Chapter 526 - 307: Your Boss Is Truly Elusive!

"I see..." Having followed Boss Chen for so long, Liu Lang had naturally heard the name Immortal Drunk.

"He didn’t suspect anything?"

"He went through another alley. I didn’t dare let him come this way."

Liu Lang hummed in acknowledgment and asked no more questions. Bypassing the others, he headed straight for the pit deep within.

Seeing that everything was ready, Zhang Dabao cleared away the bricks and stones stacked against the earthen wall, revealing a room made of wooden logs inside. A dim oil lamp hung from the ceiling beam, illuminating Li Sanyuan, who lay on a wooden bed.

Liu Lang took one look, cleared his throat, forced a ferocious smile onto his face, and walked in first.

"Li Sanyuan..."

About half an hour later.

Liu Lang looked at the yellow paper in his hand, bearing a signature and a fingerprint. He cracked his neck, squeezed out of the wooden cabin, and muttered, "I talked nicely to you, but you just had to force me to get rough."

Even though he had been careful enough, Li Sanyuan still saw through his disguise. Fortunately, he had already investigated the purpose of Li Sanyuan’s visit beforehand. Otherwise, the ensuing matters would have been troublesome.

Zhang Dabao followed behind him. He looked back at Li Sanyuan, who was tied up tightly and gagged, and asked, "Brother Liu, what should we do now?"

"Keep an eye on him here. I need to return to the Prefecture City. I’ll bring someone over before nightfall."

"Who?"

"General Xiao... Jinghong."

"Ah?"

"Relax, the boss has his own arrangements."

Zhang Dabao watched Liu Lang leave with half-belief and half-doubt. After thinking for a moment, he gathered the others to pass on the news.

"General Jinghong will be here shortly..."

"Don’t worry, she’s coming for Li Sanyuan. We’ll just wait here for another half day."

Zhang Dabao could choose not to trust Liu Lang, but he believed in Chen Yi. During the time he had followed Chen Yi, he had long sincerely admired this figure outwardly known as "Mr. Qingzhou."

Even if General Jinghong came, he had nothing to fear. After all, the boss and the General were husband and wife...

Meanwhile.

Liu Lang rode non-stop back to Shu State Prefecture City and headed straight for South Street.

When he arrived outside Liu Hong’s residence, he looked around. Seeing very few people about, he took off his mask to reveal his true face. However, after waiting for a moment, there was still no sign of Xiao Jinghong.

Liu Lang couldn’t help but mutter, "Did the boss get the location wrong? Is General Jinghong not here?"

Before he even finished speaking, he heard a voice ring in his ear. "Are you looking for me?"

Startled, Liu Lang scanned his surroundings but still saw nothing. He lowered his voice and said, "Boss Chen sent me to find you."

"Come up."

Immediately after, Liu Lang sensed a sharp Sword Intent land right in front of him, guiding his gaze toward a nearby courtyard.

Over there?

Liu Lang put his mask back on and flashed over.

As soon as he landed in the courtyard, he saw a figure standing outside the main hall with her hands behind her back. She wore that silver half-armor mask on her face.

He grinned, cupped his fists, and said, "We meet again, General."

Xiao Jinghong looked at him calmly. "How did you know I was here?"

"Uh, Boss Chen wrote to tell me."

"Your boss? Chen Yu?"

"Yes..."

"Where is he? How did he know I was here?"

"I don’t know either..." Seeing that she didn’t believe him, Liu Lang shook his head. "After Boss Chen ordered me to go to Lin Village a few days ago, I haven’t seen him since."

"Lin Village?" Xiao Jinghong pondered. "Are you the ones selling the grain outside the city?"

Liu Lang smiled and nodded. "So you already know. Yes, it was indeed Boss Chen’s arrangement. But honestly, I really don’t know what he’s thinking. That batch of grain cost about five hundred thousand taels of silver to purchase, yet it’s only being sold for one tael per shi. What a loss..."

Liu Lang rambled on, complaining about how his boss wouldn’t tell him anything.

Xiao Jinghong listened patiently. "Your boss truly is as elusive as a divine dragon."

Not only was he elusive, but what surprised her even more was that the man could actually deduce that she would return and hide outside Liu Hong’s house.

How did he do it?

Even someone as powerful as Immortal Bai couldn’t compare to the wariness Xiao Jinghong felt toward "Chen Yu" right now. Was there truly a Divine Calculator in this world who could deduce every response of others?

Unaware of her inner thoughts, Liu Lang chuckled dryly. "Forgive him, General. Boss Chen is just like that. He does everything secretively."

Xiao Jinghong gave him a deep look and asked, "Tell me, what did he send you to find me for?"

"Boss Chen asked me to take you to see someone. He said that person can help you bring down..." Liu Lang pointed at the nearby Liu family residence. "And it’s true. That person knows a lot about their affairs."

Hearing this, Xiao Jinghong’s eyes flickered slightly, but she was no longer as surprised as before. Since "Chen Yu" could calculate that she would be here, it was perfectly normal for him to know her intentions.

"Where is this person?"

"The Ancient Tea-Horse Road..."

"Lead the way!"

Xiao Jinghong swept her robes and waved her hand, summoning a black cloak from the inner hall to drape over herself.

Seeing this, Liu Lang said no more and led the way out of the courtyard. The two traversed through the West Market and the West City Gate, heading straight for the Ancient Tea-Horse Road.

"Oh right, Boss Chen also asked me to pass on a message. Mr. Lingchuan from Guiyun Academy might have what you need as well."

"Mr. Lingchuan from Guiyun Academy? Zhu Lingchuan?" she mused. "It seems your boss possesses even vaster Divine Skills than I previously understood."

"Just average, haha, just average..."

While leading the way, Liu Lang wiped the sweat from his forehead, cursing his boss in his heart for being disloyal. Even though he was certain Xiao Jinghong wouldn’t hold a grudge against him for what happened earlier, the pressure at this moment was still overwhelming.

The two traveled west, conversing in low voices along the way.

As Xiao Jinghong listened to him recount Li Sanyuan’s identity and deeds, a strong killing intent surged in her heart. It wasn’t just directed at Li Sanyuan, but also at Zhu Hao from the Capital Commandery.

No wonder "Chen Yu" reminded her that Mr. Lingchuan might know something.

So that was it!

Inside the Spring Lotus Garden.

Sensing something, Chen Yi stood up and looked toward the west. Holding a book in his hand, he thought, "Calculating the hour, Xiao Jinghong should have already been led to the Ancient Tea-Horse Road by Liu Lang. By Midnight tonight at the latest, she will bring the person back to the Prefecture City."

With this in mind, Chen Yi put down the book, called for Xiaodie, and instructed, "I’m taking a trip to Guiyun Academy. Prepare some ink and paper in the study for me this afternoon. I have a few policy essays to write when I return."

"Yes, Mr. Chen."

Unexpectedly, before Chen Yi could even step out of the Spring Lotus Garden, he saw Xiao Wan’er approaching with Xie Tingyun and Shen Huatang.

Upon seeing him, Xiao Wan’er’s breathtakingly beautiful face was filled with confusion. Hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Chen Yi, are you heading out?"

Chen Yi guessed her purpose and smiled, nodding. "I previously agreed to visit Mr. Yue Ming today. Wan’er, are you... also heading out?"

"Yes, Little Sister Qingwu invited me to meet at the Yunqing Building to discuss the Medical Dao Academy."

"Oh?"

Chen Yi frowned inwardly. He had been planning to find Cui Qingwu under the guise of "Liu Wu." After all, he had spent so much silver this time, and he had to make Cui Qingwu cough up the silver she owed him.

Moreover, the incident with the "Jackal" Du Cang had sounded a wake-up call for him.

He needed to prepare for a rainy day.

He had to leverage the power of the White Tiger Guard to make some preparations, preventing anyone else from getting desperate and biting back.

With these thoughts in mind, Chen Yi made a decision.

"Are you in a hurry, Wan’er? If not, could I hitch a ride?"

Xiao Wan’er hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.

A short while later.

The four of them boarded the carriage and left the Marquis’s Mansion.

Chen Yi and Xiao Wan’er sat inside the cabin, and the atmosphere inexplicably turned a bit strange.

Xiao Wan’er kept her head lowered, half her face hidden in her cloak, her eyes stealing occasional glances at Chen Yi. In contrast, Chen Yi’s expression remained perfectly calm.

It was just that...

His hand wasn’t behaving. He held onto Xiao Wan’er’s hand the whole time, even opening her palm to trace his fingers over it.

Xiao Wan’er tried to pull away, but seeing that he wouldn’t let go, the ticklish sensation in her palm made her blush. "Chen Yi..."

Chen Yi gave a helpless smile. While remarking about how lively it looked outside, he gestured for her to look at her palm.

Then, he wrote a few more words: [Ask whatever you want to ask.]

Xiao Wan’er understood the invisible writing, and her face immediately grew even redder. She had just thought Chen Yi was taking liberties with her. Now that she realized what he was doing, she only wanted to shrink completely into her cloak.

Seeing this, Chen Yi patted her gently. He smiled, extending his own palm, and signaled with his eyes for her to write.

Xiao Wan’er understood. She tried her best to calm her Heart Spirit, raised her hand, and traced on his palm:

[Are you "Chen Yu"?]

[Yes, I am.]

[So, did you establish the Hundred Herbs Hall with Wang Ji just to help me?]

[You could say that.]

Chen Yi traced those few words, his mind recalling how Xiao Wan’er had once pawned her gold and silver jewelry to subsidize the monthly allowances for the various households.

[It wasn’t right to let you bear the burden all alone, Wan’er. Besides, the mansion gives me an allowance of silver every month anyway, so I came up with a Method.]

[You know the Medical Dao?]

[I do.]

Receiving his answer, the blush on Xiao Wan’er’s face deepened noticeably. It took her a long while before she haltingly traced a few words on Chen Yi’s palm:

[So when I had my previous illness attacks, w-was it you who treated me?]