The courtyard.
The jujube tree's green shade spread like a canopy, while grapevines covered half the yard.
Zhou Yi pushed open the gate and entered, his brows slightly furrowed.
The auras in the courtyard were jumbled and chaotic. More than one person had come through, and not long ago—their scent had yet to disperse. Upon inspecting several hidden marks and arrangements, he found that the visitors had been fairly disciplined and had not rifled through things recklessly.
This was what it truly meant for the visitors to come with ill intent!
"Whenever imperial power changed hands, Shenjing became a season of many troubles."
Zhou Yi used a Dust-Cleansing Talisman, and the place became spotless in an instant.
He then went to the broker's office and hired two wet nurses, arranging for them to stay in the western wing of the small courtyard and tend to Chen Ya'er's every need.
"Where could I find a good family..."
Zhou Yi pondered carefully and looked back over his acquaintances, only to discover that most of the colleagues he dealt with were not particularly good people. Following that train of thought and reflecting upon himself, he suddenly understood.
"So in ordinary people's eyes, I'm a greedy prison guard, a brutal official, and a cold-blooded devil!"
The villain was actually me!
Night fell.
Zhou Yi drank tea and recited scriptures in the courtyard until the moon hung high overhead.
A figure swept through the air, white robes fluttering in the wind as he spun down into the courtyard.
Zhou Yi clicked his tongue. "I waited half the night. Never thought it would be you bastard."
"How did you know someone would come?"
The newcomer was none other than Lao Bai. He carried a wine jar in one hand and sat down opposite Zhou Yi without ceremony.
"I guessed."
Zhou Yi answered honestly. He did not know divination or fortune-telling; he had merely felt that the commander of the Imperial Guards had been overly enthusiastic during the day, while quite a few people had investigated his residence.
"Three-hundred-year Pear Blossom White. It was only because my old father-in-law had enough face that they were willing to sell me a jar."
Lao Bai opened the wine jar, and a delicate fragrance filled the courtyard. "Old Zhou, guess again. What did I come to see you about?"
Zhou Yi poured himself a bowl. The wine was clear as spring water and thick as amber. He drained it in one gulp, feeling utterly refreshed.
"Can't guess. But if it's good news, I'll go. If it's bad news, then I'll just drink your fine wine for nothing."
"I have never seen such a shameless person!"
Ever since Lao Bai had learned that phrase, it had practically become his catchphrase. "My old father-in-law, Prince Dongyang, wants to invite you to serve as an Attendant at his manor—commonly known as guarding the residence and protecting the courtyard."
Zhou Yi frowned slightly. "This is Shenjing, not the northern frontier. Does a dignified Prince's Manor need to recruit guards?"
"While you were traveling these past few months, tremendous changes took place in the capital..."
Lao Bai recounted the news of the Emperor Hongchang's death being concealed, Prince Qin Zhao Yuan storming the palace gates at midnight, Consort Sun and the Sixth Prince dying, and more—some true, some false.
Zhou Yi asked, "Did His Majesty truly kill his own mother and younger brother before the late emperor's remains?"
Lao Bai nodded. "There is no smoke without fire. Most likely, it's true."
Zhou Yi said, "So Shenjing is unstable, and Prince Dongyang is recruiting guards because he fears trouble will spill over onto his family?"
"My father-in-law's intentions are not merely to seek stability!"
Lao Bai took a sip of wine and waved his hand. "Coming here was just me handling an errand. It doesn't matter whether you agree or not. If you have any interest in glory and wealth, you can visit the Prince's Manor."
"Glory! Wealth!"
When Zhou Yi heard those two words, what rose before his eyes was not gold, silver, jewels, or treasures, but blood-soaked corpses.
Lao Bai reminded him, "Old Zhou, in a few days my wife and I are heading to Jiangnan. Why not come along on the boat for a bit of sightseeing?"
"I have matters to handle in Shenjing, so I won't be going to Jiangnan for now."
After pondering for a moment, Zhou Yi said, "However, there is someone I need to entrust to you..."
He then explained Chen Ya'er's identity. He did not mention the horde of ghosts in Chen Family Village, only saying that he had encountered routed soldiers slaughtering civilians and had saved the sole surviving orphan.
According to Lao Bai, every manor in Shenjing was now trying to recruit experts—some to guard themselves, others to scheme for something greater. Chen Ya'er had thus become one of Zhou Yi's weak points.
If someone truly kidnapped her, Zhou Yi would not submit. He would choose to avenge Chen Ya'er instead!
Lao Bai was filled with righteous indignation after hearing this and promised, "Rest assured, Old Zhou. My boy is going to Jiangnan too, so he can keep Chen Ya'er company."
"Eh? How did I forget about you bastard!"
Zhou Yi's eyes lit up. "Why not raise Chen Ya'er in your home and acknowledge her as a goddaughter or something? Then you'd have both a son and a daughter."
Lao Bai had originally been carefree and restless. Relying on his lightness skill, he had caused no small amount of trouble in the martial world and was not a good person to entrust someone to. Yet marriage and family truly could change a man. Ever since his grand wedding with Princess Rongchang, Lao Bai had become a steady, family-minded husband.
Lao Bai was stunned. Not only had he failed to recruit Zhou Yi, he was going home with a goddaughter instead?
Thinking Lao Bai feared his wife, Zhou Yi promised, "Just tell Princess Rongchang directly that Chen Ya'er is the biological granddaughter of an Innate Grandmaster. As long as you raise her for twenty years, your household will remain safe and sound during that time!"
"What about after twenty years?"
Lao Bai was rather tempted. He had previously considered asking Zhou Yi to protect his manor, but he had always been too embarrassed to bring it up.
Even knowing Zhou Yi would surely agree, Lao Bai did not wish to put his friend in a difficult position.
Zhou Yi slowly said, "After twenty years, Chen Ya'er naturally won't need anyone else to protect her."
"Rest assured, Old Zhou. I'll care for her as if she were my own daughter."
Lao Bai suddenly changed the subject, grinning shamelessly as he said, "If... I mean, if Chen Ya'er and my boy fall in love with each other, could they...?"
Zhou Yi said angrily.
"Shameless bastard!"
The next day.
Heavenly Prison.
After checking in, Zhou Yi chatted with his colleagues about what he had seen on his travels and handed out local specialties he had bought from various regions in Shenjing.
They arranged to visit Spring Breeze Pavilion that evening, and the slight unfamiliarity between them immediately faded away.
In ancient times, one went to the pleasure quarters to listen to music; today, one got foot massages. They truly were peerless tools for bringing colleagues closer together.
Zhou Yi returned to his private room, and the water for tea had not yet boiled.
Captain Lu, who had recently arrived, knocked and entered, carrying a packet of tea. "Biluochun Tea from Mount Taichuan. Old Zhou, have a taste?"
"One should not accept a reward without merit. Does Captain Lu have some instruction for me?"
Zhou Yi could drink Lao Bai's wine for free, but he could not casually accept Captain Lu's tea. The former was a close friend and drinking companion; the latter was no more than a colleague.
"Old Zhou, are you willing to spend your whole life in the Heavenly Prison?"
Captain Lu said, "With your skills, you are fully qualified to serve as an Attendant in a prince's manor. If you follow the right person, you may yet bring honor to your ancestors and enjoy all the glory and wealth in the world."
"What's so bad about the Heavenly Prison?"
Zhou Yi smiled. "My great-grandfather was a prison guard in the Heavenly Prison. So was my grandfather, and then it was passed down to my father. I cannot betray my ancestors!"
"..."
The imperial court had always promoted filial piety. Since Zhou Yi had even invoked his ancestors, Captain Lu was immediately left speechless.
Zhou Yi said, "I do not seek glory and wealth. I only want a stable life. Captain Lu, take this tea back."
Captain Lu waved his hand. "Old Zhou, don't mock me. This Biluochun Tea is simply for you to drink. From now on, we're colleagues. If anything comes up, I'll need Old Zhou's support and care!"
"Then I won't stand on ceremony."
Zhou Yi said with a smile, "Captain Lu, wait a moment. Today, the two of us shall sample this famous tea!"
"Stop calling me Captain. We're about the same age, so just call me Old Lu."
"Haha, Old Lu!"
A moment later.
The rich fragrance of tea drifted through the room, intoxicating all who smelled it.
Whenever Zhou Yi had leisure time, he drank tea and recited scriptures. After more than twenty years, he had cultivated superb skill in the art of tea.
After a few more centuries, Zhou Yi would become an elegant scholar thoroughly versed in the scriptures and principles of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, as well as skilled in qin, chess, calligraphy, painting, wine, flowers, and tea.
Only in the way of poetry did he truly lack talent, and no amount of forcing could change that.
Over the following days.
People repeatedly went to his home or came to the Heavenly Prison, promising him all manner of benefits—glory and wealth at the least, military command and noble titles at the greatest. Zhou Yi declined every one of them.
In the eyes of those important figures, such behavior meant he was proud of his talent and looked down on others!
Thus, they sent experts to climb over walls and enter homes at night, hoping to teach him a lesson. The result was that every one of them fled back with swollen faces and bruised noses.
Zhou Yi revealed only his body-tempering skills. Tempered by true essence and nourished by Mana, they had already reached the limits of organ refinement. One step further would be Marrow Cleansing, the peak of horizontal training.
The Marrow Cleansing Realm possessed the strength to split a thousand soldiers with a single stroke!
Especially within Shenjing, should a small-scale war break out, Marrow Cleansing experts would be all the more precious.
Once the news spread, even more people came to recruit him.
Not until Zhou Yi struck ruthlessly, crippling several flies, did he release word to the outside.
"I seek neither glory nor wealth, nor do I covet power. I would rather die of old age in the Heavenly Prison!"
Only then did things finally become peaceful.
Before you continue