By now, it was late in the evening.
Amid the thunderstorm, the number of pedestrians had dwindled significantly.
Even the patrolling government officials and Imprisonment Officers were nowhere to be seen.
Only a few shops and government offices along South Street still had people on guard.
Dull yellow lanterns swayed, illuminating the surroundings and faintly revealing the sheets of falling rain.
Taking advantage of the deserted streets, Chen Yi slipped over to the Liu Family residence, not far from the Governor’s Office.
He scanned the area.
Seeing no sign of Liu Lang, he deactivated the Black Tortoise Concealment Technique, and his True Essence began to circulate freely within him once more.
Then, he shattered a piece of rubble with a palm strike before his figure vanished into a corner.
Before long, Chen Yi saw a sneaky figure approaching.
When the man arrived, he surveyed his surroundings. Seeing no one, he let out a soft sound of confusion.
"No one’s here?"
Chen Yi recognized the voice. Confirming it was Liu Lang, he gave a soft cough and stepped out from the shadows.
"Over here."
Liu Lang started. "Boss?"
Chen Yi nodded slightly and gestured for him to move away. "This isn’t the place to talk."
The two then left the Liu Family residence one after another, hurrying toward South City’s Yanhua Lane.
Only after they had gone a good distance and found a secluded corner did Chen Yi finally stop.
Following behind him, Liu Lang asked with a smile, "Boss, what brings you out tonight?"
"If you hadn’t come, I was planning to look for you tomorrow."
Chen Yi asked calmly, "What have you found?"
At his question, a slight smile appeared on Liu Lang’s face. "I have indeed found something."
"Do you remember the granary fire over in the East Market?"
Chen Yi raised an eyebrow, a few suspicions immediately forming in his mind. "What did you overhear at his place?"
"If I’m not mistaken, he was the one who killed that merchant collaborating with his second son, the one called Lin Huai’an."
Hearing Liu Lang’s words, Chen Yi’s expression shifted slightly. "You’re saying he sent someone to kill Lin Huai’an? You heard this with your own ears?"
Liu Lang nodded repeatedly, pointing to his ear. "That night, after I followed Liu the Second home, that old fox was waiting for him at the door."
"The moment they met, he didn’t say a word. He just grabbed a whip and gave Liu the Second a vicious lashing."
"Only after that did they start talking about it. Tsk, tsk. It took me a while to understand what was going on."
Chen Yi frowned subconsciously, his mind racing.
He had witnessed Lin Huai’an’s death firsthand—it had been by poisoning.
He had originally thought it was the work of that insatiably greedy wife, but now it seemed there was a hidden secret he hadn’t known.
’So it was Liu Hong?’
As he thought, Chen Yi spoke. "Tell me everything you heard, word for word."
Without a second thought, Liu Lang recounted everything he had overheard that day.
Things like how Liu Taofang and Lin Huai’an had conspired to burn the summer grain supply of the Three Towns, then drive up grain prices in Shu State, intending to sell off their family’s old stock.
Furthermore, after doing all this, they planned to blame it on the Xiao Family, claiming that Elder Master Xiao’s grain purchases were what caused the price hike.
He also mentioned that Lin Huai’an was from the Ji State Trading Company, among other things.
"...In the end, that old fox ordered his second son not to leave the house anytime soon, and told him to deny everything if anyone asked about Lin Huai’an."
After hearing the full story, Chen Yi’s brow furrowed even deeper.
Not only did Liu Hong know that Lin Huai’an was from the Ji State Trading Company, but he also knew what the company was doing up north—smuggling salt, iron, and weapons.
’Since Liu Hong knew all this, why would he kill Lin Huai’an?’
’Was it just because Liu Taofang was involved?’
Chen Yi thought it over and over, feeling that a man like Liu Hong wouldn’t have killed Lin Huai’an for such a simple reason.
This was especially true after learning from Liu Lang that Liu Hong suspected there were other reasons behind the deaths of Liu Wen and Xiao Dongchen.
He now knew that Liu Hong was an extremely cunning and meticulous man.
’A man like that must have a deeper motive for his actions.’
Immediately after, another question surfaced in Chen Yi’s mind:
’How did Liu Hong find out about Liu Taofang and Lin Huai’an’s conspiracy ahead of time?’
’Thinking it over, there’s only one possibility: someone must have tipped him off!’