Murim's Weakest Princess-Chapter 142: A Lamp’s Light Never Extinguishes

"Get up!" barked the woman when she spotted Anji.

With both hands on her hips, her shadow fell over the small girl’s form, blocking the afternoon sun from reaching her. With a dark expression, she waited for the kid to respond, but Anji was too deeply asleep to hear her.

Taking matters into her own hands, the research assistant roughly grabbed the girl by her hair with a snarl. The girl was lighter than she imagined, and Anji was lifted off the ground almost immediately. The sharp pain startled her awake with a cry, but almost as quickly as she was lifted off the ground in her sleep, she was thrown back down again.

Staring at a pair of dirty shoes in front of her, Anji held back tears as much as she could, unmoving. Calmly, she tried to assess the damage, but the assistant researcher in front of her snapped angrily, ranting about Anji’s work.

"We clearly told you to clean the whole house! Why did you only stop at the laundry? How dare you take a nap when there is still so much to do before Researcher Yang returns!"

Fortunately, no bones were broken. Anji’s scalp throbbed, but the more serious injury was likely the sprained elbow when she was thrown to the ground. Even when in pain, Anji kept her cool and thought rationally, clutching her injured arm.

The longer Anji remained silent and unmoving, the angrier the female research assistant became. How dare this child ignore her?

Raising her hand once more, preparing to slap Anji, the female researcher assistant saw the small child finally trying to sit up. Holding herself back for now, she watched the wretched girl wriggle like a worm. However, the fire in her stomach only became stronger when she saw those clear and bright eyes, defiant till the end like a flame that could not be extinguished.

Anji did not feel wronged, even if she was clearly the victim in this situation. Her shifu warned her that bullying would occur in the sect. It was a good thing she had to report to the infirmary daily. At least Doctor Yun could give her some medicine for the injury. It saved her precious resting time from searching for wild herbs and making her own medicine.

With a maturity that did not suit a six-year-old, Anji pointed out the flaws in the research assistant’s statement.

"Senior sister, an agreement is made when two parties have given consent. When have I ever given you my consent or promise that I would do the chores you mentioned? According to the agreement I had collectively with the researchers who interviewed me yesterday, I am only to do one chore per day with every researcher as part of my orientation training. I did the laundry as suggested and upheld my end of the agreement with Researcher Yang. In fact, Aunt Wine came in earlier to help clean the rotten food and air the room."

Aunt Wine? It was a name the research assistant had not heard in a long time. Why would the head chef come all the way up here? She never left the kitchen and retired librarian quarters. Who is this child?

Although cautious about this mysterious child, the research assistant remembered how there was still trouble waiting for her when Researcher Yang returned. With no time left to waste, she pointed at Anji to help clean up the outer court where the other research assistant was.

Standing firmly on her ground, Anji bowed casually and refused politely. It was not her responsibility. Moreover, she was hurt, all thanks to the hot-headed female research assistant. However, provoking her would do neither of them any good. Hence, Anji remained respectful even after receiving disrespectful treatment. In her shifu’s words, respect was usually earned, but Anji would do charity this time. After all, she was all alone and defenceless. She promised to write to her family, but it would be impossible if this senior sister decided to break her arm on top of spraining it.

Hearing how stubborn and stuck-up Anji was, the research assistant lost her patience. How dare such a young child reject the orders of an adult!

"You mannerless child with no mother to teach you, how dare you give me attitude? When an adult tells you to do something, you do it."

Mannerless? Attitude? Anji boiled with anger when the research assistant insulted her mother. Zhao Wanting might not be the best teacher. However, she did her duty as a mother fairly well while managing the sect’s affairs. Anji could ask for no better mother, especially not one who had never given up on her when she was born and had a death date already pre-determined.

Slowly rising from the ground, Anji stood up, still clutching her injured elbow. Her eyes were more defiant now, shining brightly with her chin held high. She met the senior sister’s eyes and conveyed her dissatisfaction through her silence. The grace and aura she carried was not something an ordinary person could learn overnight. After realising that she had made a mistake and offended the child of some high-ranking person, the research assistant tried to cover up her mistakes by changing the tone of her voice. Yet, it only made her sound haughtier.

"Didn’t you know how to respect your elders? The way you behaved would easily be seen as extremely rude. However, as I am a magnanimous person, I will forgive you just this once. Hurry up and help your senior brother clean the outer yard. Unless you want to be seen as a bad child and leave everything to him, you should get moving now."

Staying where she stood, Anji remained unmoving. Not replying and not moving, she remained steadfast and continued staring at the flustered research assistant, who did not know what to do. All her words felt as if they were bouncing off a wall, and eventually, she settled on anger.

Raising her hand to lash out at the stubborn child again, the senior sister thought the child would at least flinch. However, Anji remained defiant to the end. Angered, the research assistant was about to strike Anji when she felt every muscle in her body locking up.

"W-what’s going on?" panicked, the research assistant glared at Anji. "Was it you?"

Unable to move a single muscle, the paralysed research assistant could only observe the confusion in Anji’s eyes. The body-locking spell was a higher-level combat spell that took a long casting time without talismans. There was no way Anji did it without chanting or drawing any symbols. Her colleague was an idiot who barely passed his research pitch to becoming a research assistant, and his calculations were always full of errors. Hence, only one bold person could enter Researcher Yang’s quarters and cast such a high-level spell.

"I’m sorry for arriving late," the man behind the female assistant smiled at Anji. However, his smile did not last long when he realised the damage was already done. "You’re hurt."

Paling, the female research assistant, tried to speak, but now, even her jaw muscles were paralysed, and she could only look in fear as her master knelt down to check on Anjis elbow.

"Let’s go to the infirmary," he told the small girl while casting a side glance at his assistant. "The both of you will wait for me like this until I return."

Holding onto Anji’s other hand, Researcher Yang stopped by the only place that Anji could not enter earlier and told her to wait for him. Waiting patiently outside, Anji finally let her guard down. Unlike his assistants, Researcher Yang was not someone who would bully a small child.

When the man reappeared, a heavy stack of paper and a few books were in his arm. Anji was immediately curious, making the researcher chuckle. Unlike his assistants, who had more greed and laziness than curiosity, Anji was brimming with potential. Even if he had only taken a short glance at the strange seals in the backyard, he knew Anji would likely understand these materials more than his assistants, who were meant to assist him. The only thing he ever remembered them doing was causing trouble, and thanks to Anji, he could finally get rid of them.

"Have you ever flown on a staff before?" he asked.

Recalling her time with her shifu, Anji nodded. Researcher Yang beamed and wasted no time, borrowing the broom handle that Anji used to cook the clothes. With some help, Anji sat on the handle and the researcher imbued it with his qi, controlling it so that Anji could sit comfortably while he walked down the mountain to the infirmary, all while carrying his research notes and materials.

When they finally arrived at the infirmary, Doctor Yun and the herbalists cooed at the girl’s arrival but quickly became alarmed when Researcher Yang explained how his assistants had hurt her. The man was very apologetic, but nobody blamed him. If anything, the herbalists offered to give them a good beating on both their behalves.

"I keep on telling you that you were too kind! These people never change. If not for your insistence that everyone deserved a second chance, they would have been kicked out of the mountain long ago!"

Anji listened to one of the herbalist’s rants as they prepared an empty desk for him to put all his books. Doctor Yun examined Anji and noticed there were more injuries than just a sprained elbow.

"What exactly happened?" he asked.

Slightly reluctant to tell the whole story in front of Researcher Yang, Anji shook her head. She did not want the good man to feel guiltier than he already was. Knowing a stubborn patient when he saw one, Doctor Yun sighed.

"We could have done this easily, but I will respect your decision. Let’s do a full-body examination instead. Little Mushroom!"

A mushroom-haired girl appeared and smiled at Anji.

"Come with me," she beckoned at Anji. "Let’s get you checked out."

Reluctantly, Anji followed the herbalist for a full-body physical check-up in a different room.