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Courtyard.

The green shade of the jujube trees covered like a canopy, and the grapevines shielded half the yard.

Zhou Yi pushed the door open and entered, his brow slightly furrowed.

The aura in the courtyard was mixed and chaotic, and not just one person had been here, judging by the freshness of the scents that lingered. Examining some hidden marks and arrangements, it was clear that the visitors had been respectful of the rules and had not rummaged through carelessly.

This truly was a sign of ill-intent!

“Every time there is a transition of imperial power, the Divine Capital becomes fraught with troubles in autumn.”

Zhou Yi used a Dust-Clearing Charm, and immediately the space was clean and tidy.

He then went to the tooth shop to hire two wet nurses, who would stay in the west wing of the small courtyard to take care of Chen Ya’er’s daily needs.

“Where to find a good family…”

Zhou Yi pondered and remembered that most of his acquaintances were not exactly virtuous. Following this line of thought, he reflected on himself and suddenly realized.

“So in the eyes of ordinary people, I am a greedy jailer, a brutal and cruel official, a cold-blooded Demon Head!”

I myself am the villain!

Night fell.

Zhou Yi sipped tea and chanted scriptures in the courtyard until the moon was high in the sky.

A shadow flew across the sky; a figure in white drifted down with the wind in circles, landing in the courtyard.

Zhou Yi clicked his tongue and said, “I’ve waited all night, and I didn’t expect it would be you of all people to come.”

“How did you know someone would come?”

The visitor was none other than Old Bai, holding a jar of liquor, who sat down opposite Zhou Yi as if he owned the place.

“It was just a guess.”

Zhou Yi spoke truthfully, as he did not know divination or fortune-telling, but he had felt that the head of the Imperial Guards’ enthusiasm during the daytime was excessive, and there had been quite a few people snooping around his residence.

“Three hundred years of pear blossoms white, all thanks to my father-in-law’s ample clout, which is why they sold me a jar,” said Old Bai as he opened the jar, and the scent of the liquor wafted through the courtyard. “Now, Old Zhou, guess why I’ve come to you?”

Zhou Yi poured himself a bowl, the drink fresh and cool like spring water, thick like amber, and downed it in one gulp, feeling thoroughly refreshed.

“I can’t guess! But if it’s good news, I’ll go, and if it’s bad, I shall drink away for free.”

“I’ve never seen anyone so shameless!”

Ever since Old Bai had learned this phrase, it had become his mantra: “My father-in-law, the Dongyang Prince, invites you to his mansion for a minor post, colloquially known as a Protector.”

Zhou Yi’s eyebrows knit together, “This is the Divine Capital, not the Northern Border. Does a Prince’s mansion really need to recruit a Protector?”

“You’ve been traveling these past months, and great changes have occurred in the Capital…”

Old Bai recounted all the news of the aftermath of Emperor Hongchang’s death, including how they concealed his death, how Prince Qin Zhao Yuan stormed the palace at night, and how Noble Consort Sun and her sixth son met their demise—mixing truth with fiction as he spoke.

Zhou Yi asked, “Did the current emperor really kill his own mother and brother in front of the late emperor’s remains?”

Old Bai nodded, “No smoke without fire, it’s very likely true.”

Zhou Yi said, “So the Divine Capital is unstable, and the Dongyang Prince is recruiting Protectors because he fears chaos that might endanger his family?”

“My father-in-law’s considerations are not just about security!”

Taking a sip of wine, Old Bai waved his hand, “I’m just fulfilling a duty by coming here. It doesn’t matter to me whether you accept or not. If you’re interested in glory and wealth, you could take a trip to the mansion of the Prince.”

“Glory! Wealth!”

Upon hearing these two words, Zhou Yi did not envision gold and silver treasures, but blood-drenched corpses.

Old Bai reminded him, “Old Zhou, in a few days I’ll be heading to Jiangnan with my wife. Why don’t you join us on the boat for some leisure?”

“I have matters to attend to in the Divine Capital and can’t go to Jiangnan for now,” Zhou Yi muttered thoughtfully before adding, “However, there is someone I need to entrust to you…”

He then described Chen Ya’er’s identity, careful not to mention the ghosts of Chen Family Ditch, simply saying he acted when he came upon an army massacring civilians, saving the sole survivor.

According to Old Bai, with each household in the Divine Capital now trying to recruit experts, either as Protectors for self-preservation or with other schemes in mind, Chen Ya’er had become a vulnerability for Zhou Yi.

If indeed she were kidnapped, Zhou Yi would not give in; instead, he would choose revenge for Chen Ya’er!

Old Bai listened, filled with righteous indignation, and promised, “Rest assured, Old Zhou, my son is also going to Jiangnan, and he’ll be good company for Chen Ya’er.”

“Eh? How could I forget about you?”

Zhou Yi’s eyes brightened, “How about raising Chen Ya’er at your place, making her your goddaughter or something? That would give you a complete family with both a son and a daughter.”

Old Bai, originally a carefree spirit, had caused no small amount of trouble in the jianghu relying on his Qinggong. He wasn’t the best choice for entrusting someone. However, marriage and family really could change a man, and since marrying Princess Rongchang, Old Bai had become a steady and domestically focused husband.

At Zhou Yi’s suggestion, Old Bai was taken aback. He had not managed to persuade Zhou Yi, yet he might be bringing back a goddaughter?

Zhou Yi assumed that Old Bai was afraid of his wife and promised, “Just tell Princess Rongchang directly that Chen Ya’er is a direct granddaughter of an Innate Grandmaster. Just take care of her for twenty years, and during this period, your family will be safe and sound!”

“What about after twenty years?”

Old Bai was quite tempted; he had previously thought about asking Zhou Yi for protection over his household, but he had always felt too embarrassed to say it out loud.

Even though he knew Zhou Yi would agree, Old Bai did not want to put his friend in a difficult position.

Zhou Yi slowly said, “After twenty years, Chen Ya’er will no longer need anyone’s protection.”

“Don’t worry, Old Zhou, I will take care of her as if she were my own daughter,” promised Old Bai.

Suddenly, Old Bai’s tone changed, and with a sheepish expression, he said, “If… I mean if Chen Ya’er and my boy fall in love with each other, would it be possible?”

Zhou Yi said angrily.

“Shameless scoundrel!”

…

The next day.

The Imperial prison.

After roll call, Zhou Yi chatted with colleagues about things seen on the road, sharing local specialties from Divine Capital he had bought for everyone.

They agreed to meet at Spring Breeze Building that evening, and the slight feeling of unfamiliarity instantly dissipated.

In ancient times, people listened to operas in hookah lounges; today, foot baths and massages serve as supreme tools for bringing colleagues closer.

Zhou Yi returned to his single room, where the water for tea had yet to boil.

Newcomer Colonel Lu knocked and entered, carrying a package of tea leaves: “Biluochun from Mount Taichuan. Fancy a taste, Old Zhou?”

“No reward without merit, does Colonel Lu have a task for me?”

Zhou Yi could enjoy Old Bai’s wine for free, but couldn’t casually accept Colonel Lu’s tea; the former was a close friend, while the latter was merely a colleague.

“Old Zhou, are you willing to spend your life in the Imperial prison?”

Colonel Lu said, “With your skills, you could easily serve a royal household as an officiant. Should you follow the right person, it’s not out of the question to bring glory to your ancestors and enjoy wealth and honor.”

“What’s wrong with the Imperial prison?”

Zhou Yi said with a smile, “My great grandfather was a prison guard here, and so was my grandfather, which then passed on to my father. I can’t betray my ancestors!”

“…”

The Imperial Court has always promoted benevolence and filial piety; by bringing up his ancestors, Zhou Yi left Colonel Lu with nothing to say.

Zhou Yi continued, “I seek not wealth or glory, only to live a life of peace. Please take this tea back, Colonel Lu.”

Colonel Lu waved his hand, “Don’t make me feel awkward, Old Zhou. This Biluochun is a gift for you. From now on, we’re colleagues. I’ll still need Old Zhou’s help and care for various matters!”

“Then I shall accept it without courtesy,” replied Zhou Yi with a smile. “Please wait, Colonel Lu. Today we shall savor this renowned tea!”

“Stop with the ‘Colonel’; we’re about the same age. Just call me Old Lu,” he insisted.

“Haha, Old Lu!” Zhou Yi laughed.

A few moments later.

The rich aroma of tea spread through the air, intoxicating and delightful.

Zhou Yi spent his free time tasting tea and reciting scriptures, and over more than twenty years, he had cultivated exceptional tea ceremony skills.

In a few hundred years, Zhou Yi would become a refined scholar, well-read in the Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist scriptures, proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, wine, flowers, and tea.

Only in the art of poetry, without a natural talent, truly could not be forced.

In the following days.

Many came to his home or the Imperial prison, offering various benefits, from wealth and honor to military commission and noble titles; Zhou Yi gently refused them all.

Such behavior, in the eyes of those dignitaries, was nothing but arrogance due to talent!

Consequently, they sent skilled fighters to scale walls and break into houses at night, trying to teach him a lesson, only to flee back with bruised faces.

Zhou Yi only revealed his physical cultivation skills, which after being tempered by True Yuan and nurtured by Mana, had reached the limit of internal organ refinement, one step away from the pinnacle of horizontal training—Marrow Cleansing.

At the Marrow Cleansing stage, one possesses the force to cleave through thousands of troops with ease!

Especially within Divine Capital City, during small-scale conflicts, a Marrow Cleansing expert becomes even more invaluable.

As the news spread, more people came to recruit him.

Not until Zhou Yi took firm action, crippling a few flies and issuing a statement to the public, did things calm down.

“I seek not wealth or power, and prefer to die old in the Imperial prison!” he announced.

Only then did peace return.