Murim's Weakest Princess

The Eternal Night Valley was as dim as Anji remembered it to be. However, the people appeared happier than the last time she was here. The colourful lanterns and bustling town were now full of food stalls that were previously absent.

Heading to the grandest inn in the valley, Gu Ying handed the horses to the stable boy and checked them in under Mingshen’s name.

"The second young master will join us shortly," she informed. "Until dinner, please rest up in the rooms upstairs. I’ll be in an adjacent room with Lizi, who has gone to accompany the second young master to prepare for our journey to the capital city."

Lizi... Anji could not wait to meet up with her childhood maid servant. Her brothers had grown considerably and were now young gentlemen. However, Gu Ying did not appear to have aged much. Was Lizi the same?

Thanks to Yihao launching straight into action, Anji did not have much time to dawdle in her thoughts. Her overly excited third brother was like a puppy who was told he could go on a walk after two weeks of staying indoors during the rainy season. He explored every single room in the suite Mingshen had reserved for them and commented on just about everything.

"Are these your talismans?" he pointed at a talisman stuck to the bottom of the teapot.

Indeed, it was the heating talisman commonly used in the Mystical Qilin Sect to keep the tea warm. In fact, there were more talismans hidden in this special suite that was reserved for Mingshen’s special guests. The other rooms were stuck with normal mortal technology. After all, not everyone who came to stay at this inn was a cultivator.

"I didn’t draw them, but I did propose adding them when Brother Mingshen mentioned wanting to build a headquarters inn."

After visiting the Mystical Qilin Sect, Yihao did not think he would see another place with such facilities. Although it had been strange to adapt to talisman technology, he soon grew accustomed to the convenience. Not having minor luxuries like this took getting used to. The one thing Yihao missed the most was hot baths that did not take an hour to prepare. Having spent so much time in isolation, he craved a hot bath. Part of Bai Dajin’s training was to force Yihao’s innate Extreme Yang energy to be condensed within his golden core, similar to molten lava in a dormant volcano. As such, he was forced to live in a cold, underground cave, with only icy water to shower in.

Anji heard her brother whistle happily and smiled. She would have to introduce more functional spells if he was this happy with simple talismans. The promise of a more convenient luxury might even motivate her book-hating brother to pick up the brush again. According to her mother’s letter, they could not make Yihao read or write since his return. The boy would endlessly train and swing his fists at the training ground with only the tutor yapping at the side. He refused to read, and the sight of words made him instantly sleepy. Not much had changed in that respect, unfortunately.

While Yihao explored the suite for the first time, Anji revisited the places she had seen on her first visit. It was still as impressive as it was a few years ago. Although the building had definitely aged, the moisture in the air did not affect the structures as much as it should. It was well-maintained and well-insulated against the chill, brightly lit, and none of the talismans needed repairing.

Not one to rain on her brother’s parade, Anji told him to use the bath first. She had cleaning talismans embedded into her clothing, and there was nothing a cleaning spell would not fix, even if she did not have showers. The only difference was the feeling of being clean and the relief of aching muscles from soaking in warm water. After growing up in the Mystical Qilin Sect, Anji had forgotten the joys of bathing thanks to the busyness and convenient spells.

Left to her own devices, Anji sat by the window and pondered how she would react to being reunited again. Although she was still Zhao Anji, parts of her were no longer the same after going through the successor trials. The fact that she had a past life and her soul was a fallen god changed many things. Not to mention, she had several centuries’ worth of memories that did not belong to her, but she had lived those lives shown in the memory crystals. Anything she did felt like a hollow doll. She still thought of her family as dear to her. However, there was an undeniable invisible gap between their feelings for each other.

To Anji, her family were the people she cherished in this life. It soon will pass, and the bonds will disappear even if they would forever remain dear. She would never hate them and would still continue to like them as people, but the duties and feelings as a daughter had long ceased to exist since she learned who she truly was. On the other hand, Anji also knew that her family saw her as a precious daughter and sister. She was the youngest deserving of their affection from their shared blood and a member of the sect, resulting in certain expectations.

These very expectations made Anji uncertain. What if she failed to perform the role of the youngest daughter they expected from her? Before she went for the risky spiritual surgery, she made a promise to her father. She still loved her family very dearly, but the shape of this love had transformed into one that guards instead of craving freedom to live. It would be a lie to think of her brothers and parents as mature people. Compared to them, Anji had lived for longer in a far shorter span. There was nothing she had not seen in the repeated cycles of life and death.

Truthfully, like Yan Ping, Anji was only waiting for the right moment to embrace ascension. However, like her shifu, she was bound to this mortal realm by duty and chosen affection. The different shape of her new love bothered Anji so much that she almost screamed when someone hugged her from behind.

"I’m here," a voice that was familiar but much deeper than before greeted her. "Did you miss me?"