Dream of the Red Chamber: After being exiled, I went on a killing spree in Liaodong.

In the original story, Yingchun was sold into the Sun family's hellhole for five thousand taels of silver and tortured to death... Now? Heh. Jia Yi's lips curled slightly, a chill running through him.

Jia She shrank back, cursing inwardly: Why are you glaring at me? Come at me if you dare! But he didn't dare utter a word.

"Thank you... Third Brother!" Yingchun's voice trembled slightly, her eyes shining.

"Greetings, Master!" The ten women knelt in unison, their voices booming like bells.

"Oh dear, get up quickly!" Yingchun hurriedly went to help, her hands and feet flailing like a frightened little rabbit.

Lin Daiyu and the others watched with envy, wishing they could also don armor and enter the house to recognize a brother. Wang Xifeng was burning with jealousy, her chest heaving—both were Jia She's sons, how come one could command the wind and rain, while the other only knew how to wallow in wine and women?

Looking at Jia Lian again, his thieving eyes were still scanning back and forth on the female guard, making her so angry that her teeth itched: Tonight, I'll make you taste my pillow torture!

"Yi-ge'er," Jia She finally couldn't help but lean forward, "Do you... have any extras? I'd like a few too..."

"That's all." Jia Yi said decisively.

"And these..."

"Slap!" Grandmother Jia suddenly rolled her eyes at him, interrupting him.

"Nonsense! Is this something you can ask for?"

She then turned to Jia Yi, tears streaming down her face, "Yi-ge'er, let your grandmother take a good look at you... You've suffered so much all these years..."

His tone was sorrowful and deeply moving.

Jia Yi sneered: If I didn't know that it was you who personally stuffed me into the army and threw me into that godforsaken place of Liaodong, I would almost have believed this sob story.

"Hardship?" he scoffed. "Isn't it all thanks to your 'meticulous cultivation' that you sent me to the border to suffer from wind and sand?"

[Ding! Host has fiercely confronted Grandmother Jia, displaying exceptionally sharp wit. Reward: 12 cans of cola!]

As the system notification faded, everyone in the room breathed a collective sigh of relief—that felt great!

Finally, someone dared to talk back to the old lady like that!

They remained outwardly calm, but inwardly they were secretly laughing: getting scolded once would bring peace to the world!

So he forcefully suppressed the displeasure in his heart.

"This must be your brother Yi, right? I am your second sister-in-law, Wang Xifeng."

Wang Xifeng, with her sharp eyes, noticed that Grandmother Jia's expression stiffened slightly. She immediately stepped forward, smiling gracefully and charmingly.

"oh."

Jia Yi gave a faint reply, his gaze sweeping over Wang Xifeng—and he sighed deeply in his heart.

What a celestial being descended to earth! Her eyebrows are like distant mountains shrouded in mist, her eyes like autumn waters rippling across the surface, and her aura is dazzling and captivating.

Such a stunning beauty, and she actually married that good-for-nothing Jia Lian? What a waste!

That gaze was so direct and intense that it made Wang Xifeng's fingertips tremble slightly, and even made Jia Lian restless.

"Yi-ge'er, quickly go and take off that armor!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Grandmother Jia saw Baoyu's face turn deathly pale from the bloodstains on his armor, and her heart clenched. She doted on this grandson the most; he couldn't bear the slightest fright.

"I'll go help Third Brother!"

Yingchun immediately stood up, her voice soft yet firm.

"I want to help Third Brother too!"

Xichun skipped out like a fluffy little rabbit, her eyes sparkling.

"Okay, okay."

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "Go ahead and keep your third brother company."

"Yuanyang, take Yi-ge'er to change his clothes."

"Yes, Ancestor."

Yuanyang gave a graceful bow, then turned slightly to Jia Yi, saying, "My lord, please."

Jia Yi looked up and sized her up. Yuanyang was only fifteen or fourteen years old at the time, still somewhat naive, but she had already shown her talent—her skin was as white as snow, her eyes as black as lacquer, and her figure graceful; she was sure to be a stunning beauty in the future.

No wonder that old bastard Jia She kept thinking about it; anyone would have been unable to resist.

"Ancestor!"

When Jia Baoyu saw that the girls were about to leave, he grabbed Grandmother Jia's sleeve and started to whine.

That coy and affected manner was exactly like that of a young girl.

Jia Zheng's eyes turned red with anger, and his fists clenched tightly.

If it weren't for Jia Yi's return today, and the whole family celebrating together, he would have dragged this good-for-nothing out and broken a few of his boards!

"Baoyu, your third brother Yi has just returned from Liaodong."

"It's only natural that Yingchun and the others would want to get closer to them."

Grandmother Jia gently patted Baoyu's hand, her tone tender yet brooking no argument.

Meanwhile, Jia Yi followed Yuanyang through the corridors and courtyards, then paused—

"This is... Rikain?"

He raised an eyebrow slightly, his heart stirring with emotion.

Shouldn't this place be reserved for the Xue family to settle down in the future? How come it's mine ahead of schedule?

"Your Excellency is right, it is indeed Pear Fragrance Courtyard."

Yuanyang noticed that his expression was strange, so she quickly explained, "When the old lady heard that you were going back to the mansion, she specially ordered me to personally supervise the renovation and make a residence for you."

She deliberately emphasized the words "old lady," her words carrying a hidden meaning—the implication was clear: you must remember this kindness.

Jia Yi chuckled lightly, a knowing glint in his eyes, but he didn't reveal it.

Wow—this place is huge!

Like a bird released from its cage, Shi Xiangyun ran around the yard once, shouting with delight.

Compared to the exquisite little courtyards where Sanchun lived, this place was simply extravagant!

"certainly."

Jia Yi almost blurted out, "My grandfather Daishan used to live here," but stopped himself in time and corrected himself, "In the past... it was where the Duke lived."

Even if the former residence of the Duke of Rongguo wasn't as opulent as Rongxi Hall, it was still grand and imposing. Not to mention, there was a training ground hidden at the back, spacious enough for horses to run across!

"Third Brother!" Xichun ran over, looking up at him with bright, sparkling eyes. "Can we come here to fly kites sometime?"

Where in the Rongguo Mansion is there such a large open space? Normally, you're even afraid of hitting the flowers and trees when you kick a shuttlecock.

"Of course."

Jia Yi gently ruffled her hair, his smile warm and gentle. "From now on, you can come and go as you please in this courtyard."

"My lord, let me remove your armor."

Yuanyang urged, "Grandmother Jia is still waiting in Rongqing Hall; we can't delay any longer."

"Um."

Jia Yi nodded.

"We'll join in too!"

Lin Daiyu approached unnoticed. She gently raised her hand, and the moment her fingertips touched the cold iron armor, her heart inexplicably trembled.

Yingchun stood to one side, her eyes slightly red. As she unbuttoned her clothes, she secretly peeked out—how many knife and gun scars must Third Brother have accumulated on his body after fighting for so many years?

"ah!"

Tan Chun suddenly exclaimed, her eyes wide, "Third Brother! How come... you're not hurt at all?!"

The crowd crowded around, yet hesitated to look directly at Jia Yi out of politeness—his armor had been removed, revealing a strong, muscular back and shoulders with clearly defined bronze muscles, without a single scar. He was so clean-cut that it seemed he had never experienced battle.

Even the shy, blushing mandarin ducks were stunned, their eyes wide with astonishment.

"Those clowns from the Later Jin dynasty are not worthy of leaving their mark on me."

Jia Yi chuckled softly, his tone nonchalant yet exuding an air of dominance.

Although the original owner was foolish, he was extremely lucky. With the protection of Wu Sheng and others, he fought for many years without suffering any injuries.

After he transmigrated, he proceeded with extreme caution, so how could he be easily injured?

More than ten years of military service, going in and out in uniform without a single scratch—that in itself is a legend.

The women stared at him, their breaths catching in their throats, their eyes sparkling with starlight.

At this moment, Jia Yi was no longer the rumored foolish "Brother Yi".

He is a war god who survived the flames, a young general who returned stained with blood.