Chapter 332: Chapter 228: The Pavilion Master: What Kind of Personage?

The visitor’s aura was unfamiliar.

Chen Yi offered a word of warning before silently slipping out of the room.

Lou Yuxue watched him leave with suspicion. She tilted her head and listened for a moment but heard nothing.

Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly heard a voice laced with amusement right by her ear:

"Lady Tiger, this wonton shop of yours is doing pretty well."

Lou Yuxue froze and turned to look out the window.

She saw a plain-looking, middle-aged man in a raincoat ducking through the window.

"Sir?"

Lou Yuxue recognized the man and immediately dropped to one knee.

"This is Lady Tiger. I was unaware of your arrival, Lord General. Please forgive me."

The middle-aged man known as "General" waved a dismissive hand. He took off his raincoat, revealing the roughspun clothes beneath, and spoke in a relaxed, deliberate tone:

"There’s no blame for the unknowing. Rise."

"Yes."

As Lou Yuxue got to her feet, she glanced toward the door, anxiously wondering if Chen Yi had actually left.

She knew just how formidable Lord General was.

If Chen Yi hadn’t left and was discovered eavesdropping nearby, she would be implicated as well.

As it turned out, Lou Yuxue knew Chen Yi all too well.

Chen Yi hadn’t left at all. He was hiding on the rafters in the adjacent private room, just one wall away.

’General? Lord?’

’So, this person is the superior to Lou Yuxue and the others.’

’A Golden Banner Officer?’

A smile touched Chen Yi’s lips. ’What a coincidence.’

Maybe he’d learn why these Hidden Guards were hiding in Shu State, stirring up trouble.

Before long, he heard their voices again.

General sat at the table and glanced at the leftovers before turning to Lou Yuxue to ask,

"Has the secret letter from the Capital Prefecture arrived?"

Lou Yuxue was visibly taken aback. "Sir, a secret letter did just arrive, but I haven’t had a chance to look at it."

"But... the Capital Prefecture? Forgive me, Sir, but I have never overstepped my authority to contact the Capital Prefecture privately."

"Don’t be so tense. When I reported to the Pavilion Master, I asked them to send the letter here."

General finished speaking and held out his hand. "Give it to me."

Lou Yuxue quickly placed the letter in his hand. "Sir, should I withdraw for now?"

’If she stayed, even if she didn’t learn the letter’s contents, she would still have to converse with General.’

’And if Chen Yi hadn’t left, the Hidden Guards’ affairs would be exposed.’

But General said casually, "Stay. I have a few things to ask you."

Lou Yuxue didn’t dare hesitate, lowering her head and murmuring, "Yes." A complicated look flickered in her eyes.

’That bastard... of all the times he could have shown up, it had to be just as Lord General arrived.’

’And what’s the deal with his cultivation?’

’How could he have sensed the General’s arrival before the General detected him?’

General, of course, was unaware of Lou Yuxue’s thoughts. He looked at the letter in his hand and asked,

"The Pavilion Master is aware that Fledgling went to the Quchi Painting Boat that night, but he wants you to continue the investigation."

"First, verify whether Fledgling actually met with the owner of Hundred Herbs Hall that night."

"Second, he wants you to test Fledgling’s Martial Arts Cultivation."

Lou Yuxue was taken aback. "The Pavilion Master still suspects Fledgling was involved in what happened that night?"

General paused. Without looking up, he said, "Perhaps."

"Even I don’t believe Fledgling could have been involved, but since the Pavilion Master has given the order, you are to follow it."

"Best not to have any slip-ups later and displease him."

Just as Lou Yuxue was about to assent, she suddenly remembered something. "There is one small thing."

"On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Fledgling was seen on the Quchi. It’s suspected he was being held hostage as he left the Prefecture City on a painted boat."

"What does that have to do with the burning of the summer grain in the Three Towns?"

"I learned afterward that there were signs of a battle outside Shu State City. It’s suspected that ’Liu Wu’ from Iron Wall Town and Liu Lang were involved."

"Based on the timing, Fledgling couldn’t have been far from there."

General looked up slightly and mused, "So you’re saying Fledgling is connected to Liu Lang and ’Liu Wu’?"

"Perhaps."

"Investigate it thoroughly and report your findings to the Pavilion Master."

"Yes..."

Eavesdropping on their conversation, Chen Yi was also a bit stunned.

Chen Yi racked his brain.

’On the night the summer grain in the Three Towns was burned, the only slip-up I made was not being at the Spring Lotus Garden.’

’But it was a flaw that even Xiao Jinghong and Elder Master Xiao hadn’t noticed.’

’Yet the White Tiger Guard Pavilion Master, thousands of miles away, had caught on and intended to dig deeper...’

’Who in the world is this White Tiger Guard Pavilion Master?’

’How could he suspect me based on such a minor discrepancy?’

This was the second time Chen Yi had heard the title "Pavilion Master."

The last time, that same "Pavilion Master" had accurately deduced that Xiao Dongchen, the "Gray Wolf," was no longer useful and ordered Lady Tiger and Hawk to eliminate him after the incident with the Three Towns’ summer grain.

At the time, Chen Yi’s thoughts had been the same as they were now.

He had marveled at the Pavilion Master’s meticulous mind and been astonished by his acuity.

Truly an extraordinary individual.

’And then there was Lou Yuxue. Of all the damned luck, she had to go and connect the dots to what happened outside Shu State City.’

’Unbelievable...’

Just then, General asked, "How is Simurgh Phoenix?"

Lou Yuxue thought for a moment. "She recently opened a tavern over in the West Market."

"Aside from that, she spends nearly all her time with the Imperial Top Scholar. They even attended the Mid-Autumn Poetry Gala at Guiyun Academy together."

"And the Liu Family?"

"On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, an imperial edict arrived from the Capital Prefecture reprimanding Old Marquis Xiao and Governor Liu Hong. Since then, the Liu Family has been much more subdued."

"Liu Hong is occupied with transporting the grain tax to the Capital Prefecture and dealing with the Annual and Imperial Examinations. Liu Zhaoxue has returned to Jing State."

General nodded slightly, asking no more questions. He set down the secret letter, his gaze falling upon her as he said with a smile,

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