Dozens of scrolls lay open on A Jiu's desk.
Paper balls littered the floor, one after another.
Only when she looked at her work with satisfaction did a smile grace her lips.
"Combined with my spiritual spring water, I'm sure I can break through the sorcerers' spirit-binding techniques..."
"Huh? Xue Zhen? When did you get here? I know you can appear out of nowhere, but you should at least be mindful, this is a young lady's private space."
A Jiu was startled, putting down the talisman in her hand, and felt a pang of annoyance.
But after saying that, she didn't care what Xue Zhen had to explain and sat down to continue poring over the books.
Xue Zhen bent down and picked up the paper balls one by one. He had come six or seven times before, but she hadn't noticed.
He glanced at Meng Jiuer. She was carefully reading a bamboo slip, its title inscribed as "Eighty Days in the Spring Boudoir":
"I've found that although these techniques aren't from the same sect, they share a similar essence. If there's a way to cause illness, there must be a way to cure it. But why do these books only describe how to fall ill and not how to recover?"
A Jiu murmured to herself.
Xue Zhen added, "If the methods for poisoning and antidoting were in the same book, would you still find it worth learning?"
A Jiu thought for a moment, not lifting her head, "That makes sense. However, the Zhuyou techniques do explain some methods of healing in great detail, but no methods for harming others."
Xue Zhen slowly gathered all the discarded paper balls from the floor, feeling that he shouldn't have disturbed Meng Jiu's diligent study.
But as Xue Zhen was about to leave, A Jiu, while reading, vaguely extended her right hand in a grasping motion.
She looked closely.
"Need water?"
A Jiu finally surfaced from her sea of books, "No, no, it's fine."
A Jiu wouldn't lack water. She was just thirsty from reading and had forgotten.
She took out her waterskin from her embrace and took a sip.
She glanced at Xue Zhen still watching her, and said with a smile,
"I'm like a mouse, I need to save up. You should go back to sleep, I need to read more."
Xue Zhen had come multiple times to find her because he had important matters: "I can't leave."
"Why?" A Jiu finally looked up at him.
Xue Zhen spread his hands helplessly, "Yesterday I divined that Prince Qi was going to send troops, but I had something to attend to and couldn't return. Now it's difficult to go back."
Upon hearing this, A Jiu thought, "This is bad. I haven't even considered this matter."
But it was alright, "Isn't it good that you can't go back?"
Xue Zhen looked at Meng Jiuer calmly. Of course, it suited her intentions, but from now on, she would truly have to rely on Tuoba Yan for protection.
"It suits you perfectly."
Xue Zhen simply sat down cross-legged and picked up the Zhuyou technique book, flipping through a few pages casually.
"Have you read the book 'Secret History of Consort Chang'?"
The mention of this book piqued A Jiu's interest. "Consort Chang was truly a renowned woman of her time. When I read 'Secret History of Consort Chang,' my thoughts aligned with hers. Tell me, if the country is peaceful and the people have abundant harvests every year, wouldn't that be the greatest blessing in the world?"
Xue Zhen's eyebrows subtly rose, then his expression calmed, and he looked up, saying,
"I must say, you and Consort Chang have a connection."
"What makes you say that?" A Jiu was tidying the desk, putting away books she had finished and placing leaves as markers in those she was still reading.
"That book was personally written by Consort Chang," Xue Zhen said calmly, "It was later smuggled out of the palace by her personal maid."
A Jiu could see that he had also read the book very carefully:
"It's just a pity that Consort Chang, a daughter of generals, died so insignificantly. Otherwise, with the Meng family in Huachang Kingdom, the current situation would never have arisen."
A Jiu placed a scroll back in its place.
After finishing, A Jiu wiped the desk, cleaning off some ink she had accidentally spilled, which required several wipes.
In Xue Zhen's eyes, the girl was using water imbued with spiritual energy to wipe it.
This was no longer strange. Plants also possessed spiritual energy, so a little spiritual spring water was not surprising, especially since he had long divined that she was an extraordinary woman, remarkable in every way.
As dusk fell, Xue Zhen left with his hands behind his back,
"The residence here actually belongs to Miss Ning, Consort Chang's personal maid. It's best if you don't reveal a single word from that book, because the Meng family still has a surviving heir. If the King of Huachang finds out, not only you, but also the Meng family's heir, could be put to death."