Chapter 23
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Venturing to the Training Grounds
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Charlotte drew in the new qi through her meditative breathing exercises.
Unlike faint wisps of energy trickling in through her breath before, waves of qi now surged into her like crashing tides.
She could feel it piling up in her dantian at an unimaginable speed. Slowly ending her meditation, she opened her eyes.
'If it builds up this smoothly, piercing the Conception and Governor Vessels might not be a pipe dream.'
Conception and Governor Vessels.
These were the combined names for the Conception Vessel and Governor Vessel.
The Conception Vessel ran from below the lips, passing through the perineum acupoint. The Governor Vessel started at the tailbone and flowed up along the spine.
They were open at birth but became blocked by turbid qi as one grew older, and reopening them was no easy task.
To put it simply, it meant channeling qi straight from the crown of the head to the tailbone, allowing one to easily absorb heaven's and earth's qi.
In other words, once the Conception and Governor Vessels were activated, amassing decades' worth of true qi inside the body ceased to be the primary goal.
One could draw in and wield nature's qi on demand.
And in a place teeming with such dense natural qi, even more so.
'It's like having buckets of seawater ready to use whenever you need it.'
Imagining a realm she hadn't even reached yet, Charlotte chuckled to herself in delight.
Activating the Conception and Governor Vessels was the stuff of dreams for any martial artist.
Even in her era at Mount Hua Sect, only a handful—able to be counted on one hand—across the entire sect had achieved it.
It required vast amounts of true qi.
Just as breaking a dam needed enough water to shatter it.
'Somehow, it feels like I could pull it off soon...'
It wasn't just a matter of having abundant inner power, but Charlotte brimmed with confidence.
As Dohwa, bedridden and unable to do anything for that full year, her achievements had deepened beyond measure.
Deepening one's cultivation without moving or recovering—absurd as it sounded, that's exactly what had happened.
Her desperate longing for martial arts had her endlessly reciting key insights over and over.
That utterly monotonous life, devoid of any distractions, had deepened her enlightenment.
Charlotte smiled wryly.
'At least those hellish years weren't a complete waste... I'm glad for that.'
Click.
The moment she finished meditating and was about to step down from the bed, the door opened, and Betty peeked inside.
It was to avoid disturbing Charlotte, who meditated every morning these days.
Charlotte greeted her with a smile.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, Miss Charlotte."
Betty no longer doubted Charlotte's sincerity. What had once felt awkward, this morning greeting, now flowed naturally.
After bringing warm water to help Charlotte wash her face and tend to her skin, Betty suddenly asked as if it had just occurred to her.
"Will His Highness the Third Prince be visiting again today?"
Charlotte tilted her head. Sitting before the vanity, her reflection in the mirror—a tiny nine-year-old girl—mirrored the gesture.
"Who knows. He's not that idle, so maybe not?"
Seeing her casual attitude, Betty covered her mouth and beamed happily.
"His Highness seemed terribly worried about you."
"Well, yeah, that's obvious."
Betty simply cupped her cheeks and let out a dreamy sigh, utterly pleased.
"Of course, I know it's a match that's hard to come true. But you two really do suit each other."
"...We look good together?"
"Absolutely. Coming to visit every day, even bringing flowers."
"That's no big deal."
"He stayed by your bedside for hours every single day before leaving. Do you know how tough that is? Even for a prince with so many duties."
Charlotte clicked her tongue inwardly.
She was nine now. In her past life, fifteen.
The current Third Prince Joseph was twelve.
Older than her present self, and only three years younger than her past self—yet thinking of Joseph always made him feel like some distant little brother.
Probably because she'd read so much about his adult self in the novel, making this version seem especially young.
Picturing herself in a romance with a child like that just felt plain weird.
Charlotte shrugged as if to say think whatever you want, and Betty grew even more excited, chattering that it was the first time she'd seen the prince show interest in anyone while stroking her hair.
"Now, about your clothes..."
"Ah, something simple. I'm planning to start training today."
"Training? Are you serious?"
Betty had heard Charlotte repeat this daily before her collapse, so she wasn't overly shocked—but considering the young lady had been unconscious for days, she gently tried to dissuade her.
But Charlotte casually swung her arms to show it was fine.
"I'll get Ben's permission before going out. Don't worry."
Betty's eyes widened round.
As her nanny, she had no authority to stop Charlotte if the girl was informing her like this.
But lately, Charlotte always considered her feelings too.
"...Miss Charlotte."
Amused at how Betty got touched over the smallest things, Charlotte let out a soft laugh.
The better Charlotte treated her, the more fervently Betty served her in return, as if it were recompense.
While Charlotte finished breakfast, Ben stopped by for his check-up.
Amazed at her astonishingly swift recovery, he permitted her to go out, leaving Betty without grounds to object. She helped Charlotte prepare.
"Which outfit shall I pick for you?"
"Yeah. Pants and a shirt should do."
Betty tilted her head and flung open the dressing room door.
"Something simple, huh..."
But there were no simple training clothes like she sought.
Naturally—Charlotte had never shown the slightest interest in training before.
Watching Betty glare helplessly at the dressing room, Charlotte peeked over her shoulder.
"We're not going far anyway. I just want to use the ducal estate's drill hall. Pick anything."
"...Pardon? The drill hall here in the estate?"
Reading the bewilderment on Betty's troubled face as she turned, Charlotte realized.
'Isn't this the Setia Ducal House, built on swordsmanship? No way...'
"There's no public drill hall everyone can use casually?"
"Well... There are only ones for the knight order members, and the rest are designated for the heir candidates... Due to all the infighting..."
"Oh, so none?"
Betty's voice grew even smaller.
"That's... Miss Charlotte, you don't have a personal training ground..."
Charlotte clicked her tongue dozens of times inwardly but wasn't all that surprised.
Her room was already so shabby—what were the odds the talentless youngest daughter, who never trained, had a grand drill hall?
'Making the succession so cutthroat—shouldn't each candidate get their own drill hall? Guess they're too busy spying on each other to train.'
She recalled Isaac saying she could use his, but shook her head immediately.
Luckily, he was swamped being dragged around for Shadow Blade Day prep yesterday and today. Otherwise, he'd cling to her heels obsessively again.
That beaming smile as he professed his interest? Honestly creepy.
'Might borrow it someday, but for now, other options.'
After rummaging through the dressing room for a while, Charlotte spotted a plain training uniform tucked in the corner.
"Oh? What's this—it's here."
"Pardon? That's... that's a trainee uniform from the Great Bear Knight Order..."
"Why? Can't I wear it? But why's it here?"
"Well, as a member of House Setia, you're technically registered as a trainee...?"
Charlotte's eyes sparkled.
"What? Then there's a place to train. And I can watch others practice. Maybe even spar! Perfect for tournament prep."
Betty watched Charlotte bounce excitedly in place with complicated eyes.
She'd been registered against her will.
Jerome had forced it, and no one expected Charlotte to actually show up for knight order trainee training.
'She seems in high spirits lately... Hope she doesn't go, get compared, and come back down...'
Ignoring Betty's worried hesitation, Charlotte unfurled the baggy, comfortable standard trainee uniform.
'Did someone praise how good I'd look in training clothes?'
As Betty spun wild delusions, Charlotte started putting it on backward, and Betty rushed to help her dress properly.
"Ah, so that's how it goes on. Nice. I'll handle it myself next time."
'Next time' meant she'd wear it again.
Betty blanked, unsure how to respond.
'Wonder if I should just let her go.'
But with Charlotte so eager, there was little she could do. Betty's only help was applying sunscreen to guard against the sun.
Leaving the flustered Betty behind, Charlotte—clearly thrilled with her simple attire—strode out energetically.