Chapter 382 - 247: The Leopard Cat Switches the Crown Prince
Chapter 382: Chapter 247: The Leopard Cat Switches the Crown Prince
「The next morning.」
The rain had lessened, but a fine drizzle still fell from beneath a shroud of gray, overcast clouds.
The soft pitter-patter was everywhere.
Occasionally, a larger droplet would fall, making a crisp DRIP-DROP as it struck a puddle or a leaf.
On days like this, Xiaodie was always the busiest.
Before dawn, she had helped Xiao Wuge wash up and get dressed, then saw him off as he followed Wang Lixing to the Martial Arts Arena.
After that, she didn’t have a moment to spare.
Washing clothes, hanging them to dry, cleaning, and so on.
She bustled about for a full two hours before the Spring Lotus Garden finally looked refreshed in the gloomy, rainy weather.
It was clean and natural, like a courtyard in a Jiangnan water village.
Xiaodie looked at the tidy courtyard, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and broke into a satisfied smile.
’Time to wake the Young Master.’
But just as she put the broom away, she heard the jingling of bells from outside.
Pei Guanli came skipping over. "Sister Xiaodie, I’m back."
Xiaodie turned to look and exclaimed, "Your clothes..."
Pei Guanli was no longer wearing her previous attire, the distinctive clothing of the Mountain Race.
Instead, she had changed into a sea-blue long dress with a band of pink embroidered flowers at the waist.
The neckline was a bit low, and pressed down by a silver bell, the pale white cleavage was faintly visible.
However, she was still barefoot, her fair, delicate feet leaving faint wet prints on the damp bluestone slabs.
A grin spread across Pei Guanli’s round face. She spun around twice like a flower and asked, "Isn’t it pretty?"
Xiaodie nodded repeatedly. "Very pretty."
She couldn’t help but feel a little envious.
Although she didn’t lack for food or clothing in the Marquis’s Mansion, she usually went without makeup and wore the specific uniform of a servant.
She rarely got to dress up deliberately like Pei Guanli.
After a few more pleasantries, Pei Guanli glanced at the wooden building and asked, "Is Brother-in-law not up yet?"
Xiaodie nodded. "I was just about to go wake the Young Master."
Hearing this, Pei Guanli’s eyes darted around. She playfully pushed Xiaodie toward the gate, saying with a giggle, "Sister Xiaodie, you go prepare breakfast. I’ll go wake Brother-in-law."
"You? No, that won’t do. You’re a guest. How could I let you do such things?"
"Don’t worry, it’s just bringing Brother-in-law some hot water and a towel, right? Leave it to me, leave it to me..."
Xiaodie couldn’t win against her, so after a few words of instruction, she took an oil-paper umbrella and went to the back kitchen to prepare breakfast.
Seeing her walk away, Pei Guanli let out a couple of mischievous giggles.
She then fetched the hot water and a towel and went to Chen Yi’s door.
"Bro... Young Master, it’s time for you to get up."
Pei Guanli put on a high-pitched voice, imitating Xiaodie, and gently pushed the door open to peek inside.
Once she saw Chen Yi lying on the bed, she tiptoed into the room, carefully set down the hot water, and dipped the towel in it.
As she made her preparations, she kept glancing back, afraid that Chen Yi would wake up at any moment.
After wringing the towel dry, she beamed again, her eyes curving into beautiful crescents.
But just as Pei Guanli turned around, she saw Chen Yi standing right in front of her. She yelped in fright and stumbled backward.
"Ah!"
"Brother-in-law, help, help..."
"What sort of mischief were you planning?" Chen Yi said, even as his hand shot out, grabbing the towel to pull her back.
Pei Guanli, still shaken, patted the bells on her chest and said with a flushed face, "You wretched Brother-in-law! You were awake this whole time, weren’t you?"
Chen Yi looked at her with amusement. "Trying to turn the tables, are we? You were the one trying to scare me first."
Pei Guanli pouted, handing him the towel while muttering things like "no fun at all."
Chen Yi took the towel and wiped his face. Knowing she had a childish nature, he didn’t tease her further and instead changed the subject, "Have you gotten your brother and the others settled?"
Pei Guanli’s expression immediately brightened. She hugged his arm and said, "Brother-in-law, do you know where my brother and the others are staying?"
"Kangning Street?"
"Yep, yep, not far from Guiyun Academy."
’That makes sense.’
Pei Guanli didn’t know much about Shu State Prefecture City. Besides the Xiao Family estate, the only other place she was familiar with was the academy.
After all, she had almost died there.
"That’s a good spot. When the people from the Five Poison Sect arrive, they’ll likely stay in that area too."
Hearing this, Pei Guanli blinked. "Is that so?"
"Brother-in-law, do you know where they are?"
Chen Yi helplessly patted her hand away and explained as he got dressed,
"I ran into them over there before."
That night, after he killed Yan Fusha, he hadn’t told Pei Guanli about Liu Zhaoxue.
He didn’t want Pei Guanli to learn the truth and go blustering over to the Liu Family, which would interfere with his plans.
Pei Guanli clearly wasn’t concerned about that. "So, that means I did the right thing by having my brother and the others stay there."
"Yes, yes, you did..."
Once fully dressed, Chen Yi led her downstairs to the living room to wait for Xiaodie’s return.
Pei Guanli then began to animatedly recount interesting stories about her brother and the others.
For example, her youngest sister, Lan Yanni, was a young girl who had just turned fifteen.
Although her Cultivation had already surpassed Pei Guanli’s, reaching the Upper Seventh Grade, she was like a country bumpkin, finding everything in the city new and fascinating.
Then there was the woman she called Aunt Chu, whose name was Zhu Fangling. For the past two days, she had been clamoring to go back to the mountains.
And her "Uncle Li," Li Yunjun, who looked honest on the surface but was actually full of mischief.
As soon as they got to the city, he had snuck off to Yanhua Lane, only to be discovered by Zhu Fangling and given a sound beating.
There was also her third granduncle, Pei Ze, a Fourth Grade Realm Poison Master who had clashed with people from the Five Poison Sect many years ago.
"Brother-in-law, this time, Ah Ma had my brother bring people over. We’re fully prepared. I guarantee those from the Five Poison Sect will find it a one-way trip."
"Your Ah Ma isn’t making a move herself?"
"Don’t underestimate my brother. He made a special trip into the mountains a while back and got a few treasures from Granny Shan."
"Granny Shan?"
"Yep, yep, from Wumeng Mountain."