"I... I didn’t spread any rumors, Ling Yun’Er! You’re lying! You—you just wait! I’ll never let any of you get away with this!" Large tears streamed down Wulan Minmin’s face. She was utterly heartbroken. As the most dazzling pearl of her family, when had she ever suffered such humiliation? At this moment, Wulan Minmin’s heart was filled with venomous resentment. Her hatred for Ling Yun’Er, and for the woman who had struck her, had reached an irrepressible peak.

At this, the two maids beside Wulan Minmin panicked. Their young miss had been struck. If their master found out, he would surely take his anger out on the two of them. Thinking of this, their gazes toward Ye Wen Ni filled with fury. Raising their swords, they both charged at her.

A cold sneer played on Ye Wen Ni’s lips. With two light flicks of her wrist, her sword still sheathed, the two maids cried out in alarm. They stumbled back several steps, their faces flushing bright red. The anger in their eyes as they looked at Ye Wen Ni had turned to terror.

That little thief Ye Wen Ni, ever playful, had simply used her sword scabbard to lightly tap each maid on the chest twice. No wonder Wulan Minmin’s maids were so ashamed and terrified. If Ye Wen Ni had wanted to kill them, the two women would be dead by now.

"What are you two standing there dumbfounded for? Does the Wulan Family raise you just so you can watch me be humiliated? You two pieces of trash! Hurry up and kill her for me! I’ll take responsibility for whatever happens!" Wulan Minmin shrieked, her voice shrill. Consumed by true rage, her small face was twisted in a savage expression.

There were still quite a few people on campus. Seeing the young princesses of the Ling Family and Wulan Family facing off again, they recognized the scene. This had become a common sight since the drama surrounding Ling Xiao’s annulled engagement, and with the passage of time, the confrontations were only intensifying. Such violent conflicts were rare at the Noble Academy. Even when arguments broke out, they were usually minor squabbles. Moments like this, with someone screaming about murder, were few and far between. Thus, all the passersby stopped to watch.

The blush had not yet faded from the two maids’ faces, but their skin turned pale at Wulan Minmin’s tirade. They glanced at each other, and then, gritting their teeth, they let out a sharp cry and charged at Ye Wen Ni again. This was the life of a servant. Even knowing they were no match for Ye Wen Ni, they could only throw themselves desperately into the fight. The consequences of disobeying their master’s orders were far too severe.

Facing Ye Wen Ni now, the two women didn’t dare provoke her with harsh words anymore. This was especially true for the maid Ye Wen Ni had slapped; the handprint on her face was still clearly visible. They both knew this girl, who had no ties to the nobility, was capricious and, more importantly, possessed the power to kill them with ease.

It was true they were maids from Duke Wulan’s Mansion, but they were not nobles. If they were killed, and the perpetrator was from the Ling Mansion, the matter would likely be settled with a simple payment.

Ye Wen Ni sensed the subtle shift in the two maids’ attitudes. They appeared to be attacking her with all their might, but in reality, they were holding back with every move and every stance, deliberately showing her goodwill. Ye Wen Ni sneered internally. ’People really are such opportunists. If I still had my old level of strength today, these two sharp-tongued maids would have truly dared to run me through with their swords!’

At that thought, any trace of sympathy Ye Wen Ni had for the two maids vanished. Moving like lightning, she sent them flying!

With two miserable cries, the two maids were knocked away by Ye Wen Ni. They flew a great distance before landing heavily on the ground. The students who had been crowding around scattered in a flash, and not a single one stepped forward to help.

Severely injured by Ye Wen Ni’s heavy blow, each of the maids coughed up a mouthful of blood. Yet, strangely, expressions of relief washed over their faces. They immediately struggled to get back up, blood trickling from the corners of their mouths as they cried out, "Miss, you... you should run!"

Wulan Minmin was frozen in shock. She never imagined that the helper Ling Yun’Er had found this time would be so powerful. She watched as the beautiful, roguish-looking girl stared at her with a look of utter disdain. Wulan Minmin subconsciously reached up and touched her own cheek, which still felt like it was on fire. Fear instantly gripped her heart. For a girl like her, who had never known hardship or grievance since birth, once that outer shell of pride was shattered, all that remained was a fragile, vulnerable core.

She shot a venomous glare at her two useless maids. She wanted to abandon them and flee, but she felt that doing so would be an even greater loss of face. After all, the two maids belonged to her Wulan Family. Fleeing on her own without regard for her subordinates’ lives would have a certain impact on a noble’s reputation.

While Wulan Minmin hesitated, Ling Yun’Er walked over with a mocking expression. Wulan Minmin instinctively took two steps back. Pointing at Ling Yun’Er, she blustered, "You... what do you think you’re doing?!" Her greatest support had been her two Tier Two Sword Master maids. Now that they were severely injured, and with Ling Yun’Er also being a Tier Two Sword Master, defeating her would be far too easy.

"Black Swan, you piece of trash who can only rely on others. So you know how to be scared after all?" Ling Yun’Er deliberately stressed the word "trash," watching Wulan Minmin with a gleeful expression.

"You’re the trash! Ling Yun’Er, how dare you insult me like this... I... I..." Watching Ling Yun’Er draw closer and closer, Wulan Minmin stammered on "I" for a long while, but couldn’t bring herself to finish the threat.

"Oh, so you actually understand that word is an insult?" Ling Yun’Er’s large, clear eyes widened in feigned surprise as she stared at Wulan Minmin. "I thought you didn’t even know what it meant!"

The surrounding crowd couldn’t help but burst into loud laughter. Wulan Minmin’s face was extremely ugly to behold. She gave Ling Yun’Er and Ye Wen Ni a deep, hateful look, tears streaming down her face, and snarled, "Ling Yun’Er, I won’t let you get away with this! You just wait!" With that, she turned, pushed her way through the crowd, and ran off.

Many of the onlookers wore expressions of schadenfreude. Compared to Wulan Minmin, Ling Yun’Er was much more popular among the students of the Noble Academy. This had nothing to do with the Ling Family’s status; Ling Yun’Er’s fiery and cheerful personality was genuinely captivating to many of the boys.

Seeing Wulan Minmin leave, the two maids scrambled to their feet and chased after her.

In truth, the two maids weren’t that seriously injured. Ye Wen Ni had intentionally held back, not wanting to blow the situation out of proportion. The slap she’d given Wulan Minmin was only because Wulan Minmin had insulted Ling Xiao, which had sent Ye Wen Ni into a rage.

Her mood greatly improved, Ling Yun’Er pulled Ye Wen Ni along on their way home. She had no intention of staying at the academy before her own strength advanced, otherwise, dealing with the teachers’ questions would be a huge problem.

Ling Yun’Er thought cheerfully, ’How should I tease Wulan Minmin the next time we meet?’

Back at the Ling Mansion, Lady Ling lightly chided her daughter, mainly out of fear that her child would be the one to suffer. With Ling Xiao’s case as a precedent, she couldn’t help but worry.

But parents couldn’t always protect their children under their wings like a mother hen.

This was the biggest reason why General Ling Tianxiao never assigned guards to his children. He believed that children from a military family had to be able to take a few knocks. Even when Ling Xiao was framed by Xie Xiaoyan, bringing shame upon the Ling Mansion, Ling Tianxiao had merely thought that he would sever all ties with the Xie Family from then on. The Xie Family had done the Ling Family a favor in their early years; after this incident, he no longer owed them anything. At the same time, he secretly hoped his son would one day make something of himself and show up those who looked down on him.

But seeing Ling Xiao choose to take a beating rather than expose Xie Xiaoyan’s plot, Ling Tianxiao had finally lost his temper and struck him...

The only exception was that time with the Wulan Family, when Hai Tian appeared and tried to kill Ling Xiao, even breaking the rules of the duel. Only then did Ling Tianxiao fly into a rage and raise hell at the Wulan Clan’s estate, though it was also partly a way to vent the frustration that had been building up inside him.

"Alright, what’s done is done. It’s no big deal," Lady Ling said faintly. Inside, however, she was thinking, ’That Wulan Family always acts so high and mighty, looking down on everyone just because they think their family has deep roots. It’s good to teach them a lesson.’

’Her husband had poured all the money from the Ling Family’s fiefdom into that private army, the Tiger Roar Assault Team, for years. Now, under the management of her eldest son, Lingzhi, the Tiger Roar Assault Team was beginning to take shape. Although it only had three thousand men, their combat strength was likely not much weaker than the Forbidden Army’s! If the Wulan Family dared to act so arrogantly again, Lady Ling wouldn’t mind writing a letter and having her son go "take care of" the Wulan Family’s affairs in the Western Province!

Let them see if the Ling Family is really that easy to bully!’

Ling Yun’Er was in high spirits, having not been scolded and having vented her anger. She had someone prepare two quiet rooms. She and Lady Ling were going to take the Purple Blue Fruit together. Lady Ling herself was only a Tier Three Sword Master and had long given up on the idea of advancing her strength. The thought that she now had an opportunity to not only change her constitution but also improve her power made her unable to contain her excitement.

Ling Xiao had originally planned to wait until his mother and sister had advanced before leaving home. Unexpectedly, however, he suddenly received an invitation from the Royal Family. And on it, the name was written clearly and unmistakably—Ling Xiao!