Wet Nurse

Xue Furong still stood rooted to the spot, without moving even a step. She merely raised her slender fingers.

The ice mist she had kept tightly reined in around her now transformed into a bone-piercing chill that seeped into every crevice, blanketing the entire snowfield.

She lifted her eyes toward Yu Tianhong, who had been blasted hundreds of meters away, and spoke in a cool voice. "The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is one of the Upper Three Sects. I, Xue Furong, was born a commoner, so naturally I can't compare."

"But the students of Skywater Academy aren't yours to snatch whenever you please."

As her voice fell, Soul Rings rose abruptly around her, yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black!

She was unmistakably a Soul Emperor.

And she was level sixty-seven.

That was a full five levels higher than Yu Tianhong.

A trace of blood seeped from the corner of Yu Tianhong's mouth. Looking at the six Soul Rings and the fluctuations of Xue Furong's Soul Power, his pupils contracted. "A level sixty-seven Soul Emperor? How have you improved so much over the years!"

Seven or eight years ago, Xue Furong had only been a level fifty-four Soul King, evenly matched with him. Now she had left him far behind!

"Perhaps you've held a grudge because I beat you by one move back then. But to me, winning by just one move was a disgrace!"

Li Jiuxuan was once again guarded by Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er. "Aunt Furong..." Shui Yue'er murmured softly, her heart finally settling back into place.

Shui Bing'er staggered to her feet and looked at Xue Furong's seemingly slender yet incredibly upright figure. A few more traces of reverence appeared in her eyes.

Mentor Xue Furong was still every bit as fierce and righteous as ever!

Yu Tianhong's face turned livid. With a single stride, he returned to stand before the four of them, facing them down. "Xue Furong, does Skywater Academy truly dare to make an enemy of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan? Think carefully about the consequences!"

"The consequences?"

Xue Furong let out a soft laugh, full of disdain. "To me, Xue Furong, the greatest consequence would be failing to protect my students and uphold my principles. If you still want another taste of pain, I don't mind teaching you a lesson right here in this snowy wilderness!"

With the power of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul fully unleashed, Yu Tianhong clenched his teeth at Xue Furong's unyielding stance.

That last strike of hers had nearly shattered the meridians in his body. He had been somewhat careless, but he had still felt the overwhelming power of her Soul Power.

Xue Furong was now a level sixty-seven Agility Attack-type Battle Soul Emperor. Fighting her would undoubtedly be a tremendous hassle.

"Fine! You're asking for your own destruction. I'll report Skywater Academy's stance today to Sect Master Yu Yuanzhen, exactly as it is!"

At that, Xue Furong merely raised her eyes, her ice-blue gaze utterly fearless. "Go ahead and complain."

Her lips parted slightly. Her voice was cool, yet carried the weight of a verdict. "Skywater Academy's conduct is above reproach before Spirit Hall and the rules of the various sects, and we answer to every student under our care. If Yu Yuanzhen is reasonable, he'll judge right from wrong for himself. But if he too wants to use the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's reputation to bully the weak, then Skywater Academy will never swallow its anger!"

As her voice fell, she pointed at the three youngsters. Soul Power of the water attribute flowed around them, condensing into a thin layer of ice armor to protect them.

Yu Tianhong's chest heaved. Xue Furong's body was wreathed in cold air as she gathered her Soul Power, ready to fight him at any moment. Blue-violet lightning crackled at his fingertips, but in the end, he didn't dare act rashly.

He knew very well that if they fought now, he might not come out ahead. In any case, with a level sixty-seven Soul Emperor here today, it would be difficult to take Li Jiuxuan away!

Yu Tianhong glared at Xue Furong, his gaze venomous and sinister. "Fine, very fine! Xue Furong, I'll remember this humiliation! One day, you'll pay for what you said and did to me today!"

With that, he swept his sleeve sharply. A burst of violent lightning energy exploded, and he vanished into the depths of the snowfield, carrying his seething fury with him.

Only after Yu Tianhong's presence had completely disappeared did the Soul Power around Xue Furong slowly subside. The icy look on her face softened a little.

She turned to the three of them, her tone gentler. "Is everyone all right? Were any of you hurt by the shock waves just now?"

Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er hurriedly shook their heads, gratitude in their eyes. "We have Aunt Furong to thank for stepping in! If not for you, Xiao Jiuxuan might have met with disaster today."

Xue Furong turned her gaze to Li Jiuxuan and fell silent.

Shui Yuerong had once warned all the instructors at Skywater that the academy would keep Li Jiuxuan safe while he was inside its walls. But once he left the academy, he was to be treated like a student from another school; they were not responsible for him. He was to grow on his own, and if he died, that would be his fate.

But by stepping in today, Xue Furong had clearly crossed the line Shui Yuerong had drawn.

"Thank you, Instructor." Li Jiuxuan bowed respectfully in gratitude.

Without Xue Furong, he would have been done for today.

"I didn't do it for you. Thunder Academy and Skywater Academy have always had plenty of ties between them. Besides, I promised Bing'er and Yue'er..." Xue Furong's face returned to its usual impassive expression.

Although Xue Furong was a woman, she was also the sort to repay kindness and vengeance freely. Back then, she and Shui Yuerong had roamed the land with swords in hand, stepping in to right wrongs more times than she could count.

Now that Yu Tianhong was pressing them so aggressively and had even threatened Skywater Academy, she had every reason to protect her own.

"Aunt Furong is the best!" Shui Yue'er cheered and leaped to Xue Furong's side, wrapping her arms around her and rubbing her little head against Xue Furong's shoulder.

Xue Furong was helpless against her clinginess. She raised a hand and gently tapped Shui Yue'er on the forehead. "You're all grown up, yet you're still as unruly as you were as a child."

"I don't care! In front of Aunt Furong, I'll always be a little kid." Shui Yue'er pouted and wheedled, refusing to let go.

Li Jiuxuan watched from the side, curiosity welling up inside him. He edged closer to Shui Bing'er and whispered, "Sister, you and Sister Yue'er seem especially close to Instructor Xue Furong?"

Shui Yue'er was lively and spirited, but this unrestrained dependence and affection didn't seem like the way an ordinary student would act toward an instructor.

Shui Bing'er smiled softly, warmth rising in her eyes, and explained in a quiet voice. "You don't know? Aunt Furong isn't just an ordinary instructor who teaches us. When Master Shui Yuerong first brought Yue'er and me back to Skywater Academy, we were very young and cried and fussed all day long. Master has a cold disposition and found us annoying, so she simply handed us over to Aunt Furong to care for."

She paused, her gaze toward Xue Furong full of affection. "Aunt Furong used to be our wet nurse. From the time we were little, she took care of everything for us—our food, clothes, daily needs, cultivation, and routines. To us, she's family, just like Master Shui Yuerong."

Wet nurse?

Li Jiuxuan froze. He couldn't help looking at Xue Furong's tall figure, and at her...

His cheeks reddened slightly, and he couldn't help murmuring, "Then does that mean Instructor Xue Furong had a child before?"

"Yes."

Shui Bing'er nodded, but her expression quickly turned sorrowful. "But that was a long time ago. I heard that Aunt Furong hadn't joined Skywater Academy yet, and her child lost their life while competing against one of the younger generation of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan..."