Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

A lot of information in just a few words.

Firstly, Master Yang actually handed over the martial arts school to Xiao Hua without any prior indication, which seemed quite hasty.

Secondly, although it is almost standard for a martial arts school in the county to have a master of the Transformation Realm, Xiao Hua should have gone to the sect in the prefectural city after reaching the Transformation Realm, but he stayed behind to take charge of the martial arts school.

However, considering it was Xiao Hua, Ye Ci shook his head and said:

"I'm not going."

Perhaps this was also part of Master Yang's plan, to increase Xiao Hua's value before he went to the prefectural city.

Seeing such a young master of the Transformation Realm, the five major families will probably try to forge a strong bond of goodwill with him.

Suddenly, he added another question:

"Did Master Yang explain clearly what he was going to do in the south?"

"I don't know."

Wu Tan shook his head and muttered, "I really don't know what Commander Yang was thinking, sending troops south these days. I heard the fighting in the south has intensified recently, with the Jianwu Army suffering several defeats in succession. Going south at this time is quite dangerous..."

Ye Ci interrupted, "Defeated again?"

Wu Tan followed up by saying, "That's how war is, sometimes tense, sometimes relaxed. These days, nobody believes the official reports anymore."

"I reckon Master Yang is also heading south on important business. He must be worried about the dangers of war there, so he took several disciples with him. He only left you and the young head镖师 of the Jiang family as his personal disciples, and of course, Xiao Hua as well."

The fighting was sometimes intense, sometimes relaxed; the barbarians would often retreat only to return with renewed force...

Ye Ci had some doubts about Yang Shi's purpose in leaving.

It might just be for war.

This old man was probably retired from the military, which is why he was willing to take me on as an apprentice for ten taels of silver.

"Then... Master Ye, I'll go tell the master that you're not going."

Seeing that Ye Ci had nothing more to say, Wu Tan politely cupped his hands in farewell and left.

As he walked, he secretly pondered to himself that Ye Gongfeng hadn't reacted much to his flattery, and he felt that he hadn't flattered him in the right place each time.

We need to study it further.

Ye Ci stopped practicing and wiped the thin layer of sweat from his forehead with a cloth.

No sooner had Wu Tan left than Huang Guoshu came staggering over, carrying dates in his hands and spitting them out as he walked.

He would come to see Ye Ci every now and then, occasionally sharing news from the martial arts school and cursing Xiao Hua.

Looking further behind Huangguoshu, there was another figure.

Murong Yanyu entered through the door carrying a stack of red silk quilts. Seeing Ye Ci resting, she quickened her pace and went to the front, saying:

"Young master, your new clothes and soft-soled boots are ready and placed on the table in the outer room. I just passed by the kitchen, and the hot water is also ready. You can take a bath after you finish your practice."

As she spoke, she glanced at the courtyard.

Seeing the osmanthus tree fall made me feel a little heartbroken.

From now on, this once pleasant spot for enjoying the cool evening air has been vandalized.

The courtyard wall is also damaged.

"I'll call someone to fix it later."

Ye Ci said something, his gaze falling on the red silk, and asked again, "What are you doing?"

Murong Yanyu responded by looking down, then said softly:

"Aren't you getting married? Your second aunt bought some wedding quilts, pillows, and curtains... We can't let the Shen family pay for these."

"Who said I was going to get married?"

Ye Ci was helpless.

Since the day Shen Zonghan personally came to their door and summoned his second aunt to present the marriage certificate in front of everyone, the Ye family, having already received favors from the Shen family, could not refuse and accepted it, leaving it to Ye Ci to decide.

More than a month has passed in the blink of an eye. Even though Ye Ci showed no reaction, his second aunt, being an elder, thought that she should prepare something, so she asked Mu Mu to prepare some red silk in advance.

Mumu was initially a little down.

However, Li comforted her, saying that she was too young and that giving birth would harm her health, so the girl gradually let nature take its course.

But when she heard Ye Ci say he didn't want to get married, the girl's eyes lit up again:

"You're not going to marry the young lady?"

Ye Ci shook his head: "I don't feel at ease keeping this woman by my side... The reason I didn't return the marriage certificate is because I want to see if she will continue to harm me."

That day, Commandant Qin said that someone had launched a night raid on the Shen residence, and he had no doubt that Shen Yixi was a fake.

I've met this woman a few times, but Shen Xin says she's always been very arrogant.

Even though the Shen family gave them a marriage certificate, the two never met at the mansion.

It was as if it had vanished into thin air.

"vomit……"

Huang Guoshu finished eating the dates, clapped his hands, and said, "Brother Ye, I think you're overthinking it. You've already given her the marriage certificate, why would your wife lay a hand on you?"

"Not necessarily," Murong Yanyu muttered softly.

Huang Guoshu glanced at her: "Besides, with the Commandant giving you his back, who would dare to lay a hand on you?"

"Also, you don't want such a beautiful girl like Miss Shen? You're not really going to marry this little maid in the future, are you? She's not tall, her skin isn't fair, and her features are just a bit delicate, but it's a pity she hasn't fully developed yet."

He always addressed Murong Yanyu as "little maid." At first, Murong Yanyu resisted, but after the Ye family accepted the marriage certificate, she stopped resisting.

But today, Murong Yanyu glared at him angrily:

"Is it any of your business what the young master does?"

Seeing the two standing there like fighting cocks, Ye Ci shook his head helplessly. Huang Guoshu's sharp tongue had been known for a long time, so why bother arguing with him?

"By the way, Mumu, has Shen Yixi done anything unusual lately?"

Upon hearing this, Murong Yanyu turned around and said, "It seems so. These days, the young lady has been frequently visiting the pharmacy in the manor. I overheard her talking about poisons with Steward Chen. So, I've been tasting the meals prepared for the young master beforehand."

"She's going to poison me?" Huang Guoshu exclaimed from the side.

"Keep your voice down!"

Murong Yanyu gave him a disdainful look and said, "I've already asked around. The young lady in charge of the kitchen in the manor never interferes, so it shouldn't be convenient for her to poison him..."

Huang Guoshu scoffed: "Then what are you afraid of?"

Murong Yanyu said, "In the storybooks, there was a beautiful woman who poisoned her own man because she liked another man. I'm just worried about you, young master. It's not like you, young lady, would actually poison someone."

Huang Guoshu slapped his thigh: "I've read this storybook too, little maid, hehe... You even read this kind of storybook, are you trying to work my older brother to death in the future?"

"What?"

Ye Ci was still pondering the matter of the poison when he noticed the two were becoming increasingly agitated, so he asked:

"Fruit tree, what brings you here today?"

"what?"

Huang Guoshu didn't respond, and continued to ask Murong Yanyu:

"Where did you read the storybook?"

"It's in the young lady's study; it's part of her collection."

After they finished speaking, the two looked at each other and then gave each other meaningful glances.

So this is what kind of person the young lady is.

The two, who had always disliked each other, showed a rare tacit understanding.

"What are you two doing?!"

Ye Ci asked helplessly again, "Fruit tree, what exactly are you doing here?"

"Oh……"

Huang Guoshu waved his hand, signaling the maid not to disturb the important matter, and then said to Ye Ci:

"Brother Ye, my brother-in-law heard some news and asked me to let you know."

"Guangzhilin Pharmacy in the county has recently acquired several white jade snow lotus plants. They are good for strengthening bones and muscles. If you want them, you'll have to place an order with them in advance."