Chapter 156: It's Too Hard for Me

Chapter 156: I’m So Tough

When it came to Xiao Wanz’er’s preparation of medicinal soup, Xiao Di was quite confused.

She recalled that upon arriving at Jiaxing Yard according to Chen Yi’s instructions, Xiao Wanz’er was engaged in conversation with a woman dressed in elegant, refined attire. Upon learning that Chen Yi had returned, that woman even suggested they should pay each other a visit.

But when Xiao Di mentioned, “My uncle is ill,” the woman had barely spoken before Xiao Wanz’er stood up and asked, “What illness?”

“Perhaps… a cold due to wind and cold?”

“Xiao Er, Xiao Juan, go prepare medicinal soup for my uncle.”

At that moment, Xiao Di had intended to explain further, but seeing Xiao Wanz’er already instruct Xiao Er to fetch the soup, and the woman still present, she swallowed her explanation.

Thus, the current situation arose—

Chen Yi sat in the living room, patting his abdomen with a face showing several traces of pain.

Xiao Wanz’er noticed this and hurriedly brought over the soup: “Just brewed ginger tea—it’s excellent for warming the body. Drink it while it’s hot.”

Chen Yi opened his mouth, intending to explain that he was hungry, but meeting Xiao Wanz’er’s earnest gaze, the slight worry on her delicate face, he could only drink the soup through his nose.

Well then.

Before dinner was even touched, his stomach was already half full.

Before he could speak, Xiao Wanz’er sent for food and placed it on the table. “I specially had someone prepare congee.”

“You’re unwell, so eat something light.”

“…”

Still the same words, meeting those concerned eyes, Chen Yi merely glared at Xiao Di, smiled, and lifted his bowl.

Have you ever experienced such extreme hunger?

The kind where your chest presses against your back, your mind entirely consumed by thoughts of pork, beef, lamb, or grilled meat, stews, and the like.

In short, never congee or vegetables.

As he ate, Xiao Wanz’er sat nearby, speaking of the events that occurred at the mansion that afternoon, interspersed with hushed whispers of advice—eat slowly, avoid wind and cold on rainy days, take care of your health, and so forth.

Chen Yi let out an involuntary smile, and decided not to explain further, accepting it all as a beautiful misunderstanding.

After a lengthy talk, as Xiao Wanz’er was about to rise and leave, she suddenly remembered something and asked, “Have you written a letter to your younger sister?”

“Recently, spring has entered the rainy season, and I don’t know how things are faring there.”

Chen Yi paused, shook his head: “Not yet, I’ll write it later.”

Xiao Wanz’er smiled with understanding: “There must be so many things at the academy during the day, you probably couldn’t find time.”

“But there’s no rush, just write it by tomorrow morning.”

Chen Yi nodded, then escorted her out of the wooden building, watching her walk away in the distance, sheltered by Xiao Er’s umbrella.

Once Xiao Wanz’er entered Jiaxing Yard, Chen Yi’s expression returned to normal. He turned to look at the timid Xiao Di and said, “Go fetch some food for my uncle.”

“Huh?”

Xiao Di quickly responded, and rushed out of Spring Lotus Garden straight to the kitchen.

Fortunately, fortunately, thank goodness Uncle didn’t scold Xiao Di.

Scolding was impossible now.

After eating some leftover rice and dishes, Chen Yi patted his now half-full stomach and let out a sigh of relief.

“Finally, I’ve eaten some meat.”

Xiao Di saw this and also relaxed, awkwardly saying, “Uncle, Xiao Di has learned her lesson.”

Chen Yi glanced at her, shook his head: “It was I who didn’t explain clearly.”

Whether lying or pretending, in the end, it all achieved his purpose—closing the door and sending guests away.

After some idle chatter.

Chen Yi told Xiao Di to tidy up and rest, then took the medicine pouches to the study.

After a brief rest, he sat at the desk and wrote a letter to Xiao Hong.

This time, it wasn’t a letter written under the stars on a summer night.

It was a serious, earnest letter.

[Hong, seeing this letter face to face.

I have accepted Professor Ming’s invitation to serve as a teacher at Guoyun Academy, and everything is in order….]

Hundreds of words written out.

Not even a minute had passed before he sealed it, leaving it for tomorrow to be delivered to Xiao Wanz’er.

Chen Yi looked out the window.

The rain hadn’t stopped, and he estimated another two hours before reaching the seamstress’s shop to discuss matters.

He didn’t linger.

He took the mortar, scale, and other tools, and began meticulously grinding the medicinal ingredients.

The previous batch of “Immortal’s Wine” had been too potent, so this time he planned to reduce its strength while maintaining the effect of penetrating and protecting one’s spiritual energy.

After preparing four new bottles of Immortal’s Wine, he proceeded to craft another new medicine.

It was a powder that could render a person’s body soft and helpless.

Its power was weaker than Immortal’s Wine, but it was colorless and tasteless, making it more convenient to use.

He named it “Breeze Intoxication.”

After working diligently for nearly an hour, Chen Yi finally completed the preparation.

He quickly cleaned up the study.

He took several packets of the powder back to his chambers, changed into a black robe, disguised himself, and bound a five-fold halberd, all preparations complete.

Chen Yi took a deep breath, stretched his limbs, and quietly left Spring Lotus Garden.

It was already deep into the night, and with the heavy rain and strong winds, few people were around on the road.

Occasionally encountering a few carriages or pedestrians, they all passed by quickly. To avoid drawing attention, Chen Yi didn’t take the main road, but instead took a familiar path through the dim alleys to the outskirts of the Western Market.

However, when he stepped out of the alley behind the “Meeting the Immortals” building, his gaze flickered, and he turned back into the alley, hiding in the shadows.

Without delay, a clear, cold voice resounded: "That night, Sun Erhu died in a most peculiar manner. I do not believe the guardians of the ten households were the ones who killed Liu Jing."

"Even if they were, it would not be the work of a single person. At least two accomplices must have been involved."

Then another voice, younger in tone, spoke up: "Fang Baochu, the matter has already been settled by the authorities."

"Even if you harbor suspicions, it would be difficult to overturn the verdict. There's no need—"

"Hmph! Even if the magistrate has reached a conclusion, I must still find the perpetrator who wounded us that night!"

The voices faded, and Chen Yi knew at once that it was Fang Hongxiu and his party of four from the executioner's office.

He let out a sardonic smile.

He hadn't expected that night's encounter with Fang Hongxiu to end so badly, nor the relentless pursuit that followed.

Fortunately, the matter of the ten households' killing of Liu Jing had long been settled, easing tensions between the Xiao and Liu families.

Otherwise, if they had lingered a few more days, who could say whether those executioners would have uncovered anything at all?

Once they were certain that Fang Hongxiu and his companions had departed,

Chen Yi quickly crossed the rain-soaked street, entering the relatively spacious Western Market.

To his surprise, just past Bai Caotang, he spotted familiar figures in a corner.

It was the same pair of martial artists he had seen in the Western Market that day—tall and lean, short and stout.

But the last figure surprised him: the maid named Huan, who accompanied Cui Qingwu.

By then, avoiding them was impossible. He lowered his hood, moving through the crowd as one of them, his steps hurried past the taverns and inns.

The tall, lean one and the short, stout one naturally saw him but failed to recognize his face.

The short, stout one spoke up: "It's been so many days, Er Lang, and that person's still not appeared. Do you think the young master guessed wrong?"

The tall, lean one averted his gaze from Chen Yi, his voice flat: "The young master has never been mistaken."

Huan glanced at the two men: "This is my mistress and your master's joint deduction. It stands to reason there can be no error."

"Oh."

"But we know nothing of his appearance beyond his height. How can we be sure we'll find him here?"

"Do as your master commands. You do as you're told. Don't ask too many questions."

The tall, lean one nodded, then turned toward the depths of the Western Market, a thoughtful expression on his face:

"Good point. The build matches."

"What's that?"

"Any discoveries?"

"The person in the black clothes and hood we passed just now resembled him closely."

On hearing this, Huan scanned the area: "Where?"

Before an answer could be given, the tall, lean one, Ning Yu, had already plunged into the rain, following the direction where Chen Yi had vanished.

The two followed suit.

"When I find him, I'll settle the score."

"Huan, be careful. His gun skills are already refined. He's no minor threat."

"His gun skills? He's mastered the art of boxing. His fists are deadly."

"Hmm?"

Chen Yi, hiding nearby in a tailor shop, heard their hushed conversation and furrowed his brow.

Cheng Yunfan and Cui Qingwu were indeed relentless.

They'd sent someone to stake out the Western Market, waiting like a rabbit in a trap.

What's more?

Chen Yi muttered to himself, then quickly slipped away when they were gone.

He made his way to the location he'd scouted earlier—behind the tailor shop, a small courtyard house.

About fifteen feet away, it was too high to see inside the shop, but close enough to hear voices.

And at that height, it offered a perfect vantage point to observe the surroundings of the tailor shop.

A prime spot.

He waited quietly. After a while, when Ning Yu and the two others returned to their previous position, Chen Yi let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"No wonder this time the intelligence reached the provincial level. In such a dangerous area, with people watching from all sides, it's only natural to raise the stakes."

Thinking of the future, with executioners, Cheng Yunfan, and Cui Qingwu all lurking in the Western Market, Chen Yi felt a wave of worry.

It was going to be difficult.

He'd have to find a way to cover all angles.

Otherwise, if those people discovered his whereabouts, it would be a disaster.

After waiting nearly an hour, the streets of the Western Market grew emptier. Most shops had already closed for the night.

The lanterns at the entrances were extinguished, plunging the area into deeper darkness.

Even Ning Yu and his companions, who had been waiting at the Western Market entrance, had fallen silent, clearly having left.

Seeing this, Chen Yi didn't relax his vigilance one bit. Instead, he became even more alert, eyes fixed on the tailor shop's perimeter, ears pricked forward.

In the flow of his internal energy, the Five-Xiang technique and the Xuanwu Contemplation simultaneously activated, heightening his senses.

But beyond the distant laughter of a drunkard and the steady patter of rain, he heard nothing from within the tailor shop.

Until, at last, another shop extinguished four lanterns, and footsteps approached from afar, growing steadily closer.

Chen Yi's heart stirred. He quietly found cover, blending into the shadows beneath the eaves.

Soon, two figures in black appeared outside the tailor shop—one tall, one short.

One of them was none other than Guo San, the esteemed official of the Xiao household.

The other...

(Chapter Complete)