In her dream, the young Bai Xifeng hadn't just watched the corruption, she had acted. She believed that the donated money belonged to the children, not the director's luxury lifestyle. Burning with a quiet, calculated rage, she had secretly gathered evidence and reported the embezzlement to the police. Her tip-off had alerted the Welfare Institution for Children, triggering a massive audit that stripped the director's life of its polished facade.
The investigation was damning. It wasn't just the private donations; the director had been siphoning government funds meant for the children's basic needs directly into her personal offshore accounts. The fallout was swift. The director was hauled off in handcuffs to face years of jail time, and a new, honest administration took over.
For a brief, shining moment in her dream, life had improved. The meals were warm, the blankets were thick, and they were finally allowed to watch the small television in the common room. Bai Xifeng remembered the pure, simple joy of sitting in front of that glowing screen.
Suddenly, the screen flickered and died. The orphanage dissolved into gray mist, and a sharp, searing heat snapped her back to reality. She felt herself being shoved violently, tumbling off the gazebo bench and landing hard on the stone floor.
"Fuck! That hurts!" Bai Xifeng hissed, cussing under her breath as she scrambled to her feet, her hip throbbing from the impact. "What the hell is going on now?"
'It was Bai Huiling,' Baishe's voice echoed sharply in her mind. 'The brat tried to sneak up and burn you with a fire talisman while you were vulnerable. I could not use my powers to block it directly without revealing my existence to the crowd. So I had to physically shove your soul back into your body to wake you up.'
Bai Xifeng's eyes snapped toward the edge of the courtyard. There stood Bai Huiling, her face twisted in a mask of pure, unadulterated rage, a charred talisman still smoldering in her hand.
"Bai Huiling... you actually had the audacity to attack me while I was sleeping?" Bai Xifeng's voice was low, vibrating with a dangerous edge.
She did not wait for an excuse. Moving with a speed that shouldn't have been possible for a "non-cultivator," she blurred across the courtyard. Before Bai Huiling could even scream, Bai Xifeng's foot connected squarely with her stomach. The force was explosive, sending Bai Huiling soaring through the air until her flight was abruptly halted by a sickening thud against the stone perimeter wall.
Bai Huiling's maids let out a chorus of horrified shrieks as their mistress slumped to the ground, coughing up a mouthful of bright crimson blood. She had only just finished healing from the last "lesson". Bai Xifeng had dealt her, and now her internal organs were screaming in protest once again.
"Maybe this time the lesson will actually stick." Bai Xifeng said, her eyes cold as she straightened her robes.
She turned her gaze toward the center of the courtyard, where the monk and his disciples were still standing like statues, their mouths agape.
"You are still here?" Bai Xifeng asked, her eyebrow arching in a silent challenge.
The monk looked as though he wanted to disappear into the floorboards. For nearly an hour, they had chanted, burned incense, and exhausted their spiritual energy in a dozen different ceremonies, and yet the girl had simply napped through it all before waking up to kick a noble lady across a garden.
"I... I must humbly admit my error." The monk stammered, bowing low. "I now believe with absolute certainty that you are not possessed by any evil spirit. No demon could remain so tranquil under our holiest rites."
"I told you that an hour ago, but I guess some people need to see a light show to believe the truth." Bai Xifeng said, rolling her eyes.
Muttering apologies and stumbling over their own robes, the monk and his men beat a hasty retreat. Bai Xifeng watched them go with an indifferent expression. She did not hold a grudge against them. They were just tools being used by the real vipers in the mansion.
***This novel is a contracted work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If you do not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, that means it has been stolen. It breaks my heart when someone steals my hard work. Can you consider reading it on the original website for those who read my novel on another website besides w e b n o v e l .c o m, as your support to me? Thank you, from, your shameless author, ZerahNeko***
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