Jade Steps, Jade Trees, Like You, Rare in the Human World

With all the caution in the world, he was still discovered in the end.

Chen Yi immediately raised both hands, terrified that the cold gleam of the blade might slash him.

"Don't move."

Xiao Wan'er heard the sound and looked over, seeming to recognize Chen Yi's identity. She stepped closer and said:

"Hua Tang, put the sword away. This is Jinghong's husband."

"Yes, Eldest Miss."

The woman named Hua Tang sheathed her longsword, yet still stood behind Chen Yi, as if waiting for him to make a move so she could run him through.

Chen Yi's heart relaxed. He looked straight at Xiao Wan'er, his eyes lighting up.

Earlier, amid the dim shadows of the garden, he'd only caught a fleeting glimpse. Now, seeing Xiao Wan'er's face clearly, a stir rose in his heart.

He thought back to his past life—he'd seen plenty—but any woman standing beside Xiao Wan'er would be reduced to nothing but "common rouge and powder."

How could he describe her beauty?

That icy, jade-white, oval face seemed draped in moonlight and stars. Even in this dark garden, her loveliness was unmistakably clear.

As he pondered, a line of poetry surfaced in his mind—Jade Steps, Jade Trees, like you, rare in the human world.

Seeing him silent, Xiao Wan'er thought he'd been frightened. She asked gently, "Did I startle you?"

Chen Yi withdrew his gaze and shook his head. "No."

Though curious why he was in Jiaxing Garden, she glanced around and knew this wasn't the place to talk. She hesitated, then said, "Then, let's go inside for some tea."

"Alright."

Chen Yi didn't refuse. Since things had come to this, he might as well be straightforward.

Before long.

Chen Yi was invited into the reception room of the Wooden Tower.

He sat in the armchair, feigning calm as he surveyed his surroundings, though inwardly he was somewhat uneasy.

These past few days, the name he'd heard most from Xiao Die was "Xiao Wan'er." He knew she was the Marquis's mansion's head steward.

She managed not only the food and expenses of every courtyard and household but also the Xiao Family's shops and fertile lands outside. She was, in effect, the most powerful person aside from Old Master Xiao Yuan.

In some respects, even Xiao Jinghong—the general who'd taken Marquis Dingyuan's place in the military—carried less weight than Xiao Wan'er.

Now that he'd been caught sneaking out, he had no idea what his fate would be.

Surely he wouldn't be sent straight back to that side room the moment he was released?

While Chen Yi was sizing things up, Xiao Wan'er walked over, guarded by the woman with the longsword at her waist.

Xiao Wuge still followed behind her, head drooping.

"Brother-in-law, please forgive me. Hua Tang is my personal bodyguard. She didn't know who you were earlier, so I hope you won't hold it against her."

Hearing this, Chen Yi raised an eyebrow inwardly. The tone suggested she wasn't planning to punish him for sneaking out of Chunhe Garden?

"Of course not. I should be the one apologizing. Disturbing you so late at night—my apologies."

The overly refined tone felt awkward on his tongue, but he still stubbornly offered a flimsy excuse:

"As for tonight... the long night stretched on, and I couldn't sleep. I heard someone shouting 'runaway groom, runaway groom,' so I came over..."

Before he could finish, Xiao Wan'er's lovely brows furrowed slightly. "Brother-in-law, do you know who said that?"

Xiao Wuge also looked up at him, his eyes carrying a hint of grievance.

"Naturally, it was that heir apparent." Chen Yi glanced at him and smiled. "The Young Marquis is well-behaved and sensible. He only fought because he couldn't stand it."

"I see." Xiao Wan'er's brows relaxed, and a gentle smile spread across her jade-white face. "Then I wronged Wuge for nothing."

"It was never my fault..." Xiao Wuge shot Chen Yi a grateful look, muttering under his breath.

Xiao Wan'er gave him a reproachful glare. "Hurry up and thank your brother-in-law."

"Wuge thanks you, Brother-in-law." Xiao Wuge paused, then stepped forward and bowed. "As for Brother-in-law's earlier runaway marriage, Wuge will let it slide."

The smile that had just appeared on Chen Yi's face instantly collapsed. "Heh... letting it slide is fine. To err is human, right?"

Little brat. Bringing up the one thing he didn't want mentioned.

Xiao Wuge gave a shy smile and looked at Xiao Wan'er, not noticing the approving glance she was giving Chen Yi.

Her brother-in-law truly was a learned man.

Thinking this, Xiao Wan'er smiled and said, "Wuge, from now on, you should spend more time with your brother-in-law."

"Your brother-in-law is a famous talented scholar from Jiangnan Prefecture. If you encounter something you don't understand, you can ask him for guidance."

"Eldest Sister, Wuge will remember that."

Chen Yi, however, looked at Xiao Wan'er in confusion. How had the conversation suddenly shifted?

What learning did he have? He hadn't even fully mastered what his predecessor had known.

If they didn't ask for his advice, fine. But the moment they did, everything would be exposed.

Until Chen Yi was sent back to Chunhe Garden by the maid named Shen Huatang, he still hadn't figured out what Xiao Wan'er meant by those words.

She couldn't really think Xiao Wuge would learn anything from him, could she?

Come on, he'd be better off teaching him how to fish.

Before Chen Yi could puzzle out Xiao Wan'er's intent, he heard Shen Huatang speak: "Son-in-law, the Eldest Miss is kind-hearted and doesn't hold things against you, but I must remind you of something."

"Hm?" Chen Yi snapped back to attention, looking at her.

Earlier, Xiao Wan'er had outshone everything else, so he hadn't paid much attention to this sword-wielding maid. Now he noticed her extraordinary quality.

With his shallow Qi perception, though he couldn't discern Shen Huatang's Cultivation Base, he detected a sliver of sharpness emanating from her, like a sheathed longsword.

"Guard Shen, speak freely."

"I hope the son-in-law will keep himself in line within the Marquis's mansion. Don't let something like tonight happen again, lest you harm yourself and others."

With that, Shen Huatang gave a slight bow, turned back toward Jiaxing Garden, and closed the door at the end of the corridor.

Click. The lock fell.

Chen Yi frowned inwardly. Was she telling him not to drag Xiao Wan'er into trouble, or...

"Son-in-law, you, you, why are you here?"

Just then, Xiao Die came running over, a short jacket draped over her shoulders, her petite figure so light it seemed a gust of wind could blow her away.

"You're not planning to run again, are you? If you run, don't go to Jiaxing Garden. If you accidentally offend the Young Marquis or the Eldest Miss, you, you..."

Chen Yi couldn't help but laugh wryly. "Put your mind at ease. I was just... checking out who was arguing in the middle of the night."

Tell a lie two or three times, and even if it's not true, it becomes true.

Xiao Die looked at him suspiciously, and only after confirming he was serious did she pat her rather ample chest in relief.

"Son-in-law, can't you sleep?"

Chen Yi shook his head as he walked ahead, saying, "Xiao Die, from now on, stop with all the 'you' formalities. It makes me uncomfortable. Just talk to me like before."

"But son-in-law, things aren't like before anymore." Xiao Die was stunned.

"What's different? You're still you, I'm still me. Just listen to me. If I hear that formal 'you' again, I'll enforce family discipline!" Chen Yi threatened.

"...Oh."

Xiao Die tilted her head, following behind, racking her brains until her little head nearly short-circuited, unable to figure out what had gotten into the son-in-law.

Once Xiao Die had settled into the adjoining room, Chen Yi still couldn't sleep.

One moment he thought about tonight's encounter, the next he pondered the Fist Art Manual in his mind, planning his future training.

Mostly, though, he replayed his experience at Jiaxing Garden—the Young Marquis, the heir apparent, Xiao Wan'er, and that Shen Huatang.

Clearly, the Marquis's mansion was far more complicated than he'd initially imagined.

After tossing and turning for nearly an hour, Chen Yi was still wide awake. He threw on a blanket, went to the Study Room, lit an oil lamp, poured water, and ground ink.

Lately, as his calligraphy improved, he'd found that writing calmed his mind. That was no small blessing.

Chen Yi steadied himself, dipped the Wolf-hair Brush in ink, and set it to Yunsong Paper.

At first, he wrote meaningless phrases.

Like "Falling red is not a heartless thing," followed by "A light boat has already passed ten thousand mountains."

Or writing "Last night the east wind stirred the small tower," then adding "Only then was I lost in the past."

Unconsciously, Xiao Wan'er's figure surfaced in Chen Yi's mind. The Wolf-hair Brush paused, then flowed freely as he wrote:

Snow Soul Cuts Clouds to Form Temples, Ice Silk Washes the Moon to Form Eyes. Kui Gate Night Swells with Stars and Rivers, pouring down a thousand mountains of jade brightness. Sword Qi first gathers in brow-and-eyebrow hues, a crane shadow faintly crosses the Shu sky at dawn. Jade Steps, Jade Trees, Like You, Rare in the Human World...

Chen Yi wrote in a trance, not even noticing that the meager Qi within him was being drawn into the characters, strands of mystery rising from the ink.

[Text completes itself. Calligraphy: Wei Qing Style, breaks through to Mastery Level, glimpses the intent of the Way of Calligraphy.]

[Way of Calligraphy: Minor Accomplishment. Progress +60, reaching...]