Chapter 189: Troublemaker

Chapter 189: 189: Troublemaker

Meanwhile, inside the Lin Family Hall, a commotion had already broken out.

"You stupid girl! Do you even know who I am? How dare you slap me over mere servants!"

An angry young man’s voice echoed throughout the hall.

The young man stood with one hand covering his reddened cheek, his expression twisted with anger.

Behind him stood a Golden Core expert who remained silent, but his wary gaze constantly swept across the surrounding Lin Family members.

Across from them stood a young mortal girl.

Her face was pale, and she looked frightened by the situation, but she still stood her ground.

Lin Zhaoyue stood beside her, her expression furious.

She was already raising her hand again when a calm voice suddenly sounded from the side.

"Enough."

Lin Shuli stepped forward just in time and caught Zhaoyue’s raised wrist.

"Zhaoyue, that is enough."

She then turned her attention toward the young man.

"Young Master Su, harassment within the Lin Family is not tolerated. I suggest that you apologize to the young lady immediately. Otherwise, we will take appropriate action according to the offense." ℴ

The young man, Su Mingyuan, immediately scowled.

"You—"

Before he could say anything else, the Golden Core guard behind him placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Young Master, please."

Su Mingyuan’s expression became even more unpleasant.

However, the guard did not give him an opportunity to argue.

He firmly pressed the young man’s head downward.

"Apologize."

Su Mingyuan clenched his teeth before finally lowering his head.

"I apologize on behalf of Young Master Su for his inappropriate behavior."

The Golden Core expert spoke calmly, deliberately taking responsibility for the apology himself.

Lin Shuli’s expression remained indifferent.

"Very well. Since the apology has been given, this matter ends here."

Zhaoyue, however, was still glaring at Su Mingyuan.

Clearly, she was not satisfied.

Lin Shuli leaned closer to Zhaoyue and lowered her voice.

"Zhaoyue, we cannot afford to offend the Su Family right now."

Zhaoyue gritted her teeth in annoyance.

She knew Lin Shuli was right.

A great deal had happened while her father was in seclusion.

The Whale People had left almost immediately after the royal delegation departed, and not long afterward, the royal envoys had also returned to the capital.

Barely a week had passed before another disaster struck.

A massive tsunami swept toward Azure Willow City, destroying the newly completed shipyard along with numerous houses.

Many residents were left homeless.

With winter already approaching, Zhaoyue had desperately thrown herself into rebuilding efforts. She ordered the construction of new houses and used every available resource to provide shelter for the displaced residents.

However, the Lin Family’s construction materials were nowhere near sufficient.

Zhaoyue had no choice but to send people to the neighboring cities to purchase additional supplies.

The merchants there quickly realized how desperate the Lin Family was and took advantage of the situation, raising their prices far beyond what the materials were worth.

By the time the houses were finally completed, almost all the money Zhaoyue had painstakingly saved had been spent.

Then another problem emerged.

Rumors had spread that the Lin Family was providing support to the fallen Xu Family.

The Peng Family and Hao Family soon came to the Lin Family and demanded that the remaining members of the Xu Family be handed over to them.

Zhaoyue refused.

The two families did not accept the refusal quietly.

Instead, they retaliated by imposing heavy tariffs on goods entering and leaving Azure Willow City, placing even more pressure on the already strained Lin Family.

Zhaoyue clenched her fists as she remembered everything that had happened.

The Lin Family had barely recovered from one crisis before another appeared.

And now, even a young master from the Su Family had come to cause trouble within their estate.

*The Su Family was supposed to be an ally, not an enemy!*

Zhaoyue gritted her teeth before stepping forward and approaching the young girl who had been harassed.

She gently placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

The young girl nodded nervously.

Zhaoyue gave her a reassuring look before turning her gaze back toward Su Mingyuan.

This was the girl Elder Qinglan had personally selected to manage the Lin Family treasury while she entered seclusion.

Hah. What was Father thinking when he put a mortal in charge of the treasury?

Zhaoyue glanced at the young girl beside her.

It was not necessarily Hei Bing’er’s fault that she was weak. However, in a world ruled by cultivation, weakness itself could become one’s greatest mistake.

Zhaoyue gently patted Bing’er’s shoulder.

"Don’t worry. I’ll get revenge for you."

Hei Bing’er looked at her in surprise.

Zhaoyue’s expression became serious.

"So you are not allowed to forgive him until I have finished."

Lin Shuli, who was standing nearby, raised a hand and placed it on her forehead.

Like father, like daughter.

She had always thought Zhaoyue was a sensible child.

Hmm. Then again, that boy certainly deserves it.

With a quiet sigh, Lin Shuli knelt beside Zhaoyue and looked at Hei Bing’er.

"Don’t worry. I will make sure nothing like this happens again."

Hei Bing’er lowered her head slightly.

"Thank you, Young Miss Zhaoyue. Thank you, Elder Shuli."

Zhaoyue nodded before looking at her thoughtfully.

"Bing’er, do you intend to return to the treasury?"

Hei Bing’er hesitated briefly before nodding.

"Yes. The spirit beast score tally still needs to be managed. With the Winter Harvest already underway, there is a lot of work to do."

Zhaoyue frowned slightly.

"You were just harassed by him, and you still intend to go back?"

Hei Bing’er gave a small smile.

"If I don’t, who will manage it?"

Zhaoyue fell silent.

She knew Bing’er was right.

The spirit beast score tally was one of the most important tasks during the Winter Harvest. Every beast brought back by the participating cultivators had to be recorded properly, and the scores needed to be calculated without mistakes.

After a moment, Zhaoyue nodded.

"Then I’ll accompany you."

Hei Bing’er quickly shook her head.

"Young Miss, you don’t need to—"

"I said I’ll accompany you."

Zhaoyue’s tone left no room for argument.

Hei Bing’er could only smile helplessly.

"Then... thank you."