Chapter 69
HEART PROTECTION: CHAPTER 69
When Yan Hui woke up, she breathed in air that wasn't the stifling air in the Southwest .
The air here was fresh and crisp . It was the familiar air she breathed as she grew up .
Chen Xing Mountain . . . . . . .
Yan Hui immediately knew where she was, but her surroundings were dark and quiet . There was one solitary ray of light shining in from the top, casting muted and dappled shadows .
Yan Hui looked around with slitted eyes . The sunlight somewhat dazzled her . She didn't know exactly where she was in Chen Xing Mountain .
She wanted to get up and walk a couple steps but discovered each of her limbs were shackled by heavy chains . When she moved her head, it felt like her neck was bound by heavy metal . She reached up a hand to touch it . Yep, it was a metal chain . She looked up . The five chains were fastened to the rim of the hole . There were also seals placed there too .
Yan Hui tried to assess the magic in her body . As expected, she couldn't sense her inner breath . It was probably sealed off . Using magic to fly out wasn't an option . Fortunately, the chains were long and didn't prevent Yan Hui from walking around in the prison .
Yan Hui sat cross-legged . As matters stood, she didn't know what Ling Xiao intended by bringing her back to Chen Xing Mountain .
There was also Tian Yao who had been left in the lava . Was he really melted into dragon soup . . . . . . . . .
"Shifu!" Yan Hui was still lost in thought when Zi Chen's voice was suddenly heard beyond the hole . His voice was rushed and anxious . "Shifu! The whipping punishment is too severe! Yan Hui is no longer Chen Xing Mountain's disciple . Why don't you let her go?"
"How is it too severe?"
When Yan Hui heard Ling Fei's voice, she raised a brow . It sounded like there were quite a few people outside . Were a lot of people invited because Ling Xiao was going to whip her?
"Yan Hui has already cultivated demon magic at an alarming rate . She even willingly helped the demon clans . If we allow this to continue, it will have harmful repercussions to the world . Since she came from Chen Xing Mountain, how is it inappropriate for Senior Brother to remove this harm?"
It sounded quite reasonable .
Yan Hui didn't hear another sound from Xi Chen . He naturally wasn't an eloquent speaker and didn't know how to verbally spar with others .
It was already quite a feat for him to speak out this far .
It was silent for only a brief moment before Ling Xiao spoke: "It's noon . Time for the punishment . "
When Ling Xiao said those words, Yan Hui felt the chains around her limbs suddenly tighten . They pulled her up to the hole in the ceiling . Link by link, she was hoisted upwards until the chains were pulled taut . When it stopped, she was left suspended within the hole's mouth .
When she looked down, Yan Hui couldn't help raising an eyebrow . All of Chen Xing Mountain's shifus were present . Even the peak's top disciples were lined up there .
At the very front was Ling Xiao, Zi Chen, Zi Yue, and all the fellow disciples she studied with .
Quite an attendance . . . . . . . . .
Yan Hui all of a sudden understood why everyone was standing there when she saw the whip in Ling Xiao's hand .
The soul-destroying whip breaks bones and muscle, destroys the meridians for cultivation, and severely injuries the soul . There will be no possibility of cultivating again in this lifetime . It may even cripple her .
For xian cultivators, this was undoubtedly the harshest punishment . When Chen Xing Mountain was formed into a sect, the soul-destroying whipping punishment was created . However, this punishment had never been carried out before . No matter how much a disciple has erred, many shifus couldn't harden their heart to use this punishment .
After all, they watched their disciples grow up . They personally taught their disciples .
And Ling Xiao was actually able to sentence this punishment .
Was her cultivating demon magic really that unforgivable of a mistake to him?
Ling Xiao raised the handle and the soul-destroying whip danced in the air . With a twist, the whip left a streak of red afterimage and then, crack! It lashed Yan Hui's body . Yan Hui felt that part of her body go numb . It wasn't until right before the second lash descended on her that she felt her first wound suddenly felt like it was being stabbed with needles .
When the second lash descended, it hit the same place as the first . The wound already felt like a pincushion . With that second last, now it felt like the needles were being driven into her bones .
Yan Hui couldn't keep herself from biting her lip in pain . Her eyes were bloodshot as blood rushed .
The third whip landed in the same place!
Yan Hui bit down so hard she broke the skin on her lip . Blood trickled out of the corner of her mouth, but she didn't feel that pain . All the pain her body could feel was where that whip repeated lashed her .
Nine days . 81 whips . Every day, a new place will be whipped, but those 81 lashes each day will be in the same place .
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After 7 to 8 whips passed, some disciples couldn't watch it anymore . They lowered their heads in silence .
Zi Chen's lips trembled: "Shifu! Based on the many years of shifu-disciple relationship, please let Yan Hui off!"
Ling Xiao was unmoved . Ling Fei, by his side, slanted her eyes toward him . The corner of her mouth twitched like she was going to say something . Zi Chen lifted his robes and knelt down on the ground: "Since Yan Hui was small, her life has been bitter and hard . Her personality will inevitably be undisciplined . Even if she's make mistakes, she's never harmed anyone . She's had shifu to guide her for 10 years . Please let her off this one time!"
Yan Hui had already slumped into a haze by the whipping, but Zi Chen kneeling on the ground and pleading filtered into her ears .
"Shifu . . . . . . . . " By Zi Chen's side, another disciple walked forward two steps . "Although Yan Hui made a mistake, this punishment is really too cruel . . . . . . . "
When one person speak out, the disciples behind also started to quietly reconsider .
Ling Xiao only lifted his head and looked at the whipped Yan Hui . It was like he didn't even hear the pleading . He was still unmoved .
Yan Hui bit down hard on her lip even though it was already torn and ripped . She also hadn't cried out for help yet .
Tough as rock .
Yan Hui didn't know how she endured that first day of 81 lashes . She didn't faint nor closed her eyes . She just stared rigidly ahead, bit her lip, and stiffly endured all those 81 lashes .
Right at the last lash, Yan Hui suddenly heard somewhere in her own body the sound of her muscles and bones breaking . She wasn't clear where she was injured because her entire body hurt to the point she felt out of body .
At the end of the punishment, the chains slowly lowered back down . Yan Hui was back in her prison .
The people outside slowly dispersed .
Yan Hui laid on the ground and looked up at the sky . Not long afterwards, she saw the very weird Zi Chen peer down from the hole . He didn't say a word .
Yan Hui mustered up the last bit of her strength and grinned: "Head Senior Disciple . " Her voice was very hoarse . "Thank you . "
Then, it seemed like it started to rain . Water droplets fell onto Yan Hui's face . Zi Chen wiped his face, apologized, and walked away with gritted teeth .
This Head Senior Disciple of hers really like to place all responsibility on himself . There wasn't anything for him to feel guilty about . He wasn't the one who whipped her . What he could do, he did do . . . . . . . .
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When night fell, Yan Hui suddenly smelled the scent of food as she lay on the floor . It was the smell of Fatty Zhang's cooking, something she hadn't smelled in a long time .
Yan Hui sniffed twice . She raised her head and looked at the hole . She saw a person slowly lower down a wicker basket into her prison . It landed by her head .
Yan Hui narrowed her eyes to clearly see who that person was . She was slightly shocked: "Zi Yue?"
Zi Yue stiffened . She didn't think Yan Hui would still be awake . It seemed like she didn't want Yan Hui to know it was her . She coughed a little: "Um, that Head Senior Disciple wanted me to bring food . Eat quick . I want to go back when you're done . "
Yan Hui slightly propped herself up and peered into the basket . There was rice, vegetables, and chicken leg . Even better, it was two large chicken legs .
Zi Yu knew she liked chicken legs . Before when they fought, Zi Yue would often dock Yan Hui's chicken legs as reprimand . Right now, Yan Hui was a prisoner . Prisoners didn't get chicken leg, let alone two . Zi Yue had to have snuck it away from Fatty Zhang somehow . . . . . . .
Yan Hui smiled . She picked up one of the legs and started to eat, stuffing two mouthfuls of rice at the same time .
Actually, she didn't have any appetite, but she still forced herself to eat . Because without eating food, she wouldn't be able to endure the second day of 81 lashes . She didn't want to die . Even if her bones were broken, even if she couldn't cultivate again, she still didn't want to die .
She still had Tian Yao . . . . . . . . to go save .
It wasn't until the basket was slightly emptied of food that Yan Hui saw a small bottle of medicine hidden by a chicken leg . It was Chen Xing Mountain's medicine for injuries like sprains or contusions .
For Yan Hui, this type of medicine wasn't useful for her whip lashes, but she still accepted it .
"I'm done eating," said Yan Hui . Zi Yue hauled it back up . When she say the medicine was gone from the basket, she nodded to herself . As she left, she muttered: "Trying to die by cultivating the demon way . This time, we're going to help please for you . If shifu relents, don't go mixing with demons when you get out . If you still continue like that, then there really is no more saving you . "
Yan Hui cracked a smile when she heard Zi Yue .
One smile for her fellow senior disciple who was pleading on her behalf despite all the fights they had . Second smile for the impossibility of Ling Xiao releasing her . She would sooner fly to the heavens . Third smile for Zi Yue making excuses . . . . . . . . .
Actually, Chen Xing Mountain's disciples weren't bad . All xian cultivators following the way of the Dao all wanted to eliminate demons and protect the commoners and the peace . Like Xi Feng, Like Zi Chen, even Zi Yue, they all had their gentle side . They had good character, but . . . . . . . .
Were taught wrong .
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Not all demons were evil .
Thinking of the mess things have turned out, Yan Hui sleepily drifted off to sleep .
In the middle of the night, her wounds flared up in pain . In the middle between sleeping and waking, Yan Hui thought she saw Tian Yao . He was silently sitting there by her side .
"20 years ago, did you hurt like this?" asked Yan Hui . There was no response .
But Yan Hui didn't need an answer . She's seen how much pain Tian Yao felt on full moon nights . She thought she had understood the pain . But now Yan Hui realized that she actually didn't . Only Tian Yao would understand the pain he felt . Only she would understand the pain she felt .
The pain from being betrayed and harmed in the cruelest way by your lover was something that could only be understood by someone who experienced it .
She clasped his hand and lightly held it: "It's laughable that at this time I actually . . . . . . . . . feel bad for you . "
Tian Yao was still silent .
Noon of the second day quickly arrived . Still in a haze, Yan Hui was lifted up .
Like yesterday, it was another 81 lashes . The whip landed in the same place each time but a different place than yesterday . The shifus didn't come today . Only Ling Fei showed up, and she left before the whipping finished .
Today, Ling Xiao didn't allow any of the sect's disciples come watch .
Up to the 81st lash, Yan Hui didn't see Zi Chen and Zi Yue .
The chains slowly lowered her back down into the prison . When she reached the bottom, she looked at Ling Xiao . She saw he, whose own hand carried the whip, had tightened the corner of his mouth .
Yan Hui couldn't help speaking out: "Shifu . "
Ling Xiao was slightly startled . He looked at Yan Hui .
Yan Hui smiled: "You also feel bad for me?"
Yan Hui was down at the bottom of the prison . The corner of Ling Xiao's mouth twitched . In the end, he looked down and brushed at his sleeve . The mountain wind lifted it in its breeze . He walked away, seemingly untouched in his tranquility .
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