"Here is what you asked for."
Lei Mingxing watched as the maid pulled out the item after item from the hidden pouches of her dress. However, the longer she watched the more unsatisfied she felt, they were all of inferior quality. But that was what you get for letting someone else handle your matters. When the maid had dropped the last item to the ground, she looked up with an 'aggrieved' expression.
"Do I get my reward now? All these things weren't cheap, I paid nearly 15 silver coins!"
Lei Mingxing almost laughed out loud at this claim. 15 silver coins? For 5x Mud Turtle lungs, 1x First-rank Wind Spirit Core, needle and thread and a single leaf of Milk Algae? Yeah, right.
Those things would cost at most 8 silver coins, and considering the quality of the items they must have been more around 5-6 silver coins. but she would cut the maid some slack, after all she still needed her to gather some intel on the movements of her family members. So, she pulled out the spatial pouch and grabbed a handful of coins, before beckoning the maid to come closer. An elated smile had crept onto the maid's at the sight of her payment and she happily stepped forward, her hands cupped, ready to receive the coins. Lei Mingxing flashed knowing smile as well before loosening her fist and letting the coins fall one after the other.
8 silver coins in total.
The maid stared dumbfounded at the coins in her hand, her expression flickering before settling into fury.
"What is the meaning of this?! This isn't what we agreed on!"
But Lei Mingxing only smiled at her, calmly meeting her eyes before stepping forward and whispering into the other's ear with a sharp tone.
"Don't you try deceiving me again, I know that you only paid 6 silver coins for these things."
Immediately, the maid stilled, staring wide-eyed at Lei Mingxing as she stepped back, her mouth that had been about to spew more insults clasped shut.
"You are dismissed for today. I look forward to any news you will bring the next time I see you."
Hurriedly nodding, the maid grabbed the shabby food tray and fled Clear Pond Courtyard. Leaving Lei Mingxing to just shake her head in disbelief at how outrageously the other had wanted to rip her off. More than double than what she had paid! Insane! These palace maids are more ruthless than she had thought.
No matter, now she could finally do something worthwhile instead of just tending to the house.
Grabbing the materials, Lei Mingxing moved to her mother's room, settling on the splintering wooden floor.
Although she had lost her cultivation and with it her ability to forge artifacts, she could still use the knowledge she had acquired working under Jing Jiang. So, exploring her limited options, especially after her first failed escape attempt, she had first thought of maybe climbing in a trash cart and getting smuggled out in this way. But unfortunately, after exiting the palace ground, trash was usually quickly incinerated to reduce waste so that wasn't really an option for a now ordinary person like her. The other option was to give her old plan another try but there was no way her brother hadn't positioned guards at the Ancestral Temple after what happened, so after considering all this, her only chance at escape was the path no one would ever think to check. And the appearance of the pouch had only made it that much more possible in her mind.
She would escape through the pond.
Even though she had no idea how long the cave was or if it was at all possible, there must be an opening somewhere, she could feel the strong flow every time she entered, so she had to at least explore this possibility.
After her father sold her to Xie Beilian, there would be no hope of ever escaping.
Determined to avoid this fate, she began to craft. Sewing the Milk Algea into a blindfold that would, ironically, help her see more clearly underwater, washing the lungs to make sure there was not a hint of dirt or viscera left in them before drying them under tight supervision so they wouldn't lose their elasticity before blowing them up carefully and tying them tightly. Finally, she tossed them into the pouch.
It was time for a test run.
Looking up at the receding moon above her, Lei Mingxing tied her hair and stripped off all the clothes that would weigh her down, ultimately fastening the pouch over her neck to her stomach in a way that wouldn't restrict her movement but was still secure enough that she wouldn't have to worry about it getting ripped away by the currents. Then she put on her blindfold and held the Wind Spirit Core between her lips and teeth, so a little bit was peeking out between her lips. the reason for this peculiar Spirit Core placement was because they gathered their corresponding elements at all times, maybe it was possible produce some air in this way? Wind and air weren't so different, were they? It was at least worth a try! With that, she took one more deep breath and dove into the pond.
Her target for today was just the grotto, just to, literally, test the waters and get a feel for her plan and if there were things she had to consider and/or change. She also hoped to acquire one of those glowing stones set in the cave walls to light her way during her potentially very long dive.
Of course, there was no doubt that this plan would be incredibly dangerous, but she still had the strong feeling that it was a necessary step in her journey to freedom and would ultimately be worth the effort.