Moments later, Chen Yi returned to Spring Lotus Garden.

He fetched a basin of hot water and quickly washed up in his room. Changing into a fresh robe, he finally felt much more refreshed.

This downpour was even more ferocious than the ones from early summer.

If not for his proficiency in Martial Arts, he would have surely caught a chill from walking for over an hour in the rainy night.

After a brief rest, Chen Yi went to his study. He lit the two candles in the room, used their flames to light the oil lamp on his desk, and then sat down.

He poured water and ground the ink.

The night was deep outside the window, while the room was cast in a dim, yellow glow.

Although the rain pattered ceaselessly against the roof tiles, Chen Yi’s mood remained unaffected.

Moreover, as he ground the ink, his mind grew increasingly tranquil and serene.

Everything he had seen and heard tonight—some of it with his eyes, some with his ears, and some of it had settled deep in his heart.

He needed to quiet his mind and focus to sort through it all.

Moments later, the ink in the inkstone was smooth and evenly mixed.

Chen Yi pulled out a sheet of Yunsong Paper, selected a small wolf-hair brush from the holder, dipped it in ink, and began to write. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Four Hidden Guards identified within the Xiao Mansion. Two groups, different missions."

"First group: Ge the Third, Liu Si’er, Uncle Gui. Priority: the ’Fledgling’ mission."

"Second group: Xiao Dongchen and his subordinate Hidden Guards. Goal: ’seize the Xiao Family’."

"Also involved: the Liu Clan of Shu State, the Liu Clan of Jing State, the Illusory Sound Sect..."

The first group didn’t require much thought.

Even setting aside his naturally detached temperament, he would never let them get what they wanted.

The latter group’s ambition and threat, however, were far greater.

Xiao Dongchen currently wanted to "throw the Xiao Family and Shu State into chaos," with his sights set squarely on the "Mutual Market."

To achieve his goal, he couldn’t allow the Dingyuan Army to remain stable, which was why he had been so anxious for Ge the Third to go discuss important matters with him tonight.

Chen Yi thought, ’Burning the granaries of the Three Towns... a truly vicious plan.’

With this thought, he used his brush to circle the name "Xiao Dongchen" and draw an "X" over it.

Next, Chen Yi wrote down the three words "Hundred Herbs Hall."

’This chess piece, now that it’s gained some momentum, has certainly flushed a few people out.’

Whether it was the Liu Clan of Jing State or the Liu Clan of Shu State, their ultimate goal was to ensure the Xiao Family didn’t prosper.

And from what the two Silver Banner Officers of the Hidden Guard had said, it wasn’t just the Liu Clan in Shu State; other Noble Families felt the same way.

That was why Xiao Dongchen hoped to throw the Xiao Family into chaos, inciting the Hidden Guard, the Noble Families, and others to rise up and attack them.

As Chen Yi gazed at the words on the Yunsong Paper, several more pieces materialized on the chessboard in his mind.

Xiao Dongchen, Ge the Third, and the others were the traitors within.

The Liu of Shu State should be Liu Hong, the Left Envoy of the Shu State Governor’s Office. This piece was the head of a small dragon among the black pieces.

Behind him were the Liu Clan of Jing State and other Noble Families.

But as for the white pieces representing the Xiao Family...

After a moment of quiet thought, Chen Yi still hesitated to place a single piece on his mental "chessboard."

A game of the Chess Dao was just like two armies clashing in battle.

The white pieces were currently a lone pillar, unable to support the structure, yet he couldn’t even find a supporting piece to form a pincer?

The only ones he could think of were "Zhang Xuan, Duke Qian of Guangyue Prefecture," and the soldiers of the three military towns.

But clearly, these pieces were either too far away or carried too much "weight." It wasn’t yet time to play them.

’At the birthday banquet, all those guests seemed to hold the Old Marquis in high esteem.’

’But in the end, are they all just going to sit on the sidelines?’

’On second thought, that’s probably not it.’

’Perhaps Xiao Dongchen and Ge the Third were right earlier. The Old Marquis is waiting.’

’He’s waiting for them all to reveal themselves so he can finish the job in one fell swoop.’

’When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.’

’The Old Marquis is gambling on human nature.’

As these thoughts ran through his mind, Chen Yi’s focus returned to the chessboard within.

At present, the black pieces were forming an encirclement around the white.

However, the white pieces also had a chance to bite off a corner from the black.

But if he failed to find that crucial supporting piece soon, defeat would only be a matter of time.

For the moment, he could see no hope of turning the tables.

Chen Yi shook his head. He tore the sheet of Yunsong Paper to shreds, then held the pieces over the oil lamp, burning them to ash bit by bit.

He was now left with one final question.

Why was the Imperial Court secretly moving against the Xiao Family?

Or rather, why did the Imperial Court want chaos in Shu State and the power of its various noble families to decline?

Xiao Dongchen, Ge the Third, and the "Lady Tiger" they spoke of all shared this goal.

But what was the reason?

To weaken the border towns and reclaim military authority?

But if that was the case, was it necessary to take down all the Noble Families of Shu State along with them?

’It feels like doing so is no different from cutting off one’s own arm.’

Chen Yi tidied up his desk, his mind churning with these thoughts.

There had to be a reason he hadn’t yet discovered; the whole affair felt strange.

Having tidied up, Chen Yi rose and walked to the window, gazing out at the wind-battered Qinghe Garden.

In the gloom, everything was reduced to hazy, indistinct shapes.

Only the lantern hanging from the eaves swung in the wind, its dim light unable to reach very far.

Much like the Xiao Family at this very moment.

As he gazed out, the faces of several people around him surfaced in his mind.

Xiao Jinghong, Xiao Wan’er, Xiao Wuge, Xiaodie, the Old Marquis...

The longer he stayed with the Xiao Family, the more his initial resolution—to be able to cut ties and leave at any time—gradually faded.

After all, he was not a cold-blooded, heartless man.

After a long silence, Chen Yi uttered a single word: "Troublesome."

He immediately did a few chest-expanding stretches, inhaling and exhaling as his expression grew serious.

’First things first, I need to improve my Martial Arts.’

He hadn’t forgotten that the Illusory Sound Sect was planning to make a move against Hundred Herbs Hall.

’I wonder if those Jianghu people I had Wang Ji find have arrived yet. They can’t possibly expect a scholar like me to handle it, can they?’

After letting a few stray thoughts drift through his mind, Chen Yi sat down in his chair and focused his attention on the newly acquired *Four Symbols Skill*.

"The Four Symbols—Cyan Dragon, Black Tortoise, Vermilion Bird, and White Tiger—represent the Spiritual Qi of the four cardinal directions, which are Wood, Water, Fire, and Metal..."

"Guide the Spiritual Qi of the Four Directions to merge into the Sea of Qi, opening the Four Divine Positions..."

As the cultivation mantra surfaced in his mind, Chen Yi sensed something odd about the *Four Symbols Skill*.

’For a summary this grandiose to belong to a mere Profound-rank Technique, just how powerful must Earth Tier and the even higher Celestial Tier techniques be?’

But he soon understood why.

This version of the *Four Symbols Skill* was actually a "Lesser" version.

The general principles were lofty, but the actual content could only support his cultivation up to the Fifth Grade Realm. To progress further, he would need to find the rest of the technique.

Chen Yi grimaced inwardly, but he knew the problem wasn’t with the reward itself. This was likely the limit of what either Xiao Dongchen or Ge the Third had learned.

After reading it through once, Chen Yi relaxed his mind. As he began to circulate his energy according to the mantra, the Profound Mysteries of his Great Success "Martial Arts Body" unexpectedly surfaced in his mind.

It was the very last bit of information on the "Martial Arts Body," which had been buried beneath countless other Profound Mysteries.

He instantly realized that both the External Refining Pile Skill and the method for True Essence Cultivation were hidden within the physical body.

The former was merely the exterior and the latter the interior. When combined, they could unlock the secret potential of the human body.

As Chen Yi came to this realization, his understanding of the *Four Symbols Skill* deepened, and the True Essence within him began to travel along the designated route, flowing through his Sea of Qi and meridians.

At first, it only circulated through the meridians in his limbs and organs that he had already fully opened.

Faintly, he could feel wisps of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi surging toward him.

It was no longer entering his body in mere slivers as before, but in full-on "wisps."

Clearly, a technique that specialized in True Essence Cultivation was stronger than the *Black Tortoise Concealment Technique* by a significant margin.

Before long.

Chen Yi’s mind became completely immersed in his cultivation. He followed the technique, devouring wisps of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into his Dantian and the Sea of Qi in his Chest.

They were then all converted into True Essence.

[Successfully learned Cultivation Technique: *Four Symbols Skill* (Profound-rank). Level: Initial Insight]

[Gains from Cultivation: Two more Main Meridians opened. Cultivation has broken through to: Eighth Grade, Upper.]

The downpour raged on outside, but not a single sound reached his ears.

Chen Yi felt his consciousness drift into a sea of cotton. He was in a hazy trance, yet it was a state of pure bliss.

The sensation was something that could not be described to an outsider.