So what if I'm useless? I'll become a saint!

Ling Changfeng stared at Ling Jiuan, his eyes flashing with deep thought, trying to catch a hint of real emotion from her expression.

He spoke slowly, with some hesitation in his voice.

"Jiuan..."

However, Ling Jiuan ignored his words, but turned his eyes slightly and cast his gaze towards Madam Lan.

There was a gleam of inquiry in her eyes, as if she was asking.

"I just don't know what Madam Lan thinks about this matter?"

When Mrs. Lan heard this, she subconsciously clenched her fists, and her knuckles made a slight sound.

A complex emotion surged in her heart, including fear of Ling Jiuan and heartache for Ling Jiuxi.

But soon, she smiled, with a hint of helplessness and compromise in her smile.

"Jiuan is right. It's not good to let Jiuan down in this matter."

Mrs. Lan said softly, her voice gentle but firm, as if she had already made a decision.

She paused and continued.

"In that case, these wicked slaves who framed their master will each be punished with twenty strokes of the cane and have their wages deducted for half a year. As for Jiuxi, I cannot say anything. I'll leave it to the master to decide."

Hearing Mrs. Lan's considerate words, Changfeng's eyes were filled with relief.

He patted the back of Mrs. Lan's hand gently.

"This matter is really difficult for you."

Afterwards, Ling Changfeng thought for a moment and spoke coldly.

"In this case, Ling Jiuxi ignored the family rules, so he should go to the ancestral hall to reflect on his mistakes for three months and copy the family rules a hundred times."

There was unquestionable authority in his voice as he made the final decision on the matter.

Hearing this, Ling Jiuxi cried and begged for mercy.

"Daddy..."

There was a hint of sadness and despair in her voice, as if she had been sentenced to life imprisonment.

However, Ling Changfeng just turned his head away and didn't look at her again.

He spat out two words coldly.

"Go!"

Ling Jiuan couldn't help but sneer in his heart when he saw this scene. Ling Changfeng was really biased. Such a light punishment seemed like he was just perfunctorily doing the job.

However, she also understood that she was only at the second level of foundation building and could not become an enemy of the Ling family.

She could only endure it for a while longer, and wait until the day when her physical body had gone through the nine transformations and her blood was exchanged for golden elixir, then she would settle the score.

After Ling Jiuxi left crying, Ling Changfeng turned to look at Ling Jiuan with obvious hostility in his tone.

"Now, are you satisfied?"

His eyes were as sharp as a knife, and he didn't want to punish Ling Jiuxi after all.

Ling Jiuan looked a little gloomy. She raised her eyelids slightly and answered in a flat tone.

"Father, since you have already made the decision, why bother asking me?"

There was no trace of emotion in her voice, as if she was indifferent to all this.

Ling Changfeng was extremely dissatisfied with her attitude. He frowned and a hint of anger was revealed in his voice.

"Ling Jiuan, what's your attitude? I just said you were sensible, what a joke!"

His fingers tapped lightly on the table, making a "dong dong" sound, venting his dissatisfaction in his heart.

Ling Jiuan glanced at Madam Lan indifferently, and the latter smiled at her, but the smile did not reach her eyes, and it was somewhat complex and meaningful.

Ling Jiuan didn't care and just spoke lightly.

"If this is over, I'll leave first."

There was no trace of nostalgia in her voice. After all, everything here had nothing to do with her.

Ling Changfeng felt really uncomfortable when he saw her attitude.

He didn't expect Ling Jiuan to be so indifferent to his decision and attitude.

He glared at Ling Jiuan's back, with a hint of helplessness and anger in his voice.

"This girl!"

Mrs. Lan looked at Ling Jiuan's back and mentioned something intentionally or unintentionally.

"This Jiuan is really a person of temperament. She is particularly well-behaved when she needs the head of the family to make decisions for her. Now that Jiuxi has been punished, she has returned to her old ways."

There was a hint of playfulness and depth in her voice, as if she was reminding Ling Changfeng of something.

When Ling Changfeng heard what Madam Lan said, his face instantly turned cold.

There was a hint of anger and dissatisfaction in his eyes, as if he was extremely disappointed with Ling Jiuan's behavior.

He said in a deep voice.

"This girl! She's really getting more and more outrageous!"

There was a hint of anger in his voice, and he found it hard to accept Ling Jiuan's transformation.

The next day, the whole family was in an uproar, and everyone was talking about it.

The news that Ling Jiuxi was imprisoned in the ancestral hall for reflection because of his attack on Ling Jiuan spread like wildfire.

When Ling Xiaofu heard the news, her face instantly turned pale as paper. She stared at the maid beside her with wide eyes, her eyes full of panic and anxiety.

"Ling Jiuxi, that's Madam Lan's daughter, and she's been locked up in the ancestral hall. Then I... I treated her like that before, and I hit her yesterday, will I..."

Ling Xiaofu's voice trembled, revealing her inner fear and helplessness.

Seeing this, the maid hurriedly supported her.

"Don't worry, miss. Let's think of a solution."

Ling Xiaofu's tone was impatient and she almost cried.

"What can I do? She won first place in the trial, and the entire Ling family is protecting her. What else can I do?"

The maid spoke carefully, trying to comfort her.

"Miss, the others are protecting her, but Madam Lan... Think about it, Miss Three is Madam Lan's biological daughter, how could she possibly swallow this?"

Hearing this, Ling Xiaofu's eyes lit up and she finally saw the light of hope.

She clutched the maid's hand tightly, anxiously.

"Yes, Madam Lan! I will go find Madam Lan, she will definitely help me. She will definitely not sit idly by and watch her daughter suffer injustice."

The maid nodded and agreed carefully.

"Yes, Miss. What's more, Ling Jiuan is so arrogant that she has offended so many people. When everyone attacks her, how can the Ling family protect her? Don't worry, Madam Lan will definitely stand by you."

After hearing what the maid said, Ling Xiaofu felt a little more at ease.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm down her emotions.

She knew that she had to go to Madam Lan now and ask for her help.

Only in this way can she protect herself in this storm.

At the same time, in Jiu'an Hall, Lei Tingyi looked at Ling Jiu'an with deep eyes and thoughtfully, with a hint of amusement in his tone.

"Your father is willing to protect you? This surprises me a little."

In Lei Tingyi's opinion, Ling Changfeng has always disliked his daughter Ling Jiuan, otherwise, he would not have abandoned her in the back mountain and ignored her for so many years.

Hearing this, Ling Jiuan curled up the corners of his mouth into a faint smile, with a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

"The interests of the family are above all else. He is not protecting me, but for his own face. Moreover, his punishment of Ling Jiuxi was not painful at all. To put it bluntly, it was just a show."

Her voice was calm, she had seen through it all.