Chapter 110: Chapter 109: Black-bellied Ling Yun’er

"Sh-she said... she said our Ling Family is colluding with the Southern King, and that Third Brother has been secretly currying favor with the Southern King’s Crown Prince..." Ling Yun’Er left one thing unsaid: the person had also accused Ling Xiao of trying to suck up to the Southern King’s Crown Prince. That was something Ling Yun’Er simply couldn’t accept!

Ling Yun’Er’s words left everyone in the room stunned. Who would be so bold as to say something that bordered on treason? A frontier general colluding with a Prince... If word of this got out, people would actually die!

Quite a few people knew that Ling Xiao had only befriended Luo Tian during his recent journey for experience, but almost no one knew that Luo Tian was one of Li Tianluo’s men!

"Who did you hear that from?" Ling Xiao asked calmly.

Ling Yun’Er’s eyes filled with deep disgust. "Wulan Minmin from the Wulan Family, that little bitch! Hmph. It’s just because Third Brother severely injured her older brother that she’s spreading these malicious rumors!"

"Yun’Er, you mustn’t speak so impolitely in the future!" Lady Ling looked at her daughter with a sense of resignation. She felt her youngest daughter was truly a bit spoiled. Still, the news Ling Yun’Er had brought was astonishing.

Although Ling Xiao wasn’t an expert in political scheming, he could still deduce that if the Wulan Family’s words were to spread, it would cause a massive uproar. ’But isn’t this just blatantly pushing the Ling Family toward the Southern King?’

Lady Ling sat quietly, looking at Ling Xiao. "Xiao’Er," she said, "tell me everything that has happened to you over the past few days, in detail."

After Ling Xiao finished, Lady Ling’s brow furrowed. She thought for a moment, then looked up and said calmly, "What a fine scheme from the Crown Prince. He’s forcing your father to draw a clear line between himself and the Southern King." She gave a soft snort. "And that Wulan Family has some nerve! Their way of showing loyalty is a little too obvious. Never mind that the Southern King has shown no signs of rebellion—even if he had, this baseless slander... Do they really think the Ling Family is so weak and easy to bully? I suppose having their gates smashed wasn’t a big enough lesson for them!" Though Lady Ling’s voice was calm, it was laced with a chilling killing intent. Was anyone from a general’s family ever afraid of trouble?

Ling Xiao considered this, his brow gradually uncreasing. He chuckled. "That’s why they’re having a little girl spread it. Later on, they can just dismiss it as youthful ignorance. Yun’Er, don’t worry about it for now. Third Brother has something good for you!"

When Ling Yun’Er first heard Ling Xiao tell her not to worry about it, she had stiffened her slender neck, ready to raise her little face and argue. But as soon as she heard he had something good for her, she broke into a grin. "What is it?" she asked with a giggle. "Third Brother, you’d better not be tricking me!"

Ling Xiao took out two Purple Blue Fruits and briefly explained their effects. Lady Ling was stunned and immediately refused. "Xiao’Er, I can’t accept something so precious. It would be a waste for me to use it! Save them for people who truly need them. You’re not young anymore; you’ll be of age in another year. Whatever you do in the future, you’ll need trusted subordinates to be able to rest easy."

Ling Yun’Er, however, snatched one up, her eyes gleaming. When it came to her own brother, she had no intention of being polite. She was about to eat it on the spot, but Chunlan and Qiuyue, who were standing nearby, hurriedly stopped her. They then explained the process of consuming a Purple Blue Fruit to Ling Yun’Er.

When she heard the process was extremely painful, Ling Yun’Er’s rosy little face turned a shade paler. However, for the sake of improving her strength, she insisted on taking it so she could go teach that detestable Wulan Minmin a lesson.

Seeing his mother’s refusal, Ling Xiao insisted, "What sense is there in not giving good things to your own family? Mother, please, don’t worry. I have a few more of these. Besides, Purple Blue Fruits have a limited shelf life. If they’re kept for too long, they lose their efficacy and go to waste." In reality, Ling Xiao wasn’t being entirely truthful. If he refined the Purple Blue Fruits into Elixirs, they could be preserved for thousands of years without issue. But to convince his mother to take one, this was the only way.

"Such a magical and powerful thing... if you were to sell these, it would cause an uproar. You could become rich overnight... Xiao’Er, you’ve really grown up!" Faced with her son’s insistence, Lady Ling no longer refused. Who didn’t want to live a long and healthy life? What woman didn’t wish to stay forever young? Her son’s devotion brought tears to her eyes. When she heard Ling Xiao say he had also set one aside for his father, brother, and sister, she was filled with even more comfort.

In the noble circles of the Empire, it was all too common for family members to be wary of one another—selfish, cold, and with eyes only for their own interests. A family like the Lings, with a strict father, a kind mother, and united children, was exceptionally rare. Although this had something to do with the Ling Family being small and a newly ennobled family, it was still the one thing Ling Tianxiao and his wife were most proud of.

In the end, Ling Yun’Er didn’t take the Purple Blue Fruit right away. Instead, she quietly grabbed Ye Wen Ni and ran off to get "revenge" on Wulan Minmin.

When Lady Ling found out, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She grumbled that Ling Xiao hadn’t kept a better eye on his sister, letting her drag Ye Wen Ni out to stir up trouble. If anything were to happen, how could they possibly answer to that girl’s family?

Ling Xiao shook his head with a wry smile. "Mother, you’ve misjudged the situation. Not only is Sister Yezi already a Tier Six Great Sword Master, but even if she weren’t, she’s not the one who would end up on the losing side!" He remembered how Ye Wen Ni dared to mess with Rock Shenke, who was many tiers above her, back when she was still weak. Dealing with a little girl would be child’s play for her. Ling Xiao wasn’t worried in the slightest, even if Wulan Minmin had bodyguards.

Ling Xiao himself couldn’t be bothered to bicker with a girl, but that didn’t mean he intended to let them off the hook. With Ye Wen Ni handling it, he was completely at ease.

Seizing the opportunity, Ling Xiao retreated to his room, sat cross-legged, and began to cultivate. Ever since he had exhausted all the Inner Strength left in his Dantian by the Foundation Establishment Pill, his body had been empty. He naturally needed to cultivate to replenish his Spiritual Power.

...

Now, as for Ling Yun’Er, she was a student at the Yalan Noble Academy. The education at a Noble Academy focused more on cultivating the qualities of the aristocracy. Furthermore, unlike the Imperial Academy, which also accepted exceptionally talented commoners, the Noble Academy was exclusively for students of noble birth. Even children from powerful, wealthy, but non-noble families like Xie Xiaoyan were barred from entry!

A strict class system kept all non-aristocratic students out. It was precisely for this reason that wealthy, non-noble families desperately sought to obtain a title.

Ling Yun’Er usually boarded at the academy, but she had run home today only because she had been so thoroughly enraged.

Wulan Minmin herself wasn’t as strong as Ling Yun’Er; she was only a Tier Eight Sword Attendant. Ling Yun’Er could have handled ten of her. The problem was that Wulan Minmin had two Maids whose job was to look after and protect her. Both women had razor-sharp tongues, and they were the main reason Ling Yun’Er had been angered enough to run home. Not only were these two Maids verbally vicious, but their martial skills were also considerable. Though not yet twenty, both had achieved the strength of a Tier Two Sword Master! 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Although Ling Yun’Er had a fiery temper herself, when faced with people she could neither out-argue nor out-fight, all she could do was fume and glare.

But now, with a Tier Six Great Sword Master in tow, Ling Yun’Er felt her confidence swell. ’Wulan Minmin,’ she thought, ’aren’t you usually as proud as a Black Swan on West Lake? Let’s see how I deal with you this time! And this is just for starters. Just wait until I take the Purple Blue Fruit and my power soars. Then I’ll really make you suffer! I’m going to slowly take back every bit of grievance from the past few years!’

’Oh, and... Xie Xiaoyan! All of you, just you wait!’

When it came to cunning, Ling Yun’Er was definitely a girl with a hidden dark side. Her reason for bringing Ye Wen Ni to teach Wulan Minmin and her two wretched accomplices a lesson was singular: she wanted them to believe that Ling Yun’Er’s own strength was still mediocre. That way, they would wait until she was alone before trying to bully her again.

’And by then, I’ll be just like Sister Yezi!’ A strange smile crept across Ling Yun’Er’s delicate, doll-like face.