Elder Yuheng broke the rules and was punished. He might as well have sprouted wings. There was no need to wait until the next morning; Almost all the disciples of the sect had heard about it that same night.
Two hundred strikes; if he were replaced by any other ordinary person, they would probably be beaten to death. Even a cultivator isn't indestructible.
Xue Meng jumped up after learning about it: "What?! Master went to the Court of Discipline?"
"Young Master, go and talk to the Lord. He's already injured. How could he stand two hundred strikes?"
Xue Meng was going crazy: "My father? I can't. My father is still at the Snow Palace and hasn't returned yet. A carrier pigeon wouldn't even get there for another day. Why didn't you guys stop Shizun?"
Mo Ran and Shi Mei glanced at each other.
Stop Chu Wanning?
Who in this world could stop him?
"That's out of the question. I'm going to find him right now." Xue Meng roared and ran towards the Court of Discipline. Before he entered the courtyard, he saw a group of Elder Jielu's disciples blocking the entrance of the main hall, whispering about something.
"What are you standing there for? Move! Get out of my way!"
"Young Master!"
"Ah, the young master is here."
"Make way, the young master is here."
The disciples quickly separated and gave way to Xue Meng. The gate of the Qingtian Temple was open, and Chu Wanning was kneeling silently, his posture straight, his eyes closed. Elder Jielu, with an iron rod in hand, was reciting the laws of Life-Death Peak. Every time he finished reciting one, the iron rod slammed against Chu Wanning's back.
"The ninety-first law of this sect: do not indiscriminately hurt the innocent, and do not use cultivation against a mortal. Under this rod, do you have any objections?"
"None."
"The ninety-second law of this sect; do not act arbitrarily, do not act selfishly. Under this rod, do you have any objections?"
"None."
Elder Jielu didn't dare hold back and had to execute the punishment as he would with any other disciple. After more than ninety sticks came down, Chu Wanning's white robes were stained with blood.
Xue Meng respected Chu Wanning the most. When he saw this, his eyes went bloodshot, and he shouted: "Shizun!"
Chu Wanning ignored him. His eyes were still closed and he frowned slightly.
Elder Jielu glanced at the door and muttered: "Elder Yuheng, the young master is here."
"I'm not deaf, I heard him." Blood dripped out of the corners of Chu Wanning's mouth, but he didn't raise his eyes. "He's a noisy child, don't worry about it."
Elder Jielu sighed. "…Yuheng, why are you doing this?"
"Who is the one that is always punishing my disciples for being disobedient?" Chu Wanning said indifferently. "If I'm not punished today according to the law, how will I be able to face my disciples in the future?"
"…"
"Carry on."
"Hah…" Elder Jielu looked at his pale, slender neck protruding from the edge of the wide collar that hung gently like thin smoke and asked: "Then can I at least make them lighter?"
"… This is nothing more than deception." Chu Wanning said. "Don't worry. It's only two hundred strikes, I can bear it."
"Elder Yuheng…"
"Jielu, if you don't have anything more to say, carry on."
The iron rod finally fell again.
Xue Meng's voice was frantic: "Elder Jielu! Are you not going to fucking stop? Do you know the situation you've put me in? That's my shizun you're beating!!! My shizun!!!"
Elder Jielu had no choice but to bite his tongue and pretend he didn't hear him.
Xue Meng was about to explode: "Can't you hear me, old man? I'm ordering you to stop! You - If you dare hit him again, I'll, I'll, I'll—"
He thought for a while and couldn't come up with anything to say. After all, he was only a fifteen-year-old boy. Regardless of the fact that he was "the proud boy of heaven," his strength and qualifications are far less than those of the elders. He could only blush and throw out an outrageous claim –
"I'll tell my father!!!"
Elder Jielu: "…"
Chu Wanning let out an almost inaudible sigh.
Ninety-seven strikes. Ninety-eight strikes. Ninety-nine strikes. One hundred sticks…
His clothes were torn and blood was glaringly seeping out.
Xue Meng couldn't hold back anymore. His eyes were red with anxiety, and he was about to recklessly rush in, but Chu Wanning suddenly opened his eyes. He waved his hand and a barrier instantly lowered, blocking the entrance. Xue Meng bounced back a few steps, almost falling to the ground.
Chu Wanning coughed up blood. He shifted his glare, narrowing his fierce phoenix eyes.
"Disgraceful! Leave!"
"Shizun!"
Chu Wanning sternly said: "Since when can the Young Master of Life-Death Peak order an Elder to bend the law for his own personal gain? Leave now!"
Xue Meng stared at him. His eyes widened and it looked like little beads of water appeared in them.
Next to him, Mo Ran stroked his chin, and the corner of his mouth was still playfully curled upwards: "Oh, that's not good. Little phoenix is going to cry."
Hearing these words, Xue Meng harshly turned his head and fiercely glared at Mo Ran. His watery eyes were red, but he kept any tears from rolling down.
He had no more objections and no more talk back.
He climbed up from the ground with a single movement. He lowered his head, grit his teeth and wiped the dust off his body. Then he knelt down facing the Qingtian Temple: "Shizun, I know my mistake."
Chu Wanning was still being tortured by an iron rod. His straight posture never wavered, but his face was pale, and his forehead was coated with a fine layer of cold sweat.
Xue Meng stubbornly said: "But I'm not leaving. I'll accompany Shizun."
He said while kneeling.
Mo Ran rolled his eyes towards the sky. Xue Meng, courtesy name Xue Ziming, the proud son of heaven, was only ever humble in front of Chu Wanning. In front of others, he was a phoenix, and in front of their shizun, he became a quail. If he wasn't positive that Xue Meng didn't like men, Mo Ran would start to suspect that this guy was probably in love with Chu Wanning, so much so that he would throw himself in front of death itself for him. If Shizun slapped his left cheek, then this little bitchy quail would humbly slap his right cheek.
Real convincing.
Like an obedient little puppy.
Although he despised him in his heart, he couldn't understand why he was feeling somewhat upset. Mo Ran looked at Xue Meng. The more he looked at him, the more uncomfortable he got and he felt that he could not let him show his loyalty alone.
Chu Wanning already didn't like him. If Xue Meng made such a fuss, does that mean Chu Wanning wouldn't be as harsh with him in the future?
So he simply went over and knelt beside Xue Meng.
"I'll also accompany Shizun."
Of course, Shi Mei also knelt down, and the three disciples all knelt and waited outside. When disciples under the other elders heard the circulating rumours, they all hurried to the Court of Discipline to watch the excitement.
"Oh my god, why is it Elder Yuheng…"
"I heard he went into a rage and beat a civilian."
"Ah! He's that cruel?"
"Shhh, keep your voice down. If Elder Yuheng hears you, he won't hesitate to whip you!"
Others: "Why is the young master kneeling?"
"Young Master Mo is also kneeling…"
Mo Ran was handsome and he had a way with words. He didn't know how many female cultivators he'd earned goodwill with over the years, but right now, there were several people who couldn't help but feel pity for him and whisper: "I feel so sorry for Young Master Mo. What should I do? Should we intervene?"
"We shouldn't concern ourselves with their shizun - disciple issues. Do it if you dare, I'm not that brave. Do you remember the senior sister who was whipped hundreds of times by Elder Yuheng…"
"…"
The two hundred strikes were completed.
The barrier was finally removed.
Xue Meng quickly got up from the ground. He ran into Qingtian Temple and approached the scene. Seeing Chu Wanning's appearance, he cried out. He turned his head and grabbed Elder Jielu's collar. "You're dead, old man! Couldn't you have hit him a little lighter!!!"
"Xue Ziming." Chu Wanning closed his eyes, his blood-stained lips moving, and his hoarse voice carried a hidden deterrent.
"…"
Xue Meng's knuckles creaked. He violently pushed Elder Jielu away, letting him go. This was when Mo Ran came in. He was still smiling, thinking that Elder Jielu must have taken into account Chu Wanning's status and wouldn't deal heavy blows. But looking down at Chu Wanning's injury, the smile on his face suddenly fell.
Didn't Chu Wanning tell Elder Jielu that he had a shoulder injury?!
The two hundred strikes had all more or less slashed across the older wound on his shoulder.
New wounds overlapped old wounds.
Chu Wanning, you…
Are you insane?!
His pupils shrank sharply, and a strong resentment surged into his heart.
Mo Ran didn't know what he was resenting, or what he was so annoyed about. He only knew that he felt a blazing fire in his gut, torching through all his organs. He was used to torturing Chu Wanning to death himself, crushing his self-esteem and tarnishing his purity. Mo Ran couldn't stand seeing injuries on Chu Wanning that were made by someone else!
He could move on from his past memories because Mo Ran subconsciously felt that this person was his. This person, whether dead or alive, hated or hated, was all.
He originally didn't care about Chu Wanning being punished because he thought that, since Chu Wanning was an elder, the two hundred strikes would hardly be considered a severe punishment.
At the very least, they would avoid the fresh wound on his shoulder.
But Chu Wanning didn't say anything! He didn't even mention it! What was this lunatic so stubborn? Why did he put up with this? What point did he so stupidly and stubbornly need to prove?!?
His mind was in turmoil. Mo Ran raised his hand to help him, but Xue Meng was already one step ahead of him. He took Chu Wanning in his arms and helped him up.
"…" Mo Ran's hand hung in the air, and after a while, he slowly lowered it again.
He watched Xue Meng help Chu Wanning walk away, not knowing the feeling that was stirring in his heart.
He wanted to catch up with them, but he wasn't willing to move.
What happened in his past life was all in the past.
Nowadays, Chu Wanning was just his shizun.
Any chaotic, hateful, or intimate entanglement hadn't happened between them yet.
He shouldn't have such thoughts. Whether Chu Wanning was beaten by someone, supported by someone, loved someone, or was even killed by someone, it had nothing to do with him.
Shi Mei came to him: "Come on, let's join the young master and go take a look."
"I'm not going. It's enough having Xue Meng there. I wouldn't help much. Any more people would just create chaos." Mo Ran's face remained unchanged, but his heart was a bit confused.
He really didn't understand what he was feeling right now. What was this feeling called?
Was it hatred?