Tiger Girl, Little Traitor

Xiao Jinghong entered the wooden tower, closed the door behind her, glanced at Chen Yi through the lattice, then climbed the stairs to the second floor.

She was about to push open the wooden door to the side chamber when her earlobes twitched slightly, catching the faint sound of a slow, rhythmic pulse.

She looked down at the empty hall below, thought for a moment, then reached out and pushed the door open, took two steps in place, and waited quietly for something.

A moment later.

Pei Guanli, hiding in the study, heard the sound and breathed a sigh of relief.

Why did Sister Jinghong come back at this hour? She hadn't even had time to hide in advance.

Thinking this, she smoothed her wildly pounding little heart, pressed her hand against the bell beneath her neck, and crept barefoot toward the outside.

But just as she reached the edge of the stairs, she lifted her head to check the chamber's situation and came face to face with those bright eyes hidden behind the Silver Half-Armor.

Pei Guanli froze, then grinned, her two tiger teeth making her look quite adorable.

"Sister Jinghong, welcome home, hehe..."

Xiao Jinghong looked at her calmly, staring until her smile turned into a dry one, then finally spoke: "Come in and talk."

With that, she turned and entered the chamber.

Seeing this, Pei Guanli's posture slumped, and the smile on her face faded along with it. "Sigh, still couldn't escape..."

She looked at Chen Yi, who was squatting by the pond outside washing his hands, thought it over, and abandoned the idea of asking for help.

Her brother-in-law's talent on the Martial Path was indeed high, but with his Cultivation Base, the two of them together couldn't match even one finger of Sister Jinghong's.

Pei Guanli sighed, Hanging Her Head as she climbed to the second floor and entered the chamber.

As soon as she closed the door, she immediately grinned and sidled over. "Sister Jinghong, aren't you happy to see me here? Hmm? Hmm?"

Xiao Jinghong sat at the table, her eyes glancing over the messy bed nearby, but she didn't speak.

Pei Guanli's smile froze again. "This, just temporarily borrowing it... I'll fold the blanket in a bit, I promise!"

Xiao Jinghong stared at her for a moment, then said, "No need. The maidservants in the manor will throw it away."

"..."

Pei Guanli muttered a few curses under her breath, then pouted and sat down beside her, wearing an expression that said, "This is me, do what you will."

Xiao Jinghong wasn't about to do anything harsh to her, and asked in a flat tone, "Does your husband know you're here?"

"He does... no, no, he doesn't."

Having said that, Pei Guanli stuck out her tongue and had to nod. "Brother-in-law knows I'm here. These past few days, he's been the one bringing me food."

Xiao Jinghong hummed in acknowledgment. "Tell me what you two have been up to."

Pei Guanli thought about the things she and Chen Yi had done these days, suppressed her urge to laugh, put on a straight face, and said seriously, "Nothing at all."

"Do you think I'll believe that?"

"Really, nothing at all. That's the truth."

After hearing this, Xiao Jinghong just looked at her calmly.

But this time, she noticed that Pei Guanli wasn't as guilty or scared as before—there was even a hint of smugness.

Because of Chen Yi?

Xiao Jinghong had originally thought Chen Yi would suffer a bit at Pei Guanli's hands, but now it seemed otherwise.

This made her think of Xiao Die, who had stood up for Chen Yi in front of Mr. Yue Ming outside the Mounting Shop earlier, and Wang Lixing, who had explained things despite knowing her temper.

It seemed that during this time, her husband had gotten along well with all of them, and even Pei Guanli had undergone some changes.

Thinking this.

The corners of Xiao Jinghong's mouth twitched slightly. "Then tell me how you met your husband."

"I just sneaked in, and then I got to know Brother-in-law."

"What time?"

"A few days after I saw you."

"Specifically, morning, afternoon, or evening?"

"Evening, of course..."

Faced with this barrage of questions, Pei Guanli's toes unconsciously curled against the smooth, clean floor as she silently cheered herself on.

Don't worry, Brother-in-law, I promise I won't leak anything else, including your secrets.

Chen Yi, washing his hands by the pond, was anything but reassured.

Would that Tiger Girl Pei Guanli sell him out?

The things he wanted to keep hidden were really just two.

One was his Martial Path cultivation and talent; the other was Liu Si'er and Uncle Gui's group of "Hidden Guards."

Aside from that, he wasn't afraid of Xiao Jinghong finding out.

After thinking it over left and right.

Chen Yi was left with only one straightforward thought—if Xiao Jinghong truly forced him to do things he disliked, he could simply leave the Marquis's mansion.

Although traveling outside with his current Martial Path cultivation base carried some danger, as long as he was careful, the vast world was his to roam.

Could a living man really be suffocated by piss?

After washing his hands, Chen Yi looked at Xiao Wan'er, Xiao Wuge, and Zhang Heng sitting upright in the pavilion, thought for a moment, and walked straight over.

But just as he got close, he heard Xiao Wuge chattering excitedly:

"Eldest Sister, brother-in-law is really impressive."

"The poems he wrote made Grandfather happy for days, and his calligraphy is amazing. I heard the Birthday Ode he wrote last time was stolen from the Mounting Shop."

"And also the things he said, like when he talked with the Third Place Scholar about this year's exam topics, his solution was 'Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it,' even the Third Place Scholar admired him."

"And 'Man can conquer nature,' and the prejudice in people's hearts..."

"Enough, that's enough!"

Hearing this, Chen Yi quickened his pace into the pavilion and directly interrupted their conversation, saying with a smile:

"Wuge, Eldest Sister just returned to the mansion and must be tired. We shouldn't disturb her too much, right?"

Unpreventable.

He hadn't expected Pei Guanli to cause him trouble yet, but the closest one, Xiao Wuge, had already turned traitor.

Hadn't he seen Xiao Wan'er's eyes light up?

If this little traitor kept talking, he'd probably be arranged by the Marquis's mansion to contribute his leftover talents.

Seeing that Xiao Wuge actually obediently shut his mouth and nodded, Xiao Wan'er looked at Chen Yi and said gently:

"Thank you for looking after Wuge these past days, brother-in-law. He hasn't caused you any trouble, has he?"

"The Young Marquis is very well-behaved." Chen Yi patted Xiao Wuge's head and gestured, "You were just clamoring to go fishing. I've got the earthworms for you. Go on."

Xiao Wuge glanced at him, then responded and ran off to fish nearby.

The Young Heir Apparent Zhang Heng's eyes darted around, grabbed another fishing rod, and sat obediently beside him.

If only the eldest cousin were here, he could still make a fuss.

But now that the second cousin had returned, he'd better keep his distance.

No other reason—just plain fear.

Seeing this, a smile appeared on Xiao Wan'er's frail, pale face. It seemed the decision to let Wuge follow his brother-in-law was the right one.

If Wuge could settle down like this in a courtyard, fishing and drinking tea, even after going to Jinling, that would be a happy thing for the Xiao Family.

Thinking this, Xiao Wan'er gestured for Chen Yi to sit, took the brocade box containing the Birthday Ode from beside her, and said:

"On the way back to the mansion with Second Sister, we happened to run into Xiao Die and the others, so I brought the calligraphy copybook along. We also stumbled upon an interesting matter."

Chen Yi looked at her without any hesitation and asked with a smile, "What interesting matter?"

Xiao Wan'er held the brocade box, her fair jade-like fingers stroking it as she recounted, "Mr. Yue Ming of the Guiyun Academy..."

After hearing her story, Chen Yi let out a silent laugh.

He had originally thought that the "Running Script font" wouldn't spread until after the Old Marquis's birthday banquet. He hadn't expected it to catch someone's eye so quickly.

And of all people, it was Mr. Yue Ming, that great Confucian scholar with a big reputation in Shuzhou.

Seeing his expression, Xiao Wan'er couldn't help but ask, "Brother-in-law, this calligraphy... did it really come from your hand?"

It wasn't that she didn't believe Xiao Die and the others—she just wanted to hear Chen Yi confirm it himself.

After all, the calligraphy on this copybook was too rare, and the more skilled one was in calligraphy, the more they would care about it.

Chen Yi was straightforward and nodded in admission, "It was indeed written by me."

Xiao Wan'er's heart eased, and joy showed on her face as she said, "With calligraphy like this, brother-in-law, you will surely become famous throughout the Great Wei Dynasty in the future."

"Perhaps later, many people of status like Mr. Yue Ming will come to your door, just to seek your calligraphic masterpiece."

Chen Yi was taken aback. Wouldn't that mean endless troubles coming his way?