Chapter Thirty-Two: Master is Punished

He suddenly knelt down.

He wasn't looking at the people he had "harmed," nor at the thousands of eyes behind him, nor even at Ji Pengde, but at the high hall, at the portraits of the Qinglian Sect's past leaders. He knelt upright, like a pine tree, and nothing had ever been able to crush his pride, never.

"Punish me or punish me as you see fit." Ya Feiyu closed his eyes. "I confess my sins, but not to you."

He opened his eyes again, looked at the high hall, and then at Ji Pengde, his gaze firm and indifferent. "I repent to my predecessor for failing to completely eradicate that scourge of demonic cultivation."

"You! Unrepentant to the death!" Mrs. Li's eyes widened in anger. If she could, she seemed to truly want to tear Ya Feiyu to pieces, chew him up, and swallow his arrogant flesh and blood into her filthy stomach. "You ungrateful wretch! Our family has raised you for so many years, and this is how you treat this old woman! You, you—!"

Ya Feiyu lifted his eyelids, speechless, but his chilling gaze was terrifying. For a moment, no one dared to speak, falling silent, all looking at Ji Pengde, hoping he would deliver a "fair" judgment. Ji Pengde was somewhat troubled; the current situation was clear enough that both sides held their own opinions, making it truly… difficult to judge.

If Ya Feiyu is not punished, these crazy villagers will spread the word, and the reputation of Qinglian Sect will definitely be affected.

But if the verdict is handed down, what will Ya Feiyu think?

Having cultivated immortality for so many years, he had practically watched Ya Feiyu grow up. His attitude towards Ya Feiyu was more like that of an old father towards his good-for-nothing son. He cared for him well on a daily basis, but he was truly reluctant to punish his own child.

Ya Feiyu seemed to sense his inner turmoil, lowered her eyelashes, and a faint shadow seemed to fall over her eyes: "Sect Master, punish him."

"We can't really take action against ordinary people."

Ji Pengde felt a pang of sadness. He gritted his teeth, slowly walked up to the high hall, and, holding a sheet of Xuan paper, glanced at Ya Feiyu one last time before speaking. The latter knelt obediently, seemingly oblivious to the shouts and yells directed at him from those around him, staring intently at him with his silvery-white eyes.

He closed his eyes, sighed deeply, and slowly said, "Elder Tianxue, Ya Feiyu, violated the 37th rule of the sect, which prohibits threatening mortals, and the 45th rule of the sect, which prohibits excessive interference in the lives of mortals."

"Ya Feiyu, do you know your crime?"

A deep voice echoed throughout the hall, and instantly, everyone's gaze fell upon the lonely figure kneeling in the center. Ya Feiyu felt as if his ears were ringing, and he could hardly hear the voice, but he could hear the whispers behind him, see the smug faces of the villagers, and with a slight glance up, he could see the disappointed look in Ji Pengde's eyes.

He was suddenly stung and squeezed his eyes shut.

“Those who do not speak are guilty.”

His clear, cool voice was firm and resonant.

"Guards!" Ji Pengde frowned, waved his hand, and signaled a servant disciple to bring out a large board, which was then handed to a thug who had been waiting nearby. "Fifty strokes of the board, and three months of confinement."

The thug took the heavy plank, a rare hint of panic flashing across his usually taut face. He gripped a corner of the plank, his features tense: "Elder Tianxue... please don't blame me, I was just carrying out a mission..."

Ya Feiyu raised her eyes, looked at him coldly and indifferently, her long eyelashes drooping, and said in a very soft voice: "No."

"Go ahead and fight."

...

"What?! Master has been punished?!?"

Ye Chi suddenly sprang up from the bed, nearly straining his back in the process, but he didn't care much. He scrambled over to Shi Bai, gripping his arms tightly: "Say it again? Master has been punished??"

More than anger, Ye Chi was shocked. This part of the story wasn't described in the original book, but given Ya Feiyu's upright character throughout his life, he shouldn't have done anything to break the sect rules, right?

Most importantly—wasn't he the Peak Master? So Peak Masters don't have the power of pardon? Ji Pengde treated him so well, yet he was willing to harm him?!

Countless questions took root in his mind. Before he could think about them, he heard Shi Bai say, "I don't know what crime Master committed, but... the punishment was quite severe. I just went out and happened to see Master covered in blood, and he was even staggering as he walked."

Ye Chi's mind went completely blank for a moment. Who was that, covered in blood, staggering? Ya Feiyu?

No, it shouldn't be like this.

Ya Feiyu may have blood staining his white clothes, but it could never be blood flowing from his own body. Even if he is weak, it should be after he has fought and won against the enemy, hiding in the shadows to prolong his life, licking his wounds, and not letting anyone see his vulnerability, rather than being dragged to the light and having all his weaknesses exposed to everyone as he is now.

According to Shi Bai, Ya Feiyu even walked back on his own.

His mind went blank for a second, and his body reacted faster than his brain. He burst out the door, leaving Shi Bai standing there dumbfounded. Shi Bai stared at the wooden door that had been flung open, his Adam's apple bobbing, and he silently swallowed the words that were about to come out.

There are other people in Master's room, which is why I didn't go with them. Let's get some medicine and go see Master later.

Ye Chi's recklessness...couldn't he have offended the people in Master's room?

Thinking of this, the soft down on Shi Bai'er's feathers bristled, and she chased after him without a second thought.

...

Tianxue Peak.

Snowflakes drifted down from the mountains, and the world was vast and desolate.

A crow stands in the woods, not speaking.

His favorite white robe was stained crimson with blood. The rest of his wardrobe consisted of spring and summer clothes. Normally, with his cultivation, it wouldn't be a problem. However, during the month that Ya Feiyu was confined, he was also placed under a restriction that prevented him from using his spiritual power and from experiencing the hardships of a mortal's life for a month.

Although it is said that cultivators possess bodies invulnerable to swords and spears, few can truly withstand such extreme cold.

So, unusually, he pulled out a long, dark robe and put it on, but still felt cold, so he draped a fox fur over it. The dark clothing perfectly concealed the blood seeping from his gaping wound, making it barely noticeable to the naked eye. He stood in the snow for a while until he heard a call from behind, then he turned around.

"Senior Brother." Yi Fengchun, though seemingly afraid of the cold, was still dressed casually, only wearing a semi-transparent red gauze robe as a token gesture. "I heard you were punished?"

Upon hearing this, Ya Feiyu looked over and met Yi Fengchun's seemingly calm eyes. He was better than anyone at reading people's hearts, and he could tell at a glance that the emotions hidden in her eyes were not as calm as they appeared. Oh, she's about to go crazy, Ya Feiyu thought casually.

"Yes, mistakes should be punished, that's only right." Ya Feiyu didn't intend to dwell on the topic, trying to brush it off with a few casual words. Yi Fengchun, however, wouldn't have it her way. His bland words sounded like indifference to her; his cool voice only fueled her anger. Whether in the past or present, Ya Feiyu had never once cared about her health. Thinking this, Yi Fengchun was furious. He took a few steps forward and deliberately slapped Ya Feiyu's wound on the back, gritting his teeth, "Is that so?"

She wanted to see some emotion on Ya Feiyu's face besides indifference, such as pain or sorrow.

But the longer she stared at him, the more disappointed she became—Ya Feiyu showed no reaction whatsoever.

Her eyes were still faint, like a cold spring that could not hold anything, pure and clean.

Yi Fengchun felt increasingly cold-hearted as he looked at her. He pursed his lips and said, "You...! Don't you feel anything at all? Don't you feel pain? Don't you feel sadness? Don't you feel anger?"

There were no pauses in her words, as if she was desperately trying to get his answer, or a warm look in his eyes.

Unfortunately, no.

Ya Feiyu lowered her long eyelashes, pulled her fox fur coat tighter around her body, and held back the question that was flowing away with her blood. She slowly opened her mouth and said, "You're the same as before, always meddling in other people's business."

Yi Fengchun stared wide-eyed in astonishment at the retreating figure.

He stood proudly in the snow, enduring the fierce winds, yet still took root and sprouted deep underground.

No one could uproot it or break its trunk, yet it was done very easily.

Yi Fengchun's eyes held an unreadable emotion. Having grown up without parents, she had long considered Ya Feiyu her family. Family should support each other; if Ya Feiyu insisted on repeatedly avoiding her…

She wouldn't mind using some forceful methods to make her senior brother confront her.

"Senior brother, what will your disciple say if he finds out you're injured?"

"..."

Ya Feiyu didn't answer, using silence to replace all useless words. Yi Fengchun was delighted to see this and pressed his advantage, saying, "You're not a god, senior brother. Just because you've always been called an immortal doesn't mean you really think you're an omnipotent god."

She slowly stepped forward and took Ya Feiyu's cold hand in hers. His hand, with its distinct knuckles, had long since lost most of its warmth. She gently took his hand, lightly stroking the calluses on his hand with her thumb, and said softly, "Senior brother, you are human, take a rest."

"Humans experience pain, bleed, and become vulnerable."

"Your heart is beating, so there's no way to avoid this process."

Her long eyelashes drooped, but her hands suddenly burst with immense strength as she gripped Ya Feiyu's hand tightly, which he was trying to pull away from: "Senior brother! Stop running away! You've been possessed by a demon, and your days are numbered. Are you really willing to abandon all of us? I'll be heartbroken, your disciples will be heartbroken, and all the thousands upon thousands of disciples of the Qinglian Sect, and all the people you've protected, will be heartbroken!"

"Senior brother! Look at me!"

She roared, and the woman, who was always as strong as a lioness, finally shed soft tears.

"What's wrong with relying on others when you need them?"

"Stop treating me like a weak junior sister who needs your protection, Ya Feiyu."