Chapter 247: Substituting a Civet Cat for the Prince

Chapter 247: The Cat Changed the Heir

On the following morning,

The rain had just eased, and under the gray, gloomy clouds, fine droplets drifted down.

The air was alive with the rustling of leaves.

Occasionally, a bead of water would fall, landing on puddles or leaves with a delicate, tinkling sound.

In such weather, the butterflies were busiest of all.

Before dawn, she had been tending to Xiao Wo Ge’s morning ablutions and dressing, watching him follow Wang Li Xing toward the martial arts arena.

Immediately after, she had no moment to spare.

Washing clothes, hanging them to dry, sweeping, and other chores.

She worked diligently for an hour and a half, finally transforming the lotus pond garden into a fresh, bright space on this drizzly day.

Clear and serene, it resembled a courtyard in the water towns of Jiangnan.

Xiao Duo looked at the clean courtyard, wiped the sweat from her brow, and revealed a satisfied smile.

“It’s time to go wake the master.”

But as she had just set down the broom, she heard the ringing of bells from outside.

Pei Mu Ling bounded up, her feet splashing in the puddles, “Xiao Duo, I’m back!”

Xiao Duo looked up and gasped, “Your clothes—”

Pei Mu Ling was no longer dressed in the traditional attire of the mountain clans.

Instead, she wore a long gown of sea-blue silk, with a pink embroidered sash at her waist.

The neckline was slightly low, silver bells hanging down, her pale shoulders barely visible beneath the fabric.

Yet her feet remained bare, her delicate toes pressing into the damp stones, leaving faint water marks.

Pei Mu Ling’s round face beamed with a smile, twirling like a flower, “Does it look good?”

Xiao Duo nodded repeatedly, “Very beautiful.”

She couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy.

Though she had all the necessities of food, clothing, and shelter within Hou Fu, she usually wore the simple, plain garments of a servant, rarely taking such care in her appearance as Pei Mu Ling did.

After a moment of laughter, Pei Mu Ling examined the wooden building, asking, “Has the master not risen yet?”

Xiao Duo nodded, “I was just about to go wake him.”

Pei Mu Ling’s eyes brightened. She grinned and gently pushed Xiao Duo toward the door, “Xiao Duo, you go prepare breakfast. I’ll go wake the master.”

“You? No, no, you’re a guest—how could you do such things?”

“It’s fine, just bring him hot water and a towel. I’ll take care of it, I’ll take care of it…”

Xiao Duo couldn’t dissuade her, and after a few final instructions, took her oil-paper umbrella and headed to the kitchen to prepare the morning meal.

When Pei Mu Ling saw her depart, she let out a soft, conspiratorial laugh.

She quickly set about heating water, then approached Chen Yi’s door with a towel.

“Master, it’s time to wake up.”

Pei Mu Ling pressed her hand to her throat, mimicking Xiao Duo’s voice, and gently pushed open the door, peering inside.

When she saw Chen Yi lying in bed, she tiptoed into the chamber, placing the hot water carefully on the table, then dabbing the towel with water.

She did so quietly, glancing back every moment, fearing he might wake.

Once she had wrung out the towel, she beamed with delight, her eyes sparkling like crescent moons.

Just as she turned to leave, Chen Yi stepped forward, causing her to startle and stumble backward.

“Ah!”

“Brother, save me—”

Chen Yi’s words were half-joking, half-serious, as his hand grasped the towel and pulled her back.

Pei Mu Ling, still trembling, clutched the bells at her chest, her face flushed, “You old brother, you were waiting for me, weren’t you?”

Chen Yi chuckled, “You gave me quite a fright. Who else but you would think to scare me like that?”

Pei Mu Ling stuck out her lip, handing him the towel, muttering something about not being fun.

Chen Yi dried his face, realizing her childish nature, and let the teasing pass. Instead, he asked, “Has your elder brother settled in?”

Pei Mu Ling instantly brightened, embracing his hand, “Brother, do you know where your elder brother and the others are staying?”

“On Kangning Street?”

“Yes, not far from Gu Yun Academy.”

Indeed, it made sense.

Pei Mu Ling knew little of the city beyond the Wang family’s residence and the academy, the only places she remembered from her near-death experience there.

“There, they’ll also be where the Black Poison Sect members might stay in the future.”

Pei Mu Ling blinked, “Is that so?”

“Brother, do you know where they are?”

Chen Yi sighed, pushing her hand away, putting on his clothes, and explained, “I happened to encounter them there the previous night.”

That night, after killing Ye Fa Sha, he had not told Pei Mu Ling the truth about Liu Zhao Xue, fearing she might rush to Liu’s residence and disrupt his plans.

Pei Mu Ling seemed unbothered, “In that case, I’ve done the right thing in sending your elder brother there.”

“Yes, yes, indeed…”

Chen Yi dressed neatly and led her downstairs to the living room, waiting for Xiao Duo to return.

Pei Mu Ling then animatedly recounted the adventures of her elder brother and his companions.

She spoke of her younger sister, Lan Yan Ni, a mere fifteen-year-old girl whose talents already surpassed her own, reaching the seventh grade upper tier, yet still acting like a country bumpkin, fascinated by everything in the city.

She also mentioned her “older brother” Li Shu, Li Yun Qiong, who appeared honest and straightforward but harbored ill intentions.

Upon arriving in the city, he had secretly slipped into the Fireworks Lane, where he was caught by Li Yun Qiong and beaten mercilessly.

There was also her third uncle, Pei Ze, a fourth-grade poison master who had once clashed with the Black Poison Sect years ago.

Brother-in-law, this time Ama sent Ahge to bring people here, and he's already made all the preparations, ensuring that anyone from the Five Poison Sect will come and go without returning.

"Your Ama won't intervene?"

"Don't underestimate Ahge; he went to the mountains just a few days ago and brought back several treasures from the mountain woman."

"The mountain woman?"

"Yes, it's the Wumen Mountain."

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow and asked, "You mean the treasures Ahge found in the mountains?"

Pei Wanglei shook her head and explained that it was Wumen Mountain, and the mountain people call that peak "the Mountain Woman."

"Brother-in-law, the Mountain Woman is very powerful. When I was a child, I'd call out her name whenever I encountered danger, and I was safe."

"She also has two messengers: one is a giant tiger, as large as a tree."

Pei Wanglei drew a large circle in the air, "about a foot long, quite impressive."

"The other is a tree so tall that dozens of people can't even wrap their arms around it."

"Whenever the tribe faces a great calamity, Ama goes beneath that tree to consult the Mountain Woman."

"Though Ama never lets anyone follow her, so I don't know what she asks."

Though Chen Yi was half-convinced, he found it intriguing.

"Brother-in-law, those treasures from your Ahge, can they defeat the Five Poison Sect?"

Pei Wanglei jingled her pendant, "My Ama's predictions are never wrong."

"And even if Ahge can't, there's also my third uncle and Li Uncle; they're the strongest in the tribe, and they'll surely slaughter the Five Poison Sect without leaving a single one alive."

Chen Yi nodded, no longer pressing the matter.

In his eyes, as long as the mountain tribe could provide support, he felt confident in dealing with Liu Zhaoqing and the others.

Not long after, Xiao Duo arrived with breakfast.

The three of them sat together, eating and chatting, laughing and talking.

While eating, Chen Yi's ear twitched, and he heard footsteps outside the wooden building. He knew someone had arrived.

He set down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and saw Liu Si'er bringing Wang Ji outside.

"Lord, the owner of Bai Caotang wants to see you."

Chen Yi nodded, exchanged a few polite words, and sent Liu Si'er away, then led Wang Ji into the study.

He had only seen Wang Ji the night before; all the orders had already been given.

This time Wang Ji had come, so something must have happened.

As expected, Wang Ji entered the study and respectfully handed him a letter from his pocket: "Delivered by Liu Hu's guard early this morning."

Chen Yi's expression shifted slightly as he read the letter:

[The old man and his eldest son discussed eliminating those barbarian slaves, and they agreed to have one named Asu Tai impersonate the barbarians. The corpses of the other slaves should be turned over to the authorities.]

[He also mentioned wanting to have the foreigner Lv Jiu Nan leave as soon as possible.]

[I've confirmed the location of the barbarian slaves—No. 4 Eding Lane, near the eastern market.]

[The foreigner's whereabouts haven't been found yet, but they should be near the western market.]

After reading the last line, Chen Yi didn't look up and asked, "How long was Liu Hu staying at Bai Caotang this morning?"

Wang Ji paused briefly and answered, "He finished writing and left immediately, not staying a moment."

"Where's Da Bao?"

"He? He left the city early in the morning."

Chen Yi nodded, lit a lamp, and burned the letter to ashes, his thoughts racing.

Though Liu Hu's message was vague, Chen Yi had already pieced together what Liu Hong and Liu Tao'er had said.

—It seemed Liu Hu had appeared on the boat the previous night, arousing the old man's suspicion.

So Liu Hong must have wanted to clean up all traces.

"Asu Tai is the son of the left king; Liu Hong can't kill him, so having someone impersonate him was a good idea."

"And Lv Jiu Nan..."

Thinking this through, Chen Yi ordered Wang Ji, "Find Zhang Da Bao and tell him people are near the western market."

After a pause, he added, "Once done, have him wait at Chuanxi Street."

Wang Ji agreed, "I'll get right on it."

"Wait." Chen Yi extinguished the lamp, "I'll come with you."

Lv Jiu Nan and Ge Muxiu had already been dealt with; his priority now was to find those barbarian slaves.

If the opportunity arose, he might even make his move.

As Chen Yi and Wang Ji left the study, they saw Pei Wanglei smiling outside, clearly having heard everything.

"Brother-in-law, going out for a walk?"

"Want to come with me?"

Chen Yi was about to refuse, but suddenly remembered something and mouthed a "shh" motion: "Be good and come along."

Pei Wanglei nodded emphatically, promising not to say a word.

Wang Ji only glanced curiously at her before leading the way out of the pavilion.

As an official, he couldn't speak up even if he wanted to.

Chen Yi gave a few instructions to Xiao Duo, then led Pei Wanglei and Wang Ji away from the Spring Lotus Garden.

At that moment, Xiao Wanyue arrived with Shen Huatang and Xie Stopcloud.

"Brother-in-law, Mr. Wang, what brings you here?"

Chen Yi smiled and explained, "We're just taking a little tiger cub to Bai Caotang to pick up some tea."

Xiao Wanyue had no objections, adding that Elder Grandfather had already agreed to their plans.

Chen Yi smiled, "Good news then."

"This couple of days, the elder sister will begin sending out invitations to some medical saints to come to Shu Zhou."

Xiao Wanyue said exactly what Chen Yi had proposed—inviting the world's top medical experts to Shu Zhou under Elder Grandfather's name.

This would serve as a pretext, making it easier for Xiao Wanyue to select suitable candidates from the medical academies.

Xiao Wanyue nodded, her face beaming with a smile:

"I've already found Third Uncle, and asked him to check which medical saints are available."

"Third Uncle has a wide network and knows many people."

She then pointed to Shen Huatang and Xie Stopcloud, "We'll also reach out to the Tianshan Sect for information on legendary medical masters; we should get news soon."

"And the Tonglin sect..."

All in all, it was about the Medical Academy.

Chen Yi listened to two compliments and then bowed his farewell.

Xiao Wan’er was quick in her actions; within half a day of returning from Tonglin, she had arranged everything.

Now all that remained was to proceed step by step, and it was certain that within two months, the Medical Academy would have its signboard raised.

Not long after.

Chen Yi instructed Wang Ji to take a detour through the western streets of the city, and led Pei Yunlu to a certain residence.

Pei Yunlu curiously inspected the house from top to bottom.

She knew Chen Yi was the mastermind behind Bai Caotang, yet she was unclear about the things he had done previously.

Here, even with her wits not at their sharpest, she had guessed that Chen Yi had already prepared for this.

“Brother, is this what you bought?”

Chen Yi nodded, took a seat in the main hall, waiting for Zhang Daobao to return.

When Pei Yunlu saw he said nothing more, she shifted onto a stool beside him, staring at him with wide eyes, unblinking.

She made Chen Yi quite uncomfortable. “What do you want to ask?”

“Brother, you go off and have all the fun by yourself, without inviting me?”

“Fun?”

Chen Yi flicked her forehead with his hand, grumbling, “If it’s fun, I’d bring you along—then it’d be real fun.”

All the things he’d done before were not convenient for bringing Pei Yunlu.

Even the time he burned the summer grain in San Tribes, if he hadn’t found someone suitable, there’s no way he could have let that wild girl deliver a message to General Xiao Jinghong.

Pei Yunlu rubbed her head and pouted, “Only you don’t want to play with me, you rascal.”

Chen Yi glanced at her. “Go on then, go back.”

Pei Yunlu hesitated, then leaned closer, excitedly asking, “I knew you wouldn’t forget about me.”

“What do you need right now?”

“Why, aren’t you saying I’m a bad girl now?”

“Where…”

After joking a few remarks, Chen Yi glanced at the sky, and told her to take out the bottles and jars from her person.

“I need to prepare a few doses of poison. Let me see if you have anything useful.”

The last time with Yan Feisha, he’d realized that the “Divine Intoxication” and “Clear Breeze Intoxication” were only effective against ordinary folk in the martial world, but still fell short against cultivators and those who dealt with poisons daily—malevolent cultivators.

And someone like Lü Jiān, a demon seer, belonged to that category.

So Chen Yi thought he’d check Pei Yunlu’s “local specialties” to see if he could brew a stronger poison.

After examining all the poisons Pei Yunlu carried, he couldn’t help but sigh in admiration—how could the mountain clans instill such fear in the people of Shu Zhou?

The variety of poisons and insects on Pei Yunlu’s person were so numerous, even he struggled to find words.

After selecting and sorting through them, he took three bottles, letting Pei Yunlu keep the rest for future use.

“Brother, if I come to help you, is this all?”

Seeing the wild girl’s slight disappointment, Chen Yi only smiled, “Not at all. We’re going to do something big just now.”

“Alright…”

About half an hour later, Zhang Daobao returned.

Before he could say more, Chen Yi instructed him to handle the disguise.

“Have those two found them yet?”

“Your Lord, they’re in the Black Fish Alley deep in the western market—the same place General Xiao had swept through before.”

“What about Liu Rong?”

“He’s still keeping watch there. I’ve already informed him to stay far away.”

Chen Yi nodded, saying nothing more.

After finishing the disguise, before Pei Yunlu could ask anything, he led her into black robes and bronze masks, and they departed eastward to the market, driven by Zhang Daobao.

On the way.

At first, Pei Yunlu asked a question, but afterward, she was full of excitement.

Until they reached the Pingduo Alley in the east market, she nearly laughed out loud.

“Brother, this is the first time I’ve had such fun—disguises, pretending to be someone else… should I come up with a catchy name?”

“Pei Immortal Girl? Or Pei the Path Walker, the Path Walker of Heaven?”

But when Pei Yunlu noticed Chen Yi’s gaze, her expression immediately stilled.

“Of course, I know there’s something important to attend to.”

Chen Yi didn’t notice, tilting his ear to listen intently, his eyes fixed on the residence in the distance.

Just as he was about to approach, a strange, pleading voice floated from within:

“…Please, please don’t kill…”

“Kill me… kill me…”

“Forgive me, this ‘Cat in the Hat’ scheme—your role is the protagonist, so you must die…”

(The chapter ends.)