Brother-in-Law Is Really Not Bad

"Get lost, you... hahaha... Brother-in-law, you're even ruder than the aunties in my tribe."

Glancing at Pei Guanli, who was laughing uncontrollably, Chen Yi silently surveyed their surroundings.

His intention in writing those few lines on the secret letter was simple: to startle the grass and startle the snakes, forcing those so-called "Hidden Guards" to restrain themselves.

Anyone who saw two classic curses added to a secret letter would immediately think their whereabouts had been exposed and begin an investigation to trace the source.

No matter what plans they had or what they intended to do, their rhythm would be disrupted by this unexpected interlude.

More importantly, doing so would buy him more time.

After confirming there were no anomalies in the vicinity, Chen Yi raised his hand and pinched Pei Guanli's face, squeezing slightly, "Stop laughing."

Pei Guanli was forced to stifle her laughter, whimpering in surrender, "Wuwu, Husband, I'm not laughing anymore."

Chen Yi released his hand and said softly, "I need you to help me with something."

Pei Guanli rubbed her slightly numb cheeks, glaring at him with her expressive eyes.

"See this secret letter? It's placed here, and someone will definitely come to retrieve it later."

"I need you to guard it here and see who it is and how they retrieve it."

If Chen Yi hadn't been so desperate for help and unable to get away himself, he would never have entrusted such an important task to Pei Guanli.

However, given the current situation...

Forget it, he'd treat this as a test and a probe for her this time.

If she did it diligently and well, she could barely be considered a qualified helper.

Pei Guanli's eyes lit up, and she excitedly grabbed his hand, saying, "Catching the spy in the Marquis's Estate? Great, I like this!"

Chen Yi lowered his eyelids, batted away her grasping hand, and warned, "Just confirm their identity, don't do anything extra."

"Those people have special identities and have been hiding in the Marquis's Estate for many years. They might all be powerful cultivators. It's very dangerous for you to follow them rashly."

"Don't worry, brother-in-law. I might not be good at anything else, but I'm quite skilled at concealing my presence and aura." Pei Guanli patted her chest, causing the small bells to jingle lightly.

Before Chen Yi could say anything, he heard the voice of an armored soldier outside Jiaxing Garden.

"Huh? Why do I hear bells?"

"The lanterns in the back of the Marquis's Estate all have wind chimes hanging from them. It's perfectly normal for them to ring. The priority now is to find the little thief who trespassed into the Marquis's Estate."

"Catch him, and see how I deal with him!"

"..."

Pei Guanli chuckled sheepishly and shrunk her head, clutching the bell around her neck and playing ostrich.

Seeing this, Chen Yi secretly shook his head. He glanced at her strange attire and his gaze fell on her fair, tender feet.

"Find a place to stay put. I'll bring you food during the day."

Pei Guanli's heart leaped with joy. "Yes, brother-in-law!"

Chen Yi didn't linger. Taking advantage of the darkness, he lightly flipped back to Chunhe Garden.

Pei Guanli watched him disappear, a smile spreading across her round face. She couldn't help but wave her hands gently.

She knew coming to the Xiao Manor to celebrate the Old Marquis's birthday was the right decision. She could help her brother-in-law with such an important matter right after arriving.

Hehehe, the Mountain Goddess finally favored her.

After she helped her brother-in-law with this task and her cultivation broke through again, let's see if Sister Jinghong and Grandma would still look down on her.

Thinking of this, Pei Guanli searched for a suitable hiding spot while looking back in the direction of Chunhe Garden, thinking to herself:

Brother-in-law is truly a good person.

Sister Jinghong is so lucky to have found a husband like brother-in-law.

Chen Yi, who had quietly returned to his side room and lay back on the bed, did not share Pei Guanli's excitement.

Instead, he became increasingly curious about the true purpose of those "Hidden Guards" hiding in the Xiao Manor.

Judging by Liu Si'er's time in the Xiao Manor, it seemed unrelated to the person who manipulated him into escaping his marriage.

Chen Yi shook his head inwardly. "I can't jump to conclusions this early."

However, by digging deeper along Liu Si'er's trail, it wouldn't be difficult for him to find other "Hidden Guards" hidden within the Xiao Manor and even Shu Prefecture City, thereby clarifying their identities and objectives.

And after that...

Chen Yi frowned slightly. Given his current predicament in the Marquis's Estate, even if he discovered the "Hidden Guards'" whereabouts, it would be inconvenient to act rashly.

He'd better wait until he met Xiao Jinghong before making a decision.

With Xiao Jinghong's current status and position in the Xiao family, she should be able to easily deal with those "Hidden Guards" once she learned of this matter.

With that thought.

Chen Yi calmed his mind and gradually drifted off to sleep.

The Chou hour had not yet passed its halfway point.

Xiao Die got up early and brought a basin of water to Chen Yi's side room.

Seeing he was still fast asleep, Xiao Die slowed her steps, placed the washbasin down gently, and stood by the window looking outside.

Only after seeing Wang Lixing, clad in armor, push open the door of Chunhe Garden and walk this way, did Xiao Die gently nudge Chen Yi:

"Son-in-law, wake up, Guard Wang is here."

Chen Yi opened his eyes, half-asleep, sat up, and looked out the window. Then, with Xiao Die's help, he got dressed.

Xiao Die tidied his collar and asked, "Son-in-law, did Guard Wang and the others find that scoundrel who trespassed into the Marquis's Estate last night?"

Chen Yi: "They probably didn't find him, but I don't think that... scoundrel can threaten the Marquis's Estate."

If even he couldn't defeat Pei Guanli with her shoddy skills, then if Wang Lixing and the others found her tracks, she'd likely just be locked up in the Marquis's Estate's Disciplinary Hall to wait for Xiao Jinghong to rescue her.

"Son-in-law is right. Guard Wang and the others are skilled soldiers; they've even killed plenty of Barbarians. Ordinary thieves definitely can't escape their pursuit."

Chen Yi smiled and nodded, picked up a handkerchief to wipe his face, and walked outside.

"The sky is still overcast today, let Wu Ge sleep a little longer. No need to rush to wake him."

"Alright, Son-in-law. I'll go get your breakfast then."

Chen Yi paused. "Get more. Double the amount from yesterday. I need to practice Stance Training diligently these days, so my consumption is quite high."

Xiao Die smiled and agreed.

The Son-in-law is more diligent than before.

That's good. If he passes Second Master's examination, he won't have to report to the Black Armored Army camp.

Exiting the side room, Chen Yi called out to Wang Lixing.

The two of them returned to the purple bamboo forest by the pond.

Wang Lixing scanned the area with the lantern light, his gaze falling on a pair of clear footprints. He smiled and said:

"With the Son-in-law's diligence, I believe you'll soon be able to thoroughly train your tendons, bones, and skin, reaching the ninth-rank lower-stage Cultivation."

"I hope so."

Chen Yi noticed his gaze and, without missing a beat, moved his hands and feet around the bamboo forest, erasing the footprints on the ground one by one.

It seems the tribe Pei Guanli belongs to is truly poor and destitute, not even able to afford a pair of shoes.

No wonder she wanted to discuss "mutual trade" with Xiao Jinghong...

Thinking this, Chen Yi saw Wang Lixing watching him and continued to feign laziness as usual.

It wasn't that he didn't want to practice Great Spear Stance Cultivation, but his Stance Training was already accomplished, and he was worried Wang Lixing might see through his facade.

While slacking off, Chen Yi asked, "Did they catch the scoundrel last night?"

"He got away."

"I heard he got in by poisoning?"

"You're making fun of me, Son-in-law." Wang Lixing showed a hint of shame and anger on his face. "That little thief was truly detestable. He took advantage of the shift change and knocked out the armored soldiers along the way with sleeping smoke."

Chen Yi smiled, thinking that Pei Guanli did have some skills.

However, poison and sleeping drugs are still a means of self-defense.

I should get some from her when I have the chance; perhaps they'll be useful later.

Meanwhile.

Pei Guanli was unaware that Chen Yi was thinking of her.

She was hiding in a tree in Jiaxing Garden, staring intently at the pavilion.

She took the task Chen Yi assigned her very seriously.

She hadn't slept at all, yet she didn't feel the slightest bit tired. Her eyes were wide open, for fear of missing the person coming to retrieve the secret letter.

She didn't have to wait long.

Just as Chen Yi and Wang Lixing were chatting, the gate of Jiaxing Garden was pushed open from the outside. A hunched figure pushed a cart in.

As he walked, he covered his mouth and coughed from time to time, as if he were ill.

After circling around and placing the miscellaneous items onto the cart, he looked left and right, then headed towards the pavilion.

Pei Guanli watched his movements and couldn't help but feel excited: "It's him!"