Once I received the necessary supplies, I returned to the garden and started working. It was challenging, not because of the difficulty of the work. But because the Queen was checking me from the windows from time to time.
And, to maintain her interest, I was trying to maintain an interesting balance. I needed to work hard, yet I needed to look like an elite warrior attending to his gardening hobby rather than a peasant on his farm.
My apothecary abilities proved useful in that. While I was with Elsana, I had learned a lot about tending to expensive — and often dangerous — medicinal plants, which translated well. It even allowed me to mix a few moves that carried the shadow of higher-ranking Tiger Fist moves, reinforcing the idea that I had been a stronger martial artist before my own misfortune.
I put a lot of effort in, because a story that she 'deduced' was a thousand times more effective than a story I have told verbally. Hopefully, it would be enough to stir her heart.
Hopefully, the Queen would find an echo of her own struggles in the story I was selling her.
Halfway into my work, I stopped, stayed still, then went to the signboard, pulled it down, and started working. I didn't have the ability to infuse feelings into my writing, but repairing it was simpler. I started working on it slowly and steadily.
My Calligraphy was good enough to repair it in a minute, but I still carved it slowly. I even made sure to angle my body to catch the sun from a good angle, highlighting my looks even more.
After all, the whole point was to impress the Queen, who was at the other side of the door, watching me.
Once I finished working on it, I put the board back on. At the same time, the door opened. "The queen asks for her lunch," she said, but didn't comment on the board.
I didn't say anything either, just nodding. "As you say, madam," I said and turned.
"Wait," she said after I took a step. "The Queen appreciates your work, and asks you to wear this," she said. I took it, doing my best to hide my nervousness. It looked like a mere paper with a complicated pattern, with a string passing from the middle.
The ink was still fresh.
[Pity Bonus - 10 (Capped)]
[10x Return - Protective Talisman, Profound High-Grade]
Wearing it bravely was far easier once the System confirmed what it was. More importantly, a talisman meant cultivation, meaning my work was not for nothing. The Queen actually had some connection with the cultivators.
However, I didn't know if she actually was a cultivator, as just because the ink was fresh. It might just be the method of preservation. Even if she was a cultivator, she wasn't a strong one, at least according to the System.
I didn't waste much time, and just put it on. The moment it was in place, I felt the weird energy infecting my essence stop. It didn't purify my essence, but it stopped the degradation.
I kept it out deliberately. "Aren't you afraid of showing the favor of the Queen? It's not a smart thing," she said.
"Every favor has its risks," I declared, showing the unique brand of stupidity that belonged to the young and successful.
Her body language indicated amusement. "Very good. However, Queen asked you to keep it hidden," she said. I nodded and followed the request. "Also, make sure not to stay in the garden after nightfall," she added.
"As Her Highness wishes madam," I said. After handling the lunch delivery, I stayed in the garden, working diligently. Even the clippings I collected were worth hundreds of gold and could be used to fashion several types of poison and medicine.
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Unfortunately, I couldn't disappear from the palace. And, while I had room to myself, refining medicine was hardly the subtlest activity.
Of course, I wasn't the only one aware of the potential value of the plants, so the steward took the clippings, but I hid a handful of the most potent ones.
As I lay on the bed, I pulled the talisman, examining it. It was incomprehensible, but the more I tried to read, the dizzier I got. I stopped, and examined the ink instead. It had dried under my shift, which reinforced my guess that she was a cultivator.
If it was true, even better. It would mean I could learn from her.
Two weeks passed, and our interaction had been limited to sharing words while passing the food. The rest of the time, I continued to work at the garden, while she watched from the window, thinking that she managed to stay hidden.
Meanwhile, during the night, I focused on exploring the essence. Particularly, I was trying to see if I could somehow enhance the nature of the Forest Dance by copying the feeling of the signboard. It felt rather fitting for a martial art called Forest Dance.
It worked better than I expected. After a week, I managed to enter the Minor Immersion realm for Forest Dance as well. However, none of my martial arts pushed me further…
I was starting to suspect that, to reach Major immersion, I needed to practice Black Tiger Onslaught, but I wasn't willing to take that risk yet.
And, I could always use it to impress the Queen further. Her pity was nice, but Pampering her directly would have been much more beneficial if I could swing it. Particularly since she insisted on interacting with me disguised as a servant, making an approach easier.
Of course, she was married, but even under better circumstances, it didn't stop me. The King was playing to the throne of undeserving husbands considering her current circumstances.
She didn't give me anything after that first day, but the length of time that we spent talking got longer and longer, which allowed me to slip a few comments about my lifelong ambition that would never be fulfilled without going into detail, never saying it explicitly.
I needed to push her because I doubted she would just decide to throw me a bunch of extremely valuable and secretive cultivation material just because I kept her garden beautiful.
It was why, for the last few days, I started practicing the Forest Dance at the entrance. Not for long, just a few minutes every time, right under the signboard. However, with each repeat, I increased the purity of the essence.
It was another calculated gamble. I needed to look capable enough to be interesting, but not capable enough to be actually useful. My supposed injury forcing my martial cultivation to regress was a part of it. More importantly, I was hoping that, as a cultivator, ultimately, she would never truly value a martial artist.
Especially one that could never reach Skin Refinement.
It was important. I couldn't afford to be anything more than a curiosity to her to trigger the System.
I was going through the same routine once more when the door opened, and the Queen appeared. "It looks interesting. What is it called?" she asked.
"Merely a collection of a few moves. It doesn't deserve a name," I said dismissively.
"Really. I'm not a martial artist, but I have seen many. It doesn't look like it."
I shrugged. "Just a small remnant of my lost ambition," I said, baiting her to ask more.
"Ah, that ambition. What was that?" she said.
"I dreamed of finding a way to reach above the Connate Realm," I said, giving a deep sigh that implied that not only had I failed, but also it was the source of my current injuries.
"You sound like you have given up," she commented.
"When ambition burns too bright, all that remains is a charred leaf, blown away by the winds," I answered, indirectly telling her that I had given up.
She looked at me seriously, but her pity was palpable. "And, you just gave up?" she said.
"Diminished as I am, there's no hope," I delivered calmly like I was commenting on the certainty of day and night, hoping that she found an echo of her own dilemma. "I'm just killing time." With that, I took a stance, and started going through the Initiate moves of Forest Dance, though keeping my expertise to Major Accomplishment.
Still a fascinating show, but nowhere near impressive enough.
When she sighed before walking inside, I thought that it failed. "Wait here," she said, leaving the door open as she went inside. Then, she returned with a tattered parchment. "Take it," she said.
[Pity Bonus - 10 (Capped)]
[10x Return - Thousand Petals Meditation Technique - Incomplete, Profound-Low Grade]
I looked at it, one that carried an incredibly confusing pattern that hurt me even worse than the talisman. "This is…" I said, acting like I had no idea of what it was.
"A test from the Queen. She says that she might be willing to help you if you can understand it," she said. "But, never reveal it to anyone, or even she couldn't save you from death."
"I will make her proud," I said, a sudden shift in my attitude, acting like I didn't notice her sad expression. It was clear that she had no expectations for me to actually understand what was written there.
Luckily, I was cheating.