Chapter 399 - 253: A Hero’s Weakness for a Beauty
Chapter 399: Chapter 253: A Hero’s Weakness for a Beauty
"So, Miss Ling’er, would you care to elaborate?"
Ling’er looked at her with a half-smile. "Miss Zhaoxue, please rest assured. No matter what my Five Poison Sect does, you will not be implicated."
Liu Zhaoxue turned her head away, no longer looking at her.
"Not necessarily."
"Last time, Elder Yan Fusha abducted Pei Guanli of the Mountain Race. Now that you’ve returned in force, do you really think you won’t attract the Mountain Race’s attention?"
Ling’er’s smile froze, and she pouted at the back of Liu Zhaoxue’s head.
"We will."
"That’s why this time, besides me, a Great Elder has also come, along with several Altar Masters."
"Then where are they now?"
"Miss Zhaoxue, don’t be so anxious. Right now, your most important task is to successfully expand Xinglin Hall. I will report everything else to the Great Elder myself."
Hearing this, Liu Zhaoxue said softly, "It had better be that way."
She was well aware of her own situation.
If her father hadn’t helped her, she would have never been able to return to Shu State this time.
She had even been on the verge of being sent to the Capital Prefecture by her second brother Liu Wen’s birth mother, in league with several family elders, to be some man’s bed warmer.
Thus, Liu Zhaoxue cherished this opportunity.
Even though she knew the situation in Shu State was perilous, she would not give up.
For some reason, the image of Chen Yi surfaced in Liu Zhaoxue’s mind. She thought to herself,
’If only I had someone like Mr. Qingzhou to help me, how could I possibly fail to achieve my goals?’
She still remembered what she had seen before leaving Jing State—a Spearman at the Perfection Realm, along with Liu Lang, had rescued Chen Yi and Pei Guanli.
As she saw it, those two must have helped the Xiao Family because of their connection to Chen Yi.
Liu Zhaoxue thought with a sigh, ’What a pity...’
Alas, she had no one like that by her side.
Otherwise, she would have never cooperated with the Five Poison Sect.
Just then, Ling’er heard footsteps from outside in the distance. Her eyes darted around for a moment before she stepped forward and bowed.
"Miss Zhaoxue, I’ve just arrived in Shu State and would like to go out for a walk. I hope you’ll grant me permission."
Liu Zhaoxue glanced at her and nodded slightly. "Feel free, Miss Ling’er."
"Alrighty then."
After she left, it just so happened that several shopkeepers arrived at the West Mansion with their respective accountants.
Liu Zhaoxue composed herself and rose to greet them.
"Greetings, Third Miss."
"There’s no need for such formalities, Uncles. Please, come in..."
Amidst the pleasantries, in the East Mansion just a wall away...
Chen Yi and Liu Lang exchanged a look and then waited a while longer.
"Boss, Liu Zhaoxue is back."
"Mm, she was bound to come back sooner or later."
A smile touched Chen Yi’s lips as he thought about what had happened that day.
Honestly, Liu Zhaoxue’s timing was perfect.
If the General saw her, it might even mislead his judgment.
Seeing his smile, Liu Lang shuddered instinctively and asked in a low voice,
"So when are we leaving?"
"No rush. It won’t be too late to leave after we hear what Miss Zhaoxue plans to do next."
That was what he said, anyway. But Chen Yi was more concerned with avoiding the General and any potential pursuers who might have followed them from the West Market.
After all, he didn’t care about Xinglin Hall expanding its business in Shu State.
What he cared about was the extent of Liu Zhaoxue’s ambition and the Five Poison Sect’s purpose for coming to Shu State.
’From what Liu Zhaoxue just said, the Five Poison Sect wants to use Xinglin Hall to achieve some goal. That’s a bit strange.’
Chen Yi had originally thought the Five Poison Sect came to Shu State to seek revenge on the Mountain Race.
But now it seemed their target had never been the Mountain Race at all.
Thinking about it carefully, it made sense.
The men Elder Yan Fusha brought last time had some strength, but going up against the Mountain Race would have been like throwing an egg against a rock.
With so few people, forget about taking revenge on the Mountain Race.
They only managed to abduct Pei Guanli because they had the element of surprise, attacking an unsuspecting target.
If they had actually run into Granny Shan, their fate would have been even more miserable.
In contrast, from what Ling’er said this time, it seemed the Five Poison Sect had sent some powerful people.
’A Great Elder, Altar Masters... I wonder what level of strength these people from the Five Poison Sect possess.’
Chen Yi pondered for a moment, then shook his head to himself and stopped overthinking it.
Regardless of their Cultivation, he couldn’t let the Five Poison Sect become the main focus.
Right now, Liu Hong was the person he truly had to deal with.
After a moment of silence, Chen Yi listened carefully to the conversation in the West Mansion, gaining a deeper understanding of Xinglin Hall.
He had to admit, Xinglin Hall had survived in Jing State for a hundred years for a reason; it had its unique strengths.
Even without a few Medical Saint Hands presiding over it, its internal regulations and the quality of its personnel alone were far superior to other Medicine Halls.
Needless to say, it was leagues ahead of the Xiao Family Medicine Hall, which was a newcomer to the business.
It could be said that Xinglin Hall had already developed a complete system that could be replicated from scratch in other State Capitals.
From purchasing medicinal herbs and arranging for armed escorts for transportation, to methods for developing and expanding the Medicine Hall, every aspect was covered.
Every single detail was covered by specific requirements.
The regulations even specified the duties of every person in each Medicine Hall and the abilities they needed to possess.
It was nothing short of meticulous.
Liu Lang, at his side, had also heard everything, but he didn’t have as many thoughts on the matter.
He peeked outside through a crack in the door and asked in a low voice,
"Boss, why doesn’t Liu Zhaoxue move into this mansion?"
"The east is considered more honorable, but she’s always stayed in the West Mansion. Liu Wen is already dead now."
Chen Yi smiled at his words and replied, "That’s what makes Liu Zhaoxue clever."
"She has ambition and brains, but what she lacks is a significant contribution to her name."
"Until she has one, she has to restrain her ambitions and not overstep her bounds. Only then can she quietly win people over to her side."
"I see..."
Of course, there was more to it. Chen Yi knew very well the situation of someone with low status within a family.
Just like him, the "son-in-law who married into the family."
It was only because he was in the Xiao Family, where Xiao Wan’er, Xiao Jinghong, and even Old Master Xiao Yuan treated him well.
If he had been in a place like the Liu Family, he probably would have been beaten with clubs and driven out of the Liu Family back when he tried to flee the marriage.
One could only imagine the difficulties and criticism Liu Zhaoxue had to face to achieve her goals.
That was why Chen Yi could understand Liu Zhaoxue’s decision to join forces with the Five Poison Sect.
The only thing that displeased him was that Liu Zhaoxue had targeted Xiao Wan’er and, worse, allowed the Five Poison Sect to make a move against him and Pei Guanli.
For those two reasons alone, he could never let Liu Zhaoxue succeed.
After waiting a little longer, when the shopkeepers and accountants from Xinglin Hall were about to leave, Chen Yi finally hoisted Lv Jiunan onto his shoulder and signaled for Liu Lang to go.
"Boss, where are we going?"
"Back to the house on Chuansi Street for now."
Although Chen Yi didn’t know the whereabouts of the General and his men, Kangning Street was crowded and full of prying eyes, so he could only head east or north.
Returning to Chuansi Street was the most suitable option.
Before long, Chen Yi and Liu Lang arrived at the house on Chuansi Street without alerting anyone.
They listened for a moment, and only after confirming that Zhang Dabao was the only one inside did they slip in quietly.
When Zhang Dabao saw them, he hurriedly bowed and said, "Sir."
Chen Yi nodded, set Lv Jiunan aside, and glanced around, raising an eyebrow as he asked, "Is the quiet room set up?"
"Reporting to you, Sir. This afternoon, the Shopkeeper personally brought several disciples from the Celestial Sect to set it up."
"It only took them a couple of hours to install soundproofing panels on the doors, windows, walls, and ceiling."
"The Shopkeeper also said that he’ll order those Guards to come back tomorrow to continue reinforcing it."
Chen Yi waved his hand. "Tell him they don’t need to come."
Now that Lv Jiunan was here, the fewer people who knew, the better.
Besides, he also planned to have Pei Guanli hide here with Asutai, making it even more crucial that this place remained undiscovered.
After a few more words of idle chat, Chen Yi had Zhang Dabao disguise Liu Lang, then sent him off to Hundred Herbs Hall ahead of him.
After Zhang Dabao removed his own disguise, Chen Yi instructed,
"Try not to go out for the next few days. Guard this place well."
He pointed to the quiet room and ordered, "Just give the person inside some food and water every day."
"If he shouts or screams, gag him to prevent anyone from discovering the situation here."
Zhang Dabao glanced toward the quiet room and nodded. "Rest assured, Sir. I will guard this place well."
Chen Yi smiled and patted his shoulder. "I’ll have to trouble you for now. Once everything in Shu State has settled down, I’ll grant you one request."
"Sir, I couldn’t..."
"Don’t refuse. Consider it compensation for you not achieving the title ’Two Fingers’."
"Thank you, Sir!"
Chen Yi smiled, nodded, and then left the house with his Oil Paper Umbrella, heading straight for the Xiao Family residence.
By now, it was late in the evening.
But since the rain had stopped, the dusky yellow sky was wreathed in colorful clouds, a truly beautiful sight.
The pedestrians on the road were no longer rushing; most of them, finished with their busy day, were strolling leisurely.
Chen Yi was no different.
But when he arrived outside the Xiao Family gate and saw Xiaodie waiting anxiously at the entrance from a distance, he couldn’t help but quicken his pace.
The moment Xiaodie saw him, the anxiety vanished from her face. She patted her chest and said,
"Young Master, you’re finally back."
Chen Yi pretended to look at the sky. "It’s not even dark yet."
"It’s not about it being dark! It’s—it’s that the Young Miss was worried about you."
"Oh?"
"Earlier, news came from the West Market that some villains were attacking and killing people in the street. The Miss and I were both so worried about you..."