The next day, the heavy rain subsided.
A light drizzle fell, making the entire Xiao Mansion feel much fresher.
With Old Marquis Xiao's birthday approaching, the Marquis's Mansion's Household Servants and Maids began to busy themselves in the various courtyards.
Even in the rain, they still had to prepare the pageantry for the birthday celebration in advance.
At the very least, the "Happiness" lanterns that had been hung for Chen Yi and Xiao Jinghong's wedding needed to be taken down and replaced.
Before long, the eaves of the two wooden buildings in the Spring Lotus Garden were hung with lanterns bearing the character for "Longevity."
Worried that the rain would soak them, the Household Servants covered them with a layer of waterproof cloth, saying it could just be removed before the celebration.
There were other arrangements as well, but Chen Yi paid them no mind, leaving everything to Xiaodie.
At this moment, he was pondering what kind of birthday tribute to write for the Old Marquis and had even specifically asked Xiao Wuge about the Old Marquis's deeds.
"Grandfather is incredible."
Xiao Wuge's eyes lit up as he recounted several of Xiao Yuan's victories against the Barbarian Race, such as when he personally led three thousand Profound Armored Cavalry to slay a Barbarian Grand General on the battlefield twenty years ago.
Or fifteen years ago, when the Poshisu Country rebelled, Xiao Yuan led an army to suppress the uprising, slaughtering twenty large and small cities in a row. To this day, his name is still spoken of in the Poshisu Country.
And then there was five years ago, when the Barbarian Left King Mu Hage gathered an army of two hundred thousand and pressed upon Mengshui Pass. Xiao Yuan personally oversaw the command from the pass, taking a full year to repel them.
But as he spoke of this, Xiao Wuge couldn't help but sound a little down.
"My father, my mother, and several of my uncles and aunts... they all died in that great battle..."
Chen Yi patted his head and comforted him, "The dead are gone. Living well is the greatest respect you can pay them."
The Xiao Family's main branch was indeed dwindling. Besides Xiao Jinghong, Xiao Wan'er, and Xiao Wuge, only Old Marquis Xiao and the crippled Xiao Xuanshuo remained—one old, one disabled.
However, there were quite a few members from the branch families. For example, the line of Old Marquis Xiao's brother, Xiao Wang, served as the Xiao Family's second branch and could be described as having a house full of descendants; he alone had three sons.
Chen Yi had been confused about this at first, but he later learned that the second branch pursued careers as Civil Servants, with most of them holding positions within Shu State.
The one with the highest official rank was Xiao Wang's eldest son, Xiao Dongchen, who was currently the Assistant Governor of Shu State, a Junior Fourth Grade official in charge of all taxes in Shu State—a position with considerable authority.
Of course, the most special case was Xiao Wang's daughter, Xiao Qiuyun, who had married the younger son of Duke Qian and was the mother of the Young Crown Prince, Zhang Heng.
It was a classic case of a sparrow flying up a branch to become a phoenix.
This time, Xiao Qiuyun had brought Zhang Heng back to her maternal home, even bringing the Old Duke along. They came under the guise of celebrating Old Marquis Xiao's birthday, but in reality, it was mostly to show off.
To put it nicely, she was "radiating nobility." To put it bluntly, she was "a pretentious bitch."
Of the few Opportunities Chen Yi had recently obtained, two out of three were related to her, which had really opened his eyes.
After a moment, a smile returned to Xiao Wuge's face. "Brother-in-law, next year I have to go to Jinling and stay there for ten years. Can you come with me?"
"What for? Isn't it nice here in Shu State?"
Although Chen Yi wanted to see the prosperity of Jiangnan Prefecture and Jinling, going there would inevitably mean dealing with the Chen Family. He would rather stay in Shu State where it was peaceful.
Xiao Wuge smiled and said, "It's a rule of the Great Wei. If I want to inherit the Marquis Position, I need to stay in Jinling for a full ten years to study etiquette, laws, and the classics."
"But I think you could be my teacher, Brother-in-law. I don't need so many people to teach me."
Chen Yi frowned inwardly. 'Studying? This is more like going to be a Hostage.'
But on second thought, it was understandable. The position of Marquis Wu was hereditary. Having the young heir serve as a hostage while being educated in etiquette and regulations was nothing but beneficial for the Royal Family.
"I can't be your teacher."
"Don't you want to go to Jinling, Brother-in-law?"
"No. And besides," Chen Yi glanced sideways at the lively carp flopping around in the creel beside him, "your aptitude is too dull. I wouldn't be able to teach you."
"Huh?"
"Stop 'huh'-ing. You've got a bite, hurry up..."
It was strange.
More than ten days had passed since Chen Yi had made his fishing rod, yet he hadn't caught a single fish.
He didn't know if he was just at odds with the "Golden Carp" in this pond or if his luck was just terrible, but every time his float bobbed, the fish would get away due to some accident.
That was one thing.
The key was that Xiao Wuge caught fish every single day. Even on his worst day, he caught five, which really made Chen Yi look bad.
A peaceful day passed.
Today, like any other day, Chen Yi cultivated his Pile Skill with Wang Lixing at dawn. After breakfast, he practiced his Calligraphy, then passed the time by fishing and drinking tea.
He waited until the sky grew dim, then quietly slipped out of his room to cultivate the Big Spear Pile Skill, Mountain Shattering Fist, and Wandering Dragon and Phoenix Step Technique in the bamboo forest.
While performing his Stand Form, Chen Yi checked his current progress in each Dao.
Name: Chen Yi
Cultivation: Middle Ninth Grade
Calligraphy Dao: Great Success (0/1000)
Calligraphy: Wei Qing (Mastery), Cursive Script (Proficient)
Martial Arts·Body: Minor Success (0/100)
Cultivation Technique: Big Spear Pile Skill [Profound Tier] (Proficient)
Martial Arts·Punch: Minor Success (0/100)
Fist Technique: Mountain Shattering [Profound Tier] (Proficient)
Martial Arts·Step: Minor Success (0/100)
Body Technique: Wandering Dragon and Phoenix [Yellow Tier] (Initial Insight)
Opportunity: 7
'Since reaching the Middle Ninth Grade, my physical strength has increased rapidly.'
At the Lower Ninth Grade, Chen Yi's body possessed only the strength of a single ox. But now, he had the strength of five oxen—a full fivefold increase.
Although he didn't know about the progress of other Cultivators, according to the Profound Mysteries of [Martial Arts·Body], he guessed that others who cultivated the [Big Spear Pile Skill] would probably break through directly to the Middle Ninth Grade after reaching the strength of one ox.
He, however, had not rushed to break through. Instead, he continued to temper his physical body with the Pile Skill until he could progress no further before advancing, ensuring his foundation was exceptionally solid.
'This is good too. When others use their full strength, I only need to use twenty percent of mine.'
'If I can cultivate the Big Spear Pile Skill to the Mastery Level, or even the Perfection Realm, I'll be able to reach the peak of "Symbols Power" and a casual punch will carry the weight of ten thousand jin.'
Thinking of this, Chen Yi focused his mind. He silently felt the vibrations in his muscles, bones, skin, and internal organs, guiding the sliver of Qi Mechanism born from the tempering of his flesh into his Dantian, gradually expanding his Elixir Field and Sea of Qi.
After stepping into the Middle Ninth Grade of Cultivation, breaking through again depended on the Qi Mechanism.
First, he had to open up his Elixir Field and Sea of Qi. Only when it could hold enough Qi Mechanism could he take the next step: opening the four Main Meridians in his arms and legs to reach the Upper Ninth Grade and the Perfection Realm.
But the entire process was exceptionally slow. Even with the Profound Mysteries of "Martial Arts·Body" to guide him, it was still a task that required slow, grinding effort.
An hour passed quickly.
Chen Yi rested for a moment, then scanned his surroundings. Seeing no unusual activity, he assumed a stance and began to practice the Mountain Shattering Fist, his movements slow and powerful.
The complete Fist Technique had nine moves and thirty-six variations.
Besides being fierce and powerful, it also emphasized using offense as defense. Every punch and kick aimed straight for vital points, and its footwork was direct and straightforward.
As a result, after performing five sets of the Fist Technique, the food Chen Yi had just eaten was once again completely consumed, leaving his stomach empty.
'I'll have to ask Xiaodie to bring me more food tomorrow. Otherwise, if I keep training like this, I'll really become as weak as Wang Lixing said.'
Chen Yi muttered to himself and began weaving around several stalks of Purple Bamboo, continuing his practice of the [Wandering Dragon and Phoenix] Body Technique.
Just then, a crisp and pleasant voice suddenly sounded by his ear:
"Chen Yi?"
Chen Yi's expression tightened. Without stopping, his feet carried him far away as he scanned his surroundings.
"Who's there?"
"It seems it really is you. The live-in son-in-law of the Xiao Mansion, Xiao Jinghong's husband, Chen Yi, right?"
The voice was erratic, drifting through the Purple Bamboo Forest, interspersed with the sound of tinkling bells.
Chen Yi looked all around but still couldn't find anyone. "May I ask... what business this Female Knight has with me?"
"Female Knight? Hehehe... that's right, that's right, I am a Female Knight."