Chapter 13 Fist Technique: Mountain Collapse!
In the end, Chen Yi agreed to Xiao Wan'er's "request" and agreed to take care of Xiao Wuge for a period of time.
Consider it compensation for the good food and drink the Xiao family provided for him.
However, he also made it clear beforehand that he only wanted Xiao Wuge to stay in Chunhe Garden and not to run around, but he wouldn't be responsible for teaching him anything irrelevant.
Xiao Wan'er nodded in agreement, gave Xiao Wuge a few instructions, and then left with Shen Huatang.
"Miss, why do you value your second son-in-law so much?"
After holding back for a long time, Shen Huatang finally couldn't help but ask as they passed through the central courtyard gate: "In Huatang's opinion, even if he has some talent, he is far inferior to the teachers in the manor, not to mention his character is so..."
Despicable.
Although Shen Huatang didn't say it aloud, Xiao Wan'er naturally understood.
As he strolled slowly toward a residence near the right side of the central courtyard, he replied in a gentle tone:
“I don’t need him to teach Wu Ge knowledge. I just want Wu Ge to stay by his side and learn from his character and way of life.”
"this……"
“Hua Tang, you have been in my Xiao family for quite some time now. You must know that Wu Ge will be setting off for Jinling as a hostage next spring.”
"You mean," Shen Huatang's heart stirred slightly as she realized, "you want Young Master Wuge to behave like the second son-in-law in Jinling?"
“Yes,” Xiao Wan’er nodded slightly, her bright eyes lowered, her tone somewhat heavy:
"He is now the only direct descendant of the Xiao family. I don't ask him to be ambitious. I just hope that he can stay in Jinling safely for ten years."
"It's true that my brother-in-law is quite knowledgeable, but what I value more is his easygoing nature. If Wuge can learn even a tenth of his knowledge, he will have far fewer troubles in Jinling in the future."
"Please forgive me, Miss; Hua Tang was too talkative."
"No problem."
Xiao Wan'er chuckled softly, then pushed open the gate of the mansion and slowly walked inside.
Shen Huatang watched her go in, then silently stood guard outside the door, holding his long sword with his arms crossed, looking up at the sky.
Master is right. Being born into a wealthy family may seem like a life of luxury, but there are still many tangled messes inside.
Inside the house.
"Wan'er, have you made arrangements for Wu Ge?"
The old Marquis Xiao Yuan, dressed in a simple long gown, leaned back in his recliner. Even though he was broad-shouldered, one could still see the sickness on his face.
After bowing to the three elders on the other side, Xiao Wan'er replied, "It has been arranged. He will be staying with my second sister's husband for the next few days."
Xiao Yuan paused for a moment, then said, "You are in charge of all decisions within the manor. Just make the arrangements."
As he spoke, he smiled and praised his old friends, "My granddaughter is very thoughtful. With her around, the household is much more peaceful."
"You old fellow, you're truly blessed. I'm quite envious," said an elderly man in a blue brocade robe, stroking his beard.
"It's strange, Heng'er also has your Xiao family blood, but I really can't say what's so good about him."
“Old Zhang, blood ties and marriage are one aspect, but we also need to find a good teacher.”
"Are you saying that the teachers in my Duke's mansion are incompetent?"
"That's the truth..."
Seeing the several distinguished elders bickering, Xiao Wan'er didn't linger any longer. She told Xiao Yuan to rest well and then got up to leave.
After she left.
Xiao Yuan sighed softly, causing the other old men to stop talking.
"Old Xiao, don't think about those messy things. The most important thing for you right now is to take care of your health," Old Zhang said, stroking his beard.
"That being said, but..."
Xiao Yuan didn't continue speaking, but instead asked, "Brother Xuan, you said earlier that His Majesty favored the Chen family and that my Xiao family would suffer because of it. Why is that?"
“You’ve lived in Shuzhou for so long that you may not know this,” Old Zhang said solemnly, “In this imperial examination, His Majesty personally selected Chen’s eldest son as the top scholar, and those scholars have been making a fuss about it for a long time.”
"oh?"
"No other reason than that his virtue and talent do not match his position..."
...
As dusk fell.
The dim, golden sun, like a huge halo, hung in the western sky, shining on the Spring Lotus Garden.
But unlike the sky, the three people inside the pavilion were having a great time.
"Brother-in-law, look! I've caught another fish."
"Sister Xiaodie, quickly bring the fish basket..."
Xiao Wuge seemed to have a cheat code activated, catching five carp in one afternoon.
The key point is that his equipment was even simpler than Chen Yi's. He found a small bamboo pole, tied a rope to it, and imitated the "Jiang Taigong" that Chen Yi talked about. He tied a piece of meat to the end and threw it into the pool.
This is outrageous! How can you catch fish like this?
Chen Yi looked at the fish basket beside him with envy and silently put away his fishing rod.
"Second brother-in-law, aren't you going fishing anymore?" Xiao Wuge saw his movement and got up as well, following him wherever he went.
Chen Yi tried his best to calm himself down and said in a calm tone, "Fishing is a minor path; I need to seek the great path."
"Brother-in-law, what is the Great Dao? Teach me."
"It's time to eat, Xiaodie, go check what we're having for dinner..."
Chen Yi couldn't possibly offer any profound insights; he was simply worried that if he continued fishing, he would become envious and snatch Xiao Wuge's fish basket away.
While waiting to fill his stomach, Chen Yi leaned back lazily in the lounge chair, gazing at the beautiful view of the setting sun casting its rays on the pool, and casually asked:
"Where is Sister Wan'er going on this long trip?"
"He said he was going to buy some gifts for his grandfather and was going to Jingzhou in the east." Xiao Wuge sat up straight, his little face tense.
Despite his young age, he is very mature for his age.
Despite his young age, he sits and stands with perfect posture, and speaks and acts without any hesitation, showing that he has received specialized training since childhood.
In contrast, Chen Yi was the kind of person who was lazy and easygoing, always with a gentle smile on his face, and looked harmless.
"Oh, why does your sister always wear that cloak?"
Summer was approaching, but Xiao Wan'er was still wearing that oversized cloak, which looked very hot.
Xiao Wuge did not hide anything and said frankly, "My eldest sister has been sickly since childhood and goes to Wushan Dojo to recuperate every year."
Chen Yi understood immediately; no wonder her face was slightly pale and her voice was somewhat weak.
After exchanging a few casual words, he asked the question that had been bothering him: "Speaking of which, why did your sister let you stay at Chunhe Garden?"
With so many residences in the manor and the old Marquis still there, it's reasonable to assume that this young Marquis shouldn't be allowed to accompany him.
Xiao Wuge hesitated for a moment, "My sister doesn't want me to tell you. She wants me to learn how to conduct myself from you."
"..." Chen Yi chuckled, "We don't need to be so honest next time."
Learning from his way of doing things, does Xiao Wan'er have a grudge against Xiao Wuge or something?
Why are you so pessimistic?
“Brother-in-law,” Xiao Wuge looked up at him, unaware of his thoughts, “that night, when the Crown Prince called you a ‘runaway bride,’ why weren’t you angry?”
How do you know I'm not angry?
"I could tell. If you were angry, you would have rushed over immediately and beaten him up with me."
“I’m not actually that angry,” Chen Yi thought for a moment. “I just feel that we should accept what we’ve already done, regardless of the outcome.”
Besides, it's just a title, and it doesn't affect his eating, drinking, and having fun.
"Then correct your mistakes?" Xiao Wuge asked thoughtfully. "No one is perfect, right?"
“Yes, but there’s another saying: ‘To know one’s mistakes and correct them is of utmost importance.’” Chen Yi saw Xiao Die carrying the food over, so he stood up, patted her on the shoulder, and said, “Let’s eat first. It’s getting late. Tomorrow, your brother-in-law will take you out to play.”
"good."
Xiao Wuge secretly noted down this sentence, thinking to himself that his brother-in-law was indeed as his elder sister had said, often uttering surprising words. Even the gentlemen rarely uttered such simple and straightforward profound truths.
After dinner.
Xiao Die made up the bedding for Xiao Wuge in the room next to Chen Yi's, and after serving him to rest, she went to the study.
"Son-in-law, do you want to rest?"
"I'll go to sleep after I finish writing."
Chen Yi stood in front of the table and switched to a small wolf-hair brush to practice calligraphy in running script.
Compared to Wei Qing's bold and upright calligraphy, the running script is obviously more casual, with each stroke naturally and freely expressed, and the brushstrokes can be adjusted according to one's mood.
Seeing that he didn't even look up, Xiaodie quietly stood beside him, grinding ink while looking at the writing, and asked in confusion:
"Son-in-law, has your calligraphy changed?"
"It is indeed bad."
"No, no... I mean, it looks even better."
Chen Yi glanced at her, not explaining the changes, but he knew that his calligraphy was far inferior to Wei Qing's.
Seeing that he no longer spoke, Xiaodie looked around as if searching, and when she found that she had not found the page of "Wan Shen Fu", she breathed a slight sigh of relief.
It seems the son-in-law also knows that the poem is not suitable to be shown to others.
That put her mind at ease.
After watching for a while, Xiaodie saw the first watch drum sound and said, "Young master, let me fetch you some water first."
"good."
After Chen Yi finished writing, he read it through and frowned slightly, but his expression relaxed in an instant.
"To go from novice to expert in just two days is incredibly fast."
Afterwards, Chen Yi took a bath, changed his clothes, and returned to his room in casual attire.
He blew out the candles in the room, looked at the bright moonlight outside the window, and, thinking about the discovery of the "Hidden Guard" today, began to stretch his limbs.
Then he assumed the stance of the spear stance, his body still, his breath long and steady, his internal energy surging and pulling through his strong muscles and skin.
"If you don't want your peaceful life to be disrupted, you must strengthen yourself."
One hour later.
Chen Yi finished his stance training, drenched in sweat, patted his hot, hard chest, and took out a few pieces of meat he had prepared beforehand to eat.
After a short rest, he got up and practiced the boxing techniques he remembered in the narrow room.
Before long, flickering lights appeared before my eyes:
[Successfully mastered the fist technique "Collapse Mountain" (Mystic Rank), Level: Beginner]
[Martial Arts - Fist: Beginner 0/1 (Points can be added)]
(End of this chapter)
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