Chapter 261: Chapter 206: Sincerity Is the Ultimate Move
’That voice!?’
Chen Yi didn’t waste a moment thinking. He immediately lifted the side curtain and looked outside.
Under the dim light of the sky, the rain fell in a solid sheet.
A carriage approached from ahead and to the side.
It was pulled by a southern pony, a docile breed with a slow gait.
The carriage itself was made of common, reddish-brown wood, completely unadorned. It bore no family crest, offering no clue to its origin.
Compared to the magnificent carriage of the Marquis’s Mansion that Chen Yi was in, they were worlds apart.
As the two carriages—one small and plain, the other large and luxurious—passed each other, Chen Yi’s eyes met those of a man in the other vehicle.
How to describe the man’s appearance?
He had slightly curly brown hair, rugged eyebrows, a pear-shaped face, a hooked nose, and a pair of gray eyes.
Clearly a foreigner—a man from the Poshisu Country.
But he wasn’t wearing the loud, colorful, and chaotic attire typical of the Poshisu Country. Instead, he was dressed in the short-robed style of the Wei Dynasty’s Jianghu People.
At that moment, neither man’s expression faltered. Their gazes remained steady, their faces impassive.
The only difference was that Chen Yi wore a gentle smile, as if he had merely happened to lift the curtain to admire the rainy day.
The man opposite him, however, was expressionless, his eyes filled with an apathy that suggested he was indifferent to everything.
Even upon seeing Chen Yi, he looked at him as if he were someone utterly insignificant.
Just as the carriages passed, a low voice drifted over. "Hmph, the Xiao Family..."
Chen Yi impassively withdrew his gaze and lowered the curtain, thinking, ’Hmph, so it’s him.’
Chen Yi was certain he wasn’t mistaken. Besides being hoarse and deep, the man’s voice had a distinct and peculiar upward lilt at the end of his words.
He had originally assumed it was the accent of the Mountain Race, or a dialect from a region far from where the Central Plains’ common tongue was spoken.
Only now did he realize it was the native accent of someone from the Poshisu Country, one they couldn’t shake even after learning the language of the Central Plains.
’A man from the Poshisu Country...’
’The bizarre Cultivation Technique that made my predecessor flee his own wedding...’
’It seems the Martial Arts practiced by the Jianghu People of the Poshisu Country are mostly of the Evil Demonic Dao.’
’There are the Medicine Men who infuse their bodies with venom to practice Poison Skills, the Human Pigs who sever their own limbs for the Bone Transformation Skill, and even practitioners who specialize in the dark arts of Black Magic.’
’A Cultivation Technique capable of controlling another’s mind wouldn’t be surprising at all.’
But what truly concerned Chen Yi, aside from the man being from the Poshisu Country, was his motive for sabotaging the Xiao Family’s search for a son-in-law.
Moreover, the disdain in the man’s voice from his memory suggested a deep familiarity with both the Xiao Family and Xiao Jinghong.
As Chen Yi considered all this, a faint smile appeared on his face. He had, at last, found some clues.
The greatest fear is the unknown.
Once a person or a problem is known, there is always a way to solve it.
It’s merely a matter of time.
The same was true for Chen Yi.
He was not short on methods for solving problems, nor was he short on patience.
’The only difference is whether I kill one person, or an entire group.’
Just then, Xiao Wan’er noticed Chen Yi was lost in thought. She trailed off from her story, lowered her head slightly, and asked softly,
"Do you... think I’m being overly sentimental?"
Chen Yi snapped back to reality. He turned to look at her, realizing his distraction had led her to worry, and replied with a smile,
"If the Marquis’s Mansion had more people like you, there would probably be a lot less trouble."
"People like me?"
"Yes. You’re reasonable, considerate of others’ feelings, respectful to your elders, kind to your family, gentle with everyone, and never biased..."
Hearing this, Xiao Wan’er’s mouth fell open. Her earlier melancholy vanished, replaced by a faint blush on her cheeks. "I... I’m not nearly as wonderful as you make me sound."
"Everyone knows it. If not for all your hard work, just putting food on the table at the mansion would be a challenge, to say nothing of the monthly allowances."
"Plus, you’re a skilled manager with a knack for finances. Every matter in the Marquis’s Mansion, big or small..."
Actually, Chen Yi wasn’t very good at making girls happy.
Truthfully, he had no experience, nor had he ever studied the art of charming women.
He didn’t know the first thing about pick-up lines or tugging at heartstrings.
The only tool in his arsenal was sincerity.
And so, under the assault of Chen Yi’s sincere praise, the blush on Xiao Wan’er’s face deepened.
The hand hidden beneath her cloak fidgeted, rising and falling as she debated whether she should cover his mouth to make him stop.
And it wasn’t just her.
Even Xie Tingyun and Shen Huatang, driving the carriage up front, exchanged glances upon hearing his words.
’Junior Sister, the Second Young Master-in-law’s silver tongue... tsk tsk, it’s lethal.’
’Senior Sister, he’s not wrong, though. The Eldest Miss really is like that.’
’Ah, Junior Sister, sometimes the truer the words, the deeper they sink into the heart...’
Obviously, Xiao Wan’er took it to heart.
After hesitating a moment longer, she finally reached out and covered Chen Yi’s mouth, her face flushed crimson. "Don’t... don’t say any more."
Chen Yi blinked, his eyes gesturing downward to show he understood and would stop.
Xiao Wan’er hastily pulled her hand back, burrowing her head so deep into her furry collar that only her flustered, darting eyes were visible.
Seeing her reaction, Chen Yi decided not to praise her any further, lest she suffocate from embarrassment.
After a brief silence, he switched to business. "Yesterday, I had a long talk with that Boss Chen. I conveyed your and the Old Master’s intentions. As for Boss Chen..."
Chen Yi saw her cautiously peek her head out, revealing one flushed earlobe, and couldn’t resist drawing out the suspense.
When he paused, Xiao Wan’er couldn’t help but turn to look at him.
Her gaze met his, and she saw the mischievous, teasing smile on his face.
Flustered, Xiao Wan’er subconsciously reached out and gave his waist a light pinch, asking with a pout, "Well? What did Boss Chen say?"
It was a girlish gesture she would never have made under normal circumstances.
She must have truly been flustered by Chen Yi’s teasing.
Chen Yi knew this as well. The anger stirred by the man from Poshisu had completely vanished, and his mood lightened considerably.
