Volume 1, Chapter 16 – Punishment

Lu Yueqing stopped in front of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion and asked the two black-clad doormen, “That Young Master Shi who just left—who is he?”

“Little girl, that lord has nothing to do with you. Don’t go snooping around.”

“That’s right, little miss, forgive us but we can’t say more. But if you’re interested in coming to our Hundred Flowers Pavilion and become one of our own, then whatever you want to know, we can tell you.”

“With looks and figure like yours, if you join the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, I guarantee you’d become our top courtesan.”

The two men looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Seeing that Lu Yueqing was still standing at the door and hadn’t left, one of the big men couldn’t help saying, “What? You really want to come into our Hundred Flo—”

Before he could finish, the two of them suddenly felt an invisible, overwhelming force crash down from above. Their knees buckled, and they dropped to the ground. Cracks spread all over the stone steps in front of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.

“I’ll ask one last time. The person who just left—who is he?”

The voice from above was laced with killing cold, and the two men’s faces were filled with terror.

An Innate Realm expert!

They could feel the killing intent rising off the woman in front of them.

Ignoring the stabbing pain in their knees, the two men stammered out in panic:

“That was the Shi family’s Eldest Young Master, Shi Lan!”

“We were blind and failed to recognize Mount Tai. We didn’t know an Innate martial master stood before us. Please be magnanimous and spare our humble lives!”

They kowtowed over and over, begging for mercy. Even if this woman killed both of them right now, she wouldn’t face any trouble.

No one would offend an Innate Realm martial artist over two gatekeepers.

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When there was no reply for a long time, the two of them cautiously lifted their heads. The woman in front of them was already gone.

They both let out a breath of relief and sat on the ground, faces full of the joy of having survived a disaster.

……

“Patriarch, the Lu family members have entered the city.”

Hearing the expected report, Shi Tianlu was not surprised. “Where are they now?”

“Yunsheng Restaurant.”

“I understand. You may withdraw.”

“Patriarch, there’s one more matter.”

“Speak.”

“Today, the Eldest Young Master took a group of guards with her to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.”

“What did you say?!”

Shi Tianlu slammed a hand on the table. The solid wood desk before him shattered into pieces and crashed to the floor.

“Shi Lan took a bunch of guards to visit a brothel?!”

The one reporting had no idea why Shi Tianlu reacted so strongly and said hesitantly, “Y-yes.”

“Where is Shi Feng? He didn’t stop her?!”

“Th-this… Your subordinate isn’t clear on the details.”

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“Enough, I know. You can go.”

Once the man had left, Shi Tianlu raised his voice and called out, “When the Eldest Young Master returns, have her bring all the guards who went out with her today straight to the Hall of Discipline!”

“Yes, Patriarch!”

……

When Shi Lan got back to the Shi residence and heard Shi Tianlu’s order, she led the group of guards to the Hall of Discipline near the back courtyard.

Shi Tianlu sat there with legs spread in a commanding posture in front of the hall, expressionless. In front of him were seven or eight square stools.

Beside each stool stood a guard holding an iron whip.

“Father.” Shi Lan bowed in greeting.

The guards behind her, seeing Shi Tianlu’s expression and those iron-whip-wielding men by the stools, all felt a vague sense of dread. Their voices wobbled slightly as they said in unison, “Family Head.”

“As the Young Master’s guards, you neglected your duties and allowed the Young Master out of your sight to indulge himself alone. What punishment do you deserve?”

Shi Tianlu spoke each word slowly and clearly.

“According to the rules the Family Head set back then, neglecting one’s duty should be punished with twenty lashes,” one of the whip-bearing guards stepped forward to say.

“Do you have any objections?” Shi Tianlu swept his gaze over the guards behind Shi Lan and asked in a deep voice.

“We have no objections.”

Gritting their teeth, the guards took off their upper garments one after another and voluntarily walked to the stools, sitting down one by one.

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Shi Lan lowered her gaze and kept her expression neutral, saying nothing. Inwardly she chanted, This has nothing to do with me. I didn’t know there was such a rule. At the same time, she couldn’t help thinking a bit maliciously, Serves you right for having so much fun just now.

The sound of something cutting through the air rang out, followed by dull thuds as the iron whips struck flesh, each stroke accompanied by muffled groans.

The whips were forged from solid iron, and the ones carrying out the punishment were all martial artists. Each lash came down with at least a hundred jin of force. Just from the whistling of the wind, you could imagine what it felt like to have that whip land on your body.

The twenty lashes ended quickly. The guards who had taken their punishment were almost completely unable to move and had to be carried away.

Only Shi Feng remained.

When he started to take off his clothes, Shi Lan raised a hand to stop him and said to Shi Tianlu, “Father, Shi Feng never left my side. He shouldn’t need to be punished, right?”

Shi Tianlu’s gaze darkened. “He stayed by the Young Master’s side yet did nothing to stop the Young Master’s outrageous behavior. His crime is all the greater. Two hundred lashes!”

“Based on what?!”

Shi Lan’s expression changed. Those twenty lashes had already left the others in a state where they’d probably be confined to bed for at least a month. Wouldn’t two hundred lashes be enough to beat a man to death?

“Patriarch, isn’t that punishment too heavy?” Even the guard in charge of the punishment couldn’t help speaking up.

“Carry out the sentence!” Shi Tianlu barked.

“No! That’s not fair!” Shi Lan was starting to panic. Shi Feng was the first little brother she’d taken in after arriving in this other world. If he got beaten half to death, how was she supposed to face herself in the future? Besides, Shi Feng hadn’t even done anything wrong this time.

“He’s my man. You can’t do this!”

“What did you say? Say that to your old man again?!” Shi Tianlu’s eyes bulged.

Shi Feng was also stunned speechless.

“He’s my man!” Shi Lan refused to back down.

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“Three hundred lashes. Execute immediately!” Shi Tianlu roared, then stared at Shi Lan and warned, “Say one more word and I’ll add ten lashes for each one!”

“I…”

“It’s all right, Young Master,” Shi Feng said, trying to calm her. He took off his shirt and sat down on the stool.

What angered Shi Tianlu wasn’t actually the guards’ negligence, but the fact that Shi Lan had gone to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion at all.

Shi Feng knew full well that Shi Lan was a girl, yet hadn’t stopped her in this matter. That was already a grave mistake and punishment was only right.

If Shi Lan continued pleading for him now, it would only add fuel to the fire.

All of this, Shi Feng understood very clearly.

Besides, with the toughness of his body now, twenty lashes were nothing. Even two hundred wouldn’t amount to much.

The guard in charge of the punishment sighed and brought the whip down across Shi Feng’s back, reserving more than half his strength.

But with Shi Tianlu’s sharp eyes, he instantly called out, “Use your full strength! If you can’t bear to do it, then you can take the lashes in his place!”

With this guard’s level of strength, even going all out might not actually injure Shi Feng. If he kept holding back, it would be no different than scratching an itch.

“Forgive me.”

The guard murmured an apology and put more force into his grip.

The iron whip sliced through the air with a shrill whistle and landed on Shi Feng’s body, and Shi Lan couldn’t help knitting her brows at the sound.