Lu Sui’an was trapped in a formation within the ground, with only her head exposed above the surface, her face filled with terror. Her mouth was sealed by the golden light of the formation, preventing her from screaming, leaving her only able to whimper.

  From her perspective, Nan Gong Qian’er kept calling her name but couldn’t see where she was.

  And the scarecrow was moving toward Nan Gong Qian’er!

  Everything was happening too eerily. Lu Sui’an was so frightened that she couldn’t think straight, only able to watch as Nan Gong Qian’er let out a terrified scream and ran out of the herb field!

  "Whimper—" Lu Sui’s whimpers weren’t exactly quiet in the silent night, but Nan Gong Qian’er couldn’t hear her.

  How dare you abandon me, you heartless wretch! Lu Sui’an cursed in her heart as she watched Nan Gong Qian’er leave her behind. The scarecrow paused for a moment, then began moving toward her!

  The tattered cloth on the scarecrow fluttered, its arms swaying up and down, emitting a ghostly scream as it slowly approached, tormenting Lu Sui’an’s nerves.

  "Whimper! Whimper!" Lu Sui’an’s pupils dilated in fear, her face pale. She struggled with all her might but couldn’t escape the trap set by the formation.

  Just as the scarecrow reached within a meter of her, there was a *click* sound, and the scarecrow’s head fell in front of her, rolling a short distance before stopping right in front of her face, barely two centimeters away!

  "Whimper!" Overwhelmed by fear, Lu Sui’an’s mind went blank, and she fainted on the spot!

  Yan Ji crouched on the ground, tilting her head to examine Lu Sui’an. She picked up the scarecrow’s head, stood up, and kicked it like a ball. The head flew through the air and landed back in its original position.

  Then, Yan Ji pulled Lu Sui’an out of the formation but suddenly noticed a strange smell. She glanced down and saw that Lu Sui’an had wet herself.

  "Ew, she couldn’t even handle a little scare," Yan Ji muttered, wrinkling her nose in disgust as she quickly tied Lu Sui’an up.

  Nan Gong Qian’er ran out of the field, feeling a heaviness on her back but dismissing it as nervousness.

  She couldn’t see Xue Ji, who was crouched on her back, grinning wickedly as she covered Nan Gong Qian’er’s eyes with her hands.

  Nan Gong Qian’er ran breathlessly for what felt like an eternity. When she finally turned around, she realized she was back at the edge of East Field Twelve, where the scarecrow still stood in the field.

  As if sensing her presence, the scarecrow slowly turned its head and began speeding toward her!

  "Ah—don’t come near me! Summon, Fire Luan!" Nan Gong Qian’er screamed, summoning her spirit beast, a fire-element luan bird.

  The Fire Luan was beautiful, with vibrant red feathers and an elegant figure.

  "Fire Luan, burn it! Burn this entire field! Burn it all!" Nan Gong Qian’er shrieked.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  The Fire Luan immediately spewed a large flame toward the herb field.

  Just as the flames were about to reach the field, an angry, elderly voice rang out!

  "How dare you! What are you doing?"

  A protective shield instantly covered the herb field, preventing the flames from causing any damage.

  "Who’s there? Who’s there!" Nan Gong Qian’er, already on edge, shouted without thinking.

  Seeing the newcomer, Xue Ji quickly fled, and the fog in Nan Gong Qian’er’s eyes cleared, restoring her senses.

  Elder Shan Yi stood there, furious, his eyes fixed on Nan Gong Qian’er, his chest heaving with anger.

  "How dare you attack a rare herb field!" Elder Shan Yi roared.

  This student had the audacity to openly set fire to a herb field—a rare one at that!

  "Oh, Sister Qian’er, why aren’t you sleeping at this hour? Burning herb fields? Could it be that you’re plotting something against the academy’s fields?" Nan Gong Huan’s exaggerated voice came from the side.

  Nan Gong Qian’er was drenched in cold sweat, still in shock. She shook her head frantically, pointing at Nan Gong Huan. "No, no, I was burning her field, not the rare herb field!"

  The words slipped out before she could stop them. Realizing what she had just admitted, Nan Gong Qian’er covered her mouth, her eyes filled with despair.

  It was only then that she fully regained her senses and noticed the sign next to the field—East Field Three, Rare Herb Field.

  How had she ended up here? Wasn’t she just at Field Twelve? Nan Gong Qian’er trembled, seeing Elder Shan Yi’s furious expression, and immediately knelt down!

  "Elder, I—I was caught in a ghostly maze! It’s not my fault, you have to believe me, Elder! I didn’t want to do this; it was the scarecrow, it forced me!" Nan Gong Qian’er burst into tears, trying to paint herself as the victim.

  "Enough! I saw it with my own eyes, and yet you still refuse to repent!" Elder Shan Yi was livid. If he hadn’t sensed someone intruding into the herb field, all these rare herbs would have turned to ash!

  The value of these rare magical herbs was enough to buy ten thousand of Nan Gong Qian’er’s heads!

  "By the way, Elder Shan Yi, I’ve also caught the mastermind who broke into my herb field," Nan Gong Huan said, dragging Lu Sui’an over and tossing her next to Nan Gong Qian’er.

  Seeing Lu Sui’an unconscious, Nan Gong Qian’er’s mind raced, and she immediately cried out, "Elder, I was tricked by Lu Sui’an! She threatened me, made me burn the field, or she would ostracize me, even kill me!"

  "Elder, you have to believe me!" Nan Gong Qian’er crawled forward on her knees, grabbing Elder Shan Yi’s robe, tears streaming down her face as she pleaded desperately.

  If this got out, her academy life would be ruined!

  "Believe you? Hmph, take it up with the Disciplinary Hall!" Elder Shan Yi kicked her away in anger.

  She rolled several meters, colliding with Lu Sui’an and accidentally waking her up.

  "Nan Gong Qian’er, you actually left me behind and ran off on your own!" Lu Sui’an immediately screamed, cursing her. This wretch had pretended to call her name, clearly trying to shift all the blame onto her!

  "Lu Sui’an, what are you going on about?" Nan Gong Qian’er panicked, her face turning red and pale in turns.

  "Me going on about it? If it weren’t for your stupid idea, I wouldn’t be here in the herb field now!" Lu Sui’an spat angrily. Now, thanks to you, we’ve been caught by the elder!

  Nan Gong Qian’er had assured her it was safe, that Nan Gong Huan’s energy was nearly depleted, and her overconfident analysis had dragged Lu Sui’an down with her!

  The two immediately started blaming each other, each claiming the other was lying, until Elder Shan Yi grew tired of their bickering.

  Fortunately, the Disciplinary Hall members arrived quickly. This was the academy’s department for punishing rule-breaking students, and they would face the consequences there.

  "My father is the Prime Minister! You can’t touch me!" Lu Sui’an, in a fit of rage, pulled out her noble temper, struggling desperately to avoid being taken, but she was quickly subdued by the Disciplinary Hall members.

  To maintain their authority among the students, the Disciplinary Hall members were directly under the emperor’s command. Even princes and princesses couldn’t escape their jurisdiction.

  "I’m the Purple Star! You can’t touch me either! I’m tied to the nation’s fortune!" Nan Gong Qian’er, in her desperation, blurted out her "identity," thinking it would save her as it always had.

  "Purple Star my foot! You’re nothing but a disaster! Burning herb fields? Why don’t you just fly to the heavens!" Elder Shan Yi wasn’t having it. He spat in disgust and ordered the Disciplinary Hall to take them away immediately.