Chapter 12: Who Let You In?

“Don't worry, Miss. Ya Court is the largest courtyard in the Ji family. Besides your main house and the room where the four of us stay, there are fourteen empty rooms left. There's no need to crowd them into one. However, if they can't sleep alone, that won't be a problem either,” Xiaoju added, following Ji Ruoling's lead.

“That’s good then.” Ji Ruoling suppressed a smile and, without looking back, went straight to her own room.

What Xiaoju said earlier had put them at ease, but wasn't that last sentence a bit...

Xiaoju led them to choose their rooms. Once they were settled, she sent the other three maids to the accounts office to request three sets of quilts and some clothes.

There were no clothes in Ji Ruoling's room suitable for Hou Mochen and Lin Muxi, so the two of them continued to wear the clothes from last night.

Hou Mochen was still wearing his bloodstained robe; fortunately, the blood had oxidized and turned black, making it impossible to see its original appearance.

His clothes were also tattered, bearing no resemblance to the eldest young master of the Hou family, which actually suited his face quite well.

As for Lin Muxi, he had taken off his outer robe, revealing two layers of clothing underneath. Although they weren't embroidered with exquisite patterns, the fabric was clearly of high quality.

Thus, Ji Ruoling sprinkled a few handfuls of dirt over them, and the clothes instantly became dark and grimy.

Seeing that their clothes were too dirty and that they hadn't brought any changes, Xiaoju had sent the maids to fetch clothes as well.

Returning to her room and closing the door, Ji Ruoling let out a long sigh of relief.

She sat in a chair and flipped through several books regarding introductory martial arts.

After only a few pages, she closed them in frustration, placed her hands on the table, and buried her face in her arms.

She didn't know what to do. Originally, she had planned her life out: go to high school, get into a good university, and then find a relatively easy job.

But that damn colored stone had disrupted everything, bringing her to this unfamiliar world.

What could she do here?

Stay in the Ji family forever, eating and drinking what the Ji family provided, and then have Ji Yi find her a marriage?

Then, follow Ji Yi's wishes, marry into another family, and stay there until she died of old age?

That wasn't her style. She wanted freedom; she didn't want to be tied down by any clan.

What about cultivating martial arts, becoming a martial artist, and then leaving Feng City to explore other places once she grew up?

That... seemed not bad!

Over the past two days, she had not only read the introductory martial arts books but also had Xiaoju find her a local gazetteer, though it was incomplete.

From the gazetteer, she learned that Feng City was merely a small town, and the country where Feng City was located was the Cartis Empire, a great power on the Kunling Continent.

Like Cartis, there were two other great nations on the Kunling Continent, but the book did not specify which ones.

She was not a person content with mediocrity. Although she didn't have grand ambitions, she didn't want to be trapped in Feng City forever.

She wanted to see this world and understand it more deeply.

Since she had been reborn, she had to seize this opportunity, she thought: *The original owner of this body, who was trapped in the Ji family, would probably have wanted to see the outside world too.*

Having made up her mind, Ji Ruoling flipped through the martial arts introduction again and prepared to continue opening her meridians.

Outside, the three maids—Xiaotao, Xiaohe, and Xiaomei—were huddled together, gossiping.

“Xiaotao, what do you think is wrong with the Miss? It seems different from what I originally heard,” Xiaomei asked, nudging Xiaotao.

Xiaotao shrugged, indicating she didn't know. “I don't know either, but did you see those three servants? They are truly...”

“Truly ugly! Do you think the Miss can't stand looking at handsome servants because of the birthmark on her face, so she brought these three ugly creatures here?” Xiaohe said bluntly.

“Exactly! I'm worried that one day she'll look at us with displeasure and scratch our faces!”

The three maids were discussing the matter excitedly when a cool voice suddenly interrupted them from behind.

“What are you talking talking about?” Xiaoju stood behind them, frowning as she listened.

“No... nothing.” The three little maids were startled, their bodies trembling as they turned around nervously.

“It's good if it's nothing. You should know that the Mistress is not someone you can discuss. Instead of wasting time on this, you should think more about how to serve her well.” Having said that, she walked away.

The three little maids looked at each other, but in the end, they didn't dare say anything and went back to work.

***

Main House of Yi Court.

The Fourth Concubine was half-reclining on a couch, her head propped up by one hand while the other toyed with an exquisite silver small knife.

Kneeling below her was a person clad entirely in black, reporting the situation: “Mistress, Ji Ruoling brought a man back today, and later brought three men to the steward to register them.”

“One man turned into three? Where did the other two come from?” The hand spinning the knife paused. The Fourth Concubine glanced at the man in black and asked.

“This... your subordinate does not know.” The man in black lowered his head.

“You don't know? Didn't I tell you to follow Ji Ruoling? And you say you don't know!” The Fourth Concubine sat up, staring straight at the man in black.

“I... I lost track of her at the market. Later... I saw her again when she was returning. I saw that after she took that man into her room, she came out shortly after with three men.” His body trembled slightly, and even his speech was somewhat stuttered.

“In other words, there are two men hidden in Ji Ruoling's room?”

The Fourth Concubine narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, the knife in her hand continuing to spin.

“Yes.”

Looking at the trembling man in black, the Fourth Concubine gripped the hilt of the knife and said, “Fine. Since you lost track of her, what use are you to me?!”

A silver flash erupted in the room. The man in black looked up in shock, and in the next second, his expression turned to pure terror.

An exquisite silver small knife was embedded in his forehead—the very one the Fourth Concubine had been playing with earlier.

The knife in her hand had vanished.

Realizing the reality of the situation, the man in black slumped backward.

“Wei Cheng, go monitor her personally. Report immediately if there is any movement,” the Fourth Concubine said, lying back down and closing her eyes.

From a dark corner, a raspy voice replied, “Yes.”

Immediately following, a black shadow flashed by like a gust of wind, vanishing without a trace.

***

As the sun began to set, Ji Ruoling finally emerged from her tightly closed room.

Just like yesterday, she was covered in sweat, giving her the urge to jump straight into the river.

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

She had been in her room since she returned, without even eating lunch.

Ji Ruoling soaked in the hot water, leaning her back against the edge of the wooden tub, and closed her eyes comfortably.

She thought about the moment she was opening her meridians; it felt as if she had been isolated from the world, unable to feel anything, even her own hunger.

When she opened her eyes and saw that it had grown dim outside the window, she gave herself a start; she hadn't realized so much time had passed.

*Knock, knock.*

While she was lost in thought, a sudden knocking sound rang out.

“Is that you, Xiaotao?” Ji Ruoling asked.

The person outside did not answer, nor did they continue knocking.

“Are you here to deliver the clothes?” Ji Ruoling asked again. After Xiaotao had fetched the water, she had said she would bring the clothes over in a moment.

The door opened. The person who opened it did not enter, but instead stood there holding the clothes, staring at her.

Ji Ruoling felt her blood freeze instantly; no matter how warm the water was, it couldn't thaw the chill.

She let out a scream and turned her body away, clutching herself.

“Lin Muxi, who gave you permission to come in!”