Chapter 10: Chapter 4: Ning Qingqing Shows Her Power

Chapter 4: Ning Qingqing Shows Her Might

After a long pause, she furrowed her elegant brows again. "However, my brother's martial arts are so profound. The person capable of wounding him must be extraordinary." She thought for a while longer. "They couldn't be better than our Father, could they? If they aren't as good as Father, it can only mean my brother's martial arts have declined."

"You can omit the second half of that sentence; your brother's martial arts are excellent." After a sudden tremor in his body, Jun Yuling felt that Jun Yuyin had found a very good excuse for his evasion. "It's just that the opponent was truly too much of a master!"

"Oh!" Jun Yuyin believed Jun Yuling's words naively.

Jun Yuling breathed a sudden sigh of relief and once again quietly enjoyed Jun Yuyin's gentle massaging. A slight smile curled at the corners of his mouth; this little girl could be quite considerate sometimes. Although she had a bit of a temper, loved to tease people, was cowardly, and had poor martial arts—well, if you counted all that, it seemed there weren't many virtues left in her.

However, as he was thinking, a sudden pain shot across his face.

"Yinyin, is there really nothing wrong with this medicine?" Jun Moxiao looked at Jun Yuyin suspiciously, a slight twitch appearing on his forehead as if he were enduring something.

Jun Yuyin looked at Jun Yuling in total confusion, then sniffed her ointment, asking with unblinking eyes, "There's nothing wrong with it!"

"Really?" He looked at Jun Yuyin in disbelief, his brows still furrowed.

Jun Yuyin thought for a long while, then looking at Jun Yuling, she seemed to suddenly remember something. "Oh, I think I put a bit of chili powder in this medicine."

"Jun Yuyin!!!" The very earth seemed to tremble.

"Brother, even though my name is very beautiful, you don't have to keep calling it constantly." Jun Yuyin looked at Jun Yuling innocently.

"Is this how you treat your brother? Are you happy that your brother's face is ruined?" Someone could no longer contain himself and roared at her. This girl did it on purpose; she absolutely did.

"Brother, I was just joking with you. I didn't put chili powder in it." Jun Yuyin looked at Jun Yuling innocently once again.

"Then why does it hurt so much!" Jun Yuling turned his face away.

"The medicine is just permeating, you dummy," Jun Yuyin curled her lip, casting a disdainful glance at Jun Yuling.

He was utterly speechless...

***

Ning Qingqing pulled her maid and ran all the way into a small alley. Seeing that no one was chasing them, she leaned against the wall and gasped for breath heavily.

"Miss, we've caused trouble. I saw that person's clothing was magnificent; he wasn't even afraid of the Commandant's son. He definitely isn't a son from an ordinary family."

After a moment, Chun'er turned to look at Ning Qingqing and spoke awkwardly.

Ning Qingqing thought that although she felt some regret, she still spoke with a dissatisfied, heavy tone. "That vulgar fellow, I don't care who he is. If I hit him, I hit him. What else can I do?"

Chun'er sighed inwardly and looked at Ning Qingqing. "Actually, Miss, I don't think that gentleman was the kind of person you described."

Ning Qingqing's clear eyes suddenly lifted, staring at Chun'er for a long time. "How so?"

"I'm just going by feeling. That gentleman possessed a righteous aura; he is definitely not comparable to those vulgar young masters." Chun'er frowned slightly and took out a handkerchief to wipe the bloodstains from Ning Qingqing's face. "Actually, Chun'er has wanted to say this for a while—that gentleman only wanted to wipe the blood from your face. Although his method was inappropriate in the heat of the moment, you also struck him too hard."

Chun'er and Ning Qingqing had grown up together. With over ten years of friendship, Ning Qingqing had always felt that aside from her father, this girl was her closest kin. Therefore, over the long term, Chun'er's bold way of speaking had become a habit, treating her as an equal.

Looking at the handkerchief in Chun'er's hand, stained with spots of blood, Ning Qingqing lowered her head, momentarily lost in thought. Based on that analysis, it was true that she had indeed misunderstood a good person in her momentary agitation.

"Oh dear, Chun'er. Now that you mention it, is it true?" Her blood suddenly surged, and she grabbed Chun'er to run back.

"Miss, why are we going back? That gentleman certainly won't let us off!" Seeing her mistress change her mind so abruptly, Chun'er felt that she truly shouldn't have said those words just now. She had already said that the gentleman's influence was extraordinary; wasn't going back equivalent to seeking death?

"We still have to go back! We misunderstood him; we must offer an apology," Ning Qingqing said as she ran quickly.

Chun'er was both angry and anxious, but she could only follow Ning Qingqing helplessly. Her mistress was just like this—pure-hearted and never seeking enmity with others. She dared to love and dare to hate, and no one could ever change what she wanted to do.

It wasn't until they arrived at the Zuijiu Restaurant again and saw that it was empty, and the man had not appeared at all, that Chun'er breathed a sigh of relief. Ning Qingqing, however, was somewhat disappointed. She wanted to personally apologize to him; after all, there were not many good people in this world. Today, he had even helped her out of a predicament.

"Miss, let's go back." Chun'er looked calmly at Ning Qingqing, holding her hand. If she could, she truly hoped to leave immediately, for she understood that the man might come looking for them at any time.

In the end, Ning Qingqing could not withstand Chun'er's persistent pleading and followed her back. However, what disappointed her to the extreme was that he—the person she had slipped out the back door to meet today—had not come. He never appeared.

The back door of the Ning Estate was opened gently. A head peeked out cautiously, and seeing that everything was quiet, Chun'er then ran lightly back into the manor. "Miss, no one is here. Come out quickly."

Another head peeked out from inside the back door, and Ning Qingqing, dressed in purple, slowly walked out. After surveying the surroundings and confirming there was indeed no one, she finally felt at ease.

"Miss, I believe that gentleman won't hold a grudge against you," Chun'er comforted her thoughtfully, seeing that Ning Qingqing still had a heavy expression.

Ning Qingqing curled her lip and said nothing, but her heart suddenly tightened. How could he not hold a grudge? It was her first time striking someone so hard. Today, she had indeed been too angry. Too many things had been weighing on her mind.

"I wondered which servant had gone out through the back door. I didn't expect it to be you."

That charming yet acerbic voice echoed through the silent backyard. Indeed, in such a cluttered place, only servants would walk out. Weren't those words implying she was a servant? She was actually waiting here for her! Ning Qingqing abruptly stopped in her tracks, remaining silent. She knew that voice all too well. Ning Luoyan, born of the legal wife, ranked third in the family. In the manor, she was called the Third Young Miss. She was technically her sister, yet relying on her status as a legitimate daughter, she had never held Ning Qingqing in any regard.

*Tap, tap...* Only the sound of footsteps was heard as Ning Luoyan walked up to Ning Qingqing. She looked at Ning Qingqing with extreme arrogance. Though she was the same height, she always looked down on Ning Qingqing. But after a contemptuous inspection of Ning Qingqing's entire face, her anger flared even more.

"Ugly freak! Usually, you're as hideous as trash, so how did you become so seductive like a fox today? Where is your spiderweb? Where is your birthmark?" A trace of resentment settled in Ning Luoyan's eyes. Looking at that perfect face, jealousy surged like a tide. "Speak! How did you get rid of the spiderweb on your face in a single day! And running out to seduce people! You truly are a slut, just like your mother." Just now, she had heard the maid report that Ning Qingqing had gone out, dressed like a celestial being. She hadn't believed it. Now that she saw it, she almost wanted to rush over and tear that face apart. Dammit, how could this slut be more beautiful than her?

Ning Qingqing gave her a deep look, let out a soft laugh, and said nothing.

"You dare glare at me!" Ning Luoyan's eyes were bloodshot. "You vixen, today this Young Miss will surely skin you alive." Although she didn't know why the girl could become beautiful overnight, seeing this woman she had always stepped on being more beautiful than her made her furious—more furious than anything.

"Ning Luoyan, shut your foul mouth." Her clear gaze looked at Ning Luoyan calmly. "Don't exhaust my patience, otherwise, you will die a very miserable death."

That single sentence undoubtedly enraged Ning Luoyan. Her mouth, which looked as if it had been smeared with pig's blood, immediately began gnashing its teeth. She had bullied her for over ten years and had never once seen her talk back. Her mother was the one in charge of the household, while Ning Qingqing had grown up in the manor without any support. She had always thought this woman would never dare to offend her. Today, she was like a completely different person.

"You..." She hadn't expected Ning Qingqing to be so bold today, daring to provoke her.

"What about me?" Her phoenix eyes darkened, and her elegant face was filled with disdain. "This Young Miss is sixteen this year. If you still treat me like a child to be bullied, aren't you being a bit too stupid?"

Ning Qingqing no longer held any regard for the woman before her. "I suddenly feel that one cannot be too weak, otherwise, it will make certain dogs bite with increasing confidence." In the past, she had been too concerned with her father's feelings, thinking that a family should live in harmony. She had always endured the provocations of her sisters, turning a deaf ear. But now, it had become increasingly excessive. It was all because she had spoiled them.

"You slut, what did you say?"

For many years, Ning Luoyan had always felt that bullying her was only right. Years ago, it was she who had stolen her father, leaving her mother to wash her face with tears every day. If it weren't for the appearance of this woman, how perfect their family would have been. Now, this woman actually dared to resist her. This was something she had never anticipated.

Ning Qingqing's eyes shifted as she stared blankly at Ning Luoyan. "Slut!? In terms of being a slut, I truly cannot compare to you."

"Hmph, my mother said your mother seduced my father behind my mother's back back then. Aren't you a slut then?" Ning Luoyan looked at Ning Qingqing loftily. "You bastard, you are slutty from head to toe."

Ning Qingqing sighed inwardly. She truly didn't know how shameless this woman could be; how could the words coming out of a young lady's mouth be so filthy? She really wondered what kind of upbringing her mother had given her. Regarding the events of the past, she wasn't very clear. She had grown up without a mother, being bullied by these people. But she had always believed her mother was not that wretched.

"I am not clear about the matters of the past!" She raised her head, her phoenix eyes moving away from Ning Luoyan's disgusting appearance without a hint of inferiority. "I do not wish to argue with you." Having said that, she bypassed the woman she didn't want to look at a second time.

"Hmph, you slut. Don't think I don't know, you probably went out today to see that fiancé of yours." She turned around with disdain, scanning her up and down. "Don't think that because you dress so seductively he will want you. With your background, breaking off the engagement is only a matter of time."

Ning Qingqing's footsteps paused, her gaze turning slightly sharp.

"Perhaps you went out today just to seek a cancellation of the engagement." Seeing Ning Qingqing get angry, Ning Luoyan spoke even more vigorously. "I really don't know how the Liang family could have been engaged to someone of your birth. Perhaps your mother was a prostitute from a brothel. Young Master Liang is handsome and elegant, considered one of the top beauties. He must feel disgusted just by looking at you. Perhaps he went out to meet you today just to discuss the cancellation. For someone of your low status, I wonder if the performers in the brothels would even want you. If they do, you'd better marry quickly. Otherwise, in a few years, I'm afraid even those people won't want you."

Ning Qingqing turned around in fury, no longer able to endure this woman. She delivered a harsh slap across her face. "How come I feel that you are more suited to those people?" She let out a light laugh and, with a swift motion, slapped her face again. "Look at these clothes you're wearing, exposing your chest and back, and look at those lips of yours that look like you've eaten a dead child. If people didn't know better, they'd think you came from a brothel."

Seeing Ning Luoyan fall to the ground, she stepped on her face with lightning speed. The movement was so swift that Ning Luoyan had no chance to resist. "Perhaps I was wrong; the women in the brothels are all more beautiful than you. I truly don't know whether to say you have low intelligence or low aesthetic standards. With you like this, I'm afraid even the beggars on the street would find you dirty."

From beginning to end, Ning Luoyan was still in a daze. Today's Ning Qingqing was too strange; she even knew martial arts.

"Surprised?" Ning Qingqing's face was distorted as she vented all her anger on this woman. "Today, I want to tell you that this Young Miss is not so easy to bully. Next time you see me, you'd better stay as far away as possible, otherwise, watch your life." Her foot pressed heavily on her face, and blood soon began to seep out.

The maid beside them, who had been feeling satisfied listening to Ning Luoyan's words just a moment ago, finally reacted when she saw Ning Luoyan being stepped on. "Second Young Miss, please stop. If Madam finds out about this, I'm afraid it won't be easy for you, Second Young Miss."

The speaker was Ning Luoyan's personal maid, whose character was as arrogant as her mistress's.

"Is that so?" Her sharp gaze suddenly darkened. With a spin of her foot, she swept the maid to the ground. "I'd like to see what will happen if Mother finds out today." She had been weak and incompetent normally, but at this moment, she was like a demon, caring for nothing. Stepping over the maid, she delivered a heavy kick that sent the maid flying toward Ning Luoyan.

"Chun'er, let's go!"

Ning Qingqing grabbed the still-stunned Chun'er and turned to leave gracefully, completely ignoring the two people bleeding on the ground. She had never known that beating the woman she had hated for so long could feel so good. After the beating, she seemed to have no worries at all. Her mood was bright, as if nothing had ever happened.

Returning to her own courtyard, Chun'er looked at Ning Qingqing as if she had gone mad.

"Miss, you still have the heart to practice calligraphy? Madam will be looking for you in a moment!" Chun'er's face was full of anxiety.

Ning Qingqing remained calm and composed, continuing to copy the calligraphy script, offering no reply.

"Miss..." Chun'er bit her lip helplessly. "Fine, so be it. If Madam comes looking, Miss can just push all the responsibility onto me."