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[Patiently]

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Zhi Ruo's POV

As the maid was talking to Ya Ren, I was already inside the room . I was unnoticed, right now due to the fact that I had just poisoned her back in the dining room, her Cultivation is slowly diminished, swiftly I threw the hair needle on her spinal cord this way not only would she receive the double poison Everytime she lays down her back would ache as if she had been flogged a hundred times. Thinking about it for a bit I also targeted the maid that was accompanying her.

"Second Xiaojie should not worry, that slut would be dead sooner or later, and then would you claim the Noble title as the first Xiaojie." Unexpectedly this maid of Ya Ren's is quite a boot licker. Suddenly Ya Ren's face turned bitter.

"Are you saying that this miss is worrying?? Are you looking down on this miss?? Bah! Fine you seem to have forgotten your place. Fifty floggings!" The maids intention was suddenly taken the wrong way at Ya Ren. Her face went pallid.

"Nubi has wronged!! Nubi has wronged!! Nubi apologizes!!" The maid plopped down and knowtowed. Ya Ren looked down on the maid and used her Qi to supress the maid.

Ya Ren had always felt inferior by her numerous sisters. Qi Sen and her in particular, by her status and her sisters looks and body. The owner of this body had always known about this fact. But she chose to be Quiet.

Ya Ren although inheriting the prowess of the general, she did not inherit the looks and the virtue of her mother. She who had always been compared to her sister felt always that she is lacking. Thus spending all her time on her looks, this hindered her from fully expanding to her full potential and made her father slightly disappointed.

Everytime she went out to visit auction houses she would act like a precious little lady from a noble family. You would not expect her to bully her maids on daily basses, coupled with her skill to play zither she likes the attention and would always visit tea houses that were famous for expensive tea's.

She used her slightly above cultivation to suppress all those who she felt wronged her. Making her a tyrant among the maids. She is extremely sensitive to words that can be twisted. But despite all those characteristics this matter only remained inside the Liu Fu.

I turned my head and refused to hear the nonsense Ya Ren was doing and quickly, like a shadow went out. The screens and the walls of this courtyard was sound proof, so when I got out I could not hear a single thing l that came from the room whence I came from.

Opposite from Ya Ren's room was Qi Sen's. 

When I looked at the gap in the sliding door, I encountered some similar scene as Ya Ren's room. The maid was brushing Qi Sen's hair, and the miss was delicately looking at herself at the mirror. Qi Sen's looks were considered  very pretty at the capital earning her one of the tittle as the top three most beautiful lady in the capital.

But of course, she felt inferior against her sister who has a much more higher cultivation prowess then her. Although she doesn't show it, but she harbours deep malicious thoughts against her blood related sister. Harbouring her sister hate, as she blames her for stealing their father's attention from her.

Her father who always wanted a boy, to succeed him had three daughters instead. So he went to the next best option, since the eldest was a trash, and the youngest was a delicate beauty. He went to Ya Ren who somewhat inherited his ability. But who would've know that the daughter that he invested so much time raising was instead more interested in looks, and the daughter who he thinks was a delicate beauty was envious at his undivided attention.

I snorted in contempt, the family was deep in the dirty water. It was disgusting when you see there true faces.

Qi Sen who wanted to get stronger, secretly visits pharmacies and auction houses like her sister. Wanting the shorter way to power, buying pills, tonics, draughts, and even trying to get a taoist to modify her meridians so that she could get stronger faster. It was like an obsession for her to beat her sister once and for all.

Tiredly sighing I threw the needles where I wanted them to be, glancing back one more time before moving to the next courtyard. Where Su Yang actually lives, my steps were heavy. Remembering the disgusting face that dared to even think about doing anything to me.

And for what? Mere 100 taels? That isn't even silver?! My name is worth more than their fortune! My face is worth 10 lives of fortune! And yet, it was my first day here and my worth is only in 100 taels?! Simply preposterous!

Never have I felt this turbulence in my emotions before. I guess I'm not yet fully in to the fact that this is my new body.

Hushed murmuring was heard when I stepped into the front of the door, it was from the maids attending to the concubine. This niang sure lived a lavish life! More lavish then this eldest miss of the manor! They are simply too thick skinned. 

It was easy covering my Qi, my reserves were low so it was easy to suppress it. 

The sliding door clicked and opened, I nimbly went inside without being noticed. Glancing at the half naked form of lady, I gladly grasped the needles and make it fly towards the points. They make it so easy, to kill them. But I won't do that yet, I want them to fly! As high as they can. And I'll bring them down, with the rope that I tied on their ankles. I'll make sure that when they fall, they won't be able to even lift their fingers. I'll keep making them fly, and I'll keep dragging them back down. Until they beg for me to end them.

Poisoning them, blocking their meridians isn't even enough for them to repay me for what they have stolen. I want my life back. And I'll make sure I'll have it with full interest.

I slid through the door and made my body twist and land on top of the rooftops. 

I want my treasures...the ones that they took from me. No, that's not enough. I want everything that they owed me. And I guess in doing so, I have to take their fortune as a starter.

Nimbly twisting my body through the roof tops I surveyed the surrounding. I know where they keep their money, it was in two places. As far as I've heard through the maids gossip, the first one was in the outskirts of the Fu, and the second one was below the the main hall. It was said to be encrypted with runes.

The one that was on the outskirts of the Fu contains the money for the concubines and the sons and daughters. While the one encrypted with runes were filled with the family's treasures passed down for generation to generation. Along with the clan heads own money.

The seemingly rundown warehouse was in sight by the last turn of my body. Picking up the sound of beating hearts did I notice, that this was not that easy as it seems. Their were several men around the premises, all of them were experts, though some were lower in ranking. But didn't make it easier for me to sneak in.

I grit my teeth in annoyance.

With my cultivation right now, it would be easy as pie for me to be caught. Although I could take out all of them, I doubt that I would make it out alive.

I jumped back when I heard a movement. Hiding within the shadows for protection. My heart was unwilling, but I know when to retreat and when to advance. And clearly for now, I'm gonna have to retreat. Unless my level is a little be higher, I might have a chance in escaping.

"Who goes there!" I snapped my head to the man who shouted. He was drawing in closer. It was impossible! Does he know that I'm here? I hid my scent and all of the other traits how? 

"It's just me brother!" A rustle was heard not far from where I was safety hidden in the shadows. 

A man came out clearly tying up is pants, I retreated my gaze. And with a last push of my legs, I found my way back on the rooftops. Deciding that I was done with them for now I went back to my isolated courtyard.

I have to increase my cultivation, that way I can access my dimensions. At this rate, I can only access it three times a day, or even worse one time per day.

[ Would host like to strenghten the first rank before proceeding? In doing so chances of:

•learning skills beyond body limits

•body being tougher 

•dantian being able to withstand direct attack

Would be higher.

Would host like to accept?

[YES]             [NO]     ]

I read what was displayed before accepting yes. I sat down on the rug of a bed. And started.

I didn't rush to going to the next level, but instead chose to patiently strenghten the first stages. Because i know that in doing this, chances of people breaking my dantian would be less. 

If I can recall in this body's memories. Normally people wouldn't strengthen the first hold of their cultivation. Master had said that also. That back on his days most people on cultivation wouldn't stop and strengthen the first hold but instead try and race up to the next rank. These led to those people having trouble going to the next rank to their late stages. Because they wanted to be on the top first.

But master had taught me not to rush things, and take it slow to form a firm and unshakable foundation. One should know that the beginning should be taken advantage off, having a firm stand on the land leads to a beautiful and majestic roots that the trunk can depend on when it gets rough.

I repeatedly gathered Qi from my surroundings. I palmed the stone on my hand that instinctively started to gather on the place where the Qi was being manipulated. I put the stone on my mouth, before drinking the melted stone. 

The wave of Qi rushed in, and I thoroughly welcomed it to it's very last drop. The Qi pace that I was gathering was getting faster. Notably based on the sweat that's soaking my dress, is getting harder to control. 

By the time that I opened my eyes sunlight was peeking behind the molded paper windows. I frowned when I tried to stand up I can feel my body protesting as if I just had an intense workout at the gym bringing with me an body of a twig.

The morning was lovely, with sunlight seeping in the abandoned courtyard. Except for the up coming footsteps that was impatiently heading this way. I frowned before looking around. 

A person? Coming into this abandoned courtyard's miss? That is unusual. If it is for a meal, they haven't given a single meal in this past week to this miss's body. And they suddenly appear bringing in a breakfast? Now this made my eyebrows stand up. 

I went outside, I jumped on the rooftop of the house. Waiting for the person to come.

Finally a servant came in carrying a tray of scrumptious meal. Though it was covered but I could smell the aroma from a mile away. And... Not only did I smell a sweet scent of a meal. I also smelled the sweet scent of a familiar substance around that's mixed in along with the food.

Of course they didn't come here with good motives. Seeing that the person they sent to assassinate this miss's body. They would decided to give this miss the food that she had been deprived. Whoever's trying to kill me, making some very poor attempts. It was apparent that they are trying to keep this a secret. I wonder what's the occasion?

I observed the servant standing in front of the gates. Looking at her outfit, she looked like she didn't belong to this Fu at all. No she looks like she is newly bought from the slave market. 

And looking at the tray that she brought with her, it looks like another thing that's newly brought. Is it perhaps? Did a another person enter this family? 

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Scarlett-