"How’d he die?"

"He was murdered, of course."

"I heard it wasn’t just him. His Guards, Staff Officers, everyone who came with him... every last one of them was..."

Seeing the Armored Warrior make a chopping motion across his neck, Ge the Third began to wonder.

’This couldn’t have been the work of the Punishment Hall, could it?’

’If this was ordered by the Second Master, there’s going to be chaos within the Xiao Family.’

Ge the Third was well aware of Xiao Wang’s and Xiao Dongchen’s ambitions.

They were ruthless enough to come up with a vicious plot like burning the granaries of the Three Towns; secretly slaughtering a direct descendant of the Jing State Liu Family wouldn’t be beyond them.

Just as he was pondering this, he heard someone else say, "And the place where that Young Master Liu died isn’t far from here. It’s just to the west."

’West?’

Something stirred in Ge the Third’s mind, and he couldn’t help but ask a few more questions. "West of South Street?"

"Yeah, about five li from here."

Ge the Third looked in the direction the man was pointing. Five li away, to the west, died last night...

For some reason, a figure surfaced in his mind.

Fledgling!

Ge the Third recalled the strange smell on Chen Yi last night, and the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

But after a moment’s thought, he instinctively wavered.

After all, he knew Chen Yi had only recently begun his journey in Martial Arts. He didn’t practice his Cultivation diligently and was at most a Lower Ninth Grade Martial Artist.

Given Liu Jing’s status, his Guards had to be at least at the Seventh Grade Realm.

’Could Fledgling really have killed them all on his own?’

As Ge the Third mulled this over, his gaze drifted toward the rear courtyard. After some hesitation, he made a decision.

’Regardless of whether Fledgling was behind this, I have to test him.’

’I can’t let him get into any unexpected trouble, one way or another.’

Just then, Ge the Third spotted three figures passing through the veranda.

One of them was skipping along, the JINGLE JINGLE of bells growing louder as they approached.

It was none other than Pei Guanli, Shen Huatang, and Xie Tingyun.

From a distance, Pei Guanli waved cheerfully. "Ge the Third, Ge the Third! Hurry, get the horses ready! We’re leaving."

"We’re going for a trip outside the city today. I heard the Chishui River tide is intense after the heavy rain. It must be a spectacular sight."

"Right, Sister Tingyun, Sister Huatang?"

Xie Tingyun, holding an umbrella, nodded nonchalantly.

"Please wait a moment, you two. I’ll be right back."

Ge the Third put on a smile, but couldn’t help cursing inwardly.

’With these little madams around, it’s impossible for me to get anything done.’

...

「In Spring Lotus Garden.」

Chen Yi had a rare full night’s sleep. He didn’t get up to wash and dress until after Pei Guanli had left.

As Xiaodie straightened his collar, she asked, "Young Master, are you going to the Medicine Hall today?"

Recalling his plans from the previous night, Chen Yi said he wasn’t going. He then asked, "Have Pei Guanli and the others gone out?"

A smile spread across Xiaodie’s face. "They left right after breakfast. Sister Huatang and Sister Tingyun went with them."

"Why didn’t you go?"

"Young Master..."

Xiaodie’s smile froze. She pouted and said, "You nearly got lost last night. I don’t dare let you go out alone again."

But then, a look of lingering fear appeared on her face as she said mysteriously:

"Young Master, something else happened this morning."

"This morning, I heard from one of the older maids in the front courtyard who does the purchasing..."

"Young Master, isn’t that terrifying? That’s why you can’t take those small alleys anymore next time. What if..."

Chen Yi wasn’t particularly surprised to hear that Liu Jing and his men had been discovered. He smiled and tapped her on the forehead.

"Don’t say such unlucky things."

Xiaodie clutched her head. "I’m just worried about your safety, Young Master."

Chen Yi understood her good intentions, of course. He offered a few comforting words with a smile, then went downstairs to have breakfast with Xiao Wuge.

During the meal, he naturally asked about how Xiaodie and the others’ outing had gone yesterday.

When he learned that Pei Guanli had made Ge the Third carry her things while she shopped in the West Market, he couldn’t help but give her a silent thumbs-up.

’Keep Ge the Third busy for now, so he doesn’t have a chance to go running around outside.’

He knew that compared to the conflict between the Xiao and Liu Families, burning the grain of the Three Towns was a far more earth-shattering event.

Even though the Three Towns were heavily guarded, the secretive Hidden Guard should have a way to pull it off.

But the matter was difficult. Even if Chen Yi were to do it himself, it would require careful planning.

Besides finding the right person and the right time to act, the most crucial thing was to ensure he couldn’t be implicated.

Every single detail would require a great deal of time and energy to plan.

’In any case, I just can’t let Ge the Third have any free time to go out.’

After the meal, Chen Yi had no other plans.

He decided to continue teaching Xiao Wuge how to play chess and, at the same time, have Xiaodie ask if Mr. Sun the Elder was free.

Since he had decided to take a position as an Instructor at Guiyun Academy, he needed to find a plausible reason.

After thinking it over, the only suitable person was Elder Sun, with whom he had a tacit understanding.

’As for the others...’

’Xiao Wan’er would cooperate, but she’d probably nag a bit.’

’She’d probably say something like, "Brother-in-law should have decided this long ago! Someone else can be the Shopkeeper of Jishi Medicine Hall, don’t you worry!"’

’The Old Master’s mind was preoccupied with the Xiao Family, the Liu Family, the Dingyuan Army, and the Mutual Market.’

’He’d most likely just humor me and wouldn’t offer any real advice.’

’And then there’s the Old Master’s relationship with Mr. Yue Ming... Better not to step on that landmine.’

’Wouldn’t want the Old Master to start reminiscing about the late Old Mistress again.’

However, before Chen Yi could send Xiaodie out, an Armored Warrior came to report:

"Young Master, you have a visitor."

Chen Yi was a bit surprised. He couldn’t think of who would be looking for him.

’Liu Quan was just here two days ago, so everything at Jishi Medicine Hall should be fine.’

’I was just at Hundred Herbs Hall yesterday, so Wang Jiying wouldn’t be coming either.’

"Who is it?"

"Lord Li Huai’gu, Advisor to the Governor’s Office."

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow slightly. After a moment’s thought, he ordered the warrior to show the man in.

He had just been thinking last night about getting closer to Li Huai’gu.

And now the man had shown up on his own initiative.

’Could it be that Mr. Yue Ming got impatient and sent him as a persuader?’

It had to be said, Li Huai’gu’s timing was perfect.

He was clearly a more suitable candidate than Mr. Sun the Elder.

Before long, Li Huai’gu, dressed in plain clothes and holding an umbrella, walked in. He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief upon seeing Chen Yi sitting in the pavilion with a game board in front of him.

"Brother Qingzhou, my apologies for the intrusion. I hope you’ll forgive me."

"Brother Fang Gui, you’re too kind. Please, sit."

Li Huai’gu sat down opposite him but didn’t mention Guiyun Academy. Instead, he asked:

"I hear Brother Qingzhou has been in charge of Jishi Medicine Hall recently. Do you happen to know any renowned doctors in Shu State?" 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Chen Yi looked at him with some surprise. "If I remember correctly, isn’t Brother Fang Gui’s family also a Noble Family of physicians?"

"Brother Qingzhou jests. My father’s Medical Skill is only good for treating common colds. We could hardly be called a Noble Family."

"Then why come to me asking about renowned doctors... Is someone sick?"

Li Huai’gu nodded and said with a wry smile, "I’m afraid you may not know yet, Brother Qingzhou. Your older brother, Chen Yunfan... he..."

"He’s been on sick leave for four or five days."

"At first, I thought he was faking it, but when I paid him a visit yesterday, I realized he’s truly bedridden."

A strange expression came over Chen Yi’s face, and he couldn’t help but ask, "Bedridden how, exactly?"

Li Huai’gu gave another wry smile. "He just sleeps and sleeps, like he’s drunk."

"We’ve had Physicians look at him during this time, but none of them can find anything wrong."

"The summer harvest in Shu State is already over, and the Governor’s Office urgently needs to inspect the granaries in each county and collect taxes. But right at this critical moment..."

"As a last resort, I had no choice but to come and ask for your help, Brother Qingzhou, to see if you can find a Divine Doctor."

"..."

Chen Yi already understood the cause of Chen Yunfan’s illness.

What he hadn’t expected was just how potent the Immortal Drunk was.