The Dragon's Flower

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isumii

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XH 37

She had soaked in the bathtub for hours until she was completely freed from the black slimy thing and the stench. When she gets dressed, it was only then she noticed her skin was whiter than before and became as smooth as baby skin! She had to stop touching herself or everyone will think she was a pervert or a narcissist.

It’s truly a miracle pill!

“Elder Sister Hua could feel the difference?” An Jing asked with a smile on her face.

Xiao Hua nodded, her eyes glued to her soft looking hands. Even her original body that was layered with lotions could not produce this kind of result. A mirror was held up by An Jing right in front of her face, and her eyes immediately changed her new target to be glued on.

“No way.” Xiao Hua’s breathing quicken as she traced her face with her fingers gently, unable to believe what she was seeing. This mirror could not be compared to the mirrors in her original world, but it was enough to let her spot the obvious differences in her appearance.  

Although she had somewhat gotten used to seeing a different face every time she looked into a mirror, it still unnerved her.

It must be due to the purging the toxic from her body that her face looked even slimmer than before. Her previous meatless cheeks were shrunken with her cheekbones looks even more obvious eye-catching than before. The drastic weight loss was pretty scary, but the small face with skin as fair as jade contrast it. There was a healthy shade of blush on her cheeks and her lips were fuller.

Why did she think her appearance resembled a living doll?

“Elder Sister Hua can learn knife throwing easier now that your senses are sharper!” Tian Zi cheered.

Indeed, Xiao Hua could detect things even further away than before thanks to her ears and nose with sharper senses. She also feels energized to run a few laps around the manor without feeling half dead!

With a wide smile, Xiao Hua bowed deeply towards the 3rd prince. “Thank you for your generosity, Your Highness!”

The 3rd prince’s hair was no longer wet and he had changed into dry clothes. His hair was not in its usual loose style, but with half of his hair pinned up by a jade hair crown with a shape of a dragon engraved on its surface. His clothes were also not in its loose and lazy style but a tight and form-fitting with the end of his sleeves wrapped with long strip cloth, as if preparing to do something that required lots of movement. He had even ditched his usual bright clothes and picked dark-colored attire instead.

So...so dashing! If there’s a white horse for this prince to ride on, it will be perfect! (´♡‿♡`)

 

“It’s just a pill that’s useful for new cultivators. This prince has no use for it.”

An Jing face was a picture of indifference. (・_・)

An Wan’s face was spotted with an expression as if she had bitten something sour. (×﹏×)

Tian Zi and Tian Chi felt that they had suffered an attack and fought the urge to vomit blood! ლ(¯ロ¯"ლ)

Their master had made the Nutrient pill, one of the top ten rare pills in the whole four kingdoms, into something that was only useful for a newbie!

But do not get him wrong, for what he said was reasonable. The Nutrient pill would be very useful for beginner cultivators but in comparison for advanced cultivators, the nutrient pill could only help improve a little of their cultivation but it was better than no effect at all!

Master, if you still have the Nutrient pills, give them to us, please! (シ_ _)シ

“So it’s like that.” Their silly Elder Sister Xiao Hua nodded with an innocent smile, not at all aware she had just eaten a precious pill!

“The day is getting late. We should not delay any longer.” The 3rd prince left the room and Xiao Hua quickly followed behind along with the inner maids.

They arrived at a large courtyard with a few square shaped wooden boards hanging onto the tree branches. The entire ground was a field of short grass, reminding her of the football field in Le XiaoTing’s original world.

“This is Master’s training grounds,” An Jing explained. This small courtyard was right behind the Spring Courtyard which built especially for the Third Prince’s use. Only inner maids and the blackguards were allowed to step in, but even then they were not allowed to use this ground for training.

Stepping inside the small pavilion, the 3rd prince spread out a cloth with the sharp knives that were neatly arranged in a row on a table. He pulled one out and went closer to the hanging wooden boards, motioned Xiao Hua to stand beside him.

After that, with a wave of his hand, the ground suddenly had a long, thick line on it drawn on it. Xiao Hua blinked in surprise as she had not seen how the Third Prince did it. They were standing just behind the line, with a considerable distance between the spot they were standing and the hanging wooden boards.

“Look closely.” He threw the small knife without much force behind it, but the knife landed right on the wooden board with a loud ‘thud’. Strangely, the wooden board did not sway from the force. It remained still as if a knife was not embedded in it.

“This prince wants you to be able to throw and hit any of the wooden board from where you are standing now.”

Xiao Hua gulped, the nervousness bubbling like boiling water inside her but anticipation slowly crawling out of her heart. “Yes, Your Highness!”

“You will have three days’ time to complete this task. If you fail to have ten knives on the wooden board, you will be punished.”

Xiao Hua suddenly no longer feels eager about her new ‘task’.

“The knives will be counted after three days. If any of them drops from the board before the time is up, it will not be counted.”

Xiao Hua wants to cry. (ಥ﹏ಥ)

“Master, the time to depart is near.” Da Liu appeared silently and reminded the 3rd prince.

“An Jing, An Wan, Xiao Liu, follow me. Tian Zi and Tian Chi, watch over the manor.”

“As you command, Master!”

“Da Bei, you will oversee Xiao Hua’s training.”

“Yes, Master.” Xiao Hua stared at the black dressed boy that shared the same height with her. It was unknown when the boy had appeared beside her as his presence was hard to detect and he was silent when he moved.

When Da Bei returned her stare, Xiao Hua gave him a wide grin. He immediately looked away, ignoring her.

Xiao Hua unconsciously pouted, no longer afraid of the black dressed boy. She was no longer a fence sitter, unsure which side to help. Now that she had decided to be in the 3rd prince’s camp, it would be silly to be distrustful and scared of her companions.

“Da Bei, make sure she did not slack off. It’s important that she eats on time, sleep on time and wake up on time.”

“Yes, Master.”

…That is a bit too much, isn’t it? (・_・;)

The 3rd prince walked away, leaving Xiao Hua and Da Bei alone. It was only then Xiao Hua let out a shaky breath before turning to Da Bei. “Please...be gentle.”

The 3rd prince, whose cultivation level was high, could hear what Xiao Hua said despite he had walked quite far away. He halted his steps and added a new order. “Have Da An bring Lau Liu back earlier. It would not be good to have the manor lack of manpower.”

“This subordinate will inform them,” Da Liu said. When the 3rd prince finally continues walking, Da Liu made eye contact with An Jing.

An Jing gave him a small but sweet smile and nodded her head. Da Liu, the fierce and cold man unexpectedly has a soft look in his eyes. He nodded in return and flashed away to complete his task.

Tian Chi and Tian Zi had gone somewhere, leaving Xiao Hua to practice. It was not long before they returned with a few meal boxes containing their afternoon meal.  It was placed on the table after Da Bei packed the knives away.

“Eat first before the resuming your training!” Tian Zi pushed Xiao Hua to sit down. “Da Bei, your share is here too.”

“I’ve already eaten, Sister Tian Zi.”

“A growing boy needs to eat more!” Tian Zi forced the awkward boy to join the feast. Da Bei sat still, making no move to pick up his chopstick. All a while, Xiao Hua stared at him, her interest rising in the pace of a turtle.

The lower half of his face was covered with black cloth, making it hard to read his expression, but surprisingly, his expressive round black eyes were like a small window to his soul.

“Elder Sister Hua, you need to eat more. You will need more energy for training.” Tian Chi added more dishes onto her bowl generously.

“Em!” Xiao Hua nodded and eats her food heartily. She will need more energy for the training and Da Bei does not look like the type that would defy his master’s orders and let her rest.

After this short time, she knew that the Third prince was a good person and would not treat her badly, but she still does not know what punishment she will be given if she failed in her task.

Speaking of punishment...Xiao Hua remembered the incident where she had accidentally slapped the prince’s hand when he saw her crying on that day. Hopefully, the 3rd prince did not remember that she owed him a punishment!

chocolily