Chapter 38: I Think You Are the One Turning the World Upside Down

The senior student, who had been throwing her weight around just a moment ago, turned deathly pale and scrambled toward the door, trembling.

"Someone! Get someone here! This is utter lawlessness!" the female instructor shouted.

"I think it is you who has lost all sense of order!"

From the moment the conflict began, Ye Moxi had already contacted Lady Feng Xi. Feng Xun was away on a business trip; had he been at the academy, that instructor would never have dared to harass Ye Moxi so blatantly.

Lady Feng Xi, usually the epitome of gentleness and elegance, wore a dark, furious expression as she walked up and slapped the instructor across the face.

"You..."

The instructor clutched her cheek, seething with rage but too intimidated to retort.

The Guide Department stood at the pinnacle of the Gifted Academy for good reason. Even though they were both S-rank, Lady Feng Xi was an S-rank Guide. Despite the instructor’s resentment, the academy’s hierarchy placed her significantly below Lady Feng Xi. She might dare to vent her dissatisfaction with Feng Xun or even challenge him openly, but she dared not show disrespect to Lady Feng Xi.

"He Molli! As an instructor in the Botany Department, how could you not know that Moxi is my brother’s newly accepted personal disciple? Not only did you dare to place her in solitary confinement, but you also commanded your two nephews to lay hands on her?"

A personal disciple? And Feng Xun’s, at that?

Thinking about it, it was no surprise. After all, the girl possessed S-rank mental power and Level 5 wood-elemental abilities...

Still, this instructor, He Molli, was clearly abusing her position. It was well-known that she relied on her seniority and had long been dissatisfied with Feng Xun’s position as Department Head. To think she would now dare to target his personal student so brazenly!

Because the news of the engagement between Feng Yanting and Ye Moxi had been released on the military’s website, some noble families were aware of it while others were not; thus, there hadn't been much public focus on Ye Moxi herself. Feng Xun had instructed Ye Moxi to attend basic classes with the freshmen until he returned to give her private tutoring, but on her very first day, she had run into this mess.

"I was merely enforcing school regulations! She refused to accept the punishment and even injured my security guards!"

"School regulations? He Molli, the moment she presented her badge, you lost all authority to handle her!"

While the Gifted Academy treated its instructors well, any conflict between an instructor and a student of the same rank had to be handled by a higher-level department head. After all, anyone with S-rank mental power was a rare jewel in any department.

He Molli kept chanting about school rules, yet she had not followed a single one herself.

"I will report this to the General Education Office!"

He Molli’s expression shifted.

"Take these two away! I do not want to see them in this academy ever again! Notify their families as well—if they fail to provide a satisfactory punishment, the Gifted Academy will refuse to accept any more security personnel from their houses! Tell them this came directly from me, Feng Xi!"

Lady Feng Xi commanded the security team. They didn't hesitate; they dragged the two men away immediately. Previously, these two had relied on He Molli’s influence to harass students. Those students, fearing He Molli’s retaliation, had kept silent despite their anger. The security team had even been blamed for their behavior, but they had secretly loathed those two thugs. Now that they could finally throw them out, it was immensely satisfying.

"Instructor Feng Xi, even if my handling of the matter was improper, you cannot vent your anger this way! What did they do wrong? Isn't this unfair?"

She had relied on her nephews to handle much of her illicit business. Furthermore, the academy was filled with students from powerful backgrounds; because her nephews were tall, imposing, and capable, students rarely dared to confront her directly. Without them, how could she maintain her standing in the academy?

Lady Feng Xi ignored her, focusing entirely on comforting Ye Moxi. As an S-rank Guide, she held absolute authority; the security team hadn't even paused before hauling the men away.

"Moxi, remember this: if you hadn't mentioned that you came from the outer rim and lacked basic knowledge, you would be fully qualified to be an instructor in the Botany Department yourself. It’s only because your mentor is away, otherwise... humph!"

The Feng family was fiercely protective of their own, especially when it came to Ye Moxi. Even if she had used her influence to act out, the Feng family would have shielded her. Besides, they knew Ye Moxi’s character—she wasn't the type to act recklessly unless pushed too far.

"He Molli, my brother is away on business, not dead! I’ve tolerated you all this time because you are a woman, but don’t think for a second that you are indispensable! Just wait—when he returns, he will settle all these old scores with you!"

Lady Feng Xi took Ye Moxi by the hand. "Let's go! We won't stay in this foul-smelling place until your mentor returns!"

He Molli watched them leave, her face dark and her fists clenched. *Feng Xi! Feng Xun! Just you wait! Once my niece, the pride of the He family, is accepted as a personal disciple by Chief Michael, we shall see how long your Feng family can afford to be so arrogant!*

***

In the interstellar era, a month lasted thirty days, and a year consisted of twenty months. The year was divided into four seasons, but there were no weeks—only "decades" (ten-day periods). Each month was split into three ten-day segments, with eight days of classes followed by two days of rest.

During the first ten-day period after school started, Ye Moxi was issued a warning because she had spent far more time attending classes in the Guide Department than the Botany Department! It turned out that the Gifted Academy, to prevent students from "neglecting their proper duties" by attending other departments, had implemented strict attendance regulations. Feng Xun had assumed Ye Moxi knew, and Lady Feng Xi herself had been unaware of the rule.

Thus, during the second ten-day period, Ye Moxi resigned herself to returning to the Botany Department for classes.

"Only the peony possesses the true beauty of the nation; when it blooms, it stirs the Imperial Star! ... Lily, not only are you beautiful and kind-hearted, but you are also so talented. Most importantly, unlike some people, you don't rely on a bit of ability to bully instructors..."

Ye Moxi was confronted with these snide remarks the moment she entered the classroom. But her attention was elsewhere.

*Peonies?*

As she walked through the halls, she pieced the whole story together from the students' gossip. That "little white lotus" had discovered a six-level spiritual plant not recorded in the galaxy and had gifted it to another botany instructor, Luo Ping. Luo Ping was much better at playing the social game than He Molli and was more popular in the department. She had handed the peony over to the academy and announced that Leng Baihe would henceforth be her personal disciple.

Instructors at the Gifted Academy also had ranks, and to be promoted, one needed to accumulate merits. Collecting high-level spiritual or medicinal plants was the simplest and most effective way to do so. Thanks to this peony, Luo Ping had gathered enough merit to be promoted to Deputy Head. She would now be the third-most powerful person in the Botany Department, after the branch dean and the department head. Perhaps she might even vie for the position of branch dean against Feng Xun.

And this was the first time the peony had ever appeared in the galaxy.