After writing another list for Liu Lang to bring back the medicinal herbs, Chen Yi sent Wang Ji and Zhang Dabao back.

Afterward, he deactivated his Black Tortoise Concealing Breath and listened intently to the sounds around him.

Once he confirmed there were only commoners nearby, he slowly began to practice a set of the Mountain Shattering Fist.

Not for Cultivation, but simply to stretch his muscles.

Outside, the sky was still blanketed by dark clouds.

However, the thunder and lightning had ceased, and the rain had lightened considerably.

A series of dripping sounds echoed through the modest residence.

Some were from the rain striking the roof tiles, others from water dripping off the eaves and onto the stone pavers below.

It added a touch of life to the surrounding quiet.

Chen Yi, however, paid them no mind. The sounds didn’t even register.

He simply practiced the Mountain Shattering Fist in the dimly lit room, his mind occupied with what was to come.

The Jing State Liu Family was quite powerful.

Although the Xiao Family was not afraid of them, they wouldn’t want to provoke a head-on conflict.

And vice versa.

The Liu Family wouldn’t dare to move against the Xiao Family openly.

It was just like before, when the Liu Family’s people didn’t dare operate under the banner of Xinglin Hall, opening Linglan Pavilion instead.

Their only goal was to test the waters.

They weren’t just testing the Xiao Family’s circumstances, but also Liu Hong in Shu State.

One was overt, the other covert, that was all.

If Liu Jing hadn’t shown up at their door, the closing of Linglan Pavilion would have signaled the end of the Jing State Liu Family’s probing, and nothing more would have come of it.

But the end of their probing didn’t mean there would be no follow-up.

That’s why Hundred Herbs Hall had to stay open and become a major asset to the Xiao Family.

Publicly, however, it was best for Hundred Herbs Hall to only maintain its cooperation with the Xiao Family in Shu State Prefecture City. In other prefectures and counties, the Xiao Family needed to remain in the shadows.

’Xiao Wan’er probably can’t make this decision on her own. I suspect the Old Master will have to get involved.’

Having deduced this much, Chen Yi knew that the Liu Family’s influence over the Xiao Family in Shu State was now limited to just one person: Left Governor Liu Hong.

After some thought, he decided to stick with his original plan for now: try to have Yang Ye act as a shield.

It would undoubtedly involve some complications.

’Then there are those Hidden Guards.’

As Chen Yi mulled these things over, his mind gradually relaxed, yet his Fist Technique grew ever sharper.

With his Martial Arts Fist having reached Great Success, both his Mountain Shattering Fist and Hundred Flowers Palm had also reached the level of Mastery, their power far surpassing what it once was.

This was especially true for the Mountain Shattering Fist.

Combined with the Mental Realm of Great Success in Fist Dao, every single move could overwhelm an opponent with sheer Fist Force.

Coupled with his solid foundation and his Power reaching the Realm of Symbols Power, any Martial Artist with lesser Cultivation wouldn’t even be able to withstand a single punch.

The Hundred Flowers Palm, on the other hand, leaned toward agility, its Fist Intent centered on nimble and unpredictable movements.

A single palm strike, a blur of feints and reality, made it impossible for an opponent to discern the true direction of the attack.

The combination of the two was enough for him to handle any Martial Artist in the Lower Three Grades Realm.

Even against the Middle Three Grades... or rather, against a Martial Artist at the Sixth Grade Realm, he could still put up a fight.

It was just like with Cui Qingwu that night.

When her Dao Realm was inferior to his, he was able to escape even though her Cultivation was an entire major Realm higher.

But if an opponent was at the Fifth Grade and had also achieved Great Success in their Dao Realm, he would be completely outmatched.

Just then, Chen Yi’s ears twitched. He heard undisguised footsteps approaching from outside the door.

He immediately ceased his practice, calmed his mind, and activated the Black Tortoise Concealment Technique to hide his internal aura.

Soon, the footsteps drew near.

Liu Lang, dressed in a raincoat and bamboo hat, pushed the door open. A long blade hung at his waist, and he carried a dozen or so packets of herbs in his hands.

He glanced at Chen Yi, who was seated at the head of the room, placed the packets of herbs to the side, and bowed with cupped fists.

"We meet again, Boss Chen."

Chen Yi gave a slight nod and gestured for him to sit down and speak.

Liu Lang didn’t stand on ceremony, sitting down beside him with a smile.

"If you hadn’t come today, I would’ve had Shopkeeper Wang contact you."

Chen Yi’s interest was piqued. "Any leads on that matter?" he asked.

"Leads... You could say that, yes."

Liu Lang then recounted everything he had done the previous night for Chen Yi, holding nothing back.

He explained the local power dynamics in Shu State—the so-called ’gods, buddhas, and demons’ you have to appease at the wharf—and his meeting with Black Tooth of the Bright Moon Building.

From what he said, the Bright Moon Building was some kind of intelligence network. They weren’t considered a righteous faction in the Jianghu, but you couldn’t simply classify them as part of the Evil Demonic Dao either.

At this, Liu Lang paused, a strange look on his face.

"Originally, I intended to put on a full performance, getting Black Tooth to find some men to head to the Three Towns. I never expected someone else to contact him, wanting to actually burn them down."

"And they offered a very high price. Black Tooth didn’t say so outright, but I’m guessing it was at least ten thousand taels of gold."

Chen Yi frowned, mentally noting the names Black Tooth and Bright Moon Building. "When was this?" he asked.

"The night before last, I believe."

’The night before last... The Hidden Guard?’

’But could the Hidden Guard come up with ten thousand taels of gold?’

Ten thousand taels of gold is equivalent to about a hundred thousand taels of silver. An ordinary person could never afford that.

’Even Xiao Dongchen and Ge the Third combined couldn’t possibly come up with that kind of money.’

’Not unless Cui Qingwu herself was involved.’

’But that doesn’t seem right either.’

The Hidden Guard belongs to the Imperial Court; they have their own procedures, subordinates, and resources.

For a clandestine operation like ’burning the summer grain in the Three Towns,’ it’s highly unlikely they would outsource the job.

This is Shu State, after all—the Shu State Prefecture City, the Xiao Family’s home turf.

Even if Black Tooth is discreet, in a place teeming with all sorts of characters, it would be impossible to keep it a secret from the Xiao Family.

The more he thought about it, the more Chen Yi felt certain the Hidden Guard would never use Black Tooth for something like this.

’Could it be someone else?’

’Who?’

’The great Noble Families of Shu State? Or the Jing State Liu Family?’

Unable to come to a conclusion, Chen Yi simply asked, "What else?"

Liu Lang grinned. "Black Tooth invited me to join in on this deal."

"Hm? You didn’t tell him you were supposed to be faking the arson?"

"It’s a good thing I didn’t. Otherwise, he never would have revealed so much."

"He may be from the Evil Demonic Dao, but when it comes to business, he always keeps his word. Otherwise, the Liu Family wouldn’t have used him as a middleman to hire me and the people from the Illusory Sound Sect."

Chen Yi understood. After a moment of thought, he asked, "So, did you agree?"

Liu Lang shook his head. "I wouldn’t dare get involved in this mess without your approval."

"This deal is extremely dangerous. Succeed or fail, it’s bound to attract Xiao Jinghong’s attention. If she gets angry, she’ll find me even if I run to the ends of the earth."

A flicker of surprise went through Chen Yi. "She can leave Shu State as she pleases?"

"An ordinary Military General couldn’t, of course. But she..."

Liu Lang stopped, leaving the rest unsaid. "Don’t ask me. I don’t dare say."

"If you get the chance, you should ask her yourself."

Chen Yi shot him a sidelong glance. "And what if I insist on knowing?"

Liu Lang opened his mouth, a pained smile on his face. "I really can’t."

"Even if you were to use that favor, I can’t go gossiping about her behind her back."

Hearing this, Chen Yi raised an eyebrow. ’My wife has secrets even I don’t know about?’

After a moment’s thought, he stopped pressing Liu Lang and changed the subject.

"In that case, agree to Black Tooth’s offer for now. Find out for me who’s behind this."

Liu Lang let out a small sigh of relief, as if the prospect of losing his head was less terrifying than facing Xiao Jinghong’s wrath.

"Does this count as the second favor?"

"It does."

"Also, I recall you mentioning you wanted to repay Xiao Jinghong for sparing your life, correct?"

"I did. Are you saying..."

Seeing he had caught on, Chen Yi nodded. "Find a way to secretly pass this information to the Xiao Family."

"Consider that the third favor I’m asking of you."

But to his surprise, Liu Lang shook his head. "Let’s not mix matters."

"If I’m passing a message to the Xiao Family, that can’t count as a favor for you."

Chen Yi let out a surprised laugh. "You’re quite the man of principle. Very trustworthy."

"A man is nothing without his word. I may roam the Jianghu and have done my share of foolish things, but when I make a promise, I see it through."

"In that case, let’s just say you’re doing two favors for me."

"Deal."

Chen Yi then asked about a few other matters.

For instance, which of the Evil Demonic Dao figures hiding in Shu State would most likely get involved.

"I’m new to Shu State, so I don’t know much about the local Jianghu. But I doubt many Evil Demons would dare linger here."

"Not many?"

"Boss, you don’t know? The Mountain Race is here in Shu State."

Liu Lang scratched his head. "Even though Granny Shan hasn’t left her mountain in a long time, very few from either the righteous or demonic paths would dare cause trouble right under her nose."

"Even the Illusory Sound Sect, when they came to plunder the Xiao Family’s herbs, they came and left in a hurry, not daring to linger."

"Only some low-life riffraff would dare hide out in Shu State. Those old monsters with profound Cultivation wouldn’t dare make a move even if they came here, for fear of breaking Granny Shan’s rules."

Chen Yi murmured her name, "Granny Shan." This was the first time he truly understood the weight of her reputation.

’No wonder when Tiger Girl poisoned the Marquis’s Mansion’s Armored Warriors and acted so recklessly, my wife only gave her a light punishment.’

After some thought, Chen Yi gave a few more instructions before dismissing Liu Lang.

After he had gone, Chen Yi waited a moment longer before changing back into his own clothes, removing his facial disguise, and heading back to the Xiao Family under an oil-paper umbrella.

Along the way, the wind howled and the rain beat down.

The stalls in the West Market were long since deserted, and there were few pedestrians about. Only the shops lining the street still had people inside.

Places like tailor shops, taverns, and inns.

But Chen Yi didn’t linger. He only took a moment to survey the area around a certain tailor shop before disappearing into the downpour.

On the way back, his thoughts were still occupied with the Hidden Guard and the mastermind behind the plot to burn down the Three Towns.

’Who could it be?’

By the time Chen Yi returned to Spring Lotus Garden, he was still no closer to an answer.

He could only pin his hopes on Liu Lang, trusting he might get a lead from Black Tooth.

Just then, Xiaodie came running up to him. She took the herbs from his hand and said:

"Young Master, you’re finally back! The Eldest Miss has already sent someone to ask about you three times."

"Oh? What about?"

"It seems many people came to visit this afternoon. Not only the Eldest Miss, but the Master also sent people to ask where you were."

Chen Yi understood and curled his lip. "Refuse all visitors. Just tell them I’m ill."

"Huh?"

"Just tell Eldest Sister that."

It was obviously about the academy. Some people were trying to get to him through the Xiao Family.

’But how could he possibly yield?’

’With so many students, just grading their Calligraphy workbooks would be enough to kill him.’

He had expected Xiaodie to return quickly so he could eat and prepare for the evening’s business.

But after waiting for quite some time, not only did Xiaodie return, but Xiao Wan’er came with her.

Behind her, Cui’er and Juan’er were even carrying some medicinal soup.

"Brother-in-law, I heard you were ill?"

"..."

’Xiaodie, what did you tell her?’