Unbeknownst to Chen Yi, inexplicable trouble was already sniffing its way to him.
He was sitting in a pavilion, eyes glued to the bobber on the pond, lost in thought.
Though his confinement had been mostly dull and boring, his gains had been substantial. Not only did he achieve Great Success in the Calligraphy Dao, elevating his Calligraphy to the Mastery Level, but he had also cultivated Martial Arts and attained the Skilled Level in the Big Spear Pile Skill.
But now that his confinement had been so abruptly lifted, he couldn't think of what to do with his newfound freedom.
He'd probably just wander around, see the sights and sounds of this world, or perhaps visit its famous mountains and great rivers...
'Oh, right, I can't go too far for now.'
And then there were those unidentified people lurking in the shadows. They were like a fish bone stuck in his throat, a constant, nagging irritation.
With this in mind, Chen Yi turned to Xiaodie and asked, "Are there any fun places to visit here in Shu State?"
"Oh, Master, there are tons of fun places in Shu State," Xiaodie said with a smile, scooting her stool closer and propping her chin in her hands to look up at him.
"Aside from the southern passes and military towns, which are off-limits, there are lakes to the east, Wu Mountain and Chishui to the west, and lots of county towns in the north with plenty of fun things to do."
"But Shu State is huge, so you probably can't travel too far. Here in the capital city, you could go to the West City. Every day, there are lots of merchants from foreign lands who bring all sorts of strange and curious little trinkets."
Hearing this, Chen Yi's interest was piqued. "From the Ancient Tea-Horse Road?"
Xiaodie nodded. "Those people are all adorned with jewels, big and small. They wear strange hats, and some even have veils. Their eyes are all different colors, too."
Chen Yi understood. 'They sound a bit like people from the White Elephant Country.'
"What else?"
"Then there's North City. It has lots of academies and taverns, and it's where most of the learned people gather. I'm sure you'll like it, Master."
'Quite the opposite.'
Chen Yi didn't like the sound of that at all.
The Great Wei Dynasty had been established for over two hundred years. While the spirit of Martial Arts still flourished, there was also an innumerable amount of pretentious scholars and poets.
Wherever these so-called talents gathered, there was bound to be endless poetry and song, praising the past while denigrating the present, and debating court politics.
It was a good thing the Great Wei Dynasty hadn't invented literary inquisitions yet. If the Emperor ever had a screw loose one day, the more poetry you wrote, the greater the risk.
Besides, the only presentable skills Chen Yi had right now were Calligraphy and Poetry. He was hopeless at the Zither, Go, and Painting. If he went and his cover was blown, it would be a huge mess.
It would mean one of two things: either the rumors from Jiangnan Prefecture were false, or he was a completely different person.
Either way, it would disrupt his comfortable, idle life as the Xiao Family's live-in son-in-law.
"Then there's East City. Sometimes, tribes from the mountains put on performances there. The Eldest Miss took me once, and they were amazing..."
"What about South City?" Chen Yi asked casually.
Xiaodie's smile froze. "South City... South... Master, you can't go there! The Eldest Miss and Second Miss would scold you."
"Why not?"
Just as Chen Yi asked the question, he saw the bobber twitch. His eyes lit up as he gripped the fishing rod and jerked it upward.
But to his dismay, the fish—of some unknown species—only breached the surface with its head before wriggling off the hook and falling back in.
"South City is full of... rouge and powder..." Xiaodie said, tilting her head as she searched for the right words.
"Ooh, I get it."
'A place with lots of "rouge and powder" is a brothel.'
If a live-in son-in-law like him were to be caught in a place like that, the Xiao Family might actually string him up and beat him.
Just like right now—Chen Yi wanted nothing more than to catch that damned fish in the pond and give it a good thrashing.
Two whole days.
He had been fishing here for two full days. Not only had he failed to catch a single fish, but he was also being repeatedly outsmarted by the same one.
How did he know it was the same one?
Because that particular fish was just too easy to recognize. It was the one with a small tuft of golden whiskers on its head.
Thus, Chen Yi had given it a very fitting name: "Golden Carp."
"Lucky for it, it got away fast," Chen Yi grumbled. "Otherwise, I'd be tasting charcoal-grilled golden fish for dinner tonight."
Grumbling to himself, Chen Yi reeled in his line and put on fresh bait.
"Now, where were we?"
"That was all." Worried he would ask about South City again, Xiaodie quickly changed the subject. "Master, I've seen you fishing here for two days, but it seems you haven't caught anything?"
"Er, are you questioning my fishing skills?" Chen Yi shot her a mock-threatening glare.
'I'm just getting the hang of fishing,' he thought. 'I haven't figured out the habits of this world's fish yet.'
'Just give me a little more time, and I'll definitely be able to catch every last fish in this pond.'
"No, no... It's just," Xiaodie ducked her head, "when I went to see the Eldest Miss today, she asked me what you've been up to lately, Master."
"Oh."
"I... I didn't say anything!"
Perhaps because Xiaodie's voice was a little too loud, Chen Yi turned to look at her in surprise.
"..."
Xiaodie kept her head down, not daring to look at him.
Her mind was consumed by that "rebellious poem," terrified that if she let it slip, the Master would have her silenced.
That was bad enough.
What Xiaodie feared most now was facing Xiao Wan'er. Just that morning, when Xiao Wan'er had casually asked how Chen Yi had been, Xiaodie had almost blurted out:
"Jade Steps and Jade Trees, a form like yours, is a rarity in the mortal world."
Thankfully, she'd caught herself in time and only mentioned the fishing. Her mind had gone so blank after that she couldn't even remember how the Eldest Miss had replied.
Lost in thought, Xiaodie mumbled, "I just said you were fishing, Master. Nothing else."
"It's only fishing. It's fine that you told her."
Chen Yi waved his hand dismissively, cast his hook again, and leaned back in his lounge chair as if he hadn't a care in the world.
These days, he spent two hours every morning practicing his Stand Form, one hour studying Cursive Script, and the rest of his time fishing.
What frustrated him, however, was that because he hadn't caught a single fish, no notification had appeared on his panel. He had no idea if there was even such a thing as a "Fishing Dao."
'If there is, I'll definitely max it out and empty this entire pond.'
Just as Chen Yi was locked in a battle of wits with the Golden Carp, he heard light footsteps behind him, followed by a child's tender voice:
"Second Brother-in-law, what are you doing in the pavilion?"
"Wuge, slow down."
Before Xiaodie could say anything, Chen Yi put down his fishing rod and stood up, looking toward the voices.
He saw Xiao Wuge, dressed in fine brocade, running ahead, followed by a beaming Xiao Wan'er, who was still wearing that same pure white cloak.
Then, Chen Yi saw the expressionless Shen Huatang behind them, her arms crossed over her sword. His own expression immediately turned serious, and he bowed.
"Young Master, Sister Wan'er."
'My sister-in-law, Xiao Wan'er, is two years my senior, so calling her 'sister' is only fair.'
'As for my brother-in-law, Xiao Wuge, given his status, I can't just call him by his name. After all, I'm just a lowly live-in son-in-law of the Xiao Mansion.'
"Second Brother-in-law, are you fishing?" Xiao Wuge walked over, glanced at the setup, and then curiously peeked into the fish basket at the side. "There's no fish in here."
"..."
'Little brat. For your sister's sake, this old fisherman will forgive your childish honesty for now.'
With that thought, Chen Yi clasped one hand behind his back and said sagely, "When it comes to fishing, only the willing take the bait."
'Don't ask. If you do, the answer is that I don't want to catch them.'
Xiao Wuge clearly didn't understand. "Oh, so the fish aren't willing to take the bait, right?"
Xiao Wan'er patted him reproachfully. "Wuge, have you forgotten what I taught you?"
Only then did she turn and smile at Chen Yi. "Brother-in-law, your knowledge is extraordinary. Every word you speak contains profound wisdom."
"You're too kind." Chen Yi coughed. From the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Shen Huatang's Long Sword shift, so he asked directly:
"Sister Wan'er, did you need me for something?"
'Ever since she'd held that sword to his neck, he'd had a bit of a trauma response. He always felt that at the slightest disagreement, Guard Shen would run him through without a second thought.'
"Indeed, there is something I need your help with, Brother-in-law."
Xiao Wan'er, however, seemed to appreciate his directness. She gestured toward Xiao Wuge and said, "I need to leave home for a while. During that time, I must trouble you to look after Wuge."
Chen Yi understood. 'She's asking me to babysit? To be a nanny?'