Zhou Xingdou coldly watched You Ji writhe in pain, ignoring her pleas for mercy, and before You Ji could recover, he swung the willow branch down again.
Youji's shrill screams rang out again in an instant. The extreme pain caused her internal organs to spasm continuously, and her whole body twitched as if she were having a seizure.
The horrific pain had dulled her voice, making it sound harsh, but even so, Youji continued to beg for mercy:
"I was wrong. I am willing to be the Daoist's furnace. Please, Daoist, stop torturing me."
But this did not make Zhou Xingdou soften his stance; all he received in return was a shower of willow branches...
While terror raged inside the palace, the atmosphere outside between Fahai and Yuan Tian was far more harmonious.
Fahai looked at Yuan Tian, who was still panting heavily and looked exhausted, and his heroic tiger eyes softened slightly at this moment:
"I have misunderstood you, please don't take offense."
For Fahai, Zhou Xingdou was his god, and Yuan Tian's efforts for Zhou Xingdou made him feel somewhat favorably towards him.
Yuan Tian chuckled and waved his hand, indicating that he didn't care about it.
However, he also found the monk somewhat more pleasing to the eye, and casually offered a suggestion:
"As subordinates, loyalty is one thing, but we must also know how to serve our superiors."
Fahai looked puzzled and asked:
"The way to treat superiors?"
Yuan Tian raised his thick, well-defined eyebrows, adopting a teacher-like posture, and slowly said:
"We subordinates may find it difficult to do things when our superiors ask us to, but we cannot hesitate in the slightest when doing them; we must be efficient and decisive."
"Making things difficult can make adults feel that things are not easy to do. Only when we finish the task cleanly and efficiently can we demonstrate our loyalty and value."
Fahai frowned as he listened. Yuan Tian's thinking contradicted his absolute loyalty to Zhou Xingdou, and he couldn't help but retort:
"As a servant, obedience is the only way. Even if my master asked me to die, I would not hesitate."
That's clearly deception, not the way of a servant!
Yuan Tian was not angered by Fahai's rebuttal; instead, he smiled calmly and said:
"I ask you, with your status as the young master, will you lack subordinates and servants in the future?"
Fahai glanced at Yuan Tian indifferently and said in an annoyed tone:
"As the master, he will naturally not lack anything in the future."
Yuan Tian asked in return:
"There will always be subordinates who are stronger and more talented than us in the future. How can we expect the young master to remember to appoint and promote us then?"
Fahai was speechless. He understood Zhou Xingdou's divine power better than Fahai, and he had no doubt that Zhou Xingdou would become an even more powerful servant in the future.
It might even be interesting to think that even the Buddha of the Western Paradise would sit under Zhou Xingdou. In that case, would Zhou Xingdou still remember Fahai?
He is absolutely loyal, but it is precisely because of this absolute loyalty that he does not want to be forgotten by his master, and he cannot even squeeze into his master's side.
Yuan Tianfa saw that Hai remained silent, so he offered another suggestion:
"I'm not asking you to imitate me. If we subordinates want to avoid being forgotten, we need to have distinctive characteristics. These characteristics can be being foolish or cowardly, but they cannot be disloyal or unlikable."
Fahai, watching Yuan Tian speak eloquently, suddenly felt that there was some truth to his words, and asked:
"Then what should I do?"
Yuan Tian rubbed his chin and said in a mature and sophisticated manner:
"Either become stronger, or become more distinctive. I am me and you are you. Only you can figure out what to do."
Being chosen by the Zhou family to deliver messages for Zhou Xingdou, Yuan Tian must have his own special skills; he shouldn't have said these things to Fahai.
But now that they've made a move against You Ji, the two are practically in the same boat, having boarded Zhou Xingdou's ship. Yuan Tian also needs to consider the future.
Everyone has selfish desires. Even someone who is absolutely loyal to you will want you to value them more; this is unavoidable.
Even if Zhou Xingdou heard these words, he would not take them seriously and would instead look at Yuan Tian in a different light.
Meanwhile, in the palace, Youji had been whipped countless times by willow branches. Such inhuman torture was something no one could ever get used to; each instance of pain surpassed the last.
This pain seems endless, a moment can feel like ten thousand years, tormenting not only the body but also the soul.
The cold sweat from the pain had completely soaked through her tattered clothes; if she could commit suicide, she probably would have done so long ago.
At this moment, Zhou Xingdou also stopped holding the willow branch. He looked at You Ji, whose eyes were white and whose face was twitching and deformed, but he did not feel the pleasure of revenge that he had imagined.
The cessation of the willow branches gave Youji a chance to catch her breath, and even just a quiet breath was the most beautiful moment of her life.
This hard-won peace made her even more terrified of the painful moment she had just experienced.
At this moment, she had no time to rest. She hurriedly got up and pounced on Zhou Xingdou's lap.
She hurriedly used her smooth, jade-like body to rub against Zhou Xingdou's trouser leg.
At this moment, her eyes held a hint of fanaticism, and her face revealed an extremely ingratiating expression as she humbly said:
"Daozi, you are my god, please don't hit me, I'll do anything you want, even kill me, please, please..."
Looking at You Ji, who was crawling and groveling at his feet like a dog, Zhou Xingdou wanted to laugh but couldn't quite manage it.
The You Ji of her previous life, who was wise and resourceful, devising strategies for Lin Fan and stirring up trouble, is in stark contrast to her current self.
However, this was an unexpected delight. An interesting idea immediately arose in Zhou Xingdou's mind, and he swung the willow branch down again, striking You Ji's jade back hard.
Youji immediately let out a scream, but this scream was even more shrill than before.
Call me Master!
Zhou Xingdou let out a cold shout and kicked You Ji, who was clinging to his leg, away.
Youji was already in extreme pain, and with such tremendous force, she rolled dozens of meters on the ground before crashing straight into the wall.
But You Ji, who had been abused to this extent, immediately regained her senses after being hit on the ground and, like a dog, crawled quickly towards Zhou Xingdou on all fours.
You Ji crawled awkwardly to Zhou Xingdou's legs, hugged him again, and cried out in a humble and pleading voice:
"Master, I know I was wrong, please forgive me!"
Zhou Xingdou's voice was as cold as ice as he addressed You Ji at his feet:
"Open your sea of consciousness!"
Upon hearing this, Youji paused for a moment, but in an instant, Zhou Xingdou raised the willow branch and struck again.
This time, Youji did not hesitate at all and took the initiative to open her sea of consciousness.
Zhou Xingdou immediately conjured a Myriad Transformation Slave Seal in his hand. To be honest, he didn't know if the Myriad Transformation Slave Seal would work.
After all, the system description stated that this item was ineffective against people with great fortune, but You Ji was not a person with great fortune, but rather a person with good luck.
Speculation is ultimately useless; only practice yields true knowledge.
The Myriad Transformations Slave Seal instantly transformed into a stream of light, rushing towards You Ji's forehead.
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