Adhering to the principle that there are no ghosts in this world, Deng Youning concluded that she was merely scaring herself.
She pulled the quilt over her head, turned over, and went back to sleep. Returning to this cage of an estate, her night was far from peaceful. Memories of her previous life flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern. It was not until the roosters crowed and the sky turned pale that she felt a sense of relief in her chest.
Deng Youning did not believe in sleeping in. Those who practiced martial arts should be diligent, and she would not slacken for a single day. Her sword practice helped to clear her mind completely. According to her memories from her past life, her grandmother's declining health had begun only after she had returned to the estate. She deeply suspected that Deng Xuelian had been feeding her grandmother a slow-acting poison. Yet, if she were to voice such an accusation without proof, her grandmother would never believe her.
After finishing her set of forms, she sheathed her sword with a flourish. Yingshi, who had been waiting for some time, trotted over with small steps. "My lady, your martial arts are truly superb. I was mesmerized watching you."
Deng Youning smiled dismissively. "Your skills are not bad either." Having been chased across the country and survived several skirmishes along the way, she had long since noticed that Yingshi’s foundation was solid—perhaps even exceeding that of the disciples in the Ten Thousand Serpents Valley.
"My lady, regarding breakfast this morning..." Yingshi hesitated, stuttering.
Deng Youning frowned; she knew Yingshi had encountered trouble. "I treat you as my confidante. Do not worry; just speak your mind." She patted the back of Yingshi's hand to reassure her.
Only then did Yingshi muster the courage to explain. Meals for every courtyard were prepared in a central kitchen, and the servants of each courtyard were responsible for picking them up. However, when Yingshi went to collect breakfast this morning, the head matron of the kitchen informed her that there was no food allotted for their Qiyue Water Pavilion. As they had only moved in yesterday, their own small kitchen had been abandoned for years. Without utensils or ingredients, Yingshi could not prepare a meal for Deng Youning.
Upon hearing the situation, Deng Youning’s expression remained remarkably calm. She showed none of the disappointment, frustration, or anger that Yingshi had expected.
"Did you find out clearly whether the order not to feed me came from the State Protector, the Lady, the Heir, or the Eldest Miss?"
Deng Youning knew that Deng Zheng would not concern himself with the affairs of the inner court. Even if Lady Gu disliked her, she would never stoop to such a transparently petty tactic as withholding food. As for Deng Xuelian, she had just staged a suicide attempt; although she had survived, she was physically weakened and unlikely to come looking for trouble so early in the morning. That left only one person... Deng Yi! That brother of hers was like a mad dog, biting at anything in his path.
"Yingshi, go to Linfeng Courtyard and deliver a message. Tell them I am coming to pay my respects to my brother and, incidentally, to serve him his breakfast."
Since Deng Yi wouldn't give her food, she would go and demand it in person!
When Deng Yi heard that Deng Youning was coming to pay her respects and serve him breakfast, he immediately understood what was happening. He hadn't expected her to be clever enough to figure out who was behind it.
"Go back and tell her that the food of our State Protector Estate, even if fed to dogs, will never be given to such a vicious person!"
He was already seething with resentment after being unmasked by her. Recalling how Deng Youning had struck him yesterday and nearly caused the death of Lian’er, he felt his anger boil over. Just then, Deng Youning’s voice, laced with a cold sneer, cut through the air.
"Since the Heir keeps calling me vicious, why don't you tell me exactly how I am vicious? If you can name even one thing, I will personally go to Grandmother to resign my position, leave the State Protector Estate, and never appear before you again."
She had been hungry, so after Yingshi left, she had followed shortly after. It was perfect timing. She had arrived just in time to hear her own brother express such bitter hatred for her, and she arrived just in time to see the servants setting the table. She sat down directly, picked up the bowl and chopsticks the maid had just placed, and began to eat in a leisurely manner.
Deng Yi was struck dumb with rage. Had he told her she could eat?!
"Heir, you haven't answered my question yet. Do you still want me to get out of the State Protector Estate or not?" Facing a table full of delicacies, Deng Youning didn't want anyone to disturb her, so she decided to let this mad dog keep quiet for a while.
"You..."
"I..."
Deng Yi stammered for a long time. He didn't really know Deng Youning at all. If he tried to explain her "viciousness," he couldn't actually come up with anything. Should he blame her for driving Lian’er to death? But she hadn't even met Lian’er before yesterday. Should he blame her for being disrespectful to her parents or brother? She hadn't done anything particularly out of line.
"I may not see the cracks yet, but you are a vicious person by nature. Given enough time, your fox's tail will surely show," Deng Yi sputtered, trying to salvage the situation.
Deng Youning didn't bother to dignify him with a response; instead, she passed a bun to Yingshi. There were meat buns, fried dough sticks, rice porridge—over a dozen different dishes. It was a luxury she had never experienced in the Ten Thousand Serpents Valley.
"In the future, if there is no food provided at Qiyue Water Pavilion, I will come here for every meal. It only takes half a quarter of an hour to fly over using light-foot skill."
Deng Yi’s face turned ghastly, and he was trembling with rage. Qiyue Water Pavilion was in the inner court, while Linfeng Courtyard was in the front. In the vast State Protector Estate, the distance between the two was not insignificant. If Deng Youning could cover it in less than half a quarter of an hour, it proved her light-foot skill was far superior to his own!
"Deng Youning, you are being presumptuous!" Deng Yi felt the urge to strike her.
Just as he raised his hand, Deng Youning flicked a single peanut toward his arm. The sharp impact made Deng Yi cry out in pain.
"I am your brother. Are you trying to kill your own kin?" Deng Yi pointed at her, roaring in fury.
Deng Youning ate with grace and poise, showing none of the ravenous behavior of a village girl that Deng Yi had expected. This left him momentarily stunned.
"You said it yourself yesterday: you only have one sister, Deng Xuelian. Besides, if a single peanut could kill a Sixth-Rank Captain and a young general of the Deng Family Army, then our State Protector Estate would surely be ruined at your hands!"
Deng Youning slammed her empty bowl onto the table and, mirroring Deng Yi’s earlier gesture, pointed at him with cold eyes. Knowing he was no match for her, Deng Yi did not dare make a move.
"Yingshi, take the food on the table with us." Looking at Deng Yi, she had lost her appetite.
"This is the property of my Linfeng Courtyard! You are not allowed to touch it! You bunch of useless fools, what are you standing around for? Seize this unruly wench at once!"
Seeing Deng Youning and Yingshi each walk away with a serving tray, Deng Yi frantically called his servants to intercept them. Yingshi kicked them away one by one, while Deng Youning used a sweeping leg kick to trip anyone who came near. Even in the midst of the scuffle, they kept the food on their trays perfectly steady.
Once the servants of Linfeng Courtyard were sprawled on the ground, Deng Youning, who was still genuinely hungry, decided she didn't want to make more of a scene.
"Deng Yi, if word gets out that a legitimate daughter of a State Protector is being denied food, you know the consequences. Especially when you are the one who gave the order. I have shown you enough respect today by not reporting this to Father, Mother, or Grandmother directly. I suggest you behave yourself in the future!"
With that, she and Yingshi used their light-foot skills to fly away. If not for the sake of her grandmother, she would have liked to finish him off.
Looking at the scene, however, her words had actually managed to extinguish the anger of the hot-headed Deng Yi. This sister of his... she didn't seem quite as hateful as he had imagined.