Chapter 371: Chapter 243: To Control and Not Be Controlled

Liu Lang was about to leave, but when he saw Chen Yi standing there with an aloof expression, he found he couldn’t quite bring himself to go.

"Boss, you promised to cross blades with me. When might that be?"

Chen Yi paused, tilting his bamboo hat up slightly. He smiled and asked, "Are you that impatient?"

Liu Lang chuckled. "I only have two pleasures in life. The first is a brothel, and the second is crossing blades, so..."

Before he could finish, Chen Yi waved a hand. "I understand."

"The eighth day of the ninth month, at the first quarter of the Zi hour. I will wait for you on the Chishui Riverbank."

Liu Lang froze for a second, then his face lit up with joy. "Ten days from now?"

"Boss, you’re the one who set the date. You can’t back out of it."

Chen Yi gave him a sidelong glance. "I hope you’ll still be smiling so happily then."

He had to fight Liu Lang eventually. It didn’t matter if it was sooner or later.

Besides, with his current Martial Arts Cultivation and Technique Realm, while he couldn’t guarantee victory over Liu Lang, he had a good chance of winning within ten moves.

Of course, that was assuming he used the Spear Dao.

If he were to use a blade, he figured he would need a few more days of practice.

Liu Lang was completely unaffected by the comment. His hand went to the hilt of his blade as he said fervently:

"The victor lives, the vanquished dies. What greater joy is there than to prove one’s Dao in such a way?"

Chen Yi shot him an annoyed glare. "Get lost."

’It’s just a sparring match. How did it turn into a fight to the death in his mouth?’

"You got it."

Liu Lang just smiled, unbothered, and darted off in the direction of the Liu Family estate.

Chen Yi watched him disappear into the curtain of rain and shook his head to himself.

’No wonder Liu Lang managed to earn the moniker "Sword Madman" in the Northern Desert. The man has more than a few screws loose.’

’But on the bright side, people like him are refreshingly straightforward.’

’At least he’s easier to deal with than Liu Hong, the Ji State Trading Company, or the White Tiger Guard.’

The thought of Liu Hong and the Ji State Trading Company sent Chen Yi’s mind reeling.

Liu Hong, Ma Shuhan, the Annual Examination...

Liu Taofang, the Ji State Trading Company, the rising price of grain...

Lin Huai’an, King Landu, ironware, Heavy Armor, Refined Iron...

And the connection between the White Tiger Guard’s General and King Landu...

All the recent events flashed through Chen Yi’s mind like images in a zoetrope, quickly forming a vast web.

They were like scattered pieces on a chessboard, intricate and complex.

He could faintly see some of the connections, as if a single thread ran through them all.

But the image was hazy, and he couldn’t see how it all connected.

Chen Yi tilted his head back to look at the dim, lightless night sky, letting the rain patter against his face.

’I’m still missing some clues. Just a few more.’

’Looks like I’ll have to muddy the waters a bit.’

As the classics on Military Strategy say: Compel the enemy, but do not be compelled by them.

In other words, you must maneuver your enemies, not be maneuvered by them.

Only by seizing the initiative can you turn their order into chaos, their courage into cowardice, and their strength into weakness.

This is the essence of fishing in troubled waters.

Chen Yi lowered his gaze, pulled his bamboo hat down slightly, and turned toward the Spring Rain Building in Yanhua Lane.

’When it comes to muddying the waters, there’s no one better for the job than a Hidden Guard.’

「A moment later.」

Chen Yi arrived quietly outside the Spring Rain Building, surveying the brightly lit and decorated brothel.

After the Three Towns’ summer grain was burned, Xiao Jinghong had led a raid on this place because Black Tooth and others from the Bright Moon Building had been hiding here.

The ones who needed to be captured were captured, and the ones who needed to be killed were killed.

The Spring Rain Building had now reopened. While the name was the same, its owner had changed.

Chen Yi had no idea who it was.

But based on tonight’s intelligence, the fact that Lou Yuxue could arrange a meeting with the man from Poshisu Country here made it easy to deduce that the Spring Rain Building was still under her control.

Chen Yi glanced around before walking into the Spring Rain Building as if he owned the place.

He paid no mind to how his attire set him apart from the self-proclaimed scholars and refined gentlemen who frequented such establishments.

The madam and pimp just inside the door, however, had no choice but to take notice.

The madam stared at Chen Yi, sizing him up, then shot a look at a nearby pimp.

The pimp hurried over, bowing and smiling. "Sir, are you here for pleasure or to find someone?"

Without breaking his stride, Chen Yi took off his bamboo hat and tossed it to the man. "Both."

Perhaps it was because his disguised face was so ridiculously handsome, but both the madam and the pimp seemed to relax.

"Who are you looking for, sir? I can ask around for you."

Chen Yi ignored him and looked up toward the second floor—where the private rooms were.

From behind one of the walls, he could hear the voice of Lady Tiger Lou Yuxue, apparently giving someone orders.

"...bring them up. Avoid the guests downstairs."

After listening for a moment, Chen Yi turned to the fawning pimp and said, "Black Tooth."

The smile on the pimp’s face froze. He subconsciously glanced back at the madam, who was watching them.

The madam quickly recovered, gliding over with a charming smile and subtly nudging the pimp out of the way.

"So, you’re looking for our Black Girl? What a coincidence. The lass just learned to play the zither. I’ll have her attend to you tonight."

She said this loudly enough for others to hear, so as not to disturb the nearby guests.

But then, she lowered her voice. "Sir, Black Tooth is dead. You’ve come to the wrong place."

Chen Yi smiled. "In that case, Miss Lou Yuxue is here, isn’t she?"

The madam’s expression changed. She stared at him in astonishment. "You... you..."

Before she could finish, Chen Yi pointed upstairs. "She’s coming now. So it seems she is in."

The next moment, Lou Yuxue, dressed in a stunning red gown, appeared behind the third-floor railing.

However, Lou Yuxue was clearly displeased. Her downward gaze seemed to ask, "What the hell are you doing here, you bastard?"

Chen Yi waved a casual greeting, completely unbothered. "Am I coming up, or are you coming down?"

"Get your ass up here."

’Such coarse, unpleasant words.’

Fortunately, Chen Yi wasn’t bothered. He gave the madam a smiling wave and headed straight for the third floor.

He could faintly hear people in the main hall below asking who Lou Yuxue was.

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