Brother-in-law, did you see that?

Seeing that the visitor was Liu Si'er, Chen Yi furrowed his brow slightly but kept his expression unchanged as he said:

"Fourth Brother, what urgent matter brings you to Chunhe Garden late at night?"

Liu Si'er stood in the shadows on the inner side of the doorway. Hearing this, he stepped forward into the moonlight, met Chen Yi's gaze directly, and bowed: "This subordinate presumes too much. I just heard footsteps in the garden and worried for the Young Marquis and the Son-in-law's safety, so I barged in rashly. I hope the Son-in-law will forgive me."

Chen Yi watched him calmly, guessing when he had entered Chunhe Garden and whether he had seen Pei Guanli. "I was just cultivating by night, and I didn't expect Fourth Brother to misunderstand."

Liu Si'er let out an "oh," maintaining his bow as he looked up at Chen Yi, sizing him up before suddenly realizing: "Is the Son-in-law worried about the upcoming assessment? That makes sense—Second Master demanding you step into the lower Ninth Rank Realm within two months is indeed too harsh on you."

Before Chen Yi could respond, Wang Lixing walked into Chunhe Garden, having clearly heard their exchange. He glanced at the two and frowned: "Fourth Brother, this breaks the rules."

Liu Si'er quickly acknowledged this with a string of "yes, yes," and smiled: "Forgive me, Son-in-law. Forgive me, Lixing. I was indeed too hasty."

Wang Lixing patted his shoulder, then bowed to Chen Yi: "Son-in-law, I failed to stop Fourth Brother. I hope you'll forgive me."

Chen Yi understood now—Liu Si'er had likely just entered Chunhe Garden and, seeing his figure, wanted to test him. With this thought, Chen Yi broke into a smile: "No harm done. Fourth Brother's concern for Chunhe Garden's safety deserves a reward. Tomorrow I'll speak with Wu Ge and have him report to the Old Marquis."

Wang Lixing's expression stiffened. "This..."

Liu Si'er's heart sank. Even if he hadn't detected anything off about Chen Yi, hearing him twist things like this was irritating. If he didn't know the department had plans for the Fledgling, he'd have taught the Fledgling a lesson right then.

Before either could speak again, Chen Yi waved his hand: "The Son-in-law is tired. You two should wait outside the gate."

Watching him leisurely enter the Wooden Tower, where a lamp lit up in the Study Room inside, Wang Lixing's face darkened. He turned and pulled Liu Si'er out. "Fourth Brother, this time you crossed the line!"

Liu Si'er gave a dry laugh: "Sorry, I misheard and thought it was that thief who snuck into the Marquis's mansion before." "I didn't think much of it, and I didn't have time to inform you or Third Brother and the others, so I jumped in to check. My mistake."

Even so, recalling Chen Yi's reply, he shifted the topic: "Has the Son-in-law been practicing the Great Spear Stake Training lately?"

Wang Lixing studied him, saw no pretense, and sighed: "Second Master's assessment isn't a joke. The Son-in-law naturally knows the consequences. Last time that thief broke in, I realized he was secretly training at night."

Liu Si'er clicked his tongue inwardly. So it was true. He then cleared Chen Yi of suspicion.

It made sense—Chen Yi, this Fledgling, was just a frail scholar, imprisoned for so long at the Chen Family in Jiangnan Prefecture. Even with some learning, he couldn't have spotted him. But after days of investigation, he was certain the maidservant who entered his room had appeared in the back courtyard's several residences. Since she wasn't in Chunhe Garden, she could only be in the adjacent Jiaxing Garden. The latter was more likely—perhaps when he sent that Secret Letter, she had seen him clearly.

Liu Si'er thought this over, a bitter smile on his face: "What now? The Son-in-law wants to report to the Old Marquis..."

Wang Lixing glanced at him helplessly: "From what I've observed these days, the Son-in-law is easy to deal with. Go apologize to him tomorrow."

"Guess that's all I can do..."

Inside the Wooden Tower.

Chen Yi leaned by the window, gazing at the quiet garden outside. Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the trees, falling on him and swaying with the wind, casting a flickering, elusive shadow.

In the silence, he pondered silently.

Liu Si'er must have followed Pei Guanli's trail from that day to the back courtyard. It seemed he'd need to warn Pei Guanli to be careful. Though Xiao Jinghong's connection meant the Marquis's mansion wouldn't harm Pei Guanli, Liu Si'er was another matter.

Chen Yi then thought of the content in that Secret Letter, his mind stirring. "What exactly do these 'Hidden Guards' want with me?" "Liu Si'er and Uncle Gui, as outer members of the 'Hidden Guards,' probably don't know—they've been in the Marquis's mansion for years, which doesn't match my arrival here." "Maybe that 'Hidden Guard' mentioned in the letter as Liu Si'er's replacement knows something."

With this in mind, Chen Yi stood in the side room, his feet crossing and weaving in a pattern that seemed slow but was actually fast, circling on the spot. As his Meteor Butterfly Steps grew more practiced, his figure blurred, turning into a ghostly shadow in the darkness. "Replacing Liu Si'er, replacing... that person will have to show up near Chunhe Garden often. Not hard to find out."

The next morning, Chen Yi dressed neatly and followed Wang Lixing to the Purple Bamboo Grove. Stretching his limbs, he asked: "That thief from before—still not caught?"

Wang Lixing, seeing him bring it up unprompted, explained: "To be honest, Son-in-law, aside from the guards on duty, everyone in the Marquis's mansion is investigating in secret."

"So when Fourth Brother heard movement last night, he was that nervous. I hope Son-in-law will forgive him and let this slide."

Chen Yi chuckled lightly and said, "Brother Xing, I understand the principle of acting according to circumstances. Naturally, I won't blame Fourth Brother."

"But everything has its limits—once is enough. If something like this happens again, Brother Xing needs to hold him back."

Wang Lixing's heart relaxed, and he quickly acknowledged.

Thank goodness it was Son-in-law here; if it had been Second Miss, Fourth Brother would have been in for a rough time.

"Then let's stop here for today. Brother Xing, feel free to go about your business."

Wang Lixing opened his mouth, looked at Chen Yi, who wasn't even pretending to train, and said sullenly, "Son-in-law, how about I take a look at your Stake Training?"

Chen Yi waved his hand repeatedly. "No need. With you here, Son-in-law feels uncomfortable, and my cultivation efficiency will take a big hit."

"..."

After Wang Lixing left Chunhe Garden, Chen Yi didn't rush to cultivate. Instead, he quietly headed to the Wooden Tower to find Pei Guanli.

Tap. Tap-tap.

After a light knock on the door, Pei Guanli came running over, seeming just woken up and groggy.

Her hair was loose, the string of bells still hung around her neck, and she opened the door wearing only her undergarments, looking adorably lazy as she said, "Brother-in-law, it's not even dawn yet..."

Chen Yi glanced at her without lingering, then stuffed the note he'd written into the door, whispering a reminder, "Burn it after you read it."

With that, he returned to the Purple Bamboo Grove.

Pei Guanli closed the door, rubbed her tired eyes, and read the contents of the note by the faint lamplight. Her little tiger fangs immediately bared.

"Fine, I haven't even gone after you yet, and you're already being relentless."

"Once Brother-in-law finishes spying on you, I'll make sure Sister Jinghong wipes you out."

Pei Guanli muttered a few words, and after disposing of the note beyond recognition, she finally noticed the chill on her skin and looked down.

"Ah!"

Pei Guanli hugged herself, and two blushes rose on her face.

Brother-in-law saw, didn't he?

Brother-in-law definitely saw.

Her face burning like fire, Pei Guanli quickly ran back to the side room, jumped onto Xiao Jinghong's bed, and buried herself in the covers.

Now she was wide awake—and completely unable to sleep.