Inside the room, a round dining table was laden with food.
A dignified Madam was seated at the head, to her left a young woman in simple white clothes; even her plain attire couldn't conceal her beautiful features.
Further to the left sat a man in gorgeous purple robes, with two dragon horns sprouting from his temples—presumably the Young Dragon Prince.
To his left was a young man a bit older than Tian Ning, resembling the Madam. To the young man's left sat another man in a light blue robe.
In contrast to the full left side, Madam Wenren's right side was empty.
"Ningning's here, come, sit here with Mother." Madam Wenren smiled, patting the seat to her right, her smile not reaching her eyes.
Tian Ning went and sat down, completely ignoring the blatant isolation.
"This is your sister, Xue'er. You two must get along well…"
Wenren Xue spoke softly, "Sister just returned from the Mortal Realm. If you have any questions, you can ask me."
From the moment she entered, everyone's gaze had been scrutinizing Tian Ning.
To their surprise, the little girl looked thin, somewhat malnourished, but her face was fair and clean, her skin rosy, her beautiful eyes clear and bright—unlike their expectation of an unsightly peasant from the Mortal Realm.
Because of her bloodline, the little girl bore a striking resemblance to the deceased former Head of the Wenren Family; one glance revealed her lineage.
"This is the Young Dragon Prince, your fourth brother, Wenren Yang, and the Senior, Long Han, who has a contract with your fourth brother."
"Mother! I'm not her fourth brother! What is she?! I only have Xue'er as a sister!" From the moment Tian Ning entered, Wenren Yang's brow furrowed, his eyes full of disgust!
Madam Wenren remained perfectly polite throughout; even with her son's words, her smile didn't falter.
"Look at what nonsense your fourth brother is saying! Mother spoils him; he's young, Ningning, you mustn't take his wild temper to heart."
Tian Ning found it tedious; these people were so verbose.
She actually wanted to go back to reading: the pitiful adopted daughter imprisoned in the courtyard by her powerful brother, desperately praying to Heaven for her childhood sweetheart, forced to marry the Princess, to rescue her…
She had, after all, invested in the childhood sweetheart stock!
Glancing at the food getting cold on the table, Tian Ning was bored to tears: "Let's eat, I'm hungry."
"Good…let's eat then."
Madam Wenren was clearly surprised by her well-behaved demeanor; she had expected her to be as troublesome as that Old Man.
Seeing Tian Ning staring at the food, Wenren Yang sneered; she was greedy and covetous; looking at the way she stared at the food, she probably had never eaten such good food in her life.
Everyone started eating.
Madam Wenren first picked up a piece of steamed spareribs and gave it to Wenren Xue: "Xue'er, try this, it's your favorite, Mother specially asked the kitchen to prepare it early."
"Mother, I'm all grown up." Wenren Xue's eyebrows lifted slightly, her smile gentle and pleasant. "Besides, I've already formed my Golden Core; I can practice abstinence from food. Let's leave it for my sister."
"How can that be? You just formed your Golden Core and were injured; you need to nourish yourself!"
Long Ye also offered her food, his tone domineering: "Obey, eat it all!"
Wenren Yang even presented Wenren Xue with an entire plate of squirrel fish: "Sister, eat more; otherwise, brother will worry!"
Long Han was used to this harmonious scene. He also wanted to serve Xue'er, but she already had so much food in front of her. Besides…he only needed to watch Xue'er quietly from afar.
Several people spoke, seemingly remembering someone else, turning their gazes toward her.
They could almost imagine the jealousy and envy on Tian Ning's face.
But after no one else spoke, the clear sound of someone eating reached their ears.
To everyone's surprise…
She ignored them, didn't even glance at them, just diligently eating her food…
The pile of shrimp shells beside her was proof of her focused eating; it was almost as high as the pile of dishes in front of Wenren Xue.
No one doubted that she had the time to care about what was happening on Wenren Xue's side.
Because she occupied half of the table on the right side; by now, she had almost finished all the dishes on that half.
Wenren Yang twitched his lips; was she a pig? Eating so much at once?
Before Wenren Yang could formulate his sarcastic remark, Tian Ning swallowed the last piece of braised pork, put down her chopsticks, and said:
"I'm full. You eat slowly, I'm going back."
Her storybook was waiting for her!
"Wait!" Wenren Yang jumped up to grab her, but the little girl was as slippery as a loach; if it weren't for the maids entering, he almost wouldn't have caught her before she darted away!
If this got out, how would he, a Golden Core Stage Sword Cultivator, face anyone?
Before he could say anything, the maids knelt down, their faces dusty, hair disheveled: "Fourth Young Master, Fourth Young Master! You must avenge this servant!"
"You kindly sent gifts to Sixth Miss, we performed our duties diligently, we don't know what we offended her, but Sixth Miss actually burned all the things you sent!!"
"What did you say?"
Wenren Yang's temples throbbed, but the little girl wasn't behaving herself, he just wanted to say ‘behave yourself!’
He felt his center of gravity shift; Tian Ning ignored him, walking forward, pulling him along as she moved… he didn't know what material the tattered clothes were made of; Wenren Yang strained but they remained intact; he was almost being dragged out the door by Tian Ning!
What the heck?!
With such small arms and legs, how could she have so much strength?!
Those inside came out after hearing the commotion. Wenren Yang awkwardly released the little girl's collar; he didn't want to be seen in this embarrassing situation.
"Ningning, what happened?"
Madam Wenren had already heard what the maid said; suppressing the urge to question her, she said gently, "Your fourth brother did it for your own good; how could you set fire to the courtyard? And burn the maid like that?"
"Yes, sister. Even if they are maids, they are still people; if the fire had spread, it would have caused great damage to the entire Wenren Manor!" Wenren Xue also advised in surprise.
Although Tian Ning wanted to return to her storybook, she couldn't tolerate their arrogance.
This time, she grabbed the maid's collar, lifting the person kneeling on the ground, pleading their case, like a chick, forcing them to stand.
Tian Ning asked, "Did I burn down Wenren Manor?"
The maid shook her head helplessly.
"Did I kick you into the fire and burn you like this?"
The maid still shook her head.
"Did I burn down my own courtyard?"
The maid shook her head like a rattle.
She also couldn't understand the bizarre scene; the unstoppable fire had suddenly moved in one direction, then disappeared…
Even more incredible was that, except for the several boxes of things sent by the Fourth Young Master, Sixth Miss's courtyard was undamaged, not looking like it had been burned at all.
"I'm done asking." Tian Ning said concisely.
"B-but…the things Fourth Young Master gave Sixth Miss were all burned!" the maid struggled to say.
"How could you do that!" Wenren Yang jumped up to question her.
"Didn't you say the things were gifts for me? Then I can do whatever I want with them." Tian Ning retorted: "I've never seen someone so heartbroken over a gift they've given away. No way, no way, are you, the Wenren family's Fourth Young Master, so petty over a little thing? You cheapskate, if you couldn’t bear to part with them, don’t send them in the first place."
"You, you…"
Madam Wenren couldn't stand it anymore: "Ningning, how can you behave like this!"
Tian Ning tilted her head slightly, smiling brightly at her: "Look what nonsense Mother is saying? I'm a fifteen-year-old girl, still young, raised without a mother since childhood, and Fourth Brother is an eighteen-year-old man; how could he argue with me?"
Madam Wenren's face froze instantly.
These familiar words, weren't they the same set of words she had used just now?
Using the same words against herself, Madam Wenren felt the sting.
"Sister, Fourth Brother and I carefully chose those things. Even if you don't like them, you shouldn't do this," Wenren Xue spoke, looking heartbroken and extremely sad.
"Do you like food that's been bitten by a dog?" Tian Ning finally turned her gaze to her.
Wenren Xue's face paled: "Sister, we're meeting for the first time; why would you say that to me?"
Long Ye beside her also looked displeased.
"Why else would you treasure such things and give them as gifts?" Tian Ning didn't care about their inexplicable hostility: "I don't like secondhand goods, understand?"
Now, Madam Wenren understood: "Yang'er, Xue'er, how could you give your used things to your sister."
Although she said so, her tone lacked the reproach from before.
"So what? Those are things Xue'er only used once, clothes, jewelry, all brand new! She's from the countryside; what right does she have to be picky here." Wenren Yang was full of disdain.
This was his idea, a way to put Tian Ning in her place, but he didn't expect the country bumpkin to fight back!
"You like giving people secondhand goods that much?"
Tian Ning, at some point, released the maid and came in front of Wenren Yang, expressionless, extending her hand: "I like that robe you're wearing, give it to me."
Before Wenren Yang could react, the little girl's small, white hands began to roughly strip him.
Wenren Yang's eyes widened, almost choking with anger!
"Stop! W-what are you doing!"
But he couldn't resist the girl's terrifying strength; the once handsome young master's outer robe was being torn apart, Tian Ning's movements were so practiced, it was just like plucking feathers from a chicken back home!
As Madam Wenren yelled at the maids to stop her, there was a 'rip' and Wenren Yang's undergarment was torn open, revealing his muscular abdomen.
"Ah!!" The maid screamed, blushing and covering her eyes.
Wenren Yang, like a good woman molested by a thug, was panicked and hid behind Madam Wenren.
"Mother! She's crazy! She's sick!"
Long Ye and Long Han certainly wouldn't help Wenren Yang, a grown man. He wasn't the delicate Wenren Xue, and Wenren Yang was a Golden Core Sword Cultivator; they never imagined that he would be publicly stripped and humiliated by a wild girl from the Mortal Realm.
Truly…
Pathetic!
A man's disgrace!
"Ningning…stop it. Mother will punish your fourth brother; please stop…there are outsiders here! Mother will compensate you for the clothes and jewelry!"
Even as the Head of the Wenren Family, Madam Wenren had never seen such a scene!
"Okay, I hope Fourth Brother remembers not to do it again." Tian Ning ignored the cowardly Wenren Yang, giving a faint glance at Wenren Xue, whose face was grim: "Oh, and someone else should remember too."
Long Ye's eyes were icy; to protect his beloved woman, he mercilessly unleashed the Dragon Clan's oppressive pressure on the reckless girl.
He wanted to force this arrogant girl to kneel down in public and regret her words!
But Tian Ning treated him as air, ignoring them and running back to her courtyard, as if the oppressive pressure never existed.
Long Ye: ???
Even if he usually concealed his emotions, now, Long Ye's eyes showed clear confusion and bewilderment.
Just as he thought he hadn't actually used the oppressive pressure, he met Long Han's identical gaze…
Two dragons looked at each other.
Such a coincidence, wanting to go together?
But what about that girl?
Long Ye asked, "Xue'er, she wouldn't have formed a contract with my Dragon Clan, would she?"
That was the only explanation.
He wanted to see which reckless member of his clan dared to contract with someone he despised!
Wenren Xue shook her head: "I don't know, after we came back, Mother hasn't received any news."
"How could she possibly contract with the Dragon Clan! If the contract was successful, the Grand Elder would have announced it to everyone!" Seeing Tian Ning was gone, Wenren Yang dared to speak: "Only a failed contract would result in this."
Calm, as if nothing had happened.
Long Ye knew that was reasonable, but…
Dismissing other absurd ideas, perhaps the Wenren Family gave the girl some rare magical artifacts for protection to make up for their biological daughter.
"