Murim's Weakest Princess-Chapter 94: Leaving Home

Although it was not her first time leaving the Celestial Dragon Sect, it was the first time Anji was using a horse carriage. Over the last three years, Anji had sneaked out of the sect with her father a few more times using the shortcut. However, her little trips to the village at the base of the mountain could not compare to this three-week-long travel to her shifu’s sect.

Sitting directly in front of her was her second brother, whom she had not seen in a year. Mingshen was now as tall as Gu Ying’s shoulder when he stood. He did not make much cultivation progress in the three years that Anji spent practising. However, he had grown to become more dignified than before. The thirteen-year-old teen dressed like a rich young master with a painting hobby. The folded paper fan he always carried around was created by himself. Anji loved the painting of the white cranes on it. Coincidentally, it was her older brother’s main martial art.

"Don’t hesitate to let big brother know what you want along the way,’ Mingshen grinned and patted his little sister on the head. "I make a lot of money now."

Anji had grown slightly taller in the last three years. She was no longer at her mother’s knees and was now almost as tall as her waist. The chipmunk cheeks that everyone adored were slightly slimmer now as she lost most of her baby fat. However, the little princess was still rather thin. It did not matter how many bowls of Granny Wang’s Chilli Oil Noodles she ate. Anji remained as thin as a stick.

True to his words, Mingshen’s business venture with his sworn brother Zhang Mou became very successful in the capital. Hong Nian Niang frequently sent expensive gifts to Anji, even from the capital, including rare medicine that would nourish her health. Her brother was often busy travelling but would also send little trinkets back to the Celestial Dragon Sect with stories about the outside world. Anji could only imagine what they would feel like. However, she could finally experience them for herself.

As the trip to the Mystical Qilin Sect would take a few weeks, Mingshen purchased a horse carriage for his younger sister’s first journey away from home. Gu Ying was great at riding horses because she was raised in the grasslands when she was younger. Hence, she took on the role of the carriage driver while the children sat inside, admiring the scenery while sharing snacks and chatting to catch up on the lost time.

"Are we going to stop by a riverside town?" Anji bounced in her seat, praising the chef’s snacks that were packed along with all her belongings.

Due to the minimalistic lifestyle of the Mystical Qilin Sect, Anji was not allowed to bring many of her belongings. Mingfeng agonised with tears in his eyesover the little cloth bag that contained everything Anji was allowed to bring. Even Wanting worried about Anji’s well-being under Yan Ping’s care when she wasn’t allowed to bring her winter coats. Doctor He wanted to pack a cabinet of different pills for his longtime patient but was met with rejection.

According to Yan Ping, everything else that Anji needed will be provided by the Mystical Qilin Sect. To avoid favouritism among her disciples, everyone who entered her sect must abide by the rules and use the same amenities until they have proven themselves. As for Anji’s weak health, Yan Ping swore to look after the sickly girl personally. Hence, there was no need for external interference.

Mingshen nodded. The Mystical Qilin Sect might be stingy, but he was not. It did not stop him from packing extravagantly for the trip just because Anji could not bring all those items up to the mountain. If there were any leftovers, Gu Ying could carry the rest up with her to the guest lodging in the Mystical Qilin Sect. The rules applied to disciples, not guests.

"Yes," he replied to his excited sister. "We will be staying the night there, but there are still a few more hours before we arrive. Do you want to visit the river market first or rest when we get there?"

Anji looked forward to experiencing the river market. She had never been on a boat before. Even riding in a horse carriage was a novel experience. Everything was new to her after leaving the mountain! Although Mingshen advised her to rest in the carriage to conserve her energy, Anji could not grow bored with the scenery of the countryside. They might be roads with only barley and rice fields as far as the eyes could see. However, Anji enjoyed seeing how the trees by the side of the road appeared to be moving backwards as the carriage moved forward.

"I want to visit the river market!" she replied. "Will we get to eat dinner on a boat?"

Unsure if that was a wise idea, Mingshen dodged the question and did not commit to it. When he first boarded a boat, he spent the rest of the day throwing up and feeling seasick. The feeling was worse than catching a cold, and no amount of internal energy circulation could reduce his headache and dizziness. Although there were bigger ferries with restaurants for important that remained stationary by the pier, the boat was nowhere near stable like land. Why eat on a boat when he already reserved an upper-class inn for them to share a private meal in? Sometimes, his sister could be really difficult to understand.

While listening to the siblings plan their itinerary for the riverside town, Gu Ying smiled. Many things changed in three years, and working for the second young master as an information agent on top of guarding Anji, she came to understand a few things. While Mingshen was humble, he could be very pampered and would rather sleep on a cotton mattress than on a bed of hay. If he had to sleep on a bed of hay, he would make sure to prepare a thick quilt beforehand. It was for this reason Hong Nian Niang often teased him. Most of the rough information gathering work would be done by Bai Dajin, not that the White Tiger Sect Leader minded. In this aspect, Mingshen took after his mother more.

"Are you sure you want to try raw fish?" Mingshen hid his mouth behind the paper fan as he made a face involuntarily. "You might get a tummy ache."

Anji grinned. "I know how to concoct my own medicine now," she reminded him. "I didn’t spend the last three years idly."

It was true. In the last three years, apart from cultivating and training with Gu Ying, Anji learned how to do chores from the servants and finished her apprenticeship with Doctor He, who taught her everything he knew. Although she was still young, her skills were as good as those of any village doctor, if not better.

"Don’t say I didn’t warn you," Mingshen wrinkled his nose in disgust behind a fan. The idea of eating anything uncooked bothered him. "The river market has many better things to see, like flowers and grilled fish. Are you sure you want to eat only the raw ones?"

Giggling, Anji had to agree with Lizi. It was fun teasing others.

"Of course not," she laughed aloud. "I just wanted to try one bite. I’ll still eat a lot of other things! Like water snails..."

Retching at the idea of eating slimy water snails, Mingshen had to stop the carriage for a while to recover from his nausea while Anji took his pulse. Maybe she had gone a little too far with her jokes today. Mingshen spent the whole week preparing to escort her. She should give him a break.

"Here," she dug through one of the many luggage and handed Mingfeng some pills. "Motion sickness pills that also work for nausea. Take this and rest. Gu Ying will let us know when we reach the riverside town."

Unable to refute the doctor’s orders, Mingshen laid his head down on Anji’s lap, feeling slightly embarrassed at how he had to be babied by his younger sister. Gu Ying wisely said nothing, but he could see the corners of her lips curve upwards slightly.

Massaging her brother’s temples with her fingers, Anji transferred small threads of qi from her fingertips to help him relax. With her skilful ministrations, he was asleep in no time.

Having a few more hours to kill, Anji looked out of the carriage window and enjoyed the breeze, watching the scenery slowly change as they passed the rice fields into a forested zone.