Murim's Weakest Princess-Chapter 157: Not Skiving

It was unusually noisy and bright. Anji tossed and turned with a light frown. The room was warmer than she remembered it to be. It also felt very comfortable that she did not want to leave the bed.

Wait. Bed?

Cracking open an eye, Anji realised it was very bright outside. The room seemed unfamiliar until she remembered where she was. This was not the Celestial Dragon Sect. If anything, she was in her shifu’s hut.

As the events from yesterday slowly came back to her, Anji jumped out of bed. That was right. She was busy helping with Assistant Hu’s surgery. She did not remember much after that. How did she get back here? Her clothes were also changed. More importantly, she was late! Who was her new internship researcher? Was it Senior Researcher Mo who helped with last night’s surgery?

Rushing to get changed, Anji stumbled and crashed onto the only table in the room. There, she found a note. It was Pearl’s handwriting. The note was long, and Anji skimmed through the contents. Her racing heart slowed down soon after learning it was her off day.

Checking the time, Anji figured it was mid-morning. There was still time before lunch. Anji was hungry, but that could wait. She had some chores to tackle beforehand and a patient to check on later. If lucky, she might have time to visit Gu Ying in the evening.

Humming happily, Anji did her laundry and tidied the place a little. It was still early, but having brunch sounded better than waiting for lunch.

When Anji arrived at the mess hall, she was surprised to see Assistant Hu and Researcher Ke there. Why was he up and moving already? Shouldn’t someone who had almost died yesterday still be resting?

Glancing over, Anji saw more people. Pearl, Senior Researcher Mo and Doctor Yun were also there, discussing something with Aunt Wine. Confused at the large party, Anji stood by the door for a while.

"Oh? Little cutie is awake! Are you hungry? Lunch isn’t ready yet but we have some snacks."

Before Anji could say anything, the head cook was already heading towards the kitchen. Anji awkwardly sat at the table full of adults. However, she could not keep her concerned glances away from Assistant Hu. He looked pale and tired. It was no surprise even if Senior Researcher Mo stitched him back completely.

"Should you be up already?" Anji finally broke her silence and blurted out when Researcher Hu made eye contact with her. It sounded rude, and Anji blushed, quickly apologising for her tone. However, the short man laughed it off while Researcher Ke passionately complained about him not listening to her.

"I thought I would see you first before I rested. You’ve not only helped us with the talismans and your new calculation idea. You also saved my life. Thank you, Anji. If it weren’t for you, my recovery would have been a difficult one, and Keke might not make the deadline."

Blushing, Anji shook her head. If anything, she was thankful to him.

"If you didn’t tell me to stand behind you, it would have been my skull instead of your ribs that shattered."

Ever since Anji was born, she has been acquainted with the concept of death. With one foot in the grave, she almost put the other foot in it yesterday if not for Assistant Hu.

Hearing that, the mood turned solemn. It was difficult to rejoice under such circumstances. Although it was an accident, someone had to take responsibility.

Clearing his throat, Senior Researcher Mo looked at the three people involved in yesterday’s accident.

"About that, due to negligence, something bad almost happened. We were thankful to avoid an unfortunate ending. However, there cannot be zero consequences."

His strict tone made Anji anxious as she looked between Researcher Ke and Assistant Hu. They seemed determined to take on punishment for the accident as they pleaded for Anji’s innocence in the matter.

Agreeing to let Anji go as she was an apprentice under training, Senior Researcher Mo looked to Researcher Ke instead.

"Assistant Hu is not fit for any punishments, but you, as the owner of that lab, will have to take on his burden."

Nodding, the repentant Researcher agreed.

"I’ll do it for him and for Anji as well," she claimed. "This was my mistake."

Satisfied, Senior Researcher Mo smirked, exchanging glances with Aunt Wine, who had returned from the kitchen with snacks for Anji and more tea for everyone else.

"In that case, I will assign you to clean the blackened walls of the kitchen. Today, you will assist with cleaning the kitchen of the western district and the mess hall under Aunt Wine’s instructions. There is a lot of stubborn grime and soot that needs attention."

The unexpectedly light punishment came as a surprise to everyone except for Senior Researcher Mo. Even Aunt Wine had no idea what to do with her new helpers for the day. However, Anji quickly offered to help, pulling out her talismans.

"Two people would be faster than one," she quipped.

Immediately after, Assistant Hu volunteered to help but was quickly shot down by Anji and Doctor Yun, who demanded that he rest.

"You too," the doctor glared at Anji. "Don’t think that I’ve forgotten about your sprained elbow. Due to yesterday’s emergency, I did not have time to give you a full body check-up. Today, I must do that."

Laughing at the angry doctor scolding the people who volunteered to help her with her punishment, Researcher Ke accepted the talismans gratefully while Doctor Yun nagged at the patients.

Aunt Wine shook her head with a sigh. However, the smile on her lips did not disappear. Instead, she turned to Researcher Ke and warned her that there was a lot of work to do.

Sitting back to watch the chaos, Pearl and Senior Researcher Mo sipped on their tea. It was unreasonable to return to work now that they were only an hour away from lunch. This did not count as skiving. It was a strategic, time-saving advanced break.