Chapter 2 A small punishment, nothing to show your respect

Su Yuan was shocked to see Xuan Feng and Qi Men at the door, but he still bowed respectfully.

"Gentlemen...please follow me," Su Yuan said in a low voice.

"Mr. Su, aren't you going to ask who we are?" Xuanfeng asked, puzzled.

Su Yuan raised his head and looked at Xuan Feng. "I... do not know who you are, but I know why you have come."

"Oh? Interesting. Tell me, why have we come here?"

"A cup of water thrown into a raging fire, dust falling into a swamp—to survive amidst such peril is like a whirlwind trapped in a dense forest. If I'm not mistaken, please come in!"

Xuanfeng remained expressionless, but inwardly he couldn't help but marvel. "Master Qimen, this Mr. Su Yuan is indeed amazing. He could discern my situation with just one glance, and... he already knows who I am!"

"Yes! Lord Xuanfeng, perhaps this Mr. Su Yuan could be of use!" Qi Men thought to himself.

"Mr. Su is absolutely right! However, we're here today to find someone!"

As he spoke, Xuanfeng lifted his robe and stepped into the doorway. He immediately saw the chubby girl standing in the distance, and his teeth clenched together, making a grinding sound.

You brat, you ruined my plans! I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget, or I'll be unworthy of the title of Heavenly Emperor!

When Su Yuyao saw Xuanfeng looking at her, she quickly turned around and tried to hide back inside. If Xuanfeng exposed her lie, she would definitely get a beating from her mother!

“This young lady looks familiar. Have we met somewhere today?” Xuanfeng said, deliberately raising his voice.

Su Yuyao stood there stunned, thinking to herself, "You bastard, I didn't offend you, why did you have to hurt me!"

Madam Su came out upon hearing the noise. She glanced at Su Yuyao, who looked guilty, and then at Xuanfeng, who was arrogant. She said leisurely, "My lord, you must be joking. My daughter has been practicing calligraphy at home and has never gone out. You must have seen wrong."

“Oh, that’s possible.” Xuanfeng said as he walked toward Madam Su, “I heard that Qianlong Town has a simple and honest folk culture, so my teacher and I came to visit and experience it. Today, we went to Yunkelai Restaurant to eat roast chicken and drink rice wine, then we rested under a century-old tree in the suburbs, and we also washed our hands by the river…”

Hearing Xuan Feng's highly provocative words, Su Yuyao turned around abruptly and glared at him, clenching her fists tighter and tighter. "You bastard, you actually followed me?! You're definitely no good!"

Xuanfeng glanced at Su Yuyao with disdain, smiled slightly, took a cloth bag from his waist, handed it to Madam Su, and continued, "Coincidentally, we also found a bag of copper coins, so we inquired about the owner and found our way here... I wonder if anyone has claimed it?"

When Su Yuyao saw the cloth bag, she felt as if she had been struck by lightning. My money! You bastard! How dare you steal my money!

Madam Su took the cloth bag, on which the character "Su" was embroidered. She opened it and saw that it contained copper coins, trinkets, and small jewelry. She immediately understood what was going on. She put the bag away, glared at Su Yuyao, and said calmly, "Yao'er, come in with me!"

"Huh?" Su Yuyao looked at her overly calm mother, her legs began to tremble uncontrollably. She pouted and looked at Su Yuan, whispering, "Daddy..."

Su Yuan quickly stepped forward and put his arm around the lady's shoulder, whispering in her ear, "Madam, please calm down. We can't just listen to one side of the story..."

"Oh, right! We also saw a good show at the city gate tower!" Xuanfeng clapped his hands and said, "A little girl saw the summons for the Hall of Immortals on the bulletin board, cast a divination, and persuaded everyone to leave. Not only did she collect the copper coins, but she also tore down all twelve summons!"

Upon hearing this, Su Yuan frowned and looked at Su Yuyao, while Su Yuyao glared at Xuan Feng with a flushed face, yelling, "You bastard! Stop talking!"

Xuanfeng looked at Su Yuyao, who was about to get beaten up, and said even more smugly, "It hurts so much that this girl tore them up! Because... I pasted those twelve summons up one by one!"

"What?!" Su Yuyao finally couldn't hold back anymore. "You put this up?!"

"Su Yuyao! Get over here right now!" Madam Su roared, storming into the front hall.

Su Yuyao then realized she had let something slip and knew things were going badly. She quickly called for help, cautiously crying out, "Daddy! Daddy! Help me!"

Unexpectedly, Su Yuan also got angry and ignored Su Yuyao. Instead, he calmly said to Xuan Feng and Qi Men, "Please come with me."

After saying that, he led Xuanfeng and Qimen into the study.

Su Yuan gently closed the study door, turned around and bowed deeply to Xuan Feng again, "My lord, I only have this one daughter, so I have indeed spoiled her a bit. If she has done anything wrong and you want to blame her, I am willing to take responsibility for her. Please forgive my daughter..."

“Mr. Su, I just wanted to teach her a lesson, that’s all.”

Xuanfeng sat down and asked, "Mr. Su is so intelligent, he should know that we are not here simply to repay the money."

"My lord, I have long since retired from fortune-telling for the sake of my wife and children, and swore never to tell fortunes or perform divination again, so..."

"Does Mr. Su really know who I am?"

"I... am not sure."

Xuanfeng lowered his eyes and said coldly, "I am Xuanfeng, the eldest son of the Mother of Limitless—the Goddess Yi!"

Su Yuan trembled slightly and quickly lifted his robe and knelt down.

Xuanfeng reached out and helped Su Yuan up, asking, "Mr. Su, how did you realize my predicament?"

"When you arrived, the three of us were having a meal. I dared to cast a divination, and the hexagram was Li above and Dui below, a Fire over Lake hexagram. Our fortunes are not good, and nothing will be accomplished! So we will definitely be trapped, and... there may be signs of bloodshed and injury."

Qi Men stroked his long beard and smiled, “Mr. Su, since you say that we are also prone to bleeding when we are trapped, how should we resolve this? Why don’t you give us some guidance, Mr. Su, so that we can also take a look?”

Su Yuan clasped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, “When things reach their extreme, they reverse; when things reach their worst, they begin to improve. When yin reaches its extreme, yang will inevitably follow, and when yang reaches its extreme, yin will inevitably follow. All things in the world go through cycles, so why be bound to a particular path? Following nature and going with your heart is the most suitable path.”

“Mr. Su,” Xuanfeng asked earnestly, “would you be willing to follow me and protect me for a while?”

"My lord..." Su Yuan knelt down again, about to refuse, when he heard the sound of whipping.

"Smack!"

"Ah! Mother... I was wrong..."

"Smack!"

"Ah! Mother...please spare me..."

"Smack!"

"Ah! Mother... I'll never do it again..."

"Smack!"

"Ah! Father... come save me..."

...

Su Yuan knelt on the ground, listening to Su Yuyao being beaten again and again, crying and begging for mercy. The anger he had felt earlier had long since vanished, and now he was only filled with heartache and anxiety.

He wanted to go and protect him, but he hesitated to get up because of Xuanfeng's expression.

Xuanfeng found Su Yuyao's pleas for mercy quite pleasing. He strolled around unhurriedly and said, "What you say is right, sir. I was indeed in danger, which is why I used the name of the Hall of Immortals to search for capable people. But your precious daughter has ruined my plans. She not only persuaded everyone to leave, but also tore up my summons and blocked my way!"

Xuanfeng suddenly opened the study door, and the sounds of Su Yuyao being beaten, crying, and begging for mercy reached Su Yuan's ears even more clearly.

Su Yuan's heart ached terribly. "My lord, please spare my daughter! I will bear any responsibility for her crimes!"

"Mr. Su should be glad that I only used Mrs. Su to give her a light lesson. If I had done it myself, it wouldn't have been as simple as getting a beating!"

"Smack!"

"Ah... Mother... let's rest for a while..."

Madam Su finally stopped, and Su Yuyao's crying gradually subsided.

Su Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Xuanfeng stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the pitch-black night outside the door. "If you can't help me, how can you guarantee that you won't help others?"

Su Yuan straightened his knees and said firmly, "I have sworn that for the sake of my wife and daughters I will never again pry into the secrets of heaven, no matter who it is!"

Xuanfeng smiled and said, "Mr. Su, it's getting late, so we'll take our leave now. We'll come back to visit again tomorrow, and we hope you'll reconsider!"

After speaking, Xuanfeng led Qimen out of the study and out of the Su family mansion.

Seeing Xuanfeng and the other person leave the courtyard, Su Yuan quickly got up and ran back to the inner hall, "Madam! Madam! Please stop hitting her! Oh dear, is Yao'er in pain!"

"Father..." Su Yuyao was kneeling with her hands raised, holding a rattan cane as punishment. As soon as she saw Su Yuan enter the room, she immediately burst into tears, "Father...it hurts so much...why didn't you come to save me..."

"Oh dear! Get up quickly!" Su Yuan hurriedly helped Su Yuyao up, holding her in his arms with heartache. "You! Why are you so disobedient! How badly are you hurt?"

"It hurts so much... Daddy... I can't stand up anymore!" Su Yuyao said coquettishly, leaning against her father's chest.

"Oh dear! Madam! How could you be so cruel! I can hear Yao'er crying even from the study! Quickly check how badly she's injured!"

"Master, you said I spoil Yao'er, but aren't you spoiling her too? I only hit her a few times, and you're already protecting her like this!" Madam Su said with some complaint.

"Besides, you're the one who cares about Yao'er, but don't I care too? If I didn't give her a good beating, do you think that person would let Yao'er go? And yet you blame me..."

"Oh my... my wife is so thoughtful! Hahaha..." Su Yuan hugged his coquettish wife and spoiled daughter tightly, laughing heartily...