Murim's Weakest Princess-Chapter 38: Seeing is Believing

Half a sit-up. Anji’s best record wasn’t even a whole number. Covering her face in shame, the little girl wondered how she had gotten up every morning even without being able to do a single sit-up. Was she really that weak?

Neither Lizi nor Doctor He was surprised by Anji’s poor physical ability. As the people who tended to Anji’s needs the most, they knew how weak the tofu princess was. However, Zhao Wanting spent more time managing the sect and often babied her youngest daughter with motherly affection. She had no way to know where Anji’s limits were. Watching Anji’s struggle in person drove the message home. After all, to see was to believe.

Zhao Anji was an unrivalled weakling. Even Doctor He’s nickname for her was too kind. Tofu was stronger than Anji in Zhao Wanting’s eyes. Her daughter was simply too feeble!

"Although it is unconventional, please assist me with the interval training. Anji and I will be in your hands," Zhao Wanting stood up and bowed to the physician.

Returning the bow, He Qiu promised to plan a suitable training program for Anji so she could learn the basic martial arts without putting her body at risk.

"It might be unconventional," the physician glanced at Anji and gave her a wink. "However, you can still resume basic martial arts lessons with Anji daily while she recuperates this week. The young princess is quick to study and learns best when observing others. Although she can read martial manuals, nothing is better than an expert showing her how it is done and explaining the key points."

The young princess flopped onto the bed on her back while the adults were exchanging pointers and discussing how to train Anji efficiently. Why was doing a sit-up so difficult? Surely, she had done at least one every morning getting out of bed.

"Hnng..." Anji squeezed her abs tightly in an attempt to sit up, even reaching her arms towards her toes to reduce the gravity from her head. However, all she managed to do was lift her feet off the bed and curl up like an awkward banana instead of doing a sit-up.

Hearing the tiny grunts from the bed, the adults looked over and burned the adorable sight into their brains. Doctor He was the first to snap back to reality, quickly snapping at Anji for her reckless behaviour again.

"What do you think you’re doing, tofu? Do you want to extend your recovery time?"

Startled by his barking tone, Anji jolted and immediately flopped back onto the bed like a tuna. Unable to defend herself, the young princess suffered an hour of Doctor He’s lectures. Eventually, she was sentenced to a medicine bath overseen by Lizi and a mandatory stretching session followed by a body massage before bedtime for the entire week. freёnovelkiss.com

"You’re discharged now," the physician huffed. "I’ll see you tomorrow after lunch and test you on the Eight Principle Syndromes of medical diagnosis with case study samples."

Zipping her mouth, Anji nodded rapidly like a pecking hen and watched as her physician piled new books into Lizi’s arms.

With Lizi’s arms occupied with the heavy tomes, Madam Zhao carried her daughter up the mountain back to the main estate. Although she did not accomplish much teaching, she learned many things about her daughter today.

"Let’s have lunch and get Lizi to prepare your medical bath. You should take a nap before dinner and have someone help you around. Don’t walk too much, and keep your legs warm at all times, ok?"

"Yes, Mother," Anji smiled angelically.

After a simple lunch prepared by the servants in Anji’s bedroom, Zhao Wanting had to leave to complete the rest of her work. While Lizi prepared the medicinal bath, Anji spent her time browsing through the new books Doctor He sent to Lizi. Although these were meant to be her weekly reading homework, Anji knew she could easily finish reading all the books in three days with so much spare time during her recovery.

The Horse Stance was an important basic posture. Anji did not think maintaining such a simple-looking movement would be so difficult. Although she had seen many combinations of movements using the horse stance during other disciples’ training when she passed by, she never thought the most fundamental footwork relied heavily on muscle endurance.

"Young miss, the medicinal bath is ready!" Lizi called and peered into the bedroom. Her young mistress had her nose buried in a book again. She was so engrossed that she did not hear Lizi, so the maid walked over to see what her young mistress was looking at.

Lost in thoughts, Anji jolted in surprise when Lizi tapped her shoulder.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" asked the maid. "Is the Eight Principle Syndromes very difficult?"

Glancing at the book title she had picked out randomly, Anji realised that was what Lizi was referring to. Truthfully, Anji had already memorised the Eight Principle Syndromes. They were mentioned once in the pulse reading book she borrowed.

"No, let’s hurry before the bath cools," Anji smiled, putting the book back down.

Smiling, Lizi helped her small mistress out of the sweaty martial robes and into the herbal bath. The bath smelled a little strong and spicy. It had a brownish colour that reeked of bitter barks. Anji took a whiff as she entered the bath. Although she recognised the scent of cinnamon, she had no idea what else Doctor He concocted for her. There was still a long way for her to go if she wanted to be as knowledgeable as the physician.

Pulling her hand through the brownish water, Anji wondered if Lizi would scold her for taking a sip. Eventually, curiosity won, and Anji acted based on her impulsive thoughts.

"Young mistress! You shouldn’t drink the bath water!" alarmed by what happened, Lizi quickly patted Anji’s back, urging her to spit it out. However, it was too late. Anji had already swallowed it.

The taste was weird, and Anji made a face. However, there was something familiar about it.

"Ginseng and licorice root? Why are such expensive ingredients used in my bath? Wouldn’t it be better for me to drink it in a soup?"

Surprised that the young mistress could tell with just a mouthful of bath water, Lizi did not know to praise or scold this troublesome child.

"Although there is no poison in this bath water, young mistress should refrain from drinking it in the future. It’s unclean and could cause a stomach ache! Besides, the water has been mixed with unboiled well water. Master would be sick with worry should anything happen to you!"

Feeling remorseful over her reckless action, Anji apologised and begged Lizi to keep it a secret. However, she was still curious to know why Doctor He used such expensive ingredients for a herbal bath. Ginseng was expensive, and many poor people couldn’t afford it in their lifetime.

Seeing Anji’s concern over the medical expenses, Lizi hid a smile behind her sleeve. The Celestial Dragon Sect wasn’t poor. If anything, the family prioritised Anji’s health over a few gold ingots. It was a good thing the second young master did not teach Anji how to count. It wasn’t the first time the sect master allocated such a huge budget for Anji’s health. However, the ginseng was a gift.

"After your second older brother left with Sect Leader Zhang and his sworn brother, he learned a lot of business tips and made a lot of money. This is a gift he sent back to the sect. The ginseng used for your bath is only the beard. The main ginseng root is still with Doctor He, who is concocting new supplements for you. You should prioritise your health instead of money, young mistress. Now lean back a little so I can wash your hair."

Hearing Mingshen was already making money less than a year after leaving the mountain, Anji felt a sense of pride. As expected of her smart brother, he could do anything he set his mind to! After receiving such a precious gift, Anji wondered if there was anything she could do to return the gesture.

"Lizi, could you prepare the ink and paper before my nap? I want to write a thank you letter to my brother."

Chuckling, the maid nodded and massaged Anji’s sore muscles in the bath. It hurt at first, but after a few minutes, the tight muscles began to relax as Anji started to drift away.

Unwilling to wake her young mistress up, Lizi dried Anji off and helped her change before tucking her into bed. The letter would have to wait.