Meng Anli shrank back, crossing her hands over her head.
"Brother, I was wrong! I'll never dare do it again. Don't hit me."
As her sleeves slipped down, several old whip marks were exposed on her body.
Meng Liangmiao said, "You..."
"New wounds atop old ones..." Lu Yao seized her arm in distress and fiercely berated Meng Liangmiao.
"Meng Liangmiao, do you even have a heart? Anli is your blood sister, yet you actually beat her!"
"Don't..." Meng Anli clutched Lu Yao's arm. "Don't blame him. It's all my fault. Otherwise, once I return home, I... I... won't survive... Cough!"
Meng Anli trembled violently, spat out a mouthful of blood, and fainted.
"Anli!" Lu Yao held her tightly and pleaded with Meng Liangmiao, "I was wrong just now. I shouldn't have said that about you. Please spare Anli. Don't kill her."
The disciples cursed him indignantly.
"Is he even human? He beat his own blood sister into this state."
"Has he lost his mind? He treats a half-sister so well, yet treats his own sister like this."
"Did you forget how Anli was sent flying earlier? He acts like this even at the academy. At home, it's simply unthinkable."
"You! You people..."
No matter how eloquent Meng Liangmiao was, how could one mouth argue against so many?
He slunk away in disgrace. As he passed a corner, one disciple stuck out a foot and tripped him.
He staggered and nearly fell, sensing someone behind him trying to shove him.
He spun around at once and coldly looked at the disciple who had been about to push him.
That disciple was not afraid of him and said regretfully, "Pretty quick reflexes."
"Hmph!" Meng Liangmiao leaped away with seeming ferocity.
But anyone could tell he was fleeing in defeat.
*
Yun Jing watched as the Medicine Immortal carried Meng Anli away, his expression complicated.
There was faint appreciation in his eyes, along with a trace of pity.
And even more, the irritation of being unable to make up his mind.
He clicked his tongue softly.
Creak—
The door was pushed open from outside, and Yuan Tuo poked his head in, his eyes shining.
"Has Master also had enough of those Buddhas chanting scriptures? The Ullambana Festival is over. When are we going home?"
Yun Jing raised a hand, and the Water Mirror vanished. Looking at the dazzling array of gifts on the table, he said, "No rush to return home. We'll deliver some things along the way."
"Alright!" Yuan Tuo hurried inside to pack up the items.
As long as they did not stay here, anywhere was fine.
Yun Jing went to bid the Buddha farewell.
The Buddha gazed at him with a smiling face.
Yun Jing felt awkward under that gaze. "Say what you want to say. I can't stand that pretentious, unfathomable look of yours."
The Buddha did not take offense, his face still full of a tolerant smile.
"Anli is a good child."
A hint of irritation flickered in Yun Jing's eyes as he looked at him with displeasure. "Since when did the Buddha develop a habit of peeping?"
"It was not peeping." Without waiting for him to ask, the Buddha continued, "I hope that when you have leisure, you will give my proposal more thought."
Yun Jing waved a hand. "I know."
He and Yuan Tuo vanished. When they reappeared, they were already on a street in the Heavenly Realm.
Yuan Tuo looked around. "Huh? This is the south? Are we really passing by here?"
After all, their home was in the north.
Yun Jing glanced at him. The glance carried no pressure, yet it made Yuan Tuo break out in a cold sweat.
Yuan Tuo reacted swiftly. "Ah, yes, yes. We're passing by, we're passing by."
He did not dare say another word and listened to the discussions drifting through the air.
"Really? How could there be such a terrible brother?"
"He knocked Meng Anli unconscious in front of so many disciples. If this is how he acts at the academy, wouldn't he be even more vicious at home?"
"Exactly. I heard Meng Anli's arms are covered in wounds."
"We only saw the ones on her arms. Who knows how many more there are on her body?"
"That young girl Anli used to right wrongs and punish evil. Seeing her treated like this is truly infuriating."
"Meng Liangmiao is even the Crown Prince's study companion and often follows the Crown Prince on missions. Could he lead the Crown Prince astray?"
Yuan Tuo was furious. "He actually dared knock Anli unconscious? Does he think no one stands behind her?"
Yun Jing was heading toward the South Heavenly Gate when he heard that and asked him, "Who stands behind her? You?"
Sensing his master's displeasure, Yuan Tuo gave an awkward smile. "I suppose I do, in a way. After all, I gave her Huan Dan Grass. But she calls you Master too. The person standing behind her is actually you, Master."
"Heh." The air around Yun Jing turned cold. "You certainly know how to find her a powerful backer."
Yuan Tuo smiled brightly.
Although his master looked cold, his mood seemed better than before.
The Gong Cao on duty at the South Heavenly Gate was so frightened upon seeing him that he fumbled through his salute. He hastily arranged for someone to report to the Heavenly Emperor, while personally guiding Yun Jing toward the Lingxiao Hall.
All along the way, he carefully maintained a smiling face, trying to inquire why Yun Jing had come.
After all, this man rarely left seclusion, and had not come here for several hundred years.
Yun Jing's brows lowered slightly.
The Gong Cao immediately shut his mouth and properly escorted him to the Lingxiao Hall.
The Heavenly Emperor came out of the hall to greet him. "Emperor Yun, it has been a long time."
Yun Jing's expression softened as he returned the salute. "I came uninvited. Please forgive the disturbance."
"What are you saying, Emperor Yun? Our South Heavenly Gate will always stand open for you."
The Heavenly Emperor led Yun Jing to the Jade Pool to reminisce.
The immortal maidens approached with lotus steps, supple as willows bending in the wind. Row after row, they served jade nectar and divine dew, fragrant brews and fine wines, dragon liver and phoenix marrow, bear paws and ape lips, along with pastries made from immortal dew and freshly picked peaches and fruits.
Before long, immortal music rose.
Yun Jing ate unhurriedly, admiring the flowers in the Jade Pool and listening to the music. From time to time, he exchanged a few words with the Heavenly Emperor, but did not mention the purpose of his visit.
At last, the Heavenly Emperor could not help probing indirectly. "I heard that a young girl from my Heavenly Realm disturbed you some days ago? She did not disrupt your cultivation, did she?"
Yun Jing was in no hurry to answer.
An Immortal Attendant seized the opportunity to announce, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince and the eldest young master of the Meng family request an audience."
Yun Jing raised his brows slightly.
The Heavenly Emperor took in his reaction and roughly understood that Yun Jing had come because of this matter.
Whether he was protecting Meng Anli or protecting the Meng family, however, remained to be seen.
He deliberately said, "Tell him I am entertaining an honored guest."
Yun Jing picked up a translucent pastry. "No need to mind me. Perhaps the Crown Prince has something important to report?"
The Heavenly Emperor changed his words. "Then let them enter."
The Crown Prince led Meng Liangmiao inside. After first saluting the Heavenly Emperor, he looked up and caught sight of Yun Jing. Surprise flashed across his face, followed by utter admiration, and he respectfully prepared to bow.
Yun Jing glanced at him.
The Crown Prince understood instantly. When this man was outside, he did not like revealing his identity.
With Meng Liangmiao, an outsider, beside him, it was inconvenient to salute.
The Crown Prince reported on this mission to the Heavenly Emperor, deliberately emphasizing how brave he had been when slaying demons and how much Meng Liangmiao had assisted him.
Meng Liangmiao lowered his head humbly, but inwardly, he secretly rejoiced. Asking the Crown Prince for help had been the right choice.
Otherwise, at tomorrow's morning court, the Censor Immortal Official would exaggerate matters and stain his good name. If he wished to rise in office afterward, it would become difficult.
It was all Meng Anli's fault for being so full of schemes, with Lu Yao and her father fanning the flames and spreading the matter until it boiled over.
Once Meng Anli returned home, he would have to teach her a proper lesson and make her realize her mistake.
Before you continue