Night fell, bringing a slight chill.
The Hai hour had just passed. Inside the Xiao Mansion, the drums for the second watch sounded, and the lights in the various courtyards gradually went out.
Only the Personal Guards on duty remained, patrolling the grounds.
But their steps were slow, and they tried their best not to make a sound, lest they disturb the master's family as they rested.
Outside Spring Lotus Garden.
Two red lanterns hung under the portico. One side bore the character for "joy," the other, the character "Xiao." They swayed gently in the breeze, the candlelight within flickering indistinctly.
"Brother Xing, did the Second Miss's husband complete a session of the Stand Form today?"
"Yes." Wang Lixing deliberately lowered his voice. "He can hold the Big Spear Pile Skill for a full shichen. He has the talent, it's just a pity he started his Martial Arts training so late."
The three Armored Warriors beside him looked at each other, their faces showing surprise.
"It really is a pity. If he had started his Martial Arts cultivation earlier, he would be skilled in both literature and combat. Then he might actually be worthy of the Second Miss."
"Ge the Third, watch your mouth!"
Wang Lixing glared at the one who had spoken. "Are the young miss's marital affairs something you can casually discuss?"
The man called Ge the Third quickly pleaded for forgiveness. "Brother Xing, don't be angry. I'm just upset that he tried to flee the wedding that day."
"Brother Xing, please forgive him. Old Third here has a loose tongue."
Hearing the other two Armored Warriors trying to placate him, Wang Lixing shook his head. "Don't mention him fleeing the wedding again. Since the Second Miss has made her decision, we just have to obey."
"Yes, yes…"
After a moment of silence, Ge the Third couldn't help but speak again.
"Still, the master-in-law is a pitiful man."
"Indeed. He's spontaneous and free-spirited, not to mention learned, yet he was treated so poorly by the Chen Family."
"After he was taken to the Punishment Hall that day, the people from the Chen Family just left. They didn't even leave a single Maid or servant behind. It shows you how he was treated in the Chen Family."
"Thankfully, the Second Miss protected him. Otherwise, according to the Second Master's wishes, just kicking him out of the family would have been getting off easy. He might have even received a vicious beating…"
Just as Wang Lixing and the others were chatting softly, a faint CREAK of a door came from within the silent Spring Lotus Garden.
Chen Yi tiptoed out of his room, glanced around, and then quietly made his way toward the western courtyard wall.
He was fully dressed, not in a set of Night Clothes or wearing a mask. This was so that if he were discovered, he could use an excuse like, 'The night is long and I can't sleep.'
'As for why I'm in Jiaxing Garden… I heard people fighting and came over out of curiosity to see what the commotion was about. That's perfectly normal, right?'
That was his plan, anyway, but Chen Yi still did his best not to make a single sound.
After all, he was living under someone else's roof. Even with a valid reason, he would likely not escape punishment.
Chen Yi followed the long corridor to the entrance of Jiaxing Garden. Seeing the door was locked tight was not unexpected.
He looked left and right, spotted a stone block near a low section of the wall, and immediately stepped on it to poke his head over and peer into Jiaxing Garden.
The vast courtyard was pitch-black and difficult to see clearly. Only the lanterns outside two wooden buildings cast a dim, yellow light.
Seeing that Jiaxing Garden was silent, Chen Yi glanced at his "Daily Intelligence" again. After confirming the time and place, he vaulted over the wall and dropped into the courtyard.
"Hah."
Chen Yi let out a soft breath. 'This Big Spear Pile Skill really is effective. Just one session of the Stand Form has made my body feel much looser.'
'Looks like I'll have to keep up the act, but I can't let my Martial Arts cultivation fall behind.'
'Fortune favors the bold. First, let's see what this Opportunity is all about.'
Chen Yi found a shadowy corner to squat in, patiently waiting for the Xiao Family's Young Master and the never-before-heard-of Crown Prince to make their appearance.
'I wonder what the fight between Xiao Wuge and Zhang Heng will be like. Probably not too different from Yin Tiankang, I suppose?'
Chen Yi didn't have to wait long. After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, he heard two faint voices coming from nearby.
"…Brother Heir, you're going too far! Based on seniority, you should be calling him 'brother-in-law'."
"I don't want to! He's the runaway groom, I'm not wrong."
Hearing the voices from the garden behind the nearby wooden building, Chen Yi was confused. 'How did I get dragged into this?'
Without a second thought, he quietly crept closer.
Sticking to the shadows, he made his way straight into the garden, wanting to see what was happening with the two inside.
However, due to the angle, he could only see two shadows elongated by the lantern light. But their voices were much clearer.
"You, you… Are you asking for a beating?"
"A beating? Xiao Wuge, you can't beat me. If we really fight, I'm afraid I'll make you cry," one of the voices, slightly childish, said smugly.
"Why don't you chant with me? Runaway groom, runaway groom, haha…"
"You… you're still saying it!"
The other voice shouted in anger, followed by the sound of a scuffle, a flurry of smacks and thuds.
"You dare to hit me? Do you really think that just because we're in the Marquis's Mansion, I won't beat you up?"
"You, you shut up…"
Chen Yi watched the two shadows tangle together, a strange expression on his face.
'This doesn't look like a duel between experts at all. They're fighting without any technique.'
Taking advantage of a lull in their fight, he quietly shifted his position to a spot where he could finally see the two Martial Arts…
'Martial Arts children?'
He saw two children, not even reaching his waist and probably only four or five years old, grappling with each other, their hands around each other's necks.
One moment one was on top, the next the other was, as they rolled around on the ground.
Their tussle was interspersed with muffled muttering, mostly things like, "Say it again, I dare you," "Will you say it again?" and "How dare you hit my face!"
Chen Yi stared at them, dumbfounded. The image of "great Martial Arts masters" he had imagined in his mind collapsed spectacularly.
'This is the so-called 'major brawl to determine a victor'?'
'If this "Daily Intelligence" isn't just "Today's Gossip," I'll eat my hat.'
The commotion soon alerted others in Jiaxing Garden, and two Maids rushed over in a panic.
"Young Masters, please stop fighting."
But the two naughty children showed no sign of stopping.
The Maids didn't dare to step forward, so one of them ran back out.
Chen Yi's sense of anticipation was shattered. He wanted to leave, but seeing no change on his panel, he knew he hadn't obtained the "Opportunity" yet. He had no choice but to keep squatting in the corner and watching.
Just then, a voice came from inside the doorway:
"Wuge, Heng'er, you two, stop it right now!"
The voice was gentle and soothing, as soft as that of a woman from Jiangnan Prefecture.
A name popped into Chen Yi's mind. 'Xiao Wan'er?'
Soon, a woman with an extraordinary air, her skin as white and clear as crystal, walked over quickly. She wore a large cloak and stepped forward to stop the Young Master and the Young Crown Prince, who were tangled up in a fight.
"Tell me, why were you fighting?"
Xiao Wuge stood to the side, his head hanging low.
But the other boy, the Young Crown Prince Zhang Heng, who was already bruised and swollen, glared at him and said, "Sister, Wuge hit me first! He even said he was going to kill me."
Xiao Wan'er, her back to Chen Yi, looked at Xiao Wuge. "Is that true?"
"Big Sister, I…"
"Is it, or is it not?"
"It is…"
Hearing this, Xiao Wan'er immediately beckoned to a Maid. "Take Heng'er back to his room first and help him get some rest."
A smile immediately appeared on Zhang Heng's little face. He glanced at Xiao Wuge before following the Maid out of the garden.
Even Chen Yi found his smug look unbearable. 'This kid is a lost cause,' he thought.
'As the saying goes, "the child is father of the man." If he's this malicious at such a young age, he won't be any good when he grows up.'
[You have witnessed the beginning of the grudge between the Young Master Xiao Wuge and the Crown Prince Zhang Heng and comprehended the mysteries of their Fist and Foot techniques from their fight. Reward: Profound-rank Fist Technique—Mountain Shattering, Opportunity +12.]
[Evaluation: You arrived, heard, and witnessed. But your methods were excessively sneaky, revealing you to be a naturally sleazy individual.]
As the two lines of illusory text drifted past, Chen Yi paid no mind to the new memories of a Fist Technique that had appeared in his head. He was focused solely on the end of the evaluation.
He could let "indolent" slide, but this time it was "sleazy."
He had risked being discovered to come watch a couple of kids playing house. Even if it wasn't some grand and heroic scene, it couldn't be called "sleazy," could it?
This was too much!
After finally managing to calm himself, Chen Yi was just about to stand up when he felt a sudden chill on the back of his neck.
Then, a cold voice sounded beside his ear:
"Don't move."