Chapter 293: You Are Not Chen Yi! (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 293: You Are Not Chen Yi! (Please vote for the monthly ticket)

Brother?

Du Cang!

Chen Yi lifted his head slightly, gazing up at the figure perched atop the towering tree.

That was indeed the visage of Hou Fu's gatekeeper, the White Tiger Guard's iron-flagged officer, Brother Gu.

Yet that cold, sinister aura emanating from him left not a shred of doubt about his identity—Cháiwǒ Nuóguó Kǒngquè Wáng Qí "Cháilǎng" Du Cang!

Chen Yi confirmed his identity, then cast a gaze of assessment.

Du Cang, cultivation level above third grade, bearing the Complete Realm's head-divination technique.

Possessing abilities akin to Lü Jiān, capable of controlling others' bodies.

His cultivation seemed somewhat diminished due to the puppet-bearing constraints; his true strength likely reached the latter stages of third grade.

Moreover, he could conjure an illusionary realm—a miniature world of his own making.

Chen Yi's thoughts surged, "His cultivation and techniques are but a step below mine; the real trouble is he's discovered my identity."

"And right now, I'm still within the Spring Lotus Garden. Had I been a moment careless, my long-simmering schemes would have erupted into action."

"The repercussions? Not only would the Xiao family suspect me, but Liu Hong and the Jizhou Merchant Guild would also become wary."

Not yet the time!

Chen Yi thought thus, and in his mind, the newly formed chessboard of the world exploded like a thunderclap.

Pieces rose and fell, strategies shifting and evolving—

"Du Cang's discovery of my identity must be an accident."

"Reasons two: His time in Shu Zhou was limited; even with some means of pursuit, the clues would be scattered and convoluted, making it hard to track."

"Plus, we've never met, and he couldn't possibly have found this place on his own."

"Thus, only one possibility remains—he came to Hou Fu seeking someone, and that person is Chen Yi."

"Then, combining his prior findings, he finally confirmed my identity."

"As for why he came to kill me... Liu Hong?"

"Only he could have orchestrated this."

Chen Yi's certainty stemmed from Lü Jiān's past deeds—once compelled by Liu Hong to control his original body and flee his wedding.

Perhaps Liu Hong, unwilling to surrender Ai Suotai so easily, sought to repeat his old trick and trade with Du Cang.

Or perhaps Du Cang, intending to settle a score with the Xiao family before leaving Shu Zhou, persuaded Liu Hong to target him instead.

Of course, Du Cang might have stumbled upon the Xiao family by chance, hence his discovery.

This possibility was slim, though.

The Patriarch dwelt year-round in the Pure Contemplation Courtyard; Du Cang, seeking to commit a grand scheme, would never have come to the backyard. Instead, he'd arrived at this Spring Lotus Garden.

Chen Yi's thoughts whirled countless ways.

The pieces moved and shifted upon the chessboard conjured by Du Cang's divination technique, forming patterns of connection.

He deduced several possible outcomes.

As expected.

Silently slaying Du Cang while concealing his own presence was impossible.

Just as that night in the Mid-Autumn, when Yan Fusha held him hostage—acting within the city would expose Yan Fusha's identity, revealing his own.

To continue hiding, he had no choice but to—

Everything unfolded in an instant.

On Chen Yi's calm face, a mischievous smile played: "My lord... are you Du Cang?"

Du Cang was taken aback, "You... know me?"

He had intended to reveal his identity after victory, to savor Chen Yi's despair and pain in death.

Yet he never imagined Chen Yi would directly state his name.

For the past few days, he'd only appeared before Liu Hong.

At all other times, he lurked in the shadows, leaving not a trace.

Even within the Peacock King's Flag, no more than three knew of his arrival in Shu Zhou.

How did Chen Yi know?

Chen Yi chuckled, and no longer concealed his cultivation and technique realm.

His fifth-grade upper-level cultivation unfurled, and the true energies of his three great energy seas surged through his body.

The Divine Intention of the Gun Path, even at the Complete Realm, remained trapped within this miniature world.

Yet he shattered the surrounding thorns, the black feather-like snow, and the several towering trees.

"They say General Du's divination talent is exceptional; in just a few years, he's made a name within the Peacock King's Flag."

"Today, I see firsthand that General Du truly lives up to the legends."

As he spoke, Chen Yi rolled up his left sleeve, drawing out his five-fold spear, assembling it with casual ease.

"Only, your arrival here with a puppet body... do you look down upon Liu Hong?"

"Liu Hong?"

Du Cang couldn't help but press further, coldly sneering: "Even at death's door, you dare scheme with this wasted son-in-law?"

Chen Yi shook his head, "Scheme? No, no... my surname is Liu, family name Wu. How could I scheme?"

"As for this wasted son-in-law, Chen Yi... you must know where he is now, right, General Du?"

He paused, gazing up at Du Cang with a meaning-laden look: "After all, it was you, Peacock King's Flag's Lü Jiān, who personally set this in motion."

Du Cang blinked, his scarlet eyes fixed on Chen Yi with intense scrutiny.

After a moment of examination—

"You are not Chen Yi!"

Upon reaching this conclusion, Du Cang's face shifted into one of sudden realization: "Of course..."

"The Emperor and I had always suspected something was amiss. How could Lü General claim Chen Yi was already dead, yet he still lived?"

"Moreover, that Chen Yi was but a frail scholar, how could he, in just a few months, attain such martial prowess as yours?"

Du Cang, believing he'd seen through everything, smiled colder: "So it is!"

"It must be the Xiao family's scheme—letting you impersonate Chen Yi as Xiao Jinghong's husband, thereby keeping Xiao Jinghong within the Xiao family."

"Ha... hadn't realized that trivial scholar Liu Hong mentioned was the Xiao family's deepest hidden agent!"

"Yes, yes, this is splendid!"

Yes, indeed.

Anyone acquainted with Chen Yi’s circumstances upon his arrival in Shu would doubt his martial prowess and technique.

No other explanation.

The time is too short.

Chen Yi regarded Du Cang, who stood atop a massive tree, his smile unchanged, then flicked his long spear aside.

"Indeed, I’ve hidden in the Xiao family for so long, how could I die so easily here, in your hands?"

"What do you know?"

Upon hearing this, Du Cang’s laughter faded, a cruel edge creeping into his gaunt features. "Then you’ll never leave."

Before he could finish, his eyes blazed with crimson light, spreading a red glow across the entire realm.

Black, feather-like snow descended, its tips stained crimson.

Thorny vines oozed dark red sap.

The towering trees were swathed in red garments, their branches twisting and elongating like whips, dangling in midair, their tips forming blade-like points.

In an instant, the realm erupted with lethal intent:

The black snow fell like slow rain.

The thorny vines tore the earth into ravines.

The branches thrust forward in unison.

—Their target was unmistakably Chen Yi.

Chen Yi, meanwhile, fixed his gaze on Du Cang, advancing rather than retreating.

His spear swept in a wide arc, clearing the thorny vines beneath his feet, then plunged straight upward.

The spear cleaved through the air.

Golden light erupted from its tip, shattering the black snow and the blade-like branches, tearing through the realm as if rending reality itself, driving toward Du Cang.

—Falling Dragon Spear, Soaring Dragon Technique!

The golden spear light wrapped around Chen Yi’s body, coalescing into a five-clawed golden dragon that crushed and dispersed the trees, snow, and thorns along its path.

The golden dragon opened its maw, as though to swallow Du Cang whole. "A chant rose."

The dragon’s roar followed.

Yet Du Cang remained motionless, letting the five-clawed golden dragon pass through his form.

His smile turned cold.

Chen Yi’s form stilled, landing on another towering tree, his expression grave:

"Is this… a head-reading technique?"

To speak the truth, this realm held some secrets.

Even without exerting his full strength, Du Cang’s trick of turning false into true was no easy feat to overcome.

Du Cang glanced back at him, coldly smiling: "I told you, this is the head-reading art of the Sui and Wei dynasties, an ultimate skill bequeathed by the ancient sages."

"Not a common head-reading art either."

His gaze lingered on Chen Yi’s spear. "You, Liu… Five, your spear technique must be near the pinnacle of the Complete Circle realm."

"If given more time, letting your wings grow full, you’d become the king’s great enemy."

"Fortunately, I discovered you in time—you’re doomed."

Speaking thus, he raised his hands, fingers splayed, like a marionette master pulling strings.

The snow, branches, and thorns Du Cang had shattered moments before reformed and intertwined in an instant, coalescing into a wooden humanoid woven from branches, clad in thorns, with black feather-like snow for hair.

In its hand, it bore a spear.

As it formed, it thrust its spear at Chen Yi.

Intending to test, Chen Yi also lunged.

The golden spear light flashed, its tip meeting the thorn-covered spear of the wooden figure.

*Clang!*

Chen Yi stumbled backward, his body betraying him.

The wooden figure stepped forward with Du Cang’s cold smile, thrusting its spear again.

Chen Yi furrowed his brow, no longer standing his ground, twisting aside.

The spear swept at an odd angle, piercing the wooden figure’s torso.

The spear’s force surged, golden light bursting through the gaps in the wooden figure, shattering snow, branches, and thorns, tearing the realm apart.

Yet the wooden figure remained unscathed, its strike never landing, launching another spear as though a relentless, undying beast fixed on Chen Yi.

Strangely, its form was colossal, yet swift.

One spear outpaced another.

Chen Yi frowned, dodging each thrust, occasionally countering, trying to find a way to destroy it.

"This, then, is the head-reading art?"

"General Du, what skill!"

Du Cang stood atop the towering tree, watching him with leisurely eyes, coldly smiling:

"Liu Five, I know you haven’t unleashed your full power yet."

"But it matters not. With me by your side, your defeat is merely a matter of time. I’ll watch how long you endure!"

Chen Yi glanced at him, a subtle tremor in his heart—"With me by your side"?

His eyes drifted, noticing nothing, nor did he grow agitated, continuing his struggle with the wooden figure.

In the gaps, he once again employed his aura-reading technique, probing the realm.

Trees, black feather-like snow, thorny vines…

Until finally, he still found nothing Du Cang spoke of.

Chen Yi sighed inwardly, made his decision.

After that, he suddenly surged forward, his entire body leaping to the waist of the wooden dummy, as small as a branch on its surface.

Yet upon his spear, a golden spear light shot straight upward, barely reaching a strand of celestial energy within the confines of this realm.

Suddenly, a golden bolt of lightning descended from the dark, lightless sky, striking the spear in Chen Yì’s hand.

In the next instant,

Chen Yì’s entire body and spear merged into one, golden light surging forth.

Like a golden sun, it blazed with dazzling radiance, dispelling the surrounding darkness.

Black snowflakes melted away.

Towers of towering trees turned to splinters.

A thorny vine froze mid-charge, withering into ashes.

Even this realm began to dissolve.

Du Cāng witnessed this spectacle, a sullen expression crossing his face, his hands instinctively raising to shield his chest.

Crimson glows flickered from his chest, attempting to preserve the existence of this realm.

Yet Chen Yì clearly would not grant him that opportunity. The moment the heavens above began to dissolve, he connected with the realm, his spear intent spreading across the Spring Lotus Garden.

Not a single particle was spilled.

The sky above was shrouded in dark clouds, rain still pouring in buckets, splashing against the stone slabs within the Spring Lotus Garden.

Tap, tap, tap—

With the veil of the realm gone, Du Cāng stood in the pavilion, maintaining the posture of covering his chest, gazing intently at Chen Yì.

As for Chen Yì, one hand gripped his spear, leaning on it as he struggled to straighten his posture, his once plump face now pale, his lips bleeding.

He looked at the sinister Du Cāng, wiped blood from his mouth, and coughed:

“Du General, must you continue to kill me?”

“Even though my cultivation is a bit inferior to yours, when I am not in my true form, I still have the means to fight to the death.”

Before Du Cāng could speak, he continued: “Coughing up blood, let me propose a trade, what do you think?”

Du Cāng stared at him, his hands naturally hanging by his sides, his voice hoarse:

“Even if you’ve broken my Decapitation Secret Technique with your unparalleled spear art, you’re already at the end of your strength, what right do you have to trade with me?”

Chen Yì managed a slight smile, speaking: “Lü Jiāngnán is still alive.”

Du Cāng’s blood-red eyes flickered twice, his brow immediately furrowed, his face darkening as he stared at him:

“Are you mocking me?”

“That day, when you killed Lü Jiāngnán, everyone saw it. If it hadn’t been so, the King wouldn’t have been so angry to send me here.”

Chen Yì shook his head. “Whether Lü Jiāngnán is alive, no one outside could know better than me.”

After a pause, he explained: “In fact, that day, I intended to kill Lü Jiāngnán.”

“But upon learning he was the prince of Lan County, and later discovering he manipulated Chen Yì to escape his wedding, I changed my mind.”

“If it weren’t for his telling me, how would I have known the truth about Jing Hong General’s wedding that day?”

Chen Yì took a deep breath, straightened his body, and said earnestly: “Moreover, he told me that Prince Lan intended to marry him to another bandit group, and that he must die.”

He looked at Du Cāng seriously: “If the General doesn’t believe me, he may come to the Xiao family again.”

Du Cāng’s expression wavered.

Already, he had already believed nine-tenths of it.

After a long while, he slyly opened his mouth: “Old me, for the sake of believing you, I’ll agree to this trade.”

“But, since it’s a trade, it should be fair.”

“What?”

Before Chen Yì could ask, he sensed a cold, sinister aura emanating from outside the Hou Mansion.

It was identical to the aura of the “honored uncle” before him.

In the next moment, a panicked voice came from outside the mansion:

“My lady, who dares to hijack the heir of the Hou family?!”

Heir…

Xiao Wǎn’ér…

Chen Yì gazed into Du Cāng’s eyes, a thick killing intent flashing there: “You, what are you going to do?”

Du Cāng wore a sly smile on his face:

“Liu Er, old me just waited half a day. If you don’t come, she’ll die, hahaha…”

“Remember, bring Lü General with you!”

(End of Chapter)