The Resolute Cannon Fodder Teaching In Ancient Time

Chapter 44: Forty-Four Treasures ✨

A hundred taels of gold arrived at Xu Zhen's home in no time.

Staring at the gold, then at her mansion, which had been ravaged by storms and now resembled a drooping flower, Xu Zhen found herself too overwhelmed to even cry. She turned to Xun Qianchun, the little beggar beside her. "Am I seeing things, or is this really the place we used to live?"

Xun Qianchun looked up at the roof and nodded. "It is."

Xu Zhen surveyed the house. The front gate was broken, most of the tiles had vanished mysteriously, and all the furniture, including her books, was completely ruined. It was heartbreaking. How much money had been washed away with the flood?

How did I forget to secure the house?!

Xu Zhen walked inside, distressed and worried that her home was beyond repair. Thankfully, Xun Qianchun was there to reassure her.

Xun Qianchun comforted her, saying they could fix it without spending money. To avoid drawing attention, she disguised herself as a Han person by wearing one of Xu Zhen's dresses and went out to buy some cleaning tools.

Xu Zhen rolled up her sleeves and joined in the cleaning effort. They spent most of the afternoon tidying up the house.

Feeling exhausted, Xu Zhen sat on a mat, watching as Xun Qianchun stood on a stool, scrubbing the walls. Tall and slender, Xun Qianchun's arms were exposed as she reached up, revealing a delicate, fair ankle adorned with a red string and a tassel. Xu Zhen noticed a charm on it that seemed to match a small sword.

Intrigued, she lay on the mat, observing Xun Qianchun.

Sensing her gaze, Xun Qianchun turned to look at Xu Zhen, then jumped down from the stool, carrying a basin of hot water over to her, offering it to wipe her sweat.

Too lazy to move, Xu Zhen watched as Xun Qianchun rolled up her sleeves with one hand and dipped a cloth into the water with the other, wringing it out.

She noticed again how pale and smooth Xun Qianchun's arms were. Remembering how Xun had once split the ceiling with ease, Xu Zhen reached out to pinch her arm, feeling the lack of muscle.

Xun Qianchun paused and looked at her.

Xu Zhen pinched her arm a few more times, curiously asking, "Aren't you supposed to be trained in martial arts? How come you don't have muscles—those hard, rippling ones?"

Xun Qianchun shrugged. "I don't know."

"What about fighting? Wouldn't it be a disadvantage without muscles?"

"No."

"Where did you learn martial arts? Didn't your parents... you know, aren't around to teach you? Where did you learn?"

"I read books before. I still remember."

Xu Zhen was amazed. "You memorized everything?! What if you remember wrong? Aren't you worried about something like your meridians reversing?"

Xun Qianchun thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't know."

Xu Zhen pondered, thinking that Xun Qianchun was quite determined, even more so than she was about earning merit points.

She recalled that Xun Qianchun later became an antagonist because of her relentless but unsuccessful efforts to clear her family's name. This forced her to lead an army and, eventually, with the support of the Hu people, storm Chang'an and conquer the palace.

The book didn’t detail how she became a leader, only that her martial prowess earned her recognition.

The case she wanted to overturn was simple: her mother was not guilty of treason.