Your maids were fired

With a short bow, Roulan turned and left the room in swift strides, urgency marking her every step. The door clicked softly behind her.

As her presence faded, Qin Wei's expression shifted. The neutral facade slipped away, replaced by a quiet, knowing smirk.

His fingers clenched into a fist. "Feels a bit bad to cheat her, but can't do anything about it. I can't tell them about chakra," he muttered to himself. "Or about Xielun Yan's inheritance. Since Uncle hadn't revealed my powers, that means, he too agrees that I need to keep it a secret for now."

His eyes gleamed with a sharp, focused intensity.

"And if I frame it like this, using their Qi, mimicking techniques through 'mysterious means', then I have an excuse. A way to study their martial arts and spells up close. And copy them with my Xielun Yan."

He chuckled under his breath, "If I could replicate the Emperor's Celestial Sword of Destiny from memory… then what's to stop me from copying every high-tier martial art in this land? Haha…"

After a brief pause, he added, "I just need that father-in-law of mine to keep his mouth shut. As long as he does that and cooperates with me, I can progress in secret, becoming an overpowered character without needing to go through troubles."

His gaze shifted toward the window, where the sun dipped low beyond the tiled rooftops of the Li Clan estate.

As dusk settled over the estate, the lanterns in the corridors were lit one by one, casting warm amber hues across the walls.

Dinner had passed without incident, a welcome change after the tension-filled events of the day. His father-in-law didn't bring up his Qi mimicking technique, which he invented to keep his secret. So, that means he agrees with the request. Or so, Qin Wei thought as he finished the dinner.

Now, with the evening deepening into night, he sat alone in the Li Clan's study room, surrounded by shelves of neatly arranged scrolls and tomes.

A single candle flickered beside him, casting a wavering light on the open book in his lap.

The cover bore the name Cang Wuxian, a famous historian or philosopher, perhaps; he wasn't sure.

The original Qin Wei, the body's former owner, had shown little interest in scholarly pursuits.

Court etiquette, dynastic politics, military formations, the noble class structure, all of it had been meaningless to him.

But, as a writer, Qin Wei would definitely want to know all the details in order to understand the world.

He flipped another page, brows furrowing slightly as the dense script began detailing the origins of the empire.

The Great Liang Empire was founded in the Year 167 by the Wen Dynasty, emerging from the ashes of the Great War that had destroyed tens of kingdoms and hundreds of tribes all over the continent. Apart from the Great Liang, three other major empires emerged, namely, the Great Tang, the Great Ming, and the Great Qing.

Qin Wei muttered the words under his breath as he read, trying to commit them to memory.

The Great Liang empire was the second biggest of those four, it's domain was vast, divided into the Imperial City at its heart and nine major states that formed the empire's political backbone: Western Chu, Northern Yan, Southern Luo, Eastern Beique, Jing Kingdom, Lingnan State, Yao State, Song Kingdom, and Fang Domain.

Each region was governed by local lords or noble clans under the watchful eye of the emperor.

Beyond the structure of states, there existed five independent free cities, Beiling, Ximu, Danxu, Cangye, and Wuyi, each ruled by powerful clans with near-autonomous authority. The great clans could pass the laws as they fit, but every year, the clans had to pay 30% of the tax they collected to the imperial palace.

Ironically, the Qin Clan, to which Qin Wei himself belonged, was the only great clan that did not rule a city. Instead, they made their home in Yongzhou, a remote outer province of the imperial domain, close to the capital, yet far enough to have complete authority in the province.

"I wonder why, though?"

Qin Wei flipped another page of the hefty tome in his lap, the old parchment releasing a faint, dusty scent. His gaze lingered at the top of the page where the heading read: "The Power Structure of Great Liang", a breakdown of nobles, military authorities, and governing sects. He had just begun to skim the opening lines when the soft creak of the door interrupted him.

Li Xue stepped into the study, her expression unreadable under the gentle glow of the lanterns.

She walked with the same composed grace she always did.

"Evening," she greeted in a clipped tone.

Qin Wei gave a casual nod, not bothering to rise. "Evening," he replied flatly, eyes still scanning the page.

Li Xue didn't bother sitting. She stood near the desk, arms crossed lightly as she cut to the point. "I heard what happened this morning. With Shimin."

Without lifting his gaze, Qin Wei replied, "Father-in-law didn't bring it up during dinner. So, I'm guessing I didn't do anything wrong." He turned another page indifferently.

Li Xue's brows creased. His nonchalant tone only seemed to deepen the frown on her face. "Even if it wasn't a mistake in his eyes," she said coolly, "offending members of my family so casually will make things harder for you once we move into our new residence."

Qin Wei glanced up briefly, meeting her gaze with faint amusement. "Appreciate the concern, but no need to worry. Some of my maids are pretty damn good fighters. They'll keep me safe."

Li Xue exhaled through her nose, a faint, humorless sound. "Actually," she said, her voice soft but deliberate, "your maids have all been dismissed."

That made Qin Wei stop.

The book snapped shut in his hands as he looked up at her, startled. "What do you mean, dismissed?"

Li Xue's expression didn't change. "From what my father told me, the moment you left the Qin estate for the wedding, your maids were given severance and sent away. The Qin Clan has no intention of assigning you any protectors. Not one."

Qin Wei stared at her, stunned for a moment. "Uhhh… what?"

Li Xue tilted her head slightly. "As far as the Qin Clan is concerned, you're now under the protection of the Li Clan. Any burden you pose is ours now."

She paused, then added with a wry edge, "Of course, my father will assign you guards… but whether you can trust any of them is another matter. You'll never know who's loyal and who's been bought off. The only person you can count on is Roulan."

Qin Wei leaned back in his chair, tapping a finger on the closed book, a thoughtful frown settling on his face.

"And if I were you," Li Xue continued, her voice sharpening, "I would make an effort to mend things with Second Master Shimin. He may not be powerful in terms of cultivation… heck, he was weaker than even you, but his influence inside the clan is significant, more than even me. He manages our finances, after all."

She gave him a knowing look.

"And with money, he can buy loyalty. Including the loyalty of the very people meant to protect you."

Qin Wei blinked a few times, still absorbing of what Li Xue had just revealed.

"So…" he muttered, "how about not moving at all? We could just stay here."

Li Xue scoffed. Her arms folded across her chest as she tilted her chin slightly, eyes narrowing.