If Chen Yi had his way, he really wouldn’t have bothered to move, much less get caught up in any trouble.

But the Xiao Family’s current situation forced him to make some preparations ahead of time.

Hundred Herbs Hall was one part of it, and he himself was the other.

’When did a live-in son-in-law ever have to work so hard?’

’As far as kept men go, I’m probably one of the worst. There can’t be many like me.’

With these thoughts in mind, Chen Yi bought a few things on Kangning Street, then went to a mounting shop to pick up a calligraphy piece he had sent over earlier, and headed straight home.

Li Huai’gu’s wedding was tomorrow, and it wouldn’t be right for him to go empty-handed.

Upon returning to the estate, he ran into Liu Si’er, who was leading a horse-drawn carriage and preparing to leave.

Chen Yi gave him a nod and headed inside.

Liu Si’er paused, stunned. He was supposed to pick this master up from the East Market today. How had he returned so early?

After a moment’s thought, Liu Si’er took the carriage back, then casually made his way to the gatehouse quarters.

KNOCK, KNOCK KNOCK.

The door creaked open. Uncle Gui looked at him, his face grim. "This is the second time."

Liu Si’er’s expression remained unchanged, maintaining the pretext of coming to borrow something.

He spoke his thanks aloud while hissing a few words through his teeth:

"The Fledgling is back early. Is the Hawk’s plan still on?"

Uncle Gui seemed surprised. After a moment of silence, he shook his head. "I’ll make a trip to the East Market later."

Liu Si’er understood. "Make it quick," he said, then turned and left. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Once Liu Si’er was gone, Uncle Gui stood in silence for a moment. He then gathered a few items, closed the door, and ambled slowly out of the estate.

’The Fledgling’s luck seems to be quite good today. We’ll postpone for a day.’

Chen Yi, of course, had no idea his idleness had just saved him from a heap of trouble.

Even if he had known, he probably would have just called it a "hassle" and resigned himself to it—it wasn’t like he was short on them.

When he ambled back to the Spring Lotus Garden, he saw two old men, looking even more relaxed than he was, sitting in a pavilion and playing chess.

As usual, Xiaodie was in attendance nearby.

Xiao Wuge sat watching from the side, his mood obvious from his scrunched-up face.

He probably looked like that because Sun Fu had been quizzing him again.

Seeing Chen Yi approach, Xiaodie hurried over to greet him. She took out her handkerchief and patted the dust off his clothes.

Xiao Wuge, on the other hand, looked utterly relieved. He rushed over with a grin. "Brother-in-law, you’re back so early today?"

Chen Yi chuckled. "Should I leave, then?"

Xiao Wuge looked up at him with a pitiful expression. "Take me with you."

Amused, Chen Yi turned to Sun Fu and Zhang Xuan, who were now looking their way. "Gentlemen, look how you’ve bullied our little Young Master."

If anyone else had spoken with such a casual tone, Duke Zhang would have likely slapped them across the face.

But this was Chen Yi... ’Just an impudent brat who thinks his little bit of talent gives him the right to be disrespectful.’

As Duke Zhang thought this, he pointed directly at Sun Fu. "It’s his fault. Instead of focusing on our game, he just had to quiz Wuge on the history of the previous dynasty."

Sun Fu laughed and retorted, "What do you know?" but he didn’t say anything to Chen Yi.

After all, he still needed a favor from the young man.

"There are many benefits to understanding history. It helps you avoid making the same mistakes as you grow older."

Sun Fu hadn’t chosen the topic at random.

He was quizzing Xiao Wuge on the life of a Marquis Wu from a previous dynasty. His circumstances were similar to the Xiao Family’s—both had long, storied histories and passed down their martial traditions through the generations.

However, that Marquis Wu only ever left to lead his troops when war was imminent; otherwise, he always remained in the Imperial City.

This was a fitting parallel to the situation Xiao Wuge would soon face as a political hostage in Jinling.

The quiz was, to say the least, painstakingly designed.

Chen Yi, of course, understood Sun Fu’s intentions. He patted Xiao Wuge on the head, had him sit down next to the two elders, and said with a smile,

"Learning from history can indeed be of great benefit."

A gratified look appeared on Sun Fu’s old face. He turned back to Duke Zhang and said fiercely, "Your move. You dare take back another piece, just you try it."

Duke Zhang picked his nose, then promptly took back his last white piece. "You said it. No take-backs on that."

"..."

The two immediately started bickering again, but the atmosphere was cheerful.

At least Xiao Wuge was now grinning from ear to ear.

This alone was enough to make him feel a deep sense of admiration for Chen Yi.

’He wondered when he’d ever be able to chat and laugh so casually with a Duke and an old scholar, just like his brother-in-law.’

Chen Yi, however, didn’t think it was a big deal. ’This must be what they mean by "he who is without desire is strong."’

’I don’t go out of my way to offend anyone, nor do I ask anything of them. Naturally, I can afford to be neither servile nor overbearing.’

’To put it bluntly, there aren’t many people in this world I actually care about.’

「Inside Jiaxing Garden.」

Xiao Wan’er, who was also cooling off in a pavilion, heard the laughter and looked up from a pile of account books.

She listened for a moment, a puzzled expression on her face.

’He’s... back?’

Shen Huatang, who had heard the commotion earlier, replied, "Second Young Master returned a short while ago. He’s currently with Duke Zhang and Mr. Sun the Elder."

Xiao Wan’er looked down at the ledgers on the table. ’Hasn’t the business at Jishi Medicine Hall been affected?’

’But that can’t be right.’

’I just saw the ledgers Liu Quan submitted yesterday. The Medicine Hall’s revenue has been dropping for two days straight.’

Shen Huatang recalled how Chen Yi had asked about the "Sword Madman" challenging Xiao Jinghong a few days ago, and how he had also inquired about matters of the Jianghu. She hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Miss, perhaps the Young Master’s mind isn’t on the Medicine Hall at all."

Xiao Wan’er hummed in acknowledgment and went back to the ledgers. After a moment, she took out a sheet of Yunsong Paper and began writing in small, elegant script.

When she was finished, she handed the paper to Shen Huatang. "Take this to the second steward. Have him contact the apothecaries as soon as possible and prepare all the herbs listed here."

Shen Huatang accepted the note and left Jiaxing Garden.

As Xiao Wan’er put away her brush and paper, her eyes drifted toward the Spring Lotus Garden, lost in thought.

’My brother-in-law isn’t a businessman, and he’s never been a Shopkeeper. He probably doesn’t understand the long-term impact of Linglan Pavilion.’

’Sigh... I wonder if the people who stole our herbs have anything to do with Linglan Pavilion.’

’This whole affair feels far too strange.’

’I need to ask Second Grand-uncle about it later. The Punishment Hall has been investigating for several days now; they should have some news.’

As these thoughts ran through her mind, the sound of cheerful laughter from the Spring Lotus Garden reached her ears, stirring complicated feelings within her.

’Is he truly unconcerned with what’s happening to Jishi Medicine Hall?’

...

Away from the Medicine Hall, Chen Yi felt a sense of relief wash over him.

One might think just staying in the Spring Lotus Garden would be dull.

But with flowers, grass, water, and people to chat and laugh with, he couldn’t complain.

As a result, he was in a good mood the entire afternoon.

It wasn’t until after dinner that he started preparing his gift for Li Huai’gu.

Weddings in this era came with many rules, especially for a man like Li Huai’gu, who held both a scholarly title and an official post. The complicated rituals would last from morning until night.

Even the guests attending the wedding banquet were expected to adhere to numerous conventions.

Commoners wouldn’t have to pay them much mind, but someone of Chen Yi’s current status had to be more careful.

First, he held the title of Scholar. Second, whenever he went out, he represented the honor of the Xiao Family. Thus, he had to be mindful of etiquette.

Therefore, he consulted a few books on etiquette and, following convention, prepared a piece of calligraphy and an inkstone for Li Huai’gu.

He had written the calligraphy piece himself; it was the completed poem containing the line, "Gather flowers while you may."

The inkstone wasn’t expensive either, costing him two silver coins.

It was a fitting gift for someone of his status as a scholar and a live-in son-in-law.

Once everything was ready, Chen Yi had Xiaodie put the gifts away, telling her with a smile that he would take her to the feast tomorrow.

Xiaodie, the little glutton, naturally nodded with delight.

She truly had no resistance when it came to food.

Xiao Wuge wanted to go along as well, but Chen Yi turned him down. The reason, of course, was for him to go keep Xiao Wan’er company.

With the recent trouble from Linglan Pavilion, Xiao Wan’er was likely dealing with quite a headache.

Xiao Wuge was a little disappointed, but going to Jiaxing Garden was still better than being stuck with Sun Fu.

As night fell, they all returned to their own rooms.

Chen Yi glanced at the translucent screen in front of him, then began his Cultivation of the Black Tortoise Concealment Technique.

After his Cultivation reached the Eighth Grade Realm, the Qi Mechanism in his body transformed into True Essence, bringing about several changes in his Martial Arts Cultivation.

It was no longer focused on simply increasing his physical Power.

Or rather, the Pile Skill now had a negligible effect on increasing his Power.

From now on, he had to focus on enhancing his True Essence. He needed to fill the two great Seas of Qi—his Dantian and his Chest—to continue unblocking the twelve Main Meridians, which included the Ren and Du Meridians.

Through this, he could form the Minor Circulation of True Essence within his body.

Neither the Big Spear Pile Skill nor the Black Tortoise Concealment Technique were methods for True Essence Cultivation.

But since he didn’t have a suitable method for True Essence Cultivation yet, he had to make do for the time being.

Between the two, the Black Tortoise Concealment Technique offered slightly faster progress.

And so, Chen Yi held the Black Tortoise Style until midnight, when a new notification appeared:

[Daily Intel | Profound-rank Middle Grade: At noon, in Luoyi Lane, the Third Place Scholar Li Huai’gu will marry Yun Xiang. A small amount of Opportunity may be obtained.]

Chen Yi glanced at it. This didn’t come as a surprise.

The juicy gossip about the Third Place Scholar’s wedding had arrived, right on cue.

However, thinking about it more carefully gave him a bit of a headache.

’Those scholars from Guiyun Academy look like trouble. I doubt they’ll give up on trying to get that calligraphy piece from me.’