“Mother, Mother, don’t cry.”
Ji Hong took a deep breath, dispelling the palace maids serving in the room. He knelt before the Empress Dowager’s bed, took her hand, and with tears in his eyes, smiled and comforted her.
The Empress Dowager nodded, wanting to say something, but as the words reached her lips, she remembered she had been poisoned and silenced by Yin Sila. The mist in her eyes dimmed further. However, meeting Ji Hong’s concerned gaze, she dared not show any trace of sorrow. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with her hand and smiled at him.
Ji Hong helped her to sit up. Knowing the Empress Dowager could not speak, he talked a great deal on his own.
The Empress Dowager listened with a smile throughout.
…
“Your Ladyship, Your Ladyship, you’re finally back.”
Nan Shiying returned to Xinyuan Pavilion, and Bai Zhi and the others were overjoyed. Counting the days, Her Ladyship had been gone for half a month. Officially, she was said to be ill and confined to bed. If there were other consorts in the manor, who knew what trouble would have arisen.
Even so, during Her Ladyship’s absence, as His Highness had not visited Xinyuan Pavilion, rumors were already spreading below that the Prince was angered by Her Ladyship, and she had fallen out of favor.
If it weren’t for the fact that Her Ladyship’s absence from the manor was not to be publicized, they would have long ago torn the tongues out of those gossips.
Nan Shiying took the warm handkerchief handed to her by Bai Zhi, wiped her hands, picked up a pastry from the table, and took a bite, her eyes narrowing in pleasure.
Xiao Huan stepped forward and began to rub Nan Shiying’s shoulders.
Lan’er handed the freshly brewed tea to Nan Shiying’s side and then crouched down to massage her legs.
Bai Zhi, seeing the two trying to curry favor, rolled her eyes in disdain, then gritted her teeth. Seeing no room for herself to act, she shifted her gaze from Nan Shiying. She picked up an orange, peeled it, carefully removed the pith, and then placed the peeled orange segments on an empty plate in front of Nan Shiying. Then she picked up grapes and began to peel and seed them.
Lu Wan smiled and stood aside, watching the three.
Nan Shiying took a sip of tea, ate two pieces of orange, and then popped a grape into her mouth. As she chewed, she said, “Bai Zhi, Xiao Huan, Lan’er, you’ve been serving me for some time now, haven’t you?”
“Yes, Your Ladyship, it’s been half a year.” Bai Zhi and the other two nodded.
“But I still don’t know your capabilities!” Nan Shiying asked meaningfully.
She had already witnessed Lu Wan’s abilities. What about Bai Zhi and the other two?
Shadow Guards and Xuan Guards were ultimately different. She hadn’t paid attention before because she hadn’t witnessed Lu Wan’s abilities. Now that she had, she wanted to know more, to use it as a reference and see what her own peculiar ‘ability’ should be attributed to.
While performing vivisection, she discovered her eyes had become better.
It seemed to have been upgraded.
She wasn’t sure if this description was accurate, but Nan Shiying was a bit confused. Was this upgrade passive, progressing with time, or did it require specific conditions?
For example, the growth of internal energy or certain changes in her mental state.
Bai Zhi and the other two quickly glanced at Lu Wan. Seeing Lu Wan’s calm expression without any change, they knew she had already revealed her abilities to the Consort.
They weren’t hesitant, just instinctively looked at Lu Wan.
Bai Zhi spoke first, “Replying to Your Ladyship, my skill is a bit…” A rare blush appeared on her face, as if it were difficult to speak. “The more I eat, the stronger I become.”
Nan Shiying: “...?”
Is it because I gain weight?
Lu Wan explained, “Bai Zhi is of the strength type. She once ate a basin of rice and then lifted the rockery in the courtyard.”
Nan Shiying was somewhat shocked and asked, “The rockery? The one in our courtyard?”
Lu Wan shook her head, “The rockery in His Highness’s study courtyard.”
Nan Shiying twitched her mouth. That one, that rockery was more than double the size of the one in Xinyuan Pavilion’s courtyard. Roughly estimating, it must have weighed at least a thousand pounds.
This was truly strength to move mountains and spirits to overshadow the heavens!
Nan Shiying finally understood why Bai Zhi was such a glutton. This wasn’t eating; this was storing combat energy!
She was a talent!
Nan Shiying then turned her gaze to Xiao Huan.
Xiao Huan said shyly, “My abilities are not as good as Sister Lu Wan’s or Bai Zhi’s. I just have a better memory.”
“Xiao Huan is being modest. Xiao Huan has photographic memory,” Lu Wan said, knowing each of their abilities well, and added, “And she can also integrate and apply what she learns.”
“So, if she reads a martial arts manual, she will roughly learn it after looking at it?”
It wasn’t difficult to remember every move, but to not only remember it but also comprehend it, such talent was like the God of Literature descending to earth.
.
“I can only learn about seventy to eighty percent.” Xiao Huan said.
“Not bad!” Nan Shiying nodded.
Xiao Huan’s face showed a hint of joy, “Your Ladyship flatters me.”
Bai Zhi felt a little jealous. Her Ladyship hadn’t praised her after she spoke.
“Bai Zhi is also very impressive,” Nan Shiying added.
Bai Zhi’s face bloomed like a chrysanthemum at a speed visible to the naked eye, making it impossible to look away.
“What about Lan’er?”
“Replying to Your Ladyship, I am not as gifted as the older sisters. I am only skilled in some mechanisms,” Lan’er said.
“Mechanisms?” Nan Shiying raised an eyebrow.
“Lan’er, why don’t you take out your box of toys for Her Ladyship to see?” Lu Wan said.
“Your Ladyship, I’ll go get it.”
“I’ll help her,” Bai Zhi said.
Nan Shiying nodded, watching Lan’er and Bai Zhi leave, then asked, “Do these abilities of yours have a general term?”
“Yes.”
Lu Wan replied, “Extraordinary people!”
“Extraordinary people?”
Lu Wan nodded, “This is the general term for people like us. Speaking of which, these situations all started from that meteor shower a hundred years ago.”
“You should know that a hundred years ago, our ancestor of Linyuan obtained a meteorite and forged it into the Wentian Sword, right?”
Nan Shiying nodded. How could she not know? Ji Hong and Ji Jinmo, these two unfilial descendants, had just blown open the dragon-carved stone tablet left by the ancestor of Linyuan, bringing the Wentian Sword to light.
“More than one meteorite fell at that time. Some were picked up by people, and some were buried in remote jungles. The first extraordinary people appeared five years after the meteorites fell.”
“The first person discovered to possess extraordinary abilities was the child of the person who picked up the meteorite.”
“When that child was six years old, he sucked all the water from the缸 dry in one breath, terrifying the villagers at that time. Just as the villagers were about to burn the child as a heretic, the child’s father, to save his life, lied that his son was the reincarnation of the Dragon King, thus preserving his life.”
“Since this incident, many strange people and extraordinary events have been discovered across the country. The various regions reported to the Central Secretariat, and the Central Secretariat reported to the ancestor. The ancestor immediately ordered an investigation, and then established the current Shadow Pavilion.”