This Fish is Targeting Me!

At this moment, Chen Yi had no idea that an inexplicable trouble was sniffing its way toward him.

He sat in the pavilion, eyes fixed on the float in the pond, lost in thought.

Though the confinement had been full of boredom and tedium, his gains were considerable. Not only had he mastered the Way of Calligraphy, elevating his brushwork to Mastery Level, but he had also trained in the Martial Path, attaining Proficient Level in the Great Spear Stance Cultivation.

Yet now that the confinement was suddenly lifted, he couldn't think of what to do if he went out.

Mostly, he'd just wander—take in the local customs and scenery of this world, or visit famous mountains and great rivers...

Oh, he couldn't go too far for now.

And there were those unidentified people lurking in the shadows, like a fishbone stuck in his throat, making him uneasy.

Thinking this, Chen Yi turned to Xiao Die and asked, "Are there any interesting places to visit in Shuzhou?"

"Son-in-law, Shuzhou has plenty of fun spots," Xiao Die said, pulling her stool closer, resting her chin on her hands as she looked up at him with a smile.

"Aside from the passes and military towns in the south that are off-limits, there are lakes and seas to the east, Crow Mountain and Red River to the west, and many county towns to the north with all sorts of interesting things."

"But Shuzhou is too big—you probably can't go far. In the prefectural city itself, you could head to the west side. Every day, merchants from foreign lands gather there, bringing all kinds of strange little trinkets."

Hearing this, Chen Yi grew interested. "From the Tea Horse Road?"

Xiao Die nodded. "Those people wear big and small gems all over, strange hats on their heads, and some even have veils. Their eyes come in all colors, too."

Chen Yi understood. They were somewhat like the people of the White Elephant kingdom.

"What else?"

"Also, north of the city, there are many academies and taverns. Mostly learned folks gather there—you'd surely like it, Son-in-law."

Quite the opposite.

Chen Yi didn't like it at all.

The Great Wei Dynasty had stood for over two hundred years, and while the Martial Path still flourished, there were countless literati and ink-splashing scholars who fancied themselves refined.

Wherever talented scholars gathered, there was no shortage of poetry and song, praising the past and criticizing the present, debating state affairs.

Thankfully, the Great Wei hadn't yet invented literary inquisition. If the emperor ever had a brain spasm, the more poems one wrote, the greater the risk.

Besides, Chen Yi only had calligraphy and poetry to show off now; he was hopeless at chess, music, and painting. If he slipped up there, the joke would be on him.

Either the rumors from Jiangnan Prefecture were false, or he had been swapped out for someone else.

Either way, it would affect his comfortable life as the idle son-in-law of the Xiao family.

"Then there's the east side. Occasionally, some mountain tribes perform there. The Eldest Miss took me once—it was amazing..."

"What about south of the city?" Chen Yi asked casually.

Xiao Die's smile froze. "South of the city... South... Son-in-law, you can't go there. The Eldest Miss and the Second Miss would scold us."

"Why?"

As Chen Yi asked, he saw the float twitch. Eyes lighting up, he grabbed the rod and yanked it up sharply.

But the fish—of an unknown breed—only showed its head before slipping the hook and diving back down.

"South of the city has a lot of rouge and powder..." Xiao Die tilted her head, searching for the right words.

"Oh~ I get it."

A place heavy with rouge and powder meant Yanhuaxiang—the pleasure quarters.

If he, a live-in son-in-law, were caught going there, he'd probably be hung up and beaten by the Xiao family.

Just like now—Chen Yi was thinking about catching that damned fish in the pond and giving it a good thrashing.

Two whole days.

He'd been fishing here for two whole days, hadn't caught a single fish, and had been toyed with by the same one.

How did he know it was the same fish?

That fish was too easy to recognize—it had a small tuft of golden whiskers on its head.

So Chen Yi had given it a fitting name: "Golden-haired Carp."

"It got away fast, or tonight this Son-in-law would be tasting charcoal-grilled golden-haired fish."

Muttering to himself, Chen Yi reeled in the line and put on fresh bait.

"Where was I?"

"Nowhere," Xiao Die said, afraid he'd ask about the south side again, so she changed the subject. "Son-in-law, I've watched you fish here for two days, and it seems you haven't caught a single one?"

"Uh... are you questioning my fishing skills?" Chen Yi glared at her fiercely.

He was just getting used to fishing and hadn't yet figured out the temperament of the fish in this world.

Give him some more time, and he'd definitely catch every fish in this pond.

"No, no... it's just," Xiao Die shrank back, "when I went to see the Eldest Miss today, she asked me what you've been up to lately."

"Oh."

"I—I didn't say anything!"

Perhaps because Xiao Die's voice was too loud, Chen Yi turned back to look at her in surprise.

"..."

Xiao Die lowered her head, not daring to meet his eyes.

Her mind was entirely occupied by that "Rebellious Poem," terrified that if she spoke of it, the son-in-law would silence her.

That was one thing.

But what Xiao Die feared most now was facing Xiao Wan'er. Just that morning, when Xiao Wan'er casually asked about Chen Yi's recent life, she had nearly blurted out:

"Jade Steps, Jade Trees, like you, rare in the human world."

Luckily, she caught herself in time and only mentioned the fishing. Her mind went blank after that; she couldn't even remember how the Eldest Miss had replied.

Thinking this over, Xiao Die murmured, "I only said the son-in-law was fishing, nothing else."

"Fishing's nothing. Saying it is fine."

Chen Yi waved his hand dismissively, then cast his hook again, lounging back in his recliner with an air of ease.

These days, he spent an hour each morning standing in meditation, half an hour practicing running script, and the rest of his time fishing.

But what frustrated him was—since he hadn't caught a single fish, the panel gave no prompts, and he didn't know if there was such a thing as a "Fishing Dao."

If there was, he'd max it out and clear every fish from this pond.

Just as Chen Yi was locked in a silent battle with the Golden-haired Carp, light footsteps sounded behind him, followed by a childish voice:

"Second brother-in-law, what are you doing in the pavilion?"

"Wuge, slow down a little."

Before Xiao Die could warn him, Chen Yi set down his fishing rod and stood up to look toward the sound.

He saw Xiao Wuge, dressed in fine robes, running ahead, while Xiao Wan'er, still wrapped in her pure white cloak, followed with a bright smile.

Then Chen Yi spotted Shen Huatang behind them, holding a sword in both hands, her face expressionless. He immediately straightened up and bowed:

"Young Marquis, Sister Wan'er."

His sister-in-law Xiao Wan'er was two years older than him, so calling her "sister" was no loss.

As for his brother-in-law Xiao Wuge, his status demanded respect; Chen Yi couldn't address him by name directly, since he was merely a lowly live-in son-in-law at Xiao Manor.

"Second brother-in-law, are you fishing?" Xiao Wuge walked up and glanced at the nearby fish basket, curiously flipping it open. "No fish?"

"..."

Brat, for your sister's sake, this fisherman will forgive your childish bluntness for now.

Thinking this, Chen Yi placed one hand in front and the other behind his back, saying, "Fishing—the willing take the bait."

Don't ask. Ask me, and I'll say I don't want to catch any.

Clearly, Xiao Wuge didn't get it. "Oh, so the fish aren't willing to take the bait, right?"

Xiao Wan'er gave him a playful slap. "Wuge, have you forgotten what Eldest Sister taught you?"

Then she turned to Chen Yi with a smile. "Brother-in-law, your learning is extraordinary. Every word you speak holds meaning."

"You flatter me." Chen Yi coughed, catching a glimpse of Shen Huatang seeming to shift her longsword, and asked directly:

"Sister Wan'er, did you need something from me?"

Ever since that sword had been pressed against his neck last time, he'd developed a bit of a reflex—always feeling that if a single word went wrong, this Guard Shen would thrust a sword straight at him.

"There is indeed something I need your help with, brother-in-law."

Xiao Wan'er, on the contrary, found him straightforward. She pointed at Xiao Wuge and said, "I need to leave home for a while. I'd like you to look after Wuge during these days."

Chen Yi understood. He was being asked to babysit—to be a nanny?