Murim's Weakest Princess-Chapter 206: Finally Home

Anji thought they would slip through the back gate and climb over the wall to get home discreetly. However, Mingshen surprised her by saying they would take the ’shortcut’ and led her to the familiar tunnel her father taught her how to use so she could slip into town without her mother knowing. Gu Ying did not appear too surprised about the secret passageway.

"Members of the Gentleman Club are permitted to use this," Mingshen smiled. "Father’s orders."

If her father knew about it and permitted trusted people to use this secret tunnel, Anji was fine with it. The secret tunnel’s inside had also changed a lot. Some work had been done to ensure it lit up with Anji’s light talisman designs.

"Did father add the new spells himself?" she asked. "I don’t remember it being this organised either. What about the storage rooms?"

Grinning proudly, Mingshen announced that Anji’s seals had been mass-produced in the Celestial Dragon Sect.

"It was very useful for the Eternal Night Valley. Remember when you told me you wanted to replicate sunlight for growing crops? We succeeded partially. Although it still requires a cultivator to imbue energy every few hours, it works. The first season of crops from the valley was harvested not too long ago. I thought it would be good to implement them here too. Someone from the Gentleman Club within the sect recharges them before they run out of light. It’s still too early to be surprised. There’s more."

There was more? Anji could hardly believe her ears. It had only been a year since she left. How could so many things have changed?

True to Mingshen’s claims, there was more. Anji followed her older brother’s lead and realised that it was not her memory that failed her. The secret passageway had changed.

"Did someone expand the tunnel? I don’t remember a forked path here."

Indeed, there was a new road carved from stone and dirt. The new paths were renovated well with ventilation and lights. The reinforced structure beams prevented it from collapsing inwards, a job professionally done.

"That leads to father’s annexe," Mingshen explained. "It’s easier for the Gentleman Club to pass him urgent messages by slipping them into his documents directly."

Nodding along, Anji wondered where they were going if they weren’t going to their father’s place. From this stretch onwards, the path was newly created. It went upwards with more twisting steps, and Anji had to take several breaks. Although she had gotten used to climbing a Redwood tree, these steps were brutal.

"We’re almost there," Mingshen informed her. "Would you like me to carry you? It’s going to be quite the steep climb."

Ordinarily, Anji would have declined. She liked being independent. However, her legs were shaking so badly. If she pushed her body any further, she would most definitely end up with a fever. Hence, she reluctantly nodded.

Yet, before Mingshen could bend down, Gu Ying, who had been shadowing them silently, scooped the young girl up. With awkward open arms, Mingshen plastered a smile on his face. It would have been a great moment for him to show off as the big brother, but Gu Ying beat him to it. If she were a man, Mingshen would have worried that Anji would want to marry Gu Ying when she grew up. Fortunately, she was a woman. So, he retreated with grace.

"That works too," he snapped open his favourite paper fan to cover his mouth. "I’ll meet you at the top, take your time."

Confused by Mingshen’s contradicting action, Gu Ying picked up the pace and followed behind the second young master closely. Thankfully, in the time it took them to reach the top, Mingshen had gotten over his embarrassment.

Anji had no idea what to expect. They were still somewhere in the Celestial Dragon Sect. However, it had been too long since she was last here.

"Close your eyes," Mingshen warned with one hand on the door lever. "It might hurt your eyes because the sunlight is different from the light talisman."

Indeed, there was a difference in light intensity. Anji listened to her brother and held onto Gu Ying for reassurance. The climb was long and steep. She would not have survived the ascent.

The lever clanked as a mechanism drew the heavy stone slab door open. Anji could see the change of colour from behind her eyelids. The sun was bright and warm, something she welcome from the chilly tunnel.

"You can open your eyes now," Mingshen’s voice sounded a little distant, but Anji did as she was told, only to be startled by a festival mask up close to her.

Yelping in surprise, Anji almost fell from Gu Ying’s arms. Thankfully, her bodyguard was prepared for the struggle and held onto her firmly.

A familiar laughter came from behind the mask, and Anji quickly realised who the prankster was.

"Father!"

Now that Anji thought about it, her father liked to buy useless trinkets whenever they sneaked to the village together when she was younger. The mask was something that caught Anji’s eye. Her father bought it immediately and paid a street painter to customise it. Anji did not think he would still have the paper mask until now, much less wear it on such an occasion. Where was the discretion?

Laughing loudly, Zhao Mingfeng removed the mask and Zhao Wanting came up to hug her child. Anji was transferred from Gu Ying’s arms into her mothers within seconds, and the lady squeezed almost all the air from Anji’s lungs.

"My baby has grown taller! Mother missed you so much! Did you come back to celebrate your eighth birthday with us? It’s a little early, but we prepared a secret party for you in the restricted hut that your shifu used previously when you were younger."

Confused, but thankful that they were not asking her why she returned in a hurry, Anji looked around. It was the same hut she spent with Yan Ping when they were creating her first artificial cores. According to her parents, they cordoned off this place and created a secret route in case Yan Ping needed to meet them away from prying eyes. It came in handy for Anji’s secret visit.

"Why are we still standing under the sun?" Zhao Ruiting raised her brow. "We can talk indoors while Lizi brings dinner. Anji is going to fall sick at this rate."

Realising that her oldest daughter was right, Zhao Wanting apologised and quickly brought her youngest daughter indoor. The hut was not very big. It could not house many people. However, there was a new extension to the side, something her family must have added in her absence. The veranda had enough space for everyone to sit comfortably on the floor for an informal gathering.

Although this was not the annexe she grew up in, hearing the voices of her family made Anji smile. She was finally home.