Chapter 4: There are always villains trying to harm me

In the blink of an eye, half a year passed by.

After the cold winter, Capital City had moved into summer, bringing a touch of humidity and heat to the air.

However, this weather had no impact on Duke Wu'an Mansion.

Not to mention the several yards with pools and pavilions shaded by green trees, the freely available ice blocks alone were not something ordinary households could compare with.

Yet Chen Yi, already a year and a half old, was somewhat restless. He was lying on the table, looking at the unchanging information on the screen, incessantly scratching his head.

"How exactly can I increase the Rebellion Points?"

As half a year passed, everything and everyone was changing.

He had grown taller, gained strength in his body, could run and jump, and had also completed an ultimate evolution from baby babble to articulate speech.

Even the Jade Sword attached to his wrist as a part of grabbing ceremony had grown much dimmer in color.

However, the Overturning System showed not the slightest change!

Not a tiny bit!

"Damn it!"

Two young servants not far away heard Young Master Yi's curse and immediately stood straight with their eyes down, looking very honest and disciplined.

They didn't know since when, perhaps since Young Master Yi had just learned to speak, they had often heard similar crude words.

At first, they found it amusing.

But once, Lady Xia accidentally heard it, and she secretly investigated who had spoken such words, saying they needed to be "rewarded" properly.

Who did not know that since the grabbing ritual, Lady Xia seemed to have become a different person, very strict in disciplining Young Master Yi.

From etiquette to behavior, everything and everyone had to be educated according to the rules of the Marquis Mansion.

Even they, the servants, were trembling with fear.

Afraid that one day they would swear, Young Master Yi would learn it, and they would end up being punished.

"Madam."

At this moment, as they saw Xia Wanwan's figure from afar, they hurriedly greeted her.

Xia Wanwan glanced at Chen Yi who was sitting earnestly at his desk in the pavilion and asked softly:

"How long has Yi Er been sitting?"

"Madam, for two hours," one servant replied.

"Has he been slacking off during this time?"

"No."

Xia Wanwan nodded in satisfaction, took a plate of fruit from the maid behind her, and walked towards the pavilion.

The two young servants exchanged a relieved glance.

"Yi Er, take a break, eat some fruit."

"Is mother saying I can rest now?" Chen Yi asked earnestly, sitting upright with a serious face.

As soon as Xia Wanwan and her entourage entered the yard, he heard the noise and immediately straightened his attitude.

"You've been so diligent and serious, of course, you can rest," Xia Wanwan gently stroked his head, her eyes briefly shining with tenderness.

"Come, have some fruit."

"These are delicacies your Aunt Wan Yi brought back from her maternal home, said to be extremely rare produce from the West Continent Buddha Country."

"Thank you, mother."

Chen Yi took the fruit, which looked like a mango, and started eating.

While eating, he also sighed a bit in his heart.

He was clearly aware of the changes in Xia Wanwan, but didn't know how to explain them.

He surely couldn't tell her that it was Zhou Wanyi who first intended to sabotage his grabbing ceremony, leading him to deliberately make Chen Yuan choose a chicken leg, right?

Not to mention whether Xia Wanwan would believe him, given the current attitude of the Chen Family towards Zhou Wanyi, he simply couldn't say it.

Lest he stir trouble and end up suffering the consequences.

Therefore, Chen Yi had no complaints about Xia Wanwan's strictness.

Even though he got punished with a feather duster that night, Xia Wanwan had only hit him twice before she started holding him and sobbed bitterly.

Honestly speaking, that scene not only eased the unease of Chen Yi having arrived alone in this strange world, but also made him truly accept Xia Wanwan.

He knew that Xia Wanwan's actions that night were not out of anger, but mostly for show to outsiders.

So, it was just about studying and learning characters, a piece of cake for him.

Having such a caring mother, after all, was quite a fortunate thing.

Of course, if he could slack off, he certainly wouldn't be vague about it.

[Just over thirty years of age, having just begun to shed the moniker of "useless," you're again covertly poisoned with "Soft Bone Powder"]

[The poison is mild, absorbed, Rebellion Point +1]

Chen Yi noticed the information that appeared on the screen and let out a slight yelp.

Has he been poisoned again?

No, the Rebellion Points have increased?!

"How come, don't you like the fruit?" Xia Wanwan noted his unusual behavior.

Chen Yi's thoughts whirled rapidly, suppressing the joy brought by the system's revival, and he smiled, asking, "Mom, do you still have more of this fruit?"

"Only this much, but if you like it, your Aunt Wan Yi said she could have someone from her house send over some more."

Chen Yi was reassured.

From this, it seemed that Zhou Wanyi's target was just him, not to harm Xia Wanwan as well.

Now he knew what to do.

"I really like it, next time, mom, you can ask Aunt to send more over."

"Okay." Xia Wanwan agreed without suspicion.

…

…

After Xia Wanwan had left, Chen Yi rushed to the study and began to read a book on pharmacology.

[Soft Bone Powder, a kind of poison that's hard to detect.]

[Depending on the dosage, it can cause martial artists below the Sixth Grade of Foundation Establishment to lose their strength.]

[With a reduced dosage, it doesn't cause obvious symptoms, but long-term consumption weakens the physique significantly, greatly reducing one's potential to achieve greatness.]

Chen Yi closed the book, his expression grave.

Weakening his physique was one thing, but to sabotage his potential for greatness?

Zhou Wanyi's heart was truly malicious!

"I thought after the Zhou Ceremony incident, she would restrain herself for a while, as per the panel's indications, probably around the Foundation Establishment evaluation."

"After all, Chen Yuan successfully obtained the Jade Blade from the Zhou Family, and from the looks of it, everyone was happy."

"Didn't expect that after one failed attempt, she'd dare to follow up so quickly!"

Chen Yi clenched his small fist, his eyes not as innocently naive as usual but a lot colder.

He pondered for a while, suppressed his anger, and then turned on the screen again.

[Rebellion Points: 1/100]

"Covert assassination, poisoning, countering…"

Chen Yi looked at the big number "1," his eyes growing brighter.

He had found out how to earn Rebellion Points!

"To counter, to rise after the fall, how can one succeed without adversity?"

As much as it made sense, Chen Yi felt that this method of needing to experience adversity to improve seemed... somewhat despicable?

What if he became the supreme powerhouse of the world, and no one dared to harm him, what then?

Would he have to deliberately encounter... no, create adversities for himself?

"Damn, this system really treats me as its own."

After a few complaints, a hint of helplessness appeared on Chen Yi's small face.

He knew he couldn't blame the system's "cruelty."

Under normal circumstances, during his Naming Ceremony, he would have been teased for his choices.

At least now, with the help of the system, he had the capability to retaliate.

Hence, he also knew how to deal with Zhou Wanyi for now—she could only temporarily be the "stepping stone."

However, Chen Yi still had another doubt.

From these two instances of poisoning, it seemed Zhou Wanyi didn't plan to kill him, but rather to hinder his progress in martial arts.

The Gluttony Pill was meant to deter him from choosing weapons during the Ceremony to prevent him from strengthening his physique.

Soft Bone Powder weakened him, aiming to cause his Foundation Establishment at the age of three to fail?

Chen Yi was puzzled.

As a born illegitimate child, not inheriting a title, nor a significant share of the inheritance, why would Zhou Wanyi want to harm his path in martial arts?

"There must be more to this."

Chen Yi frowned, realizing that he needed to pay more attention to the information within the Duke Wu'an Mansion.

"Really, there's always someone plotting against me!"