Yong’an Marquis Residence, West Courtyard.
The afternoon wind carried a hint of heat and also swept along the hushed whispers of several maids who were sweeping the courtyard.
“Did you hear? People from Grand Secretary Zhang’s family came today.”
“What else could it be for? It must be about the eldest young master’s marriage again.”
“Shh, keep your voice down. If the eldest miss hears you, you’ll regret it.”
A younger maid lowered her voice and tilted her chin toward the tightly closed door deeper in the courtyard.
“If you ask me, the eldest young master really has terrible luck, having such a sister.”
“Exactly. Our marquis residence has a pair of legitimate children. The eldest young master is like the bright moon in the sky, but this third young lady… she’s like mud on the ground.”
“What a pity. No matter how richly she’s raised, a fool is still a fool.”
Their words were sharp and mean, yet in their eyes there was a strange hint of longing. They could not help but sniff at the faint fragrance drifting from the crack of the door.
The smell was very unusual.
It was not the bitter scent of ordinary medicine. Instead, it carried a refreshing fragrance of grass and wood that made one feel relaxed and clear-minded with just a single breath.
But everyone in the residence knew that the third young lady living in the West Courtyard was already beyond saving.
Inside the room, Su Jinse was using a slender bamboo chopstick to slowly stir the emerald-green medicinal liquid in a stone mortar.
The maids’ gossip outside drifted into the room word for word, yet it caused not the slightest ripple on her face.
Mud on the ground?
She curled her lips in self-mockery. That was fine. Mud was best at hiding life; no one would guard against a patch of rotten mud.
Her movements were extremely slow, like a frozen moment in a painting. To outsiders it looked like the clumsy sluggishness of a fool, but only Su Jinse herself knew that it was her precise control over her wood-type ability.
This body was simply too ruined, like a house leaking from all sides, completely unable to withstand the full activation of her powers.
A faint trace of green light seeped from her fingertips, traveled along the bamboo chopstick, and silently merged into the medicinal liquid in the mortar.
In an instant, the fresh fragrance of vegetation grew stronger, almost becoming tangible as it swept away the stale air filling the room.
What had originally been a few ordinary herbs had now, through the catalysis and purification of her ability, become medicine with completely different potency.
Su Jinse stopped stirring and carefully filtered the liquid, pouring it into a rough porcelain bowl that had a small chip on its rim.
The medicine was ready.
A bowl of medicinal liquid and a small dish of white porridge with barely any grains of rice were the lunch of a legitimate daughter of the marquis residence.
She lowered her eyes, and her long eyelashes cast shadows beneath them, hiding every emotion.
No one knew that inside this dull and foolish body lived the soul of a war god from the apocalypse.
In her previous life, she had died from exhaustion while defending the base.
When she opened her eyes again, she had become the foolish legitimate daughter whom everyone in the Yong’an Marquis Residence avoided.
The original owner’s meridians were blocked and knotted, sealing away her powerful wood ability. Even her mind had been affected, making her movements slow and her speech unclear.
Her overwhelming abilities were now trapped in this tiny cage.
With a creak, the door was pushed open.
The senior maid Huamei walked in carrying an empty food box, her face showing undisguised perfunctory indifference.
“Miss, have you finished your meal?”
Her gaze swept over the bowl of green medicinal liquid in front of Su Jinse. She curled her lips, clearly taking it as some useless herbal soup.
Su Jinse ignored her.
She lifted the porcelain bowl and drank the medicinal liquid in one gulp.
Her movements were still slow.
As the medicine flowed down her throat, a gentle energy slowly spread through her dry meridians.
She raised her head, and her calm, unfathomable eyes looked directly at Huamei.
Being stared at by those overly clear eyes made Huamei feel inexplicably uneasy, and her tone became stiff.
“Why are you looking at me, Miss? Do you have any orders?”
Su Jinse’s lips moved, and a few difficult syllables squeezed out of her throat.
“Bro…ther… back?”
Hearing the word “brother,” Huamei immediately grew impatient again.
“The eldest young master is studying in the study. Miss, you’d better stop thinking about it and stay quietly where you are.”
After speaking, she grabbed the empty bowl on the table and turned to leave, as if staying even a moment longer would bring bad luck.
Su Jinse said nothing more and silently scooped the clear porridge with a spoon.
In this household, perhaps only her brother Su Jingci, who was famous throughout the capital, still remembered her, his foolish sister.
At that moment, a sharp gust of wind swept in from behind.
A strong scent of cosmetics clashed with the refreshing medicinal fragrance filling the room, making it feel completely out of place.
“Again with these useless flowers and weeds!”
The legitimate eldest sister, Su Lingwei, dressed in splendid clothing, strode in with undisguised disgust in her eyes.
The golden hair ornament on her head jingled as she walked. Her bright and luxurious attire formed a stark and glaring contrast with the faded, plain clothes Su Jinse wore.
Su Lingwei looked down at the dilapidated room, her gaze finally landing on Su Jinse as if she were looking at something filthy.
“Playing with these things all day long. Aren’t you ashamed?”
Su Jinse paused slightly while scooping the porridge, then slowly raised her head.
Those overly clear eyes met the newcomer once again.
The gaze was too calm, neither sad nor happy. It made Su Lingwei choke inwardly, as if all her sharp thoughts had been seen through.
She instinctively avoided Su Jinse’s eyes. To hide that fleeting unease, her tone became even colder and harsher.
“What are you staring at! Mother wants to see you!”
When Huamei heard this, her face turned pale. She hurried forward, stammering as she tried to find an excuse.
“Eldest Miss, the third young lady… her body is weak. She just took medicine, so perhaps—”
If this fool went to the main madam’s courtyard and caused trouble, the unlucky one would still be her, the personal maid.
“Get out of the way!”
Su Lingwei did not even look at her. She shot her a cold glance and snapped impatiently.
“Do you think a servant like you can guess Mother’s intentions? Say one more word and you’ll be punished too!”
Huamei trembled in fright and immediately fell silent, retreating to the side without daring to speak again.
Su Jinse lowered her eyes. The warm medicinal power inside her body was slowly repairing her blocked meridians, bringing a faint mixture of pain and comfort.
Mother?
That biological mother who had thrown the original owner into this West Courtyard to fend for herself and had not visited even once in years?
The corner of her lips moved slightly, revealing a trace of ridicule that no one else noticed.
One does not visit the temple without a reason.
It seemed that because of her brother’s marriage, they had finally remembered her, the foolish legitimate daughter.
That was fine.
She was just worried that her body was recovering too slowly. Perhaps going out might lead to new discoveries.
Under Su Lingwei’s increasingly impatient gaze, Su Jinse held onto the edge of the table and, in a clumsy manner, slowly stood up bit by bit.
Su Lingwei did not look at anyone again. She simply left behind an order that allowed no refusal.
“Hurry up and follow me.”
After saying that, she turned around and walked away without looking back.