You Promised to Be an Idle Son-in-Law, How Could You Become a Land Immortal?-Chapter 73: Just How Scared of Her Are They?

After Xiao Jinghong left, Spring Lotus Garden seemed to return to its initial tranquility.

But that was only how it seemed.

That afternoon, despite the growing rain, Duke Qian, Zhang Xuan, and Sun Fu still arrived in the downpour.

They set up a chessboard in the pavilion, one taking the black stones and the other the white, and began playing as if no one else was there.

Seeing that the two were determined not to leave, Chen Yi had no choice but to instruct Xiaodie to fetch some ginger slices to brew tea. He didn’t want these two gentlemen to catch a cold in the rainy weather.

Once the arrangements were made, Chen Yi went back to reading his medical book, the reclining chair beneath him rocking gently, completely unaffected by the presence of Duke Qian and Mr. Sun the Elder beside him.

The two old men, each with their own ulterior motives, exchanged glances while they played.

Zhang Xuan frantically signaled with his eyes. ’The calligraphy, you son of a bitch! The calligraphy!’

Sun Fu gestured back as if to say, ’What’s the rush?’ He then unhurriedly spoke, "Qingzhou, I hear you are a master of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Why not have a game with this old man?"

Chen Yi, his eyes still fixed on the medical book, replied, "I’ve forgotten how to play."

Of the four arts—music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—he was only proficient in calligraphy. He was utterly clueless about the other three.

’How could I possibly agree?’

Sun Fu, of course, didn’t believe him. Noticing the book in his hands, he asked with a smile, "How did you become interested in the Medical Dao?"

Chen Yi hummed in acknowledgment. "I was bored. Just reading for fun."

’That should sound dismissive enough.’

But Sun Fu’s expression remained unchanged as he continued to chat with him cheerfully.

Duke Qian, on the other hand, grew impatient that Sun Fu hadn’t gotten to the point. He began to place his white stones on the board with stiff, CLACKING sounds.

Sun Fu once again gestured for him to be patient and somehow turned the conversation to Xiao Wuge.

"Qingzhou, what do you think of Wuge’s academic talents?"

"They’re acceptable, I suppose."

After replying, Chen Yi looked up, puzzled. He studied Sun Fu for a moment and then suddenly broke into a smile.

He didn’t say anything more, however, and simply lay back down.

Sun Fu’s old face flushed red. He knew his intentions had been seen through and couldn’t help but curse inwardly, ’Little fox.’

After a moment of contemplation, Sun Fu casually placed a black stone, carefully choosing his words. "The classics, histories, policy essays, and poetry... these are subjects this old man is reasonably skilled in."

"I once served as the Governor of Shu State, so I have some experience, and furthermore..."

Before he could finish, Duke Zhang said angrily, "Old Sun, what the hell are you spouting all this nonsense for?"

Sun Fu ignored him and looked at Chen Yi. "My knowledge should be sufficient, wouldn’t you agree, Qingzhou?"

Chen Yi lowered his book slightly, his gaze falling on him as he smiled. "Mr. Sun the Elder, you’re asking the wrong person. You should be asking Elder Master Xiao."

Sun Fu shook his head. "I can tell he has great faith in you."

Seeing the two of them talking past each other, Duke Zhang threw down his chess piece in frustration. "Who? Who and who?"

Chen Yi and Sun Fu exchanged a look and simultaneously replied, "It’s nothing."

"Damn it, what kind of riddle are you two playing at?"

’A riddle? It really could be considered a riddle.’

However, what Chen Yi was curious about was why Sun Fu had taken it into his head to accept Xiao Wuge as a student.

Was it just because of those Golden Carp that scrambled to be caught by Xiao Wuge yesterday?

’That’s a bit superstitious, isn’t it?’

But having guessed Elder Sun’s intentions, Chen Yi had no desire to get involved in this troublesome matter.

After all, Xiao Wuge was currently the sole heir of the Xiao Family’s main branch. His affairs were not for outsiders to meddle in; they were almost all decided personally by Elder Master Xiao.

Sun Fu, however, looked as if he wouldn’t give up until he achieved his goal. While playing chess with Duke Zhang, he would interject with a few words from time to time.

The implied meaning behind all his words was for Chen Yi to help put in a good word for him.

Chen Yi was so pestered by him he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Elder Sun, you just need to find Elder Master Xiao for this matter. Why make things difficult for me?"

Sun Fu still gave the same answer: "I can tell he has great faith in you."

Chen Yi shook his head, speechless. After a moment’s thought, he said, "I hear he’s to be a hostage in Jinling for ten years."

Sun Fu pondered for a moment, his eyes lighting up. A smile immediately spread across his face. "Qingzhou, in this old man’s opinion, your scholarship has already reached seventy percent of Ju Yi’s level."

Such an obvious compliment had no effect on Chen Yi.

It was only at this moment that Duke Zhang understood they were talking about Xiao Wuge, but he still didn’t understand what the two of them were saying.

After some thought, Duke Zhang abruptly said, "Next year, my Heng’er will also be going to Jinling as a hostage."

In the Great Wei Dynasty, it was a fairly open secret that for every generation of hereditary Marquises and Dukes, an heir would be sent to Jinling as a hostage.

However, Duke Zhang’s words were still missing the point.

Chen Yi just smiled and didn’t explain.

Sun Fu was even less likely to explain. He just said, "Just now, Qingzhou already agreed to write a farewell poem for this old man."

Chen Yi was taken aback. ’When did that happen?’

After a moment of careful thought, he understood. Elder Sun was playing dumb.

He was the one who wanted to take Xiao Wuge as a student, offering to follow him to Jinling and protect him as a condition for the Xiao Family’s agreement.

’And in the end, he’s trying to swindle a piece of calligraphy out of me too?’

"What? What?"

Duke Zhang was also dumbfounded. The two of them had just been speaking in riddles, and now a poem had been decided?

He hadn’t heard a thing.

"Ah, Qingzhou, the grudges between this old man and your father and uncle have nothing to do with you. How about you write a birthday poem for me?"

"Sure. A thousand gold pieces per word."

"Alright! It’s a deal!"

Of course, it wasn’t really going to be a thousand gold pieces per word.

Even if Duke Zhang wanted to, Chen Yi would have to consider the impact. After all, over a hundred thousand taels of gold would be enough to fund a hundred-thousand-strong army for two years.

The reason he agreed was simple: he wanted some peace and quiet.

He wanted to prevent these two old gentlemen from coming to Spring Lotus Garden every other day to freeload.

The afternoon passed quickly.

After dinner, Chen Yi and Xiaodie went to Jiaxing Garden to bring Xiao Wuge back.

With Xiao Jinghong away and Xiao Wan’er busy with various matters, it was decided that Xiao Wuge would continue to live in Spring Lotus Garden.

Once Xiao Wuge and Xiaodie were both asleep, Chen Yi opened his eyes, threw on an outer robe, and got up to head to the Purple Bamboo Forest.

Although it was still windy and rainy, he paid it no mind.

With his Qi Mechanism sealed by the Black Tortoise Concealment Technique, a little rain wasn’t enough to make him catch a cold.

As usual, he first practiced the Big Spear Pile Skill.

An hour of Pile Skill, followed by an hour of fist and step techniques.

Since his Martial Arts Body reached Great Success, Chen Yi’s Pile Skill cultivation had progressed by leaps and bounds.

In just five short days, his Big Spear Pile Skill had reached Mastery Level Perfection, causing the Power in his body to surge once more, directly increasing to the Power of Three Symbols.

A single punch could now deliver six thousand jin of force.

If he combined it with the Mountain Shattering Fist, his Fist Force could even shatter the inside of a purple bamboo stalk without damaging the surface.

It was undeniably domineering.

As Chen Yi cultivated, he tested and verified his progress, reaping substantial rewards.

This continued until the Hour of the Dog.

Chen Yi calmed his mind, using the Black Tortoise Concealment Technique to seal the pores of his body and mask his Qi Mechanism and Power.

Then, he picked up a purple bamboo stalk and once again practiced the Dragon-slaying Spear.

From the first form, Dragon Chasing the Sun, to the second, Zhaoqing Mountain... all the way to the final form, the Retreating Lance, Inverting Heaven and Earth, he did not stop.

He stood silently for a moment.

When he confirmed that the Black Tortoise Concealment Technique was effective enough to sever the automatic connection to the Heaven and Earth’s Spiritual Mechanism that occurred when using the Dragon-Slaying Spear, a smile appeared on his face.

This meant he could now improve his Dragon-Slaying Spear without any hindrance.

Immediately, Chen Yi kicked off a purple bamboo stalk and once again performed the Dragon-Slaying Spear Technique, weaving and circling through the forest.

Although he relied only on his Power, the moves of the Dragon-Slaying Spear Technique were so exquisite that after executing just a few forms, the surrounding purple bamboo had already suffered.

When he came back to his senses, Chen Yi saw the mess and had no choice but to expend some effort to clean up, lest someone notice something amiss the next day.

He worked until the Hour of the Rat—

[Daily Intelligence - Profound-rank Lower Grade: At the fifth quarter of the Hour of the Dog, in the Four Directions Hall in the rear courtyard of Marquis Dingyuan’s Mansion, a Hidden Guard will hide a secret letter. A small amount of Opportunity can be obtained.]

’Four Directions Hall?’

Chen Yi paused, his gaze shifting toward Jiaxing Garden. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Four Directions Hall was on the other side of Jiaxing Garden. It was the residence of Xiao Dongchen from the second branch of the Xiao Family.

Originally, he wasn’t qualified to live there.

But ever since he was appointed as the Junior Fourth-grade Assistant Governor in the Governor’s Office, Elder Master Xiao had given him special permission to reside there.

After a moment of thought, Chen Yi wasn’t sure if the residence was currently occupied, but he was certain that the Hidden Guards were active again.

’When Xiao Jinghong is back, they lie dormant.’

’The moment Xiao Jinghong leaves, they pop up again... Just how scared of her are they?’

Chen Yi privately pursed his lips. He was tempted to ignore the Hidden Guards, but he couldn’t suppress his curiosity.

Based on the information he had gathered previously, the Hidden Guards were paying close attention to him.

Furthermore, he was certain that these Hidden Guards were not the same group that had caused him to flee his marriage.

It was hard for him not to be curious about their true identities and purpose.

’Tomorrow night, I’ll go take a look.’