Murim's Weakest Princess

Setting up the array in her room was not difficult. Anji accomplished that within minutes. However, receiving a reply from the guards who escorted her took over two hours, and Anji could not leave her room as she pleased.

"Come in," Anji called out, and changed into her rich lady robes when someone finally knocked on the door.

The guard bowed as he entered and handed her a reply to the letter she sent earlier. Pu Jianming, or whoever Song Min possessed, was still seated at the same spot. They must have received her letter and sent a reply, but it did not explain how it would take nearly two hours.

"Why did it take so long?"

Apologising again, the guard explained that the ’scholar’ she wrote to was busy and they had to wait before they could be granted an audience. In addition, the scholar had extended a verbal invitation to enjoy the moonlight together this evening, something rather inappropriate in the eyes of those who did not know better.

Anji received the reply and tore open the envelope. Given her identity and reputation, Song Min could not be unaware that such a proposal would tarnish her image. It was a deliberate trap meant to provoke her.

Not taking the bait, Anji read the reply and kept her poker face. Whatever the ’scholar’ was busy with, it could not be decent. The paper smelled of perfume from a brothel more than ink. Although the small town was famed for its scenic views and scholarly debates, the red light district always existed in places that smelled of money and fame. Having spent enough time with her Godmother, Anji remained unfazed. Whatever brothel or entertainment parlour it was, nothing could compare to the Red Palace.

Nervously, the guard watched and waited for Anji’s next instruction. Instead, the imperial guest tore up the reply and burned it with internal energy.

"Tell the innkeeper to prepare a blood red robe, the same as the owner of the Red Palace, in my size. I want a whip I can wear and a fierce horse I can ride. Have it done by evening. We have a guest to visit and an invitation to accept."

Puzzled by the flamboyant wardrobe and request, the guard bowed and took his leave to do Anji’s bidding. The imperial sponsors were not short on cash, so it would be done even before sundown.

Left alone again, Anji looked out the window to enjoy the cool breeze and slightly salty air. It would take a while to get everything together. She was tempted to take a stroll and enjoy a moment of peace before tonight’s meeting.

Changing to inconspicuous central plains clothing, the colour of willow jade, Anji snuck out silently.

Song Min had not changed. Like a crafty spider, he spun his web and tried to lure the butterfly into it. However, Anji was not blind. If he wanted her to act like a butterfly, she could pretend to be one. However, her true nature was that of a praying mantis. Despite a thousand years, Zhong Kui was still a demon slayer guardian. Her blade must have rusted, but it never dulled.

By now, thanks to her transmission signal and energy tracking, Elder Shen should have received the coordinates of Pu Jianming and his traces. Although unable to confirm in person, the energy traces from the cultivator residing in this town matched those in the archives Pu Jianming was once in charge of. Anji remembered his energy signature clearly.

However, the guard did not know that the two were not the same person. The scholar who wrote her a reply and the mysterious cultivator in this small town were two different people. This meant Song Min’s brainwashing hairpin and puppets had taken firm roots outside of Chang’an.

During her scenic stroll, Anji secretly observed the number of controlled puppets and dispelled them as she passed. The town was small, and she easily covered everything within an hour. Her feet brought her to the lake, and finally, she was face-to-face with the traitor she ought to apprehend.

Pu Jianming was exactly how she imagined him to look. Unlike the Elders of the Mystical Qilin Sect who had eccentric appearances, Pu Jianming was closer to the senior researchers of the sect. He wore a white scholar hat that looked like the oil paper bags street vendors put their buns and flowy robes adorned by one simple jade pendant. He was neat and clean with clear eyes and an upright disposition.

If Anji did not know better, she would think he was one of the promising scholars on a literary retreat before the upcoming imperial selection examinations. He looked around thirty, but in reality, as a cultivator, he had to be at least fifty. That did not change how ladies passing by would steal a secret second glance at the figure sitting at a pavilion near the famed Crystal Lake, deeply absorbed in playing his zither.

Not one to disturb someone else’s flow state, Anji stood back and watched. The zither music was skilfully executed with long fingers and a strong bone structure. However, at the tip of every note was a subtly imbued energy note meant to influence listeners.

Anji recognised this. How could she not?

As someone whose basic foundation was born from the seven-sound mantra, Anji instantly knew just how skilled her senior was. Transmitting energy threads into sound was a skill so delicate that few sages were born from it. Pu Jianming might not have the Heavenly Eyes that Anji and Yan Ping had. However, his control and manipulation of sound energy was so advanced that if Anji and Pu Jianming battled it out, she might struggle to hold her own against his experience.

The flag formation and array were part of Pu Jianming’s secret. Crystal Lake Town was his territory, and every note of the zither served to amplify the array’s control. After closer observation, Anji concluded that this was the traitor responsible for creating those complicated spells in the distributed brainwashing hairpin. Previously, she had no idea how they were controlling people in Chang’an. The travelling trope made little sense, but now? Everything fell into place.

Using sound to control the array in place, Pu Jianming was controlling every single possessed puppet in this town. More horrifically, he was doing it of his own free will.

After two songs, the zither finally stopped. Anji stood unmoving as Pu Jianming finally turned around.

With a serene smile, he greeted Anji.

"Greetings, junior. I was too absorbed in my songs that it took me a while to greet you. It’s been a while since I met anyone from the Mystical Qilin Sect. Would you like to have some tea with me? I received a bag of high-grade Oolong leaves recently. Won’t you tell me all about what’s happening back at the Sect? I’m particularly curious to know how the Sect Leader and Elder Shen are doing."

Chills.

Anji shivered a little at the invitation. Pu Jianming’s friendly demeanour was not the unnerving part. She expected this much. However, it was the only thing that matched her expectations.

Even with her second sight, Anji did not see it. No miasma, no traces of corruption, not even a hint of malice or mind control.

Was he for real?

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