Tingyu Pavilion was the study Chen Yunfan had specially set up in this three-courtyard residence after arriving in Shu State.

The name was elegant, the decor was elegant, and the style was very refined.

This was especially true on rainy days.

When rainwater slid down the roof tiles, it would strike the bamboo chimes under the eaves, creating a series of crisp sounds.

In his own words, if his scholarship was lacking, he had to make up for it in other areas.

However, while it certainly had style...

...when the rain actually came, the sound of the bamboo chimes outside the study was incessant.

Never mind Chen Yunfan; even the calm and steady Chun Ying found it noisy.

This was especially true when she was handling official Government Office business for Chen Yunfan. Listening to the bamboo chimes outside while seeing Chen Yunfan lying on a daybed on the other side of the room, reading a play, her face immediately filled with resentment.

"Young Master, could you at least glance at some of these official documents and decrees?"

Without lifting his head, Chen Yunfan slowly turned a page and said in a lazy tone:

"You’re the ’White-robed Minister.’ You can even make sense of the situation in Great Wei. Handling a little official business like this is naturally no problem for you."

That might be true, but things couldn’t go on like this forever.

Chun Ying helplessly picked up the register she had just finished with, walked over, and said:

"Young Master, you can ignore the others, but this one, you really must take a look."

Chen Yunfan glanced sideways at her. Seeing her serious expression, he took it with one hand. "The Dingyuan Army’s summer harvest has been stored. The Three Towns yielded a total of 2,130,000 shi of grain."

"This year’s harvest is pretty good. Based on the standard of one shi of grain per month, the Dingyuan Soldiers will have enough to last until the end of the year."

Chun Ying said, "The Governor’s Office needs to supervise the Commandant’s Office in allocating the grain and have two hundred thousand shi delivered to Shu State Prefecture City for storage."

Chen Yunfan tossed the register aside and pouted. "What does that have to do with me? It’s a thankless job. Whoever wants to do it can go ahead."

Chun Ying started to speak, then hesitated. "Young Master, you are the Assistant Governor now. This is your responsibility."

Chen Yunfan turned his head away. "I’m not going. The Xiao Family submitted twelve memorials to the Imperial Court this year requesting grain, and the court didn’t give them any."

"Now that they finally have grain, they’re definitely not going to hand it over. Why would I go looking for trouble with them? Am I that bored?"

"But..."

"No buts. The way I got this Assistant Governor position was fishy. It’s better to be low-key and cautious."

Seeing that he wouldn’t budge, Chun Ying stopped trying to persuade him. She took the register and returned to her desk to handle other official matters.

Chen Yunfan, on the other hand, went back to his play, letting out a few laughs from time to time, clearly having reached an amusing part.

Just then, a sharp thwack echoed through the room.

THWACK.

The two turned to look and saw an arrow stuck quivering in the wall.

Chen Yunfan looked outside, frowning slightly, and cursed under his breath, "These gutter-dwelling Hidden Guards really think my place is their own backyard."

Hearing this, Chun Ying walked over, removed the arrow, and took out a slip of paper from it. After a glance, she said, "Young Master, it’s a message from the Hawk."

Chen Yunfan looked away from the window and took the note. "The Illusory Sound Sect has reappeared. The Shu State Liu Family intends to move against Hundred Herbs Hall to suppress the Xiao Family Medicine Hall."

A single sentence, with a start and a finish.

And yet, it had neither.

Chen Yunfan thought for a moment, then started cursing. "Why the hell are they giving me this information?"

"If they want to deal with the Xiao Family, they should just let the Illusory Sound Sect make their move."

"And if they don’t, are they planning to use me to pass the message to the Xiao Family?"

Upon hearing this, Chun Ying’s expression shifted slightly. "The Liu Family of Shu State is a branch of the Liu Clan of Jing State."

"But because of Liu Hong, the Left Envoy of the Governor’s Office, the Jing State Liu Clan is subtly losing control over this branch..." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Chen Yunfan interrupted, "And? So the Hidden Guard is also unhappy with the Shu State Liu?"

Chun Ying analyzed, "They likely hope to use the Xiao Family to weaken the Shu State Liu Family."

After a pause, she continued, "Young Master, the Xiao Family actually suspected long ago that the Illusory Sound Sect, which stole the medicinal ingredients, was connected to several of the Noble Families in Shu State."

"On top of that, Liu Jing—Liu Huanzhi—the legitimate Sixth Young Master of the Jing State Liu Clan, opened Linglan Pavilion right next to several of the Xiao Family’s Medicine Halls."

"The Xiao Family Punishment Hall must be watching the Shu State Liu, Liu Jing, and the others."

"I just don’t understand Elder Master Xiao’s plan. He doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to make a move."

After listening, Chen Yunfan said thoughtfully, "Given the Xiao Family’s current situation, I guess the Old Marquis wants to see just who all is involved."

"It wasn’t hard to see from his previous birthday banquet. The Old Marquis has already prepared to be the Xiao Family’s final line of defense."

"For a man like him who has spent his life on horseback, his final counterattack before death will surely be earth-shattering. Naturally, he needs to find a suitable target."

Chun Ying seemed to have a realization. "The people in Shu State must be worried about that too."

Chen Yunfan nodded. "But it seems the Hidden Guard’s ambitions in Shu State are not small, either."

Chun Ying had come to the same conclusion.

If they were only targeting the Xiao Family, the Hidden Guard would have chosen to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, not to stick their oar in.

"What do you plan to do, Young Master?"

"Nothing. Let them fight their battles. I’ll mind my own business."

As he spoke, Chen Yunfan’s palm trembled slightly, and the slip of paper disintegrated into tiny fragments, which were then blown out of the study by the wind.

He looked out at the rainy night and snorted. "As if the Hidden Guard is worthy of ordering me around."

Chun Ying opened her mouth but was speechless for a moment.

The words of persuasion she was about to say died on her lips.

Chen Yunfan didn’t care what she thought. Now that he had a grasp of the situation, he lay back down and continued reading his play.

He would let out a chuckle or two from time to time.

After a moment of thought, Chun Ying tried a new approach. "Young Master, Young Master Yi is now the Shopkeeper of Jishi Medicine Hall."

"I heard that most of the tea drinks that Hundred Herbs Hall supplies to the Xiao Family Medicine Hall are sold through Young Master Yi."

"If something happens to Hundred Herbs Hall, I’m afraid it will affect Young Master Yi as well."

Chen Yunfan’s smile froze. He fell silent for a moment, then abruptly sat up, his expression turning serious.

"Chun Ying, you have a point. I really shouldn’t just do nothing."

Chun Ying was just starting to feel pleased when she heard him say, "How about we go rescue Hundred Herbs Hall in secret?"

"Er..."

"Think about it. If Brother Yi finds out in the future that it was me who rescued Hundred Herbs Hall, allowing him, the Shopkeeper, to continue his business peacefully, won’t he be grateful to me?"

"He should be..."

Chen Yunfan raised an eyebrow. "You think so too, right? Then it’s decided."

"For the next two days, have those bastards keep an eye on the Liu Family and see when they make their move."

Chen Yunfan muttered to himself for a bit, then chuckled. "As expected of me."

"Just you wait. I will reassert my authority as the elder brother and let Brother Yi know what ’an elder brother is like a father’ truly means!"

"...As long as you’re happy, Young Master."

’As expected,’ Chun Ying thought, ’when it comes to Young Master Yi, the Young Master is always very attentive.’

...

「Xiao Family, Spring Lotus Garden.」

"The rain keeps falling, the atmosphere isn’t exactly harmonious..."

Having finished his Cultivation, Chen Yi stood in a pavilion in a good mood, watching the rain strike the pond and willows.

Although he still hadn’t obtained a suitable True Essence Cultivation technique, by relying on his Mastery Level Black Tortoise Concealment Technique, his Cultivation had reached the Middle Eighth Grade.

Of the twelve main meridians in his body, besides the four in his hands and feet, he had opened another four in succession, causing the True Essence within the two great Seas of Qi—his Dantian and his chest—to become much more abundant.

Not only had his Punch, Step, and Spear Techniques benefited, but his Medical Dao, Calligraphy Dao, and Chess Dao had also improved.

For example, the Acupuncture Skills "Controlling Needle with Qi" and "Meridian Continuation" both required True Essence to support them.

The same was true for the Calligraphy Dao Realm of Beauty and Grace.

Even the Evolutionary Chess Game in the Way of Chess Dao had become clearer and more distinct.

The effects of True Essence were truly profound.

’But not having a True Essence Cultivation technique isn’t a long-term solution.’

With this in mind, Chen Yi planned to have Wang Ji acquire a manual from other channels tomorrow and start practicing with it.

Martial Arts may have been popular in the Great Wei Dynasty, but top-tier Martial Arts—that is, Cultivation Techniques of Earth Level and above—were rarely seen.

They were mostly controlled by the Imperial Court, Noble Families, and Sects.

The Cultivation Techniques that circulated among the public were either incomplete or of a lower grade, making cultivation inefficient.

This was why Chen Yi had been waiting patiently.

He was hoping for a Celestial Level or Earth Level intelligence report that would reward him with a True Essence Cultivation technique.

One and done.

Unfortunately, all the intelligence reports these past few days had been Yellow Level; he hadn’t even seen a single Profound Level one.

He sat for a while, until the hour of Zi—

[Daily Intelligence · Profound-rank Top Grade: Half past the hour of Zi, Hidden Guards are discussing important matters inside Four Directions Hall. A small amount of Opportunity can be obtained.]

A fluorescent light flashed and disappeared.

After reading it, Chen Yi shot to his feet and looked in the direction of Jiaxing Garden.

’Half past the hour of Zi... that’s in an hour.’

’Hidden Guards discussing important matters in Four Directions Hall... Xiao Dongchen?’

’Who’s the other person?’

’But Four Directions Hall...’

’It wasn’t a problem that Jiaxing Garden was between it and my Spring Lotus Garden. The issue was that Shen Huatang was in the residence now, so he couldn’t just hop over the wall like last time.’

’But he didn’t want to give up on a Profound Level intelligence report he had waited so long for.’

’Even just a few glances from afar could yield a significant reward.’

With that in mind, Chen Yi called up his panel.

[Opportunity: 147]

After a moment’s thought, Chen Yi added the Opportunity points to his "Martial Arts Step," raising it to the Great Success Realm.

’To get past Jiaxing Garden silently, even the powder Miss Pei gave me would be useless. My only chance is to improve my Body Technique as much as possible.’

’And if I’m unlucky enough to be discovered... well, it’s a long night, and I can’t sleep. There’s nothing wrong with taking a walk, right?’

With his previous experiences, he suppressed the Profound Mysteries of the Great Success "Martial Arts Step" in his mind before they could even make a splash.

Immediately after, Chen Yi began practicing the Meteor Butterfly Step inside the pavilion, absorbing the Profound Mysteries of the "Martial Arts Step" at the same time.

His figure flickered unpredictably, like a black butterfly flitting about under the cover of the rainy night.

A quarter of an hour later.

[Successfully practiced Step Technique · Meteor Butterfly Step (Earth Tier). Level: Mastery]

Chen Yi stopped and slowly calmed the True Essence in his body.

He glanced at the falling rain, then at his clothes, and immediately returned to his room to change into a long black robe.

Without a moment’s delay, Chen Yi used the Meteor Butterfly Step to flit away from Spring Lotus Garden like a phantom, heading toward Four Directions Hall.

To avoid Shen Huatang, whose Cultivation had reached the Fifth Grade, he even took a deliberate detour.

He also dodged every one of the Xiao Family Armored Warriors he encountered along the way.

After about a quarter of an hour, Chen Yi finally arrived outside Four Directions Hall.

He listened intently for a moment. Following his memory from his previous visit, he leaped to another spot that was not illuminated by the lights of Four Directions Hall.

Seeing no one around, he let out a long breath.

Then, Chen Yi observed his surroundings.

Fortunately, the rain provided cover, and the shadows in the courtyard were blurry and indistinct.

’But obviously, in this kind of environment, the Hidden Guards wouldn’t be having their discussion outside.’

Who would have thought that just as this idea crossed his mind, he would see Xiao Dongchen walk out of the wooden building.

Following behind him was one of the Xiao Family’s Personal Guard, clad in armor.

Chen Yi froze for a second, then quickly hid himself and used the Black Tortoise Concealment Technique to conceal his aura, fixing his gaze on them.

’Liu Si’er?’