A Glimmer of Qi

Despite her unwavering focus, Yan Ping struggled to pinpoint the core of Anji's seal. The magnitude of Zhao Mingfeng's seal imposed on his daughter's cultivation core from the moment of her birth was staggering. How powerful was Anji to force him to employ such a complex sealing array on an infant?

Luckily, Zhao Mingfeng's knowledge of seals and array spells was not as proficient as Yan Ping's. Other people might find it impossible to undo the seal, but not her. Yet, navigating his complicated array proved to be a new level of difficulty.

After some time, the Mystical Qilin sect leader finally found a glimmer of qi seeping through the tight seal from a small loophole. It looked like a wisp, barely strong enough to register as an existence. However, like a flame that refused to extinguish, it persevered and constantly fought against Mingfeng's seal, trying to erode it. This explains why Yan Ping could not sense any life energy or qi from Anji when they first met. Any traces of qi would be immediately siphoned by the complex seal and disassembled. Despite her earlier claims, Zhao Mingfeng was meticulous in creating this seal. Ordinarily, it would have permanently removed any means of cultivation in other cultivators below the Enlightened Core level. If his knowledge fell into the wrong hands, this seal could be modified to cripple cultivators and turn them into helpless mortals.

There was a reason why Anji's physical growth and development were slower than those of other children. Although already three years old, she was half a head shorter than the average toddler. Her limbs were also full of soft baby fat and did not have many muscles, making her walk very slowly. She would often trip over objects due to a lack of physical coordination. Being carried around everywhere also did not improve her muscle development.

The seal took any traces of qi detected inside Anji's body to fuel it constantly, strengthening its hold around the cultivation core. Ordinarily, that method would have killed anyone within two years from qi deprivation. A cultivator core without the means to refill its energy would slowly wither away, starving the body. Qi deprivation was a cruel method used to punish cultivators who abused their powers, condemning them to the life of a weak mortal who couldn't even lift a hoe. Eventually, without sufficient life energy, the body fails to keep up with regenerating cells for recovery and succumbs to illness while ageing rapidly. Even mortals require life energy to grow healthily. It was a miracle how Anji survived three years without any life energy. Zhao Mingfeng probably did not know the potency of his sealing technique when he designed the seal. It was a genius idea to maintain the seal with an endless source of qi in a circular system. However, if that person weren't Anji, they would have died by now.

Pouring her energy to feel the meridians in Anji's body, Yan Ping realised how undeveloped they were. Normally, these meridians would have blockages, affecting the smooth flow of qi. In mortals, they were similar to blood vessels. However, without any life energy circulating inside Anji, except near her seal, the little princess did not develop the necessary circuitry required for cultivation. This would be a big problem. If Yan Ping had loosened the seal now so that the trapped qi could slowly leak out over time to prevent the build-up from exploding, Anji would become disabled for life, even if she had survived the process.

For now, Yan Ping decided to stop her probing. She understood the severity of the situation. Although it felt as if only ten minutes had passed, the child had already been sitting still for an hour in reality. Her poor bottom must be numb from all the sitting.

"I'm done examining your condition," she announced. "You didn't have to be so still. It must have been difficult for you."

With her nose reddened from the cold air, Anji finally allowed herself to slump a little. Despite her fatigue from upholding the rigid posture and resisting the urge to scratch, she had a bright smile on her face. It was fun watching the colours change as the blind cultivator did her thing.

"It's not difficult at all, Elder! I had fun," Anji grinned. However, a yawn caught up to her. It was past her lunch time and closer to her nap time. Although her stomach was hungry, the young princess wanted a nap more.

Thanking Anji for being such a well-mannered child, Yan Ping put her straw hat back on. With Anji hopping off the stool and acting as her escort, they made their way into the garden holding hands.

"Sect Leader Yan," Zhao Wanting greeted and immediately swooped down to carry Anji, warming the child in her embrace. "How's Anji?"

Opting not to answer the worried mother's concerns, Yan Ping requested to speak with Zhao Mingfeng privately.

"I have some things to discuss with Mingfeng first," she replied. "There are a few things I'd like to confirm before deciding what to do next. Don't worry. Anji might be weak. However, she's also stronger than you think. Although I am not a parent, I'd suggest letting her do things independently at her own pace and only offering support when she asks for it instead of coddling her."

Hearing how Yan Ping was implying that she was over-coddling and spoiling Anji excessively, Wanting could not help but blush. Looking at Anji's innocent face and adorable round cheeks, who wouldn't want to spoil such a lovable child?

"I understand," Wanting blushed as she slowly put Anji down on the ground. "Please have a nice talk. Anji and I will have lunch first."

Although Anji was grateful that Yan Ping spoke up for her as an adult who saw her desire to do things independently, she was also incredibly sleepy and swayed on her feet after her mother put her down on the ground. Even if her mind wanted to do more, she was still a three-year-old child who needed a lot of food and naps.

Bowing to bid goodbye to Yan Ping, Anji left with her mother, holding her hand. However, after merely three steps, Wanting felt a tug at her sleeves.

"Mother, Anji is sleepy. Can you carry me this time? I'll walk on my own after my nap."

Initially, Wanting's heart was heavy, as she thought Anji no longer needed her as a mother. Children grew up fast, and she was not ready to let her three-year-old daughter leave the nest so soon. However, seeing her bleary-eyed daughter request a hug out of exhaustion warmed the cockles of her heart.

"Of course," Wanting smiled with small tears in her eyes. "Of course, baby. You just have to let me know anytime you want. Let's get you some food first before your nap. It's not good to sleep hungry. You don't have to eat a lot either. How does oiled pancakes with green scallions sound?"

Too tired to make decisions or think, Anji nodded and rested her chin on Wanting's shoulder. She had no idea why she was so sleepy. She could skip nap times most days without feeling like she hadn't slept in three nights. However, after the meeting with Yan Ping, Anji could barely keep her eyes open.

Within two minutes, on the comfortable perch of her mother's shoulder, Princess Anji drifted off to sleep.