Chapter 26: I’m Going to Avenge Mianmian!

Ning Shengsheng had no choice. The emperor would not refuse her.

The Huan Li egg was sent to the Frigid Spirit Pool to be nurtured, and Duofu from Zhaoxia Palace was assigned to watch over it daily.

The next day, Ning Shengsheng arrived at the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion early. She took in the expressions on everyone’s faces. Very few people looked in her direction. Only Ning Jin would occasionally glance her way.

It really is her!

Ning Shengsheng rubbed her palms together, determined to avenge Mianmian.

The last to arrive was Nangong Jinghong, an extremely fair and strict female teacher. Master Nangong hated students who violated discipline in her class. A plan flashed through her mind.

“Today we are going to learn how to control spiritual power during weapon refinement. Everyone, look at the demonic iron ore on your desks.”

“What we need to think about now is how to refine it in the most efficient way.”

“Does anyone know?”

At the mention of weapon refinement, the students below grew drowsy. At this moment, a hint of displeasure appeared on Nangong Jinghong’s face behind the desk. After waiting for a while with no one raising their hands, her face hardened. “It seems no one wants to answer. Fine, then we’ll have a pop quiz. Write down all the methods you can think of and hand them in.”

“Ah—”

A long, mournful sigh came from the students. Nangong Jinghong’s stern face swept over them, and everyone immediately fell silent, burying their heads and chewing on their brush handles.

The classroom was silent.

Ning Shengsheng’s eyes narrowed. The opportunity has come, she thought.

Xue Chen had told her about this method, and she also knew that Corpse Marrow powder could not be used in the imperial palace. Exposing Ning Jin in public would get her in trouble.

Everyone’s heads were down, and no one was looking her way. Ning Jin’s seat was two people away from hers.

Ning Shengsheng rummaged through her sleeve and pulled out a small golden mechanical insect. The mechanical insect was a toy made for her by a palace weapon refiner. It could fly, and its tail was designed with a hollow sphere that could hold things. She pressed the insect’s tail, and the sphere slowly opened. She filled it with the bodhi powder and quietly gave the mechanical insect a command.

The mechanical insect wobbled towards Ning Jin, slowly crawling up her sleeve to her shoulder. And then—

“Pop!” It exploded!

The powder sprinkled down, and with a whoosh, Ning Jin was engulfed in a cloud of white smoke. The mechanical insect scrambled back. Ning Shengsheng had it run to the back.

Before long, Xue Chen had just finished writing. He looked up and saw a small golden insect with beady eyes standing on his desk.

“…”

He looked at Ning Shengsheng and saw her covering her mouth to stifle a laugh. She mouthed, “Help me take care of it.”

He looked at the small insect for a few seconds. He couldn’t help but feel that this little thing didn’t look very smart, but it was actually quite clever, a bit like its owner. He let out a breath and reluctantly hid it in his sleeve.

Hearing the commotion, Nangong Jinghong frowned and looked towards the source of the sound, smelling the pungent odor. She instantly knew what was going on. Corpse Marrow poison, when mixed with bodhi powder, would produce this effect.

“What’s happening?” Ning Jin stood up, flustered, and kept swatting at herself, trying to extinguish the white smoke with this action. “Help me! I’m the Third Princess of Great Ning! Whoever saves me will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver! Teacher, save me!”

The students didn’t dare to go forward. The white smoke was accompanied by a pungent smell, and they covered their mouths and moved away from Ning Jin’s seat. They had no idea what was going on. If it weren’t for Xue Chen being from the Heavenly Phoenix Nation, Ning Shengsheng wouldn’t have been told about these things.

Nangong Jinghong slammed her hand on the table. “Don’t panic! Panicking at the slightest provocation, what a sight! It’s just the reaction of Corpse Marrow powder and bodhi powder.”

“Don’t worry, it won’t cause any harm to you.”

It was a good thing this happened in the academy. If it had happened outside and word got out, that this was the behavior of the future successors of Great Ning, it would be a disgrace!

Ning Jin was so scared that she rolled on the ground. Nangong Jinghong went forward, picked her up, and slapped her on the back. Only then did Ning Jin calm down.

“Someone, bring a bucket of ice water!”

Before long, someone returned with a bucket. Nangong Jinghong poured the ice water over her from head to toe.

Ning Jin’s teeth chattered from the cold. She came to her senses and immediately flared up, glaring as she asked, “Who did this to me?”

“Master Nangong, investigate this! Someone is definitely trying to harm me.”

No one in the entire palace dared to oppose her, unless…

Ning Jin turned and glared at Ning Shengsheng with rage.

“Ning An, it must have been you who harmed me! I’ll kill you!”

“Me?” She calmly shook her head. “Why do you say it’s me? Do you have any proof?”

“Besides, why would I want to harm you? On the contrary, you’re the one who caused such a commotion in the classroom. May I ask, Master Nangong, what was that white smoke just now?”

A few people opened all the doors and windows for ventilation. The smell on Ning Jin was too unpleasant. Everyone backed away in disgust.

She was a princess. When had she ever been treated with such contempt? She was even more certain that Ning An had done this. She suddenly leaped up and lunged to strangle someone. “It must be that you knew I had harmed your spirit beast egg, so you deliberately played this trick on me!”

“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!”

“That’s enough.”

As Ning Shengsheng was backing away, Nangong Jinghong blocked Ning Jin and scolded her coldly.

“Third Princess, you were the one who secretly used Corpse Marrow poison, which led to this scene. Do not disrupt my class! Someone, take the Third Princess to His Majesty and let him deal with her.”

“This year, your grade is a failure.”

“Master Nangong!”

Ning Jin grabbed Nangong Jinghong’s arm, her eyes red. “Teacher, I was wrong, I was truly wrong. Please don’t give me a failing grade.”

If she couldn’t graduate, everyone in the palace would laugh at her.

Nangong Jinghong was unmoved, her face cold. “Third Princess, it’s one thing to be a little undisciplined in your daily life, but the use of such evil things as Corpse Marrow powder is strictly forbidden in the palace. As a princess of Great Ning, you not only used an evil poison, but you also used it to harm Princess Ning An’s spirit beast, violating palace rules and harming a relative.”

“My Heavenly Mystery Pavilion cannot teach you.”

“Take her away!”

Ning Jin was taken away by the guards. As she left, she was still shouting, “Ning An, I won’t let you get away with this!”

The academy was finally quiet.

Nangong Jinghong waved her sleeve. “That’s all for today’s lesson. You may all go back now.”

As everyone was leaving, she said in a cold voice, “Princess Ning An, stay behind.”

Xue Chen glanced back at Ning Shengsheng, who had shrunk back, and couldn’t help but find it amusing. So that one had people she was afraid of too.

Nonsense! Which student isn’t afraid of their teacher! This is our Chinese nature.

She clutched her sleeve and walked up to Nangong Jinghong, looking pitiful. She said sincerely, “Teacher, I was wrong!”

She was dressed in a long gray robe, her black hair all tied up behind her head, and she held a ruler in her hand. Standing before her was the most formidable teacher in the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. She had used Master Nangong to make Ning Jin suffer a harsh punishment, and she also had to bear the consequences of disrupting the class.

“Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”

“No!” Ning Shengsheng waved her hands repeatedly. “Teacher is wise. How could a student’s little tricks escape your discerning eyes? She harmed my spirit beast out of personal resentment. If I don’t avenge Mianmian, how can Mianmian, who has just been through a life-and-death situation, rest in peace!”

“Mianmian?” Nangong Jinghong’s brow raised.

“That’s the spirit beast egg that Ning Jin poisoned with Corpse Marrow. Inside is an unhatched Huan Li.”

“I named it Mianmian.”

Her tone was full of pride and joy.

A crack appeared on the cold woman’s face. The most ferocious and cunning of spirit beasts was called—Mianmian?