Murim's Weakest Princess-Chapter 244: Born In Muddy Water

Unsure what to expect, Anji held her spiritual breath. The earliest memory from the Lotus Sage was her birth into the brothel. Apparently, her mother was a courtesan with a high-status patron. Yet, upon knowing the child was born, her mother was immediately cut off by her patron.

Out of sheer twisted kindness, the owner of the brothel, who was a retired top courtesan, raised the Lotus Sage with everything she had. In her childhood, Anji saw how the Lotus Sage never lacked food or clothing. She was raised in the Red Lantern District and was known to be as beautiful as her mother.

Unfortunately, beauty was not eternal. As the Lotus Sage grew up, her beautiful mother grew older. Eventually, she had to retire and could no longer provide for her daughter. Even the owner’s kindness was not unlimited. In exchange for allowing her mother to continue living comfortably, the Lotus Sage decided to debut as a courtesan.

Thanks to her upbringing and beauty, she quickly rose in popularity. Powerful and wealthy men from all over would bid to spend a night with her. Yet, the Lotus Sage, unlike her mother and other courtesans, never had to sleep with any of her clients. She would spend the night chatting, playing chess and singing with an instrument for them. For a courtesan, there was no happier way to live life.

Yet, history would repeat itself. One day, a wealthy merchant’s son fell in love with the Lotus Sage at first sight. The man was silly and would spend his fortune on her. Yet, he expected nothing from her other than to spend time with her and pour out his never-ending affection on her. No matter how guarded the Lotus Sage was, his sincerity moved her heart, and gradually, she too came to love him.

In no time at all, the young merchant’s son had become a well-known regular of the establishment. Everyone liked him because he treated the staff well and was very generous. Even the Lotus Sage’s old mother and the owner of the brothel liked him. Seeing how good the young man was, they decided to arrange a bid for him to buy out her contract. Nobody was gladder than the Lotus Sage. She knew someone of her birth status could never become the main wife, so she gladly accepted the position of a concubine. Her only condition was that she would be allowed to bring her old mother with her. The young man quickly agreed, and the deal was made.

They had the most lavish wedding in town, which made even the main wife of the young merchant son jealous. However, the Lotus Sage was a magnanimous and smart person. She quelled the fire of jealousy and rumours quickly by appealing to the main wife. She taught the main wife tricks to improve her marital appeal and helped her bear her first son in the family, improving her standing. All the while, the Lotus Sage dressed more humbly than the servants in order not to attract attention. Even so, nobody could deny that her beauty shone through the simple clothes.

Life was great. Everything was within the palm of the Lotus Sage. However, Anji noticed that the more peaceful and perfect things were, the less the Lotus Sage smiled.

Her husband loved her almost to the point of worship. He respected her every wish, and even after marriage, she remained chaste and helped to raise his son instead, teaching him the five classics and art. There was a huge void in her heart despite the perfect life she lived, not that Anji could understand why. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Eventually, many years passed, and the Lotus Sage had to attend her mother’s funeral. The lady passed from old age peacefully, and out of respect for her, the kind merchant’s family placed her in their family register. The Lotus Sage had grown in age, but her beauty did not fade. She looked not a day past twenty when she was already nearing her forties. Rumours started circulating that she was secretly a demoness who ate hearts and peeled the skin off young, supple maidens to retain her youth.

Although everyone knew that the rumours were unfounded, it started troubling the merchant’s family. The kind merchant and his son did their best to defend her. However, their business took a hit.

Seeing the situation, the Lotus Sage begged the main wife to allow her to leave the family and thanked the merchant’s family for being so kind to her and her mother. To help the family one last time, the Lotus Sage started a rumour that she was being banished to become a nun due to her infertility and that her barren womb was a result of her taking too much medicine that kept her youthful appearance. It did not take much to convince the tongue waggers, and soon, the merchant family’s business became prosperous again.

Anji saw how the Lotus Sage chose to enter an all-female cultivation sect that took in many scorned women. The abbess of this sect was a widowed army general’s wife who found peace in chanting the Heart Sutra. Together with her martial arts and enlightened knowledge, the number of widows and scorned women seeking refuge from the tumultuous outside world increased. Under the abbess’s teaching, they slowly started to realise their real potential. Likewise, the Lotus Sage was no exception.

On the day that the Lotus Sage arrived at the monastery gate, the abbess greeted her and noticed her bright mind before her beauty. It was the first time Anji felt a spark of excitement and happiness coming from the Lotus Sage.

In the sect, the Lotus Sage was introduced to many different kinds of women. Unlike the teachings of the brothel to never outshine men and to serve those of importance, the women here were dominant and unafraid to pick fights or express themselves. For the first time in her life, the Lotus Sage felt like she could breathe.

Anji observed with interest how the ex-courtesan became fast friends with the craziest lunatic of the lot. She ditched fine-dining etiquette for eating roasted meat off the bone with her hands. Instead of wasting time on embroidery, she learned how to skin a deer. Everything was new to the Lotus Sage, and for the first time, it felt as if the water was not muddy. Every day was a new day full of things to look forward to.

As the days passed, Anji learned how to smile alongside the Lotus Sage. Her smile became wider, and her laughs less of a giggle and more boisterous. Her moon-like face slowly transformed into one as bright and cheery as the sun.

Finally, the lotus had emerged above the muddy water in which she was born. Anji smiled with her and enjoyed the taste of freedom for the first time in four decades.