Chapter 203: Chapter 185: The Dagger is Revealed

The dagger was revealed.

Chen Yi knew before he arrived that to get Liu Wen to join this deal midway through, he would have to give him several powerful reasons.

The Liu Family’s schemes and plots against the Xiao Family were one.

Elder Master Xiao’s humiliation of Liu Wen was another.

But these weren’t enough to make Liu Wen join in after weighing the pros and cons.

After much thought, he realized the only thing that could truly tempt Liu Wen was the position of Patriarch of the Jing State Liu Family.

Only by making Liu Wen believe that succeeding in this venture would elevate his prestige and status within the Liu Family would he be willing to take such a risk.

As these thoughts ran through his mind, Chen Yi said in a level tone:

"The other Financier is only interested in revenge against the Xiao Family. There isn’t much personal gain for him, and he has no wish to reveal his identity."

"If you were to join, he would be more than happy to remain in the shadows and let you take full credit for everything."

Seeing Liu Wen was tempted, Chen Yi lowered his voice slightly. "If you don’t wish to participate, that’s fine too. Just pretend I was never here tonight."

"But if you try to claim a piece of this monumental achievement afterward, the price will be far more than a mere six hundred thousand silver coins."

"It is up to you to weigh your options, Young Master Liu."

With that, Chen Yi rose to his feet, ready to depart.

Seeing this, a ruthless, decisive smile spread across Liu Wen’s face. He raised a hand to stop him.

"This deal... I will take part!"

’Success.’

Chen Yi relaxed internally, but his eyes, hidden beneath the black iron mask, remained impassive. He nodded.

"I believe that when you become the Patriarch of the Liu Family, Young Master Liu, you will be grateful for the decision you’ve made today."

"Heh, haha... I was thinking the exact same thing!"

Following that, Chen Yi struck while the iron was hot, settling with Liu Wen the amount of silver coins required to join the venture.

The amount was exactly three hundred thousand silver coins.

Although it pained him to part with the money, Liu Wen readily agreed when he recalled that Xinglin Hall had prepared a million silver coins for his trip to Shu State.

"I will have my men prepare the silver coins tomorrow. I trust Elder Black Tooth will arrive on time to collect them."

"Of course. The arrangements for the deal are already underway."

"With your silver coins, I can recruit more experts from the Jianghu. We’ll see results within ten days."

"Excellent..."

After they discussed more details about burning the summer grain in the Three Towns, Liu Wen became completely convinced of the deal’s viability.

He never imagined Black Tooth and his men would be so daring.

Nor did he expect Bright Moon Building to have such extensive reach.

They even had an informant within the Dingyuan Army.

With the added support of people like Elder Demon Fang and Elder Demon Jia, the deal’s chances of success were over sixty percent.

For him, it was merely a matter of spending a bit more silver.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Chen Yi and Liu Lang left the wooden building one after another, vanishing silently into the rainy night.

As Liu Wen watched them depart, a smile slowly blossomed across his effeminate face.

He imagined the chaos that would engulf the Xiao Family, the shock that would ripple through his own Liu Family, and the praise they would shower upon him. He laughed maniacally in his heart.

Even the anger from Elder Master Xiao’s earlier humiliation had largely dissipated.

"Once this succeeds... once this succeeds, haha..."

"The Liu Family will be mine!"

"And the Xiao Family will be mine too!"

Chen Yi didn’t need to guess to know exactly what Liu Wen was thinking.

An ambitious man like Liu Wen could never refuse such a monumental temptation.

Compared to personally throwing the Xiao Family into chaos and winning the praise of the Liu Family’s elders, those three hundred thousand silver coins were nothing.

Liu Lang, who was beside him, was not nearly as calm.

Even though he already knew how formidable his boss was, he couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of awe at this moment.

First, he had impersonated one of Liu Wen’s subordinates to visit Bright Moon Building, casually dispelling Black Tooth’s suspicions and successfully getting in on the deal.

Then, he had impersonated Black Tooth to invite Liu Wen to join.

They seemed like two simple steps, but in reality, the slightest misstep in any detail would have brought the entire plan crashing down.

Liu Lang, at least, knew that if he were in Chen Yi’s shoes, he could never have pulled it off.

It required brains and nerve, neither of which could be lacking.

Furthermore, it required a vast amount of information and a deep understanding of people like Liu Wen and Black Tooth.

Add to that the ability to react under pressure...

In a word—Liu Lang was impressed.

After taking a winding route back to the residence on Chuansi Street, Liu Lang could no longer hold back.

"Boss, you’ve truly opened my eyes today."

"No matter how worldly and experienced that Liu Wen thinks he is, you had him running in circles."

"And Black Tooth, haha... I can just imagine his reaction when he finds out. It’s bound to be priceless."

Chen Yi ignored him and sat directly down in the Grandmaster’s Chair, his mind finally able to relax.

Seeing this, Liu Lang set aside his admiration, sat down beside him, and asked with a smile, "Boss, what are your orders?"

This time, he was truly impressed.

He wasn’t asking because of the thirty tasks he had promised Chen Yi before, but because he genuinely wanted to help him.

Chen Yi glanced at him, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he pondered. "Did you say just now that the person from the Five Poison Sect would be visiting Liu Zhaoxue again tonight?"

Liu Lang nodded. "That’s what he said last night."

"Then go and do some eavesdropping. See what the Five Poison Sect and Liu Zhaoxue are planning."

"Right."

As Liu Lang stood up, Chen Yi added a reminder, "Be careful. You should change your attire. Don’t let Liu Wen notice anything is amiss."

"Don’t worry, Boss..."

After he left, Chen Yi let out a long sigh of relief.

He had appeared calm and composed throughout the entire affair, but in truth, he had been under immense pressure, constantly worried that something unexpected might happen.

Fortunately, his preparations had been thorough enough to convince Liu Wen to agree.

But looking back on it now, Chen Yi felt a pang of gratitude for his good fortune.

First, he was thankful for Elder Master Xiao’s public humiliation of Liu Wen during the day.

Second, he was thankful for the information Liu Lang had overheard the previous night.

If he hadn’t learned from Liu Lang about Liu Zhaoxue’s cooperation with the Five Poison Sect, Chen Yi wouldn’t have been so sure about the fierce competition for the Patriarch title among Liu Wen’s generation.

A short while later, after Zhang Dabao had helped him remove his disguise, Chen Yi gave a few instructions and headed back to the Xiao Family estate.

By now, it was late into the night.

The rain had grown heavier.

The pitter-patter of raindrops echoed all over Chuansi Street, where not a single soul could be seen.

Even the members of the City Guard Army and the Imprisonment Department on night patrol were nowhere to be seen.

Though Chen Yi was mentally drained, he was in a pleasant mood.

After tonight, his scheme was mostly complete. All that remained was to wait for it to bear fruit.

’By my calculations, Tiger Girl should have met with Xiao Jinghong by now.’

’I wonder what Xiao Jinghong will do after reading that letter. I just hope she can remain composed despite her anger.’

’If she recklessly returns to Shu State and confronts Black Tooth and his men directly, she’ll just ruin everything.’

’At least let me get my hands on that three hundred thousand silver coins before she makes a move.’

Musing on this, Chen Yi tilted his bamboo hat up slightly to look at the overcast night sky, a faint smile touching his lips.

’After all, there’s still Xiao Dongchen to deal with...’

Just then, the sound of a few gong strikes echoed through Chuansi Street.

Midnight—

[Daily Intel - Profound-rank Top Grade: At 10:45 PM, a Hidden Guard will receive a secret letter at the tailor shop in the West Market. A small Opportunity may be gained.]

’A secret letter?’

’A letter arriving at this hour...’

’It must be the reply to the letter that Lady Tiger and the others sent.’

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow slightly, made a mental note of the matter, and returned to Spring Lotus Garden without delay.

After changing his clothes, he rested for a moment before sitting cross-legged on his bed to begin his Cultivation of the Four Symbols Skill.

At last, his mind could relax completely.

’Now, we’ll see if Madame can keep her composure.’