Ye Liuyun remembered, this was the personal maid of his sister-in-law, Xing'Er.
The original owner seemed to have coveted her, too.
Tsk! Truly brave.
"Master, you've worked hard. Madam asked me to tell you—she's very pleased with Master's decision."
"???"
Just as Ye Liuyun's thoughts were drifting far away, Xing'Er's words immediately pulled him back to reality.
His expression remained neutral, but inside, he was already getting the picture.
Wait a second, his sister-in-law knows his brother wants to kill him?
No, from the way she said it, wasn't it actually his sister-in-law who wanted to kill him?
"Master needn't take it to heart."
Seeing Ye Liuyun's blank face and that he didn't reply, Xing'Er simply assumed he must feel bad about personally dealing with his brother, so she tried to comfort him.
"Madam did it for Master's own good!"
"With Master aiming to be promoted to Centurion, having this kind of stain isn't ideal."
A stain? So having a brother like him was actually a stain on Ye Liufeng?
Granted, the original owner did plenty of nasty deeds, but at least he was honest about them.
"I get it."
First day after switching identities, and he'd already dug up such juicy gossip. Still, since he survived, there's no point arguing about it.
He briefly closed his eyes, but kept up a calm facade on the outside.
"It's getting late."
"Then I shall not disturb Master's rest."
Hearing Ye Liuyun say this, Xing'Er sensibly refrained from bothering him further.
Only, after seeing which way Ye Liuyun was headed, she couldn't help but call out to him.
"Where is Master off to?"
"???"
He hadn't visited much, but he knew the layout of this mansion well enough—the bedroom was in the back courtyard, wasn't it?
He was still worrying if anyone would notice something off about his identity.
"Madam is already resting. If Master has anything to discuss with Madam, better wait until tomorrow. Master has to report to the Embroidered Uniform Guard tomorrow morning, so best get some rest early."
Xing'Er still thought Ye Liufeng wanted to go talk to Madam.
",,,,"
So Big Brother and Sister-in-law don't even share a room?
Ye Liuyun didn't know much about this sister-in-law; rumor had it her father was a Third Grade court official, and though he'd retired, he still had plenty of connections.
His brother definitely married up here.
And yet they didn't even sleep together? All that acting in front of him was just for show.
"In that case, I won't bother Madam. Escort me back so I can rest."
Ye Liuyun was only just realizing how well he could act, waving his hand to indicate that Xing'Er should lead the way.
"Yes, Master!"
,,,
Following Xing'Er, Ye Liuyun arrived at the side courtyard—this was where Ye Liufeng normally stayed.
The courtyard was fairly spacious, and with regular cleaning, it was spotless.
After Xing'Er left, Ye Liuyun didn't rush to bed—instead, he made his way to the study in the side courtyard.
He'd seen Ye Liufeng go in here before; no wonder his brother spent all day holed up out here—because he actually lived here.
"He never let me in before; now I'm dying to see what he's been hiding."
Ye Liuyun had tried to get into the study before but was always yelled at—or even beaten—by Ye Liufeng. Whatever secret the room held, he was never allowed inside.
Besides, Ye Liuyun hoped to find some martial arts manuals here, too.
The shelves were stacked with books, but after a quick scan, they were all poetry and essays.
At last, in the corner of the desk, he found a dusty martial arts manual—looked like it hadn't been opened in ages.
"Wind-Slaying Saber Skill!"
Got it!
If he remembered correctly, this was the martial art his brother practiced.
After transmigrating for so long, he was finally face-to-face with the real deal.
Sharpening the saber right before battle isn't great, but it's better than nothing. Since he'd have to report to Embroidered Uniform Guard tomorrow, learning a few moves would be reassuring—otherwise, if his cover was blown, he wouldn't even have a place to run.
Thinking this, Ye Liuyun flipped through the manual for a while.
His hands got unspeakably itchy; he really felt like swinging at something.
He grabbed the saber from the side and walked straight out to the courtyard.
Following the manual's instructions, he started to practice.
At first, he was clumsy, but after two sets, his movements became natural and quick. The fierce flashes of the blade darted through the yard again and again.
Time slipped by.
A full half-hour passed.
"Talent Entry System!
Host: Ye Liuyun!
Realm: Third-class Martial Artist!
Skill: Wind-Slaying Saber Skill!
Talent Entry: Luck (Purple), Robust Body (Green), Saber Skill Talent (Blue),"
When Ye Liuyun finally stopped, his heart was burning; though sweat beaded across his forehead, he didn't feel a trace of fatigue—on the contrary, he felt energised all over.
"Seriously, I broke through already?"
Seeing the character sheet show Third-class Martial Artist, Ye Liuyun could hardly believe it.
Just half an hour, and he'd advanced?
The blue-grade Saber Skill Talent really was that strong?
Then why did his brother die while still stuck at Third-class Martial Artist?
Tsk, thinking back to when he just found the manual and the layer of dust covering it, Ye Liuyun had to scoff.
Probably spent all his time scheming for scraps, and barely bothered cultivating—a total waste of that blue-grade Saber Skill Talent.
Sitting on a treasure trove but never touching it—if you don't die, who will?
If Ye Liufeng had even managed Second-class Martial Artist, instead of Third-class, Ye Liuyun doubted he could've managed the reverse kill.
"Whatever, no point fussing over a dead guy!"
With his body still warm, Ye Liuyun didn't waste energy thinking about all those pointless things.
He rested a bit, then started training according to the saber manual again.
,,,
"Training?"
In the back courtyard, the maid Xing'Er reported to the woman sitting in the garden gazing at the moon, who raised her eyebrows in mild surprise.
The woman had refined features and noble bearing, her charm unmistakable even between her brows.
This was Ye Liuyun's sister-in-law, Sheng Lanzhi.
All the maids and servants in this place answered to Sheng Lanzhi. Anything that happened in the household would reach her ears first.
"Really odd—he always refused to train when I encouraged him, and now he's suddenly practicing on his own."
At this, Sheng Lanzhi couldn't help letting out a sarcastic laugh.
The former Ye Liufeng had lived entirely off her, yet wouldn't admit it, terrified of losing face.
Always wanted to prove himself.
But the way Ye Liufeng did it—he obsessed over officialdom and spent all his time figuring out what his superiors liked. That's exactly why Sheng Lanzhi looked down on Ye Liufeng and refused to share his bed.
,,,,,,,