Night fell, the bright moon hung high, and a cool breeze rustled through the trees.
Cheng Ruyi patted her bulging stomach as she strolled with her parents, brother, and cousin to aid digestion. Tonight’s wild boar feast had been incredibly satisfying. Unfortunately, her parents had smaller appetites and didn’t eat much; most of the leftovers had ended up in her stomach.
Cousin Rong Mo and her younger brother had only managed a small portion before they were full. Her little brother, in particular, had eaten the least of the boar, preferring to happily gnaw on the large gray rabbit he had caught himself. Thanks to his throwing a tantrum, their boar feast had been supplemented with a dish of braised fatty rabbit—even though it could have easily been saved for tomorrow.
Cheng Ruyi glanced back at the young Cheng Yu, who was struggling to move because he was so stuffed. She felt speechless. I’ll use my wood-element power to rub his stomach in a bit so he doesn’t end up with a major stomachache.
Rong Mo noticed his cousin’s movement and followed her gaze. Seeing the little cousin moving like a slow-motion snail while his aunt and uncle watched the scene with amusement, his lip twitched. “…”
“Cousin, did you really dig up two century-old ginsengs in the mountains?” Rong Mo asked suddenly. Under the silvery moonlight, he looked at the girl in red walking beside him, the summer wind brushing against his cheeks.
Cheng Ruyi nodded. She squinted, sensing the aura of the nearby fruit trees, and surreptitiously released her wood-element power. “Yes,” she answered casually. “Century-old ginseng is quite valuable.”
“Do you plan to sell them?” Rong Mo’s voice was flat.
“I’m not selling.” The ginseng she had accelerated was bursting with rich vitality; she wasn’t about to part with it for mere silver.
Seeing that she truly had no intention of selling, Rong Mo fell silent. In elite families, century-old ginseng was typically kept for personal use or gifted; it was rarely sold for cash.
Cheng Ruyi didn’t mind his silence and continued her leisurely pace. All the purely decorative plants in the mansion had been cleared out, and various fruit trees had been planted today. In such scorching heat, even trees moved with their root balls intact would struggle to survive. But with Cheng Ruyi’s wood-element “cheat,” these trees hadn’t just been “planted”—they had already taken firm root.
As they walked, she sensed moisture in the air. It looked like it would rain tonight or tomorrow. Rain would provide natural nourishment for the fruit trees, allowing her to save her power.
“Daughter, don’t worry about the rumors outside,” the Marquis of Changle said, finally catching up to her after laughing at his son long enough. He spoke cautiously. Thinking of the gossip he’d heard that afternoon, his anger still hadn’t subsided. What do they mean, ‘no one wants her’ or ‘she’ll become an old maid’? It was infuriating.
“Tomorrow, I’ll find a collection of portraits of eligible young talents. If you see one you like, I’ll have the official matchmaker pay them a visit.”
Cheng Ruyi saw her father’s “scared-of-triggering-her-sadness” face and curled her lip. “Dad, forget the portraits. Those ‘talents’ are all a bunch of arrogant snobs. I don’t like them.”
“I like someone stronger than me—someone who can beat me in a fight.”
Cheng Ruyi dropped this bombshell with a grin, leaving her father seeing stars.
“Ahem… Daughter, that’s… a bit too difficult. Can we lower the difficulty level?” The Marquis wanted to cry. Thinking of her strange strength and how she dragged two thousand pounds of meat with ease… his daughter really might never get married!
Watching his uncle’s face collapse into despair, the usually stoic Rong Mo suddenly felt an urge to laugh.
“Your father is right, Ruyi,” Rong Susu added, joining the intervention. “Hardly anyone can meet that requirement. Let’s pick something else.”
“Mom, I was just speaking generally,” Cheng Ruyi replied. “But I really don’t like weaklings. What if he makes me angry and I accidentally swat him to death? Getting remarried is such a hassle. It’s better to have someone ‘thick-skinned’ and durable. Ideally, he should be good-looking, too.”
The Marquis was dizzy. Swat him to death?! His daughter was too brutal! “Thick-skinned and durable” usually meant military generals. Does she like generals? He figured he’d better start socializing with some military men for her sake.
Rong Susu burst out laughing. Under her husband’s resentful gaze, she patted Ruyi’s shoulder and nodded. “You’re right. We can’t have him being too weak.” The mental image of her daughter accidentally “swatting” a son-in-law was too much.
Rong Mo: “…”
He looked down at his paralyzed legs. His slender fingers tightened on the armrest of his wheelchair, and he quietly circulated his internal energy, leaving a faint mark on the wood. Aside from being unable to walk, I don’t think I’m the kind of man she could ‘swat to death’ in one go.
As he realized what he was thinking, he froze. Why was he even comparing himself to her criteria?
Behind them, the struggling Cheng Yu felt the heavy weight of responsibility. If Sister was this picky, he’d definitely have to support her for life.
Half an hour later, the Marquis and his wife told their son to take some digestive pills and went to bed.
Seeing her brother still moving at a snail’s pace, Cheng Ruyi sighed. She walked over and silently used her wood-element power to rub his stomach. As soon as her hand touched him, Cheng Yu felt a warm flow. The bloating and pain vanished instantly. His eyes lit up with hero worship.
“Sister, you’re amazing!” He was thrilled he didn’t have to take the bitter digestive pills.
“Don’t overeat like that again, okay?” She warned. Without powers, he could really damage his health. He nodded vigorously, having learned his lesson.
After seeing her brother off, Cheng Ruyi continued her walk under the moon, secretly nourishing the fruit trees. Rong Mo didn’t leave either; his servant pushed his wheelchair alongside her, while Mexiang and some older maids followed at a distance.
They reached the livestock pens. The managers were still awake and greeted them. Cheng Ruyi saw that the small game she’d knocked out—the pheasants, rabbits, and deer—were all awake and eating. The horses in the stables also whinnied affectionately when they saw her. She had “fed” them several times with accelerated grass, and they loved her for it. This story is hosted at novelping.com.
She took some fodder from the manager, surreptitiously infused it with energy, and fed the horses. They arched their necks, nuzzling her for more. She laughed, eyes crinkling. “Alright, don’t act spoiled. I’ll come back tomorrow.”
Rong Mo watched this with curiosity. It was rare to see animals so instinctively drawn to someone.
“Miss, it’s almost 11 PM. We should go back,” Mexiang reminded her.
As they left the stables, Cheng Ruyi noticed the moonlight dimming. A humid wind began to swirl—the omen of a night storm.
Back in her room after a bath, Cheng Ruyi was about to have Mexiang put out the candles when lightning flashed across the sky. Thunder rumbled, followed by a torrential downpour.
“It’s raining, Miss! It’ll be much cooler tonight,” Mexiang said happily.
“Yes, everyone can sleep well tonight.” Cheng Ruyi walked to the window. A cool spray of rain hit her face.
Suddenly, a dark figure sprinting through the rain caught her eye. She frowned.
“Eldest Miss! This is bad! The poison in the Master’s legs has flared up!” The figure appeared at her door, soaked to the bone and dripping water. It was one of Rong Mo’s personal servants.
“How is that possible?” Mexiang cried. “It only flared up two weeks ago. Isn’t it supposed to be once a month?”
Cheng Ruyi’s eyes widened. Two weeks ago, she hadn’t transmigrated yet.
“Isn’t there medicine to suppress it?” she asked quickly, searching her memory.
The servant looked like he was about to cry, wiping rain from his face. “He took it, but it’s not working! The estate physician is away today. The Marquis and Madam are already asleep, and the pharmacies outside are closed. I heard the Eldest Miss has been studying medicine… I had no choice but to come to you!”
Cheng Ruyi’s heart hammered. Wait, I remember the book’s description of Rong Mo. When he officially appeared in the later chapters, his lower body was described as ’empty.’
Currently, his legs were just paralyzed. Could this sudden flare-up be the event that leads to him losing his legs entirely?
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