and spread the word that there’s a plot to burn the Three Towns’ summer grain."

"Of course, to make it look authentic, we can’t skimp on the necessary preparations."

"For example, the reward for completing the job, which notorious Evil Demons have accepted the mission, and a rough timeline. Try to make as big a scene as possible."

After listening, Liu Lang was still only half-clear on the details, unable to grasp the full intent behind the plan.

But at least he now understood he didn’t have to actually go and burn the Three Towns’ summer grain.

"But by doing this, aren’t you afraid of getting burned yourself?"

"Even if it’s not real, once word gets out, the Xiao Family is bound to investigate it to the very end."

"If something goes wrong and they trace it back to us, we’ll lose our heads all the same."

Chen Yi glanced at him, then smiled and nodded. "You could say that’s one of my goals. What I want is to put the Xiao Family on alert."

Since Xiao Dongchen and Ge the Third were plotting to burn the Three Towns, and in such a clandestine manner, he naturally had to give the Xiao Family a heads-up.

After thinking it over, he concluded that making it public was the best way to get the Xiao Family to raise its guard.

He refused to believe that under these circumstances, those two Hidden Guards would still dare to defy the world and burn the Three Towns’ summer grain right under the Xiao Family’s watch.

Liu Lang was beginning to understand. "You mean someone else is *actually* plotting to burn the Three Towns?" he asked, astonished.

"Damn it, who’s that bold? Do they have a death wish?"

Considering what he already knew about the close relationship between Hundred Herbs Hall and the Xiao Family, he realized Chen Yi was doing this for the Xiao Family’s benefit.

Therefore, it wasn’t hard to deduce that someone was planning to make a move against the Three Towns’ summer grain.

It was just as he’d said: for an ordinary person, it was an act they wouldn’t even dare to imagine, let alone carry out.

He guessed that only followers of the Evil Demonic Dao, like the Illusory Sound Sect who would slaughter entire families on a whim, could devise such a vicious plot.

But the result would be the same. Once word got out, it would surely invite thunderous wrath.

Even a Martial Arts Grandmaster would perish under the iron heel of the Imperial Court and the Xiao Family.

The consequences, to say the least, would be severe.

Chen Yi smiled. "They’re just people who thrive on chaos."

He didn’t elaborate, instead changing the subject to a warning. "But this is no small matter. You must be careful and not expose yourself."

Liu Lang nodded. "Rest assured."

"Before I came to Shu State, I associated with people from all walks of life, some from less-than-reputable circles."

"Their Martial Arts may be mediocre, but when it comes to plots and schemes, few can match them."

Chen Yi grunted in acknowledgment. With the main business concluded, he poured two cups of tea and went over the finer details of the plan with Liu Lang, making some small talk as well.

He had only told Liu Lang one of his objectives.

In fact, his other objective was to muddy the waters in Shu State even further.

The murkier the situation, the more hesitant those with malicious intent would be to make a move, which would, in turn, buy more time.

Even if the Hidden Guards ultimately took a desperate risk, the forewarned Xiao Family would not let them succeed easily.

Seeing it was getting late, Chen Yi urged Liu Lang to be careful before leaving Hundred Herbs Hall and heading toward a residence to the west.

Wang Ji watched him go, then turned to look at everyone inside the hall. After a moment of thought, he said with a smile:

"The boss just gave an order. Everyone has worked hard this month, so at the end of the month, you’ll all receive a big bonus as a reward."

The physicians and apprentices were overjoyed. "Our thanks to the boss! And thank you, Shopkeeper!" they chimed.

Hearing this, Liu Lang shot Wang Ji a peculiar look, a sense of admiration blooming in his heart.

’No wonder Boss Chen Yu is so confident leaving Hundred Herbs Hall in his hands,’ he thought. ’The man really is capable.’

Filled with respect, Liu Lang also began to ponder the matter of burning the Three Towns.

’It has to seem authentic, enough for the Xiao Family to take precautions when they get the news, but not so much that they doubt its veracity.’

’It’s difficult, but at the same time, not so difficult.’

’The key is finding the right people for the job.’

Suddenly, Liu Lang thought of someone: Black Tooth, the man who had brought him from the Northern Desert to Shu State in the first place.

’With his money-grubbing nature, he’d never refuse such a ’lucrative’ opportunity.’

...

As expected.

After Chen Yi left Hundred Herbs Hall, several unidentified individuals began to tail him.

He had to waste some time using the lingering crowds in the West Market to shake them.

By the time he had changed his clothes at the safe house and removed his disguise, the sky had grown completely dark.

’Looks like I’ll have to ask Wang Ji to find another house,’ Chen Yi thought. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

With that thought, Chen Yi returned to the streets of the West Market, blending into the somewhat crowded throng and heading for the exit.

It was just past five in the evening. The streets of the West Market were still lined with vendors, mostly selling cheap rouge, powder, and jewelry.

They attracted the attention of maids and plainly dressed women, who stopped to browse.

The occasional food stall was also surrounded by people.

There were sizzling, greasy fried rice cakes and roasted game that, while not elegantly presented, filled the air with a mouth-watering aroma.

It was enough to make the stomach of Chen Yi, who had yet to eat dinner, rumble in protest.

Helpless, he stopped an old man selling candied hawthorns on a stick and bought one to whet his appetite.

It would serve as a pre-dinner snack.

Just as Chen Yi started eating on his way back to the Xiao Family residence, he suddenly spotted two people not far off, and a peculiar expression crossed his face.

The two were none other than Chen Yunfan and Cui Qingwu.

Faintly, he could overhear their conversation.

"Yunfan, I heard the owner of Hundred Herbs Hall made an appearance today. His name is Chen Yu."

"Chen... Heh. To think he shares a surname with me."

"Hm?"

"Do you think it’s him, Qingwu?"

"Doesn’t seem like it."

"I don’t think so either. Ning Yu saw him before and said he was just an ordinary person with no training in Martial Arts."

"Oh, but he didn’t look ordinary. His clothes and bearing clearly marked him as someone from a prominent family."

"I suppose..."

Listening to their back-and-forth, Chen Yi’s mouth twitched. How could he not know they were talking about him?

What he couldn’t figure out was why they were together now. Chen Yunfan had clearly been unhappy with their engagement, and he and Cui Qingwu had seemed to be a couple in name only.

So why were they now together, united against a common enemy—him, the owner of Hundred Herbs Hall?

After a moment’s thought, realization dawned on Chen Yi. ’Immortal Drunk.’

Cui Qingwu had been afflicted with Immortal Drunk last night, yet here she was in the West Market today. She had clearly used the antidote he had given to Chen Yunfan.

And just like that, the two of them had a common "enemy."

Thinking this, Chen Yi ducked his head, pretended not to see them, and took a detour to leave the West Market from another direction.

What he didn’t know was that his every move had been spotted by Ning Yu and Huan’er, who were following a few steps behind Chen Yunfan.

Huan’er snorted in displeasure. "Why is he everywhere? That live-in son-in-law of the Xiao Family."

"We ran into him at Fengchun Building before, and now we see him again in the West Market."

Ning Yu glanced at her, then watched Chen Yi walk away before saying flatly:

"Your young mistress was able to wake up so quickly thanks to one of Young Master Yi’s physicians."

"You..."

Huan’er’s face stiffened, and she turned her head away.

Clearly, she was still holding a grudge over Chen Yi’s veiled insults the other day.

Ning Yu paid her no mind. After a moment’s thought, she leaned in and whispered a few words to Chen Yunfan.

"Hm?"

"Brother Yi was just in the West Market, and he saw me?"

Chen Yunfan stopped in his tracks and looked back into the distance.

Amid the bustling crowd, he naturally spotted Chen Yi’s figure.

It wasn’t that his eyesight was particularly sharp; rather, Chen Yi’s unhurried gait and ramrod-straight posture were too distinctive.

Even in the dim light of night and surrounded by a dense crowd, he still exuded a hint of an extraordinary aura.

After a moment of silence.

Chen Yunfan gave a wry smile. He didn’t chase after him, instead turning to continue deeper into the West Market.

Cui Qingwu had also seen Chen Yi. She caught up to Chen Yunfan and mused aloud:

"Compared to you and me, Chen Yi has changed more over the years."

A smile played on Chen Yunfan’s lips. "Qingzhou has indeed changed a lot."

"It seems marrying into the Xiao Family has made him give up any ambition for fame and fortune. He’s much more low-key now."

Cui Qingwu nodded thoughtfully, her mind drifting back to their encounter at Tingyu Pavilion and, naturally, to Chen Yi’s veiled insults.

"One thing that hasn’t changed is his silver tongue."

"You mean ’sharp-tongued,’ don’t you?"

"Yes, but you didn’t have to be so blunt about it, Yunfan."

"Haha! It’s because I agree his tongue is unforgiving. Even I..."

Chen Yunfan immediately launched into a rambling account of his various encounters with Chen Yi in Shu State.

To say they were like diamond cutting diamond would be no exaggeration.

Seeing how animated he was, Cui Qingwu listened attentively.

But as he spoke, she realized that Chen Yunfan wasn’t truly annoyed with Chen Yi. On the contrary, it was just like when they were children.

"Yunfan, do you remember when I visited the Chen Mansion when we were ten?"

"How could I forget? You brought a whole entourage, including that younger brother of yours. He was dreadfully dull."

"I’m not talking about him. I’m talking about how you and your brothers got punished because of Chen Yi."

Cui Qingwu paused, looking at the grinning Chen Yunfan.

"If I remember correctly, while everyone else was blaming Chen Yi, you not only spoke up for him but also taught your cousins a lesson for it."

"That... Well, we’re brothers, after all. And Qingzhou, he..."

"Ah, what’s the point of bringing that up? It’s all ancient history."

Chen Yunfan brushed the topic aside, pointing to a nearby shop with renewed interest.

"Come on, let’s go buy some rouge."

"Chun Ying is still at the mansion helping me with my work. I should get her a little reward."

Cui Qingwu paused, a hint of fond exasperation in her eyes as she watched his retreating back.

’He never knows how to act seriously.’