In total, there were three secret letters. Deciphering them involved two codebooks: the Huangmei opera *Dong Wan's Travelogue* and the Yuefu poetry collection *Yong Huan*.
Fortunately, the two wooden buildings in the Spring Lotus Garden housed a vast collection of books, including all the popular opera scripts and storybooks of the day.
Even so, it still took Chen Yi nearly an hour to finally decrypt the contents of the three letters.
The first read: [Fledgling has married into the Xiao Mansion. Watch closely!]
The second: [The matter of the escaped marriage is suspicious. Find out who was behind it!]
And the last one was the secret letter Chen Yi had intercepted this morning before Liu Si'er could see it:
[You have been exposed. Find him and kill him! Also, someone else will take your place. They will contact you when needed!]
After reading them all.
Chen Yi frowned slightly and thought, 'I'm the fledgling?'
A fledgling, a young eagle.
'A codename like that seems to imply they want me to grow strong.'
'Are they planning to cultivate me, or are they trying to use me to achieve some goal?'
Besides, judging from the contents of these three letters, the Hidden Guards didn't seem to bear him much ill will.
Especially the line, "The matter of the escaped marriage is suspicious."
Not even the Xiao Family knew about this, so how did the Hidden Guards find out? And how were they so certain he hadn't tried to escape on his own, but had been framed?
The most crucial point was—what reason and what authority did they have to investigate this matter?
Thinking of this, Chen Yi shook his head.
He had too little information. The only thing he could be sure of was that this group of "Hidden Guards," who had been concealed within the Xiao Family for years, meant him no harm in the short term.
Other than that, he knew this group of Hidden Guards was not the same one that had framed him for escaping the wedding.
Pei Guanli, who was beside him, noticed his strange expression. She leaned over to look at the decrypted text on the blank paper, rubbing her round chin as she asked:
"Brother-in-law, who is this fledgling? Has a girl married into the Xiao Family recently?"
Chen Yi's face darkened. 'This group of "Hidden Guards" has a real problem with their wording,' he thought. 'They probably couldn't find a storybook with the word "live-in" in it.'
Pei Guanli didn't notice his expression. "And the matter of the escaped marriage... hmm... that's talking about you, right, Brother-in-law?"
"And this last part about being exposed, haha... the only ones who know his identity are you and me, Brother-in-law... huh?"
Realization dawned on Pei Guanli. Her smile vanished, and she bared her sharp canines menacingly. "Brother-in-law, he wants to kill us! Should I go finish him off right now?"
Chen Yi held up a hand. "No rush."
Previously, he had only thought the "Hidden Guards" were targeting the Xiao Family. He'd planned on using this information as a trump card, revealing it to his wife, Xiao Jinghong, at an opportune moment to trade for some benefits.
But now that he knew all three secret letters from the "Hidden Guards" concerned him, his plan would naturally have to change.
At the very least, he had to figure out the "Hidden Guards'" true purpose before making a decision.
Otherwise, one wrong move could get him buried.
Pei Guanli looked at the translation, then back at him, asking in confusion, "Why?"
Chen Yi thought for a moment. "Don't you think it's interesting to hide in the shadows and watch another group, who thinks *they're* the ones hiding in the shadows, try to harm you?"
A look of confusion appeared on Pei Guanli's round face. Her eyes seemed to glaze over with a layer of fog as she stared blankly at him.
It took her a good while to process his words. Then, a corner of her full lips curled up. "I get it, Brother-in-law."
"You want to wait for them to come after you so you can wipe them all out at once?"
"Let's just say you're right."
Chen Yi wasn't a masochist; he wouldn't just sit back and let others harm him.
From the moment he deciphered the secret letters and learned of the "Hidden Guards," the roles of hunter and prey had subtly shifted.
Liu Si'er, Uncle Gui, and the others hidden in the Xiao Mansion only knew they had been exposed; they still had no idea who had discovered their identities.
This was Chen Yi's greatest advantage.
Pei Guanli's expression turned slightly excited. She shifted her arms and legs, causing the pair of bells on her person to jingle softly.
'Interesting. Brother-in-law is so interesting.'
'I was right to follow him. There will definitely be more interesting things to come.'
"Brother-in-law, what do we do next?"
"Next... Naturally, we need to improve our cultivation and techniques first."
Chen Yi knew exactly how strong Liu Si'er was.
He was a battle-hardened veteran of the Dingyuan Army who had passed through rigorous selections to become a Personal Guard in the Xiao Mansion. Rumor had it his cultivation had already reached the Eighth Grade Realm several years ago.
Even if he and Pei Guanli joined forces, they would be no match for Liu Si'er in a direct confrontation.
On top of that, besides the "Hidden Guards," there was still that other group lurking in the shadows—the ones who framed him for escaping the wedding.
As he thought about it, a sense of urgency welled up inside him, almost spoiling his mood for fishing.
He was just an idle, live-in son-in-law—gentle, respectful, and completely harmless. Why were so many people after him?
「Not long after.」
Chen Yi quietly led Pei Guanli into the Purple Bamboo Forest, where they each found a corner to practice their Stand Form.
Outside the Spring Lotus Garden, Liu Si'er, Wang Lixing, and the others were standing guard. But as long as they didn't enter, with their cultivation at the Eighth Grade Realm at most, they wouldn't be able to probe the Purple Bamboo Forest from such a distance.
This made it convenient for Chen Yi to secretly raise his cultivation.
Thus, as he condensed his Qi Mechanism and opened up his Elixir Field and Sea of Qi using the Big Spear Pile Skill, he also summoned his status panel to check it:
Name: Chen Yi
Cultivation: Ninth Grade Middle
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), Hundred Flowers Palm [Profound Tier] (Initial Insight)
Martial Arts·Step: Minor Success (0/100)
Body Technique: Wandering Dragon and Phoenix [Profound Tier] (Proficient), Meteor Butterfly Step [Earth Tier] (Initial Insight)
Opportunity: 43
Chen Yi carefully reviewed the progress of his various "Daos," took stock of his situation, and then focused on practicing his Pile Skill.
Currently, aside from his Great Success in Calligraphy Dao, his Martial Arts Body, Punch, and Step were all at Minor Success. His various techniques were merely at the initial stages of proficiency, still a long way from Perfection, so there was no rush to spend his Opportunity.
In terms of breakthroughs, his cultivation progress was actually the fastest.
「An hour later.」
Chen Yi's body was in the Big Spear Pile Skill stance. His eyes were slightly closed, and his hands were held out level with his shoulders, as if he were gripping an invisible spear.
It wasn't visible from the outside, but his body was actually vibrating at an extremely faint yet rapid frequency, shaking his muscles, bones, skin, and even his internal organs.
The Qi Mechanism generated from his flesh and blood expanded his Elixir Field and Sea of Qi to their limits. Then, it slowly condensed into a tiny thread, rising up to pierce the tangible-like membrane above.
It felt like the prick of a needle.
Chen Yi felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, and a crisp "POP" sounded in his ears. He immediately felt that thread of Qi Mechanism break through from his Dantian, travel upward, and disappear into his Chest Acupoint.
[Cultivation has advanced. You have broken through to Upper Ninth Grade!]
As a flash of light faded, a segment of the Profound Mysteries of the Martial Arts Body's Minor Success Realm appeared in Chen Yi's mind.
[The Martial Arts Ninth Grade Realm is for building the foundation of the physique and meridians. The upper body centers on the Chest Acupoint to open the main meridians of the arms, while the lower body centers on the Dantian to open the main meridians of the legs.]
[Once this is done, strength can permeate the muscles, bones, skin, and internal organs, while qi can flow through the four limbs. This forms the base to continuously temper the physique until both seas are full.]
Chen Yi opened his eyes, slowly lowered his hands, and calmed the Qi Mechanism within him before exhaling a breath of impure air.
Instantly, his body felt lighter. He felt clear and open from head to toe, no longer suffering from the unbearable hunger he used to feel after cultivating.
'So that's how it is. After reaching the Upper Stage, the Qi Mechanism condensed from the muscles, bones, and skin is locked within the two seas of qi, meaning there is no self-consumption.'
Chen Yi had an epiphany. He looked over at Pei Guanli, who had also finished her Pile Skill practice. 'So all that talk about being hungry before was just an act.'
'Heh, this Miss Hu isn't just fierce, she's a glutton too.'
Still, he thought for a moment before taking out the pastries he had prepared earlier, sharing them with Pei Guanli.
"Brother-in-law, thanks to your guidance, my Elixir Field and Sea of Qi, and also... um..."
Pei Guanli, her pretty face flushed, tapped the bell with her chin. "The deficiencies in my body are almost trained through. I feel like my cultivation will break through to the Eighth Grade Realm very soon."
Chen Yi, munching on a pastry, glanced at the sky and casually congratulated her.
"Brother-in-law, you're about to break through soon too, right?"
"Take out the 'soon'."
Pei Guanli's smile froze. "Brother-in-law, you... you... you broke through? To Upper Ninth Grade?"
Chen Yi rolled his eyes at her. "What's so surprising? I'm still a long way from Ninth Grade Perfection."
Pei Guanli stared at him blankly. "Heh... right, right."
'Oh, Mountain Goddess,' she thought, 'Brother-in-law isn't human!'
'He went from being an ordinary mortal to the Upper Ninth Grade in less than a month!!'