Daily Dossier: Secrets of a Lazy Husband

4

Five days later.

Caelum leaned against the window, his eyes fixed on the west gate of Chunhe Garden—the end of the long corridor leading to Jiaxing Garden.

Ever since Luna brought him the "good news" about the eldest daughter of the Xiao family, he had been incredibly excited, finishing copying the remaining two hundred family rules in just five days. No, "copy" wasn't the right word; it should be "memorize." The entire set of one hundred characters could be recited backwards with his eyes closed.

"First, be loyal to the emperor and serve the country, even unto death on the battlefield; second, all male members of the clan must enter the martial arts training ground upon reaching the age of six..."

The family rules of the Marquis's family were often strict, emphasizing loyalty to the emperor, martial arts training, or bringing glory to the family. He seemed both enigmatic and impressive. His thoughts were a jumbled mess.

Caelum still couldn't calm down. He hadn't left the house for fifty days; even those in jail were given daily breaks, but he hadn't stepped outside at all. Even the guards at the gate noticed his impatience and smiled. Over the past few days, the four armored soldiers had gotten to know Caelum and felt some sympathy for his elopement.

Thinking about it—a scholar from a prestigious family, well-read and with the potential to pass the imperial examinations, forced into an arranged marriage by his family—anyone would be upset in that situation.

"Brothers," Caelum noticed their gazes and made conversation, "If I can leave this room, you won't have to stay here anymore, right?"

The four soldiers exchanged glances, and one of them, with a woven rope on his left arm, said in a deep voice, "Yes, but we'll guard outside the garden."

"..."

Caelum thought, well, that's fine. Moving from a three-story wooden building to a garden of over ten acres was a significant step for him.

Perhaps it was because Caelum was about to be released from confinement, or perhaps the soldiers' opinions of him had changed. In any case, while waiting for Luna's return, the group had become much more familiar with each other.

Caelum then asked the question he had most wanted to ask: "Is it true that martial arts cultivation allows one to fly through the air?"

He had long known from his memories that martial arts were prevalent in the Great Wei Dynasty, and that those with profound cultivation possessed unimaginable strength. For example, Yin Tiankuang, the leader of the Broken Blade Sect in Jiangnan Prefecture, once visited the Chen family and demonstrated his Broken Blade technique—cleaving a small mountain in two with a single strike. There was also the legendary Sword Demon who "stopped the river with a single sword," single-handedly breaking through three thousand armored soldiers and leaving the Tiger Legion's army lying in ruins as they came to besiege him.

But Caelum only knew of the former and had never seen the latter, so he occasionally fantasized about becoming a martial arts master—the kind who lived in seclusion. If he could use his opportunities to practice martial arts, he could rapidly improve his martial arts cultivation with the blessing of the Dao Realm.

The armored soldier with the woven rope on his left arm, named Wang Lixing, replied, "Of course, the Second Miss can."

Caelum was taken aback. "Second Miss... Madam? Her martial arts cultivation is that high?"

Wang Lixing nodded, his expression showing a hint of longing: "The Second Miss's martial arts talent is exceptionally high. At only twenty years old, she was already a fourth-grade cultivator, capable of flying dozens of miles and traveling two thousand miles a day."

Caelum secretly clicked his tongue in amazement. Was Celeste really that powerful? Well, it seems he should keep a low profile until he has sufficient strength.

Not long after, Luna finally passed through the archway with its green tiles and white walls and appeared at the end of the corridor. She immediately saw Caelum peeking out and ran over with a playful laugh.

"Young Master, I have good news and bad news. Which...which would you like to hear first?"

"Either is fine," Caelum rolled his eyes, his excitement subsiding somewhat. "For me, any news is good news."

Luna muttered, feeling bored, and then relayed to the soldiers, "The young lady said you can just guard outside the garden from now on."

"Yes, Miss Luna."

The soldiers had expected this. After bowing to Caelum, Wang Lixing led the other soldiers out of the garden in single file.

Seeing them disappear, Caelum didn't wait for Luna's good or bad news. He jumped out of the window with one hand on the windowsill and rushed towards the pavilion not far away with a roar.

Luna quickly followed, "Young Master, Young Master, slow down!"

She wasn't worried about Caelum escaping. After all, it was broad daylight, and there were soldiers guarding outside the garden, unlike on their wedding day when Caelum had escaped in the chaos on the way from the inn to the Marquis's mansion.

Caelum ignored her and ran all the way to the pavilion. He opened his arms wide and took a deep breath in front of the rippling pool, instantly feeling refreshed.

Luna came running up, panting, "Young Master, I haven't finished speaking yet."

Caelum didn't turn around, still holding his head high and breathing in the free air.

Seeing that he didn't respond, Luna continued, "The eldest young lady said that you'll have to stay in Chunhe Garden for now. She's already written to the second young lady explaining, and once she replies, she should lift your confinement."

Caelum let out a long breath, feeling much more at ease. "Good news?"

Luna was taken aback. "This is good news?"

"And what's even better news?"

"There's no better news." Luna puffed out her cheeks, pouting and looking at him angrily. "Young master, there's only bad news left."

Caelum turned to look at her. "Tell me."

"The bad news is that the eldest young lady said... no, it should be the old master who instructed that since you've married into the Xiao family, you must follow the rules of the manor."

"What rules?" Caelum raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that there really was bad news.

"Young master, you've forgotten? The family rules state that 'all male members of the household must train in martial arts at the training ground upon reaching the age of six,'" Luna said with a smile, covering her mouth. "You'll train too."

Caelum was taken aback. "Are you sure?"

This news was neither good nor bad for him. He had previously guessed that the Xiao family wouldn't teach him martial arts, after all, as a runaway son-in-law, he had enough to eat, wear, and use; the Xiao family had already been more than kind to him. To make him train in martial arts... were they treating him like family?

After a moment's thought, Caelum's heart skipped a beat: "Could it be that they're planning to conscript men? They don't want me to join the army to fight, do they?"

Based on his understanding of the Xiao family over this period, he knew that the household was indeed short of men. That's quite possible...

Luna, unaware of his thoughts, forced a smile and said, "But Miss told you not to worry, young master. If you don't want to learn, you can just pretend and go through the motions. And since you can't leave Chunhe Garden yet, they should arrange for a master to come."

Caelum raised an eyebrow and said irritably, "Luna, remember to finish what you say in the future."

If that's the case, then he doesn't need to worry too much, but just in case, he still needs to act like he's "not good at martial arts," lest he be conscripted later.

Luna stuck out her tongue, "Who told you to just run here?"

Hearing this, Caelum sensed something was off and looked at her, "You seem a little different than before."

"Really?" Luna looked down at herself.

"Your way of addressing me is different. In almost two months, you've never used a 'respectful title' for me. What's going on? Did the sun rise in the west today?" Caelum teased.

Luna blushed and whispered, "Miss, Miss told me to follow you, Master..."

"Oh~ I see~" Caelum drawled, "You're worried I'll make things difficult for you later."

"No, no..."

"You're blushing."

Luna pretended to hit him, but remembering she would be his personal maid, she restrained herself and lowered her head, remaining silent. Seeing this, Caelum stopped joking and said a few heartwarming words. Luna smiled again, secretly watching his back.

Previously, because Master had run away from the wedding, everyone in the Xiao family disliked him, including her. Only today did she realize—Master was actually a very good person, as approachable as Miss, Second Miss, and the Old Master.

No.

Luna thought carefully for a moment before realizing that from the time she met Caelum until now, he had never treated her like a servant. Although he sometimes asked her to do things, such as grinding ink or bringing her food, his tone never made her feel superior; on the contrary, it was very peaceful. This allowed her to completely relax.

Thinking this, Luna asked softly, "Is the young master hungry? I'll go get some food."

"Go ahead, go ahead,"

Caelum waved without turning his head, still watching the lively fish in the pond with great interest, pondering when he could get a fishing rod and catch them all at once. He was a seasoned angler known for "never coming home empty-handed," how could he not cast his line a few times?