Good Prospects But Damaged

Fangsu was asleep in the study room with the windows open. Occasionally, the wind would blow through Fangsu's hair, making her hair ribbon flew off causing her hair to spread out like a fan. The early morning rays woke up Fangsu, her eyelashes fluttered open like butterflies. The uncomfortable sleeping position gave Fangsu a painful neck strain which would only be relieved by time. Fangsu returned to her room to bathe, calling a servant to fill the tub with warm water.

After the tub was filled, Fangsu dismisses the servant politely and proceeded to bathe herself. Before hopping into the bathtub, Fangsu added magnolia aromatic dew into the water. She cleaned off the makeup from last night, whilst cleaning her hair.

After bathing Fangsu dressed into a dark ask grey jacket, an embroidered moss green hanfu, and a black satin cloak. A servant guided her to the dining room where her grandpa, Bao Ming and Da Fu were already eating breakfast.

"Fangsu, did you sleep well last night?" Da Fu asked while placing side dishes into Fangsu's bowl.

Fangsu quietly ate the food that was given to her, "I slept okay, my neck hurts a bit." Fangsu tried to alleviate the pain in her neck from the awkward sleeping position by massaging it.

"Next time don't sleep in the study room," Fangsu's grandpa gently lecture Fangsu to advise her about her fragile health, "I will install a bed into the study room so that you can sleep in the study room," her grandpa suggested to Fangsu who meekly nodded, since she didn't mean to bother her grandpa. While eating her breakfast, she took out a satchel of medicine and dumped it into her mouth, immediately grimacing with the bitter taste of the medicine.

"Hey! Have you heard about the ghost songstress?" Bao Ming excitedly exclaimed gossip was her favourite past time.

"Ghost songstress?" Fangsu was intrigued by this ghost songstress without realising she was the cause for the appearance of the ghost songstress.

"Apparently, last night there was a girl singing but no one could find out who she was since no one could find where she was." Bao Ming's voice lowered for a dramatic effect which caused many of the servant to listen attentively, "Her voice was hauntingly beautiful and the song she was singing was the same one your mother sings." Explaining the context of the phenomenon but it was still missing parts of the full story.

Fangsu then realised it was her that was singing last night when she was tipsy from the alcohol at the wedding, "Bao Ming Jie Jie the ghost songstress you are talking about is probably me." Fangsu was filled with Embarrassment at this point.

"You are the ghost songstress?" Bao Ming questioned.

Fangsu began to sing the first few lines of the song with the same hauntingly mesmerising tone.

「 Falling from the celestial heights to the very bottom of the ocean

Swirling bubbles are my every breath

You stand, far away,

Like a lone island

When I raise my head, I see the starry skies above,

Filled with the glittering brilliance of the Milky Way 」

Bao Ming slammed the table, pointing her at Fangsu, "You are the ghost songstress! If you sing in the tea house, we can rise up our popularity." Bao Ming exclaimed excitedly, jumping up and down with joy like a child.

Fangsu nervously fidgeted just thinking about singing in front of a crowd, her voice wasn't even that good. Her grandpa saw that Fangsu was uncomfortable with the idea to sing in front of a crowd, "Bao Ming do not force Fangsu to do something she isn't comfortable with," her grandpa continued to eat his breakfast.

Bao Ming sulked childishly, "But, since Gui Ying got married, the tea house opposite us has been stealing our customers." Bao Ming began eating her food quietly.

After they had finished their meal, the tea house servants cleared up the dishes. Fangsu started to head to the kitchen to clean her own dishes but was stopped by her grandpa, "You have to go to the national cultivation test soon," her grandpa took the dish out of her hands and gave it to a servant, "Let the employees do it," he gently pushed Fangsu towards the stairs, giving her a veiled hat.

Fangsu walked out of the tea house, through the crowd was a number of young people walking towards the national cultivation test. Fangsu being shorter than most people who were giants compared to her was easily pushed away into the shops. Fangsu stood inside a makeup shop, women of a varied of ages were buying rouges, face powder and eyebrow powder, "Young girl are you interested in any of our products?" A well-kept young man was dressed in a navy hanfu which was much more luxurious than the other employees. He held out rouges that ranged from a pink to a red which were popular amongst younger women, "These rouges are very popular with younger women like yourself which can give you a much fresher youthful look," he gently took her hand and swatched the beautiful rouges on her hands to see which colour complimented her skin tone.

Fangsu's heart was disturbed by the cheerful man who held her hand so gently, but she knew that such tactics would be used to compel the customer to buy the product.

Fangsu took her hand out of his, being quite uncomfortable with people she was unfamiliar with. "Sorry, I have to go." Fangsu rushed out to the streets to go to the national cultivation test, "Excuse do you know where the national cultivation test is being held at?" Fangsu asked a nearby passerby person who was cleaning the front of the street of fallen leaves. The person pointed to the direction and Fangsu quickly thanked him, rushing to where the test was being held. Fangsu eventually found herself at the bottom of a mountainous amount of stairs similar to the mountain where Xu Yang lived in.

Fangsu climbed up the stair quite easily, quickly passing by many of the young people who were exhausted to the point they had fainted on the stairs. Fangsu did not have too much trouble climbing the mountainous amount of steps. A young girl swayed at the stair and began falling backwards, Fangsu quickly caught the girl before she hit the ground, "Jingyi? Xiao Lu?"

Fangsu settled Jingyi sit on one of the steps, allowing Jingyi to catch a breath. "Fangsu you are here!" Jingyi when to hug Fangsu despite being sweaty from climbing the stair, "You don't look like you broke a sweat," Jingyi fanned herself using her hand to cool herself down.

Fangsu and Xiao Lu also fanned Jingyi trying to help cool Jingyi faster, "We just have a little more to go through," trying to encourage Jingyi to continue to rest of the way.

"Ahh! I'm too tired!" Jingyi complained as Fangsu took Jingyi's hand to continue up the stairs.

The three girls continued to walk up the stairs together, talking to each other as a past time to keep themselves entertained. Jingyi, Xiao Lu and Fangsu were slow because of their chatting eventually reach the top of the stairs where a few hundred people were already waiting. It was a huge stone courtyard with a gateway that leads to a building that rivalled the Palace. Everyone sorted themselves into a group which distinguished them by class, the poor with the poor and the rich with the rich. Jingyi and Xiao Lu didn't attempt to sort themselves into any of the groups and Fangsu followed her, keeping to themselves at the corner of the courtyard.

A small group of well dressed young girls came over to Jingyi, Xiao Lu and Fangsu, "So? You finally came, I would have thought a person like you would have stayed at home reading those weird books of yours," The leader of the group taunted while Jingyi stood there clenching her fist in anger. Xiao Lu was able to retaliate against them but Jingyi stopped her before she could do anything rash. Servants actions reflected their actions.

"Oh is your servant going to bark back at us like last time?" All the girls laughed at Jingyi and Xiao Lu. Fangsu continued to watch, waiting to see whether anything would go out of hand.

Fangsu shook Jingyi's sleeve, which Jingyi held onto Fangsu dress like a little child. Fangsu decided it was best that Jingyi stood behind her, she pulled Jingyi behind her. Fangsu slightly bowed towards the group of young girls, "I'm unfamiliar with you, could you introduce yourselves?" Fangsu politely asked whilst smiling.

"How could not know who this Lady is?" A girl from the group mockingly crosses her arms across her chest to show her dominance.

"I apologies, I just returned back to the capital and so much has changed." Fangsu skilfully lied, smiling once again, her annoyance was starting to grow with these people behaviour towards people.

"So you are a country bumpkin no wonder," the same girl taunted with a sly smirk.

"Oh yes, I'm a country bumpkin, " Fangsu continued to smile more widely, "But it's a basic courtesy that when someone asks for your name, you should answer." Fangsu indirectly insulted the girl saying that she had no manners towards people.

"I'm the second young miss of the Su family," the leader of the group haughty puffed out their chest as if she should be someone to be fearful of, "Su Hua Jing."

Fangsu slightly giggled at the girl's behaviour, puffing out her chest like a peacock trying to impress the people around her, "It looks like the second miss of the Su family has forgotten me." Fangsu took off her veiled hat revealing her ghostly appearance, many people were scared silly. Su Hua Jing trembled at the sight of Fangsu, remember the encounter of one of the top three women working at Blossoming Fragrance accompanying Fangsu and calling her Mistress. Su Hua Jing moved the group elsewhere to avoid the wrath of Blossoming Fragrance if she provoked Fangsu any further.

Jingyi was amazed by Fangsu, especially how frightened Su Hua Jing was when she saw Fangsu's appearance, "Fangsu what did you do for Su Hua Jing to be so afraid of you?" Xiao Lu asked her eyes sparkled with admiration for Fangsu.

Fangsu placed her hat back on, shrugging her shoulders. "The only person that was with me that day was Da Fu Jie Jie." Fangsu honestly replied.

"Da Fu! You mean that Da Fu was with you?" Xiao Lu and Jingyi jaws dropped when they heard Da Fu's name, "But how are you acquainted with her, she works at the famous tea house Blossoming Fragrance?"

Fangsu flinched once they shouted, "Blossoming Fragrance belongs to my grandpa."

"Your grandpa owns Blossoming Fragrance, " Jingyi was amazed and shocked between the connection between Fangsu and the famous tea house Blossoming Fragrance, "You basically have the power of a third of the capital supporting you." Jingyi was starting to get worried about how much power Fangsu had behind her.

Fangsu fidgeted with her hair, twirling it in her hands. Eventually, everyone was given a number and sorted themselves into groups that both Fangsu and Jingyi were separated from each other. Everyone entered in lines to test for their cultivation potential and their element. Without even looking at an individual's test results, Fangsu could tell who had the potential to become a cultivator and that it was something that not everyone could achieve.

Obviously, many nobles had some potential and there were a few rare cases their potential was formidable. They would instantly be taken away to cultivate into schools. There were a few cases that some of the commoners would have cultivation potential but they were particularly shunned by nobles due to their poor background. Fangsu entered a tent that was coated in a protective barrier to prevent anyone from entering, "Take a seat," the woman who sat in front of a glass ball gestured to the seat in front of her. Fangsu politely nodded her head, sitting on the seat opposite the woman.

The woman made Fangsu place her hand onto the glass ball which glowed a bluish-green colour indicating her high talent for cultivation but before the supervisor could call for the higher-ups for the administration for Fangsu. The glass ball shattered which frightened both Fangsu and the supervisor with the sudden breakage of the glass ball, "I'm sorry for breaking the ball." Fangsu quickly apologised. Fangsu was quite afraid for the cost that she would have to pay for breaking something that was used for the test.

"No worries, these potential testers are single-use and they only store up an individual's results," the woman calmed Fangsu down while clearing up the mess, "We only use them to keep in our database." The supervisor has finished clearing up the mess and took out a small sheet of paper. The supervisor guided Fangsu to release Qi into the paper.

Fangsu released a bit of her Qi into the small piece of paper which different elements appeared on the paper; on one corner a small sprout grew. Another corner of the paper was soaked in water. Between the two corners, a small light was emitted, floating into the air. "Excuse me, I'm finished."

The supervisor was stunned to see a tri-elemental cultivator but sighed heavily, "Young girl you have excellent potential to be a cultivator and a rare tri-elemental to support that but your constitution doesn't allow you to a cultivator." The supervisor grieved seeing a tri-elemental that was rare but the girl's constitution simply did not allow her to cultivate considering her a crippled cultivator.

"I already know that I can't cultivate but it doesn't matter," Fangsu gave a slight smile to the supervisor who was surprised, "There are other jobs besides a cultivator that could give just as much prestige as a cultivator." Convincing the supervisor that the path of a cultivator is just one of the many paths of other professions that an individual can take. Fangsu walked out of the tent, meeting up with Jingyi and Xiao Lu who had already finished their test. Jingyi and Xiao Lu ran up to Fangsu telling her about their results.

Xiao Lu told her results first, "I have a yellowish-orange potential which is to be expected since I'm a commoner but I'm also an Earth element." Xiao Lu was dissatisfied with her results but she could be an average cultivator she did decide to take that path, "I don't want to be a cultivator, it seems too dangerous and working as Miss' maid is better." Xiao Lu happily grinned from ear to ear.

Jingyi sighed, "Being a cultivator would be too scary for me, " frightened to think about the outcomes of being a cultivator like being clobbered to death by savage beasts and backstabbed by other cultivators.

"Miss, what are your results?" Xiao Lu asked curiously

"Indigo Blue potential and Ice elemental like my brother." Jingyi sighed again, not wanting to be a cultivator.

"Brother?" Fangsu was curious about Jingyi's family.

"Mhm... I have a father, mother and an older brother who is barely around with his servant." Jingyi told Fangsu as the three girls walked down the steps down to the streets. "How about you, Fangsu?"

Fangsu walked towards a basket shop, purchasing a basket, "Bluish-green potential and I'm also a tri-elemental." Fangsu continued to walk to the direction of the farmer's market where all the fresh produce was being sold, "But, my constitution makes me unable to cultivate."

"Tri-elemental?" Both Jingyi and Xiao Lu were amazed by all the surprises that Fangsu has up her sleeves that even Fangsu herself seemed unaware.

Fangsu paused in front of a stall that sold Bamboo shoots, checking for any fresh ones to buy, "Boss how much for one jin of Bamboo shoots?" Fangsu asked

"8 copper," the owner packed a jin of fresh bamboo shoots giving it to Fangsu who gave paid the amount. Fangsu continued to wander through the market buying herbs, a plucked silkie chicken, shiitake mushrooms, scallion and eggs.

Xiao looked at the fresh produce Fangsu had bought at the market, "Why do you have to buy so many ingredients?" Both Jingyi and Xiao Lu were looking at the ingredients in Fangsu's basket with wander as they continued to follow her.

"They are in-season and I'm going to use them to cook dinner," Fangsu replies as she wrapped a cloth around the baskets that held all the ingredients.

Jingyi stared at Fangsu, admiring the fact that Fangsu could cook. Xiao Lu looked at the sky which was orange indicating it was soon becoming dark. Fangsu also saw the orange sky, "Would you like to stay for dinner?" Fangsu invites them since they were already close to where she lived.