"Alright."

"You’ve had a busy day. Get some rest. I’m heading back."

Chen Yi watched her walk away, surprised. "Wan’er, didn’t you just tell Xiaodie and Cui’er to get dinner ready here?"

But when she heard him, Xiao Wan’er only faltered for a second before her pace quickened abruptly.

If not for her somewhat frail constitution, she probably would have broken into a run all the way back to Jiaxing Garden.

’This man... I’m ignoring him.’

’Let him go play "fair lady, worthy suitor" all by himself.’

It would have been fine if she hadn’t thought of that line, but as soon as she did, Xiao Wan’er couldn’t help but think of that poem.

The thought made her burn with embarrassment all over again...

It was enough to make her forget her frail health and break into a light run back to Jiaxing Garden.

She’d taken it to heart after all.

As Xiao Wan’er’s figure vanished at the end of the long corridor, Chen Yi smiled and looked away. He shrugged and muttered to himself.

The gist of it was that Wan’er couldn’t take a joke.

Of course, those were words he could only say to himself.

If he actually said it to Xiao Wan’er’s face, he’d get an earful of complaints and a lecture at the very least.

However, from what Chen Yi knew of Xiao Wan’er, he was sure she wouldn’t get truly angry.

At most, she’d give him the silent treatment. She wasn’t even the type to hide a soft heart behind a sharp tongue.

At dinnertime, Xiao Wan’er, as expected, did not show up.

Furthermore, when she instructed Cui’er to serve dinner in Jiaxing Garden, she specifically had Pei Guanli and Xiao Wuge stay and eat with her.

As a result, only Chen Yi and Xiaodie, master and servant, were left in Spring Lotus Garden.

Xiaodie, of course, didn’t think much of it. Instead, she felt that eating with the Young Master was like returning to the days when he was under house arrest.

Back then, just like tonight, the two of them would eat while discussing which dishes were delicious and which weren’t cooked quite right.

As they talked and laughed, the sky grew dark.

Pei Guanli came skipping over, the bell on her neck swaying and ringing, JINGLE JINGLE JINGLE. She was clearly in a good mood.

"Brother-in-law, did you make Wan’er angry again?"

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that? Did your sister say something tonight?"

Pei Guanli chuckled. "Sister Wan’er didn’t mention you, Brother-in-law, but she kept going on about Wuge, telling him not to learn any bad habits from a certain Academy Master."

"’Learning Music, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting is fine,’ she said, ’but he absolutely cannot learn Poetry.’ She even said she wants to hire a tutor to teach Wuge proper etiquette."

...

’Xiao Wan’er must be really annoyed this time,’ Chen Yi thought.

’Looks like I’ll have to add a few days to my ’silent treatment’ prediction.’

Last time, when he saw a few things he shouldn’t have while treating her, Xiao Wan’er had ignored him for the better part of a day.

’This time, will it be a full day?’

’Maybe two days. Or even three.’

As Chen Yi was thinking this, he changed the subject. "Weren’t you supposed to have a duel with Shen Huatang and Xie Tingyun today? How did it go?"

The smile on Pei Guanli’s face vanished instantly. She puffed out her cheeks and glared at him.

"Brother-in-law, now I know why Sister Wan’er didn’t let you come over for dinner."

"You really know how to touch a sore spot."

Chen Yi flicked her on the forehead. "So you lost. It’s nothing to be ashamed of."

He couldn’t do anything about Xiao Wan’er.

But he could still handle this Tiger Girl.

Pei Guanli rubbed her forehead, saying sullenly, "I did lose. Even without using True Essence and only comparing Techniques, I still lost."

Chen Yi couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the thought of it.

"Your Cultivation is still lacking. It’s normal that your Cultivation and Technique can’t compare to that pair of martial sisters."

Pei Guanli’s eyes glistened with unshed tears as she stared at him intently. "Brother-in-law, helpmehelpmehelpme..."

She must have said "help" twenty times in a single breath.

Chen Yi shot her a look and said irritably, "Help with what? I’m just a frail scholar. What am I going to do, write a letter of challenge for you?"

Pei Guanli pouted. Knowing he didn’t want to expose his abilities, her whole posture seemed to slump.

Seeing this, Chen Yi shook his head helplessly. He raised a hand, dipped his finger in some water, and wrote a few words on the table.

"Cultivate first. We’ll talk when an opportunity arises."

After Pei Guanli read it, the sadness on her face was instantly swept away. She grinned and said, "I knew you were the best, Brother-in-law! You dote on me the most!"

"...Honestly."

...

「In the blink of an eye, a few days passed.」

August was approaching, and the weather in Shu State was as scorching as a furnace.

Even a Martial Artist like Chen Yi, whose Cultivation was by no means weak, could feel the oppressive heat—let alone anyone else.

Xiao Wuge was the first to succumb. He moved to Jiaxing Garden overnight, claiming it was cooler being closer to Xiao Wan’er.

This earned him a couple of playful swats from Xiao Wan’er, but in the end, she had to let him have his way.

Because of this, however, with Xiao Wuge no longer acting as a messenger between them, the two residences of Jiaxing Garden and Spring Lotus Garden, separated only by a wall, seemed to have lost all contact.

For several days, there was no news from either side.

To be precise, Chen Yi could occasionally overhear Xiao Wan’er’s words thanks to his sharp hearing.

Whether Xiao Wan’er could hear what he said, however, was unknown.

In any case, because of the matter with Miss Wan Rourou, Xiao Wan’er still remembered that line: "fair lady, worthy suitor."

On another note, there had also been plenty of good news in the estate these past few days.

First, on the day after Liu Si of the Imprisonment Department came to visit, the tense atmosphere within the Xiao Family eased.

Though nothing was said outright, it seemed the conflict between the Xiao and Liu Families would unfold toward a stable resolution.

Chen Yi was well aware of why.

As long as the Jing State Liu Family accepted that the "murderer" was not one of the Xiao family, there would be no major conflict between the Xiao and Liu Families.

Even if they didn’t accept it, Liu Hong, the Governor of Shu State, could no longer press the Old Master any further.

This much was clear from a recent letter from Li Huai’gu:

"The department reports that the summer grain tax for the Three Towns will be calculated at the lowest rate of one-twentieth."

That’s roughly one hundred thousand shi of grain.

All told, that’s a five-fold difference.

Presumably, even if the Xiao Family and the Three Towns were reluctant, they would still pay this grain tax.