Free Web NovelChapter 285: Chapter 213: Emperor’s Heart Skill
The newcomer was no stranger.
It was Pei Guanli, the very person Chen Yi had entrusted to go to the Wu Mountain Mutual Market and inform Xiao Jinghong that the Three Towns’ summer grain supply had been attacked. ƒrēewebnovel.com
He had thought the Tiger Girl wouldn’t be back until after the Mid-Autumn Festival, so he never expected her to come running back now.
It was quite a surprise.
Just then, Pei Guanli lifted her little head and looked at him pitifully. "Brother-in-law, it hurts..."
Chen Yi snapped back to his senses, retracted his Fist Intent, and asked with a smile, "When did you get back?"
"You didn’t knock out all the mansion guards to sneak in this time, did you?"
Pei Guanli felt the pressure on her body vanish and immediately scrambled to her feet.
"No, no! Brother-in-law, I was extra careful coming in this time."
Chen Yi looked at Pei Guanli, dressed only in Night Clothes and carrying a bundle, her feet still bare below her knees. He nodded.
"That’s good."
"Otherwise, if you had alerted the Armored Warriors and the people from the Punishment Hall, you definitely wouldn’t have escaped a flogging this time."
The Marquis’s Mansion’s Punishment Hall was now controlled by Xiao Xuanshuo, and he was nothing like the Second Branch when they were in charge.
In a way, his second uncle from the First Branch was even more unreasonable than that old codger Xiao Wang.
Brushing the dirt and leaves off herself, Pei Guanli grinned. "If they dared to touch me, I guarantee they’d regret it."
"I brought back a lot of treasures this time."
Chen Yi walked over and plucked a leaf from the ends of her hair. "What kind of treasures?"
Pei Guanli patted the bundle hanging from her waist and replied, "Gu Insects and Poison."
"Ah Ma said that Shu State isn’t very peaceful lately, so she told me to bring extra for self-defense."
Chen Yi’s heart stirred. He recalled the Five Poison Sect’s arrival in Shu State and realized he’d apparently forgotten to pass this news on to the Mountain Race.
He wasn’t sure if Granny Shan’s comment about Shu State being "not peaceful" was referring to the Five Poison Sect or the Xiao Family’s affairs.
Chen Yi temporarily pushed his doubts aside and asked, "Then you didn’t run into my wife on your way back, did you?"
"Sister Jinghong? No, no."
Pei Guanli lifted her head proudly, a sly smile spreading across her round face.
"While Sister Jinghong was away rescuing the Three Towns, I quickly slipped back to my clan."
"Then, when I figured enough time had passed, I secretly snuck out of the clan again."
"After I got to the Prefecture City and heard Sister Jinghong wasn’t around, I came to find you, Brother-in-law."
Chen Yi tapped her smooth forehead. "Aren’t you the clever one."
Pei Guanli rubbed her forehead, a slightly embarrassed look on her face. "Brother-in-law, actually... there was a small mishap this time."
"At the time, I..."
Pei Guanli recounted, in full detail, the events of her trip to the Mutual Market to see Xiao Jinghong.
"Brother-in-law, do you think Sister Jinghong will suspect you?"
Chen Yi thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Not for now."
"But she’s probably even more certain now that the letter you delivered came from a questionable source."
With Xiao Jinghong’s intelligence, the moment she realized Pei Guanli was deliberately avoiding her, she was bound to figure a few things out.
A dejected look appeared on Pei Guanli’s face. She said in a low voice, "I’m sorry, Brother-in-law. I-I screwed things up."
Chen Yi patted her head, comforting her with a smile. "It’s not your fault. I was the one who didn’t think it through."
In such an urgent situation, it was already a feat that he’d managed to find Pei Guanli and have her successfully notify Xiao Jinghong.
How could he have worried about all the other details?
Fortunately, Pei Guanli had handled it well this time and hadn’t come face-to-face with Xiao Jinghong, which gave him some time to salvage the situation.
Pei Guanli looked up at him. "Really?"
Chen Yi nodded. "If my wife had caught you this time, that would have been the worst-case scenario."
He didn’t believe for a second that the Tiger Girl could withstand an interrogation from Xiao Jinghong.
It would be a miracle if she didn’t spill the beans on the spot.
Pei Guanli giggled. "Actually, it was all thanks to Ah Ma for reminding me."
"Granny Shan? She knows about this?"
"Yup. Ah Ma is super sharp."
"When she saw me return to the clan with my brother, she guessed I’d gotten into trouble outside, so..."
Pei Guanli paused, sticking her tongue out slightly. "But I promise, I absolutely did not mention you to Ah Ma, Brother-in-law."
Chen Yi shook his head. ’It doesn’t matter whether she mentioned me or not.’
’People like Granny Shan are the same as Xiao Jinghong. Once they grow suspicious, no ordinary method can cover it up.’
"You’ve been traveling for so long, you must be tired. Go get some rest first."
"It just so happens there’s a poetry gathering at the academy tomorrow night. I’ll take you along for fun."
"A poetry gathering? Awesome, awesome! I want to go!"
"Brother-in-law, let me tell you, I was about to die of boredom back in the clan."
"Ah Ma insisted on teaching me how to concoct Poisons and raise new Gu Insects..."
Before long, Pei Guanli was resting in Xiao Jinghong’s wooden building.
Perhaps because she had been traveling for days on end, it wasn’t long before she fell into a deep sleep.
Chen Yi straightened up a bit. He then recalled the letter from Xiao Jinghong today, where she’d asked him to write out some calligraphy, have it mounted, and hang it in her room. A smile couldn’t help but touch his lips.
’Magpie Bridge Immortal, Thoughts of a Summer Night, Two Thoughts on a Summer Night, and Thoughts of Summer...’
’With so many poems, I wonder if they’ll be enough to make my wife go easy on me after she finds out the truth.’
’Probably not,’ he figured.
Xiao Jinghong was magnanimous, but it depended on the matter at hand.
Putting himself in her shoes, if he were the one being kept in the dark like this, he’d be upset too.
A simple beating would be getting off light.
He’d deserve to be strung up and beaten at least three times.
An image of Xiao Jinghong stringing him up in the Punishment Hall and whipping him flashed inexplicably through Chen Yi’s mind, and he couldn’t help but shiver.
’Forget it. I should first think of a way to keep this hidden for now.’
’At the very least, I have to drag it out until after this whole mess has blown over and my wife is in a good mood.’
’Then again, I might get an even worse beating then...’
As these thoughts ran through his mind, Chen Yi saw that it was getting late. He gave up on the idea of practicing his Techniques and had no choice but to return to his room to continue his Cultivation of the Four Symbols Skill.
