Inside the Disciplinary Hall.

  This was Nan Gong Huan’s first time stepping into this place. She had imagined it to be like a dungeon, but it turned out to be quite spacious and bright, with none of the damp, dark atmosphere one might expect.

  It resembled the Zhenshan Pavilion, with circular corridors extending on both sides and a central pool filled with golden carp, their scales shimmering brilliantly in the water, reflecting the moonlight.

  Several osmanthus trees were planted around the pavilion, filling the air with a pleasant fragrance.

  In front of the Disciplinary Hall, two instructors were sitting and chatting over tea. These were the same two instructors Nan Gong Huan had seen in the herb fields that day.

  "Student, how can we assist you?" one of the instructors stood up upon seeing Nan Gong Huan arrive.

  "Yes, I’m here to file a complaint. Thank you for your help," Nan Gong Huan nodded calmly.

  "No problem, follow me," the instructor led Nan Gong Huan into the pavilion. "By the way, my surname is Ma. You can call me Instructor Ma."

  "Thank you, Instructor Ma," Nan Gong Huan subtly observed her surroundings, thinking of Nan Gong Qian’er and Lu Sui’an.

  If those two were confined in a place like this, wouldn’t it be more like a vacation for them?

  This place felt more like a resort than a disciplinary hall. If it weren’t for the name, she would have thought it was a pavilion guarding some treasure.

  "I think I’ve seen you before, just a couple of days ago... Oh, I remember now. You’re the student from the herb fields," Instructor Ma finally recalled where he had seen Nan Gong Huan. Back then, he had been in a hurry and hadn’t gotten a good look at her, only a vague impression.

  It had only been a few days, and already someone had crossed her?

  After the incident in the herb fields, Instructor Ma had checked Nan Gong Huan’s student profile on the crystal board. She was a new student.

  "That’s right, it was me," Nan Gong Huan said.

  "So, what brings you here this time?" Instructor Ma asked curiously. She didn’t seem like the type to attract trouble.

  Nan Gong Huan pursed her lips and explained, "I just used two thousand credits at the Herb Pavilion to exchange for a chance to enter the rare herb fields..."

  She briefly recounted what had happened, and of course, the male instructor and Elder Ting Ming were not spared. There was even a suspicion of collusion between the two.

  "I see," Instructor Ma stroked his chin. "We’ll investigate this matter. If what you say is true, we’ll punish those two instructors and the elder. First, let’s get your statement on record."

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  The two entered the Disciplinary Hall, which was quite spacious. The floor was covered with a large circular carpet, and a grand counter was set up at the front, with several instructors handling various tasks, coming and going.

  Aside from her, there were three other female students here. They had come together, and one of them seemed to have been crying, her eyes red. It was unclear what had upset her.

  "Here, just fill out this form," Instructor Ma handed her a complaint form to summarize the incident.

  Nan Gong Huan took it, wrote down the details, and even placed the empty Shuhua Sunflower Seed shells she had kept as evidence on the form.

  With a little investigation, it would be clear that the seeds inside the shells had been removed over ten days ago. This was the best evidence.

  Soon, she finished writing and glanced at the three girls. The other two were still comforting the one who had been crying.

  Nan Gong Huan recalled that she had seen these girls during the freshman assessment. They were commoners, not from noble families.

  "You can wait here for a bit. The investigation won’t take long," Instructor Ma glanced at the neat handwriting on the complaint form, nodded, and handed it to the person in charge of the investigation.

  Then he looked over at the three female students and whispered, "That student’s situation is similar to yours. She was also deceived by an instructor."

  Nan Gong Huan glanced over but didn’t say anything.

  However, the crying student looked over and noticed Nan Gong Huan. For some reason, her lips quivered, and she started crying again.

  "......" Nan Gong Huan touched her face. It wasn’t her who made the girl cry, was it?

  Nan Gong Huan walked over and sat in the waiting area, just behind the three girls.

  The girl on the right turned her head and took a closer look at Nan Gong Huan, asking softly, "Are you the one who performed the best in the freshman assessment, the one at the Third Spirit Realm?"

  It was clear that she remembered Nan Gong Huan. Her striking beauty and impressive strength made her hard to forget.

  Nan Gong Huan didn’t want to admit it, but after a moment of hesitation, she nodded.

  "We’re from the Spirit Martial Department. You’re so beautiful; you should be careful of people with ill intentions," the girl advised.

  Seeing that she meant no harm, Nan Gong Huan replied, "I will. Thank you."

  Just as she finished speaking, a commotion erupted outside.

  Everyone turned to look and saw a cute loli dragging a bruised and battered instructor to the entrance.

  With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the instructor inside, creating a dent in the floor. The instructor was already knocked out, blood streaming from his head.

  This... wasn’t this Yun Qingqing? Nan Gong Huan blinked. Yun Qingqing was also from the Spirit Martial Department. Could she be connected to these three girls?

  "Student, no disturbances are allowed in the Disciplinary Hall," a managing instructor stepped forward to warn her.

  Yun Qingqing placed her hands on her hips and said, "I’m not causing trouble. This instructor tried to strip me and threatened me with my future grades. His behavior was despicable, so I brought him here. You better handle this properly."

  The girl in front cried even harder.

  "We’ll investigate this. Please sit over there and wait. We’ll take care of it," the managing instructor sighed, motioning for Yun Qingqing to sit and wait.

  Yun Qingqing walked over, initially heading toward the three girls to comfort them, but then she noticed Nan Gong Huan sitting behind them.

  "Eh, sister, why are you here too?" Yun Qingqing slid over to Nan Gong Huan’s side, her eyes sparkling.

  "What else would I be here for?" Nan Gong Huan shrugged. She glanced at the three girls in front and asked, "Do you know them?"

  "This is my roommate, Hua Jinse. Let me tell you, that instructor was absolutely despicable. He tried to assault Jinse. Luckily, I found out in time, or he would’ve succeeded," Yun Qingqing’s cheeks puffed up in anger.

  Then she turned to Hua Jinse and comforted her, "It’s okay, don’t worry. That bad instructor has already been beaten up by me!"

  "Qingqing, thank you," Hua Jinse sniffled, trying to hold back her tears.

  "Nothing to thank me for. I’m not good at much, but I’m great at beating up scum like him! If you ever feel wronged, just tell me. Don’t keep it bottled up. And the Disciplinary Hall will handle it too," Yun Qingqing waved her fist.

  "Okay!" Hua Jinse nodded vigorously.