Chapter 27
Chapter 27: Harsh Punishment
After An Ru Xu was taken to the Medical Hall, Jiang Li Sheng slowly shuffled back to her own courtyard.
The energy she’d gained from the jia fruit had burned away during her fight with Zhao Ke Xin. It was only a few steps, but sweat soaked her back by the time she reached her room. She collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep instantly.
She slept deeply, unaware that Zhao Ke Xin stabbing An Ru Xu had already shaken Kun Lun Sect from top to bottom.
Kun Lun Sect’s rules were strict. Incidents of fellow disciples trying to kill each other were rare. So Zhao Ke Xin attacking Jiang Li Sheng—and ending up severely injuring An Ru Xu—was something the sect absolutely would not allow. It demanded heavy punishment.
Zhao Ke Xin cried until her eyes were swollen, but with An Ru Xu’s image-recording stone as proof, she couldn’t deny anything. The recorded images showed the entire process with brutal clarity.
Sect Master Qin Feng Xing was in seclusion. Wei Qing Lan was his only personal disciple, and the elders had already marked him as the future leader of Kun Lun Sect after Qin Feng Xing. Before Qin Feng Xing entered seclusion, he handed Wei Qing Lan the sect master token, leaving him to manage the sect’s affairs in his stead.
That was why, when Jiang Li Sheng accidentally blundered into the Forbidden Grounds, Wei Qing Lan could dismiss it with a few words and Qi Bai Cheng would let her go.
Now something as serious as fellow disciples turning blades on each other had happened. Of course it had to be reported to him.
Zhou Zhen Yan, Mo Ru Yan, and Jin Wang Chou argued for a long time without reaching a conclusion. In the end, Zhou Zhen Yan dragged the other two directly to Wei Qing Lan.
Wei Qing Lan watched the image-recording stone, then lifted his gaze to Jin Wang Chou. “Martial Uncle Jin, what do you say?”
Jin Wang Chou immediately defended her disciple. “Zhao Ke Xin is at fault, but the punishment Junior Brother Zhou suggested—one hundred lashes—is too heavy.”
Zhou Zhen Yan shot back at once. “Too heavy? Martial Uncle Jin, Zhao Ke Xin injured An Ru Xu. Senior Brother Gu is away right now, not in the sect. If he were here and learned his disciple was stabbed, only an inch from the heart meridian, what do you think he’d do? He’d stab Zhao Ke Xin right back.”
His voice sharpened. “You know this. An Ru Xu was raised into someone who’d even eat a yuan hu because Senior Brother Gu spoiled him. He protects his own no less than Sect Master Yu of Qing Xu Sect. If he were here, would you still call this punishment too heavy?”
Jin Wang Chou paused.
Zhou Zhen Yan pressed on. “And you should be glad she injured An Ru Xu, not Jiang Li Sheng. You saw it—this wasn’t Jiang Li Sheng’s fault. Zhao Ke Xin started the trouble by insulting Qing Xu Sect and calling their cultivation devil arts. Who wouldn’t be furious?”
He leaned forward slightly. “If this reached Sect Master Yu, do you think he would let it go? Kun Lun Sect and Qing Xu Sect have been friendly for tens of thousands of years. Sect Master Yu sent his disciple to Kun Lun Sect to be taught—not to be bullied.”
Jin Wang Chou couldn’t refute him, but she still tried to push for leniency. “One hundred lashes is too much. Zhao Ke Xin can’t endure it. And the Qi Shan Secret Realm is about to open. In half a month, those at the Foundation Establishment Stage and below will head out to the Qi Shan Secret Realm to try their luck. If she takes that punishment, she won’t be able to go.”
Zhou Zhen Yan didn’t even blink. “She’ll be bedridden, yes. But with you as her master and her family down the mountain as her backing, she has endless pills and medicines. At most she’ll lie there for half a month and still make it.”
His eyes turned cold. “Otherwise, if we don’t punish her severely to set an example, do you want everyone copying her? For petty romance, she dug into a dead end, spouted nonsense, harmed harmony between Kun Lun Sect and Qing Xu Sect, ignored sect law, and struck with lethal ruthlessness against fellow disciples. If we don’t punish that, how do we convince anyone?”
Jin Wang Chou fell silent.
Wei Qing Lan glanced at her, then turned to Mo Ru Yan, who hadn’t spoken yet. “Martial Uncle Mo?”
Mo Ru Yan was nothing like Jin Wang Chou. Though both were women, Mo Ru Yan was colder and more rigid, the kind of person who measured everything against rules and responsibility. She managed the Steward Hall and was known for being impartial.
“I agree with Junior Brother Zhou,” she said clearly. “One hundred lashes is heavy, but Zhao Ke Xin’s behavior was vile. She should be punished severely.”
Wei Qing Lan nodded, then looked back to Jin Wang Chou. “Martial Uncle Jin, we’ll do it this way.”
With all three aligned, Jin Wang Chou had no room left to argue. She could only nod. “We’ll listen to Qing Lan.”
Zhou Zhen Yan added, “Announce it to the entire sect so all disciples take it as a warning.”
Then he emphasized, “And let Jiang Li Sheng and Qing Xu Sect see that in Kun Lun Sect, rules are strict. When disciples do wrong, they must be punished. Sect law is not a joke.”
Jin Wang Chou wanted to object, but she swallowed it.
Wei Qing Lan nodded. “Then follow Martial Uncle Zhou’s proposal. Martial Uncle Mo, enforce it according to sect rules.”
Mo Ru Yan rose to leave. Two steps later, she stopped and looked back. “You two go first. I need to speak with Qing Lan alone.”
“I’m not leaving,” Zhou Zhen Yan said immediately. “Martial Uncle Mo, I also have something to say to Qing Lan alone.”
“Then go outside and line up,” Mo Ru Yan said, waving him off. “Wait until I’m done, then you can speak.”
Zhou Zhen Yan choked and could only leave.
Jin Wang Chou had nothing to say to Wei Qing Lan. She took the chance to hurry away, thinking of giving Zhao Ke Xin an Origin-Preserving Pill. She had two personal disciples, but the one she doted on most was Zhao Ke Xin—partly because of old ties with Zhao Ke Xin’s family down the mountain. Jin Wang Chou hadn’t expected Zhao Ke Xin to become so obsessed over An Ru Xu that she’d lose her mind and insist on provoking Jiang Li Sheng.
Even if she was furious, she couldn’t abandon her.
Once the door closed, Mo Ru Yan set up a barrier to ensure no one could overhear. Only then did she speak quietly. “Qing Lan, the Mystic Heaven Realm has been shaking badly these past few days, and the Sect Master is in seclusion. Do you know why? I cast divinations, but I couldn’t calculate anything. I don’t feel at ease.”
Wei Qing Lan nodded. “Martial Uncle Mo, don’t worry. I killed two devil snakes that escaped from the Demon-Suppressing Tower and threw their corpses back inside, hanging them from the beams as a warning. The Tower’s myriad devils were frightened, and the devil qi lashed the Mystic Heaven Realm. That’s why it’s been shaking. It will settle in a few days.”
Mo Ru Yan visibly relaxed. “So that’s what it was. Good.”
She withdrew the barrier and left.