Zi Linling’s voice was icy.
Judging by the woman's earlier demeanor, she had clearly bumped into Xue Ying on purpose.
Did she think she could just leave after deliberately colliding with someone? Not so fast.
Hmph! She wanted to see who this woman really was.
The woman stopped, turned around, and cast a dismissive glance at Zi Linling. "What? Is there something?"
Zi Linling's cold gaze fell upon the woman.
Judging by her attire, she appeared to be a maidservant to a wealthy family.
If a mere maidservant was this arrogant, how much worse would her mistress be?
The maidservant glanced at Zi Linling indifferently and said disdainfully, "What? Is there something?"
Her haughty demeanor clearly indicated she didn't consider Zi Linling worthy of her attention.
Zi Linling’s dark eyes flashed with a chilling light. "Didn't you see you bumped into someone?"
The maidservant looked up with an air of arrogance. "So what if I did? She's just a maid."
As she spoke, she completely forgot she was a maid herself, suggesting such incidents were not uncommon for her.
Zi Linling's expression turned cold. "So what? What do you think? Don't tell me you don't even understand the simple principle of apologizing after bumping into someone?"
"Apologize?"
The maidservant glanced dismissively at Xue Ying. "Apologize to her?"
She scoffed, then added, "A good dog doesn't block the road. She was standing in the doorway, so who else would I bump into?"
"You..."
Xue Ying's face turned red with anger, rendering her speechless.
Zi Linling let out a laugh of extreme anger. She had encountered many arrogant people, but someone this brazen was truly rare.
She took two steps forward, scrutinizing the maidservant from head to toe. Then, she said coldly, "In my eyes, you're not even fit to carry her shoes!"
Before the other woman could retort, Zi Linling suddenly raised her voice and shouted, "Apologize quickly!"
The maidservant's face turned crimson, her chest heaving. Clearly angered by Zi Linling, she sneered, "Do you know who I am? Does she even deserve an apology from me?"
Zi Linling's sharp gaze fell upon her like a blade. "I don't care who you are, apologize now!"
The maidservant glared at Zi Linling in fury. "How dare you speak to me like this! My young lady is..."
"Apologize!"
Zi Linling interrupted her, her voice cold and stern.
In her view, if one was wrong, one should apologize, no matter who they were.
Seeing Zi Linling's unyielding stance, the maidservant felt a pang of heartache. From the Su Dan Novel Network.
"Hmph! Apologize? Never!"
With that, she huffed and stormed into the merchant house.
Zi Linling's eyes suddenly changed. With a slight raise of her elegant hand, a flash of light streaked across.
"Ouch!"
The maidservant had only taken a couple of steps when she let out a scream. Her knees buckled, and with a "plop," she fell to her knees on the ground outside the merchant house.
Zi Linling, with Xue Ying in tow, walked up and stood opposite the kneeling maidservant. From the street, it looked as if the maidservant was kneeling to her and Xue Ying.
"You still haven't apologized. Who allowed you to leave?"
Zi Linling's icy voice echoed in the maidservant's ears, and the surrounding temperature plummeted.
The female attendant who had been serving Zi Linling, seeing the situation turn sour, slipped into the merchant house when no one was paying attention.
The maidservant, her pressure points immobilized by the embroidered needle Zi Linling had thrown, knelt on the ground unable to move.
Thus, she twisted her head to the side, looking anxiously in a certain direction, silently praying: Miss, Qing'e is being bullied to this extent, why aren't you here yet!
"Qing'e, what are you doing?"
Perhaps fate had heard the maidservant's plea, for just as she was about to succumb to Zi Linling's oppressive aura, a clear and melodious voice rang out.
At the same time, the suffocating sensation vanished, and she felt her body relax as she took a deep breath.
Zi Linling's eyes narrowed slightly, a sense of danger rising within her. She cautiously observed the woman who was slowly approaching.
The woman was about sixteen or seventeen years old, dressed in a luxurious purple pleated gown. Her eyebrows were delicate, her face graceful, and her smiling eyes held an alluring charm amidst her cold pride.
The maidservant, named Qing'e, burst into tears the moment she saw the woman approach.
"Miss, you're finally here! If you hadn't come, Qing'e would have been bullied to death, sob sob..."
She struggled but couldn't get up.
What a brilliant tactic, playing the victim first!
Even Zi Linling had to admire Qing'e's ability to twist facts.
She glanced at Qing'e, remaining silent, disdaining to argue.
Xue Ying, however, trembled with anger and tried to defend herself. "That's not true! You bumped into me and refused to apologize, so my young lady... she..."
The woman in the purple skirt frowned slightly. When she saw Qing'e kneeling on the ground, the smile in her clear eyes instantly froze.
Her spiritual energy surged, and a trace of anger flashed across her face before vanishing into her pure smile.
Kneeling in public like this, wasn't Qing'e embarrassing her? Furthermore, even beating a dog depended on its master; this action placed her in a difficult position.
Zi Linling's attention had been entirely on the young woman in purple, and she naturally noticed the fleeting anger.
Of course, she knew the anger wasn't directed at Qing'e, but at her and Xue Ying.
She didn't care about that, but her wariness of the woman in purple grew. The ability to control her emotions so quickly indicated a deep cunning.
The woman in purple's clear gaze swept past Zi Linling and landed directly on Xue Ying. "Qing'e, is what she said the truth?"
"Miss, this..."
A flicker of panic crossed Qing'e's face. She lowered her head, implicitly confirming Xue Ying's statement.
"Alas, you truly disappoint me."
The woman in purple looked at Qing'e with a heartbroken expression. "Since it was your fault, apologize to them quickly."
As she spoke, she gave Qing'e a meaningful look.
"Yes, Miss!"
Qing'e understood and turned to Xue Ying. "It was my fault. I shouldn't have bumped into you. I apologize!"
However, from Xue Ying's blind spot, the malice in her eyes was terrifyingly profound.
The subtle actions of the woman in purple and Qing'e did not escape Zi Linling's notice.
Zi Linling thought to herself: What a pure and peerless white lotus.
If this acting skill were in her previous world, she would definitely win an Oscar.
What was even more terrifying to Zi Linling was that this supremely acting white lotus also possessed no small cultivation of spiritual power.
Xue Ying, who never wanted to cause trouble and feared bringing problems to her young lady, became flustered when Qing'e apologized. She looked to Zi Linling for guidance.
Zi Linling inwardly thought that Xue Ying was too naive and didn't understand the wickedness of human hearts; she would need to be trained further upon their return.
At the same time, her sharp gaze swept over the kneeling Qing'e, then landed on the woman in purple. "Is that all?"