Chapter 73: Lü’er in Danger!

Lü’er crouched down, hoeing the weeds beneath the medicinal herbs one by one.

These weeds were extremely stubborn, and Lü’er had to exert great effort to remove each one.

Despite this, she had not uttered a single complaint these past days.

She did not want to cause trouble for the young master, nor bring shame upon him.

Two days ago, Lü’er had been weeding quickly, but her speed had suddenly dropped because her primal energy was depleted.

Every so often, she had to sit in meditation to restore primal energy, but it was quickly consumed again.

As a result, her weeding speed slowed considerably.

Two days ago, she had completed nearly half the work, but in the last two days she had only finished seventy percent, and her pace was still slowing.

Lü’er’s physical strength was severely overdrawn; her eyelids kept drooping, and only a stubborn obsession kept her going.

Suddenly, a pair of feet appeared in Lü’er’s field of vision. Her face lit up with joy, and she couldn’t help looking up.

But when she raised her head, she was bitterly disappointed. The newcomer was not the young master, but that detestable Senior Brother Zhang!

Zhang Heng saw the disappointment in Lü’er’s eyes and sneered, “What? Didn’t see the person you wanted to see?”

Lü’er said nothing.

Zhang Heng was displeased with Lü’er’s attitude and said angrily, “Hmph! I gave you the task of weeding, and you’ve only done seventy percent. Are you leaving the rest for me to finish?”

Lü’er wiped the sweat from her forehead and said weakly, “I… I’ve been working very hard. Senior Brother, if you could just give me one more day, I’m sure I can finish.”

“One day? I think even three more days wouldn’t be enough! You’ve spent four or five days on such a small task and still haven’t finished—you must have been slacking off!” Zhang Heng snorted.

Lü’er shook her head repeatedly. “No, I haven’t. I’ve really been working hard at weeding!”

“Heh, I naturally know whether you’ve been working hard or not. Denying it is useless! As punishment for your laziness, you must weed another medicinal field!”

Lü’er trembled at his words. “What? Another… another field? I… I…”

“What about you? Don’t want to do it? Fine, then pack your things and get ready to leave the academy!” Zhang Heng showed no mercy.

“But… but I’ve already…”

“You don’t have the strength anymore, do you?” Zhang Heng suddenly smiled.

Lü’er nodded weakly.

“If you don’t want to do it, that’s fine, but you have to agree to one condition.” Zhang Heng suddenly changed the subject.

Lü’er hadn’t expected Zhang Heng to relent. Naively believing he was sincere, she was overjoyed. “Really? Please tell me, Senior Brother Zhang!”

A malicious grin spread across Zhang Heng’s face. Lü’er’s expression changed as she realized he had ill intentions.

Sure enough, Zhang Heng spoke: “I didn’t expect Miss Lü’er to be so agreeable! My condition is simple: just spend one night with me. What do you think? A good deal, isn’t it?”

Lü’er was not stupid, but she was inexperienced and didn’t understand the ways of the world well.

She had thought Zhang Heng was merely unreasonable, but now she saw he was nothing but a beast in human clothing! He had probably planned this all along, which was why he had been making things difficult for her.

“Pah! So you’re this despicable! I’ll report you to the instructor!” Lü’er said hatefully.

“Hahaha, what a joke! You’re just a newcomer who can’t accept a senior’s discipline, and out of spite you slander me. Tell me, who do you think the instructor will believe—you or me?” Zhang Heng laughed, as if he had expected this.

Hearing this, Lü’er was stunned.

Zhang Heng had managed the herb garden for so long, which showed the instructor trusted him deeply. Even if she reported him, with Zhang Heng’s explanation, the instructor would likely think she was slandering him out of spite.

“You! You’re a despicable coward!” Lü’er trembled with rage, pointing at him and cursing.

But Zhang Heng didn’t care at all. He sneered, “Lü’er, think about it. When your young master comes out of seclusion and hears that his maid was expelled from the academy right after joining, how do you think he’ll feel?”

Lü’er shuddered, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Seeing her expression, Zhang Heng grew even more smug and continued, “Your young master is now a rising star in the academy, but his own maid was kicked out. From now on, wherever he goes, people will whisper behind his back, laughing that he can’t even manage his own maid.”

While Lü’er was lost and distraught, Zhang Heng slowly moved closer.

As he approached, he said, “I may not be as talented as your young master, but I’m still someone of standing in the academy. You won’t lose out by following me. What do you say? It’s just one night!”

As he spoke, Zhang Heng reached out to lift Lü’er’s chin, but she suddenly came to her senses and leaped away.

“Hmph, forget it. I’d rather die than bring shame to the young master!”

With that, Lü’er raised her hand to strike her own crown. If the blow landed, she would surely perish.

Zhang Heng hadn’t expected Lü’er to be so resolute, even willing to die rather than submit. He was furious.

Although Lü’er had improved rapidly, she was still far too weak against Zhang Heng, who was at the ninth level of primal qi.

Moreover, her primal energy was exhausted—how could she succeed in suicide?

“Crack!”

A soft whip had appeared in Zhang Heng’s hand, and it coiled around Lü’er’s arm, flinging her into the air.

With that sweep, Lü’er was thrown to the ground.

“Ugh.” Lü’er hit the ground hard, letting out a muffled groan.

“Crack!”

Another lash!

The whip struck Lü’er heavily, leaving a bloody gash that soaked through her clothes.

“Ungrateful girl! Want to die? It’s not that easy!”

Zhang Heng was also annoyed; if Lü’er really killed herself, he would be held responsible.

He was about to graduate soon and didn’t want to tarnish his reputation.

Lü’er’s actions were only making trouble for him.

“Ah!” Lü’er screamed in pain, but ignoring the agony, she crawled forward, trying to grab a blue object.

Just as her hand was about to reach it, Zhang Heng stepped on the blue thing.

“Give me back the badge!” Lü’er shouted through the pain.

Zhang Heng moved his foot and glanced at the blue object on the ground. It was indeed a badge, embroidered with two stars—a junior alchemist badge.

“So that’s what it is—an alchemist badge. I didn’t expect you to steal something so valuable just a few days after joining! With this, you’re more than enough to be expelled!”

With that, Zhang Heng kicked the badge far away.

He still didn’t know that Ye Yuan had passed the alchemist assessment and officially become a junior alchemist; otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to mistreat Lü’er like this.

Watching Zhang Heng trample on the young master’s badge, Lü’er felt more pain in her heart than on her body. Tears finally streamed down her face uncontrollably.

Seeing Lü’er’s pitiful appearance, Zhang Heng’s beastly desires surged. He grabbed her clothes and tore off a piece of fabric.

Then he seized Lü’er and dragged her into a corner, intending to assault her in broad daylight!