It wasn’t Liu Si’er.

The build and gait were wrong.

Chen Yi stared intently at the Armored Warrior standing beside Xiao Dongchen, a faint sense of familiarity washing over him.

It had to be an Armored Warrior he had seen and interacted with a few times.

Besides Liu Si’er, there was only Wang Lixing, Ge the Third, Yan Hong...

One by one, their images overlapped with the person before him.

Finally, it settled on one man.

Chen Yi froze, barely managing to hold back a curse.

’Damn it—Ge the Third!’

’How could it be Ge the Third?’

Over the past few days, he had suspected many people around him, even those newly hired Quack Physicians.

But he had never once suspected Ge the Third.

That bastard was usually so big and burly, with a boisterous personality that made it seem like he couldn’t keep a secret to save his life... 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

’To think he was a Hidden Guard, concealing his true identity so deeply.’

’You bastard. Just you wait!’

Chen Yi cursed under his breath, the composure he had cultivated over the past few days shattering completely.

Then, he pricked up his ears and listened carefully to their conversation.

With his current Middle Eighth Grade Cultivation, his hearing was several times sharper than an ordinary person’s, allowing him to catch snippets of sound even through the curtain of rain.

"...The Dingyuan Army has stored as much as two million stones of grain. It’s too much."

"Even if the Governor’s Office confiscates a portion of it, when you factor in the grain acquired through the salt and iron monopoly, the Dingyuan Army will still have enough to last half a year without worry."

"For me, this is an out-and-out disaster."

Xiao Dongchen’s voice was crystal clear, making Chen Yi’s heart stir.

He had, of course, heard about the summer harvest from the three military garrisons over the past few days. The Old Master had been delighted by the news for a long time.

Recalling the words "Mutual Market" from Xiao Dongchen’s previous secret letter, Chen Yi could vaguely guess what the two were meeting to discuss today.

Just then, he heard Ge the Third lower his voice. "Master Chen, it’s no use coming to me about this."

"Although we are both Silver Banner Officers, our missions are different. The Iron Banner Officers and members of the White Tiger Group we can mobilize are also different."

"Even if I did as you ask, I could only round up some local thugs or Wandering Martial Artists. They’d be useless for the ’Mutual Market matter’."

"You can’t possibly expect them to take care of Granny Shan and the Second Miss, can you?"

A moment of silence passed.

Xiao Dongchen paced over to the pavilion in the courtyard. He looked up at the rainy night sky and said in a low voice:

"I will handle the Mutual Market myself. But that grain... I need you to take care of it."

"Are you thinking..."

Ge the Third seemed to swear. "Are you out of your mind?"

Xiao Dongchen shook his head. "We both know that if the Mutual Market succeeds, the Xiao Family’s troubles will vanish in an instant."

"You can see it from the Liu Family’s recent probing."

"Even with the Old Master gravely ill, Wuge still young, and the Xiao Family barely holding on, they are still extremely cautious, terrified of drawing the Old Master’s attention."

"If we can’t throw the Xiao Family into chaos now, the other Noble Families of Shu State will never make a move."

"Once the Xiao Family escapes its predicament, even if the Old Master is gone, the members of the first branch will still be able to protect the entire family."

Xiao Dongchen paused and turned his head to look at him, his tone serious. "Hawk, our missions may be different, but our objectives are the same."

"If my second branch can’t gain control of the Xiao Family, what chance does your ’Fledgling’ have?"

Hearing this, Ge the Third’s eyes turned sinister under his helmet. "His business has nothing to do with you. I advise you to pay less attention to him."

Xiao Dongchen chuckled. "I’m afraid you don’t know yet, do you? Liu Jing is already planning to move against the Hundred Herbs Hall."

"Once they succeed and the Xiao Family Medicine Hall’s business suffers, with the ’Fledgling’s’ personality, he’ll definitely just stay put in the Spring Lotus Garden."

"When that happens, how will you force him to submit?"

Ge the Third snorted. "That’s not your concern. I have my own methods."

"Going to find more thugs and hooligans?"

"You’re pushing me to kill you!"

Xiao Dongchen shook his head, then leaned in and whispered a few words. "Helping me is helping yourself. Besides, ’Lady Tiger’ also needs Shu State to fall into chaos."

Ge the Third frowned at him. "Lady Tiger? You’re in contact with her too? I think you’ve really lost your mind."

Chen Yi listened intently but couldn’t make out what Xiao Dongchen had whispered.

However, judging from Ge the Third’s reaction, it wasn’t hard to deduce that this "Lady Tiger" was a Hidden Guard with the same status as them.

’A Silver Banner Officer?’

’It does fit the structure of the Imperial Court’s forces.’

Over there, Ge the Third was silent for a long time before nodding slightly. "What do you want me to do?"

A smile spread across Xiao Dongchen’s face. "Exactly as you guessed—burn the grain."

Ge the Third immediately cursed again. His eyes scanned the surroundings, and instead of replying directly, he raised his voice and said:

"As Master Chen commands. This subordinate will go to the Hundred Herbs Hall tomorrow to fetch some tea."

After speaking, he turned and vanished into the rain, striding out of the Four Directions Hall with purpose.

Xiao Dongchen didn’t try to stop him. After watching him leave, he glanced toward Jiaxing Garden and muttered:

"Shen Huatang left the mansion late at night. I wonder if it’s to deal with the people from the Illusory Sound Sect."

"But everything is ready, so it doesn’t matter... Heh heh..."

Muttering to himself, he slowly paced toward the wooden building.

With a CREAK, the door closed.

[You have witnessed the hidden ways of the Dingyuan Marquis’s Mansion’s Hidden Guards and overheard their secret council. Reward: Four Symbols Skill (Profound Tier), Opportunity +30.]

[Evaluation: Subject arrived, sounds heard, scene witnessed. However, the eavesdropping is excessive. A natural-born sneak.]

Seeing this, Chen Yi knew their discussion was over and both had left, so he carefully got to his feet.

This time, however, he didn’t walk through the outer courtyard. Using the rain as cover, he executed the Meteor Butterfly Step, crossing nearly seventy yards in just two breaths and vaulting over the wall into Jiaxing Garden on the other side.

’If I had known Shen Huatang wasn’t in the mansion, why would I have bothered upgrading my Martial Arts Step?’

’I hope this won’t affect my progress with the Heart Method I just obtained, the Four Symbols Skill for cultivating True Essence.’

Still, this incident made it easy for Chen Yi to see the extent of the Hidden Guards’—or rather, Xiao Dongchen’s—control over the Xiao Family.

’Besides the Personal Guards Liu Si’er and Ge the Third, there are probably other Hidden Guards hiding in the mansion.’

’Perhaps even here, in Jiaxing Garden?’

Chen Yi had no way of knowing, but in any case, he would have to be more careful from now on.

Who would have thought that just as he landed, he would see Xiao Wan’er in the distance, standing by her window and staring blankly into the rain.

Fortunately, she hadn’t noticed him, so it wouldn’t be a repeat of last time.

Chen Yi carefully hid behind a tree, quietly waiting for Xiao Wan’er to close her window.

After waiting for a moment, he still saw no movement from her.

Chen Yi peeked his head out, looked at the beautiful silhouette in the building above, and muttered in annoyance:

"I really don’t know what to say about her. Her body is so sensitive to the cold, yet she keeps the window wide open. Isn’t she afraid of her illness acting up?"

Others might not know, but Chen Yi, who had practiced his Qi Observation Skill on Xiao Wan’er many times, was keenly aware of her physical condition.

To say she had a "Supreme Yin Body" was an understatement. Besides the yin coldness, her yang fire was also faintly dissipating.

It was just like the "Detachment Syndrome" of the short man who died at the Prefectural Yamen.

’Once her yang fire dissipates to a certain point, she could perish at any moment.’

Just as Chen Yi was thinking about this, he heard Xiao Wan’er’s voice from the wooden building.

It wasn’t speech, but the sound of her humming a song:

"Snowy soul spun from clouds to form her hair, icy silk rinsed in moonlight for her eyes, the Kui Gorge at night overflows with a river of stars... Jade Steps and Jade Trees, a beauty like you, is rarely seen in this world..."

Chen Yi paused, watching her silhouette and listening intently to her song.

At this moment, under the cover of night, the wind whistled and the rain pattered down. The flowers, grass, and trees seemed to sway back and forth in accompaniment.

Even with the sound of the rain and the fragrant scents wafting through the air, nothing could mask her song.

It was as if Jiaxing Garden itself had become more vibrant, more radiant, like a painted scroll.

A short while later.

Xiao Wan’er’s voice faded, and a faint blush appeared on her pale face.

She gazed at the rain outside, listened to the pattering sound, then pulled her cloak tighter around herself and gently closed the window.

Not long after, the candlelight in her room was extinguished.

Faintly, the sound of a sigh seemed to drift out.

Chen Yi watched quietly for a moment, a complex expression on his face.

’It seems that poem I wrote back then was indeed a bit too forward.’