Chapter Forty-six Punishment

  In the study of the mansion.

  Since Fangfang rarely taught people to read and write, the place became chaotic, books were scattered everywhere, some were torn apart, and there were brush marks all over the place. Someone seemed to like Meng Yuanhou's teachings very much, so they wrote two characters "逆天" on a wall, with bold strokes that covered up other people's "works".

  Xiao Qiu couldn't remember who in the dormitory always talked about the art of defying heaven, so he guessed that this must be an introverted child, taking advantage of the absence of others to express his inner desires through the graffiti on the wall.

  He suddenly felt bored and started to tidy up the books by himself, although he knew that Master Pongshan had the ability to restore the room to its original state in an instant, but still wanted to do it personally, which was better than sitting alone on a chair without moving.

  Many high-ranking officials had been here before.

  The tragic event that occurred in the afternoon shocked the entire Pongsa-do, with at least five head seats and more than twenty Taoist priests rushing to the scene, taking the new disciples to Yangshen Peak, leaving only Muhae-chu alone, who had to wait for punishment here, without even having a chance to bid farewell to his fellow townspeople.

  The night had just fallen, the building was empty and deserted, no one was on guard, even Zhang Ling had left, and no village woman came to deliver food. Xiao Qiu carefully tidied up the books, gently smoothing out the covers, and stacked them up one by one.

  "These books aren't worth much." Someone said at the door.

  "I know." Xia Qiu continued picking up books from the ground.

  Xin Yutao curled his lip and answered on his own initiative, "I have a lot of things, come over and pack them up. I'm going back to Yangshen Peak now. Do you need me to pass on any messages?"

  Xiao Qiu stood up straight, thinking for a moment. He had countless words to say to his companions, Da Liang Shen Xiu Ming, Shen Hao, Fang Fang and so on. He had something to say to each of the young people in Ye Lin Town, but he didn't want to convey it through someone else's mouth, so he shook his head, "No need, thank you."

  Xin Yutao pouted and turned around as if he was going to leave, but his feet didn't move. "Do you believe me now?"

  Xiao Qiu put the two books in her hand on the table, staring blankly at Wang Zi at the door. Xin You Tao was startled and took a step back. "I'm not here to mock you, really. I said games are battles, you take it as a game, so you're still a child. Shen Gang takes it as a battle, so he's not a child, that's all."

  "Who beat you?"

  "Of course it's you, this morning, didn't you forget? Oh, and also the Shen brothers, they made me lose face in the dining hall, what a pity I didn't see you beat up Shen Geng with my own eyes."

  Xin Yutao spent the whole day hiding in his room savoring his shame and missed a "good show".

  "No." Xia Qiu shook her head. "I'm not talking about today, but the past, when you were in the palace, who defeated you in a game and made you unforgettable?"

  Xin Yutao's face suddenly turned red, without even a moment to cover it up. A flash of anger crossed his face, but in the end he didn't erupt, instead laughing twice, "Defeated? I am a prince, who can..."

  He suffered a double blow today, his mood was extremely bad, to the point where his lying skills were much worse, and his smile disappeared unknowingly. He coldly changed his words, "It's my younger brother, or rather, it's my stepmother, the current Queen of Xījiè."

  Xiao Qiu nodded and didn't say anything else, continuing to pack up the books.

  It was precisely this calmness and indifference that infuriated Xin Yu Tao, as if he had been subjected to extreme humiliation, even more severe than when the Shen brothers kicked him out of their circle. "You just don't get it," he yelled at the top of his lungs: "You're just a country bumpkin from a small town, reeking of body odor, and all you know how to do is fight!"

  Xiao Qiu suddenly stood up and looked at him.

  "You don't understand anything!" Xīn Yòu Táo burst into the house, getting more and more furious, his eyes blazing with anger, as if the young man standing in front of him was his arch-nemesis. "That was just a game, we were playing in the garden, taking turns being the horse and the rider... but when I was being the horse, Father King and Queen happened to arrive. The Queen said 'Look, the future king of Xī Jiè is so down-to-earth, his subjects will love him.' Father King didn't say anything, but from then on, I was nothing - not his son, not the future king. He sent me away from the capital, the farther the better. Xuán Fú Army wasn't far enough, so he sent me all the way to Páng Shān!"

  Xiao Qiu indeed didn't quite understand, the rules of the royal family seemed absurd to him, but he understood the meaning behind this story: The queen was Shen Geng, they both used the cruel principles of adults to explain children's games, thus easily achieving their goal.

  "Are you ready for revenge?" Xia Qiu asked.

  Xin Youtao was taken aback, and immediately regretted telling the story. He should have buried it deep in his heart and never revealed it to anyone, but he had actually confided in a wild child, an enemy who had once bullied him. How childish and weak of him! It was because of this that he lost everything, and yet he made the same mistake again.

  "If you dare say a word to others..." Xīn Yòutáo found himself without any means of threatening the other, and with a mix of anger and frustration in his heart, he turned around and ran away.

  Xiao Qiu found some comfort in Xin Yu Tao's misfortune, seeing others' misery made her own seem to decrease a bit.

  This is a cruel method and a cruel game. Xia Qiu thought that if she couldn't control her emotions, it would be Xin Yu Tao who would leave with satisfaction.

  The night grew darker, and the study had been cleaned up, leaving only the scribbles on the wall that Xia Qiu couldn't erase. He didn't want to sit stiffly in his chair all night, so he started practicing his fist techniques, repeating them over and over again. As he did, he felt his pores relax, and his mind slowly became immersed in the exercise, letting go of his worries about being punished.

  The one who announced the punishment result to Xiao Qiu was Meng Yuanhou. He stood at the door, exactly where Xin Youtao had once stood. Behind him was the dark night sky. He looked at the wall filled with the words "Rebel against Heaven" and his half-face scowled slightly, "Mu Xiangqiu."

  Xiao Qiu turned around and faced Du Jiao.

  "You engaged in a fight and injured someone within the temple grounds, Laozu Peak will have to punish you for this."

  "Is Sheng Geng dead?" Xia Qiu was only concerned about this matter, when he was pulled away by a Taoist priest, Sheng Geng lay motionless on the ground with his face covered in blood.

  Marquis Mengyuan seemed reluctant to answer this question and after a while said: "You don't have this skill."

  "But he can beat Erlang to death."

  "Shen Geng has already opened up the three fields, although he doesn't have an inner elixir, he has the mysterious power of the Taoist gate. Shen Xiuyi's mortal body can't withstand this kind of power. On the other hand, Shen Geng's physical form has been tempered to perfection, no matter how great your power is, it's still a mortal's power, as long as he still has a breath in him, he can be saved."

  "Did you know he had already passed the Three Fields?"

  This was a question raised by one of the disciples to Douchu, with a slightly rebellious tone. After Meng Yuanhou remained silent for a while, he spoke up, "I don't know, probably no one except his parents knows. Of course, I can directly inspect his cultivation, but that would be impolite."

  Xiao Qiu also fell silent, relying on his limited experience, he could guess how many subtle contradictions the three words "impolite" implied within the Pangshan disciples.

  "Two goods... did you die in pain?"

  Meng Yuanhou slightly lowered his head, and his voice also became more solemn. "He died after going up the mountain, without suffering, at least not as painful as when Shen Geng was beaten."

  "I really wish I could kill Shen Geng." Xia Qiu said calmly, as if it was just a small regret.

  "Hmm, quite ambitious." Meng Yuanhou finally found his rhythm in talking to Xiao Qiu, "Do you know why you were able to defeat Shen Geng?"

  "Because of Mei Chuan An's curse."

  "That's right, that was a very ordinary and primary incantation of the mind, which can fix the most ordinary fireball. However, when you and Qin Lingxue recited it at the same time, after the incantations overlapped, an unexpected change occurred - it bounced Shen Gang's power back to him. As a result, Shen Gang himself knocked himself down, giving you the opportunity to hit him."

  "It's a pity I didn't seize the opportunity."

  "You should feel lucky." Meng Yuanhou's tone was more gentle than ever, "You don't have the talent, nor is it necessary. You have a drive that others lack, and you will have a bright future in the cultivation of Pong Mountain Taoism. Being expelled from the mountain gate for personal grievances is not worth it."

  "Wasn't I supposed to be expelled?" Xia Qiu remembered very clearly that Meng Yuanhou had once warned all the disciples that whoever dared to fight in private would immediately be driven out of Jinghu Village.

  "The masters and abbots deliberated for a long time, and finally felt that although you had committed an error, it was excusable, and you could stay on Mount Pong, but must reflect in the rear mountain for a month."

  "Regret?"

  "It's just one person living in a cave, reflecting on their own mistakes."

  Xiao Qiulei let out a sigh of relief, knowing that he wouldn't be driven out of Pangs Mountain. The biggest stone in his heart had finally fallen to the ground, although this still couldn't alleviate his sorrow and hatred.

  "Will Fang Fang be busy?"

  Marquis Meng shook his head, "The First Seats unanimously believe that she only recited an incantation, coincidentally overlapping with your incantation, not a big mistake. She also tried to pull you away from Shen Geng's side, so she was just reprimanded."

  Xiao Qiu had only one worry left, he stayed behind to ask, fearing that if he heard the unbearable result too early, "What about Shen Geng's punishment? He killed a Pangshan disciple."

  "He also wants to reflect in the back mountain for five years."

  "Is that it? Just a mere reflection?" Xia Qiu couldn't help but feel indignant and sad.

  "This is an extremely severe punishment for a monk."

  "I didn't see it."

  "The path of cultivation is fraught with difficulties and dangers, and relying solely on one's own efforts is far from enough. One must have the guidance of predecessors to lead the way, which is the responsibility of the Nurturing Spirit Peak disciples. Shen Gongzi's five-year delay means that he will greatly postpone the time it takes for him to condense his Qi into a Dan, unless someone is willing to lend him a helping hand."

  His parents would definitely be willing.

  Meng Yuanhou sneered, "Don't you understand yet? Cultivating the Tao also has competition. The further one goes, the more intense the competition becomes. No one is willing to sacrifice their own time to help others, not even between father and son or mother and son. That's why the Nine Great Dao Unions set up positions like the Du Jiao. Every Daoist who reaches the Cangxia realm must serve as a Du Jiao for twenty to fifty years, cultivating new disciples. We are not doing this voluntarily."

  Xiao Qiu had nothing to say, five years later, he might be able to surpass Shen Gang by a wide margin, which would be the greatest revenge in Shen Gang's eyes. "I will miss the entrance ceremony."

  "It's just a formality."

  "Then... see you again in a month."

  Meng Yuanhou's battered face revealed a wry smile, "A month later you will go to Yangshen Peak, but I won't be staying there. Under my care, one of my disciples was lost, no one bears more responsibility than me, so I must also reflect."

  "How long?" Xia Qiu asked in surprise.

  "A hundred years." Meng Yuanhou replied casually, "We're on the right path anyway, I'll take you to the back mountain. Are you willing to listen to one sentence from me?"

  Xiao Qiu nodded vaguely, still pondering how long and arduous a hundred years would be.

  "On the Spiritual Peak, you will encounter countless challenges. There are more Taoist disciples there who sympathize with Shen Gong rather than you. I hope that when you can no longer bear it, you will remember my words today—"

  Meng Yuanhou raised his head and glanced at the wall full of "rebellious" characters, Xiao Qiu thought he was going to say something like "don't fight too much" or "focus on your cultivation", but instead he said:

  "We must beat them until they can't fight back and don't dare to fight back."

  (End of Volume)