Chapter 5: Peach, Lotus, Chrysanthemum, and Plum

“Me? I’m fine,” Ji Ruoling replied, momentarily stunned.

“That’s good. You’ve eaten your fill, right? I’ll have someone carry you back later. Also, don't go back to that little shack; I’ve had the Elegant Court cleaned out again. You’ll live there from now on.”

“Oh.” Ji Ruoling took a careful look at Ji Yi and noticed that his temples were snow-white; seeing him in such a low mood made him look even older.

Before leaving, Ji Ruoling couldn't help but add one more thing: “It’s not like I like him that much anyway. If the engagement is to be broken, then let it be broken.”

...

At the Elegant Court, Ji Ruoling sat in her new room, staring blankly at four little maidservants.

“What are you all looking at me for? Is there something on my face?” Ji Ruoling touched her face, her eyes filled with confusion.

The maid Xiaotao comforted her, “Miss, please don't be sad. You are the legitimate daughter of the Ji family. Even without this marriage to the Marquis family, the Family Head will find you someone even better.”

The maid Xiaohe cautiously peeked at Ji Ruoling’s face twice before saying, “Miss, don't be sad. We will serve you well.”

The maid Xiaomei looked at Ruoling with a hint of heartache, “It’s alright, Miss. We won't... look down on you.”

Hearing Xiaohe say that, the other three maids glanced at her, their eyes filled with pure disdain.

*Do you have to be so blunt? Wouldn't it be better to be more tactful?*

Ji Ruoling felt a line of black streaks appear on her forehead. Had she even expressed any sadness?

And what did "looking down on her" mean?

Although everyone said she was ugly, it shouldn't be to this extent.

In her memory, she had never looked in a mirror, so she didn't know what she looked like.

Furthermore—there hadn't been anything like a mirror in that little broken shack.

“Bring me a mirror.” Seeing their reaction, Ji Ruoling actually became interested in this face.

“Miss, don't do anything reckless!” Xiaotao grew anxious.

“Miss, you are the most beautiful in our hearts!” Xiaohe nearly burst into tears.

“That's right, that's right, we won't mind,” Xiaomei remained blunt, nearly making Ji Ruoling spit blood in anger.

The three little maids glanced at Xiaomei again, their eyes asking: *Is it really okay for you to say that?*

“I told you to bring a mirror, so just bring it. Why are you being so wordy?” Ji Ruoling frowned impatiently.

The silent maid Xiaoju silently went to fetch the mirror.

Ji Ruoling took the bronze mirror from Xiaoju, said thank you, and then lowered her head to look into it.

Though the bronze mirror was somewhat hazy, she could still see clearly.

She didn't know how to describe this face; it was somewhat thin, yet the contours of a beauty could still be seen.

However—there was a fist-sized gray birthmark on her right cheek.

There was also a scarred wound on her forehead.

Besides that, her skin appeared sallow, likely due to long-term malnutrition, which could be seen just by looking at her hands.

Ji Ruoling put down the mirror, pointed at the birthmark on her face, and said to the four maids, “Is it because of this scar that you all—are acting like this?”

“Miss, please don't do anything reckless.”

“Exactly, exactly.”

The three little maids surrounded Ji Ruoling, comforting her one by one.

“...” Did she look like someone who would commit suicide over a birthmark?

“Alright, you don't need to worry. I won't do anything stupid. Go about your work.”

Hearing this, the maids all went out. Before closing the door, Xiaomei even poked her head back in to take a look.

Ji Ruoling stretched lazily, shedding the expression of indifference and the "poker face" she had maintained in front of everyone.

She rested her elbows on the table, propping her face up with her hands, her expression turning conflicted.

She had just transmigrated like that, and into the body of an unfavored young lady who had just had her engagement broken, looked "safe" in terms of beauty, and was even a—useless cripple!

The original owner's memories weren't very useful; she hadn't read many books and was illiterate.

But from the insults Ji Qianxue and the others spat out while beating her, one could say the original owner had lived an isolated life.

However, from the fragmented bits of information, she could tell she had transmigrated to a different continent, one with a touch of fantasy.

There were three professions on this continent: Warriors, Mages, and Summoners.

Warriors were the most widespread profession on the continent, while Mages appeared in only one out of every hundred people.

Summoners went without saying; in the entire continent's history of millions of years, only a dozen or so had ever appeared.

Perhaps the fewer the people in a profession, the more powerful they were; ten Warriors might not necessarily be able to withstand a single Mage of the same level, and a Summoner could sweep through an entire empire.

The Warrior martial ranks consisted of ten levels, with nine stars per level.

Ji Qianxue had only cultivated to the first level, seventh star, while the so-called number one genius of Maple City, Hou Mochen, had reached the second level, eighth star.

As for her, she didn't know if it was because no one had taught her since childhood, but she had never awakened her martial power, which was why she had been bullied by them all this time.

Ji Ruoling really had a massive headache right now. Ji Yi's attitude was unclear; she didn't know if he was protecting her or what.

With Ji Qianxue's personality of being petty about everything, she would definitely find ways to bully her.

Even if Ji Yi found out, she would deny it to the death.

Moving to a new courtyard was good, but it also made her an easy target for envy.

“Heavens, you've really given me a huge problem. If you're going to let me transmigrate, fine, but why this person? Even if I had transmigrated as an orphan or a pauper, it would be better than this,” Ji Ruoling growled lowly and slumped onto the table.

As afternoon approached evening, dappled golden sunlight shone into the courtyard, making everything it touched emit a faint golden glow.

Ji Ruoling sat in the courtyard, wrapped in a faint golden light, focused on the book in her hands.

“Martial power... how do I awaken it?” Ji Ruoling propped her head up, frowning slightly at the archaic and difficult text in the book.

This afternoon, she had sent Xiaotao to the Ji family's library to borrow several books about Warriors; she wanted to research how to become one.

She had been worried that the script of this continent wouldn't be compatible with modern writing, but after opening the first page, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Although it wasn't modern common script, she knew this type of writing.

Back in school, she had joined the literature club, and there was a group that studied classical texts, which she had participated in.

As it happened, she had studied this kind of classical text and was somewhat familiar with it; she could understand most characters.

After researching for half a day, she had a general understanding and wanted to give it a try.

She closed the book, placed it on the table, and stood up to return to her room.

Half an hour later, as the sky gradually darkened, Ji Ruoling opened her door and tugged at the clothes sticking to her body.

She muttered to herself, “So that's how it is. No wonder I couldn't practice martial arts.”

She had just tried to condense it and circulate it through her entire body, but she had failed.

She later discovered that her entire body's meridians were blocked, with only a few being clear, which was the only reason she had managed to live this long.

To practice martial arts, one had to clear all the meridians in the body; otherwise, one could forget about becoming a Warrior in this lifetime.

She tried to clear her meridians. After clearing the first one, she was already drenched in sweat; the perspiration had soaked her clothes, making them cling to her body and leaving her feeling sticky.

“Xiaotao, prepare hot water. I want to bathe.”