Chapter 280: Reaching Chang’An
Unlike Yihao, who was brimming with energy the next morning, Mingshen and Anji opted to rest in the carriage. Their voices were suspiciously hoarse, but their brother suspected nothing. Instead, he only thought they were coming down with the weather and told them to rest in the carriage until they recovered, while he took turns driving the carriage with Gu Ying.
Thankful for their dense brother, who had yet to catch onto anything, Anji and Mingshen shared a look as they climbed into the carriage to rest. Unlike Yihao, who snored and slept like a log last night after drinking spiritual alcohol, Anji and Mingshen talked all night while Anji channelled her own energy to help repair her brother’s fraying meridians. The qi was so chaotic that Anji wondered how he was still able to fight with such a condition.
But through hours of conversation, Anji and Mingshen learned a lot through the exchange. They talked about anything and everything under the sun, from their parents, cultivation progress, aspirations, war situation and differences in thought schools. Although her second brother was still as bright as she remembered him to be, Anji could see the shadows in his heart from his spy and assassination work that prevented his linear progress in cultivation. However, Anji was not in a position to point out the right path for her older brother. It was every cultivator’s fate and journey to understand their own heart demons.
Although Mingshen was surprised by his sister’s admission of feeling like a different person after her training as the sect’s successor, he quickly reassured her last night that he did not see that much of a change. Sure, Anji might be a little cheekier and sharper in contrast to when she was sick and weak. However, a person’s personality does not change that drastically. At the root, she was still the same baby sister he remembered her to be. No matter how knowledgeable she becomes, they will always see her as the girl who wants to help others in any way she can.
Knowing that she was not the only person who had changed in the last four years made Anji feel better. According to Mingshen, their oldest sister, Ruiting, had also changed. She declared that she was going to remain single and refused to marry unless it was for political reasons, causing a small mayhem for a while. Based on Mingshen’s digging, it appeared their older sister was into ladies more than men. Their parents must have known about it because they did not force her to take on that role. With four children, the odds of continuing the family bloodline were strong.
On that topic, Anji curiously teased her second brother and asked if he, like their older sister, preferred the same gender as a partner. Surprisingly, Mingshen replied that he only dressed up like a woman to pry open mouths. His arrogant attitude and confidence in his good looks made Anji question whether Mingshen had always been a narcissist. However, the real reason soon became apparent when she probed further into his meridians. Although Mingshen went through puberty, grew taller and had a deeper voice, he was not a manly man like Bai Dajin or their father. Due to the excessive yin nature of his assassination techniques used to compensate for his frayed meridians, Mingshen’s physical development was stunted. Thankfully, Anji did not think it affected his reproductive capabilities. If Mingshen stopped practising Yin-styled techniques, his body would return to normal. However, if he waited too long, he might remain sparsely hairless in places that should have hair.
After chatting about partner preferences and marriage, Anji and Mingshen agreed that of the four siblings, Yihao was the stellar child to continue their bloodline. One of them had to do it, and the one most likely to pursue a domestic happiness like their parents would be their simple-minded brother. Anji compared herself to a nun, making Mingshen laugh. The people in the Mystical Qilin Sect had an image of celibacy. She was not too far off that mark.
With a bigger carriage and more transversable paths after they descended the mountains, the three-week journey passed smoothly. During that time, the siblings would chat to catch up on the good times. A messenger dove would occasionally find Mingshen, and he worked remotely from time to time. Gu Ying and Lizi took turns attending to the children’s needs. Anji was surprised to see a steady flow of qi in Lizi’s veins, and her closest maid admitted she had been undergoing training for the last four years because she wanted to accompany Anji to the capital city.
During the time Mingshen had to work and devise strategies with Gu Ying, Anji would recite texts to Yihao, who drove the horse carriage. As it happened, Yihao remembered things better when he was actively doing something like driving the carriage and guiding the horses. It was something fascinating, and Anji wondered if her third brother would have been a scholar if they identified this unique learning style earlier.
Passing through several villages and towns, Anji would stop by to sightsee and admire the local crafts. Mingshen would often disappear during those days, possibly to check on his information network, while Gu Ying and Lizi restocked. Yihao, the troublemaker, would often be found in awkward situations. When Anji was younger, she knew her brother spoke with his fists more than his words. Now that he was older, she thought he would be different, but people don’t change that easily. Nine out of ten times, they would find Yihao caught up in some kind of brawl. Although the marital artist held back and refrained from using any energy, his pure muscles still overwhelmed his opponents.
As they approached the capital city, Anji noticed a huge shift in the surrounding energy. The air was almost putrid, even if the city was full of colourful decorations and bustling with life. Something felt off.
Judging by Anji’s expression, Mingshen knew his younger sister sensed it. Yihao appeared excited by the sights and smells of foreign food. He must not know about the situation yet, judging by his behaviour.
"We will be stopping at the inn and visiting Hong Nian Niang. For the rest of our time in Chang’an, we will reside at the headquarters," Mingshen announced to his siblings inside the carriage. "Please do not stray off alone. The capital city is a huge place, and searching for one person among the thousands present would be very difficult even for me."
As it was the first time for Yihao and Anji in the capital city, they were both excited to explore, but also heeded Mingshen’s warning seriously. As the oldest and most experienced of the trio, it was in their best interest to stick close to Mingshen and the guides he appointed.