Chapter 21: Pulling Down Trousers Is For...

More than ten days have passed in the blink of an eye since Chen Yi and Lin Xueru were abducted. The Marquis of Wuan’s estate seems to have returned to its former tranquility. However, Chen Yi knows clearly that during his recovery, many changes have occurred both inside and outside the manor.

That night, when he and Lin Xueru were brought back, Xia Wanwan held him and wept for a long time, fainting several times. It was only after the Old Madam ordered a maid to feed her a sedative that she finally fell into an exhausted slumber. Yet, when she woke the next day, Xia Wanwan remained filled with guilt and self-reproach, requiring him to console her for quite a while.

In truth, Chen Yi never blamed his birth mother. Even when he was one year old and she fed him the Gluttony Pill, or when she served him the poisoned mango from the Western Lands obtained from Zhou Wanyi, he knew that given her background and her kind, gentle nature, she was no match for those people. Keeping her in the dark about the poisoning actually served to protect her. As for those people—Chen Yi would deal with them himself!

Meanwhile, another person within the manor had undergone a significant change: Zhou Wanyi. According to the gossips, the First Madam, who is nearing her delivery date, has suddenly taken up Buddhism. She not only set up a quiet room in the right wing but also invited a Bodhisattva statue from the Dakong Temple, spending her days eating vegetarian meals and chanting sutras while cradling her large belly. This left Chen Yi puzzled. He had no idea what her sudden "enlightenment" was meant to achieve. A sudden awakening? Turning over a new leaf? Don't be ridiculous. He was already contemplating how to kill her with a single sword strike! Her sudden display made things very difficult for him. It was only because his current strength was low that he hadn't made a move yet; otherwise, he would have stormed over to force the truth out of her.

Finally, there was a very inconspicuous change within the estate—specifically, in Chen Yi’s own Fanghua Garden. To everyone's surprise, it was Xia Wanwan’s idea to clear out a room in the garden for Lin Xueru. Every three to five days, Zhu Yu would bring Lin Xueru to stay for a day. Even more speechless for Chen Yi was the fact that the traditional and rule-abiding Chen family members actually turned a blind eye to it. As a result, whenever Lin Xueru visited, she would stay by his side like a little wife, busy serving tea and water. She had even learned how to slice fruit. It was as if she had grown up overnight.

In short, Chen Yi’s recovery period, spent recuperating from the blood and essence depletion caused by the three sword strikes and the subsequent atmospheric pressure that night, was quite pleasant.

As for the changes outside the manor, there were many! It has been confirmed that the mad old man who abducted them is named Feng Chan—"Feng" for sealing, "Chan" for Zen. It is said he is the descendant of a small sect in the pugilistic world, a lone, deranged individual. When happy, he would plunder merchants; when displeased, he would slaughter the entire families of wealthy gentry. He had long been a wanted man by the authorities.

After that night, two deputy directors of the Night Watch Division tracked him for a long time, but they have yet to find a trace of the madman. Learning this, Chen Yi felt incredibly fortunate. Had the old man harbored murderous intent toward him that night, his seventh-day funeral rites would have already passed.

At the same time, the fate of the two human traffickers who died by his hand was concluded—the deed was attributed to a chivalrous swordsman who did good deeds without leaving a name. This allowed Chen Yi to relax. As long as he and Lin Xueru kept quiet, no one would suspect him. However, this incident caused quite a stir in the imperial court for several days. The Emperor was furious and ordered a thorough investigation. After yielding no results, he had a flag officer of the Black Armor Guards executed three days ago as a gesture of accountability to the Duke of Xing and the Marquis of Wuan.

Subsequently, the capital increased its martial law. Not only did they increase patrols by the Black Armor Guards, but they also specifically recruited veterans from the Beixiong Pass to form ward guards. This served to strengthen the defense of each ward in the capital and provided benefits to the retired veterans. This move not only silenced the dukes and nobles but also garnered the gratitude of the veterans. One had to admit, the Wei Emperor was indeed a man of intellect.

Additionally, there were many trivial matters outside the manor. For instance, the ten most famous courtesans were chosen during the Lantern Festival, and Lin Xueru’s second brother, Lin Jixin, composed a poem that became widely sung. These were mostly minor matters of public interest. Regardless, Chen Yi had no intention of paying attention to the names or faces of those courtesans. After all, by the time he grew up, even the most popular courtesan would have withered like a fallen flower.

After resting for a long time, Chen Yi finally felt his strength returning. He sat in the garden soaking up the sun, guarded by his attendants. Now that Lin Xueru wasn't there, he found himself feeling somewhat unaccustomed to it.

"The little girl is clever and cute, much more sensible than the eldest," he thought, just as Chen Yuan’s voice came from outside.

"Second brother, hehe, second brother, I heard you were sick?"

Chen Yuan trotted over. Having not seen him for over ten days, he seemed to have grown sturdier, like a young calf.

"Has big brother finished the foundation-building assessment?" Chen Yi waved his hand to signal the surrounding guards to move further away, completely unbothered by such an aristocratic demeanor.

"Finished! Finally finished!" Chen Yuan ran over, looking him up and down. Seeing that his limbs were intact, he let out a sigh of relief before beginning to complain. "Second brother, you don't know—in the last few days, Second Uncle changed my medicinal soups twice. The temperatures were higher, and the numbness, itching, and pain were unbearable. It tortured me to death."

Chen Yi smiled, knowing his brother’s temperament; he likely wasn't exaggerating. "Then your assessment result must be excellent; otherwise, Second Uncle wouldn't have done that." Changing the medicinal soup naturally meant the intensity was increasing, as was the effectiveness. Only those with exceptional talent would see such adjustments.

"Superior grade!" Chen Yuan sat down beside him, lifting his chin with a proud look. "Second Uncle even said that 'Superior' isn't my limit, but the limit of the grading scale, and told me to work hard in the martial arts arena from now on."

"Then you really must work hard, big brother," Chen Yi teased. "Otherwise, Second Uncle won't go easy on you."

"I know..." Chen Yuan slumped into the chair as if deflated, sighing like a little adult. "I didn't understand the meaning of the saying the teacher taught us: 'The tree that stands above the forest will be destroyed by the wind.' Now I get it. I am that tree, and I am being ravaged by the 'evil wind' that is Second Uncle..."

"Don't say that in front of Second Uncle."

"Hehe, second brother, you have to help me out when the time comes..."

Listening to Chen Yuan rattle on, Chen Yi sighed inwardly. All current signs indicated that as he grew older and his cultivation increased, Zhou Wanyi and the Zhou family could no longer tolerate his existence. First came the poisoning, then the kidnapping and the oppressive murderous intent. What would come next? Would they send assassins?

Chen Yi wasn't afraid of being assassinated; he just felt a sense of regret. He regretted that such circumstances were forcing him to stand on opposite sides from Chen Yuan.

"Big brother, let me ask you a question."

"Second brother," Chen Yuan looked guarded, "I just finished the foundation assessment; I’ve already forgotten the contents of the books."

"I'm not asking you to recite text," Chen Yi said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"Then ask away."

"Suppose—and I mean just suppose—the person closest to you wanted to harm you. For example, if your wet nurse wanted to drive you out of the Marquis's estate, what would you do to her?"

"My wet nurse wants to harm me?" Chen Yuan’s little face twisted in conflict. Then, as if he had thought of something, he flashed a grin. "I would pull down her trousers!"

"???"

Chen Yi, who had been waiting for an answer, stared at him, caught off guard. After a long moment, he asked cautiously, "And then what, after you pull them down?"

"Of course, I’d take a rattan switch and spank her bottom! Great-grandfather did that to me before. People who make mistakes must be punished, right?"

Chen Yi: "..."

Fortunately, it wasn't what he had been thinking. Otherwise, if he had to do that to... Stop! Dispel, clear, do not think about it!