Chapter 75 The Long Night
Chen Yi did not stay at Jiaxingyuan for long; he returned to Chunheyuan after lunch.
Only Xiao Wuge was allowed to stay and keep Xiao Wan'er company.
He could tell that although Xiao Wan'er felt relieved after being comforted for a few words, she was still a sentimental woman.
Having Xiao Wuge to talk to is better than leaving her alone to overthink.
Xiao Wan'er escorted him to the outside of the building, stood quietly for a moment, and then returned to her room alone.
As Chen Yi had expected, she did feel much more at ease at this moment.
After dinner, chatting and laughing with Chen Yi and Xiao Wuge, my worries and anxiety subsided somewhat.
Xiao Wuge, however, was not in the mood for such thoughts. He looked around, then went to the study to find a book and lay down on the recliner.
Staggering.
To be honest, his relaxed and carefree demeanor did indeed have some of Chen Yi's style.
Xiao Wan'er glanced at it a few times and couldn't help but smile.
She walked over and sat down next to him, smiling as she asked, "Wu Ge, you've learned a lot from your brother-in-law these days, haven't you?"
Upon hearing her mention Chen Yi, Xiao Wuge immediately put down the book in his hand and nodded repeatedly:
"I learned a lot."
"Tell me, what did you learn?"
"Um……"
When asked to provide specifics, Xiao Wuge hesitated.
The reason is simple: Chen Yi did not systematically teach him; he just took him out to eat, drink, and have fun, nothing special.
“My brother-in-law taught me how to fish, brew tea, grind ink, catch earthworms, etc. When Sister Xiaodie wasn’t around, he would have me do these things.”
"Oh, and I've also learned how to make my bed, get dressed, and wash up..."
The more Xiao Wan'er listened, the less she could maintain her smile.
It seemed that Chen Yi hadn't actually taught anything.
But it's strange.
Mingming Wugebi has changed a lot since following Chen Yi; he speaks clearly and acts calmly.
Thinking of this, Xiao Wan'er asked, "Is there anything else besides these?"
Xiao Wuge pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "Nothing special."
After saying that, he seemed to remember something and smiled: "My brother-in-law taught me how to fish, but he hasn't caught a single one himself."
Xiao Wan'er looked at him in silence for a long time, then said in an inexplicable tone, "Wu Ge, learn something useful from your brother-in-law in the future."
"For example?"
"Poetry, calligraphy, or something else? Your brother-in-law is best at those; you could learn from him."
Xiao Wuge thought for a moment and then agreed, "Tomorrow, I'll have my brother-in-law teach me."
Xiao Wan'er felt a little relieved upon seeing this.
She wasn't dissatisfied with Xiao Wuge learning those things, but she vaguely felt that Chen Yi wasn't teaching Wuge, but rather ordering him around.
My brother-in-law is talented, but his mind is a bit... bad?
It wasn't exactly bad, but it was quite different from the students she had encountered or met before.
It was difficult for her to describe clearly; she only had a vague outline in her mind.
He was probably a somewhat reckless and unconventional scholar.
I think so.
...
Chen Yi spent the entire afternoon holed up in his study.
Now that Xiao Jinghong is gone, there are no armored soldiers guarding outside Chunhe Garden.
Therefore, after letting Xiaodie go to rest, he practiced the spear stance in his study.
Perhaps because the stance training contains the word "spear," Chen Yi always felt that mastering the spear stance training to a high level would be more beneficial to his Falling Dragon Spear Technique.
And that is indeed the case.
When he practiced stance training, he could feel the tendons and bones in his wrists trembling, which was easily confirmed when combined with the Falling Dragon Spear Technique.
"In the future, I can practice more basic spear techniques, which should be beneficial to my training in the Falling Dragon Spear."
Thinking it over, Chen Yi guided the flow of Qi in his body to open up the four main meridians in his hands and feet.
His progress is quite good so far; he has already opened up two main meridians from the dantian (lower abdomen) to the soles of his feet.
In two more days, he will be able to open up the meridians from the Tanzhong acupoint to his hands.
Soon, Chen Yi finished practicing the spear stance, rested briefly, and then assumed the stance of the Xuanwu Concealing Breath Technique to continue his practice.
Compared to the spear stance training, the Xuanwu Breath Concealing Technique was more effective for him.
Not only can it constantly generate vital energy within the body, but it can also conceal his energy and strength, making it impossible for others to see through his martial arts cultivation.
Furthermore, the newly discovered connection between the Dragon-Slaying Spear Technique and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth made him exceptionally dedicated to his cultivation.
Before we knew it, it was getting late.
We've had dinner.
Chen Yi sent Xiao Die and Xiao Wuge to rest, and specifically said that he would take them to Jishi Pharmacy early the next morning.
Although it was just an excuse, he would take over the pharmacy sooner or later.
It would be good to get acquainted with them as soon as possible, and to see the doctors, accountants, and apprentices.
Before the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), Chen Yi extinguished the candlelight in the side room.
He changed into a light, dark-colored outfit.
He looked in the bronze mirror by the moonlight.
Even through the blur, one could still discern that he was a handsome and extraordinary night thief.
Chen Yi chuckled for no apparent reason and tiptoed out of the wooden building.
With his current agility and mastery of "Martial Arts Steps," achieving silence is relatively easy for him.
We went outside.
Chen Yi looked around and then used the Meteor Butterfly Step to escape towards Jiaxing Garden.
The rain was still falling, soaking his clothes, but the sound of the raindrops provided him with cover.
Before long, Chen Yi turned over and entered Jiaxingyuan.
Seeing that all around was silent, he walked slowly in the shadows until he reached the wall that separated the Four Directions Study from the other side.
As Chen Yi listened intently, he looked toward the wooden building where Xiao Wan'er was, and could vaguely see candlelight flickering in the upstairs room.
Why aren't you asleep so late?
It seems that the batch of medicinal herbs really made her nervous.
After confirming that there was no movement inside the Sifangzhai, Chen Yi gently gathered his qi and turned to enter the Sifangzhai.
It landed silently, hiding in the shadow of a tree.
Chen Yi peeked out and looked around.
The not-so-spacious study was brightly lit, and outside the only three-story wooden building was a courtyard full of flowers and plants.
Aside from the shadow he was in, the only other place where someone could hide was behind the artificial hill in another corner.
Seeing this, Chen Yi frowned slightly, looked around again, and then his gaze fell on the tree in front of him.
Then he leaped up and climbed to the top of the tree.
Carefully using the Lightness Technique to stabilize his body, he activated the Xuanwu Concealing Breath Technique, putting himself into a state of silence.
Everything is ready.
Almost as soon as Chen Yi had hidden himself, he saw a figure emerge from the brightly lit wooden building.
It was none other than Xiao Dongchen, the current Provincial Administration Commissioner, whom he had met a few times before.
He was dressed in casual clothes, standing under the eaves, looking up at the night sky.
Chen Yi glanced at him a few times and thought to himself, "He's a night owl too."
It should be noted that nightlife was not very common in the Great Wei Dynasty. Ordinary people would go to sleep by the hour of You (5-7 PM), and it was rare for them to stay up until the hour of Xu (7-9 PM) unless they had something urgent to do.
This is why many people can get up at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) or Yin (3-5 AM).
If you go to bed early, you'll naturally wake up early.
After looking around for a moment, Chen Yi turned his attention to his surroundings. The time mentioned in the intelligence report was not far off.
The Sifangzhai was brightly lit, and Xiao Dongchen was still there.
I don't know how that "hidden guard" managed to conceal the intelligence.
Just as he was thinking about these things, he saw Xiao Dongchen look around and then walk towards him in the rain.
Chen Yi let out a soft "hmm" and then quietly looked at him.
The distance between the two people increased from a hundred paces, to ninety-nine paces... until it reached zero.
After stopping under the tree where he was, Xiao Dongchen looked around and carefully took out a cloth bag from his pocket.
Then he stuffed the cloth bag into a hole in a tree.
Seemingly worried about getting it wet from the rain, he even found some leaves to cover it.
After finishing all this, Xiao Dongchen glanced around again before calmly walking back to the wooden building.
Upon seeing this, Chen Yi narrowed his eyes slightly: "...Hidden Guard, Xiao Dongchen?"
The next moment—
[Witness the caution and suspicion of the Marquis's hidden guards. Reward: Nothing gained, but +15 to your chances.]
[Comment: The man's arrival is evident in his voice and the scene he creates, but his thieving nature is palpable; he is a naturally despicable person.]
Seeing this, Chen Yi could no longer fail to understand that Xiao Dongchen was indeed that hidden guard.
But what does "rewards without any gain" mean?
"It can't be that Xiao Dongchen has nothing to learn, right?"
A moment of silence.
Once the wooden building was silent, Chen Yi quietly climbed down and retrieved the cloth bag from the tree hollow.
Using the lamplight to illuminate the contents of the secret letter: "Ding 34, Jia Ding 66, Wu 42..."
It is still a ciphertext that requires a codebook to decipher.
Chen Yi wrote down everything, then stuffed the secret letter back in its original place, and returned the way he came, turning around and entering Jiaxing Garden.
Compared to the contents of this secret letter, the biggest takeaway tonight was the fact that "Xiao Dongchen is a hidden guard."
What exactly is the origin of these hidden guards?
The Marquis's personal guard Liu Si'er is a hidden guard, the old servant Gui Shu is a hidden guard, and now even Xiao Dongchen from the second branch of the family is a hidden guard.
So the Xiao family was already riddled with problems?
Just as Chen Yi was lost in thought as he returned to Chunhe Garden, he heard a suppressed exclamation from not far away:
"Sister, brother-in-law?"
Chen Yi paused and turned his head to look.
But then he saw Xiao Wan'er sitting alone in the pavilion in the dark.
The two stared at each other for a long time.
Chen Yi grinned and waved, "The night is long, and I can't sleep..."
(End of this chapter)
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