“…”
Lin Luming tilted her head slightly. “Why should I tell you?”
The woman froze, and then a secret wave of relief washed over her heart. If this girl really hailed from a major kingdom, she would have long since declared her identity to exert pressure, rather than being so hesitant and tongue-tied. Being this secretive, she was most likely just a candidate from some minor state, nothing to be feared.
She raised her eyebrows, her expression haughty. “Your attitude is certainly arrogant enough.”
With those words, the woman and the group behind her slowly closed in on Lin Luming. “You only have your own bad luck to blame for wandering out so late and stumbling upon this scene. If you know what’s good for you, hand over your tokens and beat it yourself. Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind scarring those pretty faces of yours.”
Lin Luming’s gaze darkened slightly, though her voice remained exceptionally calm. “I think the arrogant one is you, young lady.”
Her gaze swept past the silhouettes of the group and finally landed on the young girl curled up in the corner of the alley. The girl was huddled into a ball, her hands shielding her face tightly so that her features could not be seen, but the bloodstains on her clothes undoubtedly declared that she had just been subjected to punches and kicks.
It seemed that no matter which world it was, this kind of school bullying nonsense was always inevitable.
Lin Luming let out a sigh, and then silently formed a hand seal.
“You, first inflicting violence upon a fellow sect member, then leveling threats against candidates… behaving in such a manner, young lady, is truly lawless. What is it? Is your family background so deep that you even dare to trample upon the rules of the Dongling Spirit Hub?”
The other party said coldly, “Rules are meant to restrain lower-class people like you. This young lady happens to be a princess of the Ming Kingdom. Even if I do not follow the rules, what of it?”
“The Ming Kingdom?” A trace of surprise surfaced in Lin Luming’s eyes. This was not because the nation possessed formidable power, but because the Ming Kingdom was also the native country of the female lead of this book, and the female lead’s true identity was precisely a princess of the Ming Kingdom.
In other words, the princess standing before her was the fake daughter who had replaced the female lead as a princess for twenty years.
She remembered that in the original work, this fake daughter had already crossed paths with the female lead during their time at the Dongling Spirit Hub, and she frequently bullied the female lead. Once the female lead found her biological parents, this fake daughter even turned around and shifted the blame for all past malicious deeds onto the female lead. An already complicated and estranged family dynamic was worsened by layers of misunderstandings, leaving the parental affection completely shattered.
In the end, it was only when the male lead took the female lead away from the Ming Kingdom, far from her terrible biological family, that she finally found liberation.
What a complete load of nonsense for a plot; so in the end, this fake daughter actually got the last laugh?
Wait…
She suddenly froze, her gaze slowly moving toward the young girl beaten and curled up in the alley corner, whose slender shoulders were twitching rhythmically, looking very much like a startled little beast.
No way… Lin Luming’s eyebrows twitched slightly. Could that one over there be the female lead?
If that were the case, this opportunity delivered right to her doorstep could absolutely not be passed up.
She looked back at the woman in front of her, speaking with a smile, “So you are the princess of the Ming Kingdom, Wen Jing.”
The other party was surprised for a moment. “I did not expect my illustrious name as a princess to have reached even someone from a minor state like you. But whatever you say now is too late. I gave you a chance to beat it just now, but you refused. Men, do it!”
As soon as her voice fell, the group rushed forward.
At the exact same time, Lin Luming let out a sharp whistle.
Beneath the moonlight, countless dark shadows immediately came fluttering from all directions. In an instant, the rooftops, the eaves, and the branches were packed densely with crows. Their shifting wings and noisy cawing made it feel as though the entire night itself was being torn into shreds.
Wen Jing looked up, her heart inevitably panicking for a moment, but she still forced herself to maintain composure. “It seems you are a beast tamer. Why didn’t you call some fierce beasts over? Do you think a mere flock of crows can do anything to this young lady? I am, at the very least, at the late stage of Qi Refining; crushing a flock of crows to death is nothing but an easy task.”
“Of course I know it is simple for the princess to kill crows, but these crows are not here to attack you; they are here to watch the show. You can kill one, ten, or a hundred, but can you kill a thousand? With just one command from me, these crows can fly to the Law Enforcement Hall and recount tonight’s events down to the finest detail. As you know, the Master of the Law Enforcement Hall specializes in beast taming and can even share senses with animals. When the time comes, if the princess is found to have engaged in private brawling and obstructed the assessment, the consequences you can imagine will be far more than just losing face.”
Hearing this, Wen Jing instantly panicked.
“You dare threaten this princess!?” Wen Jing’s face changed drastically, her originally indifferent tone instantly losing its composure.
After all, this was the critical juncture of the inner sect disciple assessment. The Master of the Law Enforcement Hall was notoriously strict; if he found out she had engaged in a private brawl, her eligibility for the exam would definitely be revoked.
“Damn it!” Wen Jing cursed loudly, pointing at Lin Luming and unleashing a torrent of abuse. “Speak! What is your name!?”
“I am not so foolish as to expose my name just to wait for your revenge. However, let me put the ugly truth first: if I discover you engaging in any more underhanded actions, I won’t mind bringing this matter straight before the Hall Master immediately. When the time comes, if an esteemed princess of a nation cannot even enter the inner sect after cultivating for several years, guess who will be the one losing face?”
Choked by these words, Wen Jing was rendered momentarily speechless. “You—!”
Lin Luming cut her off coldly, “The hour is late. The princess had better return early to rest.”
“Fine, you win.” Wen Jing pointed at Lin Luming. “If I find out you snitched, I will leave you without a grave! Let’s go!”
The group withdrew while shouting fiercely, their footsteps gradually fading at the end of the alley. The scattered dust on the ground drifted upward under the moonlight, accompanied by a few lingering laments of the crows; the air remained charged with a tight sense of oppression.
Lin Luming’s gaze darkened slightly. Once she confirmed that the gang had gone far away, she walked quickly toward the woman curled up in the corner, bending down to gently support her.
“Are you alright?” Lin Luming spoke.
The woman’s face was pale, her sleeves torn and disheveled, with traces of blood at the corner of her mouth. She strove to support her body, leaning against the cold bluestone wall to catch her breath. Raising her eyes to look toward Lin Luming, her lips trembled as she spoke, “Why did you help me?”
Her eyes were filled entirely with vigilance, yet that clear and beautiful face, carrying a fragile stubbornness, instead appeared rather pitiable.
Lin Luming’s heart stirred slightly, feeling almost certain that the person before her was the female lead she had been looking for.
She masked her expression. “For no particular reason, I just can’t stand them using their power to bully others. What is your name?”
The woman was visibly stunned, a complex emotion flashing deep in her eyes, after which she frowned and stared tightly at Lin Luming. “Since you’ve guessed it, you should leave quickly. Becoming involved with me will bring you nothing but harm.”
The night breeze blew past, making the alley increasingly cold and quiet. The crows had long since dispersed, leaving only a single dim yellow lantern swaying in the corner of the wall, casting mottled shadows over her face.
Lin Luming remained unmoved, merely looking at her quietly as she pressed once more, “So, what is your name after all?”
After a long silence, the woman finally swallowed and slowly uttered three syllables: “Jiang Yunong.”
As expected, it was her.