Chapter 144: Chapter 144

With a muffled groan of pain, An Ning swiftly retrieved an array disk from her space and activated it according to the system's earlier instructions. Layers of glowing runes quickly enveloped the figure before her. Even as the woman's form completely vanished from sight, An Ning remained vigilant, her right hand tightly gripping the protective jade talisman at her waist.

Only when the illusion completely dissipated and she awoke on her bed, hearing the soft greetings of her maids outside, did An Ning finally relax completely. Leaning back against the cool jade pillow, she realized her back was already soaked with sweat.

The system, belatedly realizing what had happened: "..."

What kind of immortal plays so dirty?

"Host... host, are you alright?"

"Wait, was that so-called Fairy Disenchantment in the array disk? Hmph, doesn't seem like much!"

Rolling her eyes at the dog-like system, An Ning leaned against the bed and said irritably:

"Why so much chatter? The real question is - does this so-called fairy's spirit essence have any other uses?"

Three high-level soul attack talismans: 45 points total.

Protective jade talisman: 30 points.

Two spirit stones to activate the array disk: 4 points.

And that didn't even include the array disk the system had generously provided earlier.

Fortunately, the jade talisman could be reused and she still had two attack talismans left, otherwise this would have been a huge loss.

"Uh, host, aren't you going to check whether this 'fairy' is good or evil first?"

An Ning responded with another eyeroll: "What does her morality have to do with me?"

"Regardless of her character, I just need to know she tried to use tricks on me. Does anything else matter?"

As if she didn't know what that momentary dizziness was about. In An Ning's view:

Once someone takes action against you, regardless of reason, they become mortal enemies. Misunderstandings? That word doesn't exist in her dictionary.

Most importantly, this person's methods targeted the soul. Ever since coming to this world, An Ning had been on high alert for precisely this reason.

As a dimension traveler, losing her body would just mean mission failure - but her soul...

As for avoiding conflict with this being entirely - aside from the difficulties of two orphaned girls surviving outside the Lin household with the Chen family threat looming, even staying within the Lin household while protecting herself without revealing her abilities was challenging enough.

Then there were the original owner's wishes - those maids who had cared for her were an obligation she couldn't ignore.

Besides, if there was an easier path, why choose the hard mode?

There was another reason too - An Ning particularly disliked these so-called immortals who descended to the mortal realm and then secretly manipulated mortal fates.

"Oh... so that's why you didn't upgrade your space but saved up points instead?"

Only now did the system understand.

"Wait, but host, how did you know the next world would be dangerous?"

"Just being cautious." An Ning didn't explain further.

Whether it believed her or not, the system quickly adapted to its host's ways and began rummaging through the system store. After a while, it perked up:

"Hey host, I found something! These kinds of spirit essences can be used to nourish a special seed called Soul-Tempering Grass."

Yes, so-called fairies - in this small world, there were no true immortals. Real immortals wouldn't operate in such a shoddy place...

Flipping through the information, the system continued: "Soul-Tempering Grass, a rare spiritual herb used to make Soul-Tempering Pills. Because the seedlings require powerful spirit essences, these herbs are extremely valuable - hard to find even in regular cultivation worlds. But we can buy seeds in the system store."

"Host, it's only one point!"

After briefly reviewing the planting manual, An Ning nodded without hesitation. She still had one spirit stone left unused anyway.

Besides, since she'd already thoroughly offended this being, eliminating Fairy Disenchantment's spirit completely was the only way to ensure no future trouble.

The next day, when the commandery princess ordered her maids to collect rare flower seeds, the maids led by Chunlan weren't particularly surprised. Their mistress had always loved plants, keeping many herself, and they knew many flowers and herbs could be used medicinally. Thinking their mistress was developing new medicines, the servants diligently gathered various specimens.

A rather plain-looking green seedling mixed in among them went entirely unnoticed. Only after watching the spirit essence being completely devoured by the seed did An Ning finally relax.

As for the resulting plant - after triple-checking it was harmless, An Ning sealed it in the array disk and tossed it into her space...

Soul-Tempering Pills? Honestly, she had no intention of using anything cultivated through such means. Better safe than sorry - her life was the most important thing.

With this threat resolved, An Ning became increasingly relaxed in the following days, even taking up chrysanthemum wine brewing as a hobby. This piqued Lin Daiyu's curiosity during one of her visits, prompting the girl to ask what good fortune had befallen her.

But soon, young Miss Lin had other matters occupying her mind. Alongside the news of Lin Ruhai's promotion from Salt Commissioner to Vice Minister of Revenue came word that fourteen-year-old Lin Jing had achieved top honors in the provincial exams.

Jiangnan had always been fiercely competitive in scholarly pursuits. Standing out there, especially with such distinction, spoke volumes of his talent.

Naturally, such promising young men attracted attention.

Without internet, ancient life could be quite dull. Another of An Ning's recent pastimes was covertly observing, through her system, the dramatic tug-of-war between the Jia and Lin families.

Watching Jia Min leave the Jia household yet again with a bitter expression, An Ning found her melon seeds tasteless. Married women in this era truly had it rough - harmony was fine in peaceful times, but when interests clashed...

Caught between two sides was putting it mildly.

Especially with the Jia family - any clear-eyed person could see their ship was sinking. A seasoned fox like Lin Ruhai would never let his prized son board that vessel.

Even with Grandmother Jia repeatedly mentioning "the two Jades" (Baoyu and Daiyu), Lin Ruhai remained unmoved, eventually refusing to let his daughter visit altogether.

Taking no chances, Lin Ruhai quickly began seeking marriage prospects for his daughter. While the commissioner was indeed calculating, he genuinely cared for his only child.

At least currently, he had no intention of using her as a bargaining chip. Understanding his daughter's temperament, he considered scholarly families with talented but domestically unburdened second sons.

The eventual choice, young Master Zheng, whom An Ning had observed several times, was an elegant scholar uninterested in officialdom but quite accomplished in poetry. Their few meetings suggested good compatibility in temperament and interests.

As for herself, An Ning watched the beautiful youth before her pondering over the white jade chess piece in his hand.

Shangguan Mu, eighteenth son of the Grand Emperor, aged seventeen - a year younger than An Ning herself.

The long-lived Grand Emperor had over twenty sons. Born during the deposing of the Loyal and Righteous Prince when brothers were at each other's throats, Shanguan Mu's timing couldn't have been worse. Between the chaotic succession struggle and the new emperor's focus on consolidation, this youngest brother received little attention from father or siblings.

It wasn't until the Grand Emperor, enjoying better health in recent years and considering matches for An Ning, that he remembered this neglected son with the deceased mother, fishing him out from some forgotten palace corner.

An Ning didn't know what to say about this man's reincarnation luck.

"Anyway, after all these years together, Your Highness should know my temperament - I detest harem intrigues and other such nuisances."

Setting down her piece, An Ning spoke bluntly.

Understanding her meaning, Shanguan Mu's face flushed, his beautiful features tinged pink as he hastily placed his piece down and bowed:

"A gentleman's word is unchangeable..."

"Commandery Princess need not worry - having given my promise, I would never waver..."

An Ning pursed her lips slightly, neither believing nor disbelieving.

Opposite her, Shanguan Mu's ears turned even redder under her gaze. Unable to meet her smiling eyes, he finally murmured:

"As the Commandery Princess knows, my daily affairs have long been managed by Xiao Xizi and others..."

An Ning nodded. This was essentially true - his mother had died when he was twelve, and as an unfavored prince without maternal support, while not mistreated, his life hadn't been easy.

Especially with the current emperor only in his forties and his own sons coming of age - no ambitious palace beauty would set her sights here.

When the Grand Emperor finally remembered this son two years ago, An Ning had already become quite familiar with palace dynamics through their interactions. Eager to tie her to his faction rather than the current emperor's, the Grand Emperor wouldn't deliberately make things difficult for her.

Watching his deepening blush, An Ning suddenly laughed, casually placing her final black stone on the board. Taking the cue, Shanguan Mu straightened up, and soon the two were engrossed in their game.

Admittedly, his skills surpassed her husband from the previous life.

Only after being courteously escorted back to her mansion and comfortably settled in bed did the system finally bubble up excitedly in her consciousness:

"Wow! Never thought you'd pick him!"

"I mean, forget that Xu fellow with his complicated family - but young Master Lin was a good option too!"

"With his talents, he's sure to pass the imperial exams!"

Might even become another Tanhua (Third-Ranked Scholar)!

"And you grew up together! He clearly adores you, his family's simple, and he's not bad looking..."

The system rarely felt regretful, but now it did.

"Why didn't you consider him?"

"No matter how good he is, should I become his parents' daughter-in-law?" An Ning retorted.

While Lin Jing's feelings were obvious and Commissioner Lin raised no objections, gaining two layers of elders overnight? Even as a commandery princess she'd be exempt from daily greetings, but why endure family politics when she could avoid it?

Especially since the Lin family's health was consistently poor - she'd end up an unpaid family physician.

Treating the Grand Emperor earned her current status, but the Lins? Not worth the effort for no gain.

As for Shanguan Mu - unfavored as he was, his imperial lineage guaranteed eventual princedom. His seniority would shield her from most troubles while providing a peaceful household.

Not that she'd admit it, but... his beauty was a factor too.

She'd learned about his mother - an ordinary palace maid without backing who caught the then-emperor's eye and bore a son. Her looks must have been extraordinary.

And Shanguan Mu himself? A true beauty.

The system twitched. Typical of its host to avoid all disadvantages.

Well... not unexpected.

Once An Ning agreed, their engagement was quickly settled. The happiest was undoubtedly the Grand Emperor, who personally wrote the marriage edict...

In the following days, the pair often went out together.

Years of acquaintance meant they knew each other well. Shanguan Mu's considerate nature made their interactions harmonious. As for young Master Xu - upon hearing the news, he reportedly drank himself into a stupor for days until his father, Duke Xu, locked him up.

But in gossipy, confined capital circles, word eventually reached An Ning, who simply noted it without concern.

Lin Jing, after brief despondency, soon resumed playing the perfect younger brother, presenting an exquisitely thoughtful gift at their wedding...

Unfortunately, this heartfelt gift found itself locked in a chest the very next day. Witnessing this, the system nearly laughed itself to tears.

"Hahaha! Men only ever crack with true rivals!"