Chapter 3: Intervention at the Hundred Flowers Palace

Within a secluded corner of the Hundred Flowers Palace, a scene of blatant bullying unfolded.

Several beautiful maidens were cornering a plain-looking girl, subjecting her to their cruelty.

Three bullying maidens surrounded their victim. Bullying Maiden A, the ringleader, stood directly before the ordinary girl, while Bullying Maidens B and C pinned her arms, holding her tightly against their chests to prevent any escape.

“Ye Xiaozi, this is your last chance. Don’t be so stubborn. Hand over Senior Sister Bai’s things, and I’ll let you go immediately. Otherwise, you won’t be leaving here easily today!”

“Pah! Dream on. I’d never give you Senior Sister Bai’s things,” Ye Xiaozi retorted, spitting directly onto Bullying Maiden A’s face.

Bullying Maiden A’s expression twisted into a grotesque mask, her voice dropping to a demonic snarl, as if a soul-reaping ghoul had emerged from the Nine Nether Pits. “You wretch! Even if you hand over Senior Sister Bai’s pills now, I still won’t let you off!” With that, Bullying Maiden A swung her hand, aiming for Ye Xiaozi’s delicate cheek.

‘Slap’

‘Slap’

‘Slap’

A series of resounding slaps echoed, turning Ye Xiaozi’s fair cheeks a vibrant crimson, as if they were about to bleed.

Ye Xiaozi gritted her teeth, refusing to utter a single sound of pain.

Just as Bullying Maiden A prepared to deliver another round of slaps, Bullying Maiden B, who had been holding Ye Xiaozi firmly with her chest, suddenly interjected, “Sister Wang, although this place is secluded, people sometimes pass by. If we’re discovered, we might face punishment.”

“Hmph! What’s there to fear? My aunt has connections in the Law Enforcement Hall.” Bullying Maiden A dismissed her concern entirely, clearly unafraid of the repercussions of bullying an ordinary disciple, thanks to her aunt’s influence.

“That’s not what I meant!” Bullying Maiden B continued, “I was thinking, shouldn’t we get the item first, and then teach her a good lesson? Otherwise, if someone discovers us, wouldn’t we—”

Though Bullying Maiden B left her sentence unfinished, Bullying Maiden A instantly understood. She nodded. “You’re right. However, this poor wretch, having only recently joined the sect, shouldn’t have spirit stones to buy storage items. Her room is a double, so it’s unlikely she’d keep it there. That means the only way to ensure the item isn’t lost is to hide it on her person.”

With this realization, Bullying Maiden A immediately reached towards Ye Xiaozi’s chest.

Bullying Maiden A’s movement caused Ye Xiaozi to panic. Her struggles intensified dramatically when Bullying Maiden A finally felt the item hidden in her bosom. Alas, Ye Xiaozi had only recently entered the Hundred Flowers Palace, and her cultivation was far inferior to the others. Despite the softness of the two mounds holding her, she was firmly restrained and utterly unable to break free.

“Found it!” Bullying Maiden A triumphantly pulled out the package Ye Xiaozi had hidden in her clothes.

“Give it back to me! You villain, give it back!”

“Hmph! Dream on!” Bullying Maiden A scoffed, curling her lip in disdain, and immediately began sifting through the package. Inside, she found a copy of the Hundred Flowers Art, a mandatory cultivation manual for all Hundred Flowers Palace disciples, three low-grade spirit stones, and a ceramic bottle that appeared quite exquisite.

“It’s this!” Bullying Maiden A exclaimed, joyfully picking up the ceramic bottle. She uncorked it and took a light sniff, instantly experiencing a wave of refreshing comfort. Her beautiful eyes gleamed brightly.

After all, this was a third-grade healing elixir. Even a common-grade one was worth thousands of spirit stones, let alone the superior-grade pills contained within, which made their value even higher. The bottle held three such pills, and if handled properly, they could potentially bring her tens of thousands of spirit stones in income.

Such pills might mean nothing to Bai Rusui; she wouldn’t even care about tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of spirit stones. But Bullying Maiden A cared deeply! She could almost see the Core Formation stage beckoning her.

“Give it back to me! Quickly, give it back!” Ye Xiaozi gritted her silver teeth, her eyes blazing crimson as she glared at the bullies before her.

Her mind involuntarily drifted back a few months, to when she had first arrived at the sect. She had been taught a lesson for disobeying the leader of the servant disciples.

It was Senior Sister Bai, like a fairy from a story, who had appeared before her, punishing that scoundrel and bestowing upon her these precious pills. Any other valuable item, if taken, would be taken; but not this. This was a gift from Senior Sister Bai. If it were snatched away by others, wouldn’t she be letting down Senior Sister Bai’s expectations?

‘Slap’

“Hmph, what’s yours? This is mine!”

“If you dare take it, I’ll never forgive you, never—” Ye Xiaozi attempted to use her futile threats to make them relent. However, Bullying Maiden A’s gaze grew increasingly cold, and Ye Xiaozi could even perceive a murderous intent in her eyes. At that moment, Ye Xiaozi’s heart seized with panic.

“Still daring to threaten me. You’re courting death—” Bullying Maiden A raised her hand once more. This time, however, she imbued it with spiritual energy. Just as her palm was about to strike Ye Xiaozi’s cheek, a crisp ‘slap’ resounded.

The palm that was about to land on Ye Xiaozi’s face was now firmly caught by a jade-like hand at the wrist.

A gentle yet authoritative voice then rang out: “Wantonly bullying and harming fellow disciples, what crime do you… deserve?”

The three bullying maidens and Ye Xiaozi slowly turned their gazes to the side, where a perfect figure in white appeared before them. For a moment, both the bullies and Ye Xiaozi were utterly captivated.

So beautiful, breathtakingly so.

The maiden who had suddenly appeared was none other than Luo Bingli.

Seeing the girls staring at her in a daze caused a faint blush to spread across Luo Bingli’s cheeks. With her other hand, she clenched her fist and lightly cleared her throat.

The four girls snapped back to reality, then felt that today, the Saintess was far more dazzling than usual. Her dress, in particular, perfectly complemented the Saintess’s temperament.

However, a moment later, the faces of the three bullying maidens instantly paled. They finally remembered that they had been bullying a fellow disciple. Their complexions turned ashen, and the other two bullying maidens’ legs gave way, causing them to release Ye Xiaozi and collapse to their knees.

“Saintess, have mercy!”

“Saintess, have mercy!”

Seeing her two junior accomplices crumble so easily, Bullying Maiden A cursed them silently for being unreliable. Then, her own legs buckled, and she fell to her knees before Luo Bingli. Her head hit the ground heavily, her rear end sticking high in the air, a posture of complete submission. “Saintess, have mercy! This servant was momentarily blinded by greed. If the Saintess can spare this servant, I am willing to be your s*ave, your maid, and do anything you ask!”