“I also told you not to slaughter the innocent and to spare the children.”
Chi Changye’s voice was cold, devoid of any emotion. “Did you listen?”
“I…” Geng Xinghe moved his lips, but the words that had reached the tip of his tongue swallowed themselves back down.
The boy kowtowed against the ground, weeping bitterly, “Master, please punish me however you see fit. You did nothing wrong; you cannot, you cannot be punished instead.”
Chi Changye ignored him, turning and walking away.
Yue Qianfan was momentarily stunned. Casting a glance at Geng Xinghe, he hurried off to give chase to Chi Changye.
That stubborn mule could not be allowed to head toward the Hall of Discipline; heaven only knew what he might end up doing there.
Geng Xinghe remained frozen in place as he knelt, lost in a daze. Master.
A moment later, a young disciple came rushing over in a panic. Finding Geng Xinghe still kneeling on the ground, the youth began jumping in anxious frustration. “Hey, Geng-shixiong, you’re still kneeling here! Elder Chi is about to face punishment!”
“What?” Geng Xinghe snapped his head up sharply. “Where is Master?”
“Where else? The Hall of Discipline!” The young disciple grabbed him and tried to pull him along. “Hurry up and come with me!”
Stumbling clumsily, Geng Xinghe followed right behind the young disciple.
By the time Geng Xinghe arrived at the Hall of Discipline, Chi Changye was already kneeling on the ground, his wrists bound fast by chains of dark iron.
Thick bolts of purple heavenly lightning crashed down from the sky, striking mercilessly against Chi Changye’s body.
“Master!” Panic seized Geng Xinghe, and he moved to charge forward, only to be held back in a death grip by two disciples.
“Let go of me!” The boy’s eyes were bloodshot, making him look like a wild beast ready to devour someone at any second.
Beneath the violent, brutal impacts of the lightning, Chi Changye’s body trembled uncontrollably.
Lifting his gaze to look at Geng Xinghe, the young immortal seized the brief respite between two lightning strikes to force out a single, labored command: “Stay back.”
He spoke in a low, measured voice: “Take one more step forward, and I will no longer acknowledge you as my disciple.”
“Master!” Geng Xinghe’s eyes widened in horror, yet he ultimately dared not take another step closer.
The boy collapsed to his knees, watching as bolt after bolt of purple lightning rained down, his fingernails clawing desperately deep into the dirt.
Master… My master is suffering this torment because of me.
Once forty-nine bolts of purple lightning had finally run their course, the skies cleared once more.
The elder of the Hall of Discipline hurried forward to unlock the dark iron chains binding Chi Changye.
The young immortal’s body was charred head to toe, blood steadily oozing from his splitting, fractured skin.
Yue Qianfan rushed up to support him, and Geng Xinghe followed closely behind.
Chi Changye brushed away Yue Qianfan’s attempt to help him up. “Get lost.”
“Chi Changye, you damn.” Yue Qianfan wanted to curse, but catching sight of the bloodstain at the corner of Chi Changye’s mouth, he sighed and glared at Geng Xinghe. “Are you blind? Hurry up and help your master!”
Silently, Geng Xinghe reached out to support Chi Changye.
Chi Changye ultimately did not shake Geng Xinghe off.
The azure-clad immortal was covered entirely in blood and grime; no matter where one touched him, it was bound to agitate his open wounds.
Supporting him with trembling hands, Geng Xinghe wept uncontrollably.
Together, master and disciple supported each other as they departed.
Yue Qianfan watched them leave and let out a heavy sigh. “Stubborn fools. Both of them are absolute, stubborn fools.”
Upon returning to Peak Chiyue, Chi Changye shook off Geng Xinghe’s grip and headed straight for the Lotus Breeze Pavilion.
Left standing in a daze, Geng Xinghe watched him go for a moment before sprinting after him to grab hold of his sleeve. “Master, please let me tend to your wounds.”
The boy bit his lip, his voice thick with a choked sob.
“Go kneel at the back mountain and reflect on what you have done.” Chi Changye’s voice was frigid and detached, devoid of the slightest trace of warmth.
Watching Chi Changye step inside the Lotus Breeze Pavilion, Geng Xinghe stood in silence for a brief moment before turning to walk toward the back mountain.
Upon returning to the Lotus Breeze Pavilion, Chi Changye collapsed limply onto the floor.
The young man lacked even the strength to reach the bed; he was simply too exhausted.
Chi Changye was gambling, betting everything on a single throw.
He was wagering that Geng Xinghe cared more about his master than he did about himself.
The boy lived a life devoid of vitality; only in his master’s presence did he exhibit any semblance of life.
If he wished to punish Geng Xinghe in a way that would truly make him feel regret, how should he go about it?
The only method he could conceive of was for himself, as his master, to lead by personal example.
Events proved that Chi Changye had won his wager.
The Geng Xinghe kneeling upon the back mountain was consumed by utter despair and remorse.
His master had endured forty-nine bolts of heavenly lightning because of him, subjected to the condemnation of thousands.
And this wasn’t due to some cursed destiny of his own, but entirely because he had stubbornly disobeyed his master’s commands.
Geng Xinghe was racked with bitter regret.
A mere worthless piece of trash, he would have countless opportunities to kill him later on.
Why on earth had he insisted on seizing a fleeting moment of gratification?
He should have simply listened to his master.
Had he done so, his master would never have had to suffer punishment.
Nor would his master have been branded a sinner in the eyes of the three thousand immortal sects.
It was all his fault.
That night, thunder rolled across the heavens.
A torrential, howling storm poured down from the sky, soaking the kneeling boy completely.
The raindrops lashed against his body like cutting blades.
Yet Geng Xinghe only wished the rain would fall heavier still, hoping the lightning bolts might strike him down instead.
When Chi Changye finally regained consciousness, three days had already passed.
The wounds across the young man’s body were still weeping blood.
Forcing himself up, Chi Changye retrieved a bottle of medicinal pills from his qiankun pouch and swallowed a single pellet.
The punitive purple lightning differed from standard ascension tribulations; it offered no tempering benefits to a cultivator’s physical body, bringing only agonizing torment.
Without proper treatment, the wounds would refuse to heal entirely.
Fortunately, Immortal Lord Yaoguang was never lacking in miraculous elixirs and spiritual medicines.
Following the ingestion of the pill, the lacerations across Chi Changye’s body finally began the slow process of closing up.
Lowering his gaze, the young immortal looked down at his filthy, ruined robes.
The Dust-Clearing Technique was useless now; the fabric was far too thoroughly shredded.
Chi Changye had no choice but to change into a fresh set of clothes.
Once he had tidied himself up, he pushed open the door and stepped outside.
He needed to check on that rebellious disciple of his.
On the back mountain of Peak Chiyue, Geng Xinghe was still kneeling there.
The boy’s clothes were wrinkled and disheveled, his complexion thoroughly ghastly.
Standing at a distance, Chi Changye gazed at the rigidly kneeling youth, uncertain how to handle this intractable disciple.
Having taken on a disciple for the very first time in his life, he possessed zero experience.
This kid was outwardly warm yet coldly detached, holding nobody else in any regard.
He had no idea to what extent he could actually rein in or control this disciple.
Chi Changye had no desire to find himself forced to purge his own sect one day.
The young man sighed, feeling a fresh wave of agony flare across his injuries, right down to a throbbing ache in his temples.
Within Geng Xinghe’s field of vision, a pair of black cloth boots suddenly appeared, followed by the hem of flowing azure robes.
The boy lifted his head to meet Chi Changye’s pale, frosty gaze.
“Master.”
The youth murmured the word, lowering his head in deep shame. “I’m sorry, Master. I.”
“Please punish me however you wish.”
Even if it meant taking his life.
Chi Changye looked down at him coldly, remaining entirely silent.
Mainly because he simply didn’t know what to say.
The formidable, stern Immortal Lord Yaoguang currently found his mind entirely blank.
When it came to the matter of raising and teaching children, he was genuinely out of his depth.
A moment later, Chi Changye spoke in a chilling tone: “Have you… figured it out?”
Geng Xinghe bowed deeply until his forehead touched the earth. “Geng Chen is guilty and has implicated his master. You may punish me however you see fit, Master; I only beg that you do not expel me from the sect. I will obey your every command from this day forward.”
This wasn’t simply a matter of obedience; it was a question of basic boundaries!
Chi Changye’s face darkened completely. “Geng Chen, failing to teach you properly was my failure as a master. I overestimated your reason, which is why I accepted my punishment without a word of complaint. But what about you?”