Tang Xiye gritted her teeth. She clearly remembered Luo Guiyuan had promised to refine the Mingzhu Pill for her when they planned to capture the Night Demon. Now, Yan Jiaojiao had intercepted it. What made Tang Xiye most indignant was that she herself had facilitated this. How could Tang Xiye possibly stomach this?
If her initial dislike for Yan Jiaojiao stemmed from Yan Ruxue's matters, then now Yan Jiaojiao had not only snatched her beloved but also taken things she desired. Yan Jiaojiao's repeated provocations had truly angered her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have immediately gathered her people and charged over aggressively.
Yan Jiaojiao looked at the contorted face of Tang Xiye and once again doubted the sanity of Xuan Chen. How could he have fancied someone so lacking in grace and so narrow-minded?
"Yan Jiaojiao, Senior Sister Tang wants that Mingzhu Pill. For whatever reason, please yield it to her this time. Senior Sister Tang will repay your kindness with benefits later," Yan Ruxue said haughtily. Though polite, she was unreasonably demanding Yan Jiaojiao back down.
Yan Jiaojiao let out a cold laugh. They were always adept at feigning righteousness to coerce others. She had seen this kind of behavior too often back in the Yan family. Yan Jiaojiao was too lazy to deal with them and immediately refused, "No, I don't know you well."
"Don't know you well," Yan Ruxue was stunned into silence.
Tang Xiye asked fiercely, "Are you truly insistent on this?"
"You should let go of your unwarranted obsession," Yan Jiaojiao said, lifting her chin to glance at her. She turned to leave, unwilling to entangle herself with them.
Tang Xiye did not stop her this time, only staring at Yan Jiaojiao's retreating back and saying, "Then you had better keep your life to enjoy it well."
Yan Jiaojiao acted as if she hadn't heard. She believed in meeting force with force and countering water with earth. Since they were already planning to kill her just for disliking her, she didn't fear offending this academy's little overlord any further. She completely disregarded Tang Xiye's icy gaze behind her.
When Yan Jiaojiao returned to her room, Xiao Hei had recovered. Seeing the large pile of food Yan Jiaojiao carried, he nimbly jumped onto the table, waiting for Yan Jiaojiao to serve him.
Dongfang Cangwu was quite satisfied with Yan Jiaojiao's meticulous feeding. He only needed to wait for her to break the food into bite-sized pieces and feed him, occasionally with a napkin for wiping his mouth.
Little did he know, Yan Jiaojiao was treating him as if he were a child, happily feeding Xiao Hei.
The room door creaked open, and Wei Congling walked in. Seeing the person and the dog feasting, she said happily, "You're back. I was worried Xiao Hei had run away. So, he came back with you."
Yan Jiaojiao nodded at Wei Congling. Just as she was about to speak, she saw Wei Congling's expression change, and she cried out, "But why are you still in the mood to eat? Tang Xiye has already spread the word. Anyone in the academy who disciplines you once can claim a low-grade spirit stone from her."
Spirit stones were stones born from heaven and earth, imbued with spiritual energy that cultivators could absorb and use. Once their energy was depleted, they turned into ordinary stones. Spirit stones were classified into three grades: high, medium, and low. However, spirit stones were scarce and difficult for ordinary disciples to obtain. Therefore, even a low-grade spirit stone was a rare treasure.
Tang Xiye had gone to great lengths to get rid of her.
However, considering she was a rumored, unfavored illegitimate daughter, the fact that she could produce so many spirit stones clearly indicated Xuan Chen's generous patronage.
Yan Jiaojiao placed a chicken wing into Xiao Hei's mouth and then took a handkerchief to wipe her hands. She then said to Wei Congling with a gentle smile, "I just had a battle with the Night Ghoul Demon. Shouldn't you offer some comfort first instead of immediately bringing me bad news?"
Wei Congling's eyes widened. "Night Ghoul Demon? Weren't they called Night Demons?"
"Yes, but I found out it was the Night Ghoul Demon when I got there."
Seeing that Wei Congling's attention had been diverted, Yan Jiaojiao recounted the events, omitting her use of the Purple Star Array. Nevertheless, Wei Congling listened with her heart tightening with every word. When she heard that Xiao Hei had ultimately vanquished the Night Ghoul Demon, Wei Congling could hardly believe it and circled the little dog a few times.
"He's actually that powerful," Wei Congling exclaimed. "But he is indeed clever. I saw him awake in the middle of the night that day and casually asked if he was worried you were going to capture the Night Demon. He immediately ran out. So, he was looking for you."
Dongfang Cangwu was pleased that Wei Congling mentioned this. He glanced sideways at Yan Jiaojiao, hinting that she should clarify that his appearance that night was due to this news, not some telepathic connection.
Yan Jiaojiao then realized that it wasn't telepathy, but Xiao Hei's genuine concern for her.
Yan Jiaojiao's gaze towards Xiao Hei became even more fervent.
This look... Dongfang Cangwu felt something was amiss.
"That's not right, we were talking about Tang Xiye," Wei Congling said, recovering from her shock regarding Xiao Hei and returning to the main topic. "When I was targeted, there wasn't such an outrageous condition. She is truly determined to drive you out of Ge Nan Academy."
Yan Jiaojiao asked, "Isn't this a public provocation that goes against the academy's rules prohibiting internal strife? Ge Nan Academy has more outstanding individuals than Tang Xiye. Why does Xuan Chen dote on her to this extent?"
Wei Congling hesitated for a moment and stepped closer. "There is a rumor, a bit of gossip, that Tang Xiye looks exactly like Xuan Chen's childhood sweetheart from when he was young. Perhaps she is a reincarnation. However, Master Xuan Chen has lived for hundreds of years, and no one knows what his childhood sweetheart looked like. It's just speculation."
The reincarnation theory does hold some possibility, Yan Jiaojiao mused inwardly. Otherwise, given Tang Xiye's fiery temper, who could tolerate her if there wasn't some form of debt owed?
Unfortunately, Tang Xiye seemed to have feelings for Sheng Mobai. Could this indirectly mean Xuan Chen was being cuckolded?
The thought made Yan Jiaojiao chuckle aloud.
Wei Congling looked puzzled. "Why are you laughing? I suspect many people are already preparing to make a move against you."
Yan Jiaojiao tried to compose herself. "Didn't you say before that because your spiritual energy suddenly erupted and suppressed Tang Xiye once, she stopped bothering you? She's just a bully who preys on the weak. There's nothing to fear."
"But, but I have indeed stayed indoors for the most part since then," Wei Congling admitted sheepishly when speaking of the past.
"Not necessarily. If she wanted to continue causing trouble, she would still force you out even if you didn't leave, wouldn't she?"
"That makes sense. So, you also want to fight back thoroughly this time and make her retreat?"
Yan Jiaojiao reached out and stroked Xiao Hei again, a sly smile playing on her lips, like a lively and mischievous sprite. "Isn't Tang Xiye being generous with her spending? Then I'll help her bleed a little."