The Emperor's Domineering Favor, the Evil Consort's Unparalleled Reign

"Hahaha, did I hear that right? I can understand if a young girl is bored and wants to travel around, but making such grand pronouncements about taking on this job is just not cute at all! Why are all these young girls so ambitious?! I really can't understand it!"

"Exactly! She's such a pretty young girl, how come she's just a big-mouthed idiot!"

"..."

The crowd murmured amongst themselves, their gazes toward Ying Li tinged with disdain. The servants dressed as maids covered their faces and chuckled to themselves. They certainly didn't want to hurt such a beautiful girl with harsh words, but a few laughs were acceptable.

Ying Li glanced at the group of old and young people surrounding him. The one with the highest spiritual power was only at the fifth level of soul cultivation, yet they all acted like reclusive masters, looking down on others. He couldn't help but shake his head.

Approaching the servants, he continued, "Is there anyone in charge? I'd better speak with the one in charge."

"Hey! Little girl, we're here to advise you, but don't ignore us. Stubbornness isn't a good quality, especially since you're always so headstrong. If you encounter some evil beast and end up crying your eyes out, we won't be able to save you!"

The burly men who had already signed up, seeing that Ying Li still wouldn't give up, couldn't help but become rude. In their eyes, Ying Li was an outsider, a young girl, unable to lift a finger or carry anything heavy; she would only be a burden in Shanbei. They had kindly advised her, but this brat in front of them didn't appreciate their efforts, which they found extremely unacceptable.

Ying Li raised an eyebrow, looking at the arrogant man standing in front of him, who was more than two heads taller than him but was a fourth-level Soul Cultivator. His expression changed slightly, and he said calmly, "Brother, Ying Li did not block your way, so why are you making such a fuss?! You say that Ying Li is just showing off, but do you think your fourth-level Soul Cultivator skills can suppress evil beasts?!"

Upon hearing Ying Li's retort, the man became enraged, his face slightly flushed. "I bet you girl don't even have the skill of a first-level soul cultivator, yet you dare to underestimate me. If you're so capable, let's have a fight. I'll give you three moves with one hand. If you can dodge even one of them, I, Sun Liu, will immediately call you 'Grandma' and apologize to you. How about it?!"

After speaking, Sun Liu surveyed the surroundings with an arrogant expression. He had deliberately raised his voice so that everyone could hear him. Since Ying Li had given him a chance to show off, he wouldn't be polite and would give her one hand, so that these people wouldn't accuse him of bullying the little girl later.

"Okay! I promise you!" Ying Li shouted. His quick agreement surprised Sun Liu and the group of young and old, who were all worried for Ying Li.

"How can this little girl be allowed to do this? What if Sun Liu makes a mistake? She'll be in big trouble! Sigh, what are young people thinking these days?!"

"I think she deserves it. Sun Liu told her long ago not to meddle in other people's business, especially not to be a good-for-nothing girl, but she just wouldn't listen!"

"Yes, she deserved to be beaten to death! Who told her to stick her neck out!"

"..."

Most of the people in the crowd were there to watch the show, and few cared about Ying Li's safety.

With a smug expression on his face, Sun Liu winked at the servants he had already become familiar with, then cleared the area first, waiting to teach Ying Li a good lesson.

Ying Li then walked to the center of the field, smiled slightly at the old and young men who had already retreated several steps, clenched his right hand, and waited for Sun Liu's attack.

Sun Liu suddenly gathered spiritual energy, which rose from the ground, creating a gentle breeze and raising dust. Everyone marveled, as they had never seen such a powerful figure in this remote and impoverished place!

With one hand behind his back, Sun Liu reached out towards Ying Li with the other. Fists flew in front of him as Sun Liu unleashed a set of very elegant martial arts techniques, each move exuding a powerful aura.

He dodged left and right towards Ying Li, who clenched and unclenched his right hand, unleashing a surge of spiritual energy that shot into the sky! His right hand then struck heavily towards Sun Liu's waist and abdomen!

"Whoa!"

With just one punch, Sun Liu burst into tears! His eyes were bloodshot and wide open, his face turned purplish-red. After a long while, he staggered to his knees and let out a miserable scream that pierced the sky!

Everyone was shocked again!

At this moment, the look they gave Ying Li was no longer one of disdain, but rather one of awe. Even the servants who had been laughing and joking moments before were now deathly pale with astonishment. A mere young girl had actually knocked down a man more than two heads taller than her, a man at the fourth level of Soul Cultivation, with a single punch, rendering him immobile! What an astonishing thing this was!

"This girl actually! Sun Liu is at least a fourth-level Soul Cultivator, and she knocked him down with a single punch?"

"At such a young age, she already possesses at least the fifth level of soul cultivation. Such talent is truly astonishing. This girl is bound to achieve great things in the future. I really misjudged her!"

"..."

Public opinion turned against them again, but Ying Li was already used to it. She approached Sun Liu, looked at the pained expression on his face, and asked emotionlessly, "So, are you still going to fight?"

Sun Liu's abdomen was burning. Ying Li had only used one punch, yet he felt like he had fainted. He could barely stand up, let alone fight again. At this moment, he dared not underestimate Ying Li anymore and begged for mercy, "Grandma, I was wrong. I shouldn't have argued with you. I won't fight anymore. Please have mercy on me!"

Ying Li snorted coldly, turned around, and looked at the several terrified servants, saying, "Can I register now?"

"Yes, yes, please, miss, please go ahead!"

Unlike their previous disdain, the servants were now vying to register Ying Li for the job. Ying Li simply smiled and said nothing more.

After registering, the day before going up the mountain to collect herbs was the next day. Ying Li met with the wealthy Hu, who, upon hearing of Ying Li's deeds, was extremely courteous, treating him to the best food, drink, clothing, and other necessities, fearing that Ying Li might change his mind and leave.

After asking around for most of the day, Ying Li still couldn't find the sick Miss Hu. According to the servants, Miss Hu had been suffering from a strange illness since the beginning of spring. She had no appetite, suffered from unbearable headaches, and couldn't eat or drink anything. After half a month, she had become emaciated. Master Hu had tried all sorts of remedies on his daughter, but none of them worked. From spring to winter, the young lady's once beautiful face had become skin and bones.

Now, seeing no strangers, it's quite pitiful. Ying Li thought of the other person, who was only seventeen years old and had such a tragic fate, and couldn't help but feel some sympathy. When he went up the mountain tomorrow, he would definitely put in his utmost effort to gather spiritual herbs and hunt evil beasts.

"Girl, you need to change your temper. You worry about this and that all day long, and you sympathize with this and that. One day you'll suffer a great loss!" Before falling asleep, the alluring man couldn't help but say a few more words. He always felt that although Ying Li was now efficient and her growth rate was astonishing, the kindness hidden deep in her heart would occasionally pop up and cause trouble.

Ying Li nodded, hugging the quilt and lost in thought. The black brocade in her hand was already warm from being gripped so tightly. The alluring man always told her to use the treasures inside to increase her power, but she couldn't bear to part with it. She didn't know why, but she just felt that it belonged to Yin Huan, and that she shouldn't touch other people's things. Perhaps one day, she would have a chance to return it.

Early the next morning, the herb-gathering team set off. Ying Li walked in the middle of the group, wearing the purple cotton-padded coat given to him by Master Hu. He felt warm all over. Although the clothes were not very expensive, it was already quite good to receive such treatment in the outside world. Thinking of the desperate journey that had just begun, Ying Li smiled, quickened his pace, and walked at the front of the team.

When the people saw Ying Li coming, they all made way for him, their faces filled with undisguised envy and admiration. Ying Li didn't say much, but walked ahead and looked at the scenery along the way.

After about half a day, the group reached the summit of the northern mountain. This place was sparsely populated, and the medicinal herbs exuded a rich spiritual energy. Some of them had their eyes shining and couldn't wait to start mining them.

Ying Li looked left and right, expecting that there would be evil beasts hindering them from picking spiritual herbs, but to her surprise, after waiting for half an hour, there was no sign of anything happening. Looking at those who couldn't resist stepping into the spiritual herb thicket, Ying Li also felt a little itchy. After all, there were spiritual herbs in front of her that she couldn't name, and she could feel that their spiritual power was no less than that of high-grade spiritual herbs. This was indeed a good place.

However, just as Ying Li was about to join the herb-gathering army, the servants who had come with them all showed strange expressions. After exchanging glances and confirming that most of them had entered the herb patch, they suddenly chanted incantations, gathered spiritual energy in their hands, and several powerful spiritual energies rushed towards the crowd!

Ying Li gasped in shock. Those servants were actually top-tier soul cultivators! Turning his gaze to the group that had plunged into the herb patch, he saw a black aura swirling around their faces, and a clearly visible circular array beneath their feet. The black aura shot straight into the sky, and a subtle, domineering force was pulling them downwards!

What on earth is going on?! Ying Li stared intently at the servants, when suddenly, one of the servants' gazes met Ying Li's. The servant's expression changed drastically, and a beam of spiritual energy shot towards Ying Li!

A similar black array swirled beneath his feet, and Ying Li felt his body go limp, as if his feet were rooted to the array, unable to pull himself out no matter how hard he tried! His spiritual energy surged, and Ying Li slammed his right hand into the ground. With a loud "crack!" the array shattered, and Ying Li staggered back two steps. Fortunately, the servant's spiritual energy was low; otherwise, who knows what the consequences would have been!

Just as Ying Li was escaping, another powerful spiritual force descended from the sky! Ying Li felt a sudden weakness all over her body, and "bang bang bang!" Six spiritual forces suddenly descended in front of her, sealing her off. Although there was no large formation under her feet, she was too late to escape.

Immediately, a graceful figure descended slowly from the sky. Ying Li looked up and saw a woman dressed in black staring at her with a cold smile. Ying Li noticed a resemblance between the woman's features and those of Master Hu. Could she be Miss Hu?! Wasn't she supposed to be terminally ill?! How could she be here?! And possess such terrifying abilities?!

"Girl, be careful! She's a real spirit mage!" the alluring man suddenly said.

Ying Li froze. What? She was actually a spirit mage? A spirit mage had appeared in this small place?!