Every move he made circulated his True Essence, drawing in the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth and causing the ground to tremble in a wide radius around him.

With every fluid transition between fist and palm, a blurry, spectral image would appear behind him.

It greatly amplified the power of his punches and palm strikes.

The surrounding bamboo stalks would sometimes bend low as if struck by a gale, and at other times sway as though caressed by a gentle breeze, shaking loose a cascade of leaves.

Chen Yi was oblivious to all this, focused only on absorbing the profound mysteries of the Martial Arts Fist and improving his Mountain Shattering Fist and Hundred Flowers Palm as much as he could.

One hour, two hours, three...

It wasn’t until nearly noon that Xiaodie’s figure emerged from Jiaxing Garden.

Only then did Chen Yi stop. He calmed the surging True Essence and Power within him while using his True Essence to vaporize the sweat from his skin.

In just three breaths, he was back to his usual cool and composed self.

Before Xiaodie could find him, Chen Yi stepped out of the bamboo forest.

Xiaodie paused, startled to see him, but she didn’t ask any questions. She simply smiled and said,

"Young Master, you’re awake! Are you hungry? The young mistress asked me to fetch you for lunch."

Chen Yi nodded and casually instructed, "There are still some fallen leaves in the bamboo forest that haven’t been swept up. I’ll have to trouble you to take care of them."

Xiaodie let out a small "Ah!" and muttered that she had just swept that morning, but she still scrambled to get a broom and dustpan.

Chen Yi grinned. "There’s no rush. It can wait until after lunch."

Xiaodie hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "Young Master, I’m not hungry. You should go eat, so the young mistress doesn’t have to wait."

Seeing her insistence, Chen Yi had no choice but to head toward Jiaxing Garden.

Xiaodie watched him walk away, a determined expression settling on her face. With a broom in one hand and a dustpan in the other, she charged into the Purple Bamboo Forest.

It was as if she were going to do battle with those "disobedient bamboos."

Chen Yi heard the sounds behind him and thought, ’Sorry about that.’ He continued straight on into Jiaxing Garden.

Compared to the lush scenery of Spring Lotus Garden, Jiaxing Garden was much more serene and secluded.

Flowers and grasses grew in abundance, but there were few trees, making it resemble the landscape gardens typical of Jiangnan Prefecture.

Beyond the covered walkway was a small path paved with crushed stone. Taller flowering plants lined both sides, obscuring the view of what lay within.

After rounding the path, Chen Yi saw Xiao Wan’er waiting in front of the wooden house.

She was dressed differently today, wearing a simple white-padded jacket over a long, tangerine-colored skirt. Standing under the shade of a tree in front of the house, she was speckled with spots of dappled sunlight.

It made her seem all the more radiant.

Especially when she saw Chen Yi, the faint smile that touched her lips made her look even more graceful and captivating.

It seemed that as warmth returned to her body, she was no longer burdened by the worries and sorrows that once plagued her.

Seeing her from a distance, Chen Yi raised his hand in greeting. "Morning."

Xiao Wan’er’s expression turned to one of playful reproach. "It’s already noon. Still ’morning’?"

Chen Yi walked over with a smile and explained casually,

"Mr. Yue Ming showed me around Guiyun Academy yesterday, so I got back late and slept in a little this morning."

Xiao Wan’er knew as much, so she didn’t dwell on his greeting and simply asked, "Did everything go smoothly?"

Chen Yi was about to answer when he caught sight of Xiao Wuge rubbing his stomach. Realizing the boy was hungry, he just said, "It went smoothly," and gestured for them to continue inside.

Taking his cue, Xiao Wan’er led him to a seat and called for Cui’er and Juan’er to bring out the food.

"I thought as much. Since Mr. Yue Ming was the one who invited you to be an instructor at the academy, he wouldn’t go back on his word unless something unexpected happened."

Chen Yi pursed his lips. "It would’ve been better if he had."

"When I got there yesterday, a letter from my teacher had just arrived. That’s when I found out Mr. Yue Ming had actually written to him."

Hearing this, Xiao Wan’er’s eyes crinkled with a smile. "I imagine Mr. Ju Yi also persuaded you to go to Guiyun Academy, didn’t he?"

"Yes, and he put in quite a few good words for me."

"That’s good, then."

The food was served, and they chatted as they ate.

Xiao Wan’er asked, "Now that you’re going to the academy, will you still be managing Jishi Medicine Hall?"

Chen Yi hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I’ll manage both. An extra shopkeeper’s monthly wage is always nice."

"Don’t be ridiculous. If the academy takes up too much of your time, I’ll arrange for someone else to take over as shopkeeper at Jishi Medicine Hall."

"That won’t be necessary for now. I only have to teach at the academy four days a month. I should be able to manage the Medicine Hall as well."

Before Xiao Wan’er could respond, Xiao Wuge piped up with a mischievous grin, "Brother-in-law hasn’t been to the Medicine Hall in days."

"...You and your big mouth."

Seeing Chen Yi’s disgruntled expression, Xiao Wan’er couldn’t help but beam. "Well, if that’s the case, you certainly can continue as the Medicine Hall’s shopkeeper."

This sent Xiao Wuge, Juan’er, and Cui’er into peals of laughter.

At this, Chen Yi feigned a sigh. "Ah, you all have no idea how hard I work."

"Yes, yes, of course... Brother-in-law works the hardest."

The others simply took his words as a joke.

But only Chen Yi himself knew the truth. ’I must have been born to a life of toil.’

He had hoped to live as a leisurely son-in-law in the Marquis’s Mansion, but one matter after another, both present and future, forced him to stay busy.

After lunch, Chen Yi didn’t linger in Jiaxing Garden. He told Xiao Wan’er he had to make a trip to Hundred Herbs Hall.

Xiao Wan’er walked him to the door, reminding him, "Things are unsettled in the mansion right now. Be careful when you go out."

"Don’t be like yesterday, going out by yourself without even taking a Personal Guard."

At this, she paused, then added hesitantly, "If this is about my earlier request to meet the owner of Hundred Herbs Hall, it can be postponed."

Hearing this, Chen Yi smiled, gave a slight bow to show he understood, and told her to go back inside Jiaxing Garden.

"Even though your health has improved, you still need to stay warm. For instance, what you’re wearing now..."

He pointed to her tangerine skirt. "You could easily catch a chill."

Xiao Wan’er glanced down, her face instantly flushing red. She looked up, about to scold him, only to see that Chen Yi was already jogging away with a smile.

She could only swallow her words. As she turned, a single word escaped her lips:

"Nosy..."

And a smart mouth, at that. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

...

He made his way out of the Xiao Mansion.

As usual, Chen Yi did not allow any Armored Warriors to accompany him.

Not that he could have, even if he wanted to. He reckoned the mansion couldn’t spare the manpower right now.

From what he could observe, the atmosphere in the mansion was even more tense today than it had been yesterday.

Not only were the Armored Warriors standing guard with grim expressions at various residences and strategic points, but even the maids and household servants were all rushing about their tasks.

Clearly, the atmosphere in the Xiao Mansion would remain like this until there were some leads in the matter of Liu Jing’s death.

Chen Yi was well aware of this, but for the moment, he had no good solution.

’It’s not like I can go to the Government Office and turn myself in, can I?’

However, while he couldn’t offer any major help, there were smaller things he could do.

Or, to be more precise, he could try to resolve this crisis himself.

Ever since seeing that message last night and forming that bold conjecture about Xiao Dongchen’s involvement, an idea had taken root in Chen Yi’s mind.

’If the Hidden Guard can find a scapegoat ’murderer,’ then so can I.’

Unfortunately, he didn’t have much time. His current plan was to go and check out the situation tonight before deciding on his next move.

If a "murderer" with ties to the Xiao Family really did appear, he would have no choice but to take some risks.

No matter what, he couldn’t allow that "murderer" to be linked to the Xiao Family.

「Not long after.」

Chen Yi arrived outside the West Market. He scanned the area around the Hui Xian Building but didn’t see anyone from the Imprisonment Department.

After a moment’s thought, he decided not to rush to Hundred Herbs Hall. Instead, he circled the area a few times.

He explored the small alleyways and potential hiding spots, familiarizing himself with the lay of the land.

Once he was satisfied he’d seen enough, Chen Yi finally entered Hundred Herbs Hall.

Wang Ji, who was in the main hall attending to customers, spotted him at once and came over with a smile. "Shopkeeper Chen, a rare guest indeed."

Chen Yi smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries before following him inside. He caught sight of the "Sword Madman," Liu Lang, out of the corner of his eye, but followed Wang Ji upstairs without breaking stride.

’His injuries don’t seem to be getting any better. Are they really that severe?’

Through his Qi Observation Skill, Chen Yi could see that the wound on Liu Lang’s chest showed very limited signs of healing.

Even his internal injuries showed no improvement. It was as if wisps of some strange True Essence or other power were actively hindering his recovery.

Chen Yi mulled this over as he followed Wang Ji upstairs.

’All things considered,’ he thought, ’Liu Lang being in a state where he can only use his True Essence to keep his injuries from worsening is actually a good thing.’

’At least he can’t use his Martial Arts at will.’

They arrived at a private room.

Wang Ji closed the door and windows, then said in a tone eager for praise, "Sir, there’s been a development on that matter you instructed me about last time."