Chapter 89: Li Yueniang Was Bullied

The female disciples' dormitory was usually a quiet place, but not today.

"Yueniang, you better wash these clothes for us! If you don't, we'll beat you up!" one of the girls sneered, her eyes glinting with malice.

Lu Qingyao, standing nearby, clenched her fists in frustration. "You guys are going too far! Yueniang needs time to practice like everyone else. Why are you dumping all your chores on her?"

The lead girl turned with a wicked smile. "Well then, if you're so eager to help, you can do it too!" The others laughed cruelly.

Lu Qingyao bit her lip, her anger simmering. "Fine! I'll do it. Yueniang, go practice. I'll handle this."

Li Yueniang, however, lowered her head, feeling regret weigh on her heart. "No, Sister Qingyao, I'll do it. Don't worry."

Since joining the Xuantian Sect, Li Yueniang had faced constant bullying, but she always kept it to herself, refusing to let Lu Qingyao or anyone else get involved. Her quiet suffering pained Lu Qingyao, who could barely stand watching her friend be treated like this.

"You useless thing," one of the bullies scoffed. "If she's willing to do it, that's her choice. Stay out of it, Qingyao."

"Hmph! If you weren't constantly bullying her, she could've focused on cultivating and might've already broken through to the Body Refining Realm!" Lu Qingyao shot back, her eyes flashing with anger.

She knew all too well that Li Yueniang barely had time to rest, let alone practice. She was always exhausted, hungry, and sleep-deprived, thanks to these girls constantly piling work on her. Lu Qingyao had found her fainted more than once and couldn't bear it anymore.

Sighing, Li Yueniang picked up a basin full of dirty clothes and walked toward the river to wash them. "It's okay, Qingyao. I don't want to make more trouble. Maybe if I can't keep up, I'll just go back to the town. You stay here and work hard."

"Yueniang, no…" Lu Qingyao followed her, feeling both helpless and furious. She wanted to fight for her friend, but she knew Yueniang's gentle nature wouldn't allow it.

As they neared the river, they suddenly spotted a familiar figure.

"Brother Li?" Lu Qingyao's voice trembled with surprise and relief. Standing before them were Li Taixing and his group.

"Qingyao? Yueniang?" Li Taixing asked, his brows furrowing. He noticed the large basin of clothes Yueniang was carrying and the exhaustion etched on her face. "What's going on?"

Before the girls could answer, Lu Qingyao began to explain everything to Li Taixing—the bullying, the chores, and how it was affecting Yueniang's ability to cultivate.

Hearing this, Li Taixing's expression darkened with anger. "How dare they treat her like this?"

Nearby, the three Xiong brothers exchanged uneasy glances. They remembered how they had treated Li Taixing before becoming friends and felt a pang of guilt, understanding now the impact of their actions.

Without hesitation, Li Taixing marched toward the female disciples' dormitory, his voice booming. "Who's in charge here?!"

"Brother Li, wait—" Lu Qingyao tried to stop him, but he was already calling out the bullies.

"You dare to bully my friends? Are you tired of living?" Li Taixing's eyes blazed with fury, causing the nearby disciples to freeze in fear.

"Boss, maybe calm down a little," Lu Tong muttered, trying to ease the tension, but Li Taixing wasn't having any of it.

"The leader of the female disciples—get out here! My master's name is Wang Xuanwu, and I demand to know what's going on!"

Lu Tong and Sun Bohu exchanged frantic glances, rushing forward to try and calm Li Taixing down. "Boss, no! You'll get us all in trouble!" they whispered urgently.

Even Lu Qingyao and Li Yueniang were alarmed by his outburst. "Brother Li, please don't," Yueniang begged, rushing to his side, forgetting about the laundry altogether.

Li Taixing gave her a reassuring look. "Don't worry. This ends now."

His voice carried, echoing through the dormitory until two female stewards hurried out, their faces pale with fear. They had heard Wang Xuanwu's name and knew better than to ignore her disciple's demands.

"Master Li, what seems to be the issue?" one of the stewards asked, bowing deeply, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

Li Taixing crossed his arms, his tone cold. "Why is my friend doing your disciples' laundry instead of practicing? She's been beaten, overworked, and bullied. I want to know why."

The two stewards glanced at the pile of clothes Yueniang had been carrying and immediately understood the situation. "We'll handle it, Master Li. We'll deal with the perpetrators at once."

They summoned a few outer disciples, who immediately went to fetch the bullies.

Moments later, several trembling girls were dragged out of the dormitory. Upon seeing Lu Qingyao and Li Yueniang standing beside Li Taixing, the lead bully's face twisted with realization.

"So, that little rat complained about us, huh?" She glared at Yueniang with murderous intent.

Yueniang shrank behind Lu Qingyao, visibly terrified.

Lu Qingyao glared back, her hands clenched into fists. "You deserve whatever punishment comes to you. You've bullied Yueniang enough!"

Li Taixing stepped forward, looking at Yueniang with a gentle expression. "Yueniang, tell me, how do you want to handle this? They hurt you. It's your choice."

Yueniang hesitated, unsure. She still didn't want to cause any trouble. "Brother Li, let's just forget about it. It's over now."

"Forget about it?" Lu Qingyao couldn't believe her ears. "After everything they did to you? No way! They deserve to be punished. You don't need to be afraid anymore. Brother Li is here."

Xiong Hu nodded, his expression fierce. "Right! These girls had no right to treat you like that. We won't let them get away with it."

Encouraged by the support of her friends, Yueniang bit her lip and looked up at Li Taixing. "I don't want them to hurt anyone else."

Li Taixing smiled, proud of her courage. He turned to the stewards. "You heard her. Ensure they're punished, and let the rest of the dormitory know—no more bullying. If I hear of it again, you'll be answering directly to my master."

The stewards nodded vigorously, their faces pale. "Yes, Master Li. It will be done."

As the bullies were dragged away, the lead girl spat angrily, "This isn't over, you little rat! I'll make you pay for this!"

Li Taixing raised an eyebrow and stepped closer to her. "I'd think twice about making threats. The next time I hear about you, it won't be just a warning."

The girl's bravado faded, and she shrank back, terrified.

With the situation resolved, Yueniang looked up at Li Taixing with tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Brother Li."

Li Taixing smiled warmly. "You don't need to thank me, Yueniang. We're family here. We look out for each other."

Lu Qingyao beamed with pride, grateful for her brother's support. For the first time in a long while, Yueniang felt a sense of safety, knowing she wasn't alone anymore.