「Five days later.」
Chen Yi leaned on the windowsill, his eyes fixed on the west gate of Spring Lotus Garden—the end of the long corridor leading to Jiaxing Garden.
Ever since Xiaodie brought him the "good news" from the Xiao family's Eldest Miss, he had been incredibly excited, managing to finish copying the remaining two hundred family rules in just five days.
'No, "copying" isn't the right word. It should be "memorizing."'
The whole text was a hundred characters long, and he could recite it backward and forward with his eyes closed.
"First, be loyal to the sovereign and serve the country, ready to die on the battlefield. Second, all male family members must enter the Martial Arts Arena upon reaching the age of six..."
The Marquis Family's rules were mostly strict, centered on loyalty to the sovereign, practicing martial arts, or bringing glory to the family.
'Sounds impressive, even if I don't really get it.'
'My thoughts are all over the place.'
Chen Yi still couldn't calm down.
He had been confined to his room for fifty days. Even prisoners got yard time, but he truly hadn't taken a single step outside his door.
Even the Armored Warriors at the door could see his impatience and cracked small smiles.
Over the past few days, the four Armored Warriors had gotten to know Chen Yi and felt a certain sympathy for him regarding his attempt to flee the marriage.
When they thought about it, it made sense. He was a well-read scholar from a good family, with prospects of passing the imperial examinations, yet his family had forced him into a matrilocal marriage. Anyone in his shoes would find it hard to accept.
"My friends," Chen Yi said, noticing their gazes and just making conversation. "If I can finally leave this room, does that mean you won't have to stand guard here anymore?"
The four Armored Warriors exchanged a look. One of them, who had a braided rope on his left arm, answered in a deep, booming voice:
"Yes, but we'll be guarding the garden entrance instead."
"..."
Chen Yi thought, 'I guess that's fine.'
Going from a three-story wooden building to a garden spanning several acres was a huge step forward for him.
Perhaps it was because Chen Yi's confinement was about to be lifted, or perhaps it was because the Armored Warriors' opinion of him had changed for the better.
In any case, while waiting for Xiaodie to return, they had all become much more familiar with one another.
So, Chen Yi took the opportunity to ask the question he most wanted to ask: "Can Martial Arts cultivation really let you fly through the air?"
He already knew from his memories that Martial Arts were prevalent in the Great Wei Dynasty, and those with profound cultivation possessed unimaginable power.
For example, Yin Tiankang, the Sect Leader of the Broken Blade Sect in Jiangnan Prefecture, had once visited the Chen Family and demonstrated his Breaking Gate Blade technique—splitting a small mountain with a single strike of his Blade.
Then there was the legendary Sword Ghost, known for "One Sword Halts the River," who single-handedly slaughtered three thousand armored soldiers, leaving the fields littered with the corpses of the Huben Army that had come to surround and kill him.
But Chen Yi had only heard about the former and had never witnessed the latter. Thus, he sometimes fantasized about becoming a Martial Arts Powerhouse—the reclusive kind.
'If I could use my Opportunity on practicing Martial Arts, I could rely on the Dao Realm's blessing to rapidly increase my Martial Arts Cultivation.'
The Armored Warrior with the braided rope on his left arm, whose name was Wang Lixing, heard this and replied, "Of course. The Second Miss can do it."
Chen Yi froze. "The Second Miss... my wife? Her Martial Arts Cultivation is that high?"
Wang Lixing nodded, a look of admiration on his face. "The Second Miss is exceptionally talented in Martial Arts. At only twenty years old, she is already a Fourth Grade Realm Cultivator. She can fly for dozens of miles and travel over a thousand miles in a single day."
Chen Yi was secretly astounded. 'Xiao Jinghong is that powerful?'
'Alright then. It looks like I'd better keep a low profile until I have some power of my own.'
「Not long after.」
Xiaodie finally passed through the archway in the white wall with its green tiles, appearing at the end of the long corridor. She immediately spotted Chen Yi craning his neck to look out and came over with a giggling little jog.
"Young Master, I have some good news and some bad news. Which do you... ah, which would you like to hear first?"
"Either is fine," Chen Yi said, rolling his eyes as some of his excitement faded. "For me, any news is good news."
Xiaodie muttered that he was no fun, then turned to deliver a message to the Armored Warriors. "The Eldest Miss says you are to stand guard outside the garden from now on."
"Yes, Miss Xiaodie."
The Armored Warriors had already expected this.
After bowing respectfully to Chen Yi, Wang Lixing led the other Armored Warriors out of the garden in a single file.
As soon as he saw them disappear, Chen Yi didn't even wait for Xiaodie's good or bad news. He propped one hand on the windowsill, vaulted out, and with a triumphant WHOOP, sprinted toward a nearby pavilion.
Xiaodie hurried after him. "Young Master, Young Master, slow down!"
She wasn't worried about Chen Yi escaping. After all, it was broad daylight, and there were Armored Warriors guarding the garden entrance. It wasn't like his wedding day, when he had taken advantage of the chaos on the road from the inn to the Marquis's Mansion to flee.
But Chen Yi turned a deaf ear, running all the way to the pavilion. He stood facing the shimmering green pond, spread his arms wide, and took a deep breath, feeling instantly refreshed in body and soul.
Xiaodie ran up, panting. "Young Master, I haven't even finished speaking yet!"
Chen Yi didn't turn his head, still holding it high as he breathed in the air of freedom.
Seeing that he wasn't responding, Xiaodie continued on her own, "The Eldest Miss said that you'll have to put up with staying in Spring Lotus Garden for now. She has already written to the Second Miss to explain the situation. Once the Second Miss replies, your confinement should be lifted."
Chen Yi let out a long breath, his whole being feeling lighter. "And the good news?"
Xiaodie blinked. "That *was* the good news."
"Then what's the *better* news?"
"There is no better news." Xiaodie puffed out her cheeks, pouting at him. "Young Master, there's only the bad news left."
Chen Yi turned to look at her. "Let's hear it."
"The bad news is that the Eldest Miss said... no, wait, it was an order from the Old Master. He said that since you've married into the Xiao Family, you must follow the mansion's rules."
"What rules?" Chen Yi raised an eyebrow. 'So there really is bad news,' he thought.
"Have you forgotten, Young Master? The family rules state that 'all male family members must go to the Martial Arts Arena to practice Martial Arts upon reaching the age of six.'" Xiaodie covered her mouth to hide a giggle. "You have to practice, too."
Chen Yi froze. "Are you sure?"
'For him, this news was neither good nor bad.'
He had just assumed the Xiao Family wouldn't teach him Martial Arts. After all, he was a live-in son-in-law who had tried to flee his own wedding. The fact that the Xiao family provided him with food, clothing, and an allowance was already more than benevolent.
'Making him practice Martial Arts... Were they starting to treat him like one of their own?'
After a moment of thought, an idea struck him. 'Are they thinking of conscripting me? They don't want me to join the army and go to war, do they?'
From what he'd learned about the Xiao Family recently, he knew they were indeed short on men.
'It's a definite possibility...'
Xiaodie, oblivious to his thoughts, tried to suppress a smile and said:
"But the Eldest Miss said you don't have to worry, Young Master. If you don't want to learn, you can just go through the motions. And since you still can't leave Spring Lotus Garden, they'll probably arrange for an instructor to come here."
Chen Yi raised an eyebrow and said with a touch of exasperation, "Xiaodie, next time, remember to say everything at once."
'If that's the case, he didn't need to worry too much. Still, just in case, he'd have to act like he was terrible at Martial Arts to avoid being conscripted later.'
Xiaodie stuck her tongue out playfully. "Well, who was it that just ran off without listening?"
Her words made Chen Yi sense something was off. He eyed her. "You seem a little different than before."
"I do?" Xiaodie looked down at herself.
"Your form of address has changed. For nearly two months, you've never used a respectful term with me. What's this, did hell freeze over?" Chen Yi teased.
Xiaodie's face flushed, and she said softly, "The... the Eldest Miss told me that from now on, I'm to be assigned to you, Young Master..."
"Ooooh, so that's how it is," Chen Yi drawled. "You're worried I'll make things difficult for you later."
"N-No, I'm not..."
"You're blushing."
Xiaodie looked like she wanted to hit him, but then she remembered she was now his personal Maid and restrained herself, lowering her head and saying nothing.
Seeing this, Chen Yi stopped joking and said a few genuinely kind words to her.
A smile returned to Xiaodie's face, and she secretly glanced at his back.
Previously, because the Young Master had fled the wedding, no one in the Xiao Family had a good impression of him, herself included.
Only today did she realize—the Young Master was actually a very good person, just as approachable as the Eldest Miss, the Second Miss, and the Old Master.
No.
Xiaodie thought back for a moment and realized that from the moment she'd met Chen Yi, he had never once treated her like a servant.
Although he would sometimes ask her to do things, like grind his ink or bring him food, his tone never made her feel like he was superior. Instead, it was always calm and even.
It was enough to let her completely relax around him.
With this in mind, Xiaodie asked softly, "You must be hungry, Young Master. I'll go get you something to eat."
"Go on, go on."
Chen Yi waved a hand without turning around, his eyes still fixed with great interest on the lively fish jumping in the pond, plotting when he could get a fishing rod and cook them all up in one go.
He was, after all, a veteran fishing enthusiast who proudly claimed to "never go home empty-handed." How could he not cast a few lines?