Ye Lingmin’s gaze narrowed, and she suddenly darted toward the back. However, she did not expect Qiao Mu to be even quicker than her.

In the blink of an eye, Qiao Mu was already in front of her. Qiao Mu’s petite hand, which had been fortified like jade, was at Ye Lingmin’s throat.

Ye Lingmin was shocked. She thought that with her current cultivation, she should have been able to completely trump this little junior sister of hers. She completely did not expect that her little junior sister’s growth did not lose to hers three years later.

She had been in Shuntian Prefecture these three years, so her growth should theoretically have been faster than her little junior sister’s, but now…

Ye Lingmin couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

This was probably due to the difference in their potential. Her little junior sister’s speed of growth was simply astonishing.

Ye Lingmin reacted quickly in this moment of crisis, suddenly falling backwards to dodge Qiao Mu’s fierce strike. However, the icicle did scrape her arm, leaving a shallow cut.

Ye Lingmin somersaulted hastily to the side.

Ye Lingmin pressed one hand against the floor to catch her breath. Afterwards, she looked up at Qiao Mu.

“Why aren’t you striking back?” Qiao Mu questioned coldly.

“Little Junior Sister. I, I won’t strike back.” Ye Lingmin gritted her teeth and turned to look questioningly at Shuntian Prefecture’s Prefecture Lord Geng Pengcheng.

This entire time, this prefecture lord had just been standing there quietly. This behavior was too abnormal.

She had no leisure to mull it over at this time. She directly flipped backwards onto the back of goshawk that appeared in the air.

“Little Junior Sister, I will definitely give you an explanation.” After saying this, Ye Lingmin departed on the goshawk.

Since Qiao Mu did not act, neither did the other people.

Qiao Mu watched Ye Lingmin leave with eyes that were blazing like torches. She abruptly turned around and walked out the official mansion without saying anything.

***

Inside the courtyard of the Shuntian Prefecture’s lady of the house, Madam née Feng.

“The Divine Province’s crown prince and his party have just left.”

“Cough, cough. Cough.” Madam née Feng nodded after listening to her guard’s report.

Even though she had grabbed Lingfei to block for her, it was a self-detonation that happened at close quarters after all. The remnant tremors from the explosion did affect her.

Adding that to the injuries that she had sustained prior, her condition was not too good right now.

Lingfei had been laid onto a stretcher made out of woven grass. She was outside the courtyard right now and looked to be at her last gasp.

Meanwhile, Fairy Huanghe was standing far away and was just gazing blankly at Madam née Feng like this.

Madam née Feng was in an even worse mood seeing her like this.

Madam née Feng hit her armrest and shouted while coughing, “Huanghe, just say what you want to say.”

“Master. I feel that… you pushing out Senior Sister Lingfei…” Is so immoral!

Before Fairy Huanghe could finish talking, Madam née Feng shouted grimly, “You don’t need to concern yourself with this matter anymore. Go rest.”

“But Master!”

“Shut up!” Madam née Feng chastised in chagrin, “Things are already like this now. What else do you want Master to do?”

Fairy Huanghe hung her head and trudged back to her courtyard with crushing emotions.

Master had clearly told her to speak her mind, yet Master had chased her away before she even finished talking.

She gazed at the bleak road ahead. Fairy Huanghe was in a depressed mood as she stood in the fragmented shadows of the bare trees in her courtyard at dusk. She felt suffocated, and it was agonizing.