Battle Through the Heavens: Beauties Abound Starting with Yunlan and Her Disciples

134: Section 134Behaviors like eating spicy food, which could easily make one’s face flush red or even cause one to sweat and lose composure, were absolutely forbidden. However...

She looked at the slice of beef in the bowl, coated in spices and red chili oil, looking incredibly tempting, and her throat moved involuntarily.

”This beef looks... it actually seems pretty good. This fragrance... it’s too overpowering. Just... just tasting a tiny bite, it should... be fine, right?”

Driven by both curiosity and appetite, she ultimately couldn’t resist the temptation. She carefully picked up a small piece of beef, blew on it, and then, like a thief, quickly popped it into her mouth.

The moment the beef entered her mouth, Hu Jia’s eyes instantly lit up!

This time, she wasn’t shocked by the family’s astonishing actions; rather, she was purely and genuinely conquered by this supreme deliciousness!

The fresh, spicy, and numbing flavor felt like a tiny bomb exploding on the tip of her tongue, instantly taking over all her taste buds. Yet the spiciness wasn’t choking; instead, it was just right, accentuating the tip of her tongue and stimulating the secretion of saliva.

And when that spicy kick subsided slightly, it was followed by the rich, milky aftertaste of the beef itself, along with the complex, multi-layered fragrance of the mixed spices, which lingered in her mouth for a long time.

”Mmm! So... so delicious!”

She couldn’t help but let out a satisfied sigh, completely forgetting about being a lady, and immediately picked up a second piece, then a third...

”Little Sister Mei, your... your cooking is just too good! It’s really amazing!” She said while eating, praising her sincerely in a muffled voice toward the kitchen.

Xiao Mei, who was tidying up the kitchen, heard the praise and immediately poked her little head out, a triumphant, giggling smile on her face: ”Of course! I learned this specifically to better capture my husband’s stomach!”

”Mhm, mhm, Classmate Yun... you are truly happy.” Hu Jia looked at Xiao Mei’s sweet, ice-melting smile, then looked at the man on the main seat, surrounded by beautiful women.

Her tone unconsciously carried a hint of thick envy she hadn’t even noticed herself, ”To be able to have... to have wives as virtuous and cute as you all.”

”Hehehe, Sister Hu Jia, you flatter me, you flatter me!” Hearing Hu Jia’s praise, Xiao Mei narrowed her eyes in happiness, feeling as if she were floating, unable to stop herself from smiling into a cute crescent shape.

For a moment, in the main hall, the previous awkwardness and tension had long been replaced by this warm dinner and laughter. The group enjoyed this hard-won, peaceful, and wonderful dinner time, harmoniously together.

Hu Jia looked at the scene before her, and the final barrier in her heart, which had held onto so-called ”rules” and ”order,” finally and quietly disintegrated without her realizing it.

Perhaps... this way... is also quite nice?

The sweet and fresh taste instantly neutralized the lingering spiciness in her mouth, making her narrow her eyes in comfort.

275 Hu Jia wants to protect Yun Xiancheng

Early the next morning, as the horizon just began to turn a fish-belly white, the morning mist still swirled between the ancient towers and trees of Jia Nan Academy. Hu Jia arrived outside the Outer Academy Vice Dean’s office, heavy with worry.

To tell the truth, for a young girl who always presented herself as free-spirited and hateful of evil, last night’s experience brought her a different kind of stimulation, causing a heaven-turning, earth-shattering change in her daily life, which was usually calm and even somewhat boring.

And it was foreseeable that this change, this ripple, would not subside with the passage of time. Thinking about how she might have to frequent that place and face that group of ”strange” people, the girl felt an unprecedented sense of unfamiliarity.

But at the same time, beneath that unfamiliarity, a sense of anticipation that she herself found incredible quietly sprouted.

That man... and the group of beautiful women around him, they were truly an interesting bunch. Hu Jia leaned against the cold wall, scenes from last night involuntarily replaying in her mind.

Most importantly, my few good friends were among them, although their husband was indeed a bit strange, a bit licentious, and a... die-hard lolicon who had already taken a bunch of wives at fourteen or fifteen.

As soon as this thought arose, Hu Jia couldn’t help but feel her cheeks burn, and she fiercely scolded herself in her heart. But... but...

She had to admit, when she was in that house she had labeled with all sorts of negative tags, what she felt was an unprecedented, incredibly real, and warm sense of comfort.

That feeling involuntarily flooded into her heart, like a handful of warm sunlight in winter, making her relax completely, feeling that staying there... was very comfortable. Much more comfortable than staying in her own home, which was empty, dignified, and filled with all kinds of rules and regulations.

It was precisely because of this that when she learned from Xun’er about the dilemma that man was facing, Hu Jia felt, from the bottom of her heart, some genuine worry for his future.

In any case, he absolutely must not be expelled by the school!

Hu Jia made up her mind. She decided that today, she would also join the ranks of those persuading her father.

This time, she was not acting as a Discipline Committee Member of the Student Union, but purely for her friends, and also for... that precious feeling she couldn’t quite put into words.

The bit of authority and face she had as the daughter of the Outer Academy Vice Dean should be used with justification today!

After all, as Xun’er said, if the academy chose to ignore the fact that Bai Shan provoked him first just because they feared the pressure from the Bai Family, and unilaterally blamed all the fault on Yun Xiancheng, then how would that be any different from twisting black and white and favoring one side?

Wouldn’t the justice and dignity of Jia Nan Academy become a huge joke!

Taking a step back, even if the Xiao Family was just an unknown, ordinary Great Dou Master family in the Northwest Continent, completely incomparable in heritage to a Dou Zong Family with hundreds of years of history.

A family capable of raising genius girls as stunning and talented as Xun’er, Xiao Yu, and Xiao Mei—how could its future be anything but bright?

Using short-sighted vision to look only at the present while ignoring the infinite possibilities of the future is in itself a form of stupidity! Hu Jia took a deep breath, her eyes becoming incredibly firm.

She straightened her collar and raised her hand to knock on the heavy, imposing office door made of iron birch wood. ”Dad! It’s me, Hu Jia!”

After receiving a muffled ”Come in” from inside, Hu Jia pushed the door open and entered.

However, the scene inside the office caused half of the courage she had just mustered to instantly deflate.

Inside the spacious office, filled with the scent of books and medicinal herbs, besides her father, Hu Gan, who was sitting behind the main seat with a grave expression, there sat a group of people dressed in uniform white robes with gloomy, water-like expressions on the guest sofa on one side. Needless to say, this group was definitely the visitors sent by the Bai Family.

The seating posture of these people was very particular; the leader was an old man with white hair and beard and a calm, heavy aura, and on his left and right sat two arrogant-looking...

They were arranged with clear boundaries, their postures upright and expressions solemn, like jurors in an ancient court, immediately bringing an invisible, powerful pressure to Hu Jia, who had just opened the door.

It was as if they were not visitors here to negotiate, but rather inspecting a prisoner about to be convicted. Hu Jia’s steps paused for a moment; for a while, she didn’t know what to say.

Those visitors from the Bai Family clearly noticed her as well. They just glanced at her coldly before turning their gaze back to the Vice Dean, Hu Gan, on the main seat.

The leading old man spoke in a tone that was mournful and miserable, yet carried a hidden threat: ”Vice President Hu Qian, our Bai Family has always held you and Jia Nan Academy in high regard. However, the tragic incident that befell my poor child, Bai Shan, in your academy cannot just be let go so easily, right?”

As he spoke, he used his sleeve to wipe away tears that didn’t exist, his voice becoming even more sorrowful and indignant: ”We sent the most talented direct descendant of our family thousands of miles to Jia Nan Academy; what for? It was in the hope that he could make further progress in the rich cultivation atmosphere of your academy and become a great talent in the future, bringing glory to our family! But what was the result? The result was that in the place we trusted the most, he was forcibly crippled of his Dantian Qi Sea, becoming a... becoming a useless person even worse than an ordinary person! A useless person who can never cultivate again for the rest of his life! How can you expect our Bai Family to accept such a result?!”

Hu Gan looked at these Bai Family members, whose grief was in name only and was actually pressure, and felt a massive headache. This matter was indeed too tricky. The news of Bai Shan being crippled had grown wings, spreading throughout the academy’s upper echelons, and even the Inner Academy, which usually didn’t care about the worldly affairs of the Outer Academy, had been alarmed.

The reason was simple: Bai Shan’s own elder brother, Bai Cheng, was in the Inner Academy and was ranked thirty-fourth on the ”strong ranking list,” which symbolized the peak combat power of the Inner Academy.

He was an arrogant and fiercely protective ruthless character.

Now that his own brother had been crippled, given his personality, he would certainly do everything in his power to back Bai Shan and take revenge.

Furthermore, the Bai Family itself, as a long-standing Dou Zong Family that had invested in Jia Nan Academy for many years, had a deep background and extensive connections.

Successive heirs of their family were almost all sent to Jia Nan Academy to study, and their relationship with the academy’s upper management was far beyond what ordinary forces could compare to.

Looking at the other side, to be honest, Yun Xiancheng and those girls from the Xiao Family… geniuses are, after all, just people who have yet to grow up.

On this cruel land of the Fighting Qi Continent, the path of growth is filled with thorns and countless dangers.

How many brilliant geniuses have ultimately fallen halfway due to one reason or another, ending up as mere ordinary people.

Although Hu Gan had never seen a Dou Wang as young as Yun Xiancheng in his life, it would be no exaggeration to say that such talent possessed the potential of a Dou Zun.

However… if he continued to maintain that competitive and unscrupulous style of conduct from yesterday, one day, he would encounter someone capable of dealing with him.

One must know that there is always someone better, and there is always a sky beyond the sky. Sometimes, a peerless genius without sufficient backing dies faster than a mediocre person.

And as for the Xiao Family, based on the intelligence Hu Gan possessed, they also had nothing worth mentioning in terms of background; they were merely a small family in a remote corner of the Northwest Continent.

As for the Cloud Mist Sect that once shook the Jia Ma Empire… I heard that it had long since fallen apart and existed only in name due to intense internal strife.

In other words, this group of children with frighteningly high talent had absolutely no foundation to rely on behind them that could contend with a Dou Zong Family.

Could it be that they were truly so arrogant and lawless as to look down on everyone else just because of their own talent?

Hu Gan leaned back in his chair, his long fingers tapping the desk unconsciously, his heart struggling intensely.

If one were to analyze it solely from the perspective of interests and background strength… the academy choosing to stand on the side of the Bai Family, soothing their emotions, and severely punishing Yun Xiancheng seemed to be the safest and most reasonable choice at the moment.

A Dou Wang under twenty years old; what this represented behind the scenes was the almost certain potential of a future Dou Zun!

The academy was currently facing a difficult choice: should it choose to maintain its relationship with a currently powerful Dou Zong Family? Or should it choose to invest in a future Dou Zun powerhouse with infinite possibilities?

Hu Gan was also plunged into deep thought, unable to make a decision for a moment.

Just at this moment, Hu Jia, who had been standing at the door, finally moved. She was not intimidated by the oppressive and tense atmosphere in the office.

She took a deep breath, strode with her long legs, walked straight to her father’s desk, stretched out her fair little hand, and with a ”slap,” slammed it hard onto the table!

”Dad!” Her voice was crisp and loud, carrying a hint of determination. ”Regarding the matter of Bai Shan being crippled, I think we still need to consider it carefully and prudently!”

Hu Gan was currently having a headache and was caught off guard by his daughter’s sudden action, giving him a start.

His eyebrows twitched involuntarily, and he looked up at his daughter’s face, which was full of anxiety and determination, and could not help but secretly think: This…

How is it that my precious daughter, who has always kept all males at a distance and been cynical, seems to have inexplicably taken an interest in that boy named Yun Xiancheng?

First, she proactively helped his large group of young wives go through the admission procedures, and then, after he caused such big trouble, she was the first to run to me…

What? Could it be that the iron tree in my, Hu Gan’s, family is… about to bloom? An absurd thought uncontrollably emerged from the bottom of his heart.

”Oh? How so?” A playful smile appeared on the corner of Hu Gan’s mouth. He leaned back and said loudly in a half-joking tone, ”My precious daughter, are you worried that I will expel your little lover from school?”

Once he said this, he completely disregarded the expressions of the several Bai Family Emissaries nearby, which instantly turned as ugly as if they had eaten shit.

”Dad! What nonsense are you talking about!” Hearing the words ”little lover,” Hu Jia’s heroic, pretty face turned bright red in a ”whoosh,” as if it had been burned by fire.

She was both shy and angry, stomping her feet as she retorted, ”It’s not! Absolutely not! I… I… I am just doing this to uphold the fairness of the academy’s rules!”

”Rules are sacred and inviolable!” She turned her head, her brows furrowed, her sharp gaze fixed directly on the few Bai Family Emissaries nearby, and she said in a righteous, resonant tone.

”If our academy’s rules can be arbitrarily tilted toward certain people because of pressure from one side, then wouldn’t all our actions as members of the Student Union, who insist on defending the school’s rules daily, become a huge joke!”

”Well said!” Hu Gan clapped his hands and smiled, but the expression on his face instantly became serious.

”However, Hu Jia, you must also see the reality before you. The reality is that Classmate Yun Xiancheng crippled the cultivation of Classmate Bai Shan. Regardless of the cause or the process, looking at the result, the victim is Bai Shan, and the perpetrator is Yun Xiancheng. You cannot deny this point, right?”

”There are no ’buts’!” Hu Gan directly interrupted her, his tone becoming unprecedentedly stern. ”I ask you, if such vicious incidents of crippling people’s cultivation at the slightest disagreement are always happening in the academy, where will the reputation of our Jia Nan Academy be in the long run? Who would still dare to send their children to a place where even the most basic safety cannot be guaranteed?!”

”Studying safely and growing up healthily, this is the fundamental theme of our Jia Nan Academy standing in the continent!”

Hearing her father’s words full of grand principles, Hu Jia was speechless for a moment. She opened her mouth but found that all her defenses seemed so pale and powerless in the face of the big label of ”academy reputation.”

She swallowed unwillingly and struggled to say, ”But… but Dad, if we have to trace the root cause… this matter, from the very beginning, was caused by that guy Bai Shan pestering and actively provoking others!”

”Oh? Pestering?” Hu Gan’s eyebrows twitched again. ”If I remember correctly, for this matter, haven’t those two girls from the Xiao Family already sent him to the infirmary with a sword in public, letting him lie there for half a month? Hasn’t this account already been settled?”

He changed the subject, his voice becoming colder: ”Speaking of which, from this incident, it can be seen that the education of your Xiao Family is indeed very problematic. Arrogant, overly protective, and when encountering problems, always liking to use violence first—this is a very bad and very dangerous habit.”

Hu Jia frowned tightly, looking at her father’s expression, and her heart gradually sank. She didn’t know what else to say. It seemed… it seemed that the academy was truly determined this time to sacrifice Yun Xiancheng and expel him to appease the Bai Family’s anger… This…

”Hehe, Vice President Hu Qian is understanding and acts fairly. My Bai Family admires it, we admire it!”

The leading emissary of the Bai Family, seeing Hu Gan being so ”reasonable,” could not help but stroke his beard and laugh loudly, a smug smile appearing on his face, praising him repeatedly.

The atmosphere in the office, at this moment, seemed to have settled. Just at this moment.

A clear, gentle, yet slightly lazy voice drifted in from the doorway: ”Hu Jia, so you are here too?”

The office door, which had been closed, had been pushed open silently at some point.

A slender and upright figure, bathed in the morning sunlight, walked gracefully into everyone’s line of sight.

That Bai Family emissary, almost subconsciously, cast his arrogant gaze, like that of inspecting a prisoner, toward the person who had arrived.

However, the moment his gaze came into contact with the person who had arrived, it seemed to crash into an invisible, insurmountable wall of sighs, instantly shattering and collapsing!

Originally, the dignified and oppressive aura that the few Bai Family members had painstakingly created, like a court trial, after Yun Xiancheng walked into this room, seemed like ice and snow illuminated by sunlight, instantly melting, shattering, and disappearing without a trace!

The center of the entire room’s aura, at this moment, quietly shifted. It was no longer Vice President Hu Qian in the main seat, nor was it the Bai Family Emissaries who had the advantage in numbers, but… this young man who had just walked in with a calm expression.

His gaze was burning and clear as water, yet he did not look at anyone else in the room.

Whether it was the Vice President or those Bai Family members, in his eyes, they were all like meaningless air. His gaze fell only on one person.