Chapter Four: There Are Always Treacherous Subjects Plotting Against Me

In the blink of an eye, nearly half a year had passed.

After the harsh winter, the capital prefecture had entered early summer, and the air carried a humid heat.

Yet, this weather had no impact whatsoever on the Marquis Wu’an’s residence.

Not to mention the several courtyards with their ponds and pavilions shaded by lush trees, even having access to ice cubes at will was a luxury beyond ordinary families.

However, one-and-a-half-year-old Chen Yi was feeling restless. He lay prone at the table, staring at the unchanging information on the light screen, scratching his head repeatedly.

“How can I possibly increase my comeback points?”

Half a year had passed, and everyone and everything had changed.

He had grown taller, gained strength, could run and jump, and had completed the ultimate evolution from babbling to clear speech.

Even the color of the jade sword hanging from his wrist, a commemorative item from the picking ceremony, had dulled significantly.

Yet, the [Comeback System] showed not the slightest change!

Not a bit!

“Damn it!”

Two young servants nearby immediately froze and stood straight at the sound of young Master Yi’s curse, wearing expressions of utmost obedience.

No one knew when it started, but perhaps since Yi first learned to speak, they had often heard similar crude words.

At first, they found it amusing.

But once Lady Xia overheard it by chance, she launched a secret investigation to find out who had said such things and declared she would “reward” them properly.

Who didn’t know that ever since the picking ceremony, Lady Xia had transformed into a stricter person, rigorously disciplining young Master Yi?

From etiquette to every word and deed, each and every aspect had to conform to the Marquis’s household rules.

Not only was young Master Yi overwhelmed, even the servants sometimes trembled in fear, worried that if they spoke foul language and young Master Yi imitated them, he would receive a scolding or worse.

“Madam.”

At that moment, the two servants spotted Xia Wanwan in the distance and quickly bowed.

Xia Wanwan glanced at Chen Yi, who sat obediently and solemnly at the desk inside the pavilion, then softly asked:

“How long has Yi’er been sitting properly?”

“One hour, Madam,” one servant replied.

“Has he been slacking off at all during that time?”

“No.”

Xia Wanwan nodded approvingly, took a tray of fruit from her maid, and headed toward the pavilion.

The two young servants exchanged relieved glances.

“Yi’er, take a break and eat some fruit.”

“Mother, does that mean I may rest now?” Chen Yi sat upright with a straight back, his face serious as he asked.

In truth, he had already heard the sound when Xia Wanwan entered the courtyard and had promptly corrected his posture.

“Since you’re so diligent and serious, of course you can rest,” Xia Wanwan said, gently stroking his head, her eyes warm and tender.

They say a kind mother often spoils her child.

Had she been this strict from the start, Yi’er would not have nearly made such a grave mistake.

“Here, eat some fruit.”

“These are rare delicacies brought back by your Aunt Wan from her maternal home, said to come from the Western Buddhist Kingdom, extremely precious.”

“Thank you, Mother.”

Chen Yi took the fruit, which resembled a mango, and began to eat.

Yet, as he ate, a sigh escaped his heart.

He understood well the reason behind Xia Wanwan’s change, but he didn’t know how to explain it.

He certainly couldn’t tell her that it was Aunt Wan who had tried to sabotage his picking ceremony, prompting him to deliberately let Chen Yuan pick the chicken drumstick.

Regardless of how much Xia Wanwan might believe him, given the Chen family’s acceptance of Aunt Wan now, he dared not reveal the truth.

To avoid striking a snake and missing, only to get bitten in return.

So, he bore no resentment toward Xia Wanwan’s strictness.

Of course, if he could sneak a break, he wouldn’t hesitate.

[Just past thirty, you have begun to shake off the title of “waste,” but have been secretly poisoned with “Soft Bone Powder.”]

[Toxin effect mild, absorbed; comeback points +1.]

Chen Yi noticed the message flashing on the screen and gave a soft “hmm.”

He had been poisoned again?

No, wait, his comeback points increased?!

“Not enjoying the fruit?” Xia Wanwan asked, noticing his odd expression.

Chen Yi’s mind raced, suppressing the joy awakened by the system, smiling as he asked, “Mother, do you still have more of this fruit?”

“There’s only this much, but your Aunt Wan says if you like it, she can have her family send more.”

Chen Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed Aunt Wan’s target was only him alone, not Lady Xia.

That meant he now knew what to do.

“I like it very much. Next time, Mother can ask Aunt Wan to send more.”

“Alright,” Xia Wanwan agreed without suspicion.

...

After Xia Wanwan left, Chen Yi ran to the study and found a book on pharmacology to read.

[Soft Bone Powder, a common poison, is a necessary self-defense tool among wandering knights.]

[Depending on the dosage, it can weaken martial artists below the sixth rank of the Return Origin Realm.]

[At reduced dosages, it causes no obvious symptoms, but long-term use weakens the body, making it difficult to achieve greatness.]

Chen Yi closed the book, his face calm but serious.

Weakening the body was one thing, but to stunt his potential greatness?

Aunt Wan’s heart was truly malicious!

“I thought after the picking ceremony she would relent.”

“After all, Chen Yuan had successfully obtained the Zhou family’s jade dagger; by all accounts, it was a happy ending for all.”

“Who would have thought she would still have more tricks up her sleeve after failing once!”

Chen Yi clenched his small fists, his gaze no longer the innocent bewilderment of before, but much colder.

He pondered for a moment, suppressing his anger, then opened the light screen again.

[Comeback Points: 1/100]

“Sabotage, poisoning, comeback...” Chen Yi stared at the large number “1” growing brighter in his eyes.

He had found a way to gain comeback points!

“Comeback, comeback, without adversity, how can one rise above the rest?”

Though understanding, Chen Yi felt this method of needing to endure hardship to improve was... somewhat insulting?

What if one day he became the world’s top expert and no one dared harm him?

Would he have to create adversity for himself?

“Damn, this system really doesn’t treat me like an outsider.”

After grumbling a bit, a trace of helplessness showed on Chen Yi’s little face.

He knew he couldn’t blame the system’s “cruelty.”

After all, by normal standards, he would have been mocked for choosing food at the picking ceremony.

At least now, thanks to the system, he had the ability to fight back.

From this, he also understood how to deal with Aunt Wan—he would have to “endure” her temporarily as a stepping stone.

Yet Chen Yi had another question.

From these two poisons, it seemed Aunt Wan never intended to kill him, only to obstruct his martial path.

The gluttony pill prevented him from choosing sword or blade at the picking ceremony, thus hindering his physical enhancement.

The Soft Bone Powder weakened his body, aiming to make him fail his foundation building at age three.

Chen Yi couldn’t comprehend.

As an illegitimate son, unable to inherit the title or receive much of the family fortune, why would Aunt Wan want to harm his martial path?

“There must be hidden reasons behind all this.”

Chen Yi frowned, realizing he needed to pay closer attention to the affairs within the Marquis’s household.

“Really, there are always schemers trying to harm me!”