From the bone-chilling winter to the radiant spring blossoms, it felt like just a blink of an eye. An Ning had already stayed here for several months.
On this day, the spring light was just right, and the gentle breeze was pleasant. In the small courtyard, the faint fragrance of peonies drifted by from ti to ti.
In the pavilion at the very center of the courtyard, a young girl of about five or six years old, wearing a light pink waist-length ruqun skirt, sat with her hands neatly folded on her lap, exceptionally proper. Her bright, sparkling eyes were fixed on the purple-clad young woman practicing swordplay not far away.
Although the sword forms were clearly sharp and swift, in the hands of the person before her, they seed extraordinarily ethereal, her figure as light and graceful as snow. Unconsciously, little Zhen Yue was utterly captivated.
Monts later, as the young woman executed the final move, the pink crabapple blossoms on the branches not far away trembled delicately.
Seeing that An Ning seed ready to conclude her practice, Zhen Yue instinctively looked up, her exquisite little face showing a rare hint of confusion.
"Sister Shen, you seem to be finishing earlier than usual today?"
Was she in a hurry to go back for sothing?
Sensing the unspoken question, An Ning sheathed her longsword. As she stood up and began to walk, she gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head and smiled.
"It's not early anymore! And the sky... it's going to change completely soon."
Ah? Change... change the sky? Zhen Yue was montarily stunned.
"Sister, do you an it's going to rain?" But right now...
She looked up again at the sky, which was still a vast expanse of clear blue, then tilted her head, her curiosity growing even stronger.
anwhile, An Ning had already instructed the attendants to quickly gather all the dicinal herbs that had been sun-drying in the courtyard earlier.
Unlike the young girl's puzzlent, the several temple maids who had clearly experienced this before moved with great efficiency upon hearing the order. Without the slightest hesitation, they hurriedly set aside their tasks and began carrying the drying herbs back into the rooms one after another.
Sure enough, not long after everyone had stepped inside, the previously clear, sunny sky was swiftly enveloped by rolling dark clouds in the blink of an eye. Imdiately after, a torrential downpour poured from the heavens, knocking the delicate flowers in the small courtyard to the ground.
Witnessing this sudden change, the temple maids who had already taken shelter indoors with their dicine baskets felt increasingly grateful.
They thought to themselves: The young lady truly lives up to being a disciple of a renowned school.
To possess such remarkable skill at such a tender age, it's no wonder the family head and the madam hold her in such high regard.
Six-year-old young lady Zhen Yue: "???"
Ah, how did elder sister figure that out just now?
Unfortunately, the young girl's question went unanswered for the mont. At this hour, An Ning had already gone to the rear hall to freshen up.
Having just practiced swordplay, there was inevitably so dust on her, sothing the always clean-loving An Ning absolutely could not tolerate.
There was no helping it. Even though her heart itched with curiosity like a kitten's claws, her upbringing from a young age dictated her behavior. For now, Zhen Yue could only sit quietly and obediently by the couch, not making a sound, her exceptionally bright eyes occasionally stealing glances towards the area behind the screen.
Sotis, her gaze would also wander over the room's furnishings.
On the desk, a dium-sized purple-gold small-leaf incense burner was quietly emitting wisps of white smoke. Not far from the desk, casually placed by the room's occupant, aside from writing brushes and ink, were a few bamboo scrolls lying about.
On the windowsill table sat a clearly valuable white jade vase, its mouth loosely holding a few branches of crabapple blossoms and leaves. Further away lay a horizontal guqin...
Compared to several months ago, this place could be said to be several tis more vivid and elegant. As expected of Sister Shen, her taste is truly excellent!
Unaware that soone outside was growing impatient, behind the screen, An Ning swallowed the nearly invisible powder in her palm. Feeling the soreness throughout her body gradually fade, she finally allowed herself a rare mont of relaxation, letting herself sink completely into the warm water.
Her mind couldn't help but drift back to the events of several months prior.
A few months ago, once her health had recovered sowhat, out of courtesy, An Ning personally visited the main courtyard to pay her respects to the mistress of the household.
Naturally, she couldn't reveal the full truth of her origins. She rely stated that she had previously lived in seclusion in remote mountains with fellow disciples of her sect, and had recently been displaced to this place due to so unforeseen circumstances.
Just as she had anticipated, Madam Zhang did not press for details. Instead, she looked at her visitor with gentle eyes and asked,
"Young lady, have you found anything unsuitable during your recent stay in the manor?"
In this era, the divide between the gentry and commoners was like an unbridgeable chasm. Without even needing much probing, the truth could often be discerned from one's deanor and conduct.
In any case, after personally eting her and, unsurprisingly, confirming her status, Madam Zhang completely set aside her reservations and decisively began treating her as an honored guest of the household.
Later, when she heard from her maidservants that An Ning practiced swordplay every morning using nothing but a withered branch casually snapped from a tree, she even specifically ordered soone to deliver a suitable longsword to her.
Of course, since the host family treated her with such courtesy, as reciprocation, An Ning naturally had to offer her own value in return.
Weather phenona—clear skies, rain, wind, and even natural disasters—beca the bargaining chips she offered, and they were among her most important assets at present.
Don't underestimate sothing like "weather forecasting," which seems trivial in modern tis. This was ancient tis, especially the late Han period, when natural disasters were frequent, with floods and droughts occurring one after another.
Accurately predicting weather patterns and wind directions was undoubtedly an extrely valuable and highly rewarding skill at this ti.
Especially for the Zhen family, as a prominent local clan in Zhongshan, who not only owned vast tracts of land but also operated nurous rchant caravans.
With such predictions, the losses they could avoid were substantial.
Of course, for An Ning at the mont, the most important thing was... ahem... still the "prestige factor"!
Moreover, in this era, understanding celestial phenona and weather patterns was considered an ability possessed only by outstanding talents of the ti. For soone so young to master such a skill naturally made her value imasurable.
It even subtly elevated the entire sect's mystique by more than a few notches: making it appear more enigmatic, mysterious, and above the mundane.
This was sothing even the most formidable dical skills couldn't achieve at the ti.
Sigh... Just think of Hua Tuo, the number one unjustly treated divine physician of the era, who was executed by Cao Cao without a second thought for a re disagreent.
An Ning couldn't help but shake her head vigorously.
Physicians belonged to the "nine craftsn" class. No matter how skilled or famous a doctor was, they didn't necessarily hold much status in this era.
In short, a purely dical sect: no!
A reclusive sect whose disciples were versed in dicine, divination, astrology, teorology, and even the esoteric arts of Qin Dunjia: that was the most fitting origin story for her current situation.
Slowly rising with the assistance of the temple maids.
Not far away, as the maids moved, the light purple skirt embroidered with delicate rose patterns unfolded. On a nearby tray, a matching set of purple jade jewelry shimred with increasing brilliance.
However, this didn't seem to be the sa set as before?
Noticing An Ning's questioning gaze, Qiaoyun, the leader dressed in a green skirt, quickly stepped forward. Pressing her lips together, she let out a light laugh.
"Young lady, you might not have noticed, but you've been growing very quickly lately. Madam specifically instructed that the sewing room should co regularly to take your asurents and make new clothes for you every so often!"
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