Chapter 2: So the Reward Cultivates on Its Own!

Mu Xiaoyu was on the verge of tears. "I didn't..."

"Then your hands will probably be hurting for a couple of weeks," Li Yinsheng said.

"W-waah..." Squatting on the ground, Mu Xiaoyu stared blankly ahead. Her small mouth hung slightly open, her eyes brimming with absolute despair.

Having just frightened a child, Li Yinsheng felt a slight twinge of conscience. He hadn't expected this either. He had just walked out of the Scripture Pavilion and barely taken two steps before noticing the door to the dining hall was wide open. At first, he thought he had simply forgotten to close it. Only upon getting closer did he realize that this new Junior Sister Mu was inside, sneaking food.

He didn't actually intend to cane Mu Xiaoyu's palms. Although the sect rules were strictly defined, Xuanzhen Temple was in such a dilapidated state now that there was really no need to follow the old laws to the letter.

Rumor had it that this particular rule was established mainly because disciples sneaking food often found the cold meals unpalatable and would try to use a Fire Technique to heat them up. The problem was, those with high Cultivation rarely needed to eat or drink. Thus, the ones sneaking food were mostly young disciples with low Cultivation and even less mastery over Magic. With this happening so often, it wasn't uncommon for their Magic to spiral out of control and set the dining hall ablaze.

Even sneaking food outside the dining hall was forbidden. In the past, someone had tried to heat cold food in their bedroom and accidentally burned it down instead.

Now, the entire Daoist Temple consisted of only his Martial Uncle, himself, and Junior Sister Mu. The chances of the dining hall burning down were slim, so under these circumstances, this rule didn't really apply anymore. His main reason for lecturing Mu Xiaoyu was, of course, to complete the task that had surfaced on his scroll.

"Ahem. Although the rules are strict, as the saying goes, rules are rigid, but people are flexible." Li Yinsheng coughed lightly. "If you can show some ambition and sincerity towards your cultivation, Junior Sister, I suppose I could make an exception..."

Li Yinsheng's words brought Mu Xiaoyu back to her senses. A spark of hope ignited within her despairing eyes.

"Senior Brother! You're such a good person! Sincerity, sincerity... Oh! I get it!"

She hurriedly stood up, clamping the steamed bun between her teeth. Freeing up her hands, she fumbled around her waist and pulled out a gold-embroidered tasseled purse. She offered it up to Li Yinsheng with both hands, mumbling around the bun in her mouth.

"I... I have money. How much do you want, Senior Brother..."

Li Yinsheng was dumbfounded. After a long silence, he delivered a swift rap to the top of Mu Xiaoyu's head, producing a deep, crisp THWACK, much like striking a wooden temple block.

"You're trying to bribe your Senior Brother with this?" Li Yinsheng looked down at Mu Xiaoyu, who was now squatting on the ground, clutching her head with tears welling in her eyes. He had originally thought she was just a silly, adorable junior sister, but it turned out she had quite a few tricks up her sleeve.

"Did you think I was trying to hold this over your head to wring some benefits out of you?" Li Yinsheng asked, his face darkening. "A punishment is still a punishment. I just felt that caning your palms with a rattan stick was too harsh. Besides teaching you a lesson, it does nothing for your cultivation. How about we change it to a punishment that actually benefits you? Would you like to switch, Junior Sister?"

Squatting on the ground, a tearful Mu Xiaoyu looked up at Li Yinsheng. She seemed to realize something and asked cautiously, "So... if I switch to a punishment that benefits my cultivation, my palms won't get caned?"

"Exactly," Li Yinsheng nodded.

Mu Xiaoyu stood up, still apprehensive. "Then... how do you want to punish me, Senior Brother?"

"Don't worry, the new punishment is much milder than getting caned. Not only is it painless and harmless, but it will also benefit you," Li Yinsheng consoled her. "Clean up the mess you made rummaging around, then come outside with me. Oh, and finish that bun. Don't waste food."

Looking at the handsome, sunny smile on his face, Mu Xiaoyu couldn't help but sigh in relief. "This senior brother really is a good person," she thought.

In the clearing outside the dining hall.

Mu Xiaoyu stood somewhat uneasily before Li Yinsheng. "Senior Brother? What exactly is the punishment?"

"The Daoist Temple's rules exist either to prevent disciples from falling into the Demon Dao or to ensure they can focus on their cultivation. Therefore, replacing a penalty with cultivation still aligns with the original intent of those rules." Li Yinsheng pulled out the copy of the *Qingxuan Scripture*. "As long as you can achieve the Beginner level of this Qingxuan Scripture today, Junior Sister, your punishment will be waived."

"Huh? Cultivation?" Mu Xiaoyu's entire posture drooped.

"Understood. It seems that compared to cultivation, you prefer getting your palms caned, Junior Sister." Li Yinsheng nodded and made a motion to put the book away.

"I love cultivating!" Mu Xiaoyu hastily snatched the book. "Cultivation is my absolute favorite thing to do!"

She figured that although cultivating might be a bit tiring, it was still better than getting caned. Besides, based on the storybooks she had read, Immortals cultivating just sat cross-legged on a futon. It wasn't like the Martial Masters guarding her family's estate who had to physically train all day. She reasoned that aside from her legs probably falling asleep, it shouldn't be that tiring.

"Excellent. Such enthusiasm and ambition are commendable, Junior Sister," Li Yinsheng nodded in satisfaction. "Come, open the first page of the Qingxuan Scripture. I'll explain it to you.

"The First Layer of this Cultivation Technique consists of a Fist Technique, a Pile Technique, and a Breathing Skill. Practicing all three simultaneously will strengthen your Primordial Energy and temper your Qi Blood. Once your Flesh Body has a solid foundation, cultivating Magical Power will come naturally..."

As she listened to Li Yinsheng's explanation and looked at the continuous martial movements illustrated in the Fist Manual on the page, Mu Xiaoyu's eyes widened in horror.

For the next three-plus hours, Li Yinsheng's voice—not loud, but incredibly clear—never stopped providing instruction.

"Too soft! Even though the Fist Technique of the Qingxuan Scripture's First Layer is only meant to temper your Physique and isn't used for life-and-death combat, you're practically flailing like noodles! It won't temper anything like this! Take it seriously!

"Wrong! Use your waist to push the punch out, rather than just throwing your arm forward! Also, when throwing a punch, keep your arm straight and steady! Do it again!"