Chapter 40: The Punishment of Exile

When news of Wolf Girl’s betrayal reached them, the cult members were hardly surprised.

They had always felt that something like this was inevitable for the proud and aloof Wolf Girl.

Yet, despite their anticipation, the blazing fury that ignited in their hearts was no less fierce.

The heterodox faction had already been slaughtered by the eight major sects, their fertile lands seized. For Wolf Girl to betray her own people for the sake of her enemy—this was an unforgivable sin.

Ji Wushuang, accompanied by Shui Jingxuan, strode leisurely into the hall of punishment.

They took their seats at the head and secondary positions.

Ji Wushuang gestured for the elders to settle, then spoke in a grave tone. “Today, Wolf Girl has decided to leave her people and the cult. I have agreed. As long as she can endure the punishment, she will be free from this day forward, with no ties whatsoever to our sect or her clan.”

With that, he looked at Wolf Girl, who stood in the center of the hall with a firm and resolute expression.

He spoke coldly, “Dispel your inner energy, remove your shoes and socks, and walk out.”

Wolf Girl obeyed.

She dispelled her inner energy, kicked off her black boots, and with head held high, strode toward the path littered with blade tips and burning coals.

The moment she stepped onto the red-hot stones, the sizzling sound of flesh burning immediately filled the air.

Wolf Girl frowned, her eyes fixed solely on the faint daylight beyond the hall’s entrance. Step by step, she walked with remarkable steadiness.

‘Zhuo Yihang is waiting for me. I must live to return to him!’ Wolf Girl kept encouraging herself. Even though the flesh on her feet was already charred and stinking, and the blades left her bloodied and torn, her pace did not slow.

“Beat her! Beat this traitor to death!”

Startled out of their stupor by Wolf Girl’s awe-inspiring presence, the clan members finally reacted. Someone suddenly bellowed, and the crowd began to strike.

Wolf Girl could not fight back.

She could only protect her head and neck, staggering forward, moving step by step with immense difficulty.

She fell, got up, got up, and fell again—over and over.

Though she moved painfully slow, she was indeed inching closer to the gate that symbolized freedom.

Shui Jingxuan propped his cheek on one hand, watching the brutal and savage scene with indifference.

He felt no worry for Wolf Girl.

The process was difficult, but he knew she would endure.

Ji Wushuang had been watching his disciple’s expression. Unable to read anything from his indifferent face, he asked, “What are you thinking?”

Shui Jingxuan stared at Wolf Girl’s battered figure and replied flatly, “It’s brutal and cruel. I wonder if Senior Sister can make it through.”

“Since the punishment of exile was established, no one from our clan has ever walked away alive. So remember this: never betray me. I will show no mercy. I will kill you!” Ji Wushuang leaned down, pinching his beloved disciple’s delicate chin, staring straight into his eyes as he reiterated.

‘You speak so fiercely, but in the end, you could never be so ruthless. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have spared Wolf Girl out of soft-heartedness, nor would you be ambushed and killed by some nobody!’ Shui Jingxuan thought to himself.

He turned to look at the ‘paper tiger’ beside him, smiling lightly and sincerely. “What are you saying, Master? I would never betray you! Don’t you trust your disciple? That would break my heart.”

With that, he took Ji Wushuang’s broad hand, gently squeezing it.

His dark, clear eyes held deep consolation, along with a hint of grievance.

Stared at by his beloved disciple’s adorable eyes, Ji Wushuang’s heart trembled.

Heat flooded his body.

The fear of losing the other gradually dissipated, and a faint smile finally appeared on his face.

He turned his hand and enveloped Shui Jingxuan’s slender fingers completely in his own, gripping tightly.

“Good. I trust you,” he said in a low voice, a hoarse timbre laden with hope and longing.

While the two were talking, Wolf Girl had already reached the end of the mountain of blades and sea of fire. Though battered and torn, a victor’s smile adorned her face.

Finally taking the last step, Wolf Girl turned and looked from afar at Ji Wushuang on the main seat, her eyes silently asking, ‘May I go now?’

Not expecting Wolf Girl’s will to be so firm that she could even endure such torture, Ji Wushuang and his twin sister both darkened their faces, releasing a frigid aura.

One of the cult members, understanding the sect master’s intent, shouted from the crowd, “She cannot leave! Beat her to death!”

With someone taking the lead, the clan members immediately responded in droves. They surrounded the battered Wolf Girl, swinging clubs and beating her mercilessly.

Wolf Girl, unable to fight back, could only curl up, protecting her vital spots.

According to the script, this was when Ji Wushuang should have been unable to bear Wolf Girl’s suffering and called a halt.

But after waiting a long time without hearing Ji Wushuang stop it, and seeing Wolf Girl about to be beaten to death, Shui Jingxuan finally couldn’t sit still. He grabbed Ji Wushuang’s hand tightly and said in a low voice,

“Master, since Senior Sister has already endured the punishment, let her go. After all, she was once your disciple. I don’t believe you are that heartless.”

A faint hint of shared pity glimmered in his eyes, causing Ji Wushuang’s breath to catch. He couldn’t help feeling a pang of pain for him.

Was his disciple afraid that he would be heartless toward him too? How could that be?

Though he had spoken without leaving any leeway, he was fully aware in his heart: even if his disciple committed the same crime as Wolf Girl, he would never bear to harm a single hair on his head. He would only go mad with heartache and die!

Unwilling to appear unkind and unjust, Ji Wushuang looked up and shouted to those below, “Enough! Let her go!”

At this, the cult members immediately backed off and ceased their attack.

Ji Wushuang’s twin sister glared, opening her mouth to interrogate her younger brother, but was cowed by his ice-cold gaze. ‘Fine, let her go for now. Sooner or later, I will exterminate her!’ she thought bitterly, turning her head away.

“You may go.” Ji Wushuang glanced indifferently at Wolf Girl as she staggered to her feet, still clinging to life, and spoke coldly. His tone was utterly calm, devoid of the heart-wrenching anguish and hoarse shouting seen in the movies.

Having nearly beaten Wolf Girl to death, and now so indifferent to her departure, even someone as slow as Shui Jingxuan could sense that something was off about Ji Wushuang. He frowned, thinking to himself, ‘Could it be that my arrival has disrupted the plot? Will Ji Wushuang’s storyline with Wolf Girl even continue?’

But then he turned his head and saw the lingering trace of distress in Ji Wushuang’s eyes, and the thick venom and murderous intent on his twin sister’s face. He relaxed and laughed at himself for overthinking.

Seeing Wolf Girl hobble step by step toward the sect gate, Ji Wushuang waved his hand, signaling that no one should mind her.

The clan members dispersed. Shui Jingxuan turned to stare at Wolf Girl’s staggering back, a hidden worry in his heart. Because Ji Wushuang hadn’t stopped the beating in time, Wolf Girl was clearly more injured than in the script. If she could barely walk, could she reach Wudang safely?

At this thought, Shui Jingxuan stopped and cupped his hands toward Ji Wushuang. “Master, Senior Sister and I were fellow disciples for a time. Could you permit me to see her one last time?”

“What’s there to see? She’s a traitor. I forbid you to see her again! Lest she seduce you into betraying the sect! Or do you intend to avenge her?” Ji Wushuang roared angrily.

Shui Jingxuan looked troubled and replied in a low voice, “She has already fallen to such a state. How could I, a grown man, still bear a grudge against her? After all, she was my senior sister for five years, day and night.”

Knowing his disciple was loyal and sentimental, Ji Wushuang couldn’t bear to see him distressed. Also, to display his own magnanimity and kindness, he strained to keep a gentle tone as he said, “Go then. But see her only for a moment and come right back.”

“Someone! Keep an eye on the Left Protector! Do not let him leave the sect even one step!” Ji Wushuang called into the void.

A group of shadow agents hidden in the night immediately materialized, cupped their hands in acknowledgment, and vanished back into the darkness.

As soon as he reached the sect gate, Shui Jingxuan saw Wolf Girl supported by two young attendants who usually served her. She was gasping heavily, too injured to walk.

“Senior Sister, I’ve come to see you off.” Shui Jingxuan sighed softly.

“Junior Brother?” Wolf Girl heard the clear, lingering voice of the youth and turned around in disbelief.

She hadn’t expected that when she had fallen to a point where everyone pointed fingers, it would be her usually cold and indifferent junior brother who was the only fellow disciple willing to see her off. Deeply moved, her eyes suddenly welled with tears.

“Surprised to see me?” Shui Jingxuan said. “No matter what happens in the future, you’ll always be my senior sister.” Knowing that after her betrayal, Wolf Girl would go on to establish a powerful demon palace and might be useful to him later, Shui Jingxuan naturally wouldn’t cut ties with her.

Wolf Girl’s face showed shame. She tried to speak, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she suddenly coughed up blood.

“Senior Sister, you’re badly injured. I have a Great Return Pill here. Take it immediately!”

As he spoke, Shui Jingxuan took out a brown pill from his bosom and handed it over, thinking to himself, ‘Heal her wounds quickly, so she can go to Wudang and turn the place upside down.’

Simple-minded, Wolf Girl never guarded against her junior brother. Without a second thought, she took the pill and swallowed it.

Still uneasy, Shui Jingxuan took her hand, pretending to check her pulse while secretly channeling a thread of his special energy into her to repair her damaged internal organs.

Wolf Girl circulated her energy to regulate her breathing and immediately felt much better. She became even more grateful to her junior brother and couldn’t help but straighten her expression, wanting to speak from the bottom of her heart.

“Junior Brother, the demon sect is no place to stay. Master is cold-blooded and heartless. He raised us only to let us avenge him.

My martial arts were weaker, so naturally he didn’t like me. But it’s different for you, with your exceptional talent. However, the day the sect’s great revenge is accomplished, you will be useless.

Your talent and skills will be his greatest threat. He will definitely not let you go!”

“These words don’t sound like they come from you, Senior Sister,” Shui Jingxuan said, somewhat surprised. He thought to himself, ‘This conspiratorial tone—could it be Zhuo Yihang’s seduction?

Also, Master doesn’t like her? Where does that come from? I think he likes her too much! It’s exactly the so-called deep love and strict discipline! Otherwise, given Wolf Girl’s actions, if she fell into my hands, I would not only expel her but also cripple her martial arts!’

“Indeed, I didn’t say that. Zhuo Yihang did. He’s very clever, and I trust him. Junior Brother, why don’t you leave with me?” Wolf Girl said with a worried expression.

“No, I won’t leave the sect. It’s getting late. You should go on your own. Your clothes are torn; you can’t wear them. Put on this robe to cover yourself.” Shui Jingxuan rejected her proposal and handed her the bundle he was carrying.

Opening the bundle, Wolf Girl was pleasantly surprised to see a brand-new white robe. A woman adorns herself for her beloved. She really didn’t want to meet Zhuo Yihang in such a disheveled state. Her junior brother was truly thoughtful.

Seeing her fall to the ground and struggle to rise again, Shui Jingxuan shook his head. Ultimately worried that she might not make it to Wudang in time, he stepped forward to escort her.

“Please stop, Left Protector! The Sect Master has ordered that you are not to leave the sect without permission.” The shadow agent hidden in the night immediately appeared to block him.

“Do you think you can stop me? Go back and tell Master that I’ll escort Senior Sister part of the way and return immediately!”

With a casual palm strike, Shui Jingxuan forced the man back, then caught up to Wolf Girl, helped her up, and sped off toward Wudang.

The shadow agent was struck in the chest. The injury was not severe, but not light either. Delayed by only two seconds, he knew he couldn’t catch up to the Left Protector, whose lightness skills were peerless.

He had no choice but to hurry back and report to Ji Wushuang.

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