"Is this the bastard child? Tsk, tsk, so short and small, no wonder Brother Jin despises her," a woman in tender yellow attire covered her mouth coquettishly and spoke haughtily. She was Ouyang Qin, daughter of Ouyang Feng's second son Ouyang Yuan, who, relying on her father's position in the family, was overbearing and often stirred up trouble.
"A waste with no Spiritual Energy, such a person should be thrown out directly. It spares the eyesore and doesn't harm the reputation of our Ouyang Family!" Another woman nodded in agreement. Ouyang Qin was the darling of the entire Ouyang Family and likewise a target for these people's flattery.
"Bad luck, the Spiritual Technique Hall is also a place for this kind of freak to enter? I truly have no idea what Lin Shao is thinking."
Lin Shao was the man who had brought Zhiyan in. He was usually greatly appreciated by the Ouyang Family Head and was even more popular than these members of the main family.
"Hmph, without the Family Head saying a word, even if he had the guts, he wouldn't dare to bring an outsider in," a young man said with a sinister gaze and a face full of resentment. It was bad enough that the Ouyang Family had an Ouyang Jin, and now an outsider came to steal his spotlight, which was infuriating.
"Don't worry, the Ouyang Family will never allow such trash to exist. Sooner or later, this kind of person will be kicked out of the family."
"Yes, she's of unknown origin and also an idiot in cultivation. With the Family Head's wise and valiant spirit, he will definitely not allow her to continue roaming freely..."
Ouyang Zhiyan's gaze swept over the crowd indifferently, her expression calm. Hidden beneath her bangs, her dark eyes sparkled with a touch of mockery. She had seen these kinds of scenes many times before. Whether it was insults or sarcasm, in her view, they were all bullshit. She simply considered them as several mad dogs biting randomly.
"Find a seat and sit down, wait for Grandfather to arrive." Ouyang Jin's voice suddenly sounded, low and cold, spreading a trace of gloom. The crowd looked on enviously. Although they were all descendants of Ouyang Feng, only Ouyang Jin had the privilege to call him Grandfather.
Feeling stiff, Zhiyan suddenly remembered she was just a child at that moment, and her expression changed. Trying to maintain her calm, her face squeezed out a look of panic, and she moved closer to where Ouyang Jin was.
"Brother Jin, Zhiyan is scared," Zhiyan pouted, her clear and bright eyes misting over with a layer of water, as she threw herself into Ouyang Jin's arms in full view of everyone.
The crowd gasped in shock, watching in amazement as a certain girl, seemingly unafraid of death, did she not know that Ouyang Jin had a cleanliness disorder?
"Scram!" With a low growl, the moment Ouyang Zhiyan's hands almost touched his clothes, a white figure flashed, successfully avoiding those 'devil claws.' His eagle eyes glimmered with a cold light, full of contempt.
"If you don't want to make things ugly, just stay put!" Ouyang Jin's gaze was as palpable as reality, coldly locking onto her. His eyes were as frosty as the bitter winter, extinguishing her playful thoughts. She sat on the chair, bored and uninterested.
After a while, the stone door thundered open, and an elder in dark cyan robes strolled in from outside, causing the air pressure in the room to rise sharply. The previously disorderly crowd now sat up straight, looking as if facing a formidable enemy.
Ouyang Zhiyan squinted her eyes, watching the elder approach step by step. Suddenly, the elder's gaze shot towards her, brimming with sharpness, and a towering aura fiercely swept over her. Ouyang Zhiyan only felt a stabbing pain in her head, as if an invisible hand tightly gripped her heart, suffocating, vexing, panicking...
Just when she thought she was going to die, the pressure locking onto her body momentarily receded. A cold snort from the elder rang in her ears—indifferent and contemptuous—making her heart tremble fiercely. Such was the majesty of a great family, such was the demeanor of an expert, good, very good!
"Greetings to the Family Head." Everyone stood up and respectfully addressed Ouyang Feng, except for Zhiyan, who remained seated on her stool, watching everything with a calm face.
"Hmm, everyone, sit down." Ouyang Feng gestured with his sleeve, and all eyes once again turned to Zhiyan, sitting erect like searchlights. Lin Shao's gaze fell straight on her slightly pursed lips, his expression unfathomable, finally shaking his head toward Ouyang Peng in a higher position.
"It's you again?" Ouyang Feng leaned back in his armchair, squinting his eyes with a face full of sarcasm. He had never liked this child, but had refrained from acting against her because of Ouyang Peng. But today, it seemed he had to take this constantly overlooked existence seriously, for she had prompted his usually indifferent eldest son to exercise the family's power.
"Are you going to punish me again, wuwu, can we not go to that dark room (the ancestral hall)? I'm scared…" Ouyang Zhiyan squeezed out two tears, pleading pitifully.
"Who's under the hall, state your name." Ouyang Feng bellowed, frightening the whole room into utter silence. Even Zhiyan, who had been crying, broke out in a cold sweat—it seemed her little tricks were simply not enough to catch his eye.
The reason for bringing Zhiyan to the Spiritual Technique Hall was to test if she had spiritual power. Unfortunately, the moment she crossed the stone threshold, there was not the slightest fluctuation in her aura. It was thus determined she was unfitted for cultivation, and based on this, Ouyang Feng had no further intentions to keep her.
"I am Ouyang Zhiyan, and who might you be?" Ouyang Zhiyan looked up, her clear and pure pupils staring directly at the silvery-haired elder in the superior seat, her voice crisp and decisive, without a moment's hesitation.
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall was again filled with a chorus of inhales—everyone knew that Ouyang Feng was the head of the Ouyang Family. She actually had the audacity to ask!
"Ouyang Zhiyan? It doesn't seem we have such a person in the Ouyang Family." Ouyang Feng's face turned icy, staring at Zhiyan and proclaiming aggressively.
"A name is but a mere label; it can't be helped if you don't like me!" Ouyang Zhiyan spread her hands, her expression saying, "What can you do to me?" As for who she was, everyone present knew, and Ouyang Feng's actions were obviously an intentional difficulty thrown at her.
"Guards, drag her down, and give her fifty strokes with the big board! How dare you impersonate a member of the Ouyang Family and speak so sharply. Today I will let you witness the family discipline of the Ouyang Family," Ouyang Feng thundered. Instantly, some people stepped forward, disregarding Zhiyan's struggle, pulled her to the center of the hall, and threw her to the ground.
At that moment, Ouyang Zhiyan was like fish on the chopping block, unable to move under the control of two strong men. Everyone in the hall watched with interest, and with a loud bang, she felt a fiery pain in her buttocks.
Clenching her teeth, a chill spread across the bottom of Ouyang Zhiyan's heart. Her eyes grew wide, coldly observing the expressions of the people around her. This was her plight, this was their attitude, ha, how fortunate she was to have such family, to suffer such humiliation!
The scenes from before her transmigration replayed in her mind—betrayal, framing, murder… She had thought to have escaped the nightmare, left behind the plots, yet unexpectedly entered yet another den of demons. She had sworn never to be bullied by anyone ever again, yet she still became a tool for others to trample on. She was too weak, too weak, the Ouyang Family was too ruthless, chilling her heart and simultaneously igniting an urgent desire within her to become strong, an urgent desire to leave…
Her gaze darkened, a sharp cold light surged in her eyes, and the ridicule and mockery surrounding her amplified, their exuberance piercing her ears like needles. Her lips curved slightly, her small hands clenched tightly together—the humiliation of today, she must repay a hundredfold.