Those words made the mortal onlookers regard her more highly.
"I have never thought myself nobler than anyone. I simply want to trample you beneath my feet. You need not swap concepts around." Meng Anli looked at the mortals.
They ranged from young to old, some even with heads of snow-white hair.
"Some of them have cultivated for ten years, some for twenty, even fifty, just to earn one chance to come to the academy for testing. I admire them."
"But what about you? You have not cultivated for even a single day, yet you dug out my inner core to cheat. That is a desecration of the rules and disrespect toward every disciple who came to enroll. Should I not trample you?"
The crowd nodded one after another. "Yes, there are only a hundred spots for admission."
"How vile."
"People like this should be thrown out and never admitted."
"She is full of lies, turning black into white. Who knows, one day she might harm us."
"Exactly. She is impossible to guard against. The three young masters of the Meng family and the family head treated Meng Anli so well before, yet they still dug out Meng Anli's inner core for her sake."
"Enough!" Meng Xiuchen was still shielding Meng Shiwan. His eyes were full of disappointment as he looked at Meng Anli.
"How have you become so crafty and silver-tongued? If you wish to draw my attention this way, then you have miscalculated. I will only hate you even more."
Was he unable to distinguish right from wrong, or was he deceiving himself?
Meng Anli drew a deep breath and was just about to curse him out.
Slap!
A flash of red swept past. Lu Yao flew to Meng Xiuchen's side and gave him a solid slap across the face.
She roared, "Break off the engagement! This lady despises idiots!"
After cursing him out, she flashed back to Meng Anli's side and shielded her.
Meng Xiuchen's handsome face flushed red as he prepared to lash out.
"Good!"
Meng Anli took the lead in applauding.
That slap was worth ten, a hundred curses from her. If her body were not so weak right now, she would have wanted to go up and add two more slaps herself.
The crowd all began clapping, praising Lu Yao for doing well and loudly cursing at them to get lost.
Meng Shiwan tilted her face up at him. "Third Brother, let us go. Your face needs medicine."
"Meng Anli, Lu Yao, just you wait!"
After leaving behind that threat, Meng Xiuchen pulled Meng Shiwan away into the air.
Judging from their backs, they fled in extreme haste and embarrassment.
Meng Anli cupped her hands toward the master overseeing the entrance test. "Master, I am very sorry for disturbing you."
The master stroked his beard with a smile. "Not at all. You came just in time. Otherwise, if the academy had truly accepted such a disciple, my sin would have been great."
Meng Anli had selfish motives, so she felt somewhat ashamed. After saying she would not disturb him further, she pulled Lu Yao toward the exit.
Once they had left the crowd, Lu Yao took a long stride and stopped in front of her. "Let us first go to the medical hall and have a look. Your injuries..."
"A Yao! My dear A Yao..."
Meng Anli hugged her tightly, sobbing so hard she could not speak.
In her previous life, she had been locked in that dark prison for who knew how long.
A Yao had found her.
She had wanted to take her away, but the Meng family had stopped her.
A Yao refused to give up, coming again and again, only to be stopped again and again.
Later, she had secretly come at night. "Anli, I was too stubborn before. We only needed to sneak out."
A Yao had cried as she untied the iron chains binding her.
"Those beasts injured my Anli so badly."
"My Anli is so afraid of pain. How did they dare sever the tendons in your hands and feet?"
"It is all right. I can carry Anli out. I can heal Anli."
After removing the chains, A Yao supported her with one hand and pulled out a skewer of candied hawthorn skewers from her robes with the other, bringing it to her lips.
"You said that once you eat candied hawthorn skewers, you will not be afraid of pain anymore."
Meng Anli struggled to raise her hand and used her forearm to push the candied hawthorn skewers toward her. "The first one... A Yao should eat it."
Whenever Anli had eaten candied hawthorn skewers before, Lu Yao would always clamor to eat the first one.
That meant Anli and she were the best friends under heaven, and even the biggest one was for her to eat.
A Yao cried until she was a complete mess. "This time, the first one is for Anli."
Meng Anli did not refuse again. She opened her mouth, but her loose teeth could not bite through that tiny hawthorn berry.
Hatred burst from Lu Yao's eyes. She fiercely wiped her face and stuffed the candied hawthorn skewers into her robes.
"I will take Anli out first."
She carried Anli out of the dark chamber.
Outside, however, the place was brightly lit.
Their father, her brothers, and Meng Shiwan stood at the front, while numerous servants behind them held torches.
Meng Shiwan asked fearfully, "Sister Yao, why are you stealing Sister away?"
That single word, "stealing," lit up Third Brother's eyes.
Without mercy, he ordered, "Beat this thief to death with clubs."
Lu Yao showed no fear and even found it laughable. "You want to beat me to death? Do you want to make enemies of our entire Niuyang Mountain?"
"Niuyang Mountain?" Their father sneered, his domineering presence fully displayed. "If they dare come, we will wipe them out in one stroke. No one may bully Wanwan."
He raised his hand, and a crowd of servants closed in around them.
"No." Meng Anli rolled off her back and kowtowed to their father. "Please... Father, let A Yao go."
Lu Yao stuffed the candied hawthorn skewers into her hand. "There is no need to beg him! I will take you and fight our way through."
She drew out her whip and fought the servants.
Before long, she was defeated, seized, and beaten to death alive with planks.
Remembering that scene of blood and flesh flying everywhere, Meng Anli hugged A Yao even tighter.
"A Yao, A Yao."
Lu Yao hugged her back heartbrokenly. "I am here. Our Anli has suffered so much. It is all my fault. I did not discover it in time."
Before you continue