Shi Lan straightened her sleeves and knelt on the couch beside her. However, she couldn't help but twitch her lips. If she remembered correctly, it had been eight or nine years since the original owner of this body last saw him.
"Uncle, A-Lan is already sixteen."
The implication is that she is no longer the ignorant child she once was.
Ji Lang nodded and said, "That's right, a nun of A-Lan's age should find a husband."
Shi Lan's pretty face stiffened. Ji Lang was a high-ranking shaman of the Jiang Kingdom. How could he not know that she had been included in the list of concubines to be married to the Zhao Kingdom? Yet he still dared to say such things to provoke her.
“What my cousin says is true, but Ah Lan’s husband has already been chosen by His Majesty.”
Ji Lang curled the corners of his lips, his face showing indifference, "If you don't want to, I'll just decline for you."
"..."
Suddenly, Shi Lan felt extremely sorry for the original owner's death. She wanted to get closer to her cold and distant father and stay away from her cousin who loved her, but in the end, the father she cared about so much pushed her to her death, and this cousin wanted to protect her after she mentioned it only once.
It's obvious which is closer and which is farther away.
“I appreciate your kindness, Uncle. King Zhao is a great man of our time, and my husband should be such a righteous and upright gentleman. I am willing to marry the princess far away,” Shi Lan said, calming the turmoil in her heart. She picked up a chess piece from the side and placed it lightly on the chessboard.
Ji Lang glanced at her for a long time, and only felt relieved when he saw that she did not show any hidden sorrow on her face. "When I heard your father say that yesterday, I was half-believing and half-doubting, but now it seems that I was just being paranoid."
Shi Lan sighed inwardly, but smiled on her face. "Uncle, I've come here today to ask you for a favor."
Ji Lang raised his hand and placed a black piece, blocking Shi Lan's newly activated attack. "What is it?"
Shi Lan pursed her lips and placed another piece. "The Zhao Kingdom is far away, and I, A-Lan, am all alone abroad. I want to learn something to support myself."
Ji Lang stared at the chessboard, his voice slightly unsteady as he pondered, "If you want to learn something, someone will arrange it for you. Why come to me?"
After he placed his piece, Shi Lan followed suit, her clear eyes fixed on Ji Lang. "A-Lan wants to learn her uncle's witchcraft."
Ji Lang finally raised his dark eyes and stared intently at Shi Lan. "Why do you have this thought?"
Shi Lan straightened her slender body, her beautiful and delicate face revealing a mischievous glint in her eyes, "Then why did you have such a thought in the first place, Uncle?"
Ji Lang remained silent for a long time, then suddenly smiled and laughed loudly, leaning back even further from her already crooked posture. "Good, good question. Ah Lan has really grown up, and has a bit of the charm of her elder sister back then."
Shi Lan looked at the man and fell silent. Although people nowadays value being unrestrained and carefree, is it really appropriate for him to be so casually sprawled on the couch, without any regard for her, his junior?
"So, does that mean my cousin has agreed?"
After laughing, Ji Lang sat up straight, his previously flamboyant and arrogant expression turning serious. "A-Lan, if you're going to learn, you should at least show some respect. Starting tomorrow, you will stay in my residence until your marriage. Can you really do that?"
Shi Lan rose with a smile, clasped her hands in a deep bow, and said, "Yes, sir!"
Having successfully taken the first step, Shi Lan was in high spirits. She returned to the Shi residence with A Ping, packed a few personal clothes, left a letter to inform her father, and then went to the Ji residence in high spirits.
During the time she was away, Xiao Tong had already learned Shi Lan's identity. After respectfully taking her to her residence, he ran away as fast as he could.
Shi Lan watched his retreating figure with a smile and shook her head.
Life in the Ji family was simple yet busy. The mystery and profoundness of witchcraft exceeded her expectations, and Shi Lan eagerly absorbed the various witchcraft techniques taught to her by Ji Lang.
From healing to praying for blessings, from perceiving celestial phenomena to communicating with heaven and earth, Shi Lan gradually explores this magical realm she has never encountered before.
Two months passed in the blink of an eye. Shi Lan danced gracefully under the scorching sun. Two steps away, Ji Lang, with a serious expression, held a bamboo stick about the thickness of a little finger and occasionally tapped her calf with his hand when her movements were not correct.
A slight stinging pain quickly spread throughout her leg. Shi Lan gritted her teeth, trying her best to recall Ji Lang's graceful, ethereal movements.
Because of her practice of the Chaos Technique, Shi Lan has keen senses and an exceptional memory. She can easily memorize Ji Lang's movements after only one repetition. However, she suffers from poor coordination, and even though she understands the movements clearly in her mind, she can never quite reach the desired position.
Fortunately, she was resilient enough and had a high pain tolerance. After enduring several blows with small bamboo sticks, the extremely complex Zhu Qi dance was finally imprinted deep in her body.
In Shi Lan's eyes, such results were only mediocre, but for Ji Lang, she was an excellent candidate for a great shaman. After all, ninety-nine percent of the shamans could only learn some healing and calming methods, while Shi Lan's talent was one in a million. She could connect with heaven and earth in just three days and communicate with heaven and earth in a month. Now she could manipulate the energy of heaven and earth during prayers. Such ability was enough to make her a great shaman who could surpass herself. If she cultivated successfully, she could even become an ancestral shaman.
Only then did he truly appreciate her talent and try to persuade Shi Lan to stay in Jiang Kingdom.
After the dance ended, Shi Lan pulled up her sleeves to cover her porcelain-white arms that had been exposed during the graceful movements. Her fair cheeks were flushed with a bright red from the intense dance, which made the boy who had come to report the matter steal glances at her from time to time.
Ji Lang, noticing the boy's unusual behavior, glanced at him coldly and asked, "What is it?"
The boy was startled, quickly composed himself, lowered his eyes and bowed, saying, "Reporting to the master, Princess Duanyang has sent someone to invite you to the palace for a chat."
Ji Lang frowned in displeasure, recalling the discussions circulating in the palace about Duan Yang's conduct, and wanted to refuse.
Shi Lan approached, slightly out of breath, and said, "Please wait a moment, I'll be right back."
The boy bowed and left. Ji Lang glared at Shi Lan with displeasure. "Duan Yang is arrogant and domineering. You're sure to have no good endeavors on this trip. If you don't want to, you don't have to force yourself."
Shi Lan smiled and said, "Uncle, when I go to Zhao and live with Princess Duanyang, it will be good for us to be closer at that time."
Ji Lang glanced at him and said disdainfully, "There are many other upright men in the world besides King Zhao. There is bound to be a man from Jiang who you can take a liking to. Zhao is far away, and Duan Yang is wicked. Why don't you stay here and I will find you another husband?"
Shi Lan smiled wryly, inwardly cursing that scumbag was hardly a man, but how could she possibly punish Duan Yang and Yuan Yun, those two bitches, if she didn't go to Zhao?
Glancing to the side, Shi Lan saw Ji Lang's stern face, his flowing robes making his already upright figure resemble an unyielding pine or bamboo. Her heart softened, and she reached out to tug at Ji Lang's fluttering sleeve. "I know you care about me, Uncle. But my mind is made up. Even if there are better men out there, they won't catch my eye."
Ji Lang was annoyed. She snorted coldly, pulled back the sleeve that Ji Lang was holding, and walked away arrogantly in her wooden clogs.
Shi Lan shook her head helplessly, straightened her flowing skirt, and returned to her temporary guest room.
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