Chapter 44
The sky was overcast, and the winter was getting colder. Meng Jing sat still for a long time, shivering in the cold wind. He rubbed his hands and saw that the tea in the tea stall was still steaming, so he went over and poured himself a bowl of hot tea to ward off the cold.
"Hey, are you Meng Jing?" Suddenly, a female disciple's voice rang out beside her.
Meng Jing turned his head and noticed a group of female disciples walking towards him at some point. Each of them held a long sword, their expressions were indifferent, and their eyes were all staring straight at him.
"Who are you?" Meng Jing put down his teacup and looked back at them.
"Who are you to ask us who we are?" the female disciple said. "The Sword Forging Pavilion is short-handed today. The elders heard that you stopped Senior Sister Ding from demanding people yesterday, so they ordered us to take you to Tianyin Peak to do some work. Come with us."
Meng Jing glanced at them, then took two steps back: "I'm not going."
"Aren't you going?" the female disciple said coldly. "You have no right to speak! Tianyin Peak has always needed to select people from the new disciple courtyard to help out. This is common knowledge in the palace. No one dares to disobey the elders. You have no choice but to go!"
Meng Jing also gave a cold laugh and said, "Don't pretend. I helped Yin Qiu yesterday, and today you come to find fault with me. Do you think I can't see through you?"
Seeing his rude attitude, the female disciple was furious: "Who do you think you are? How dare you talk back to us!" As she spoke, she waved her hand and said, "Tie him up if you want!"
Upon hearing this, Meng Jing threw down his small stool and was about to leave when several female disciples rushed forward to capture him, their expressions filled with disdain.
These were all senior disciples of Tianyin Peak, who had practiced martial arts since childhood. Even without actually fighting, Meng Jing was certainly no match for them. Moreover, they outnumbered him and ganged up on him, pulling and tugging at him. Meng Jing was weak and powerless, and he couldn't break free no matter what he did.
"Let me go!" Enraged, Meng Jing kicked the female disciples.
"So you dare to lay a hand on a senior!" The female disciple shouted again, "Beat them!"
Upon hearing her words, the other female disciples couldn't wait to shove and push Meng Jing, slapping her repeatedly like monkeys, toying with her until she was completely helpless. Meng Jing could only be pushed to the ground and kicked several times.
"A poor boy from a mountain village dares to play tricks on Senior Sister Ding," the female disciple said, her hands clasped together as she coldly watched Meng Jing being beaten. "You're right, we came here on purpose to provoke you. It's a pity you don't know what's good for you. If you had obediently followed us to Tianyin Peak, we wouldn't have done this. You brought this on yourself!"
At first, these people didn't use their full strength, but they became increasingly violent as the beating progressed. Meng Jing was in pain all over and couldn't help but curse, "Ugly women! I'll kill you all!"
After shouting that, he mustered all his strength, pushed aside the people around him, and rushed straight at the leading female disciple. He clenched his fist as if to hit her, but the female disciple didn't move. She sneered and kicked Meng Jing in the chest, sending him flying back.
"Disrespectful to elders, insubordinate and defiant, drag him to the punishment hall!"
Several female disciples then held Meng Jing tightly, dragging him away by his legs.
Meng Jing's eyes were bloodshot. He was almost suffocating from that kick. His face was pale, his breathing was rapid, and his eyes were gradually rolling back.
A female disciple noticed and said suspiciously, "Senior sister, look at him..."
"That kid's shrewd; he might just be putting on an act," said the leading female disciple. "Never mind him, drag him away right now!"
The female disciple hesitated for a moment, glanced at Meng Jing's reaction, and although she was a little worried, she did not dare to disobey her senior sister and did as she was told.
The group had barely walked a short distance when a loud shout suddenly came from behind them: "Stop!"
The female disciples turned around and saw two junior sisters of similar age rushing over. They looked familiar to the female disciples.
"Let him go!" Upon seeing Meng Jing's pale face, Yin Qiu knew something was wrong and rushed forward to grab Meng Jing.
Fu Xiang followed behind, and said seriously, "Why are you hitting people, senior sisters? Meng Jing already suffers from a heart ailment, and he can't be angered or provoked. Didn't you see that his face was off? What if someone gets killed!"
The leading female disciple sneered when she saw the two of them: "So it's you two." She glanced at the three juniors and said coldly, "If you two hadn't angered Senior Sister Ding, this kid would be fine. Since you refuse to work at Tianyin Peak, someone has to take responsibility. You are the descendants of Master Shen and Mingyue Tower, respectively. We ordinary disciples can't persuade two young ladies of noble birth, so we can only ask someone else. Get out of the way!"
Yin Qiu shielded Meng Jing tightly, saying, "Even if you're going to Tianyin Peak to do something, there's absolutely no reason to hit someone. What you're doing violates the palace rules, and the sect leader won't approve if he finds out."
"Don't try to scare us with the sect leader!" the female disciple said. "You two need to understand, he was the one who started the fight, and he's the one who violated the palace rules. We're taking him to the punishment hall to be dealt with according to the palace rules. If you try to stop us, and things escalate to the sect leader's ears, it won't just be us who get punished!"
Fu Xiang was always good at handling interpersonal relationships and would not get angry easily if she could remain calm. But at this moment, she could not help but put on a stern face and said, "Then let's wait until we report to the sect leader. Meng Jing has been beaten to the point of having a relapse. We absolutely cannot take him away now. Will you take responsibility if someone dies?"
The female disciple said arrogantly, "Whether he is truly ill or not, the medical disciples in the punishment hall will determine that. If he causes any more trouble, we'll take you all away with him!"
Not to be outdone, Fu Xiang stood in front of Yin Qiu and Meng Jing, meeting the female disciple's gaze and saying, "Then you should try!"
·
A cold wind swept in, ruffling Fu Xiang's full head of black hair. She suppressed her usual smile, her expression turning serious and her eyes unfriendly. When the female disciple met her gaze, she felt a strange sense of apprehension.
Meng Jing whispered, "Yin Qiu...it hurts..."
Yin Qiu hurriedly pushed away the female disciples who were holding Meng Jing, and felt around on Meng Jing's chest, saying, "Don't be afraid, I'll feed you the medicine right away."
Just like that day in the library, Yin Qiu first touched a soft, barely noticeable area. She paused for a moment, her hand moving slightly. Meng Jing seemed to notice her unusual reaction and said through gritted teeth, "The medicine bottle is in my sleeve pocket..."
Yin Qiu gave him a complicated look.
Meng Jing lay on his back, his neck covered in cold sweat, his expression pained. From Yin Qiu's perspective, his face was gentle and handsome, his neck skin was as white as jade, and his slightly closed eyes shone with a soft light, making him look very pitiful.
Looking at him, Yin Qiu had an absurd thought pop into her head. She subtly moved her hand, intending to confirm again, when Meng Jing grabbed her wrist as if electrocuted, gritting his teeth, "Sleeve pocket..."
Recalling that day at the library, when Meng Jing reacted in the same panic, Yin Qiu suddenly understood something in a daze. She was shocked, and her wrist ached from Meng Jing's grip. Only then did she come to her senses, take out the medicine bottle from Meng Jing's sleeve, quickly feed him a pill, and then run to the teahouse to pour a bowl of water.
After all that, it took Meng Jing a long time to recover. His chest heaved violently. Yin Qiu looked at him with a deep frown, as if a certain sensation still lingered in her palm.
Seeing that Meng Jing didn't seem to be faking illness, the female disciple looked him over sharply, and finally said, "Alright, the medicine has been given, and he's fine. You two, get out of the way!"
Fu Xiangwei remained unmoved: "No, let's wait a little longer."
She tried to stop her again and again, but the female disciple couldn't hold back her anger any longer and said, "My patience is limited. I don't care who you are. If you're getting in our way while we're arresting people, you'll be punished. Take both of them away!"
Fu Xiang gave a low snort, decisively turned around and shielded Yin Qiu and Meng Jing behind her, saying neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Either you invite the sect leader, or you invite the elders of Tianyin Peak, otherwise we will not go with you."
The female disciple had completely lost her patience and shouted, "What are you all standing there for! Drag them all to the punishment hall!"
The other female disciples quickly reached out to grab them. Yin Qiu blocked Meng Jing, while Fu Xiang spread her hands and grabbed both of them. The group then started pulling and tugging, creating a chaotic scene.
Just as the stalemate was at its peak, another angry shout suddenly rang out from behind: "What are you doing!"
Upon hearing the voice, the female disciples were all startled. After recognizing who it was, their expressions changed instantly, and they quickly withdrew their hands and retreated to the side.
Yin Qiu's hands were sweating, her knuckles white. She glanced to the side and saw her instructor leading a group of guards and disciples over. Behind the crowd, a glimpse of a snow-white skirt was faintly visible. Yin Qiu stared intently for a while and saw a silver dagger at the waist of the person. She was overjoyed.
It's a river covered in snow!
"Your Tianyin Peak is getting more and more arrogant!" The instructor sister brandished her whip, pointing at the female disciples and cursing, "In previous years, when you came to pick people to do hard labor, I thought it was good for the new disciples to do more work, and missing a couple of classes wouldn't matter, so I never bothered with you. But now you've gone too far, even resorting to violence to snatch people! Do you really think my new disciples are easy to bully!"
This instructor, Sister Xu Lianzhi, is in her late twenties. She has been in charge of the new disciples' academy for many years. Due to her strict style and unsmiling nature, she is quite prestigious in the palace. Now, which disciple from each peak and lineage was not taught by her? Even Ye Zhilan and Ji Wanshu have to give her some face. To exaggerate a bit, Xu Lianzhi is considered half a master by many people, and these female disciples from Tianyin Peak are no exception; they are considered half her disciples.
Seeing that Xu Lianzhi had arrived after hearing the news, and that Man Jiangxue had also come in person, these female disciples knew that the situation was not good, and dared not act arrogantly anymore. They hurriedly knelt down in unison.
"Greetings, Martial Uncle! Greetings, Senior Sister Xu!"
Although Xu Lianzhi was a few years older than Man Jiangxue, the two were of different status and seniority. Therefore, Xu Lianzhi had to address Man Jiangxue as "Shishu" (a respectful term for a senior female disciple). She spoke first, and then turned around and said, "It really makes me angry. They treat our new disciples' courtyard like a menial courtyard. Since Shishu is here, you can decide this matter."
Under the gloomy sky, Man Jiangxue was dressed in pure white, so white that she was dazzling and seemed to be glowing. She had just received a report from the secret guards and heard about the matter, so she immediately rushed here. Fortunately, she arrived in time and did not delay until Yin Qiu and the others were taken away.
"Who sent you?" After a brief silence, Man Jiangxue asked softly.
The female disciples were all afraid of her and dared not give Ding Lianzhen's name truthfully. They knelt there trembling and remained silent.
“If you don’t answer, then I’ll assume that Elder Cheng sent you,” Man Jiangxue said. “Go and invite Elder Cheng here.”
One of the guards received the order and was about to head to Tianyin Peak to fetch someone when the leading female disciple realized something was wrong and quickly looked up, saying, "Master Aunt, wait! We came here not on Elder Cheng's orders, but... but..."
Xu Lianzhi raised her voice and said, "Hurry up and speak!"
The group exchanged glances, and the female disciple, her brows furrowed, hesitated before saying, "It's...it's Senior Sister Ding."
Man Jiangxue looked at her: "Which Senior Sister Ding?"
The female disciple stammered for a while before finally lowering her voice and saying, "It's Ding Lianzhen... Senior Sister Ding."
Man Jiangxue was not surprised at all.
Xu Lianzhi started cursing again: "It's her again! It's that Ding Lianzhen again! Everyone on Tianyin Peak follows her every word, treating her like a local tyrant. It's outrageous!"
In contrast to her, Man Jiangxue appeared quite calm. She didn't say anything extra, only calmly saying, "Call the person here."
The female disciple had a bitter face, thinking to herself that she was really doomed this time, but she didn't dare to hesitate and quickly got up to find Ding Lianzhen's whereabouts.
·
After a short while, everyone gathered in the main hall of the punishment hall. Man Jiangxue sat on the high seat, and Xu Lianzhi sat to her lower right. A group of people knelt below, including Yin Qiu and Fu Xiang. Only Meng Jing had a chair to sit on.
Yin Qiu knelt upright, looking up at Man Jiangxue. Although she dared not speak to Man Jiangxue, her eyes revealed her joy. Man Jiangxue propped her head up with her arm and looked back at her gently through the crowd.
Yin Qiu pursed her lips and smiled, and Man Jiangxue also slightly raised the corners of her lips, revealing a hint of a smile.
The atmosphere in the hall was tense, and everyone waited silently with expressionless faces. Fu Xiang inadvertently caught a glimpse of Man Jiangxue's faint smile, and then turned her eyes to see Yin Qiu smiling as well. She thought that these two were looking at each other across the distance, and they could still smile at a time like this. Uncle Man was really approachable. Fu Xiang couldn't help but smile as well.
To her surprise, she turned around and saw Xu Lianzhi staring at her with furrowed brows.
Fu Xiang's lips stiffened, and she quickly lowered her head.
Before long, hurried footsteps could be heard outside the hall. Everyone turned around and saw Ding Lianzhen leading the female disciple from before walking quickly in. Before she could even look up at the people sitting in the hall, Ding Lianzhen knelt down and bowed, saying, "Disciple Ding Lianzhen greets Uncle Man and Senior Sister Xu."
Xu Lianzhi looked at her with utter disgust, but since Man Jiangxue was the most powerful person here and it was her turn to preside over the trial, Xu Lianzhi glanced at Man Jiangxue.
In the dim light of winter, lamps are indispensable in any indoor space. Man Jiangxue toyed with a dagger, its sharp, thin blade gleaming coldly under the lamplight, reflecting in Man Jiangxue's unreadable eyes.
"Tell me about it."
Ding Lianzhen straightened up and said, "Replying to Martial Uncle, you know that the Sword Forging Pavilion is always short of manpower. I have always been responsible for picking people to help me in the disciple courtyard. This is also a task assigned to me by Elder Cheng. Today, I am not feeling well, so I asked this junior sister next to me to go in my place. I asked her on the way here. I did not expect them to act in this way. In the end, I am also to blame. Please punish me, Martial Uncle."
Man Jiangxue's gaze shifted to the female disciple: "What you're implying is that it wasn't her who instigated you to beat up the new disciple, but rather it was your own idea?"
The female disciple looked displeased and glanced at Ding Lianzhen, but the latter didn't look at her. The female disciple gritted her teeth and nodded, saying, "Yes, Senior Sister Ding only told us to come and choose people..." She then hurriedly added, "But I really didn't intend to beat anyone. Meng Jing's attitude was terrible, and he was the one who started the fight. My fellow disciples and I spoke politely, but he cursed us for no reason and even kicked us. Even if we were wrong, he was wrong first. Besides, he is sick, and we didn't do the beating. Please, Uncle, see the truth!"
How could Meng Jing tolerate such slander? Her face turned pale as she said, "You're talking nonsense! You guys ganged up on me, and you even admitted before that you deliberately came to make things difficult for me. It's because I helped Yin Qiu yesterday and didn't ask her to go to Tianyin Peak with you that you wanted to retaliate against me. Besides, it wasn't me who attacked first; you were the ones who grabbed me first!"
Before the female disciple could retort, Ding Lianzhen interrupted, "Junior Brother, that's not right. What do you mean they ganged up on you? Among all the new disciples, which one hasn't done odd jobs at our Tianyin Peak? When I arrived, this junior sister told me that you were the one who disobeyed orders and even used abusive language. Since Senior Sister Xu is here, may I ask, according to the palace rules, shouldn't those who disobey their seniors' orders be handed over to the Punishment Hall for punishment?"
After saying this, she continued, "If this disciple is stubborn and refuses to go to the punishment hall to be punished, and even attacks Senior Sister, should we stop him in time? And if we subdue such a disciple who is of bad character and disrespectful to his elders, should we be convicted of assaulting a fellow disciple? I really don't know the answers to these questions, so I ask Senior Uncle Man and Senior Sister Xu to enlighten me."
Her words were undeniably clever. In her eloquent and persuasive manner, she not only pointed out that Meng Jing had disobeyed orders and committed the crime first, but also exonerated the female disciples who had assaulted her. Moreover, she presented her arguments logically and with evidence, leaving the audience with no choice but to follow her train of thought and consider her questions.
Although Xu Lianzhi disliked Ding Lianzhen, she replied truthfully, "Disobeying orders is disrespectful, and striking first is disrespectful. What you said makes sense."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jing was about to defend himself when Yin Qiu grabbed him and whispered, "Don't speak. With your senior uncle and senior sister here, they won't be unfair."
Sure enough, as soon as Yin Qiu finished speaking, Xu Lianzhi continued, "However, regarding your Tianyin Peak's selection of disciples from the Disciple's Courtyard, I have stated before that you cannot force or coerce them. Besides, Meng Jing is a junior who has never practiced martial arts and is also ill. Can he handle the tasks of your Sword Forging Pavilion? How many of those heavy black irons can he carry? Even if he doesn't want to go, you shouldn't drag him away by force, much less attack him as a group. Bullying the weak and oppressing fellow disciples is an indisputable fact, and no matter how eloquently you speak, you cannot refute it."
Ding Lianzhen said, "Then may I ask if Senior Sister Xu was present? Did you personally hear the disciples forcing him?"
Xu Lianzhi said, "Nonsense, if I were there, would I have let them start fighting?"
Ding Lianzhen then said, "That's it then. How can you conclude that Tianyin Peak forced him based solely on Meng Jing's one-sided statement?" After saying that, she turned to look at Yin Qiu and Fu Xiang, "However, you two junior sisters were present. Did you hear it with your own ears?"
Yin Qiu and Fu Xiang were so far apart when the incident happened that they obviously didn't hear anything.
Seeing the two of them shake their heads with serious expressions, Ding Lianzhen smiled faintly and remained silent.
She was secretly pleased with herself when she suddenly heard Man Jiangxue, who hadn't spoken for a long time, say, "They didn't hear it, but someone here did."
After she finished speaking, a black-clad guard disciple stood next to Man Jiangxue.
“This disciple is a palace guard under the command of Master Man. I happened to be passing by the disciples’ courtyard when the incident occurred and witnessed everything. Senior Sister Ding, these female disciples from Tianyin Peak did indeed coerce Meng Jing. They claimed that Meng Jing had angered you, which is why they came here today specifically to pick on him. This disciple heard it with my own ears and there is not a single falsehood in it. I have already reported the details to Master Man. I hope that all the fellow disciples present will be aware of this.”
Upon hearing these words, Ding Lianzhen's expression changed slightly, and the female disciples also looked panicked, burying their heads even lower.
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