8 Chapter 8 - Subordinate

Three weeks passed by. Li Ling managed to thwart her aunt's every plan. She was sure Gu Liu Yue was getting flustered and that she didn't have too long before resorted to some kind of drastic measure other than poisoning her. So she had to make plans fast and implement them.

In another week she would be detoxified and healthy enough to start cultivation. She had to get many things ready before then and come up with the perfect plan to get rid of her aunt and her lackeys. She had been visiting the mental space on a daily basis and reading books on cultivation. Through the books, she had learned that she would need a few artifacts to help her begin and improve her cultivation. However, these artifacts were expensive and rare. She did have a monthly allowance given by her father but it wasn't enough to buy all the things she needed and she couldn't let anyone know about her plans of cultivating so she couldn't ask anyone for money.

Though as Luna her soul was an adult's, her body was now Li Ling's who was just a 3-year-old child. Finding someone who would be loyal to a 3-year-old was close to impossible. Even if starting the plans wasn't possible she could scope out the area unrestricted. To do this she went out onto the streets with her entourage every few days. She had mapped out most of the capital in the last three weeks, now she had to somehow find her way into the lower tier neighborhood. She had no way to get rid of her entourage and even if she did then it would not be good as she didn't have any cultivation and could easily get hurt.

As she strolled through the main street, she heard a cry. A woman was wailing.

"No! No! Let him go!"

The cry came from a nearby alley. It was dark, damp, and emitted a vile stench. Even though it sounded desperate, none of her entourage made a move to take a look. When Li Ling tried to go into the alley, they stopped her as well.

"Young miss, you shouldn't go in there.", Xin'er said.

"Someone's hurt. Let me take a look.", Li Ling said, ignoring Xin'er's protest.

She ducked under her arm and entered the alley. Xin'er and the rest had no choice but to follow. The stench of decaying vegetables and urine assaulted their nostrils as they went deeper into the alley. Rats and stray cats peeked from the darkness and Li Ling's maids and manservants shivered and shied away from the alley's walls. They finally reached the end of the alley, and almost let out relieved sighs until they saw a horrifying sight in front of them.

On the other side was a small space surrounded by walls, with a small door in a corner which probably led to a run-down shack. A two-year-old boy wearing shabby tattered clothes, face caked with dirt was huddled against one of the walls and in front of him was a frail woman trying to cover him with her thin arms- his mother, Li Ling concluded. Her skin was covered in cuts and specks of blood were scattered across her dirty clothes. She was using her own body to stop the stones being pelted at them from harming her son. Her face was scrunched in pain but she didn't move.

There were three men and a woman surrounding the mother and son. The evil-looking woman was decked in jewels and was ordering the men to douse the woman on the ground with oil and light her up. Just as Li Ling stepped out of the alley opening, the men poured the oil over the woman's head.

"Even with the ruined face I gave you and those sullied clothes, you dare seduce my husband?!", the evil woman screamed with her face twisted in rage.

"How do I know that runt is not a bastard of my master? I cannot let you live.", she said and with a swish of her hand ordered, "Burn her!"

"Ah Cheng, run!", the bloody woman said as she closed her eyes, expecting pain.

"Stop!", Li Ling's bell-like voice echoed in the little space.

All eyes turned to her and her entourage as they walked into the space. The evil woman sized her up in one look and stupid as she was, tossed her to the back of her mind.

"Spoilt little miss, this is none of your business. Leave before you regret speaking against me.", she said.

"And who might you be, madam?", Li Ling asked as she inwardly smirked at the woman's idiocy.

"I am Liang Hua Mei, the wife of the third rank minister, Su Heng.", she preened like a peacock.

"Ah Li, Remind me to talk to Su Heng after this.", Li Ling instructed one of her manservants. "He has such a bad taste in women."

"Yes, little miss."

"You think you can talk to my husband? Ha! Who do you think you are? He won't associate with the likes of you. He is a third rank minister and you look like you might be the child of a lowly merchant!"

The insult pricked her servants who were loyal to the general's household. Li Ling raised her palm to stop them from pouncing at Liang Hua Mei.

"Get rid of them.", she said, pointing at Madam Su's henchmen.

Though they looked well-built and tall, their cultivation was no more than a level two Novice Warrior. All the servants in general's household down to the laundry maids were at least level one Student Warriors.

At Li Ling's command, the servants moved, and within 3 seconds, the henchmen were on the ground, necks broken and glassy eyes devoid of life, staring at the sky.

"Y-You...", Liang Hua Mei's voice and body shook as she pointed towards Li Ling, "H-How? W-Who are you?"

"Next time, maybe you should ask that first, yes?", Li Ling said as she flashed her a cold smile and gave the pendant at her waist a pat.

Liang Hua Mei's blood ran cold as she laid her eyes on the pendant hanging from Li Ling's waistband. The white jade tiger looked ferocious, with its gaping maw and glittering blue eyes. She could almost imagine a white tiger with its jaws around her head, waiting to chomp her down.

"General's mansion!", Madam Su squeaked. "Little miss...."

Realizing the situation she was in, Liang Hua Mei sunk to her knees. Her eyes turned red and her chest started heaving as she started kowtowing. She did not stop even when the skin on her forehead broke and she started bleeding profusely.

"Forgive me, little miss! I was wrong! I was wrong!"

Li Ling rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Give her 30 lashes with the spiked blessed iron whip and throw her back to Su house."

"Spare me, young miss!", the evil woman pleaded as An Li and Hu Xiao dragged her away.

"Mother!", a voice was heard behind Li Ling.

She turned to see a teenager standing at the mouth of the alley. He was wearing worn-out clothes but, had a clean face and a dignified demeanor. The sweet potatoes in hands had dropped onto the ground.

He ran to the woman on the ground and helped her up. The two-year-old child clung to his legs.

"Mother, what happened?!", the boy asked with panic in his voice. He had obviously smelled the oil on his mother.

"It's okay now, Ah Wei. We must thank little miss. Mother would be dead if not for her.", the woman said weakly.

The boy turned to her and kowtowed thrice.

"Thank you, little miss. I will never be able to repay this debt!"

"Get up.", Li Ling said softly, "Tell me why Madam Su wanted to hurt you."

The boy opened his mouth but his mother spoke first.

"Little miss, my name is Rong Xiao Ju. I was the first wife of Minister Su and had married him when he was just a scholar. When I couldn't give him children, his parents forced him to take a concubine. I was the only one who knew she was not loyal to him and the child she bore was his head servant's and not his own. But, before I could say anything, she managed to trap me and demean me in front of my husband. Thinking I cheated on him with his brother, he divorced me and banished me from the Su house. Liang Hua Mei became his official wife.", she said, breathing through her pain.

"I had no parents and nowhere to go. That was when my children's father, Jiang Xian came into my life. We fell in love and got married and we had Ah Wei and Ah Cheng. One day, Minister Su came to meet me. He found out about his wife's viciousness and wanted me back. I refused. But, Liang Hua Mei took this opportunity to slander me and ruin my face. A few days ago my husband went missing and when I was searching for him, I ran into a drunk Minister Su. This caused Liang Hua Mei's vinegar jar to tip and she came here to get rid of me."

She took Ah Wei and Ah Cheng's hands and pulled them down with her as she kneeled on the ground.

"Please accept us as your servants, little miss. We will follow you for the rest of our lives. We do not have any other way to repay you.", she said and pressed her forehead against the ground.

Li Ling was surprised but she composed herself before she spoke.

"I accept.", she said. "Rong Xiao Ju will serve in my courtyard as head maid. Jiang Wei will be my personal guard. Jiang Cheng will be my study partner."

"Xi'er, Lan'er, prepare rooms for them in my courtyard."