Chapter 24 Who is so bold?
Meanwhile, in a tailor shop in the western part of Shuzhou City.
Outside the gate, traffic was heavy; inside, it was just as bustling.
The arrival of several masters and servants from three families of varying wealth kept the apprentices in the shop extremely busy.
While arranging for the female apprentices to take their measurements, he also showed them sample garments and explained their designs.
The birds chirped and chattered, creating a lively scene.
Behind the counter, the shopkeeper, dressed in a gray long gown and with an ordinary face, frowned as he looked at a note under the table.
"Jia San, Ding Shiwu... I'll f*** you all get out of the Marquis's mansion! If I find out you're up to no good again, I'll kill you without mercy!"
The shopkeeper read it word by word, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes.
Who on earth is so audacious as to insult my 'Hidden Guard'?
Could it be that those Iron Flag officers were discovered by Xiao's secret guards, or by the old Marquis and others?
Probably not.
Even if these powerful families and noble clans had discovered something, they wouldn't have acted so rashly.
Especially the Xiao family, a family of military generals.
Given their modus operandi, if they were to discover the location of the "Hidden Guards," they would undoubtedly use swift and decisive methods to wipe them out.
"It seems that Lord Silver Flag was right; there are others who have their eyes on the Xiao family."
Barbarian spies?
The evil spirits and heretics of the northern demon lands, or perhaps the powerful families and mountain tribes of Shuzhou?
Both are possible.
"But when did these people become so crude in their conduct?"
The shopkeeper slowly folded the secret letter, pondered for a long time, gestured to the apprentices in the shop to take good care of the customers, and then quickly walked back to the inner room of the shop.
He took out a widely circulated Huangmei Opera script, "Dongwan's Travels," and compared it with the contents of the note.
"The fledgling is settled in the Xiao residence, fishing and writing every day. However, rumors suggest that his poems reveal his discontent, so he is probably lying low. Also, a thief broke into the Xiao residence last night, but his identity is unknown."
After comparing the translations and reading them once, the shopkeeper burned the translated content.
Then he took out another play script, compared it with the translation and his own ideas, and wrote a new secret letter.
He then glanced around, slowly walked into the warehouse deep inside, opened a hidden compartment, took out a carrier pigeon, and inserted two secret letters into the bamboo bucket on its leg.
After the carrier pigeons fluttered away, the shopkeeper rubbed his face, revealed a mercenary smile, and walked towards the front hall.
This is a matter of great importance, and the decision must be made by the Silver Flag Officer.
...
The Xiao family residence, within the Chunhe Garden.
Chen Yi looked at Zhang Heng, who had a displeased expression, then at Xiao Wuge, and asked:
"Your Highness is of such high status, how could you possibly condescend to come here?"
Zhang Heng thought he was being praised, so he looked up at him and said, "You know what a runaway bride is."
"I didn't want to come either, but my mother insisted... that I come here to play for a few days."
Xiao Wuge gave Chen Yi a smirk, then glared at Zhang Heng: "Call me brother-in-law, you have no manners!"
"No, I want to call him the runaway bride, the runaway bride..."
Seeing that Xiao Wuge was about to say something more, Chen Yi waved his hand and said, "Never mind, as long as His Highness is happy."
"See? The runaway groom knows his place. Brother Wu Ge should take note."
Well, it's better if a well-mannered young marquis comes; Chen Yi can still handle him.
But Zhang Heng is clearly a child who has been spoiled by his elders since childhood. He has an arrogant attitude towards everyone, which is a headache.
"His mother ordered it? Xiao Qiuyun?"
Thinking of the phoenix that flew to the top of the tree, Chen Yi asked Xiao Die to take Zhang Heng to the pavilion to fish first.
He then pulled Xiao Wuge aside to ask about the reactions of the old Marquis and the others.
Xiao Wuge smiled and explained the whole story.
It's truly remarkable that someone so young can remember everyone's words and speak them so vividly and expressively.
“Brother-in-law, Grandfather said he has forgiven you.”
After listening, Chen Yi paused, "That's it?"
"That's all, that's all Grandfather said. But I can tell they all really liked the birthday poem my brother-in-law wrote."
I can see that too.
Chen Yi thought about it, shook his head to himself, and said nothing more.
Although it was different from what he had expected, being able to ease the tension with Lord Xiao was still a good result.
At least his previous elopement should be a thing of the past in the Xiao family.
And so, three to five days passed.
With the addition of a new "crown prince," Chunhe Garden is much more lively than before.
Every now and then, you could hear Zhang Heng and Xiao Wuge exchanging words, each refusing to give an inch.
They weren't fighting over fishing rods, but over a piece of pastry or meat; there was none of the brotherly affection and respect typical of people from wealthy families.
This change left Chen Yi somewhat helpless, but he obviously couldn't educate the two teenagers directly. He could only privately teach Xiao Wuge a single sentence:
"Evil people need to be dealt with by other evil people; never suffer a loss, no matter what you eat."
The more you tolerate someone like the young prince, the more he will take advantage of you.
Therefore, Zhang Heng did not cause much of a stir in Chunhe Garden these past few days.
Chen Yi acted as usual.
I get up before dawn and stand in a static posture for an hour. After breakfast, I practice running script calligraphy.
Then he would take a one-hour nap, go fishing and drink tea in the afternoon, and secretly go to the bamboo forest in the evening to practice boxing and body techniques.
In the past few days, only the Xuan-level Dragon and Phoenix Playing Movement Technique has made some progress.
Of course, the other techniques and skills are also being improved gradually.
That night.
As Chen Yi practiced the Mountain Collapse Fist, his thin long robe was slightly damp with sweat, and the surging energy of his flesh and blood made his face slightly flushed.
After completing the entire set of boxing techniques, wisps of faint white mist rose from the top of his head, caused by the churning of his internal energy.
Pei Guanli, who was squatting to the side, eagerly handed over a towel, "Brother-in-law, your boxing skills are getting better and better, teach me, teach me..."
Chen Yi wiped the sweat from his body. "This boxing style is too fierce and not suitable for you."
"What kind of kung fu do you think suits me, brother-in-law?"
“I remember you said that you were learning a technique passed down from your tribe, so just keep practicing it.”
Pei Guanli pouted and muttered, "If I could master it, I would have already broken through to the eighth rank."
"What?"
"No, it's nothing, brother-in-law. I just mean I'm slow-witted."
“Then you should practice more,” Chen Yi flicked her forehead and pointed to the empty space beside him.
"Come, demonstrate your stance training and techniques, let me see."
Pei Guanli was overjoyed, "Brother-in-law, you're willing to give me pointers?"
"For your sake, Sister Jinghong, I'll reluctantly take a look. But let me make it clear, I can't guarantee it will work."
"No, no..."
As she spoke, Pei Guanli's expression turned solemn. She put her legs together, raised her hands to the sky, and took a deep breath.
Soon, her chest and abdomen began to undulate like waves, and the bells around her neck jingled incessantly as she practiced her stance training.
Chen Yi glanced at her a couple more times, then calmed himself down and carefully observed the aura surging around her, which matched his own knowledge of the spear stance training and the profound mysteries of "Martial Arts Body".
“The level of the stance training that Pei Guanli cultivates should be quite high, at least at the Xuan level, or even higher.”
"It's just that her foundation isn't solid enough; her breathing is obviously unstable, and there's a noticeable pause in her breathing."
Thinking it over, Chen Yi asked Pei Guanli to stop and continue demonstrating the techniques and movements.
After a stick of incense had burned, Pei Guanli finished her rehearsal, wiping the sweat from her forehead as she looked at him expectantly:
"Brother-in-law, have you figured anything out?"
"I can tell." Chen Yi rolled his eyes. "You didn't get beaten enough when you were a kid."
"ah?"
"What 'ah'? First, let's practice standing meditation."
Pei Guanli gave an "oh" and obediently stood up to practice her wave-like stance.
Just as Chen Yi was about to start practicing, he hesitated and found a long, thin bamboo stick, pointing out each of her mistakes in stance training.
"You are too eager for quick results. Your dantian and dantian are not fully developed, and your internal energy is insufficient to support you in fully opening the four main meridians."
"Furthermore, you haven't mastered this part. Muscles, bones, and skin should be integrated throughout the whole body."
Pei Guanli looked at the bamboo frame frozen at the lower edge of the bell, her round face slightly flushed, and she couldn't help but argue:
"When I was little, I was still young..."
(End of this chapter)
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