Chapter 578 - 328: Swordsman Chen Qingzhou
Chapter 578: Chapter 328: Swordsman Chen Qingzhou
Early in the morning, she also brought out the thick clothes that had been freshly washed and sun-dried, helping Xiao Wuge change into them.
"Young Master, if you feel restricted during your Martial Arts practice, take off your outer coat. But remember to put it back on before coming back, so you don’t catch a cold..."
Xiaodie reminded him over and over again until Xiao Wuge really couldn’t help but say he had memorized it all, which finally made her stop talking.
After Xiao Wuge was neatly dressed, the two walked out of the wooden building one after the other. Wang Lixing had already been waiting outside for a long time. Xiao Wuge ducked under the Oil Paper Umbrella Wang Lixing held up, waved at Xiaodie, and followed him toward the Martial Arts Arena.
Xiaodie watched them walk away. Looking at the heavy rain outside, she knew she couldn’t sweep the courtyard or do laundry today, so she decided to only clean the two wooden buildings. She didn’t know when Xiao Jinghong would return, but she would always meticulously do the tasks she was supposed to do. Up and down, inside and out, she wiped everything spotless, not even sparing the nooks and crannies.
It wasn’t that she was deliberately meticulous. When she first entered the Marquis’s Mansion as a child, the butler of the mansion had taught her to do it this way. However, very few people completed their tasks as meticulously as she did. Xiaodie certainly didn’t think doing this was anything praiseworthy. To her, this courtyard was her home, her everything. What was wrong with being thorough when cleaning her own home? Besides, the master of this courtyard treated her well. Returning a favor with gratitude—that was essentially what it came down to.
After busying herself for nearly an hour, Xiaodie glanced at the wing where Chen Yi stayed, grabbed an Oil Paper Umbrella, and jogged to the back kitchen. She hadn’t forgotten that there was game meat in the mansion today. It wasn’t that she was being a glutton again. With the Annual Examination approaching, Xiao Wan’er had specifically instructed her, "Chen Yi has been studying hard lately, so we need to give him some nourishing food."
Xiaodie naturally remembered this well. She passed through several residences, arrived at the back kitchen, picked up the already packed food box, and carefully made her way back, Returning Spring Lotus Garden. Along the way, whenever she encountered a Maid or a Household Servant, she would smile, greet them, and exchange a few quiet words. Some of it was trivial gossip from within the mansion, while other bits were rumors from the outside.
"Sister Xiaodie, did you hear? Many Jianghu People arrived in the Prefecture City today. They are all very, very formidable masters."
"Really? How formidable?"
"It is said that they came from other State Capitals, and there is no shortage of outstanding figures among the younger generation."
Xiaodie blinked and asked with feigned surprise, "Why would they come here instead of going to the heartland of the Central Plains?"
"That I don’t know."
"I’m guessing it has something to do with that Immortal Bai, just like the Wandering Martial Artists who rushed over a few days ago."
Xiaodie let out an "oh" of realization. She silently memorized this information before continuing to chat with other maids and household servants. Before long, all sorts of news from inside and outside the Marquis’s Mansion had reached her ears. Only then did Xiaodie run back to the Spring Lotus Garden, thoroughly satisfied.
She arrived under the eaves of the wooden building, shook the rainwater off her Oil Paper Umbrella, closed it tight, and hung it aside. Then, she carried the food box into the living room. The dishes were laid out on the dining table one by one. Just as she was about to go wake Chen Yi, she heard footsteps approaching.
"Ah, you’re up?" she asked.
Chen Yi smiled and nodded. He walked over to the table, sat down, and invited her to eat with him. "With the rain pouring so heavily, how could I keep sleeping?"
Xiaodie looked outside. After making sure no one was coming, she sat down beside him and chuckled, babbling about wanting to fetch thick clothes for him and so on. Chen Yi realized this belatedly. He looked at his brocade clothes and said, "It won’t be too late to change into them later."
With his Martial Arts cultivation, summer and winter felt the same to him. However, in the eyes of outsiders, he was still a frail scholar, so he had to do things that fit his identity.
Xiaodie didn’t insist. She started chattering away about the things she had just heard. Things like how many Wandering Martial Artists had arrived in the Prefecture City, all of whom were formidable experts of the younger generation. The prices of grain and medicinal herbs were stabilizing, and the local commoners were all talking about thanking the Lord Governor for his kindness, even mentioning writing a ten-thousand-people petition for him. She also mentioned that the refugees outside the city had been escorted back to their hometowns by the government officials.
Chen Yi listened in silence. He wondered what expressions those commoners would have when they learned of Liu Hong’s heinous crimes, unable to suppress an inner sneer. He figured that however much gratitude they felt now, that was exactly how much hatred they would harbor toward Liu Hong later.
At first, the increasing number of Wandering Martial Artists in the city hadn’t piqued his interest. Wherever people were, there was the Jianghu. They had legs, so it wasn’t surprising if they ran off to the Shu State on any given day. Besides, Immortal Bai had indeed already arrived in the Shu State, and...
Chen Yi suddenly remembered something—the Swordsman he had encountered the day he killed Du Cang.
He wondered, "Could it be because of him?"
If the news of that Swordsman dueling with Immortal Bai spread, it would indeed likely attract some Wandering Martial Artists. However, judging from that Swordsman’s words, there was a certain threshold to watching his duel with Immortal Bai.
Chen Yi pondered for a moment and decided to find someone tonight to ask about that Swordsman’s identity. Someone capable of fighting it out with Immortal Bai obviously wouldn’t be a nameless nobody.
They chatted a bit more. After finishing breakfast, Chen Yi went to the study, picked up a classic text, and started reading. The rainy weather made the room dim. Lighting a few oil lamps and reading to the rhythmic pitter-patter of the rain held its own unique charm.
However, Chen Yi read extremely fast. "Reading ten lines at a glance" wasn’t enough to describe it; "reading ten pages at a glance" was more accurate. FLIP FLIP FLIP. The rustling sound of turning pages echoed continuously. If it weren’t for his successful Cultivation, which had gradually enhanced his God intent to the point where he almost possessed a photographic memory, flipping through the pages like this would definitely be a waste of effort. Fortunately, the moment he finished reading a book, its entire contents were etched into his mind.
Soon, an hour passed. Chen Yi put down the book and massaged the bridge of his nose, recalling the classics he had just read one by one.
"Policy essays, critiques of current affairs...
"The Annual Examination will likely be the same as before. It won’t test the classics, history, or the words of the Saints, but will instead draw questions from national affairs, government decrees, and current events..."
Now that he had a general understanding of the Annual Examination, Chen Yi decided not to read any more past exam questions or policy essays. It was nothing more than a test of his understanding of current events and government decrees. Writing down the framework of a solution would be enough. Whether he scored well depended on three things: first, the Academic Administrator’s preferences; second, whether his citations from the classics were appropriate; and third, whether his "solutions" were practical. Giving an answer that missed the mark completely would obviously lead to a poor grade.
Chen Yi looked at the sky and was about to head out to the Tingyu Pavilion to investigate, when he heard faint voices coming from outside the garden. He looked toward the sound, a smile inevitably appearing on his face.
"What a coincidence."
The arrival was none other than Chen Yunfan. Besides him, Cui Qingwu and the others followed along. However, Chen Yunfan and Cui Qingwu parted ways outside the courtyard. One came to the Spring Lotus Garden, while the other went to the Jiaxing Garden.
Chen Yunfan led Lin Zhong into the Spring Lotus Garden, loudly calling out, asking where everyone was and demanding they come out to welcome him. His boisterous shouting prompted Xiaodie to hurriedly come out and check.
Upon seeing her, Chen Yunfan smiled and asked, "Where is Chen Yi?"
Xiaodie naturally recognized him. She bowed and greeted, "Chen Yi is reading in the study. Please wait a moment."
Before she could turn around and report back to the wooden building, Chen Yi had already appeared in the living room. He waved at Chen Yunfan and Lin Zhong, then instructed Xiaodie to brew some tea. Chen Yunfan exchanged a meaningful glance with Lin Zhong and walked into the living room with a smile.
While looking around, he feigned casualness and asked, "I heard Brother Yi fell terribly ill a few days ago?"
Chen Yunfan deliberately emphasized the word "terribly." Others might not be clear on the matter, but he knew exactly how formidable Chen Yi was. Let alone a mere plague toxin, even bizarre poisons that made Jianghu People pale at the mention of them would be useless against Chen Yi.
Catching the underlying implication in his words, Chen Yi invited them to sit and smiled. "The Physician in the mansion treated me in time, so there are no major issues anymore."
He paused, looked at Lin Zhong, and showed a hint of reminiscence on his face. Feigning sudden realization, he asked, "Uncle Zhong?"
Lin Zhong nodded, smiling as he bowed. "Lin Zhong greets Young Master Yi."
Chen Yi waved his hand, signaling him not to be so polite. After the two sat down, he finally asked, "When did Uncle Zhong arrive in the Shu State?"
"A few days ago. The matriarch of the mansion was worried about the Eldest Young Master, so she dispatched me to come and visit him."
"So, does that mean you will be heading back soon?"
"Probably not. The Eldest Young Master has some matters here that require my assistance. He has already written a letter back to inform the matriarch..."
As Lin Zhong said this, he seamlessly kept his eyes fixed on Chen Yi the moment he mentioned the matriarch. It was as if he wanted to see if there was any unusual change in Chen Yi’s expression. When he noticed that Chen Yi maintained a constant smile on his face, Lin Zhong couldn’t help but mutter in his heart.
He thought that it was exactly as the master had said—Young Master Yi had indeed changed compared to before. Such bearing was truly extraordinary.
Chen Yunfan, however, ignored all of this. Seeing that the two had finished speaking, he immediately said, "I came this time because I have an earth-shattering matter to tell Brother Yi..."