“Alright,” Mei Jiu agreed readily.
With this companionship, Mei Jiu gradually relaxed and soon fell asleep.
An Jiu seized the opportunity to control the body and get out of bed.
She wouldn’t sit idly by. If one had to sacrifice for the other, she refused to be the victim! Even if they could coexist, she would do everything to kill or expel Mei Jiu’s soul – because she was always alone and needed no attachments.
Unsure how to fully seize the body, she decided to start by acclimating to it.
An Jiu could sense at least five people around the room, so she couldn’t make too much noise. To pass the time, she began doing push-ups and sit-ups to exercise the body.
To her dismay, she discovered how weak this body was!
Lying on the floor, An Jiu found that these thin arms couldn’t even manage one push-up! Through sheer willpower, she managed five.
Knowing not to overdo it, An Jiu didn’t push further. After the push-ups, she did twenty sit-ups.
Then, she sat on the bed practicing finger exercises to improve her control and dexterity.
After spending most of the night on this, An Jiu reluctantly closed her eyes.
Early morning.
Mei Jiu woke up feeling as if her entire body was filled with lead, even her eyelids felt heavy!
“Miss, today you’re to meet the young master and the clan elders in the front courtyard,” Wen Cui reminded, knocking on the door.
“Come in,” Mei Jiu said, unable to even sit up.
Wen Cui entered and was startled to see Mei Jiu’s pale face and dark under-eye circles. “Miss, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t feel well,” Mei Jiu said weakly.
Wen Cui checked her pulse but felt nothing unusual. Assuming her medical skills were insufficient, she panicked, “What should we do? We can’t delay meeting the clan elders! I’ll fetch a doctor.”
She rushed out before finishing her sentence, clearly very worried.
Soon, Mei Jiu vaguely saw through the gauze curtain Wen Cui returning with an old man with a long beard.
The old man sat by the bed, and Wen Cui placed Mei Jiu’s wrist outside the curtain, covering it with a thin silk cloth.
The old man felt her pulse briefly, “The young miss is healthy, just overly tired. Perhaps she hasn’t rested enough. Continue with the nutritional prescription from the other day, and she’ll recover fully within five days.”
“But Doctor Liu, the miss needs to meet the young master and clan elders today. Is there any way to help her get out of bed?” Wen Cui asked.
Doctor Liu replied, “No medicine is needed. She’s just tired. Fourteenth Miss, please try to endure it.”
“Thank you, Doctor Liu,” Wen Cui said, escorting him out.
Returning, Wen Cui pulled back the bed curtains, “Miss, today is extremely important! Please try to bear with it.”
“Mm,” Mei Jiu struggled to sit up.
Wen Cui helped her to the dressing table and began the daily grooming routine.
Today’s attire was smoke-gray, very plain. Her hair was styled in a simple bun without any ornaments. “Family rules dictate simple attire when meeting the clan elders,” Wen Cui explained.
Mei Jiu smiled faintly, “This is more comfortable anyway.”
“Yes,” Wen Cui agreed, lightly applying powder to mask the dark circles under Mei Jiu’s eyes.