Chapter 23: The Power of Breathing
From the moment Anji embarked on her physical training journey with her elder sister, her body was a constant battleground of pain. Some mornings, the agony was so intense that she couldn’t even muster the strength to sit up in bed, relying on the assistance of a servant. News of her struggles spread like wildfire within the Celestial Dragon Sect, prompting many disciples to offer her snacks or words of encouragement whenever they crossed paths. Even Zhao Wanting began preparing more tonics and soups for Anji, insisting that they were essential for her strength and growth.
Anji wasn’t against drinking herbal tonic soups. However, she had many doubts about the weirder types of supplements like the gall bladder of snakes and ox tongue. How would those weird innards help her regain vitality? It was probably created by desperate superstitious peasants who did not want to waste food.
Despite her determination to persevere, Anji couldn’t shake off the nagging doubt that her efforts might be doing more harm than good. She felt like she was depleting her body’s resources faster than she could replenish them. Unlike Yihao, who seemed to thrive under Bai Dajin’s rigorous training, Anji felt herself growing weaker, her recovery rate sluggish without the aid of qi.
"Young miss, your lessons will be held in the master’s office today," the maidservant, who had been by Anji’s side since birth, smiled.
Lizi was a cheerful maid who was about sixteen years old. She wore her hair in two low braided loops every day and was an outer disciple who applied for a position to work as a family servant instead after she learned that her talent for cultivating was limited. Anji liked and trusted her a lot, even if she came from a butcher’s family in a small town. The maidservant was attentive, observant and loyal. She never cut corners in her work and, more importantly, never coddled Anji excessively. Lizi was always polite and would only help when Anji requested it.
Looking at her maidservant, Anji winced as she lifted her arm so Lizi could help her change. Her shifu had only exited seclusion yesterday after blowing up the guest house. Anji thought she could study under Yan Ping for at least a while. However, the blind prophet was as busy as Anji thought she would be.
"Is father going to teach me personally?" she asked Lizi, who prepared the hot bath.
Shaking her head apologetically, the chestnut-haired maid claimed to know nothing more than the instructions she was given earlier that morning.
"Would you like me to bring you breakfast while you take a soak to ease the stiff muscles?"
Nodding, Anji asked for help to be lifted into the wooden tub. It was unusual for her to take a bath in the morning. Unless there was a formal event, Anji normally only made do with a warm towel to wash her face. However, since she started running more and doing frog leaps around the smallest courtyard as part of her training, she grew to love long soaks in hot water.