Chapter 105 Secret, Four Symbols
It's not Liu Si'er.
Their figures and gaits are not similar.
Chen Yi stared intently at the armored soldier standing beside Xiao Dongchen, feeling a vague sense of familiarity.
These must be soldiers he had seen and interacted with several times.
Aside from Liu Si'er, there were only Wang Lixing, Ge Laosan, Yan Hong...
One figure after another overlapped with the person in front of them.
Ultimately, the image focused on one person.
Chen Yi was slightly taken aback, almost bursting into a tirade.
Damn it—Ge Laosan!
How could it be Ge Laosan?
In recent days, he had become suspicious of many people around him, even the newly recruited lame doctors.
They never suspected Ge Laosan.
That bastard is usually a big, burly guy with a carefree, outspoken personality who can't keep a secret...
Unexpectedly, he turned out to be a hidden guard with unparalleled skills.
You bastard, just you wait!
Chen Yi cursed under his breath, his composure, which he had cultivated over the past few days, completely shattered.
Then he listened carefully to the conversation between the two people.
With his current cultivation level at the mid-eighth rank, even through the rain, his hearing, which is several times that of an ordinary person, is still able to hear some sounds.
"...The Dingyuan Army has received as much as two million shi of grain, which is far too much."
"Even if the Provincial Administration Commission sends people to collect some of the grain, the grain obtained from the salt and iron monopoly will still be enough to keep the Dingyuan Army safe for half a year."
"This matter is, to me, an absolutely terrible thing."
Xiao Dongchen's voice was clear and distinct, causing Chen Yi's heart to stir slightly.
In the past few days, he had naturally heard about the summer harvest in the three military towns, and the old master was very happy about it.
Recalling the "mutual trade" mentioned in Xiao Dongchen's secret letter, Chen Yi vaguely guessed what the two were discussing today.
At this moment, Ge Laosan lowered his voice and said, "Master Chen, it's no use coming to me about this."
"Although we are both Silver Flag officers, our tasks are different, and the Iron Flag officers and White Tiger troops that we can command are also different."
"Even if I were to act according to your wishes, it would only amount to finding some local thugs or江湖客 (jianghu ke, meaning martial arts practitioners), which would be of no use in 'border trade' matters."
"You can't expect them to deal with Granny Shan and the Second Miss, can you?"
A moment of silence.
Xiao Dongchen strolled to the pavilion in the courtyard, looked up at the rain-soaked night sky, and said in a low voice:
"I will handle the trade matters myself, but I need your help with that batch of grain."
"You mean..."
Ge Laosan seemed to curse, "Are you crazy?"
Xiao Dongchen shook his head. "You and I both know that if the trade agreement is successful, the Xiao family's predicament will vanish in an instant."
"This test by the Liu family is a good example."
Even though the old master was seriously ill, Wu Ge was young, and the Xiao family was struggling to support the family alone, they were still extremely cautious, fearing that the old master would take notice of them.
"If we can't make the Xiao family run into chaos now, the other powerful families in Shuzhou will have no chance to intervene."
"Once the Xiao family is out of trouble, even if the old master is no longer around, the eldest son of the family will still be able to protect the entire Xiao family."
Xiao Dongchen paused, turned his head to look at him, and said seriously, "Falcon, although our missions are different, our direction is the same."
"If my branch of the family can't control the Xiao family, how could your 'young bird' have a chance?"
Upon hearing this, Ge Laosan's eyes turned sinister beneath his helmet: "His affairs are none of your business. I advise you to pay less attention to him."
Xiao Dongchen chuckled, "You probably don't know yet, do you? Liu Jing is already planning to take action against Baicaotang."
“Once they succeed, the Xiao family's pharmacy business will suffer a setback, and given the nature of a ‘young bird,’ it will definitely continue to stay in Chunhe Garden.”
"At that time, what methods will you have to force him to comply?"
Ge Laosan snorted, "This is not your concern. I have my own way of doing things."
"Go find some more thugs and hooligans?"
You're forcing me to kill you!
Xiao Dongchen shook his head, thought for a moment, and leaned over to whisper a few words in his ear: "Helping me is helping you, and 'Tiger' also needs the chaos in Shu Prefecture."
Ge Laosan frowned at him: "Tiger hen? You're in contact with her too? I think you've really gone mad."
Chen Yi listened carefully, but still couldn't make out what Xiao Dongchen said.
Judging from Ge Laosan's reaction, it is not difficult to infer that the "she-tiger" should be a hidden guard of the same status as them.
Silver Flag Officer?
That is indeed the rule of the imperial court.
After a long silence, Ge Laosan nodded slightly and asked, "What do you intend for me to do?"
Xiao Dongchen smiled. "Just as you guessed—the grain was burned."
Ge Laosan immediately cursed a few more times, his eyes scanning his surroundings. Instead of responding, he raised his voice and said:
"Master Chen's instructions are correct. I will go to Baicaotang tomorrow to fetch some tea."
After saying that, he turned and entered the rain, striding out of Sifangzhai.
Xiao Dongchen didn't stop him. After watching him leave, he glanced in the direction of Jiaxing Garden and muttered to himself:
"Shen Huatang left the mansion late at night, and it is unknown whether it was to deal with the people of the Huanyin Sect."
"But everything is ready, so there's no problem, hehe..."
As he spoke, he slowly walked towards the wooden building.
With a creak, the door closed.
[Witness the methods of concealment employed by the hidden guards of the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion, and overhear their secret discussions. Reward: Four Symbols Skill (Mystic Rank), +30 Fortune.]
[Comment: The person's arrival is noticeable, the scene is visible, but the excessive urge to steal reveals a naturally despicable nature.]
Seeing this, Chen Yi knew that the two had finished their discussion and left, so he carefully got up.
This time, however, he did not walk from the outside. Instead, he used the rain as cover and used the Meteor Butterfly Step to cross the twenty-foot distance in just two breaths and jump into the Jiaxing Garden on the other side.
If he had known that Shen Huatang was not in the manor, why would he have bothered to improve his martial arts steps?
Hopefully, this won't affect the progress of cultivating the Four Symbols Technique, the cultivation method for true essence that I just acquired.
However, from this point of view...
Chen Yi could easily see the hidden guards, or rather, Xiao Dongchen's control over the Xiao family.
It's likely that besides Liu Si'er and Ge Laosan, who are his personal guards, there are other hidden guards in the mansion.
Or is it located in Jiaxingyuan?
Chen Yi had no idea, but he would have to be more careful in the future.
No sooner had he landed than he saw Xiao Wan'er standing by the window, gazing intently at the rain.
Fortunately, no one noticed him, so it didn't turn out like last time.
Chen Yi carefully hid behind a tree and waited quietly for Xiao Wan'er to close the window.
After waiting for a while, there was still no sign of her.
Chen Yi then peeked out and looked at the beautiful figure on the wooden building, muttering to himself in annoyance:
"I really don't know what to say to her. She's clearly sensitive to cold, yet she left the window so wide open. Isn't she afraid of getting sick?"
Unbeknownst to others, Chen Yi, who had repeatedly used Xiao Wan'er to practice her Qi observation technique, knew her physical condition best.
Calling her "possessing the most Yin constitution" is an understatement; in addition to Yin-coldness, her symptoms also show a subtle dissipation of Yang fire.
Just like the short man who died in the government office earlier, who suffered from "exhaustion syndrome".
Once the yang energy in Xiao Wan'er's body dissipates to a certain extent, she could perish at any moment.
Just as Chen Yi was thinking about these things, he heard Xiao Wan'er's voice coming from the wooden building.
It wasn't speaking, but rather humming a song:
"Snowy white hair cut from clouds to form her hair, icy silk gauze to purify her eyes like the moon, the night sky above the Kuimen Gate shimmers with starlight... Jade steps and jade trees, as beautiful as you, so rare in the mortal world..."
Chen Yi paused for a moment, then watched her figure and listened carefully to the singing.
At this moment, under the cover of night, the wind howls and the rain pours down, and the flowers, grass, and trees seem to sway back and forth in response.
Accompanied by the sound of rain and the fragrance of the air, even the singing could not be overshadowed.
Even this Jiaxing Garden seems to have gained more color and brightness, like a painting.
A moment later.
Xiao Wan'er stopped speaking, and a blush appeared on her pale face.
She looked out at the rain and listened to the patter of the raindrops. Then she pulled her cloak tighter around herself and gently closed the window.
Not long after, the candlelight in the room went out.
A faint sigh could be heard.
Chen Yi watched quietly for a moment, a complex expression on his face.
"It seems that the poem I wrote back then was indeed a bit reckless."
(End of this chapter)
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