There were only two possibilities for Lady Tiger’s presence here.

First, Lady Tiger was one of Black Tooth’s people, or perhaps one of the Bright Moon Building’s.

Second, Lady Tiger had already been open with Black Tooth, striking a deal to complete that business transaction together.

Regardless of which it was, it was bad news for Chen Yi.

Unexpected developments often led to unnecessary trouble.

As his thoughts raced, Chen Yi spoke before Black Tooth could, his head tilted up slightly, his tone dismissive.

"I came here only to settle a score with Black Tooth."

Then, he tilted his head slightly, glancing at Lady Tiger only from the corner of his eye, and continued,

"Your presence here, however, displeases me."

Hearing this, Liu Lang glanced at him and obediently kept his mouth shut.

’No wonder Boss Chen was willing to take such a risk.’

’This level of composure alone was something no ordinary person could hope to match.’

The eyes beneath Black Tooth’s mask glinted strangely. He raised a hand to stop Lady Tiger, who was about to speak, and asked in a cold tone,

"Forgive my ignorance, but may I ask who you are?"

"Liu... Wu. Of the Jing State Liu Family."

Chen Yi casually fabricated a name, his gaze meeting Black Tooth’s eyes.

"So tell me, shouldn’t I be here to settle a score with you?"

Black Tooth’s eyes twitched. "The Jing State Liu Family?"

"And which member of the Liu Family might you be?"

"Who I am is not important. What’s important is that your previous failure led to the death of my family’s Sixth Young Master in Shu State."

At this, Chen Yi turned to face him and asked in a low voice,

"Shouldn’t we settle this score?"

Black Tooth was silent for a moment before gesturing for Lady Tiger to sit down with him, opposite Chen Yi and Liu Lang.

The dim, quiet room was lit only by the oil lamp on the table.

There was no breeze; the flame stood perfectly still, pointing straight up.

But as Black Tooth and Lady Tiger took their seats, the dim, yellow candlelight flickered. Lady Tiger sized up Chen Yi and asked,

"Liu Wu... How can you prove your identity?"

Chen Yi didn’t even look at her, keeping his eyes fixed on Black Tooth. The implication was clear.

Seeing this, a flash of coldness crossed Lady Tiger’s eyes, but her tone shifted, taking on a flirtatious, worldly air.

"Such posturing... It seems you really might be from the Jing State Liu Family."

"Black Tooth, you never mentioned the Jing State Liu Family would be involved in this ’business.’ Otherwise, this little lady would have surely had to make a concession."

A tactical retreat to advance.

Chen Yi saw right through it, his expression remaining impassive.

Liu Lang glanced at him, then smiled and asked, "Black Tooth, aren’t you going to introduce this young lady?"

He had dealt with Black Tooth many times, so he could afford to speak with a familiar tone.

But in this situation, it was clear Black Tooth was carefully assessing everyone present.

He considered "Sword Mad" Liu Lang a semi-ally. That Lady Tiger could arrive with him also spoke to an unusual relationship.

Thus, the one who truly concerned Black Tooth was the stranger, Chen Yi.

"How can you prove your identity?"

"The fifth child of the Liu Family’s main branch is their Second Young Miss. I’ve never heard of her becoming a man."

Chen Yi had anticipated this question. He answered evasively,

"That’s not funny in the slightest."

"My family’s Fifth Young Miss is far too precious. Why would she ever set foot in a den of filth like this?"

Even someone as calm and astute as Black Tooth couldn’t help his tone turning cold after being provoked time and again.

"I’ll ask one last time. How do you prove your identity?"

At these words, Liu Lang’s heart tightened. Just as he was about to make a joke to defuse the tension, he saw Chen Yi let out a soft laugh and calmly pull a stack of silver notes from his robes, placing it on the table.

Black Tooth glanced at it. Recognizing them as notes for ten thousand taels of silver, he was about twenty percent convinced.

There were quite a few people in all of Shu State who could produce ten thousand taels in silver notes.

However, those who would do so before any agreement had been reached were few and far between.

Such a person was either a fool or possessed unshakable confidence.

Clearly, Black Tooth didn’t believe a fool would dare to act so presumptuously before him.

Not even if he truly was from the Jing State Liu Family.

Chen Yi didn’t need to guess his thoughts. After stacking the silver notes neatly, he said,

"Today, I only intend to speak with you. I’m not accustomed to, nor do I appreciate, the presence of others."

Before Black Tooth could speak, Lady Tiger purred from the side, "Brother Liu, you seem to hold quite a deep prejudice against this little lady, don’t you?"

"It’s not prejudice," Chen Yi said with a glance in her direction. "I simply don’t believe a woman is capable of accomplishing great things."

Most members of the Noble Families were misogynistic, so his words fit his assumed identity.

"You..."

Even a saint would lose their temper, to say nothing of Lady Tiger, a Hidden Guard Silver Banner Officer.

At that moment, Black Tooth raised a hand. "This woman beside me, Lou Yuxue, is one of my Bright Moon Building’s people," he said, his voice devoid of emotion.

Lou Yuxue. Lady Tiger.

Chen Yi silently committed the name to memory and dropped the issue, speaking directly.

"Originally, I hadn’t planned to reveal myself. Or rather, my young master was unwilling to have his identity exposed."

"Unfortunately, ’Sword Mad’ failed to complete his task, and someone from your Bright Moon Building interfered. I had no choice but to step in and resolve this, so that I can answer to my young master."

A strange expression flashed across Liu Lang’s face; he had no idea what task Chen Yi was talking about.

Black Tooth glanced at him, then turned back to Chen Yi. "And which young master would that be?"

"The one who just arrived in Shu State."

"Liu Wen?"

With the Bright Moon Building’s extensive network, they would naturally know about the arrival from the Jing State Liu Family.

At this, Black Tooth was fifty percent convinced.

"But I’m still a bit puzzled," he said. "Is Second Young Master Liu planning to go against the Xiao Family to the bitter end?"

Chen Yi’s brow furrowed. Feigning displeasure, he tapped the silver notes on the table.

"Whether this matter succeeds or fails, it ends with me."

Black Tooth paused, then nodded in understanding. He knew that mentioning Liu Wen’s name was as far as Chen Yi could go.

Just as he was about to speak, Lady Tiger Lou Yuxue chimed in with a smile,

"After all this talk, your identity is still rather vague."

"How can you prove you work for Second Young Master Liu, and aren’t just using his name to run a scam?"

Chen Yi froze, his gaze turning colder as he looked at her.

"How would Miss Yuxue have me prove myself?"

Lou Yuxue glanced at Black Tooth. Seeing no reaction, she understood his intent and said with a smile,

"Brother Liu, don’t be angry. This is a serious matter. A little caution on our part is beneficial for you as well, isn’t it?"

Chen Yi stared at her, his expression unmoved.

Lou Yuxue thought for a moment. "Why don’t you tell us Second Young Master Liu’s purpose for coming to Shu State?"

"Or perhaps a secret that we can verify later?"

Hearing this, Chen Yi replied without a change in expression, "Miss Yuxue, you’re asking for the impossible."

Then he turned to Black Tooth. "Is this what you think as well?"

Black Tooth and Lou Yuxue exchanged a look before he nodded. "She can speak for the Bright Moon Building."

Instantly, the quiet room plunged into a dead silence.

The candlelight flickered weakly, and the atmosphere grew palpably tense.

Seeing this, Liu Lang couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat for Chen Yi.

His hand, hidden beneath the table, rested on his thigh, ready to draw his blade at the first sign of trouble.

Black Tooth and Lou Yuxue paid him no mind, their gazes fixed solely on Chen Yi.

A long silence followed.

A sinister smile slowly spread across Chen Yi’s ice-cold face. "As expected of the Bright Moon Building. Such strict rules. I like it very much."

As soon as the words left his mouth, his speech quickened. "One of my young master’s purposes in coming to Shu State this time is a marriage alliance with the Xiao Family’s eldest daughter."

"Oh?" Lou Yuxue murmured, then asked in that same sweet voice, "From what I know, relations between the Xiao and Liu Families are strained. Why would they arrange a marriage alliance?"

This time, before Chen Yi could explain, Black Tooth cut in, "We can verify the truth of this later."

Lou Yuxue gave an obedient murmur of assent and fell silent.

Black Tooth glanced at her, then his gaze swept over Chen Yi and Liu Lang before finally landing on the silver notes on the table. He mused,

"I wonder, what is Brother Liu’s true purpose in coming here today? Surely it isn’t just to demand an explanation from me for Liu Jing’s death?"

With the first test passed, Chen Yi relaxed slightly. He spoke based on what he already knew of the situation:

"That ’business’ of yours has a new player. Naturally, I had to come and assess the situation."

"Is that all?"

"If my assessment is unfavorable, then I’ll have no choice but to get involved myself."

Black Tooth seemed taken aback. He asked in a strange tone, "You don’t mind conspiring with the other party?"

The "other party" was the one who had previously offered a bid of thirty thousand taels of Gold.

Chen Yi gave a slight nod. "I might as well be blunt. This ’business’ is my young master’s betrothal gift."

"Therefore, failure is not an option."

At this, Black Tooth and Lady Tiger exchanged a look of mutual surprise.

Only Liu Lang, who knew the truth, bit down hard on his back teeth, afraid he would burst out laughing.

If he hadn’t known about Chen Yi’s relationship with the Xiao Family from the start, he might have actually believed the story.

’Betrothal gift, my foot.’

’If the Three Towns’ summer grain were actually burned, this Boss Chen would be the first to raise hell.’

After a moment’s thought, Black Tooth smiled. "In that case, our goals are aligned."

"With Brother Liu’s involvement, our chances of success in this ’business’ will certainly be much higher."

As he spoke, he collected the stack of silver notes.

Chen Yi raised a single eyebrow and turned his head, pointedly not watching the action.

’That was one of my few personal stashes of cash, besides my income from the Hundred Herbs Hall.’

’Gone, just like that... It stung a little.’

Lady Tiger Lou Yuxue noted his reaction, her heart still half-convinced and half-skeptical of his identity.

’She felt there was something very fishy about his appearance tonight.’

After a moment’s thought, Lou Yuxue turned to the silent Liu Lang and asked,

"Speaking of which, Brother ’Sword Mad,’ how did you manage to get involved with the likes of the Liu Family?"

Liu Lang sneered, crossed his arms, and refused to acknowledge her.

Chen Yi, however, glanced at her and said coolly, "I healed his injuries."

Before Lou Yuxue could react, Black Tooth, who knew of Liu Lang’s condition, asked with keen interest,

"Brother Liu is a ’Medical Saint Hand’?"

Lou Yuxue was taken aback, her beautiful eyes fixed on Chen Yi in clear disbelief.

Chen Yi looked at the two of them. "You people from the Bright Moon Building truly make a fuss over nothing."

The moment he finished speaking, he flicked out a Silver Needle, which embedded itself upright in the table.

Then, with a series of flicks from his fingers, threads of True Essence made the Silver Needle vibrate rapidly.

A piercing hum immediately echoed through the quiet room.

Black Tooth’s eyes narrowed, as did Lady Tiger’s.

They both stared, unblinking, at the Silver Needle on the table. "Controlling Needle with Qi... a skill only a ’Medical Saint Hand’ can perform."

Hearing this, Chen Yi crooked a finger, retrieving the Silver Needle. "I hope this is the last of your tests," he said coldly.

At that, Black Tooth clapped his hands in admiration. "If Brother Liu had shown this skill earlier, I naturally wouldn’t have dared to question you further."

Lou Yuxue chimed in with a smile, "I had heard there were two ’Medical Saint Hands’ in the Liu Family’s Xinglin Hall. It seems the rumors were mistaken."

"At Brother Liu’s age, your future achievements in the Medical Dao will surely reach even greater heights."

After this, neither of them had any more doubts about Chen Yi’s identity.

Chen Yi gave a noncommittal nod, a coolly sinister smile appearing on his handsome face.

"I’m finished with my business. Now, let’s talk about yours."