Chapter 3: Provoking the Concubine-born Elder Sister (Part 1)

As she left, she could hear the discussions and surprised voices of the servants far behind her. Wan Ling walked with quick steps, casting a contemptuous, cold smirk back at them, though her heart was secretly crying out in distress. This body was far too weak; just a few movements caused her entire being to tremble slightly.

Thinking of the poison within her body, her gaze grew even colder. Once she knew who had poisoned her, she would surely make them endure the same pain and weakness...

Looking at the meat and vegetables she had just taken from the kitchen, Wan Ling endured her short breath and trembling body, frowning as she pressed a hand against her slightly aching abdomen and hurried forward. It was all due to gastrointestinal issues formed from years of malnutrition, compounded by the small amount of mercury powder added to her medicine that had left her in this state.

"Chun'er, some good food is here. Come, eat. How can you survive on nothing but this thin porridge all day..." Upon arriving at their small courtyard, she saw Chun'er scooping a bowl of porridge from the kitchen—porridge so thin one could see their reflection in it.

Once inside the room, Wan Ling handed her the basket, first picking out a large chicken leg and placing it in her bowl, before sitting down herself to feast on the leftover chicken leg she hadn't finished earlier.

With the rare addition of vegetables and meat alongside the thin porridge, the two finally ate their fill. They only ate half a roast chicken and that plate of tofu; Wan Ling left the rest for Chun'er to tidy up and set aside.

"I'm finally full. This meat is so fragrant! Miss, where did you get this roast chicken and fish from?"

Looking at the remaining items in the basket, Chun'er let out a rare sigh of contentment, rubbing her full belly as she asked Wan Ling curiously.

"I took it from the front courtyard. Why should they have meat and vegetables while we can't even eat our fill? If I have time, I'd like to go to the front courtyard and ask Second Aunt why she won't even give us rice or flour..." Facing Chun'er's curiosity, Wan Ling wiped the grease from the corner of her mouth and spoke casually.

Just as she finished speaking, a maid's shouting came from outside: "Mu Wanling, come out! The Eldest Miss is here, and you still haven't come out to greet her? Or are you too cowardly to show your face after stealing food?"

"Miss, this..." Before Wan Ling could react, Chun'er's expression changed drastically, and she turned to look at her in panic.

"Ignore her..." Thinking that it was merely a maid serving her eldest sister, Mu Wanyun, to be shouting at her like this, Wan Ling's expression remained unchanged. Her pink lips pursed in disdain as she remained seated.

Seeing her like this, Chun'er was so nervous she didn't know what to do, hesitating over whether to get up and open the door. Their door was kicked open regardless, and several people arrived aggressively. Leading them was the beautiful Eldest Miss of the General's Mansion, Mu Wanyun, dressed in light purple gauze.

She was accompanied by two maids in green and a maid in pink, her eyes brimming with arrogance.

Seeing that Wan Ling was not only sitting but that Chun'er was also sitting (of course, she didn't know Chun'er had been held down by Wan Ling to prevent her from rising), the pink-clad maid's brow carried the same haughty and domineering disdain as her mistress. She sneered, "Mu Wanling, you coward! I thought you had actually gained some sense, but it turns out you really are too chicken to come out. You..."

Before she could finish, Wan Ling stood up with a slight smile. Before anyone could react, the pink-clad maid's words cut off abruptly. A broken bamboo chopstick was lodged in her arm, causing her to shut her mouth and grimace, clutching her wounded, bleeding shoulder.

"I have no courage? My health hasn't been well lately, which is why I didn't rise to greet Eldest Sister. I hope Eldest Sister will manage her servants better; don't let them bark recklessly and lose their sense of propriety before the master has even spoken..."

Without even looking at the terror and even anger rising in the pink-clad maid's eyes, Wan Ling stepped forward slowly and looked at Mu Wanyun with a grand air. Her words were respectful, yet her brow clearly carried provocation and accusation.

"You..." Seeing herself insulted and injured like this, the pink-clad maid glared at Wan Ling with fury. However, she was stopped by Mu Wanyun's light laugh, and she could only retreat behind her, clutching her wounded shoulder in grievance.

"Mu Wanling, I will manage my own servants; I don't need you to lecture me. Don't think that after sleeping for a few days and gaining a bit of martial skill, you can look down on others. I am asking you: was it you who stole the roast chicken and vegetables meant for our courtyard today?"

Mu Wanyun hadn't seen clearly how the maid's shoulder was injured; she only felt a gust of wind as the girl stood up, followed by the injury. Although she didn't believe the words of Nanny Sun and the others, this girl's current aura of arrogance and unruliness was completely different from her usual weakness. With a cold expression, Mu Wanyun looked at her unceremoniously to demand an answer.

"Eldest Sister, how can you say that? We are all members of this household. I merely went to the kitchen during mealtime to get something to eat. Is that considered stealing? Does this mean Second Aunt and Father have intentionally decided not to give me food or drink, intending to starve me to death?"

Wan Ling responded with a slight smile, neither haughty nor humble, meeting Mu Wanyun's superior attitude with a counter-question.

"Stop using Father and Mother to pressure me! Everyone knows you are the useless waste of the entire General's Mansion. It's a miracle you aren't starving to death; don't dream of fine food and drink. Not to mention, you injured my maid..."

Seeing her use the General and her mother to press her, and remembering her parents' instructions, Mu Wanyun looked at her in indignation and raised her hand to slap Wan Ling's face.

"I, Mu Wanling, may have been weak before, but you only dare to come looking for me now because you've brought people along. Are you not even more pathetic than a waste?"

As the hand approached, a cold light flashed in Wan Ling's eyes. With a light smile, she caught the hand just in time. It was undeniable that Mu Wanyun's skills were indeed not simple; although Wan Ling caught her, her slender hands trembled slightly from the struggle. Even so, she did not take her seriously, looking at her with equal arrogance and a playful tone.

"Waste? You are the waste! Take your filthy hands off me..."

Provoked by Wan Ling's infuriating attitude, Mu Wanyun's face turned pale with rage. Realizing she couldn't break free, she shouted unceremoniously and shook off Wan Ling's hand.

"Sigh, a waste is still a waste. A genius would never react so violently to being called out, right, Chun'er?" In response to Mu Wanyun's humiliated rage, Wan Ling merely gave a mocking, playful smile and turned to ask Chun'er with a chuckle.

"Oh, yes, indeed." The moment Chun'er had seen the Eldest Miss and the others enter, her entire nervous system had been taut. She hadn't expected that as soon as Cai Yun, the maid by the Eldest Miss's side, entered, she would be struck by a chopstick that the Miss had already broken in her hand.

Though she didn't know how the Miss had managed it, the Miss's current transformation, her decisive strike, her ability to injure Cai Yun so that the maid dared to be angry but not speak, and the way she made the Eldest Miss nearly jump with rage—it was all so much fun.

Those two had caused them plenty of misery in the past. Although the Miss's change was unexpected, the current Miss truly made her happy. She even felt a sense of comfort and happiness having such an arrogant master who would rather offend others to get meat for herself. Thus, when Wan Ling asked, Chun'er nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"You! Mu Wanling, you waste! If you have the ability, fight me one-on-one! I want to see if your skills are as vicious as your mouth!"

Seeing that even Chun'er dared to show a gloating expression in her presence, Mu Wanyun realized that the Mu Wanling before her was different, yet she refused to acknowledge the change, pointing at her in direct provocation.

"Miss..." Although the Miss's transformation was heartening, hearing Wan Ling agree to a duel with Mu Wanyun made Chun'er worryingly grab her hand to remind her.

"I know what I'm doing. A duel is a duel. I'd love to see how the martial arts Eldest Sister has practiced all these years actually are! Chun'er, come out with me. Watch as I help the Miss beat up the bad guys... let's go out and fight. If we break these things, it will be hard for your sister to live a good life later."

Wan Ling smiled at Chun'er's worry, patting her hand to soothe her. She boldly accepted Mu Wanyun's challenge and then turned her head to look at Mu Wanyun, speaking to Chun'er.