Wind Severing Saber Technique, Third-Rate Martial Artist

Ye Liuyun remembered that this was the personal maid by his sister-in-law's side, Xing'er.

The original owner seemed to have coveted her before.

Tsk! Bold as hell.

"Master has worked hard. Madam asked me to tell Master that she is very satisfied with Master's choice."

"???"

Just as Ye Liuyun's thoughts began to wander, Xing'er's words immediately dragged them back.

Though his face remained expressionless, he had already realized something.

Wait, his sister-in-law knew his brother was going to kill him?

No, judging by what she meant, the one who wanted to kill him seemed to be his sister-in-law.

"Master need not take it to heart."

Seeing that Ye Liuyun remained expressionless and said nothing, Xing'er assumed he was feeling bad after personally dealing with his brother, so she consoled him.

"Madam did this for Master's sake as well!"

"Master wants to be promoted to Centurion. Having such a stain is never a good thing."

A stain? So having a younger brother like him was actually a stain on Ye Liufeng?

Though the original owner had done things like bullying men and tyrannizing women, at least he had been the same inside and out.

"I understand."

On the first day after changing identities, he had received such explosive gossip. In any case, he was the one who had survived now, so there was nothing to argue about.

He closed his eyes briefly, maintaining a calm appearance.

"It's getting late."

"Then I won't disturb Master's rest."

Hearing Ye Liuyun say this, Xing'er sensibly did not continue to bother him.

But when she saw the direction Ye Liuyun was heading, she still called out to stop him.

"Where is Master going?"

"???"

Though he had not come here many times, Ye Liuyun still knew the layout of this residence. Wasn't the place for sleeping in the Backyard?

He had originally been wondering whether his identity might be exposed.

"Madam has already retired. If Master has anything to say, it would be better to speak with Madam later. Master still has to report for duty at the Brocade Guard tomorrow, so you should rest early."

Xing'er thought Ye Liufeng had something he wanted to say to Madam.

"..."

So his elder brother and sister-in-law did not sleep together?

Ye Liuyun did not know much about this sister-in-law. He had heard that her father had once been a third-rank court official. Even after retiring and returning home, he had still left behind quite a few connections.

For his brother to marry such a wife, he had absolutely married above his station.

Yet they did not even share a bed? And before him, Ye Liufeng had always strutted around like he owned the world.

"Since that is the case, I won't disturb Madam. Take me back to rest first."

Ye Liuyun had only just discovered that his acting skills were this good. He waved a hand, signaling for Xing'er to lead the way.

"Yes, Master!"

Following Xing'er, Ye Liuyun arrived at a side courtyard of the residence. This was where Ye Liufeng usually rested.

The courtyard was fairly spacious, and because it was cleaned regularly, everything was spotless.

After Xing'er left, Ye Liuyun did not hurry back to his room. Instead, he went to the study in the side courtyard.

Ye Liuyun had seen Ye Liufeng enter this place before. No wonder his elder brother had spent all day in the side courtyard back then—he actually lived here.

"You wouldn't let me enter before. Now let's see just what you hid in here."

Ye Liuyun had wanted to follow him into the study before, but Ye Liufeng had always berated him for it and had even beaten him. No matter what, he would not allow Ye Liuyun into the study. There must have been some secret hidden within.

Moreover, Ye Liuyun wanted to look around and see whether Ye Liufeng had any martial arts manuals here.

There were quite a few books piled on the shelves, but after sweeping his gaze over them, he found that they were all records of poetry and prose.

In the end, in a corner of the desk, he found a martial arts manual already covered in dust. It looked as though it had not been opened in quite some time.

"Wind Severing Saber Technique!"

He had found it!

If he remembered correctly, this was the martial art his elder brother cultivated.

After transmigrating for so long, he had finally seen genuine martial arts.

Sharpening one's blade before battle might not make it faster, but it would at least make it gleam. Since he would be going to the Brocade Guard tomorrow, practicing a few moves would give him some confidence. Otherwise, if he knew nothing and his identity was exposed, he would not even have anywhere to run.

With that thought, after flipping through it for a while, Ye Liuyun—

—felt his hands itch unbearably, always wanting to slash at something.

He picked up the saber placed to one side and walked straight into the courtyard.

Following the records in the manual, he began to practice.

He was somewhat unfamiliar with it at first, but after going through two sets, the once-clumsy movements became incomparably proficient. Sharp saber light flashed continuously through the courtyard.

Before he knew it—

Half an hour had passed.

Talent Trait System!

Host: Ye Liuyun!

Realm: Third-Rate Martial Artist!

Martial Art: Wind Severing Saber Technique!

Talent Traits: Lucky (Purple), Strong Body (Green), Blade Talent (Blue),

When Ye Liuyun stopped, his heart burned with excitement. Though a thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead, he did not feel the slightest bit tired. Instead, he felt refreshed in both body and mind.

"I broke through just like that?"

Looking at the Third-Rate Martial Artist realm displayed on his character panel, Ye Liuyun still found it somewhat unbelievable.

He had broken through in only half an hour?

Was a blue-quality Blade Talent really this effective?

Then why had his elder brother still been a Third-Rate Martial Artist when he died?

Tsk. Thinking of how the manual had already been covered in dust when he found it, Ye Liuyun could not help clicking his tongue.

Ye Liufeng had probably put all his thoughts into petty schemes and shady dealings, barely cultivating at all. He had wasted that blue-quality Blade Talent for nothing.

Sitting atop a treasure mountain without knowing to use it—if you didn't die, who would?

If Ye Liufeng had been a Second-Rate Martial Artist rather than a Third-Rate Martial Artist, Ye Liuyun did not think he could have successfully counter-killed him.

"Forget it. Why argue with a dead man?"

With his hands still warm from practice, Ye Liuyun did not waste his thoughts on that messy nonsense.

After resting briefly, he continued cultivating according to the saber manual.

"Practicing martial arts?"

In the Backyard, the woman sitting in the courtyard admiring the moon raised her brows in slight surprise as she listened to Xing'er's report.

The woman was exquisitely beautiful and carried herself with dignified grace, though the noble air between her brows could not be concealed.

She was Ye Liuyun's sister-in-law, Sheng Lanzhi.

The maids and servants in this residence could all be said to be Sheng Lanzhi's people. Whatever happened in the residence, Sheng Lanzhi could receive word of it immediately.

"How strange. He refused to practice martial arts no matter how I urged him before, yet now he has started practicing on his own."

As she said this, Sheng Lanzhi could not help letting out a cold laugh.

The former Ye Liufeng had clearly been living off his wife, yet he refused to admit it, as though he feared losing face.

He was always thinking of proving his own ability.

But the method Ye Liufeng chose was to delve deeply into the ways of officialdom, putting all his thoughts into studying his superiors' preferences. That was why Sheng Lanzhi had always looked down on Ye Liufeng and had not even been willing to share a bed with him.