Chapter 268 What impressive skills! (Seeking monthly votes)

[Daily Intelligence - Top-Tier Earth Rank: At noon, Gongye Bai sets up a fortune-telling stall at the East Market. Reward: Abundant opportunities.]

Chen Yi glanced at it, and his previously calm expression instantly changed. Even the Meteor Butterfly Step he was taking stopped.

"Gongye Bai?"

"Master Bai?"

"Setting up a fortune-telling stall?"

"This is... truly... something I never expected..."

Even though Chen Yi had known that Bai Daxian was coming to Shuzhou, he didn't expect him to swagger around the market so openly.

This is completely inconsistent with the demeanor of a reclusive master, the "Number One Martial Arts Person".

On the contrary, it seems like...

After a moment's consideration, Chen Yi uttered two words: "Great Immortal".

Think about it carefully.

Wasn't Gongye Bai always just as unreliable?

For Master Bai to set up a fortune-telling stall as soon as he arrived in Shuzhou wasn't too outrageous.

Just.

Bai Daxian's "iron-clad predictions" are far too "dangerous," even more so than his astonishing martial arts skills.

Thinking about all this, Chen Yi began to consider whether or not to go and take a look.

Reason told him he couldn't go.

But his eyes kept wandering over that [low-grade earth level] item.

After finally seeing [Opportunity: 768], he made a decision—to go!

Even for that one chance, he had to go.

"The last time the summer grain of the three towns was burned, it was also a local intelligence report that gave me four hundred opportunities."

"Moreover, I had been planning for several days before this opportunity came about."

"This time, Bai Daxian's appearance is also at the Earth level."

"Even if I only watch him from afar, I should still be able to obtain a considerable opportunity."

"Perhaps we can gather enough opportunities to reach perfection tomorrow."

However, that's what I think.

Chen Yi was well aware that Bai Daxian's purpose in coming to Shuzhou was unclear, so he should be careful.

Besides, Master Bai is too wicked.

If he gets too close and gets targeted, or even worse, gets a few words of judgment from him, then it would be a loss.

He didn't want to risk his "good fortune" by provoking the unlucky mouth of the White Immortal.

Therefore, his trip was only meant to be observed from afar.

Thinking of this, Chen Yi let out a long breath, calmed himself down, and headed straight for the house outside Black Fish Lane in the West Market.

It was already late at night.

The stars and the moon hang high in the sky, and all around is silent.

Even the crowing of roosters and the barking of dogs are rarely heard.

Only because King Lando was about to invade the border, the constables on night duty were guarding the important streets and alleys.

It's shift change time right now.

The constables who were on duty for the first half of the night stretched their limbs while chatting and joking with the constables who would be on duty for the second half.

It's mostly about the surrounding circumstances.

For example, which shop has a bad customer, whose house is making a commotion, and who is suspicious, etc.

Although these messages were too fragmented and useless, they were still done meticulously.

"I don't know if that news is true. Logically speaking, those bandits are of mixed strength and wouldn't dare to invade our Great Wei Dynasty."

“Other bandits may not work, but King Kolando is different.”

"His master was the national teacher of Vaishsa, and he himself came from a noble family. The people under his command were more like soldiers than bandits."

"In addition, they traveled the Tea Horse Road for many years, so their horsemanship was quite remarkable."

"Ordinary infantry and armored soldiers are no match for them. Only our Dingyuan Army's 'White-Armored Cavalry' can deal with them."

"Unfortunately, after that great battle five years ago, less than one-tenth of the old generation of White Armor Cavalry survived, and those who remain are not yet a force to be reckoned with."

"So, does that mean that no one can stop King Lando's attack this time?"

"If he dares to come, General Jinghong will make sure he doesn't leave alive!"

The voices of the constables carried far.

This made Chen Yi turn around and look at him, a smile on his face.

"Even though the lady is not in the city, many people still miss her."

"Judging by the time, she hasn't replied for half a month. I wonder how things are on the border there."

Chen Yi muttered to himself, shook his head, and walked straight through the West Market.

But when he arrived at the house, he found it deserted.

Chen Yi glanced around and his gaze fell on the mound of earth in the courtyard.

Wisps of dim smoke rose from it.

He walked over and kicked away a piece of soil, carefully examining the ashes inside, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

As he instructed Liu Lang.

This is the first place where grain is stored. If anyone finds it here, the grain must be moved to another place.

Clearly, Liu Lang and the others were acting on orders.

"Three days... but someone still noticed the traces..."

"The people from the Jizhou Trading Company are quite capable."

Chen Yi thought for a moment and then stuffed the earth back into place to prevent the smoke and dust from attracting outsiders.

Then he changed direction and headed to the East Market.

That was the second place he had Wang Ji prepare for storing grain.

Chen Yi headed east, passing through the offices of the Prefect of Shuzhou, the Provincial Administration Commissioner, and the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, and arrived outside the East Market.

After confirming that no one was watching, he turned into a secluded alley and headed south.

Not long after.

Chen Yi arrived outside the house, which was surrounded by high walls, and listened intently.

I could vaguely hear some sounds coming from inside the house.

"...Senior Liu Lang, everyone's ready."

"Well, you've been busy all day, you should go and rest. I'll keep watch tonight."

"Don't worry, senior, we're not tired..."

Chen Yi looked puzzled. "Senior Liu Lang?"

This guy was so careless, he actually revealed his identity?

Just as he was thinking this, he heard Zhang Sihou say, "I wonder where Senior Liu Wu is right now."

Liu Lang said lazily, "He's elusive, he might be watching us from not far away..."

Before he could finish speaking, he seemed to remember something and quickly spat out a few more times.

"What a jinx! Why would the boss be here?"

"What you said is true, senior. We just moved here, and the boss won't know until tomorrow."

"I hope so..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yi realized that Liu Lang had also betrayed him.

You bastard, you "Knife Maniac"!

Doing this nonsensical thing again.

Chen Yi's eyelids twitched slightly. "Just wait and see how I beat you to death tomorrow night!"

With that thought in mind, he no longer hesitated and appeared inside the house.

"I'm afraid I'll disappoint you, Brother Liu."

Liu Lang was stunned for a moment, then, realizing what was happening, he quickly jumped up and bowed, saying:

"Boss, may you be blessed with good fortune and peace."

"It's so late, why aren't you resting? What are you doing here?"

"If you have any orders, just send someone to inform me, and I will go through fire and water for you."

Say "boss," and "boss" arrives.

The wind and rain almost made Liu Lang, who was used to weathering storms, "flee in panic".

Xue Duanyun, Zhang Sanhu, and Zhang Sihu looked at Chen Yi with slight hesitation.

Nothing more.

This was because Chen Yi still had the handsome look of "Liu Wu" on his face at this moment.

However, after seeing Liu Lang bow three times in a row, they also performed a grand ceremony.

"Greetings, senior."

Chen Yi glanced around, thought for a moment but didn't react, and simply waved his hand and said, "Get up, everyone."

But when Liu Lang stood up and met his gaze, he obediently lowered his head again.

"Boss, I didn't mean to."

Chen Yi glanced at him and snorted, "You can stay here and bow down for now. I'll settle the score with you later."

As he spoke, he went into the main room first and gestured for Xue Duanyun and the others to come and report back.

Xue Duanyun glanced at the figure in front of him, then at Liu Lang with a smirk, and seemed to understand something.

Before Zhang Sanhu and Zhang Sihu could speak, he quickly pulled them into the house.

Liu Lang was left alone outside.

"Boss, I'm a seasoned veteran in the underworld, you know... "

"If you're going to punish me, how can you do it so simply?"

Despite how simple it was, Liu Lang breathed a sigh of relief.

This at least proves that his initial idea was correct—even if the boss knew he had revealed his identity, he wouldn't do anything to him.

A stroke of good luck amidst misfortune.

He knew how formidable Chen Yi was.

If it is kept hidden and not revealed, that would be truly terrible.

"Dele, bow down first..."

Chen Yi naturally didn't want to think about what Liu Lang was thinking.

Upon entering the main room, he looked around at the sacks piled high with objects, stood with his hands behind his back, and said:

"Thank you for your hard work."

Xue Duanyun bowed and said, "You're too kind."

"We, your fellow disciples, are the guards you invited, so naturally we have to do our duty."

Zhang Sanhu echoed, "Don't worry, we know what's important and we will never reveal it."

Zhang Sihou nodded as if he understood, and smiled:

"Senior Liu Lang has already told us some things, and we know that you are the 'Dragon Spear' senior who has recently become famous in Shu Prefecture."

"No problem, we'll do whatever you ask us to do from now on."

"..."

Xue Duanyun and Zhang Sanhu exchanged a glance, both understanding each other's feelings.

Fourth Brother still doesn't understand social etiquette.

Please forgive me, senior brother. My brother is a bit simple-minded; it's a miracle he was able to say anything at all.

Seeing the three's subtle movements, Chen Yi suddenly smiled and waved his hand, saying:

"Tell me about what happened today."

Judging from this, it's not such a bad thing that Liu Lang revealed his identity in advance.

At least because Xue Duanyun and others came from prestigious families like the Tianshan Sect, they treated their boss with respect.

Talk for a moment.

Having roughly figured out what had happened during the day, Chen Yi asked thoughtfully:

Do you know who usually possesses the Bone-Dissolving Powder?

Xue Duanyun thought for a moment and replied respectfully, "The Bone-Dissolving Powder is a highly poisonous formula left over from the previous dynasty, and it is widely circulated in the martial arts world."

“People from all walks of life often use it to destroy corpses and cover up the crime, and some powerful families also use it for self-defense.”

Chen Yi hummed in agreement, sat upright in his chair, and did not ask any further questions.

Previously, he thought that the visitor would be from Jizhou Trading Company.

But after listening to the descriptions of Xue Duanyun and the other two, he overturned this conclusion.

It's obvious.

If the merchants of Jizhou discovered that someone was buying large quantities of grain, they wouldn't have sent only three people.

It's even more impossible that no one went to investigate the house while the three hadn't sent any messages for a long time.

assassins from powerful families...

Chen Yi's mind drifted to Liu Hong, and he thought to himself, "Even if he's not one of his men, he must still have some connection to him."

He knew that Liu Hong was secretly spying on the Jizhou Merchant Guild through Zhu Lingchuan.

Perhaps the people who came to investigate during the day were their people.

Xue Duanyun and the others were unaware of his thoughts.

Seeing that he hadn't spoken for a long time, Xue Duanyun asked hesitantly, "I wonder if there's anything else you need me to do next?"

Chen Yi snapped out of his reverie, pondered for a moment, and said, "Indeed, there are some things that need your attention, but..."

Before he could finish speaking, he turned to look at Liu Lang outside the house and said with a laugh, "What are you still standing outside for? Get in here."

"They're here."

Liu Lang had been paying attention to the movements inside the house, and upon hearing his words, he flashed over to him.

"Boss, what can I do for you?"

"I will do anything, even risk my life."

Chen Yi glared at him, annoyed. "I'll let it go this time, but if there's a next time, you'll see how I deal with you."

Fortunately, he had another identity that Liu Lang did not know.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be long before he would hear Xie Tingyun and Shen Huatang calling him "Senior Liu Wu" in Chunhe Garden.

But...

This incident also served as a wake-up call for Chen Yi; in the future, unless absolutely necessary, he should let Liu Lang act alone.

So that if Liu Lang gets into trouble, they won't sell him out.

Seeing this, Liu Lang knew that he was probably not angry, so he chuckled and nodded, "Don't worry, there won't be a next time."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yi shook his head and waved his hand, saying, "Let's get down to business."

He then took out a stack of silver notes from his pocket and handed them to Liu Lang, saying, "No matter what method you use, spend these silver notes by tomorrow."

Liu Lang took the money and counted it, then asked in surprise, "All of this is for buying grain?"

"That's right."

"Both coarse and refined grains are fine, and it's also acceptable to buy them from grain stores."

"I remember there are many large clans' estates outside the city. You can go and ask them if they are willing to sell."

Chen Yi was well aware that the rise in grain prices in the prefectural city would primarily affect ordinary people.

In the short term, those powerful families will not be affected at all.

Just like the Xiao family.

With the people of Tonglin Town around, the village has grain stored in warehouses every year, so there is no shortage of food to eat.

Other prominent families also had grain reserves to varying degrees.

Even if only some powerful families are willing to sell, it will likely allow them to purchase a large amount of grain this time.

After listening to this, Liu Lang understood and put away the banknotes and promised:

"Don't worry, I'll seize the grain for you tomorrow."

Chen Yi hummed in agreement, glanced at the sky outside the window, and decided not to linger there any longer.

As he got up and walked outside, he instructed, "I will have Wang Ji find another place to store the grain we purchase tomorrow."

"Here..."

Chen Yi paused, glanced around, and said, "Let's seal up the grain here for now."

Once news of Asutai comes out tomorrow, grain prices will surely skyrocket.

At that time, the relatively inexpensive grain in this house could become his backup plan.

"We can make a big fuss about buying grain tomorrow."

"But remember, you must not use the identity of Baicaotang, nor your identity."

Liu Lang nodded to indicate that he understood, and then watched him leave the house.

A moment of silence.

He suddenly turned around to look at Xue Duanyun and the other two, all traces of his previous fawning expression vanishing from his face.

"Let's leave tomorrow's work for tomorrow. Let's not rest tonight, let's have a drink..."

Putting aside other things.

He cannot lose his status as a senior figure in the martial arts world.

...

Chen Yi ignored Liu Lang's "remedy" and quietly returned to the Xiao family after leaving.

What he didn't know was—

As he passed Dongshikou, a figure stood silently under the eaves of a building, watching his back.

He was tall and slender, wearing a worn-out Taoist robe, and his face was very young despite his gray hair.

At this moment, his gaze toward Chen Yi carried a hint of scrutiny.

"This young man has impressive skills."

He paused, then looked away at the night sky, his hands behind his back.

"This Shu Prefecture is truly a land of outstanding people and abundant resources. We could stay here for a few days and take a closer look..."

(End of this chapter)