Chapter 2: The Seven-Year-Old Idiot

However—!

After that recent display, Yun Tingruo discovered that the martial skills she once took pride in had completely vanished.

All that remained was this sickly, frail frame.

Just a slight movement caused a sharp ache in her arms.

Damn it—!

Just how weak was this body?

"Miss, let us go inside."

Mother Ling observed Yun Tingruo's expression cautiously. Seeing no abnormality, she gently supported her.

"You little idiot!"

A coquettish voice drifted from behind, followed by the sound of something slicing through the air.

A red alert immediately rang out in Yun Tingruo's mind.

She was being called a "little idiot."

She instinctively tried to dodge, but froze; this small body was no longer her original one.

She had no strength to evade!

In a flash, Yun Tingruo's waist was ensnared by something soft.

With a *swish*, her thin frame was swept into the air, falling gently to the ground like autumn leaves scattered by the wind.

Yun Tingruo felt dizzy and her limbs throbbed with pain!

"Third Young Lady, I beg you, please spare my Miss!"

Dong'er, a maid in green, rushed forward, repeatedly kowtowing to the young girl in purple ahead. "Third Young Lady, please spare Miss, please stop whipping her, I beg you!"

Dong'er kowtowed desperately, her forehead swollen and red, looking quite gruesome.

Yun Tingruo lifted her eyes. The high-frequency character type in the first round of transmigration dramas: the sisters.

The Third Young Lady of the Yun family—Yun Qingwan, the nemesis of this body.

This Third Young Lady had a violent temper, was arrogant and willful, and would vent her anger on servants at the slightest provocation. Consequently, no one in the household liked this pampered lady.

She always walked through the manor as if she owned it; perhaps, the "Big Brother Crab" of her past life was actually her relative.

Even more loathsome was that she would pick on the original owner of this body three times a week, and beat her mercilessly once every five days.

Most of the scars on this body came from this Third Young Lady.

"You wench, my Miss is showing you respect; it is your honor. Get lost!"

A maid beside Yun Qingwan, possessing a sharp face and an incredibly caustic tongue, kicked Dong'er away.

"Ah—!" Dong'er let out a miserable cry, clutching her chest.

She gasped for air, but it felt as though she couldn't catch her breath.

Yun Tingruo's eyes flickered. This maid was her personal maid—Dong'er.

She was the maid who had grown up alongside Yun Tingruo since childhood.

In this manor, Dong'er was the only one who was truly good to her, following her faithfully without ever abandoning her.

By following her, Dong'er had endured countless hardships and beatings.

Memories suddenly surged forth.

Yun Tingruo slowly clenched her fists. Today's grudge must be repaid today.

"Get up! Stop playing dead. If this Young Lady hasn't told you to die, you aren't allowed to die!"

As Yun Qingwan's cold words fell, she swung the long whip toward Yun Tingruo.

Yun Tingruo narrowed her eyes. It didn't matter that she lacked martial skills, but her natural reflexes remained.

As quick as a flash, she rolled to the right like a shrimp cracker.

The red whip swung out, missing her perfectly and striking an old tree instead, thoroughly startling the crows perched upon it.

"You little idiot, you actually dare to dodge? Look—!"

The flamboyantly dressed Third Young Lady's shrill tone made Yun Tingruo frown.

Before she could finish, she felt something go *splat* against her forehead.

It began to slowly slide down her pear-blossom face.

On the smooth, fair, and precious forehead of the Third Young Lady, a patch of green, viscous liquid was now decorating it.

At a glance, it was a perfect match.

Yun Qingwan sniffed, then touched her forehead with her finger and held it up to her eyes to inspect.

"AAAAAAAH!"

Yun Qingwan's face turned pale with horror. She waved her small handkerchief frantically, smearing her forehead into a mess.

"Third Young Lady, this servant will wipe it for you immediately!"

The personal maid, Xing Rao, rushed forward, but upon seeing the green liquid, she was too nauseated to look directly at it.

"Quick! Catch that wretched bird for me! I want to tear it into ten thousand pieces!"

Yun Qingwan shoved Xing Rao aside, no longer caring about Yun Tingruo.

The scene immediately descended into chaos as everyone scrambled about in a panic.

Yun Tingruo gave a cold smile, her brilliant eyes filled with frost.

"Wretched bird"—this Third Young Lady was indeed vulgar.

Her eyes darted around. Taking advantage of the confusion, Yun Tingruo picked up a pebble by her feet.

She estimated the number of people present and calculated whether this move would knock Yun Qingwan into the lotus pond behind her.

Good, very good. The distance was just right.

Yun Tingruo extended her wrist; in this short moment, her fingers had regained a fair amount of strength.

With a beautiful flick of her hand, she nimbly flicked the pebble toward the feet of a maid.

The maid's foot twisted.

Beautiful!

Subsequently, the maid's body lost control and tumbled forward, crashing into an old nanny nearby.

Splendid!

Before the nanny could let out a raspy, ear-piercing scream, her body fell heavily onto Xing Rao.

Yun Tingruo raised an eyebrow. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

The show was about to begin.

"Ah—!"

*Splash!*

Xing Rao's plump backside slammed Yun Qingwan heavily into the fish pond.

The water splashed up spectacularly.

All the maids fell silent instantly.

They stood there with mouths agape, staring at the Third Young Lady in the pond, who was flailing like a landlubber.

Now, the Third Young Lady's cries turned into extreme fury: "AHHH!"

She splashed incessantly in the lake water, and with every gasp, she swallowed a large amount of pond water.

The muddy water caused the Third Young Lady's face to contort, her dignity completely lost.

There was no trace of a "lady" left; she couldn't even compare to a village girl.

"Quick, quick, quick! Get down there and save her!"

Xing Rao's face was deathly pale, her body already limp on the ground.

What had she just done? How had she knocked the Third Young Lady into the pond?

Yun Tingruo sat slowly to the side, performing a simple check of her own body.

When she pulled up her sleeves, her eyes were met with various whip marks, large and small.

They were bruised in shades of blue and purple, and some places even had knife scars; it was heart-wrenching just to look at them.

Her fingers slowly traced the skin.

No wonder there was a surge of pain at the slightest movement; it turned out there were too many accumulated old injuries in this body.

Yun Tingruo's eyes narrowed. Since she had taken over this person's body, she would have to live well.

Soon, the Third Young Lady was fished out. She was no longer the arrogant figure from before.

She was shivering from the cold, her lips a bluish-purple, her face devoid of any color.

Furthermore, she emitted a foul odor.

It seemed the smell wouldn't wash off for days.

As the maids approached, they were forced to retreat by the pungent stench.

Upon hearing the news, Madam Yun rushed over in a frenzy. The moment one foot stepped into the courtyard, she stopped dead.

Looking at the chaotic scene and the filthy sight before her, this Madam Yun—who was born of a concubine—began to act pretentiously.

Her shoes were the latest style from Sanbao Zhai, newly released in the capital.

The rose-red begonia silk garment she wore had just been bestowed by the Imperial Concubine, and this was her first time wearing it.

Even the scented powder she used was made from extremely expensive ingredients.

If she walked in like this, wouldn't she dirty her shoes, mess up her silk, and ruin her fragrance?

"What are you standing there for? Hurry and sprinkle some water and flower petals!"

The old nanny beside Madam Yun saw her stop and immediately understood.

She instantly ordered the people to go and prepare.

From a distance, Yun Tingruo's lip twitched.

This Madam Yun was truly the pick of the litter.

Her own daughter was practically half-dead, yet she still wanted to make such a grand spectacle.

Once there was water and fragrant petals on the path, Madam Yun finally stepped forward on her precious "golden lotus" feet, heading straight toward the semi-conscious Third Young Lady.