Chapter 21 My sister-in-law is really nice!
“Get the hell away from me, hehehe... Brother-in-law, you’re even more vulgar than some of the aunties in my tribe.”
Chen Yi glanced at the overjoyed Pei Guanli, then silently looked around.
His intention in writing those few lines on that secret letter was simple: to alert the so-called "hidden guards" and make them more cautious.
Anyone who saw two extra classic Chinese curses on the secret letter would immediately think that their whereabouts had been exposed, and would then launch an investigation to trace the source.
Whatever their plans or intentions, this unexpected incident disrupted their rhythm.
More importantly, doing so would buy him more time.
Once he was sure there was nothing unusual around him, Chen Yi raised his hand and pinched Pei Guanli's face, squeezing it slightly tighter. "Stop laughing."
Pei Guanli was forced to stop laughing, and sobbed, "Waaah, I won't laugh anymore."
Chen Yi released his hand and said softly, "I need you to do something for me."
Pei Guanli rubbed her slightly numb cheeks and stared at him with her big, expressive eyes.
"See this secret letter? It's here; someone will come to pick it up later."
"I need you to stay here and watch out for me, to see who took it and how."
If Chen Yi hadn't been so desperate for someone else and couldn't spare the time, he would never have entrusted such an important matter to Pei Guanli.
However, given the current situation...
Fine, let's just consider this a test and a trial for her.
If she does her job well and with care, she can be considered a qualified helper.
Pei Guanli's eyes lit up, and she excitedly grabbed his hand, saying, "Catching the traitor in the Marquis's mansion? Great, that's good."
Chen Yi lowered his eyelids slightly, slapped her hand away, and instructed, "Just confirm his identity, don't do anything unnecessary."
“Those people have special identities and have been hiding in the Marquis’s mansion for many years. They may all be powerful cultivators. It would be dangerous for you to follow them rashly.”
"Don't worry, brother-in-law. I may not be good at much else, but I'm quite skilled at concealing my presence and aura." Pei Guanli patted her chest, making a soft tinkling sound.
Before Chen Yi could say anything, a soldier's voice rang out from outside Jiaxing Garden.
"Huh? Why do I hear a bell sound?"
"Wind chimes hang under the lanterns in the back courtyard of the Marquis's mansion, so it's perfectly normal for them to jingle. The key now is to locate the thief who trespassed into the Marquis's mansion."
"Grab him, and see how I serve him!"
"..."
Pei Guanli chuckled awkwardly, shrank back, and clutched the bell around her neck, pretending to be an ostrich.
Seeing this, Chen Yi shook his head inwardly, glanced at her strange outfit, and then his gaze fell on her pair of fair and tender feet.
"Find a place to stay put, I'll bring you food during the day."
Pei Guanli was overjoyed. "Yes, brother-in-law!"
Chen Yi didn't linger any longer. Taking advantage of the night, he nimbly flipped back to the Spring Lotus Garden.
Pei Guanli watched him disappear, her round face beaming with a smile, and she couldn't help but wave her hands lightly.
She made the right choice coming to the Xiao residence to celebrate the old Marquis's birthday; she's already doing such an important thing with her brother-in-law right after arriving.
Hehehe, the Mountain Goddess has finally blessed her.
Once she finishes helping her brother-in-law with this matter and her cultivation level breaks through again, let's see if Sister Jinghong and Grandma will still look down on her.
Thinking of this, Pei Guanli searched for a suitable hiding place while glancing back towards the direction of Chunhe Garden, thinking to herself:
My sister-in-law is really nice.
Sister Jinghong is so lucky to have found a husband like hers.
Chen Yi, who quietly returned to his room and lay back down on the bed, did not share Pei Guanli's excitement.
He became even more curious—what exactly was the purpose of those "hidden guards" hiding in the Xiao residence?
Judging from the length of time Liu Si'er spent in the Xiao family mansion, it seems that he had little connection with the person who manipulated him to elope.
Chen Yi shook his head inwardly, "It's too early to draw conclusions."
However, by digging deeper into Liu Si'er's trail, he could easily find the other "hidden guards" hidden in the Xiao Mansion and even in Shuzhou City, thereby figuring out their identities and purposes.
And then...
Chen Yi frowned slightly. Given his current situation in the Marquis's mansion, even if he discovered the whereabouts of the "Hidden Guards," it would be inconvenient for him to act rashly.
Let's wait until we've met Xiao Jinghong before making a decision.
Given Xiao Jinghong's current status and position in the Xiao family, he should be able to easily deal with those "hidden guards" after learning about this matter.
This thought came to mind.
Chen Yiping calmed himself down and gradually drifted off to sleep.
...
It was not even halfway through the hour of Chou (1-3 AM).
Xiao Die got up early, fetched a basin of water, and went to Chen Yi's room.
Seeing that he was still fast asleep, Xiaodie slowed down, gently put down the washbasin, and stood by the window looking out.
Only after seeing Wang Lixing, clad in armor, push open the gate of Chunhe Garden and walk towards them did Xiaodie gently nudge Chen Yi:
"Young master, wake up, Guard Wang is here."
Chen Yi opened his eyes half asleep, sat up and looked out the window, then dressed with Xiao Die's help.
Xiaodie straightened his clothes and asked, "Young master, did Guard Wang and the others find the trespasser who broke into the Marquis's residence last night?"
Chen Yi: "They probably didn't find them, but I think... those villains shouldn't be able to threaten the Marquis's mansion."
Pei Guanli's mediocre skills are so poor that even he can't beat her. If Wang Lixing and the others find her, she'll probably be locked up in the Marquis's Mansion's punishment hall until Xiao Jinghong comes back to rescue her.
“What the son-in-law says is true. Guard Wang and his men are all skilled soldiers. They have even killed many barbarians. Ordinary thieves will not be able to escape their search.”
Chen Yi smiled and nodded, picked up a handkerchief to wipe his face, and walked outside.
"It's still cloudy today, let Wuge sleep a little longer, don't rush to wake him up."
“Okay, son-in-law, I’ll go get you breakfast.”
Chen Yi paused, "Take more, double the amount from yesterday. I need to practice stance training diligently these days, which is quite taxing."
Xiaodie smiled and agreed.
The son-in-law is working harder than before.
Good thing, this way he won't have to report to the Xuanjia Army camp after passing the Second Master's test.
After leaving the room, Chen Yi greeted Wang Lixing.
The two then returned to the bamboo grove by the pond.
Wang Lixing scanned the area by the lantern light, his gaze settling on a pair of clear footprints. He smiled and said:
"With the son-in-law working so hard, I believe he will soon be able to master the skills and reach the lower level of the ninth rank."
"I hope so."
Chen Yi noticed his gaze and quietly moved his hands and feet around the bamboo forest, erasing the footprints on the ground one by one.
It seems that Pei Guanli's tribe is truly impoverished, unable to even afford a pair of shoes.
No wonder they sought out Xiao Jinghong to discuss the "mutual trade" matter...
Thinking this, Chen Yi noticed Wang Lixing watching from the side, so he continued to pretend to be lazy as usual.
It wasn't that he didn't want to practice the spear stance technique, but rather that he was worried that Wang Lixing would see through his weakness now that he had mastered the stance.
While dawdling over the task at hand, Chen Yi asked, "Were the villains caught last night?"
"He got away."
"I heard he got in by poisoning someone?"
"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, son-in-law," Wang Lixing said with a hint of embarrassment and annoyance. "That little thief was really despicable. He took advantage of the shift change to knock out the soldiers along the way with sleeping powder."
Chen Yi smiled to himself, thinking that Pei Guanli did have some skills.
However, poison and sedatives can be a means of self-defense.
If I get the chance, I can ask her for some; I might need them later.
The other side.
Pei Guanli was unaware that Chen Yi had his eye on her.
She was hiding in a tree in Jiaxing Garden, staring intently in the direction of the pavilion.
She took the task Chen Yi assigned her very seriously.
She didn't sleep a wink all night, and her eyes were wide open, afraid of missing the person who came to collect the secret letter.
She didn't have to wait too long.
Almost as Chen Yi and Wang Lixing were chatting, the gate of Jiaxingyuan was pushed open from the outside, and a hunchbacked figure pushed a cart in.
As he walked, he would occasionally cover his mouth and cough lightly, as if he were ill.
After circling around and loading the miscellaneous items onto the cart, he looked around and then walked toward the pavilion.
Pei Guanli watched his movements and couldn't help but feel incredibly excited: "It's him!"
(End of this chapter)
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