Knocked out

The five men were tall and burly, with various knife scars marking their faces and bodies. They wore vicious expressions and clearly were nothing like ordinary street thugs.

At the sight of them, Dongfang Minghui instinctively ducked behind Dongfang Wanyu, yet her smart mouth still had to run. "Seventh Sister, are you so pretty that wave after wave of men keep trying to molest you?"

Dongfang Wanyu's already expressionless face grew colder. She dragged Dongfang Minghui in front of her and pinched her cheeks, displaying her face to the men. "Look, she's prettier than I am. Let me go, and she's yours."

Dongfang Minghui's mouth fell open in shock. Apparently, she had offended the heroine far more badly than she'd thought. The heroine already hated her this much.

Extreme danger alert!

Looking at the lechers whose eyes were practically glowing green, Dongfang Minghui's calves began to tremble. "Seventh Sister, sis, I'm your own little sister! How can you give me to them? I'll die!"

The plot was moving far too quickly. It had raced straight to the events just before her death.

"Heh heh, boss, looks like they're having a disagreement. But the little sister really is more of a beauty than the older one. How about we grab her and have some fun first?" The man licked his lips, looking as though he was about to drool.

Their leader had a large knife scar running diagonally across his eye and mouth, ruining his appearance. Perhaps because that scar was so conspicuous, he looked particularly repulsive. When his expression shifted, his face became even more ferocious. He nodded slightly, signaling for two men to grab the younger girl first. He didn't believe the older one could escape from him and his boys.

"Use your spiritual energy to summon the surrounding plants and bind those two. Then watch how things go. The moment you get a chance, get the hell out of here. Don't get in my way," Dongfang Wanyu whispered in her ear.

Those stern, righteous words nearly moved Dongfang Minghui to tears. She'd known the mighty heroine couldn't possibly be that cruel.

B-but...

"Seventh Sister, I-I can't summon anything when I'm nervous." Dongfang Minghui seemed to feel the air around her grow even colder, especially the embrace at her back.

She was an impostor! How was she supposed to summon anything in such an emergency? Dongfang Minghui wanted to cry but had no tears.

"What use are you?"

"Aah!"

Before Dongfang Minghui could prepare herself, the mighty heroine shoved her out-and toward two disgusting, drooling men, no less. Without a second thought, she threw back her head and screamed, "Heeelp!"

Following Dongfang Minghui's earlier instructions, Cui'er had gone back to fetch a large group of helpers just in case. They were now at the other end of the woods. Hearing the scream, she immediately stopped and murmured, "That's strange. That sounds like Miss."

"Ah, this is bad! Ninth Miss is in danger! Hurry, everyone! Hurry, hurry!"

Dongfang Wanyu struck at that very moment. While Dongfang Minghui's screaming drew everyone's attention, she used a minor skill: Earth Thorn.

Spikes formed from mounds of earth surrounded all five men. Their ankles seemed to have taken root, leaving them unable to break free for the moment.

"Aah!"

Smack! Dongfang Wanyu gave her a resounding slap. "What are you screaming for? Move!"

The slap left Dongfang Minghui dazed. Sure enough, the mighty heroine still hated her terribly. Oh, damn, my cheek hurts. I wonder if it's swollen.

"I really underestimated you. Who would've thought you were an earth-element Spirit Practitioner?" With a forceful movement, the scar-faced man broke free of Dongfang Wanyu's little trick, then darted over to stand before them.

Dongfang Minghui rolled her eyes at him and snapped, "Are you blind? I'm obviously the Spirit Practitioner!"

The mighty heroine didn't want anyone to know yet that her constitution had changed, so Dongfang Minghui sycophantically tried to cover for her.

The scar-faced man laughed even harder. "Who would've thought I'd run into two Spirit Practitioners at once? Why don't you come home with me and be my wives? I'll treat you very well."

It wasn't a godlike opponent you had to fear, but a pigheaded teammate.

Dongfang Wanyu cast Dongfang Minghui a pointed glance. If she hadn't been too disinclined to waste words on this little sister, she would have dearly liked to leave the noisy woman right here.

Dongfang Minghui had no idea that her unnecessary intervention had earned her the mighty heroine's label of "pigheaded teammate," putting her hopes of clinging to that powerful patron even further out of reach.

"With a face like that, you actually want to marry my Seventh Sister? Why don't you find a mirror and take a look at yourself? Are you worthy of her? You're so disgusting I'm about to throw up my dinner." Dongfang Minghui's smart-mouth function switched on again, fearlessly adding fuel to the fire.

As her insults grew more outrageous, the scar-faced man nearly went mad with rage. "You little bitch! You refuse the offered toast and insist on drinking the penalty wine! I'll show you what I can do!"

The moment he finished speaking, a gale suddenly swept through the silent woods. Caught off guard, Dongfang Minghui was blown clean off her feet, slammed into a tree trunk, and knocked out.

Dongfang Wanyu glanced at the distant figure. The world is finally quiet. Then she began taking the third-tier wind-element Spirit Practitioner before her seriously.

When Cui'er arrived with the others, all they saw was devastation. A vast swath of trees had fallen as though struck by powerful lightning. Leaves had been blown everywhere, and many trunks bore large burn marks. The whole place looked as though it had been ransacked.

Unfortunately, there was no one in sight.

When Dongfang Minghui woke, she was already in her own room. A large gauze dressing covered her forehead, and much of her face was swollen. She looked seriously injured.

"Hui'er, my Hui'er, you're finally awake! You frightened your mother half to death." The Second Madam, Qin Qin, had been keeping watch beside Dongfang Minghui's bed. The moment she saw her open her eyes, she ordered Cui'er to fetch the physician.

Before Dongfang Minghui could speak, Cui'er hurriedly helped an old man into the room. He lifted her eyelids, checked her pulse, and fussed over her.

"Physician, how is my Hui'er?"

The physician waved his hand, bristling his beard and glaring at the worried Second Madam. "What utter nonsense! I thought something terrible had happened to her. She's fine. A day or two of rest will do."

With that, he left.

"Hui'er, tell your mother who bullied you. Look at you, injured on your forehead and your face! Oh, my Hui'er, you've never suffered like this in all your life." The Second Madam was so distressed that she wished she could suffer in her daughter's place.

Dongfang Minghui pouted. The mighty heroine really hits hard. My cheek is still burning from that slap.

But how could she dare say that?

"Mother, no one bullied me. I just accidentally ran into a tree and knocked myself out," Dongfang Minghui said quietly, blushing as she finished. It was utterly humiliating. Then something occurred to her, and she hurriedly asked, "Mother, who brought me back?"

Cui'er came in carrying the freshly prepared medicine. Hearing Dongfang Minghui's question, she immediately answered, "Miss, no one brought you back. You were unconscious outside the gates, and a household servant found you."

Dongfang Minghui looked even more dispirited. The mighty heroine had done a good deed without leaving her name, making it clear she wanted nothing to do with her. Her disgust had reached such heights. Oh, what am I going to do?

The Second Madam had wanted to ask more questions, but seeing how listless she looked, her heart ached. "Although Physician Murong said you're fine, you did hit your head. Rest a little longer, Hui'er. I'll go to the kitchen and arrange for something tasty to help you recover."

With that, she tucked Dongfang Minghui in and instructed Cui'er, "Stay here with Miss and take good care of her."

Only once the Second Madam was far away did Dongfang Minghui call to Cui'er. "Come here."

Cui'er stood respectfully beside her. "Miss, is there anything you need me to do?"

Dongfang Minghui struggled to sit up. "I told you to fetch help earlier, and look what you did! I nearly met with disaster. Tell me, does my mother know about this?"

Hearing her words, Cui'er thought she meant to settle accounts and immediately fell to her knees. "Miss, Madam knows nothing about it. But when I arrived, I didn't see anyone, either."

This had to be the mighty heroine's doing. Her strength had been exposed, so she'd destroyed the bodies and erased the evidence.

Dongfang Minghui understood perfectly and asked no further questions about it. "Has Seventh Sister come back?"

Cui'er had been nervous, but Ninth Miss's words suggested she had no intention of punishing her, so she relaxed. "I don't know about Seventh Miss, but Fourth Miss came by earlier. She was furious. When she learned you were unconscious, she left without saying much."

Fourth Miss, Dongfang Lizhu, was a wolf in sheep's clothing. On the surface, she played the loving older sister at her side, but who knew how many underhanded tricks she'd employed behind her back?

Dongfang Minghui naturally knew why she had come in such a rage. It was because she had ruined her wonderful plan.

"Never mind her. From now on, ask around more about Seventh Miss. Let me know if there's even the slightest rustle in the wind, but don't be stupid enough to spy on her. Understand?"

"Yes, Miss."

Dongfang Minghui had wanted to rush over immediately and cling to the mighty heroine's golden thigh, but remembering her treatment in the woods filled her with dread. Clearly, her earlier foolish behavior had left a bad impression on the heroine.

Her most pressing task now was to change the mighty heroine's opinion of her.

But how could she change it?

As Dongfang Minghui pondered that question, she fell asleep.

When she woke again, she heard Cui'er talking to someone outside. Without listening closely, she called, "Cui'er."

"I'm thirsty. Pour me a cup of water."

"Yes, Miss."

"Ninth Sister, Cui'er told me you were ill. Are you feeling any better? I've only just come to see you. You won't be angry with me, will you?"

Dongfang Minghui took a sip of water, then looked up to find Dongfang Lizhu in her room. She nearly choked on her own saliva. Apparently, Cui'er had been speaking to her outside.

"How could I blame you, Fourth Sister? When I woke up earlier, Cui'er told me you'd already come to see me once, but I was still unconscious then." Dongfang Minghui sat up and spoke in a soft, gentle voice.

Dongfang Lizhu went straight to the point. "Ninth Sister, I have a few things to discuss with you. Send your maid away first."

"Cui'er, stand guard outside. Don't come in until I call you."

Once Cui'er had closed the door, Dongfang Minghui looked at Dongfang Lizhu with a bright smile. "Fourth Sister, did you come all this way to call me to account?"