After writing another list and having Liu Lang bring back the medicinal herbs as well, Chen Yi sent Wang Ji and Zhang Dabao away.
Then he withdrew the Mysterious Turtle Breath Concealment and listened closely to the sounds around him.
Once he confirmed that everyone nearby was an ordinary civilian, he slowly performed a set of Collapsing Mountain Fist.
Not for cultivation, but merely to loosen his limbs.
Outside, dark clouds still blanketed the sky.
However, the lightning and thunder had ceased, and the rain had weakened considerably.
A succession of dripping sounds echoed through the not-so-large residence.
Some came from rain striking the roof tiles, while others came from pooled water dripping from the eaves onto the stone slabs.
They lent a little life to the surrounding stillness.
Yet Chen Yi paid none of it any mind; even those sounds never entered his ears.
As he performed the Collapsing Mountain Fist in the dimly lit room, he pondered what would come next.
The Liu Family of Jingzhou wielded no small amount of power.
Even if the Xiao Family feared no one, they did not wish to clash head-on with the Liu Family without cause.
The reverse was also true.
The Liu Family naturally did not dare deal with the Xiao Family openly.
Just as when the Liu Family had first arrived, they had not dared use Xinglin Zhai's name, instead opening Linglan Pavilion.
Their purpose had only been to probe.
They were not merely probing the Xiao Family's circumstances, but also testing Liu Hong of Shuzhou.
One was in the light, the other in the dark.
Had Liu Jing not come knocking, the closure of Linglan Pavilion would have marked the end of the Liu Family of Jingzhou's probing, and nothing further would have followed.
But the end of