Sensing a familiar presence, Little Pomegranate timidly raised her head.
Her eyes were slightly red as she called out, “El… Elder Ji…”
The woman addressed as Elder Ji nodded slightly in acknowledgment, but her gaze first landed on Yun Xuechang.
Her tone was laced with a hint of impatient irony.
“My, you certainly are at leisure. You have only just returned to the sect, yet you have the heart to meddle in the trivialities of the academy. Why not continue your secluded cultivation and remain that Sword Head everyone admires so much?”
“Hey, you—”
Seeing such a provocation, Hua Yan immediately rolled up her sleeves to step forward, but she was once again gently held back by Yun Xuechang.
Yun Xuechang lowered her eyelashes, actually showing a hint of concession. “Yes, Elder Ji’s reprimand is correct.”
“Hmph, playing the part of the obedient one,” Elder Ji coldly snorted before finally turning toward the little rabbit demon. “Sixteen, tell me clearly what happened here.”
“Yes… Yes…”
Little Pomegranate hesitated for a moment and turned to look at Hua Xiangrong.
Seeing the other girl give her an encouraging wink, she finally plucked up her courage and stumbled through the sequence of events once more.
Hua Xiangrong occasionally added a few words from the side, and before long, the cause and effect were made perfectly clear.
After hearing the explanation, Elder Ji’s expression grew increasingly cold.
The pressure radiating from her was so low that the cultivator surnamed Li turned pale. “You are the Outer Sect Deacon, Li Wei?”
The middle-aged cultivator hurriedly bowed, sweat beading on his forehead. “Yes, yes, this disciple is! Greetings, Elder Ji!”
With a gloomy aura, Elder Ji stepped forward slowly, her voice like ice.
“Article Seven of the sect’s Disciple’s Regulations clearly states: disciples and their family members must strictly abide by the rules of the academy and are forbidden from bullying others or causing trouble. Article Eleven further specifies: those who condone their relatives disturbing the academy or bullying young children shall be fined between three months to one year of their salary, depending on the severity. Additionally, they must personally assist with labor in the Dining Hall for seven days as a warning to others.”
She paused, her gaze as sharp as a sword.
“Your son intentionally collided with the Danxia Peak disciple, Ning Shiliu, knocked over her meal, and bullied a fellow disciple. This is already a violation. As a deacon, you not only failed to teach him to admit his mistake but also acted shamelessly here, threatening the relatives of a fellow disciple and disrupting the order of the academy. Today, in my capacity as the Disciplinary Elder, I sentence you to a fine of six months’ salary and a compensation of five mid-grade Spirit Stones for Ning Shiliu’s meals and emotional distress. Starting tomorrow, you will assist in the Dining Hall for seven days—do you accept this punishment?”
“This disciple accepts the punishment! I have no complaints!” Li Wei hung his head in dejection. A fine of six months’ salary plus five mid-grade Spirit Stones was a heavy blow that made his heart ache.
Elder Ji then glanced at the fat boy hiding behind his father, her tone showing no signs of softening.
“Your son bullied a fellow disciple; he is sentenced to copy the Disciple’s Regulations 100 times. In three days, you must personally deliver them to my office at Danxia Peak for inspection. If even one word is missing, the punishment will be doubled.”
The fat boy trembled all over and nodded repeatedly, no longer daring to show even a hint of his previous cunning.
“Get out and deal with it,” Elder Ji flicked her sleeve, her tone full of annoyance. Li Wei felt as if he had been granted a grand amnesty and quickly led his son away.
Once the two were far off, she turned toward Ning Shiliu—the rabbit-eared girl Hua Xiangrong called “Little Pomegranate.” Her tone softened slightly but still carried a chill. “Come here.”
Little Pomegranate hurriedly shuffled to her side and grabbed the edge of her robe. Her pale gold, long ears twitched slightly, looking a bit more settled than before.
Elder Ji looked down at the stains on the corner of the girl’s clothes and then scanned her reddened eyes.
She said nothing more, only stating flatly, “Follow me back to Danxia Peak. I will have the kitchen prepare a new meal for you and get some pastries.”
With that, she gave a slight nod to the old teacher and took Little Pomegranate’s hand to leave.
“Little Pomegranate, see you tomorrow—!” Hua Xiangrong waved her small hand, loudly saying goodbye to the rabbit-eared girl.
Being led away, Little Pomegranate looked back at her and gave a gentle wave.
Elder Ji also looked back, her eyes sweeping over Hua Xiangrong before landing on Yun Xuechang.
She let out a low “hmph” but did not offer any further mockery, simply leading the child away.
“Hey, who exactly is that cold-faced woman? Putting on such airs! And you, why did you stop me just now?”
Once the others were gone, Hua Yan crossed her arms and complained to Yun Xuechang.
“That is the Peak Master of Danxia Peak and the sect’s Disciplinary Elder, Ji Ling.”
Lin Qianqian, who had been watching silently from the side, stepped forward and sighed.
She explained for Yun Xuechang, “She has always been at odds with Senior Sister. Every time they meet, it ends up like this. When I took you to visit the sect yesterday, I specifically avoided Danxia Peak because I was afraid Senior Sister would run into her. I didn’t expect to meet her here anyway.”
“It makes no sense. Why does she have to target you?” Hua Yan’s dissatisfaction grew even stronger after hearing this.
Yun Xuechang lowered her gaze and said softly, “Elder Ji… she wasn’t always like this in the past. It was only after my Master passed away that she became this way.”
‘Her Master passed away?’ Hua Yan was startled. ‘Could it be…’
“That’s right. Elder Ji and Elder Jiang grew up together and shared a very deep bond. The reason she targets Senior Sister Yun is likely that she still holds a grudge over what happened back then, blaming the consequences on Senior Sister…” Lin Qianqian added in a low voice.
“Hmph, that’s just unreasonable!” Hua Yan snorted and said to Yun Xuechang, “The incident back then was clearly the work of Evil Cultivators. It had absolutely nothing to do with you. Why does that old woman named Ji blame it on you?”
Seeing that Yun Xuechang remained silent, she followed up with another question. “What about that little rabbit demon girl? The one Rongrong calls ‘Little Pomegranate.’ Why was she taken away by Elder Ji? What is their relationship?”
“Ning Shiliu is a disciple of Danxia Peak. I don’t know where Elder Ji found her—to find a rabbit demon who could undergo Transformation while still in the Qi Refining Stage is truly rare.” The old teacher stroked his beard as he spoke.
He paused and sighed. “Previously, because of her name and her identity as a demon, Shiliu was often ostracized by the children in the academy. Fortunately, Rongrong befriended her as soon as she arrived today. She took the initiative to be close to her and even called her ‘Little Pomegranate,’ saying the child’s eyes were as lovely as red pomegranates…”
“The two of you have truly raised a wonderful daughter.” The old teacher chuckled, looking at Hua Yan and Yun Xuechang with approval.
The two looked at each other and then looked down at Hua Xiangrong together.
The pink-haired girl immediately put her hands on her hips and tilted her small head up with a proud expression.
“Thank you for the praise, Master,” Hua Yan and Yun Xuechang said in unison.
Then, they both instinctively reached out to rub the child’s hair, their hands lightly bumping into each other in mid-air.
The tips of Hua Yan’s ears instantly turned a faint red, and she hurriedly withdrew her hand.
Yun Xuechang blinked, appearing somewhat dazed.
…
‘Danxia Peak Master Ji Ling—she is our primary target for this stage, isn’t she?’
On the way back, Hua Xiangrong snuggled in the arms of Yun Xuechang as they traveled via Sword Kinesis, speaking to 099 in her mind.
‘Yes, Host,’ the little system quickly responded.
‘According to the original plot, this period should have been the stage where the novel’s female lead, Yun Xuechang, was recovering from her injuries within the sect. It had little connection to the main storyline. In the novel, this period was even briefly summarized in just a few sentences.’
‘However, we are in a real Novel World, and every day must be lived through properly,’ 099 added.
‘Exactly. So, during this “blank period” in the original work, we have to do something.’ Hua Xiangrong nodded, a shimmer in her pink eyes. ‘We should do as much as possible to influence the final outcome of the main storyline. Danxia Peak Master Ji Ling is the key to this operation. We need to change her ending.’
‘And in the original plot of the novel, during the time my mother was recovering from her injuries, Ji Ling’s ending was—’
‘Death.’