Chen Yi could more or less guess how Liu Hong would react.
If it were him, upon learning that Asutai had vanished, he too would find a way to bring him back.
He might even turn the entire Shu Prefecture City upside down.
But that was precisely what Chen Yi hoped to see.
The more chaotic the situation became, the more clearly he could see through it, and the more benefits he could seize for the Xiao Family.
As for Liu Hong's Fifth Rank Realm subordinate, he had not given him much thought, much less bothered to lay a smokescreen to make Liu Hong suspect betrayal from within.
"Beat the mountain to scare the tiger, and probe the truth."
"Only this way, hidden in the shadows, can I find evidence of Liu Hong's treason and rebellion."
As Chen Yi pondered these matters, he had already arrived at West Market.
To avoid drawing attention, he did not show himself at Hundred Herbs Hall.
He merely had Zhang Dabao switch to a more ordinary carriage and take him through West Market, straight toward Blackfish Alley in its depths.
By then, the sky had dimmed, and the rain was steadily growing heavier.
The drifting rain struck roof tiles and stone-paved roads, its pattering never ceasing.
Yet quite a few travelers still came and went through West Market.
Outside the shops on both sides, attendants stood beneath the eaves, calling out and respectfully welcoming customers.
Inside the shops, groups of three or five customers wandered, stopped, browsed, and occasionally asked a few questions.
Hundred Herbs Hall and Yunqing Tower, located at the entrance to West Market, were doing even better business than usual.
Wealthy gentry and merchants came and went, as did young masters and young ladies of great families, along with ordinary commoners.