Chapter 248: Chapter 202: What’s to Fear? A Beating at Most (Part 2)

Fortunately, he’d found some things tonight. The crime was serious, but not a capital offense.

Xiao Jinghong paid his thoughts no mind. After stowing the letter and the Jade Pendant, he took Liu Wen’s body and headed straight for the Shu State Prefecture City.

The events of tonight were too significant. They involved not only Xiao Dongchen of the Xiao Family’s second branch but also a young master from the Jing State Liu Family.

Furthermore, the summer grain in Iron Wall Town had been burned, and there were still people with unknown motives hiding in the shadows.

For both official and personal reasons, Xiao Jinghong had to meet with the Old Marquis to discuss and decide on the next steps.

"We must get to the bottom of this!"

... 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

「Yin Hour, Fourth Quarter.」

Chen Yi had just arrived at the Spring Rain Building with Liu Lang, carrying Lou Yuxue in his arms.

The round trip had taken no more than four shichen—eight hours—but so much had happened in that time that he couldn’t help but feel mentally drained.

Therefore, after returning to the quiet room, Chen Yi didn’t stand on ceremony. He had Liu Lang fetch a basin of cold water and splash it on Lou Yuxue.

"COUGH, COUGH..."

Lou Yuxue woke up instantly. She scanned her surroundings, her eyes locking onto Chen Yi as she said angrily:

"You bastard, why did you knock me out?"

Chen Yi sat calmly in his chair. Waving for Liu Lang to go stand guard outside, he replied:

"You talk too much. It’s annoying."

Lou Yuxue: "..."

Liu Lang, who hadn’t yet left the quiet room, couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

"Boss, you really don’t know how to be gentle with a lady."

Chen Yi shot him a glare. "Get lost, and be quick about it."

"Right away."

After Liu Lang left, Lou Yuxue suppressed her anger and asked, "What was the final situation over there?"

Chen Yi didn’t hide it from her. "The summer grain in Iron Wall Town was burned, the Young Master Liu is dead, and those from the Evil Demonic Dao and a few soldiers didn’t make it out either."

Lou Yuxue’s eyes narrowed. "You killed all of them, didn’t you?"

Chen Yi nodded with a sigh. "It wouldn’t be good for people to know that I’m the one who killed Second Young Master Liu."

"Then aren’t you afraid I’ll leak it?"

"Of course I am. That’s why I gave you a share of the silver. Otherwise, all thirty thousand taels of gold would have been mine."

"...Despicable! Shameless!"

It was no wonder Lou Yuxue was grinding her teeth at Chen Yi.

This time, she and Ge the Third had invested a great deal, especially in those Iron Banner Officers hidden within the Dingyuan Army.

Even if it wasn’t all of them, it still laid waste to years of their hard work.

But after such a huge loss, they only ended up with a fifty-percent share in the end—about one hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver.

That was one thing.

But for this bastard to pin the blame for tonight’s events on the White Tiger Guard—how could she not be furious?

Chen Yi more or less guessed her thoughts and chuckled. "I’d say we’re two of a kind."

"Who’s ’we’ with you?"

"We went to Iron Wall Town together, we killed Liu Wen and the others together. How could that not be a ’we’?"

"You, you, you... I, I, I... I’ll fight you to the death!"

Seeing Lou Yuxue charge at him in a rage, Chen Yi shook his head, and a Fist Intent as heavy as a mountain pressed down on her.

WHAP.

Caught off guard, Lou Yuxue fell flat on the ground.

But this only made her struggle more furiously. "Let me go!"

"You’re the one who did all those things, yet you want me to take the fall for you! You, how can you be so shameless?!"

Chen Yi grinned. "Miss Yuxue, compared to the storms your White Tiger Guard has been stirring up in Shu State, what I’ve done is nothing."

"Besides, after today, you can be considered an ally of my Jing State Liu Family’s Third Miss. That’s to your advantage."

Lou Yuxue struggled to lift her head, staring at him and asking through gritted teeth, "But are you really a member of the Liu Family?"

Chen Yi said without a hint of a blush, "Guaranteed genuine."

Using the Jing State Liu Family to occupy the Hidden Guard’s attention was also one of his goals.

In short, he needed to get them to fight amongst themselves, to keep those two factions from having the free time to specifically target the Xiao Family.

Of course, Lou Yuxue couldn’t possibly believe him completely. She snorted, "I don’t care who you are. As long as I’m alive, I will never let you go."

Chen Yi smiled and said, "Miss Yuxue, it’s a bit too early to be saying that."

"Who knows? Maybe in a while, I’ll turn over a new leaf and join the White Tiger Guard, becoming one of your ’own people’?"

"Even then, I wouldn’t let you off the hook!"

Chen Yi pursed his lips. "Suit yourself. I..."

Just as he was about to say something more, several lines of dazzling, brilliant gold text suddenly appeared before his eyes:

[Witnessed Bright Moon Building’s Black Tooth gathering practitioners of the Evil Demonic Dao to collude with the Great Wei Dynasty’s White Tiger Guard in burning the summer grain of three Shu State Border Towns. Reward: Dragon-Falling Spear Technique’s grade elevated to Celestial Tier, Opportunity +433.]

[Evaluation: Arrived in person, heard the commotion, witnessed the event.]

[Collaborated with Xiao Jinghong to foil Black Tooth and the White Tiger Guard’s plot against the summer grain in the Cang Lang and Profound Armor towns, indirectly slaying Black Tooth and other Evil Demons.

Plotted against Liu Wen and slew him. Framed Xiao Dongchen, sabotaging all of the White Tiger Guard’s plots.

Performance—Commendable.]

Chen Yi read it carefully, a smile appearing on his face.

’Commendable, huh? That’s rare.’

But aside from the evaluation and rewards, he was even happier that Xiao Jinghong hadn’t disappointed him.

Not only was Black Tooth dead, but the summer grain in Profound Armor and Cang Lang towns hadn’t suffered any losses. The outcome wasn’t too terrible.

If one also factored in the three hundred thousand silver coins he had left for the Xiao Family, it was enough to cover the losses in Iron Wall Town with a considerable surplus.

"Not bad, not bad..."

Seeing him suddenly start laughing, Lou Yuxue asked, bewildered, "What crooked scheme are you cooking up now, you bastard?"

Chen Yi glanced at her, then retracted his True Fist Dao Intent and said, "You should go get your silver."

Lou Yuxue felt the pressure on her body disappear. She shot to her feet, about to strike, when she heard Chen Yi continue:

"Lord Lady Tiger, you wouldn’t want to end up with nothing, would you?"

Lou Yuxue’s delicate fist stopped right before his face. Staring at his detestable expression, she gritted out, "Just you wait!"

Seeing her turn and leave, Chen Yi reminded her unhurriedly:

"Lord Lady Tiger, one hundred and fifty thousand taels... oh, I almost forgot. That ten thousand taels I gave to Black Tooth earlier? I’ll be taking that back, too."