Mei Jiu had just recovered from the exhaustion of her life-and-death escape yesterday when An Jiu took control of her body and exercised her to the point of collapse. Right now, she really, really wanted to rest...
Mei Ru Yan, walking behind Mei Jiu, saw her sway and collapse backward. Unable to hold back a cry of alarm, she reached out to catch her.
Hearing the noise, Mo Sigui turned to grab her, only to see Mei Jiu's closed eyes suddenly snap open. A pair of bright, slightly mocking eyes reflecting the red maple leaves abruptly filled his vision.
Taking advantage of his momentary daze, An Jiu grabbed his belt with one hand while, hidden by his clothes, her other hand snaked between his legs and seized a handful of flesh, using it as leverage to pull herself upright!
The force was enough to dig her nails into his skin, though to an outsider, it would have just looked like she'd grabbed his belt.
Mo Sigui let out a pained cry, staring in disbelief at his cousin, who had seemed so shy just moments ago.
"Thanks," An Jiu raised an eyebrow and casually picked at her nails.
"Let's go in," Mo Sigui limped up the steps, wincing as his clothes rubbed against the wounds on his inner thighs.
An Jiu knew there wasn't much point in controlling Mei Jiu's body right now, but she didn't want to miss any opportunity to synchronize her soul with the physical form.
Entering the main hall, An Jiu noticed Mo Sigui wasn't overly formal, performing only the usual courtesies, so she relaxed a bit and imitated Mei Jiu's usual manner of bowing slightly in greeting.
The furnishings in the main hall appeared simple and plain, but An Jiu recognized that even those armchairs were made of high-quality rosewood. The floor, which at first glance seemed wooden, upon closer inspection turned out to be bamboo. These bamboo planks had been flattened by some method, fitted together seamlessly, and polished to a glossy sheen, resembling a single expanse of flooring—truly a marvel to behold.
Every detail in the room seemed ordinary yet exuded an indescribable comfort, revealing the meticulous care put into every aspect.
"No need for formalities," the family head said gently.
The three straightened up as he continued, "Fourteen Lady and Shishi Niang have just returned home. Today, you'll meet the various clan elders and pay respects to your teachers. Mo Sigui has already been chosen as Elder Qi's disciple, so today he'll perform the teacher acknowledgment ceremony alongside you two."
An Jiu thought to herself, Weren't we supposed to be added to the family registry? Why has it changed to acknowledging teachers? The instructions in this family are far too unclear! Improvising is risky...
"Fourteen Lady, Shishi Niang," the family head called.
An Jiu and Mei Ru Yan looked up. The family head, his thin face wearing a faint smile, idly fanned himself with a feather fan. "Though our Mei Shi family are merchants, we have always valued education. Every child of Mei Shi is accomplished in both literary and martial arts—there has never been an unlearned or unskilled one among us. Moreover, only after being recognized by one of the clan elders and acknowledging a teacher can one's name be entered into the family registry. Do you have any questions?"
"No," they answered in unison. What questions could there be? It was obvious—children with poor aptitude wouldn't be acknowledged by the family.
In this unfamiliar place where even the rules of the game were unclear, An Jiu felt a twinge of unease about the consequences of not being entered into the family registry... She had no skills in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting or poetry and prose. Should she wake Mei Jiu? If Mei Jiu took over, there'd naturally be no problem with any of it.
The family head had someone set up the tools to test their skills in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. "Each of you, choose two."
Mei Ru Yan said, "My sister excels with brush and ink. Shall I take the zither and chess?"She made it sound like a generous concession, but in truth, she was already quite skilled in music and chess. Having grown up in a brothel, she had mastered these entertaining arts exceptionally well.
An Jiu was also quite satisfied and nodded decisively in agreement. While she couldn’t pretend to understand music or chess, she could at least write a few characters with a brush—though the results might vary in aesthetic appeal.
"Sister, you go first," Mei Ru Yan said.
An Jiu briefly recalled how to hold a brush. Once the maidservant had laid out the paper, she boldly swept the brush across it, steeling herself for the inevitable embarrassment, and wrote: "The wind howls, the Yi River grows cold; the brave man leaves, never to return!"
The decisiveness and flair with which she wielded the brush delighted the family head and the elders. As soon as she finished, two of the elders couldn’t resist stepping forward to examine her work.
"This… forget the poor penmanship for a moment—what’s with this layout?!" One elder pointed at the horizontally written characters and then at the comma and exclamation mark in the middle. "And what’s the meaning of these?!"
An Jiu was displeased: You old fool, just make do with what I’ve written! Stop nitpicking!
Another elder was also disappointed, but recalling her confident brushwork, he held onto a sliver of hope. "Do you know anything else?"
"I know many things," An Jiu replied calmly.
The elder brightened, but An Jiu added, "My skill level is about the same as my calligraphy."
The elder’s face fell. "Young lady, don’t speak in such a roundabout way!"
"Understood," An Jiu answered bluntly.
The elder scratched his thinning white hair. "Are you really Yan Niangzi’s child? Or did she just pick you up somewhere to fool us?"
An Jiu remained silent.
The others also came over to take a look, shaking their heads in disappointment before returning to their seats.
Only the elder who had spoken with her earlier didn’t show excessive disappointment and instead studied her carefully.
Since An Jiu had already admitted her other skills were on par with her calligraphy, there was no need for further assessment.
Next, Mei Ru Yan played the zither and solved a Go puzzle. Her musical technique was refined, and for her age, her skill was remarkable. Four of the elders nodded approvingly, while the one who had been watching An Jiu earlier continued to stare at her intently.
An Jiu met his gaze, but the old man wasn’t much to look at—hunched back, dressed in a dull blue robe, his wrinkled skin and sparse white hair making his features indistinct, with a meager topknot perched on his head.
Unbearable to look at! An Jiu turned away, finding Mo Sigui to her left far more pleasant on the eyes.
"Not bad. I’ll keep this girl under consideration," one of the elders announced after Mei Ru Yan finished solving the Go puzzle.
"Keeping under consideration" generally meant marking her as a provisional candidate. Only after passing all subsequent tests would he decide whether to accept her. If he declined, others could then consider her.
An Jiu found it strange that no one objected to such an overbearing approach.
The family head nodded. "Indeed, Shishi Niang is quick-witted. She would suit Elder Xian well."
Mei Ru Yan was overjoyed.
An Jiu finally understood—the five elders each specialized in different areas and intended to teach according to their students’ talents.
The family head ordered the instruments to be cleared away and stood. "Follow me," he said to the three in the hall.
All the elders rose and followed the family head through the door to the left, with An Jiu and the others trailing behind.Upon entering the room, the light suddenly dimmed significantly. An Jiu adjusted her eyes slightly and looked around. The wooden shelves inside were filled with weapons. Just as she was about to examine them closely, she felt a gaze locking onto her from the right front. Unable to resist, she glanced in that direction.
And there, she saw the clan elder who had been staring at her grinning widely.
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