The servant brought out a small box filled with silver coins and held it out to the sisters. With great difficulty, they tore their eyes away from the sight of such wealth they had never seen before and looked questioningly at the old man, but did not yet reach for it. They had expected copper coins, yet they were being given silver, and the amount far exceeded their modest grasp of arithmetic. Though their father had taught them how to count money and never hid his earnings, the sight of that shining pile left Xue and Mingzhu completely bewildered.
“Ha-ha-ha,” the old doctor laughed. “Take it, take it—all of it’s yours. That’s the fair price for the herbs you brought me.”
“Really?” the younger girl asked doubtfully.
“Since you insist, sir, we will not stand on ceremony,” Xue said, handing the woven bag to the servant. With both hands she took the box of coins, then bowed deeply.
“Here,” Mingzhu echoed her sister, setting her basket down on the ground.
“What well-mannered girls!” Doctor Du Jie praised them, then turned to his servant. “Escort the young ladies home.”
“As you wish!”
“There’s no need! We can go by ourselves,” Xue shook her head, glancing warily at the servant.
“Very well, off you go,” the elderly doctor didn’t argue. Standing on the doorstep, he watched as the two little ones hurriedly crossed the courtyard, rushing toward the gate.
“When you find more medicinal herbs, bring them to me!” the old man called after them. “Don’t go to that apothecary—he’s a cheat!”
“All right! Thank you!” the sisters answered in unison, stopping to turn around and bow politely before leaving.
As soon as Xue and Mingzhu passed through the gate, they ran straight home. With the precious box clutched tightly in their arms, girls raced through the familiar streets with hearts full of anxiety, excitement, and joy. Before knew it, they had reached their old hut in the slums. Locking the door behind them, the older sister carefully placed the box on the floor, and the two of them sat before it, staring at each other.
“I’ll open it,” Xue whispered.
“Mm,” Mingzhu nodded.
Afraid the silver might vanish, the girl closed her eyes and lifted the lid. The gleam of the coins seemed to light up the room; sunlight slipped through the cracks in the shutters, bouncing off the silver and scattering little patches of light along the walls. The sisters had never seen anything more beautiful. The world seemed unreal, dreamlike, and their bodies felt light—as if they were floating among clouds. After a moment of stunned silence, they both leapt to their feet and began to dance around the box.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“We’re rich now!” Mingzhu whispered in awe. “Just like noble ladies!” For a moment she stopped jumping and bowed gracefully. “Lady Zhang Xue!”
“Hee-hee-hee,” Xue giggled and repeated, “Lady Zhang Mingzhu!”
“Shall we buy some meat?” They took each other’s hands and twirled around the tiny room.
“Alright.”
“And sugar apples?”
“Yes!”
“We have so much money!”
“Hee-hee-hee…”
“If we give it to Father, he won’t have to leave again. We’ll go to the river together…”
They fell silent, stopping mid-dance, and looked at the box full of coins. Judging by weight, there had to be at least three taels of silver, perhaps more, enough to keep a family fed and warm for an entire year. Even their father had never brought home that much.
“Then… let’s not spend it,” Xue said.
“Mm.” Mingzhu nodded. “We’ll hide it. Check outside while I bury it under the floor.”
Old Doctor Du Jie’s expectations were not met—the girls had no intention of returning to the forest for the remaining herbs. They had gone through too much there, and courage alone wasn’t enough. After hiding every single silver coin safely away, they decided to return to earning their living by selling fish and felt perfectly content, patiently awaiting their father’s return.
Every day, Xue and Mingzhu went to the river to set traps. When they caught plenty, they sold the fish; when not, they ate it themselves. They had already become familiar faces at the market and even gained a few regular customers—one-armed Old Man Zhang had even treated them to tanghulu once. Their fresh, cheap fish won over both hearts and purses, so the girls were never left without money. Accustomed to a humble life, they cherished every coin and spent only on food.
From their house to the river, the sisters always ran, just as their father did. On the shore, they trained following the scroll’s method. Their intense sessions lasted for hours, then repeated again later in the day. Afterward, Xue and Mingzhu practiced breathing exercises, first in slow movements that spread warmth through their bodies, and then in meditation to strengthen their spirit and mind.
“I like when it’s warm inside,” Mingzhu said dreamily. “Like a little sunbeam. It tickles… hee-hee-hee.”
“Mm. Feels like ants crawling,” Xue replied.
“Exactly! Only after that I get all sticky and dirty,” the younger one pouted. “I have to bathe every day.”
“You’ve felt the sunbeam inside for long?” Xue asked.
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell Father?”
“I didn’t want to upset him. He said he couldn’t feel anything.”
“Mm… well, I can feel it too.”
“Oh!”
“You know what that means, right? The scroll showed us. The warmth inside makes us stronger.”
“I know.” Mingzhu nodded firmly.
“We’ll become really strong and we’ll never be alone again.”
“Yes! Only I don’t get those names. The first one is… body… tempting? Hee-hee-hee!”
Time passed. Days followed one another. Nearly three weeks had gone by since their father left with the caravan. No one forced the girls to train, yet they practiced with admirable persistence. Gradually, their bodies adapted to the strain, the muscle pain vanished, and the exercises became easy. The sisters could now perform the full series of movements with their eyes closed, even the few hand-to-hand techniques from the scroll they could repeat flawlessly. Without realizing it, both were standing on the threshold of the “Body Tempering Realm.”
