Chapter 485 - 293: You Are Not Chen Yi
Chapter 485: Chapter 293: You Are Not Chen Yi
Uncle Gui?
Du Cang!
Chen Yi tilted his head back slightly, his gaze fixed on the figure atop the giant tree.
It was indeed the spitting image of Uncle Gui, the gatekeeper of the Marquis’s Mansion and an Iron Banner Officer of the White Tiger Guard.
But the cold, sinister aura emanating from him declared his true identity without a doubt—Du Cang, the "Jackal" of the Poshisu Country’s Peacock King Banner!
Confirming his identity, Chen Yi activated his Qi Observation Skill.
Du Cang. Cultivation: Upper Three Grades. Possesses a Black Magic Secret Skill at the Perfection Realm.
He had an ability similar to Lv Jiunan’s, allowing him to control others’ bodies.
His cultivation seemed to be suppressed due to the limitations of the puppet body. His true cultivation level was likely Upper Third Grade.
Furthermore, he could create a small domain resembling an Illusion Realm...
Chen Yi’s thoughts raced. ’His cultivation and Technique Realm are secondary. The most troublesome thing right now is that he knows my identity.’
’On top of that, I’m still inside the Spring Lotus Garden. One wrong move, and all the plans I’ve hidden for so long will go up in smoke.’
’The consequences aren’t just that the Xiao Family will grow suspicious of me; it will also alert Liu Hong, the Ji State Trading Company, and the others.’
Now was not the time!
As these thoughts crossed Chen Yi’s mind, the newly formed chessboard world in his mind’s eye exploded.
Countless pieces rose and fell, the state of the game shifting constantly—
’Du Cang discovering my identity must have been an accident.’
’There are two reasons: he hasn’t been in Shu State for long, so even if he had some way of tracking me, the clues would be too messy and fragmented for him to get a clear direction.’
’Plus, we’ve never met. It should have been impossible for him to find me here.’
’Then there’s only one possibility—the person he came to the Marquis’s Mansion to find was me, Chen Yi.’
’And then, by combining that with some earlier discovery, he finally confirmed my true identity.’
’As for his reason for coming to kill me... Liu Hong?’
’It could only be him.’
Chen Yi was so certain of this because Lv Jiunan, under Liu Hong’s orders, had once controlled his original body to make him flee his own wedding.
Perhaps Liu Hong was unwilling to hand over Asutai and decided to pull the same trick again, making a deal with Du Cang.
Or perhaps Du Cang already intended to cause trouble for the Xiao Family before leaving Shu State, and Liu Hong’s persuasion simply led him to set his sights on Chen Yi.
Of course, it was also possible that Du Cang had come to the Xiao Family by pure coincidence and happened to sense his presence.
But that was highly unlikely.
The old master lived in Qingjing Residence year-round. If Du Cang wanted to do something big, he had no reason to come to the back courtyard, to this Spring Lotus Garden.
A thousand thoughts swirled in Chen Yi’s mind.
The pieces shifted, connecting and forming patterns on the chessboard that was this small world, conjured by Du Cang’s Black Magic.
He deduced several possible outcomes.
As expected.
It was impossible for Chen Yi to kill Du Cang silently while keeping his identity concealed.
It was just like that night during the Mid-Autumn Festival when Yan Fusha had threatened him—killing her inside the city would have only resulted in his identity being exposed.
If he wanted to remain hidden, unless...
It all happened in an instant.
A playful smile appeared on Chen Yi’s calm face. "You must be... Du Cang?"
Du Cang was a little surprised. "You actually know who I am?"
He had planned on revealing his identity after succeeding, just so he could savor the despair and pain on Chen Yi’s face before death.
But he never imagined Chen Yi would state his name directly.
He had only shown his face to Liu Hong these past few days.
At all other times, he remained hidden in the shadows, leaving not a single trace.
Even within the Peacock King Banner, no more than three people knew he had come to Shu State.
How could Chen Yi possibly know?
Hearing this, Chen Yi just smiled and stopped using the Black Tortoise Concealment Technique to hide his cultivation and Technique Realm.
The moment his Upper Fifth Grade cultivation was released, the True Essence from the three Seas of Qi in his body instantly flooded his entire being.
His Spear Dao Divine Intent, at the Perfection Realm, shot toward the heavens but was still trapped within this small world.
It merely shattered the surrounding thorns, the black, feather-like snow, and several of the giant trees.
"I’ve heard that General Du’s talent for Black Magic is exceptional, that you made a name for yourself in the Peacock King Banner in just a few short years."
"Seeing you today, General Du, you are indeed as extraordinary as the rumors say."
As Chen Yi spoke, he rolled up the long sleeve on his left arm, pulled out the Five-section Spear from within, and began assembling it nonchalantly.
"However, by coming here with only a puppet body, are you not looking down on this Liu?"
"This Liu?"
Du Cang didn’t even bother asking how he knew his identity anymore. He sneered, "Death is at your door, and you, the live-in son-in-law, still intend to deceive me?"
Chen Yi shook his head. "Deceive you?"
"No, no, no... My surname has always been Liu. I am the fifth child in my family. How could this be deception?"
"As for this live-in son-in-law, Chen Yi... hehe... Surely General Du knows where he is now, don’t you?"
He paused, then looked up at Du Cang and said meaningfully, "After all, it was your Peacock King Banner’s very own Lv Jiunan who took action back then."
Du Cang froze for a moment, his crimson pupils locking onto him.
He scrutinized him.
"You’re not Chen Yi!"
Reaching this conclusion, a look of sudden realization dawned on Du Cang’s face. "I see."
"His Majesty and I were wondering back then. General Lü clearly reported that Chen Yi was already dead, so how could he possibly still be alive?"
"What’s more, that Chen Yi was just a weak scholar. It would be impossible for him to achieve your level of Martial Arts Cultivation in just a few short months."
Du Cang, believing he had seen through everything, gave an even colder smile. "So that’s how it is!"
"It must be the Xiao Family’s arrangement—they had you replace Chen Yi as Xiao Jinghong’s husband, all to make Xiao Jinghong stay in the Xiao Family."
"Haha... To think that the insignificant scholar Liu Hong spoke of was actually a deep-cover agent of the Xiao Family!"
"Good. Very good!"
Yes, very good indeed.
Anyone who knew of Chen Yi’s situation when he first arrived in Shu State would be suspicious of his Martial Arts Cultivation and Technique Realm.
There was no other reason.
The time frame was simply too short.
Chen Yi’s smile never faltered as he watched Du Cang standing on the giant tree. He gave the Long Spear in his hand a twirl.