Chapter 96

Chu Yan hunched over, coughing violently, trying to expel the poison, but it was already in her stomach—there was no way to get it out now.

Suddenly, a shiver ran through her entire body.

Then, she realized something was wrong with her mental force.

“No… impossible—” Chu Yan murmured in disbelief.

Chu Ning cast her a contemptuous glance.

“What’s impossible? The Corrosive Poison has already taken effect. The erosion has begun.”

Retracting her gaze from Chu Yan, Chu Ning turned her attention to Qiu Hua and the others.

The gangsters were visibly afraid, their expressions all fawning and ingratiating.

The corners of Chu Ning’s lips curled upward as she held up another bottle of pills.

“After I leave Lanhua Academy today, I won’t be coming back.”

“Each of you, come and take a pill. Swallow it, and all past grievances between us will be settled.”

Qiu Hua and the others turned pale.

“Chu—Chu Ning, didn’t you say that as long as we helped you deal with Chu Yan, you wouldn’t come after us?” Qiu Hua’s face looked as though she was about to cry.

“Did I?” Chu Ning replied indifferently.

“What I probably said was that I wouldn’t trouble you for now.”

The gangsters’ faces went completely white.

“Elder, we already know we were wrong! And in the future—we’ll make it up to you tenfold!”

“You don’t like Chu Yan, right? Don’t worry, once you leave, we’ll keep ‘greeting’ her for you. Please—just let us off this time!” One of them pleaded.

The others quickly followed suit, begging for mercy.

But Chu Ning remained unmoved.

“It’s precisely because I’m considering your so-called ‘knowing your mistakes and correcting them’ that I’m giving you this kind of pill.”

“Relax. The Dispersing Pill’s effects are nowhere near as overbearing as the Corrosive Poison. It will only dissolve your mental force, making it impossible for you to cultivate it ever again. It won’t take your lives.”

Without mental force, these troublemakers wouldn’t be able to stay at Lanhua Academy anymore, nor would they have any reason to enroll in another academy.

Getting rid of such tumors in the school was a good thing for the other students.

She was avenging her past self while also doing a good deed.

Hearing this, the gangsters bolted without hesitation.

If what Chu Ning said was true, swallowing the pill would be the end for them.

Once their mental force was destroyed, their future would be ruined, and their families would abandon them.

But how could they outrun Chu Ning?

With a flick of her fingers, a few invisible wind blades shot out.

In an instant, all five gangsters were tripped and fell to the ground.

Seizing the opportunity, Chu Ning flicked the pills toward them—one for each—forcing them to swallow them.

Qiu Hua and the others immediately turned over and stuck their fingers down their throats, trying to vomit the pills back up.

But Chu Ning’s pills dissolved upon ingestion—there was no way to cough them out.

Their bodies trembled violently, and then they all collapsed on the ground.

Seeing this, Chu Ning knew the pills had taken effect. Satisfied, she nodded, feeling the lingering obsession of her past self nearly dissipate.

“Goodbye, everyone. Forever.”

With that, she turned and walked away, light-footed.

---

About twenty minutes later, Chu Ning returned to the Marshal’s residence.

Having received news in advance, Qin Zheng and the others had yet to start their meal.

Once Chu Ning arrived, the family finally sat together for dinner.

“The Imperial Star Military Academy won’t start for another half a year. Wife, do you want to visit the Alchemy Sect in the meantime?” Xia Ye asked, looking at Chu Ning.

Some time ago, his wife had mentioned that her mental force had already reached the peak of A-rank. However, further refining would yield slow progress, so she needed time to consolidate before attempting a breakthrough.

Because of this, she had been spending much less time in the alchemy room lately.

Chu Ning thought for a moment and nodded.

“Alright, let’s go check it out. And while we’re at it, let’s find a way to ruin the Chu family.”

The three beastmen were visibly surprised.

“Wife—you want to destroy the Chu family?” Xia Ye asked directly.

He was well aware of everything his wife had done at Lanhua Academy over the past few days.

He and Qin Zheng, along with Gu Ming, had already arranged for the aftermath of those matters.

Through these incidents, they had come to understand her character—she always repaid her grudges.

Now that she had left Lanhua Academy, they thought the past was behind them. Yet, she still wanted to retaliate against the Chu family.

“Yes. Chu Kui wants to restore the Chu family’s status as a first-rate clan? I won’t let him have his way. In fact, I want to drive them into bankruptcy.”

As for Chu Kui himself—once the family was ruined, she’d deal with him later.

The three beastmen exchanged glances.

“Alright, we’ll help you.”

They answered in unison.

A warmth spread through Chu Ning’s heart.

Her mates always supported her—how could she not fall for them?

The next day, Chu Ning set out for the Alchemy Sect.

Upon hearing that their sect master was coming, the alchemists of the sect were ecstatic.

Xia Ye had his secretary summon all the alchemists and disciples for a meeting.

At the gathering, Chu Ning formally addressed everyone.

Gu Ming sat in the audience, watching Chu Ning speak confidently from the podium.

She felt both familiar and unfamiliar.

The person up there was indeed his younger sister.

Yet, despite having the same face, her entire demeanor was different.

The sect master was confident, composed, and even a little humorous.

The sister he remembered, however, was timid and insecure—she hadn’t even dared to lift her head when speaking to him.

Sitting beside Gu Ming, Zhao An stared at Chu Ning, finding her increasingly familiar.

He stole several glances at Gu Ming, hesitation in his eyes.

“A-Ming, why do I feel like the sect master looks a lot like you… Have you met her before?” Zhao An finally couldn’t hold back and whispered to Gu Ming.

“…Yes.” Gu Ming’s expression was complicated.

Zhao An was stunned.

“You really know the sect master?!”

Gu Ming nodded again and sighed.

“She’s my sister.”

Zhao An’s eyes widened in shock.

“Your sister—but I thought your sister was Chu Yan? She doesn’t look like this?”

Wait, no. Gu Ming had another sister before.

Didn’t the Chu family acknowledge another daughter before, only for her to leave later?

Could it be… her?

Gu Ming glanced at Zhao An and saw realization dawn in his eyes.

“Chu Yan isn’t my biological sister. Chu Ning is. But—” Gu Ming sighed.

“It’s complicated. I’ll explain later.”

He saw the excitement in Zhao An’s eyes.

Gu Ming sighed again.

“The fact that the sect master is my sister… isn’t necessarily a good thing for me. Please keep it a secret for now.”

Zhao An was a little surprised but still nodded.

“…Alright.”

Gu Ming then glanced at the many beastmen in the audience, their eyes glowing as they watched Chu Ning.

Who would have thought that the woman who had once been rejected by three seemingly unremarkable beastmen at her coming-of-age banquet would now draw the attention of so many outstanding suitors?

After encouraging the disciples, Chu Ning ended the meeting.

As she was about to leave with Xia Ye, she spoke.

“Call Gu Ming over. Tell him I want to see him.”

The Chu family members in the Alchemy Sect—were they still Chu Kui’s pawns? Or hers?