FRGNM -Chapter 9 Beaten by a Horde of Magical Beasts

“Here, this is all I have left. I noticed you’ve been hesitant lately, so you must be going through some difficulties. It’s not much, but it should help you. If anything comes up, tell me—I’ll go look for other manuals…”

Placing the bag of gold coins into Xiao Yu’s hands, Ling Ruoxi stepped out.

Tears suddenly slipped down her cheeks. Xiao Yu covered her mouth, staring at the bag of money in her hands. Did my mistress notice? Did she realize what happened between the eldest miss and me? I… I’m sorry, mistress… I’m so sorry…

It wasn’t until she entered the study that Ling Ruoxi truly understood what a proper study looked like. Books were stacked inside like firewood. If it weren’t for the classification labels on each shelf, even a whole day wouldn’t have been enough for her to find the Dou Qi manuals she needed.

“Alchemy, weapon forging, formations, medicine, beast taming…”

So many categories made Ling Ruoxi’s head ache. She flipped through every book, finally selecting one to place on the desk.

After stacking more than ten books, she finally stopped, sitting among the piles and slowly beginning to study the history of this world.

On Dragon-Walk Continent, Duanyun Kingdom was the most mysterious nation and also the strongest. The place she was currently in was its vassal state, Beining Kingdom. The royal family of Beining was the Nangong clan, residing in the capital city.

Dou Qi was a unique skill that everyone here could possess. Currently, Duanyun Kingdom had ten Purple-Level Dou Qi practitioners and 150 Blue-Level practitioners. Clearly, it was extremely difficult to advance from Blue to Purple level.

Besides Dou Qi practitioners, there were also alchemists, weapon forgers, formation masters, medical practitioners, beast tamers, and scroll masters. But those who specialized in these professions were rare; only the wealthy sons might study them as side skills.

Because these professions were so rare, encountering a true expert made them even more valuable than a Dou Qi practitioner. Currently, Duanyun Kingdom had one beast tamer, whose treatment exceeded even that of a Purple-Level Dou Qi practitioner. You don’t believe it? Fine—my beasts are all over there. You want a fight? Sure… but it’s a horde of magical beasts versus you!

How flashy! One pill could elevate a Dou Qi practitioner’s strength by a whole stage. A peerless weapon could cut through iron like mud, dramatically boosting combat power. Even a simple formation could trap enemies for dozens of days; a deadly formation could kill them outright. You don’t believe it? Magical beasts attack in groups! Throw a scroll, and it could summon wind and rain, lightning and thunder, or even set up a personal barrier that automatically rebounds attacks.

Among all these dazzling abilities, the least conspicuous might be the medical practitioner. Creating antidotes to save lives—but it seems less exciting. Alchemy is the real work of an alchemist, not a medical practitioner.

But… among all these manuals, she could only study the medical practitioner’s! Because… it didn’t consume her Dou Qi! She only needed to prepare herbs and cores from magical beasts to complete it.

“Eh…” Her eyes flickered. Ling Ruoxi looked at the hand signs before her and clapped her hand. A small golden notebook fell from the medical practitioner’s book—a personal journal of some predecessor, it seemed.

She reached to pick up the notebook, but it suddenly turned into a beam of light and shot straight into her body.

“Uh…” Her whole body shivered. The cool sensation in her fingertips confirmed she wasn’t dreaming—a book had just disappeared inside her body?

“Pft!”

The next moment, Ling Ruoxi’s face twisted in pain. Her entire mind felt as if it had been struck hard. She stumbled backward, her body prickling like thousands of needles. The pain forced her to curl up on the ground, groaning continuously.

“It… it hurts… ah… what is this… ah…” The intense agony spread throughout her body. She could feel every tendon and vein burning. The tearing sensation felt like someone was pulling her apart, her tendons stretched tight like the strings of a breaking zither.

“Ah!” Her bloodcurdling scream echoed through the Ling estate.

Ling Huiru, already dressed beautifully and wearing heavy makeup, sneered. She patted the foundation off her face and retouched her eyebrows. “Xiao Yu, did you hear that?”

“M-Mistress… I…” Xiao Yu bit her lip, too afraid to look outside, her heart racing as she stared at the person in front of her.

Ling Huiru sneered. Once she finished what she was doing, she pinched her wrist and smiled coldly. “Let’s go. The Crown Prince will be here soon. Follow me, don’t think about going back to save that little bitch.”

“Y-Yes…” Xiao Yu responded timidly, following Ling Huiru toward the front hall. But her gaze softened with reluctance. She glanced back at the study, biting her lip tightly. All her unspoken words condensed into three simple words: I’m sorry…

At the entrance, the Ling family, fully prepared, waited. Ling Roudan wore a light green outfit with minimal makeup, looking gentle and virtuous.