"Useless fool! You can't even handle such a simple task." Ling Meng's face flushed red with anger. She had wasted so much money for nothing.
"Miss Ling, you didn't tell me your target was so skilled in fighting. Both of my men are seriously injured now. If you don't want anyone to know you were the one behind this, give me 1 million yuan. Otherwise, I'll have my men expose you."
"You dare threaten me? Do you know who I am? Offending me will bring you no benefit." Ling Meng gnashed her teeth in rage. She was the young miss of the Ling family now. She could crush him with a flick of her finger. If not for fearing her father and grandfather finding out, she wouldn't have gone to outsiders to deal with Ling Yue. When did Ling Yue become so formidable? Was someone helping her?
"Of course I know who you are, but my brothers can't be sacrificed for nothing. I'll give you two options now. First, transfer 1 million yuan to me and my brothers will keep our mouths shut about this. Second, your name will be all over the news tomorrow, and Miss Ling's reputation will be ruined."
Ling Meng trembled with anger, clenching her teeth fiercely. "I'll give you 1 million." With Second Uncle arrested now, she absolutely could not let anything happen at this critical juncture. She also could not allow the reputation she had painstakingly built be damaged.
"Good. As long as the 1 million yuan is received, I guarantee no one will know about this. I look forward to our next cooperation, Miss Ling."
Ling Meng slammed the phone down in anger. She didn't want to keep talking to him, afraid she would lose control of her fury. And Ling Yue, she had escaped this time, but she wouldn't be so lucky next time. Ling Meng was determined to destroy Ling Yue and prevent her from ever turning her situation around.
Ling Yue sat down in the yard and took out the bracelet she had obtained from Li Jun. Closing her eyes, she began cultivating according to the mystic art, strands of spiritual energy seeping out from the bracelet and flowing into her body.
Ling Yue was overjoyed. This bracelet contained spiritual energy many times richer than any of the antiques she had previously acquired. It seemed likely she would break through to the second level of Qi Refining today. The interface she saw before represented a cultivation world. Anyone with spiritual roots could cultivate there, just via different mystic arts. And the mystic art she was cultivating was supreme, so her strength naturally exceeded ordinary people's.
The spiritual energy in her dantian grew increasingly rich. Ling Yue heard a crisp cracking sound as a feeling of refreshment spread through her four limbs. She opened her eyes excitedly - she had truly broken through to the second level of Qi Refining!
Smelling a putrid stench, Ling Yue glanced down to see a layer of black sticky substance covering her hands. She smiled faintly. This was the impurities being expelled from her body, which would benefit her future cultivation.
Rising to her feet, Ling Yue quietly slipped out of the yard. She planned on washing up in the small lake at the park, since the filth on her body couldn't be cleaned off otherwise.
The park was deathly quiet at midnight, with only some unknown insects chirping in the underbrush.
Arriving at the lakeside, Ling Yue looked around and saw no one else. She dove into the lake waters.
She swam leisurely like a mermaid, washing away the filth on her body. As Ling Yue emerged from the water, the moonlight fell upon her breathtakingly beautiful face, as enchanting as a bewitching spirit.
After swimming for a while, Ling Yue was about to get out when she heard approaching footsteps. She quickly submerged back into the water.
"Bro, will anyone find out if we dump it here?"
"Stop yapping and hurry up."
"Okay."
Then a heavy thud sounded as something was dumped into the lake. Ling Yue saw it was a large sack, shaped like a human body.
Once the people left, Ling Yue swam over to the sack and opened it. Indeed, there was a person inside, still alive based on their pulse. She untied the ropes and rocks binding the person and brought them ashore.
Laying the person on the grass, Ling Yue channeled some spiritual energy into their body.
"Cough cough..." The man opened his eyes with a bout of coughing and stared blankly at Ling Yue's exquisite beauty. "I must be dead, otherwise how could I see a fairy..."
"Why did they want to dump you in the lake?" Ling Yue asked coolly.
"Are you human or fairy?" The man still hadn't come to his senses.
"Of course I'm human." Ling Yue leaned casually against a tree trunk, looking coldly at the man.
"I'm not dead yet?" The man sat up and pinched himself hard, breaking into a delighted smile. He was still alive, great!
Ling Yue's brows furrowed slightly. What a pitiful situation!
"Thank you for saving me this time. I'm Hu Wei, Chief of Cardiology at the First Affiliated Hospital. You can come find me if you ever need anything." Hu Wei bowed to Ling Yue in sincere gratitude.
Ling Yue nodded slightly before turning to leave. She had saved him by chance, not expecting anything in return.
Hu Wei watched Ling Yue's figure disappear into the night before slowly leaving himself. He was fortunate to survive this time. He would definitely avenge the grievance, just as he would definitely repay the kindness.
Back home, Ling Yue wrapped clean gauze around her face and body before going to bed.
Time flew by quickly overnight. After breakfast, Ling Yue opened her computer to check the stock charts. The stock she had chosen had fallen another dozen or so points, though this was completely within her expectations.
She called Liang Yu on her phone.
Liang Yu had also been about to call Ling Yue. The stock Ling Yue picked had plunged over 10% overnight and was close to hitting the lower limit. They had to cut their losses soon or it would be a total loss.
"Miss Ling, you should clear your position on that stock. Otherwise you'll lose everything." Liang Yu persuaded kindly. She now knew Ling Yue's identity and sympathized with her plight - disfigured by a fire, fiancé breaking off engagement, kicked out by the family. She worried Ling Yue wouldn't be able to bear it if the stocks tanked too.
"No need. Help me invest another 5 million." Ling Yue looked completely relaxed gazing at the stock chart before her. She predicted the stock would start rising this afternoon.
