Chapter 173 Brother-in-law, please take a look

The letter is finished.

Chen Yi folded the letter in his hand, chatted with Liu Lang for a few minutes, and pondered what to do next.

It would be highly unlikely that this letter could be delivered to Xiao Jinghong through conventional means.

Apart from him, all the evil spirits, including Liu Lang and the female tiger, must be within Black Fang's sight.

Sending this letter out of the Xiao family also carries the risk of premature exposure, which could easily alert them.

After much thought...

A figure appeared in Chen Yi's mind, and he could vaguely hear a series of tinkling sounds.

It seems that it would be more prudent to let Tiger Girl return to her clan to visit her relatives.

“Black Fang and his gang will definitely be on high alert lately, especially regarding the movements of you, me, and other people in the know. Be careful in everything you do.”

Liu Lang looked at the letter in his hand and asked, "Don't you need me to deliver the letter?"

Chen Yi said irritably, "Why would I write this letter if I could just let you go?"

Liu Lang gave an embarrassed smile, "I forgot."

"I was just thinking of taking the opportunity of delivering a letter to General Jinghong to ask her for some advice."

"..."

Chen Yi shook his head inwardly. Most of these people in the martial arts world were unconventional, straightforward, and too honest.

Little did they know that success or failure in anything depends on the details.

Often, failing to do some seemingly insignificant little things properly can lead to big mistakes.

"In short, when you investigate the whereabouts of Liu Wen, Liu Zhaoxue, and the others tomorrow, be careful not to be noticed."

Liu Lang nodded, making sure he remembered the advice.

Let's chat for a bit.

Chen Yi then dismissed Liu Lang.

He watched the person walk away, then his gaze fell on the rain outside the door, and he sat quietly for a moment.

Then he summoned Zhang Dabao to remove his disguise.

Taking advantage of this time, Chen Yi calmed his mind.

Once he relaxed, he couldn't help but ask a few questions about the art of disguise.

Zhang Dabao didn't hold back and taught him some basic disguise techniques in detail.

"My master said that his disguise skills were passed down from the thieves' guild. The thieves' skills are divided into three types: appearance, form, and spirit."

"The simplest thing is to change one's appearance; a face and a few finely crafted bones are all it takes to do it easily."

"Secondly, there is the physical form. It is said that there were thieves in the previous dynasty who could shrink and expand their bones, and change their height, body shape, and even gender."

"The most difficult thing is the expression. My master said that the outward appearance is only superficial, and it is very difficult to change the inner self."

Zhang Dabao peeled off his mask as he spoke.

Chen Yi listened attentively and asked with a smile, "If you want to transform one person into another, are appearance, form, and spirit all indispensable?"

Zhang Dabao was slightly taken aback, looking at him with a strange expression: "Sir, are you looking for a substitute?"

"It was just casual conversation; I had no such intentions."

Although a double is like a person's shadow, making it easier for him to act, a double is also a person, and a person has his own thoughts and selfish desires.

Chen Yi didn't want to create trouble for himself.

His question was purely for "academic discussion".

Zhang Dabao, without any suspicion, nodded and said, "That's what Master said, and I've only learned the basics."

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow and asked, "I've always heard you mention your master, where is he now?"

"He has gone to live a carefree life."

"Before he left, he told me to complete my apprenticeship and instructed me not to tarnish the reputation of the thieves' sect. What a pity..."

Seeing the regret on Zhang Dabao's face, Chen Yi chuckled: "It's a pity you followed Wang Ji, isn't it?"

"There are some...please forgive me, sir."

"I just feel that after studying my craft for so many years, I only use the art of disguise now, and my other skills are inevitably neglected."

Chen Yi nodded knowingly, realizing he had no use for his skills.

That makes sense, though.

Zhang Dabao may seem mature and composed, but he is ultimately a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy, and it is normal for him to yearn for success and fame.

"Learn something from Wang Ji first. You'll have plenty of opportunities to use it later, so that your reputation as 'Two-Finger' will resound throughout Shu Prefecture."

"Hehe, thank you, sir."

A moment later, Chen Yi returned to his original appearance and changed his clothes.

After thinking for a moment, he instructed:

"Tomorrow, go and find Wang Ji to arrange a house in the East Market and another in the North of the City. We can't stay here for the time being."

Zhang Dabao smiled and agreed, saw him off, and then returned to his room to continue resting.

Young people generally don't have complicated thoughts; they just grab a bed and go to sleep.

In his sleep, he had a slight smile on his face and was muttering something about two fingers.

In the end, it was a good dream.

Adults like Chen Yi have much more complex thoughts.

Especially when walking in the quiet, dim rainy night, he had to look ahead and behind at the same time.

Even if he sorted out the follow-up matters, his mind was inevitably scattered into several threads.

A thread was attached to the front to prevent the people from the Criminal Investigation Department, the Hidden Guards, and the Bright Moon Tower from noticing their presence.

A thread that connects you with loved ones.

He wondered what Xiao Jinghong, Xiao Wan'er, and the others would think if they found out what he had done.

There was another thread with some of his own random thoughts hanging on it.

Like the "plum blossom in winter" used for fishing, or the skills of playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting (currently lacking the zither and painting skills), or the need to supplement things like sleeping potions and poisons.

Under all these circumstances, he naturally had to walk slowly and steadily in the rainy night to avoid stepping into puddles or getting soaked by the heavy rain.

It took Chen Yi nearly an hour to return to Chunhe Garden.

Wash up, change clothes, and have a cup of hot tea.

Only when his body and mind felt warm did he finally breathe a sigh of relief and relax.

Although his time with the Xiao family was short, the experiences he had and the interactions with his loved ones had given him a sense of belonging to the family.

Chen Yi glanced at the sky outside the window, pondered for a moment, and then quietly took the letter to the wooden building next door.

To avoid being noticed, he did not knock on the door, but instead pried it open to enter the wooden building, and went straight to Pei Guanli's room.

Upon reaching the door, I listened intently and heard Tiger Girl's steady breathing.

After a moment's hesitation, Chen Yi tapped his finger.

Ding, ding ding.

Although the dull sound was masked by the patter of rain, it was enough to wake up a martial arts practitioner.

"who?"

"I."

"Brother-in-law?"

Pei Guanli, without suspecting anything, quickly got out of bed and went to open the door.

Perhaps because she had been startled awake from her sleep, her round face still looked a little dazed.

She didn't even notice that she was only wearing her undergarments, and the heavy bells jingled softly as they swayed.

Chen Yi glanced at it, then coughed lightly, "Change your clothes first, I'll wait for you in the living room."

With that, he turned and went downstairs.

After he walked away, Pei Guanli muttered to herself, "It's fine to say it here."

However, after rubbing her eyes to regain consciousness, she noticed a chill on her body and looked down.

There was a sudden exclamation, followed by a series of jingling sounds.

Chen Yi found it amusing, but he also knew that Tiger Girl was used to being wild and didn't care much about the proper separation between men and women.

I don't think she did it intentionally.

Not long after.

Pei Guanli blushed and hesitantly walked downstairs to sit next to him, her head bowed: "Brother-in-law."

Looking at her, Chen Yi couldn't help but smile and say, "You're a grown woman now, it's time to get married."

"No, that's not it."

"If she's not a proper young lady, should she still not get married?"

Pei Guanli, disregarding her embarrassment, wrinkled her nose and said, "I don't want to get married so early. Even Grandma isn't pressuring me."

Chen Yi didn't try to persuade her, but instead tidied her messy hair and said with a smile:

"There's something urgent that I need your help with."

Pei Guanli touched the tip of her hair, her round, pretty face slightly flushed, but she still blinked her big eyes and stared straight at him:

"Brother-in-law, what's wrong?"

Chen Yi took out the letter and handed it to her, instructing, "I need you to deliver this letter to Madam as soon as possible."

"Is this for Sister Jinghong?"

Pei Guanli took it and began to read it, word by word: "Burning the three towns... The Blade Madman..."

Despite the crooked handwriting, she still understood its meaning, and a look of excitement immediately appeared on her face.

"Brother-in-law, something fun has happened again?"

Fun?

Chen Yi smiled and nodded, "I guess so."

"However, when you go there, remember to pretend that you found the letter by accident, and do not show that you knew about it beforehand."

"So you're still going to keep your brother-in-law's secret from Sister Jinghong, right?"

"Yes, we can't let her know for now, so you should find a suitable reason to go back this time."

Pei Guanli nodded repeatedly, grinning, "I understand, I understand. I'm going back to visit Grandma, right?"

“That’s right, if we try too hard, the lady will easily notice.”

Chen Yi didn't know if Tiger Girl was truly knowledgeable or not, but since he couldn't find a more suitable candidate, he could only give her detailed instructions.

Pei Guanli wrote them down one by one and then practiced them in a very serious manner:

"I'll do this first, then this, and then casually drop the letter and hand it to Sister Jinghong..."

"Oh right, I should first say that I'm visiting my grandmother and brother in my clan, and the reason is... Mid-Autumn Festival?"

"Brother-in-law, it's definitely okay for me to say this, right?"

After going back and forth twice, Pei Guanli finally understood the whole process.

"Then I'll leave now."

"No need to rush. Wait until dawn and then talk to your older sister so she can prepare your horse before you set off."

"Yes, brother-in-law, don't worry, this little thing is no problem for me."

Looking at the confident Pei Guanli, Chen Yi praised her generously:

"It's fortunate you didn't study opera, otherwise you would definitely be a leading actor now."

Pei Guanli chuckled, revealing two canine teeth, clearly enjoying herself.

"I think so too..."

After giving her a few more instructions, Chen Yi told her to hide the letter and then got up to leave.

Pei Guanli closed the door, glanced around, and stealthily pulled the letter from her bosom, chuckling to herself.

"Brother-in-law, just you wait and see."

"I promise I won't let Sister Jinghong notice anything."

After muttering a few words, Pei Guanli stuffed the letter under the string of bells and patted it like a precious treasure.

Ring, ring...

Chen Yi, who was in his study, heard the faint sound of bells coming from next door and shook his head with a smile.

"Whether it succeeds or not depends on you, Pei Guanli."

...

The rain subsided slightly after half past the hour of Yin (3-5 AM).

Sun Fu, dressed neatly, carried the brocade box containing the calligraphy scroll titled "Farewell to Lord Changming in Shu Prefecture" and arrived at the quiet residence.

Today he was setting off for Jinling, and before leaving, he wanted to say a few words to Lord Xiao.

In fact, he had already told Lord Xiao about this a few days ago.

However, at that time he had not yet obtained that treasure, and he was not very confident about his trip to Jinling.

At least not as energetic as I am now.

Even when Old Master Xiao was washing up and getting dressed, he couldn't help but be a little surprised to see him like that.

He looked her up, down, left, and right.

The old man blurted out, "Did you spend the night in a brothel last night?"

Sun Fu nearly choked on his breath, and was so angry that he blew his beard and glared at his opponent.

"You old bastard, you can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth."

"I call this 'a happy event makes one feel refreshed'."

"Good news? I remember you looked gloomy and dejected just a couple of days ago."

"What's wrong? Is your daughter-in-law pregnant?"

"I would like to..."

The two old guys habitually exchanged a few words.

Sun Fu knew he was being unreliable, so he stopped rambling and placed the brocade box he was carrying on the table, saying:

"Look at this, this is what a 'happy event' should be."

"Not just to me, but to you too."

Lord Xiao looked at him with a hint of curiosity, "Is it really a happy occasion?"

"Don't let opening this give me a 'shock'. Let me tell you, although I'm feeling better now, I can't stand being startled."

Sun Fu ignored him and directly opened the brocade box and took out the Yunsong paper inside.

After a brief pause, he earnestly instructed, "Watch carefully, don't blink."

Lord Xiao looked at the paper in his hand with suspicion and urged, "Stop talking nonsense and open it quickly."

"I'd like to see what treasure makes you so secretive?"

Then Sun Fu unrolled the scroll of cloud and pine paper.

The moment the first word appeared, the dimly lit hall, illuminated by candlelight, was bathed in a glow.

Faintly, one could hear voices chanting: "A thousand miles... yellow clouds... the sun is dim..."

At the same time, a phantom scene appeared on the paper: yellow sand filled the sky, obscuring the sunlight, and a figure stood beneath it, looking up into the distance.

Lord Xiao glanced at it, and his expression immediately turned serious.

Then he saw the scene on the paper change again: wild geese flew south amidst the drifting snow, and then a figure walked with a smile, followed by a crowd.

Until that person stood atop the city wall of Jinling, gazing into the distance.

Lord Xiao recognized the figure—it was none other than Sun Fu, Sun Changming!

Lord Xiao's face showed emotion, "This, this is?"

Before Sun Fu could explain, his eyes swept across the lower left corner of the paper, and his cloudy eyes immediately cleared, shining as brightly as when he led his troops to Vaishsa.

"Chen Yi, Chen Qingzhou, the twenty-first year of Anhe, late summer."

Sun Fu smiled and nodded, seemingly quite pleased with his shocked expression.

"What I said is good news for you, am I wrong?"

Lord Xiao stared at the calligraphy scroll and the illusion depicted on it for a long time before finally speaking:

"Hehe, indeed... it's a joyous occasion."

Sun Fu, observing the expression on his face, carefully rolled up the calligraphy and put it into the brocade box, while wondering:

"You don't look like you have any happy news."

"What's wrong? Your grandson-in-law has now perfected his calligraphy skills and is about to become one of the calligraphy saints of our time. Aren't you happy?"

Lord Xiao looked towards the direction of Chunhe Garden and sighed softly, "I am happy, but..."

"The more outstanding Qingzhou's talent is, the more...worried I will be."

Upon hearing this, Sun Fu burst into laughter, saying, "You old fool, are you worried that Qingzhou has some designs on your Xiao family?"

Lord Xiao nodded hesitantly, his face showing a hint of unease.

“Changming should know the current situation of my Xiao family. If Qingzhou has other ideas, I’m afraid Jinghong won’t be able to control him.”

"You're just worrying unnecessarily. Qingzhou is such a good kid."

"Fine, I won't hide it from you anymore..."

Sun Fu then recounted his conversation with Chen Yi the previous day, concluding with:

"Are you relieved now?"

"Qingzhou has never had such an idea."

Instead of worrying about him, you should be more wary of your second and third wives, as well as the Duke of Gan's family.

Lord Xiao's expression turned serious. "Is this true?"

Sun Fu, holding the brocade box, scoffed, "When have I ever lied to you?"

When Lord Xiao heard him say this, his expression softened.

There was a long silence.

He couldn't help but sigh again: "I've wronged Qingzhou."

"It's good that you know."

"If he really becomes a master of calligraphy and becomes famous throughout the world, your Xiao family might have to rely on him for help."

"That's not impossible..."

Sorry for the late update.

I finished my old book these past two days and prepared another side story. The update time for the first chapter is a bit unpredictable. I'll try to update around noon tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)