The campus of the Noble Academy was brilliantly lit; even though it was already night, it remained as bright as day. The facilities within were the height of luxury, and every blade of grass and every tree was perfectly pleasing to the eye. For Ye Wen Ni, who had lived at the bottom rungs of society since childhood, it was all a novelty. As she looked around with curiosity, she suddenly heard a piercing voice.

"Well now, the Duke’s precious daughter, General Ling’s little treasure, the princess of the Ling Family. You’ve come again? What’s this? Did you run home to find a helper to win back some dignity? The one you found is quite pretty, I’ll give you that. But what good is a pretty face? She looks like she’s never seen anything of the world! Tsk, tsk. Since when can country bumpkins enter the Noble Academy? You should have called for that powerful third brother of yours! Keh keh keh..."

In truth, the Ling Family had always been subtly ostracized within the upper circles of the Imperial Capital’s nobility. Nobles loved to emphasize their heritage; the longer a family’s history, the stronger their air of superiority. A family like the Lings, who had been nobles for less than twenty years, was widely looked down upon. This was especially true because Ling Tianxiao’s path to nobility was like a meteoric rise, sparking a mix of envy and jealousy—mostly jealousy—in the lesser and mid-tier noble families with long histories.

Members of a clan like the Wulan Clan, who had been nobles since the founding of the Lanyue Empire, naturally looked down on the Ling Family even more. They believed that Ling Tianxiao’s ducal title was obtained merely through military achievements and some other special circumstances—and what’s more, it was a hereditary title that would be reduced with each passing generation.

This was the fundamental reason why so many young nobles dared to look down on the Ling Family and mock Ling Xiao to his face.

That’s right. General Ling Tianxiao held the rank of Duke, but by Ling Xiao’s generation, whoever inherited the title would only be a Marquis. The generation after that would be a Count. In other words, if no one as brilliant and talented as General Ling Tianxiao appeared in the Ling Family within three generations, they would become nothing more than a mid-tier noble family. And it would only get worse from there, eventually falling to the rank of Baron. While their noble status wouldn’t be revoked, they would only be able to sigh and look back at their ancestor’s glorious past. By then, they wouldn’t even have the right to live in their current residence.

In contrast, a family like the Wulan Clan, which possessed its own fiefdom and a ducal title that was passed down through the generations without reduction, could be considered a true super-powerful house. When war broke out, even His Majesty the Emperor would borrow from the Wulan Clan’s private army.

Therefore, rather than saying the Wulan Clan was the Crown Prince’s dog, it was more accurate to say they were using each other. For the Wulan Clan, as long as they could continuously secure their family’s status, what was wrong with temporarily acting as the Crown Prince’s dog? After all, the true ruler of a country, the greatest noble of all... was His Majesty the King. All other nobles could be considered His Majesty the King’s loyal hounds. Many nobles were even desperate for the chance to prove to His Majesty the King that they were his loyal hounds.

Only in this way could a family guarantee its everlasting prosperity.

History had proven that nobles who dared to oppose His Majesty the King almost never met a good end.

Of course, Ye Wen Ni knew nothing of these things. All she knew was that she was Ling Xiao’s woman, and now, someone had not only insulted her, the Ling Family, and Ling Xiao’s little sister, but had also insulted Ling Xiao himself. ’This is absolutely intolerable.’ Her years of experience surviving at the bottom of society had taught her a lesson: ’If you can’t beat an enemy but you’re sure you can get away, you still have to mess with them viciously. Let them know you’re not to be trifled with.’

’And if the enemy can’t beat me... Ha, that’s even better! Then there’s only one thing to do: torture them mercilessly, crush them, make them fear me, make them tremble. Make them shiver at the very thought of my name! After that, no one will ever dare to mess with me again!’

Ye Wen Ni had always abided by this standard at the Imperial Academy, and in her opinion, she had already been quite restrained. ’After I warn those nobles who dare to pester me, if they still shamelessly buzz around me like flies... well then, fine. They can look forward to spending a long, long time flirting with the healer girls!’

Yes, Ye Wen Ni’s violent nature had quickly made her famous at the Imperial Academy—her reputation for violence spread even faster than her reputation for beauty.

Having dealt with people from every walk of life, Ye Wen Ni could tell with a single glance that the speaker wasn’t the one in charge. So, Miss Yezi walked over gracefully, smiling at the woman. She was about twenty years old, with fair skin and a slender figure. Ye Wen Ni couldn’t help but praise her silently. ’Even the maids from a great family are this exceptional! I wonder if the girls could join a family like this too? Maybe I’ll have a chance to see them again!’

"You said I’ve never seen the world, is that right?" Ye Wen Ni asked, a gentle smile on her face as she approached the woman.

Over there stood a girl about the same age as Ling Yun’Er. Her looks weren’t bad, but her skin was quite dark. The clothes she wore were extremely magnificent, clearly expensive, handmade garments. Ye Wen Ni sneered inwardly. ’All flash on the outside, but not a single coin on the inside! People like that were despised even by the Golden Finger.’

’Although,’ Ye Wen Ni thought, ’I know these noble misses rarely carry money on them. They think coins will tarnish their lofty aristocratic air. Bah! Without money, what ’aristocratic air’ do you even have!’

The maid wore an arrogant expression, her eyes disdainfully sizing up Ye Wen Ni. She suddenly sneered, "With looks like yours, you might be fit to serve tea to my young master as a maid, but—"

SLAP!

"Ah...!" The maid clutched her face, where a bright red, five-fingered handprint was rapidly appearing. This maid, who possessed the strength of a Tier Two Sword Master, stared dumbfounded at the still-smiling Ye Wen Ni, her lips trembling. "You... you dare hit me? Let me tell you, I’m a maid from the Duke’s family! You country bumpkin, I’ll tear your mouth apart! I-I’ll kill you!" As she spoke, she drew a beautifully crafted short sword with a SHING and pointed it at Ye Wen Ni. Her mind clouded with rage, the maid didn’t even stop to wonder why this stunningly beautiful girl, who lacked any hint of a noble aura, had been able to move so fast and slap her right before her very eyes.

"Who the hell do you think you are? A maid from the Duke’s family? Pfft!" Ye Wen Ni’s smile vanished, replaced by a mocking sneer as she looked at the maid. Sarcastically, she said, "By your logic, does that mean a Duke’s dog is superior to a stray on the street? Does it stop eating shit?"

Beside them, Ling Yun’Er burst out laughing with a PFFT. She was laughing so hard she was practically doubled over, completely forgetting her image. Inwardly, she was cheering. ’Bringing my brother’s woman out to vent today was the best decision I’ve made all year!’ At first, Ling Yun’Er had been a little worried—after all, there weren’t many girls as wild as she was. But seeing Ye Wen Ni in action, Ling Yun’Er suddenly felt that compared to her, both herself and the "Black Swan," Wulan Minmin, were in a completely different, much lower league.

"Insolence!" Wulan Minmin stared at Ye Wen Ni with a frosty expression. "Who are you? How dare you strike my maid! Let me tell you, when a commoner causes trouble at the Noble Academy, a noble has the right to execute... Ah!"

SLAP!

Another resounding slap. Ye Wen Ni knitted her delicate brows and said impatiently, "I can’t stand people like you. What gives you the right to be so arrogant? So what if you’re a noble? Is that supposed to be impressive? Fine, I hit you. What are you going to do about it? Come on, bite me!" Ye Wen Ni already knew about the irreconcilable conflict between the Ling Family and the Wulan Family. That, combined with how these people had just insulted Ling Xiao, had seriously crossed her line. She never had the patience to indulge powerless little girls who insisted on posturing.

Wulan Minmin stared at Ye Wen Ni, her face a mask of disbelief. After a long moment, she burst out crying with a "Waaah!" Since she was little, as the pearl of the Wulan Clan, she had always been cherished and coddled. No one had ever dared to treat her this way. Only now did she feel the fiery sting on her face, but what hurt more was her heart. It was a sorrow filled with humiliation, a feeling almost worse than death.

"Kill her for me!" Wulan Minmin suddenly shrieked. "Quickly, kill her!"

"Black Swan, so you have a day like this too? Hmph, so what if she hit you! You should have expected this when you dared to spread rumors!" Ling Yun’Er stood to the side, a scornful smile on her face as she gazed at the clear handprint on Wulan Minmin’s dark face. "Sister Yezi, give them a good beating for me! It’d be best if you smash their mouths in! Hee hee hee! If you’ve got the guts, come settle the score with the Ling Family! We can take it to His Majesty the King and argue our case!"