The immortal master didn't even bother to glance at Xia Yuwei, who was sprawled out in a disheveled state, and instead coldly surveyed the other disciples who stood there dumbfounded. His wide sleeves fluttered without wind, and a surge of powerful spiritual energy suddenly erupted.

"Get out of here!"

Before he could finish speaking, Duan Xiuyuan and the others fell one after another in a sorry state outside the courtyard gate, like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

"Bang!"

As the last person was thrown out, the heavy courtyard gate slammed shut under the control of spiritual power, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

As soon as the door closed, the once aloof immortal seemed like a completely different person.

He hunched over, his face plastered with a fawning smile, even his voice softening several octaves: "Senior, how shall I address you? My name is Wei Ji. Yes, I was blind to your greatness..." With a pained expression, he pulled a translucent spiritual fruit from his storage bag. "This is a thousand-year-old Vermilion Fruit I gathered in the Xuan Tian Secret Realm. I now present it to you, senior..."

Bai Ying casually accepted the spirit fruit, her fingertips lightly stroking the peel. "Just call me Cultivator Bai."

Upon seeing this, Wei Ji's forehead broke out in a fine sweat, and he hurriedly said, "Since you have taken a fancy to the spiritual spring here, I will take my leave now." After saying that, he practically fled in panic, not daring to even look back.

Only after Wei Ji's figure completely disappeared did Bai Ying's tense shoulders relax slightly.

She looked down at the vermilion fruit in her hand, a bitter smile appearing on her lips.

Although she just displayed the divine soul pressure of the Nascent Soul stage, her actual cultivation level was only at the Foundation Establishment stage—the great battle had severely damaged her vitality, and she had not yet recovered.

If he were to actually fight that Nascent Soul stage immortal, even if he could win, his injuries would definitely worsen.

Meanwhile, outside the courtyard gate, Xia Yuwei's face was extremely pale.

Her meticulously applied makeup was smudged by tears, her hair was disheveled, and her expensive robes were covered in dust. This plan, which aimed to kill two birds with one stone, should have been flawless.

She found Xiu Yuan's constant pestering annoying. Xia Qingdai originally wanted both of them to get lost.

This plan would allow Duan Xiuyuan to drive away Xia Qingdai, and also allow the Immortal Master to expel these two troublesome fellows.

But now...

"How could this happen..." Xia Yuwei gripped her sleeve tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms.

She couldn't understand why the "good-for-nothing" she had trampled underfoot suddenly started to look at her differently, even by the immortals.

Why?!

Outside Lingquan Courtyard, the disciples looked at each other in disbelief.

"Is Xia Qingdai's talent... really that good?" a disciple dressed in a blue robe asked in a low voice, "Even the Immortal Master treats her with such special favor..."

The female cultivator with her hair in twin buns beside her seemed thoughtful: "The Immortal Master's attitude just now... he really likes her. Could it be that she might become the most powerful one among us in the future? Should we try to get on her good side...?"

"Nonsense!"

Xia Yuwei suddenly interrupted sharply, her voice so shrill it was almost distorted.

Her face was deathly pale, fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her meticulously manicured nails dug deeply into her palms.

"What do you know!" She forced herself to straighten her back, but her voice trembled uncontrollably. "Yesterday, Father took Xia Qingdai to see the Immortal Master specifically, saying he wanted to plead for Xia Qingdai... It must be because of Father's influence that the Immortal Master treats Xia Qingdai differently..."

Seeing this, Duan Xiuyuan quickly stepped forward to chime in, "Yuwei is right! Immortal Master must be doing this for Uncle Xia's sake... Besides, who knows what Xia Qingdai said to Immortal Master behind his back, causing him to treat us like this? It must be that despicable person who pulled something behind the scenes."

Xia Yuwei became increasingly convinced that her guess was correct. She knew Xia Qingdai's aptitude all too well—that good-for-nothing couldn't even perform the most basic Qi Induction, how could she suddenly gain the favor of an immortal? She must have used some underhanded methods!

—

"Mother!"

Upon returning to the Xia residence, Xia Yuwei threw herself into Madam Xia's arms, tears streaming down her face. "That Xia Qingdai, she... she must have used some kind of bewitching trick to even make the immortal..."

Madam Xia hugged her daughter tenderly, a hint of malice flashing in her eyes. Ever since that so-called "biological daughter" returned, she hadn't given her a kind look. In her heart, Xia Yuwei was the apple of her eye, the precious jewel she had raised with such care; what was that wild girl who had suddenly appeared?

Although Xia Qingdai was her biological daughter, in her eyes, the only one who had grown up in front of her all these years was Yuwei.

Since we've already made a mistake, why not just keep making that mistake?

Why did Xia Qingdai come back?

"Wei'er, don't be afraid," Madam Xia gently stroked her daughter's hair, her voice tender yet tinged with coldness, "Mother will stand up for you."

When Bai Ying finished her cultivation and returned to her residence, she saw Madam Xia standing in front of the courtyard gate with Xia Yuwei in the distance. Madam Xia was dressed in a magnificent brocade robe, and the gold hairpin in her hair gleamed coldly in the setting sun. Seeing Bai Ying approach, she shouted sharply without saying a word:

Kneel down!

Xia Yuwei hid behind her mother, a smug smile playing on her lips, her eyes filled with schadenfreude.

Bai Ying didn't stop walking, nor did she even frown. She slowly walked three steps in front of Madam Xia and stopped, a slight smile playing on her lips: "What is the meaning of this, Madam?"

"Insolence!" Madam Xia was furious when she saw that Wei'er still standing there. "What good deed did you do at the Spirit Spring today? How dare you disrespect the Immortal Master and even cause Wei'er to get injured!"

Bai Ying's gaze swept lightly over the bruises Xia Yuwei had deliberately exposed, and she suddenly chuckled softly, "This is interesting." She twirled a strand of hair with her slender fingers, "If I were truly disrespectful to the Immortal Master, shouldn't I be the one punished? Why is it that she's being punished instead..."

Xia Yuwei's face turned deathly pale, and her nails, painted with red nail polish, dug deeply into her palms.

"You dare talk back!" Madam Xia trembled with rage, raising her hand to slap her. "Today I'm going to teach you a lesson for your ignorance..."

Her hand had just reached halfway up when it suddenly froze.

Bai Ying stood still, but her eyes—those eyes that should have been gentle and timid—were now as chilling as an abyss.

"Madam," Bai Ying spoke softly, but a cold sweat broke out on Madam Xia's back, "Are you sure you want to lay a hand on your own biological daughter for the sake of an adopted daughter?"

"What biological daughter?"

As soon as Bai Ying finished speaking, a questioning voice suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate.

Everyone turned around and saw Master Xia leading several distinguished guests—the leader being the Marquis of Anding, dressed in an indigo brocade robe with a gleaming jade belt at his waist; beside him was his son, Pei Qingfeng, in a moon-white long robe, his handsome face showing a hint of surprise; behind them were several of Master Xia's friends. All of them looked in shock in the direction of Bai Ying.

"What's going on?" Marquis An Ding frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping across the crowd in the courtyard like lightning. He had just clearly heard those words spoken by the "adopted daughter of the Xia family".

After saying that, he looked directly at the group of people from the Xia family.