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...

Five days passed in this busy routine.

That night, Chen Xie practiced swordsmanship under the moon in the courtyard. It was a habit formed over many years that he would practice for an hour or two before going to sleep every day, and then take a bath before going to sleep to feel refreshed. He would also get up early in the morning to practice diligently without fail. Although he could not be said to be practicing from dawn till dusk, he was not far off from it.

As a child, Chen Xie loved martial arts. However, the Song people valued literature, and his father, Chen Yi, naturally disapproved of his son's pursuit of martial arts. Although he knew of Chen Xie's interest, he was unwilling to hire a martial arts instructor. Every few days, Chen Yi would sneak off to a martial arts school to learn on his own. Later, he happened to meet a martial arts monk staying at Lingyin Temple who instructed him for over a month and gave him a book on breathing techniques. From then on, Chen Xie secretly practiced at home. When Chen Yi discovered this, he scolded him, but Chen Xie argued that practicing martial arts was good for his health and wouldn't neglect his studies. Only then did Chen Yi give up.

Three years ago, Chen Xie followed Chen Yi to Yongxing Army Road. Chen Yi was busy with political affairs and had no time to supervise his studies. He often went to the nearby garrison to spar with the soldiers. As his experience grew, he combined practical combat skills with his own to create many new moves on top of his original martial arts style. Now, he is also a martial arts master who can travel the world with a sword. However, he has always been very low-key, so even now his father does not know his true strength and only thinks that he is still just playing around with fancy moves.

Chen Xie stood in the middle of the courtyard, took a deep breath, and casually waved his hand. A ball of blue light shone brightly in the moonlight, with the faint sound of air being torn apart. His longsword sometimes moved like a snake spitting its tongue, sometimes like an eagle soaring through the sky, like a dragon descending from the abyss and a rainbow piercing the sun. On a whim, he stood up and a beam of light was directly thrown onto a large tree branch that was sticking out from the top of the wall.

Amidst the swirling leaves, a sudden cry of surprise rang out. The sword light solidified, the stance was halted, and a loud shout rang out: "Who's there! Show yourself!"

Bai Yu felt extremely unlucky. She had originally thought that the Chen family the girl mentioned was just an ordinary family, or at best, a family with a three-courtyard house.

To his utter surprise, the so-called Chen family estate was far larger than he had imagined. As far as the eye could see, the walls stretched endlessly. As for the vermilion gate and the burly, well-dressed gatekeepers, before he could even utter a word, he was unceremoniously driven away, given no chance to speak. It was obvious that mentioning the name of the Third Young Master would not be believed.

Bai Yu was extremely frustrated, but a man's word is his bond, and he couldn't break his promise. He had planned to sneak in after dark, but after wandering around the wall for a long time, he finally found a big tree that would make it easy to enter the mansion. However, as soon as he climbed up and peeked out, he was swept by a flurry of swords. Fortunately, he was quick-witted and had learned some martial arts, otherwise his hair would probably be gone, and he could have gone straight to Lingyin Temple to become a bald monk, saving the old monk from having to bother.

Even so, one cheek was still burning and painful. He touched it and found a little blood, obviously it was cut, but the wound didn't seem deep, just a little blood. For a boy like him who was used to getting injured, it didn't bother him too much.

Hearing the questioning, and especially seeing that the branches and leaves in front of him had been cut off, he had no choice but to reply, "I... am looking for the Third Young Master Chen Xun..."

In the dead of night, with people acting suspiciously, Chen Xie had no reason to believe him. He reached over and pulled Bai Yu down from the wall, throwing him to the ground. He saw that Bai Yu was a thin boy of eight or nine years old, dressed in rags, but he did have a pair of good eyes.

Bai Yu was thrown to the ground, but he immediately sprang to his feet, dusted himself off, and looked up to see a muscular young man in a tight-fitting outfit scrutinizing him with his arms crossed. He quickly explained, "I'm here to see the Third Young Master, Chen Xun..."

Chen Xie snorted coldly: "Little guy, you'd better tell me the truth honestly. With your sneaky behavior, how can I believe you? Tell me the truth now, or don't blame me for bullying a child. A beating will be the least of my worries. I'll send you straight to the yamen and you'll see what happens."

Having seen many military men in the army, Chen Xie seemed to have picked up some of the fierceness of the military. In the dim light of night, his sharply defined features made him seem even more unpredictable, and his tone was cold and intimidating.

However, Bai Yu was not a typical sheltered child. He stood up straight, showing no fear: "Young master, my name is Bai Yu. I am indeed here to see the Third Young Master Chen Xun. We made an appointment, but the gatekeeper wouldn't let me in, so I had to find a way to get in by myself."

"Hmph, I'd be a fool to believe you. It seems I have to use some tricks on you, little brat, before you'll know what the Chen residence is like. Do you think you can just come and go as you please?"

After Chen Xie finished speaking, he stepped forward and was about to grab Bai Yu by the collar, wanting to teach this little guy a lesson. He didn't really intend to do anything to him, just scare him a little. He figured that a child this big couldn't do anything too bad, and he would just scold him a few times and send him away.

As it turned out, he had clearly underestimated Bai Yu. When Bai Yu saw a large hand reaching out, he swayed and took two steps to the side, seemingly casually, but with just the right amount of composure.

Huh!

Chen Xie was slightly surprised. This little guy was quite interesting. He couldn't help but become interested: "Not bad, he's quick on his feet and clever too, hmph!" He wanted to see how much this little thief was capable of.

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Chapter 48 Bai Yu (2 updates on the 30th)

Chen Xie used three-tenths of his strength this time, and rushed in front of Bai Yu. His claws moved like the wind, still grabbing at Bai Yu's collar. Today, he was determined to fight over the collar.

Bai Yu spun around quickly, twisted her head and waist, took a wrong step, and jumped away, causing Chen Xie to miss his target.

This time, Chen Xie had no choice but to put aside his contempt. Looking at Bai Yu not far away, he said coldly, "Who exactly are you? What are you doing at the Chen residence in the middle of the night? Do you have any accomplices? I'll give you one last chance. If you still don't talk, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Chen Xie was truly serious and cautious this time. He knew very well what kids his age were like, and this kid who called himself Bai Yu was definitely not simple.

However, Chen Xie was confident that catching this kid would be as easy as crushing an ant; he had just been overconfident.

Bai Yu's situation wasn't as simple and easy as it seemed. Although he had learned martial arts for a while, he was still young and his days were short. He only managed to dodge the attacks by being clever and quick-witted. Looking at the tall Chen Xie in front of him, he felt both fear and envy. He wished he were that tall and strong, and that he would be even more powerful than Chen Xie.

But the thought of such a tall and imposing man dealing with him made him less envious. He quickly bowed and said, "Brother, I am Bai Yu. I have indeed come at the invitation of the Third Young Master Chen Xun. If you don't believe me, you can ask someone to find out. There is no benefit for me to lie, and it is indeed the truth."

Chen Xie saw that the little guy was quite calm. Although his clothes were tattered and he was a bit dirty, his eyes were extremely clear and clean, which made him a rare person who could be trusted.

Besides, he really didn't believe anyone would dare to do anything to the Chen family. However... he wasn't willing to let this kid go so easily. He wanted to test how capable this little guy was. So, with his face still icy, he said, "Hmph, enough nonsense. Let me give you a few punches first and see what kind of person you are. Why don't you take the proper path and insist on climbing over the wall in the middle of the night..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he leaped forward and slapped the little guy across the face, using only about six or seven tenths of his strength, but he didn't hold back this time. He had just noticed that the little guy was quite agile.

As Bai Yu saw a dark figure looming over him, a chill ran down his spine. He knew he was no match for this big man; fighting him head-on would be suicide. He quickly covered his head and ran, crying out, "Third Young Master Chen Xun... Bai Yu has come to find you..."

The best solution, of course, is to call out the person in question to testify for him. Otherwise, who knows what this big guy might do to him? Bai Yu is a street urchin, and although he is young, he is extremely clever. It's better not to suffer a loss in the present situation.

Chen Xie was both amused and exasperated by his cowardly scurrying manner and quickly stopped him: "Alright, stop shouting. If you shout again, I'll really get angry. Don't startle people, it's dark outside."

Especially if we disturb the old lady and uncles, what kind of behavior would that be? It would be troublesome then.

Hearing Chen Xie's tone soften, Bai Yu stood at a distance and looked at him silently: "Take me to find the Third Young Master. I'm really not a thief or anything."

Chen Xie waved his hand: "Alright, come with me. Stop shouting, or don't blame me for being impolite."

He took Bai Yu back to his room and sent his page to find Chen Xun. It was late at night, so he instructed the page: "Tell Sixth Aunt that I saw a very good book, but I don't quite understand it. I need to ask Third Brother to come and discuss it with me. Go."

The servant acknowledged the order and left. Chen Xie took the handkerchief handed to him by the servant, wiped his face and looked Bai Yu up and down: "Kid, you've practiced martial arts? You're quite skilled."

Bai Yu was a little embarrassed: "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, young master. If you jump around like that, you'll get bitten by a dog if you don't run faster." Although this older brother had just scared her, he didn't seem to have any ill intentions. He seemed straightforward and friendly, which made her want to get closer to him.

Therefore, Bai Yu, who was always wary of people, did not hide his background.

The two hadn't exchanged more than a few words when Chen Xun arrived. Upon seeing Bai Yu in the room, he was initially puzzled, finding the face familiar. But then he quickly recognized him and exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, you're quite something! Trustworthy and keeping your promises, not bad at all... Oh, greetings, elder brother. May I ask what brings you here... the excuse of reading, cough cough..."

Chen Xun greeted Chen Xun, then smiled meaningfully.

Chen Xun didn't take it seriously and pointed to Bai Yu beside him: "Look, it's this kid. He came to our house in the middle of the night to climb over the wall and I knocked him down. Do you know him?"

Chen Xun then recounted how he and Mu Qing met Bai Yu. Chen Xun listened with a hint of surprise, and his gaze towards Bai Yu held more admiration. However, he was even more curious: "How did you, little sister, predict that this boy would come back? That's quite strange."

Chen Xun shook his head and smiled wryly: "I don't know either, but it's too late today. Maybe I should ask my little sister tomorrow, and then we can discuss how to settle this kid. He's a year's worth of free labor, haha... He's a bit young, but we'll make do."

Chen Xun then bid farewell to his elder brother and returned to his own courtyard. It was inconvenient to bring Bai Yu along, so he decided to stay with his elder brother.

Chen Xie was used to taking a bath after practicing martial arts. He glanced at Bai Yu, who was a little dirty, and instructed the servants, "Prepare some more hot water and wash this kid clean too. Find him a small set of clean clothes to change into, and then I'll ask him some questions when I get back."

After saying that, Chen Xie went to his private room to bathe and change. Bai Yu was also taken to the kitchen by servants to wash and change clothes and then brought back.

When Chen Xie returned to his room with his hair down and saw Bai Yu, he was stunned for a moment, thinking he had mistaken her for someone else.

There was a little boy, about eight or nine years old, with delicate features. His bright, black eyes were clear and lively, and his black hair was loose and still a little wet. His light blue cloth clothes, though not new or old, were clean and tidy, and slightly oversized, which made the little boy look even more tender, cute, and pitiful.

This is clearly a handsome little boy, not the dirty, disheveled beggar-like little thing from before.

Chen Xun couldn't help but click his tongue: "Goodness, clothes really do make the man. You're actually not bad looking, kid. Alright, you can sleep in the outer room tonight. We'll talk about it tomorrow."

And so, Bai Yu was arranged to rest in the room next door, which was originally the room of the night watchman.

He was used to living in the streets and alleys, and he had lived in dilapidated temples before, let alone such a nice house and bed. He was also a child, so he adapted very well and fell asleep in no time.

In his dream, he met that small, pretty little girl who was grinning at him, only missing a front tooth. He smiled back, his own handsome features crinkling with laughter.

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Chapter 49 The Question of Xiaobai's Ownership

Dreaming is just dreaming.

The next day, when the girl with the gap-toothed tooth stood in front of him and smiled, Bai Yu subconsciously wanted to respond, but forgot that this wasn't a dream. He was "forced" to be someone's servant. Even if he had lived the life of a petty thug before, he was a thug with character, and he couldn't fawn over her with a smile.

Bai Yu then kept a straight face, looking every bit the little adult, waiting for Mu Qing to give him instructions: "Please forgive me, young lady! I was delayed by some matters, so I am two days late."

"It's alright! It's good that you came! Tsk tsk, Brother Bai Yu, I didn't expect you to be so handsome!" Mu Qing was surprised that Bai Yu, after washing up, turned out to be a cute and adorable young boy.

Clothes make the man, and today Chen Xie's page found Bai Yu a suitable outfit, making him look much more energetic.

Mu Qing felt that Bai Yu truly lived up to her name. Her face was clean and fair, her nose was straight, her eyebrows were thick and dark, her inner corners of her eyes were slightly downturned, her eye sockets were deeper than normal, and her thin, flesh-pink lips were tightly pursed. However, her eyes would occasionally sneakily glance at her own eyes, as lively as a little mouse.

Looking at Bai Yu, Mu Qing thought he looked a bit like someone of mixed race, and wondered if the little boy might have some ethnic minority ancestry. A pink heart involuntarily appeared in Mu Qing's eyes; the more she looked, the cuter he became! She had stumbled upon a gem!

"What are those two characters in your brother's name? Have you been to school?" Mu Qing forgot to maintain her ladylike image; her mouth opened wide, revealing a gap in her teeth, and she was practically drooling. Little Ma and the fox were both teenagers; although handsome, they weren't as cute as the little boy.

Seeing Mu Qing's appearance, Bai Yu recalled her dream from last night. Suppressing a laugh, she straightened her posture and answered seriously, "The white is white, and the character is jade with gold trim. I fled from Huazhou a year ago because my family was separated. I used to attend a private school for a few days."

"When I caught you last night, you were as slippery as an eel, but you've become serious in front of my little sister today! Kid, I'm telling you, stop pretending, haha!" Chen Xie laughed and slapped Bai Yu hard on the shoulder.

Caught off guard, Bai Yu stumbled, then slipped two steps to the side before straightening up: "Young Master, although I come from humble origins, I know that there are strict rules in the homes of wealthy families, and I will certainly comply."

That kid's clever and has a good eye!

Chen Xun raised an eyebrow: "Hmm, that makes sense! Qing'er, do you have a place to put the laborers you brought in yourself?"

Mu Qing thought about it and realized that he had only wanted to lure the person here, and hadn't really thought carefully about where to settle them. The women in the inner courtyard were basically served by maids and servants, and he wasn't a young master who could have pageboys and servants following him.

Mu Qing frowned, pouting as she pondered, what should she do now? She could let the grudge go, but she was curious about Bai Yu's background in the martial arts world and wanted to get some information from him about the lives of ordinary people outside—it would be useful. After all, Bai Yu was still quite a child, and a real child was easier to communicate with than a fake one like herself. Plus, having him run errands would be convenient in the future.

"I think we should let Bai Yu come with me!" Chen Xie suggested.

Chen Xiexin quite liked Bai Yu's personality. Although the boy had the roguish air of a street thug, he was clever, knew how to act appropriately, and knew when to advance and retreat. Moreover, Bai Yu was honest, kept his promises, and knew some martial arts, which suited his temperament perfectly.

Mu Qing was unaware of the incident last night, but remembering that her elder brother was going back to the Northwest in a few days, she quickly shook her head and refused: "No way! Brother is going back to Yongxing Army Road. Bai Yu is going to be your servant, and he'll have to go with you too. Qing'er is at a disadvantage! Bai Yu is here to work for me, Brother, you're trying to poach him!"

Chen Xun didn't take it seriously and turned to Bai Yu, saying, "Kid, a real man can't spend his days with little girls! Follow me, and you'll live a life of luxury, and you can travel the world in the future. It's a hundred times better than staying in this courtyard, what do you say?"

"Big brother is just bullying Qing'er because she's young." Mu Qing glared at Chen Xie fiercely. Her brother was deliberately challenging her; this was too blatant of him to undermine her!

Chen Xie only smiled and did not answer. Mu Qing was about to retort when Bai Yu spoke first: "Thank you for your kindness, young master! Although I am young, I am a person of my word. Since I have promised Miss Chen, I shall follow her orders."

Bai Yu bowed and thanked Chen Xie.

"Very well!" Chen Xie nodded, inwardly admiring Bai Yu and his goodwill towards him increased even further. The boy has a firm will and is not swayed by external things, not bad!

Mu Qing was slightly surprised. She hadn't expected Bai Yu to be so trustworthy at such a young age, and she felt that this child was extraordinary.

"How about this? Qing'er can't have a servant, and my elder brother can't stay for long. Let this child stay with me as a page. That way, it will be easier for Mu Qing to collect the debt, hehe!"

Chen Xun smiled and defused the situation: "Qing'er, what do you think of my compromise?"

"Hmm! This is a good idea! Much better than eldest brother's terrible plan. Third brother really loves Qing'er, humph!"

Mu Qing pulled Chen Xun's arm and said, "Then it's settled. Hmm, we need to draw up a contract. Good Third Brother, can you draft two for Qing'er? One is a contract for Bai Yu to sell himself to the manor for a year, and the other is for you to sign."

"Third Brother also needs to sign?" Chen Xun asked, puzzled.

As soon as Mu Qing spoke, Chen Xie understood his sister's thoughts and teased his third brother, "Of course you have to sign. This person isn't yours."

"Of course. Bai Yu is just staying in Third Brother's courtyard. On the surface, she's Third Brother's person, but in private, she has to take orders from me!"

His sister is really shrewd!