21 - Crazy! Criticizing the Prime Minister for Being a Servant

### Chapter 13: A Minor Incident A few little ones were taken to Huaxifeng Peak every day, and their progress was rapid. Elder Ran, who had finally adapted to the constant mind chatter of her disciples, now found herself somewhat unsettled by the peacefulness. Luckily, there were still some important tasks at hand, preventing things from getting too quiet and boring. When Ran Fanyinrou entered, she saw the sect leader furrowing her brows deeply. Upon seeing her, the sect leader waved her over. "I have some documents here. Come and help me review them." "What kind of documents are these?" "They're the background checks for all the newly recruited disciples. There are too many of them. For the next assembly, I vow to not take in this many." If Ning Songwu were here, she would surely think, “That's meaningless, just like how you say every morning that you won't stay up late that night—never gonna happen.” Unfortunately, Small Ning wasn't around. Ran Fanyinrou had just sat down with a book in her hands when a young disciple came stumbling in, voice trembling. "Sect Leader, Elder Helan has invited you to Huaxifeng Peak." * About half an hour earlier. The trio had already fought two rounds with the gorilla. At this moment, Elder Helan called for a break, allowing everyone to rest for a while. Ning Songwu had drawn her sword today, but she was so exhausted that she could barely hold it anymore. Sitting up straight with the sword sheath in her arms, she looked at her two companions who were lounging carelessly, with no hint of decorum. Ning Songwu: Can't rise again (collapses backward). Seeing that Elder Helan was about to form a seal to close the barrier again, the girl hurriedly raised her hand to stop him. “Uncle-Master, we really can't go on.” “Young girls saying they can't go on… let's do another round.” There seemed to be a deeper meaning in Uncle-Master’s words, but now wasn't the time to analyze. Given their current state, they indeed couldn't endure another round. Using her hands and feet, Ning Songwu crawled a couple of steps, crying out, “Uncle-Master, please have mercy on us.” “Knew you weren't serious in nature either.” Helan Mianmian laughed heartily, calling forth three water spheres to encase the little ones and pulling them closer to her. “Rest for a while. Other girls need to practice too.” Other girls? Are there really others rushing to endure this punishment? Who could be so… foolish… Fe-ma-le, protagonist!? Ning Songwu almost slipped out of her water bubble in shock. Was this part of the plot? She didn't remember it this way. She quickly voiced her thoughts in the form of subtitles, 【Does Lin Yuxue have this plot?】 "She doesn't." Oh no, was this the butterfly effect caused by her altering the storyline? People who weren’t supposed to be at Huaxifeng Peak had come, and she had even been seen by them. Small Ning silently rolled her water sphere to hide behind Helan Mianmian. Though Elder Helan wasn’t particularly tall, he was her best shelter now. Noticing the little one’s actions through the corner of his eye, Helan suddenly remembered his senior sister Ran mentioning a few days ago that this little one was particularly afraid of the Heaven-grade Fire Spirit Root disciple. Without a sound, he stealthily maneuvered the three water spheres behind him. He didn't have any fondness for this young girl either. There was a natural instinctive repulsion, much like an animal's innate reaction. Simply put, seeing her made him bristle. It was inexplicable but warranted some caution. This subtle move brought tears of gratitude to Ning Songwu’s eyes--Ode to elder cats being the most reliable, thank you, Elder Cat. In the middle of the field, Lin Yuxue merely gave a cold glance this way as she saluted, drew her long sword, and pointed it at the recently resting gorilla. For safety reasons, when Helan Mianmian assigned them opponents, she wouldn't pick overly powerful ones. This gorilla was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage, so it too needed a moment to rest. Seeing this small human again, it could only wail in despair and brace itself. Lin Yuxue stepped back half a pace, flame forming a line along both sides of her sword, positioning it defensively in front of her. Watching the sharp battle closely, Ning Songwu was surprised by Lin Yuxue's spiritual power fluctuations, "Late Qi Condensation? How did she advance so quickly?" It had only been ten days since their last encounter. She herself was still ordered by Ran Fanyinrou to stay in the late Qi Condensation stage awhile longer, and yet this person had advanced from mid to late Qi Condensation? The protagonist's talent was terrifying. The gorilla slammed its fist down and charged with all four limbs. Lin Yuxue launched herself forward with full force, flames extending slowly from her sword's edges, gathering at the tip to form a new blade, extending the sword's reach considerably. With a calm expression, she did not slow down, aiming her elongated sword straight at the gorilla's heart. "Stop!" A cold voice commanded from outside the barrier, but to no avail. The flaming sword's tip already singed the gorilla's fur, nearly pushing in. Contrary to Lin Yuxue, the gorilla stopped its attack at the voice, only blocking without counterattacking. A water curtain shot up suddenly, and the embedded sword tip was firmly wrapped by a water chain, pulling out both the sword and its wielder, who was subsequently bound and suspended in the air. No one, not even Ning Songwu and Liu Ruoying, had seen Elder Helan so enraged. She always carried a playful smile, making people forget she was an elder. But now, with cold eyes and a brush in her hand, she said icily, "When I tell you to stop, don't you understand?” “When you chose to come here for training, weren't you repeatedly told not to really have murderous intents?” Stopping within three steps of the restrained person, she clenched and unclenched her hand, finally containing herself as she put away the brush and said coldly, “I will allow you to explain yourself.” “It's just a beast.” The girl remained arrogantly stubborn. “If it’s a battle, prepare for life and death.” Helan clenched his fist hard, then growled, "Go call Cen Ran, is this the disciple she taught?" * When Cen Ran and Ran Fanyinrou arrived, they saw three small figures huddled together, trembling in a corner, not daring to speak. The trouble-maker knelt bound, while the master of the peak, cold-faced, relaxed slightly upon seeing the newcomers. Elder Ran glanced at the three small ones, meeting her disciple’s eyes for a brief moment. Quickly, the little one looked away. 【I didn't cause trouble, I’m not the culprit, stop looking at me.】 Cen Ran asked, "What happened here?" The person in the seat snorted coldly. “Someone here looks down on the intelligent, self-restrained demon beasts.” Today, of all days, the girl was exceptionally defiant, raising her voice. “I never said that.” 【The protagonist is so stupid. Disrespecting beast-kind that hasn’t fully developed intelligence in front of the demon tribe—it’s asking for death.】 【Even if the original story didn't expand on Luo Sheng’s character, judging by their personality, they’d definitely torment this poor kid.】 Ning Songwu pouted, unwilling to see this foolish person being coaxed so easily. Elder Ran rested her head on her hand, listening partly to what was happening while also hearing her disciple’s mental chatter, using it as supplementary information. High above, Helan rotated the jade bracelet on her wrist and suddenly laughed. “Such murderous intent, if it’s not disdain for the beast tribe, could it be due to some bitter experience, like a fight to the death?” 【Eh? How did the topic suddenly shift?】 Ran Fanyinrou looked amusedly at the three little ones who hadn’t grasped the situation and couldn't withstand bluffing. The face of the one who couldn’t bluff had already turned pale, though only slightly, it was still noticeable. Helan, seemingly in a better mood, pointed at the person from a distance. “Senior Sister Sect Leader, she is never to set foot on this peak again." "And you leave too." Cen Ran, who had only uttered one sentence from arrival to departure: ... She felt like a total scapegoat here. * 【This is so sweet, the Sect Leader isn't even angry, awwwww, this is adorable.】 Ran Fanyinrou glanced at her well-behaved disciple following her with a serious and solemn demeanor. Even after all this time, she couldn’t understand how a disciple with such a serious exterior had such a rich inner life. She was shipping pairs internally, thinking that Totoro and Cen Ran could be a match? Isn't she a bit too young to be playing matchmaker in her head? She wondered if the other quiet one also had such a rich inner life. One after another, these kids had mouths but didn’t use them. “Senior Sister!” Helan stomped her foot, clinging to her arm and shaking it. “Why did you get distracted, praise me now!” “Alright, alright, Mianmian, today you were especially mighty, very commanding, so impressive.” “Hehe.” Ning Songwu bowed her head, holding back a smile wider than an AK stripe. If not for her remaining conscience, she would have wanted to pair Elder Cat with ten or eight others... wait a minute. 【Who would be the top, Cat Elder or the Master?】 【Cat Elder is so cute, can't bear her being the top, but Master is a beautiful snowy-haired lady, can't imagine her being the top either...】 【Master...】 Ran Fanyinrou coughed lightly, interrupting her silly disciple's deep thoughts—weren't you shipping Cen Ran with Helan? How did this involve herself suddenly? Her disciple’s ethical perspective was indeed surprising. "Small Ning, go and discuss today's battle with your junior sisters," she said softly, her eyes glancing over the person before landing on the little cat at her side. Helan Mianmian eyed the little one hugging her sword tightly and whispered to her senior sister, "Senior Sister, let me tell you, this little one only looks serious." Ran Fanyinrou softened her gaze. "What about her?" "Earlier, when she couldn't move anymore and begged for mercy. Hahaha, she was so cute." "Yes, I know," the woman replied with a gentle smile, looking at the three who were earnestly summarizing their battle nearby. For some reason, this little girl always seemed wary of her, as if afraid she might be "straightened out" by the plot and revert to Lin Yuxue’s side. Never mind whether this so-called "plot" actually had such power. She couldn't understand why the book version of her would choose someone who couldn't even hide her foolishness. Ten days from mid to late Qi Condensation—if Lin Yuxue truly had such talent, she wouldn't have taken four months to barely reach the mid stage. Additionally, her naturally occurring murderous aura made one wonder. Helan longed his fingers, meticulously counting all the anomalies, before finally sighing. "It's really strange. If she had someone backing her, why would she be so reckless? If she didn't, many things wouldn't add up." "Senior Sister, what did the background investigation say?" --- This site has no pop-up ads, permanent domain (xbanxia.com).