Yun Qingyi looked at Mi Xingzhe with a serious expression, her face devoid of its usual gentleness, replaced instead by a clear anger towards his deliberate wrongdoing.
Seeing the red stain on Yun Qingyi's fingertip, Mi Xingzhe couldn't help but shrink his neck slightly. He initially intended to brush it off with a smile as before, but after a few attempts, he realized that Yun Qingyi had no intention of letting go.
"Q-Qingyi, brother..." Mi Xingzhe called out with a playful smile, trying to get away with it.
"Nian Nian, do you still remember what I said? Do you find it amusing to hurt yourself, or do you simply not take my words to heart at all? Or are you waiting for Master to deal with you?" Yun Qingyi firmly held Mi Xingzhe's hand, her expression serious but with an underlying tone of suppressed anger.
"Brother, please, don't... don't tell Master. It's really not a big deal, just accidentally scratched myself and bled a bit. There's no need to bother Master." Hearing Yun Qingyi's words, Mi Xingzhe nervously stood in place, lowering his head and avoiding eye contact.
"Mi Xingzhe! Stop pretending to be clueless!" Seeing his little junior brother still putting up a nonchalant facade, Yun Qingyi felt the fire in her heart about to burst.
"Brother, it's really not as serious as you think. I just accidentally scratched myself."
Seeing Mi Xingzhe persisting in denial, Yun Qingyi closed her lips tightly and sighed heavily.
For the first time in so long, Mi Xingzhe witnessed his usually gentle and smiling senior brother adopt a stern demeanor that sent shivers down his spine.
"Let me ask you again, do you realize your mistake?"
Mi Xingzhe rarely saw Yun Qingyi sigh, and the atmosphere in the room was somewhat serious, but for a moment, he didn't know what to say and could only bow his head silently in front of Yun Qingyi.
Seeing his little junior brother bowing his head in silence, Yun Qingyi couldn't help but feel a surge of anger rising within her. Summoning her magic, she conjured up the box she had found under Mi Xingzhe's bed that day.
"Snap!" Yun Qingyi slammed the box heavily in front of Mi Xingzhe.
"What is this?" Yun Qingyi questioned.
[Oh no! I stole Master's needles and forgot to put them back.] Mi Xingzhe thought to himself.
"Hehehe, Brother, isn't this the needles Master usually uses for healing? How did they end up with you?" Mi Xingzhe grinned knowingly.
"Do you really not know where you went wrong?" Yun Qingyi asked, her frustration evident in her voice as she looked at Mi Xingzhe who still wore a playful smile.
"I... I haven't done anything." Mi Xingzhe muttered quietly, knowing he was in the wrong.
"Blood is thicker than water, do you understand the significance of this?" Yun Qingyi's tone was stern and profound, mixed with a hint of severity.
"But I don't have parents..." Mi Xingzhe muttered in response.
"You! I see it's because I spoiled you too much that you've become so reckless!" Yun Qingyi's anger was fully ignited by Mi Xingzhe's words, and as she spoke, she looked around the room for something.
"Come here!" Yun Qingyi in the side hall called Mi Xingzhe who was behind the curtain.
"Oh." Mi Xingzhe, who was completely clueless about the situation, walked over to the side hall. As soon as he lifted the curtain halfway, he saw Yun Qingyi holding a ruler, looking at him sternly.
"Q-Qingyi, brother..." Seeing the ruler, Mi Xingzhe was a little scared and involuntarily took a step back, calling out timidly.
"Kneel down!" Yun Qingyi commanded sternly.
This command startled Mi Xingzhe, who hadn't expected his usually gentle senior brother to have such a stern side. Reluctantly, he knelt down and instinctively hid his hands behind his back.
"Put your hand out."
"Huh?" Mi Xingzhe, confused, hesitated for a moment before looking up at Yun Qingyi.
"Put it out!"
"Qingyi, brother..." Seeing Yun Qingyi meant business, Mi Xingzhe was thoroughly intimidated.
"Give me your hand!"
"I... won't..." Mi Xingzhe refused with a hint of grievance.
"Yun! Wan! Nian! Don't make me do it myself!"
"Why are you punishing me, senior brother? Besides, I'm not a child. I have the right to decide what to do with my own body. Are you punishing me just for this? I refuse!" Mi Xingzhe retorted.
"You're not a child, but you act worse than one. Tell me, which child behaves like this, not caring for their own body, injuring themselves recklessly? Which child steals medical needles and uses them on themselves without proper instruction? Are you not afraid of crippling yourself?" Yun Qingyi scolded Mi Xingzhe with the ruler in her hand, pointing at him as he knelt on the ground.
"I've learned it on my own from the Ling Shu Classic." Mi Xingzhe retorted quietly.
"Don't talk back!"
"That's right, I've learned it on my own, mastering the bone techniques and meridians from the Ling Shu Classic. If you won't praise me, fine, but to punish me for it too!" Mi Xingzhe stubbornly said, holding his head high.
"So that's how it is." Master guessed right. This kid is indeed using what he learned from the Ling Shu Classic to control his pain recovery.
As soon as he said that, Mi Xingzhe realized he had slipped up. He looked panicked, realizing he had said too much. Trying to cover it up, he said, "Senior brother, no, it's not like that. Let me explain."
"What else is there to explain? If I hadn't caught you today, how much longer would you have kept it hidden? Was the injury on your arm from that day also caused by this?"
"Senior brother, it's not like that, I just, I just..." Mi Xingzhe was flustered and didn't know how to explain.
"Just what? Master and I have been working hard every day, adjusting and treating you. Even the daily meals are made according to your preferences. We hope for your health to recover sooner. But what do you do? Not only do you not take care of yourself, but you also ignore Master's affection for you?" Yun Qingyi slammed these words down, turning away from Mi Xingzhe, who knelt on the ground.
Mi Xingzhe suddenly woke up, understanding why his seemingly indifferent actions had made senior brother so angry. Lowering his head in acknowledgment of his fault, he thought, "Senior brother is right. I've only been selfishly concerned with my own feelings, neglecting that my actions would hurt Master and senior brother."
With this realization, Mi Xingzhe slowly extended his hands, palms facing up, and said, "Senior brother, I was wrong. Go ahead, punish me."
Hearing Mi Xingzhe's words, Yun Qingyi turned slowly, and despite several attempts, she couldn't bring herself to strike him. On one hand, she genuinely found it difficult to do so, and on the other hand, her medical instincts made her worry about hitting too hard and damaging her junior brother's acupoints.
Mi Xingzhe didn't feel the burning sensation of the palm against his skin as expected. Just as he was about to sneak a peek, he suddenly felt a strong tug on his hand, causing him to lose balance and lean forward onto the table in the side hall.
"This posture!" Before Mi Xingzhe could react, he heard a swishing sound as a shadow struck him from behind.
"Ah!" Mi Xingzhe felt a rush of wind behind him, followed by instant pain. The burning sensation rushed through him like a bolt of lightning.
"Senior...brother...you!" Mi Xingzhe was somewhat shocked, looking at Yun Qingyi with his head tilted, his long eyelashes trembling uncontrollably, his pupils slightly dilated, his voice trembling with disbelief.
Yun Qingyi couldn't think of a better way, but she wanted her little junior brother to learn his lesson this time. However, she was afraid of hitting him too hard and causing harm. After thinking for a long time, this seemed to be the safest place.
"Senior brother, let go, please let go of me." Mi Xingzhe, pinned to the table, blushed instantly, struggling with all his might.
"Nian Nian, do you really not take my words to heart?" Yun Qingyi gently cast a spell on Mi Xingzhe's hand, making him feel as if a heavy weight was pressing down on his back, preventing him from getting up.
Yun Qingyi's eyes still held a hint of anger as she scolded Mi Xingzhe, who knelt on the ground, resembling a parent reprimanding a disobedient child.
"I..." Mi Xingzhe was slow to react after being hit just now, but when he saw the ruler swinging, he instinctively flinched.
At this moment, Mi Xingzhe was completely subdued by Yun Qingyi's demeanor and could only awkwardly shift his body, trying to break free.
Seeing Mi Xingzhe's lack of response
, Yun Qingyi gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, and tried to suppress her own reluctance. With a raised hand, she struck Mi Xingzhe several times, but couldn't bring herself to hit him too hard.
"Ah~ Ah~ It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, ah, senior brother, Qingyi, I was wrong, I know I was wrong, please...please don't hit me." Perhaps it was because he was facing Qingyi, but the child in Mi Xingzhe's heart appeared, and the pain from those few strikes made Mi Xingzhe almost cry.
"What did I do wrong?" Yun Qingyi asked.
"I...I was wrong," Mi Xingzhe stuttered.
Yun Qingyi seemed to intentionally scare him, lightly tapping the ruler in her hand not far from Mi Xingzhe's face.
"Your body is a gift from your parents. You shouldn't, shouldn't harm it casually. It hurts Master and senior brother's hearts." This move worked like a charm, and Mi Xingzhe quickly admitted.
"But will there be a next time?" Seeing Mi Xingzhe's reaction, Yun Qingyi's anger subsided somewhat, but she still had to continue the reprimand.
"No, no, there won't be a next time," Mi Xingzhe responded quickly.
"If you dare to do it again, I won't be as lenient as today. Do you understand?"
"I understand."
"Get up." Yun Qingyi lightly tapped Mi Xingzhe's back with the ruler twice and released the spell pressing on him.
Mi Xingzhe stood up with a look of grievance, rubbing the hot spots on his back where he had been struck.
"What's wrong? Feeling wronged after just a few hits?" Seeing Mi Xingzhe's expression, Yun Qingyi couldn't help but find it amusing.
"Senior brother, the punishment is justified, but...but..." Mi Xingzhe said somewhat embarrassedly.
"But what?"
"But...you shouldn't use methods of punishing children. Besides, I'm not a child. This, it's embarrassing." Mi Xingzhe lowered his head, his face flushed, muttering softly.
"You're not a child? Let me tell you, your actions are less mature than a child's. Now you feel embarrassed? I'm your senior brother, what do you have to be embarrassed about? Let me tell you, if you dare to do it again, I'll break your legs right in front of Master." Yun Qingyi scolded Mi Xingzhe, pretending to be stern.
"You always use Master to scare me! And breaking my legs, if you dare to hit me like today, I, I'll run away from home!" Mi Xingzhe suddenly showed a childish temper, blurting out.
"You dare!" The ruler in Yun Qingyi's hand snapped onto the table with a loud noise.
Startled by the loud sound, Mi Xingzhe reflexively shivered, "If you, if you dare to hit me again, I...I'll dare!" Mi Xingzhe bravely challenged, pretending to be brave.
"Yun Wan Nian, did I not hit you hard enough just now?" Although knowing that Mi Xingzhe was joking, Yun Qingyi still cooperated with him in acting.
"Hey, hey, don't come over here. If you dare to hit me again, I...I'll dismantle your medicine cabinet!" Mi Xingzhe, with a smug look on his face, ran to a place farther from Yun Qingyi, threatening with a shake of his head.
"You little brat, you're getting bold! I'll break your legs right now, see if you dare!" Yun Qingyi pointed at Mi Xingzhe, chasing after him.
Li Luoning happened to pass by the courtyard and heard the commotion inside, so he came to check it out, only to see Yun Qingyi and Mi Xingzhe circling around the main hall table.
"What's going on?" Li Luoning asked.
"Master." Seeing Li Luoning, the two immediately stopped and stood up to salute.
"What are you doing?" Li Luoning asked, somewhat puzzled by the situation.
This question made Mi Xingzhe feel wronged first, "Master, Master, senior brother is abusing corporal punishment!" he said, covering his back and hiding behind Li Luoning.
"Qingyi, what's going on?"
"Master, your earlier guess was correct, and today I caught him red-handed. Disciple decided privately, so I asked Little Junior Brother to taste the stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots." Yun Qingyi responded with a mischievous smile.
"You! You're just taking advantage of your higher cultivation level to bully me. Master, don't believe Senior Brother Qingyi." Mi Xingzhe denied.
"I was just about to ask, did anyone see your master's needles?" Li Luoning naturally knew what Yun Qingyi was talking about and found it amusing, so he decided to join in and scare Mi Xingzhe a bit.
"Oh~ Master's needles~ Well~" Yun Qingyi deliberately raised her tone and said slowly.
"Uh, hehe, I have something to do, I'll leave first..." Mi Xingzhe laughed awkwardly, turned around, and wanted to run.
But as soon as he turned around, his body was bound by a spell cast by Li Luoning.
"Hey? Let me go, let me go~"
"Nian'er, is stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots delicious?" Li Luoning asked knowingly.
"Ah? Uh...yes, it's delicious." Mi Xingzhe, who had been dragged back, responded nervously.
"Oh? Do you want to taste it again next time?"
"No, no, once is enough for this. I don't want it again." Mi Xingzhe shook his head repeatedly.
"Then would you like to tell me why you did this?" Li Luoning was always somewhat puzzled by Mi Xingzhe's actions.
"Uh...I don't know, I just...did it unconsciously." Mi Xingzhe replied uneasily.
"Are you stupid? That's your own blood, do you know you're self-harming?" Yun Qingyi scolded.
Li Luoning raised his hand to signal Yun Qingyi not to speak.
"Any other feelings?"
"Uh...there shouldn't be any more..." Mi Xingzhe's voice became smaller and smaller.
"I see." Li Luoning didn't continue to ask.
"Master, I promise, there won't be a next time, please...don't be angry." Seeing Master's response, Mi Xingzhe quickly raised his hand to assure.