But as her breath gradually settled, a strange sense of clarity slowly seeped through the heart-wrenching pain. Her originally sluggish meridians seemed to be slowly widening, and even the flow of spiritual energy throughout her body became a bit smoother.
She took a deep breath and flicked her wrist again. The sound of the long whip slicing through the air was deeper and steadier than before, landing solidly strike after strike.
When the last few lashes landed, their force suddenly grew several times heavier. The wind of the whip, wrapped in concentrated spiritual energy, slammed onto his back, leaving Moqi's chest feeling tight and his vision spinning into darkness.
His teeth ground together with a sharp clatter, his jawline tensed into a cold, rigid line. He almost failed to hold back a cry of agony.
What was wrong with this minor disciple of the Nine Saints Hall? Did her cultivation actually break through in the middle of executing a punishment? What kind of monsters were these people?!
The two hundred lashes were completed, not a single one more, not a single one less.
Ming Ran snapped her wrist back, and the long whip hit the ground with a loud crack.
She turned and walked quickly back to Song Yao's side. The wounds on her back were still seeping blood, but the corners of her eyes were incredibly bright. An uncontrollable joy spilled from her gaze, her voice trembling with excitement: “Master!”
This girl's comprehension was indeed quite good. Song Yao nodded approvingly. “Very impressive. Well done.”
Cheng Yue slowly walked over from the side, her expression highly complex. With a trace of worry hidden in her eyes, she lowered her voice and said, “Will this offend Elder Moqi too much? What if he tries to make a move on you...”
Song Yao waved her hand dismissively. “He already hates us anyway, so what difference does a little more or less make? Tell you what, next time, you can be the one to whip him.”
Cheng Yue: “...”
Why would there be a next time?
She didn't ask further, only nodding in response. “Alright.”
While they exchanged these few words, the Beiyao Sect cultivators over there had already scrambled to surround Moqi. They clumsily tried to support him, holding healing pills in their hands and offering them to him. “Elder Moqi, are you alright?”
“Get lost.” Moqi barked coldly, brushing their hands away.
Supporting himself against the ground, he slowly stood up. The pain in his back throbbed with excruciating intensity, his clothes already soaked through with blood. He couldn't even straighten his spine, and his internal organs twisted in agonizing pain from the impact.
Taking a deep breath, he raised his eyes and glared coldly at Song Yao, his gaze dripping with malice. “Can we go now?”
The several Nine Saints Hall disciples surrounding Song Yao instantly tensed up. Subconsciously taking a half-step forward, they shielded her firmly behind them, staring warily at Moqi, ready to fight to the bitter end.
“It's fine, it's fine. Elder Moqi and I have a great relationship, so there's no need to worry.” Song Yao suddenly found herself squeezed into the very center, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. She patted the shoulders of the disciples beside her and squeezed her way out. Under their worried gazes, she walked over to Moqi and smiled at him. “I am a woman of my word. Let's go.”
Moqi was truly on the verge of fainting from pure rage. This wretched girl could actually still smile! In all his years in the Beiyao Sect, he had never received such a severe whipping!
Once she finished developing the pills and handed over the recipe, he would definitely make her wish she were dead. He would tear her into ten thousand pieces!
With a dark expression, he reached out to grab her and leave, but she raised her hand. “Wait a moment.”
Moqi: “!! What else do you want?!”
Song Yao: “This is only one peak. We haven't accounted for the beatings the disciples on the other peaks received yet.”
Moqi: “...”
He couldn't take it anymore. He was really going to kill someone.
Just as he was on the brink of exploding, Song Yao changed her tune, showing a rare flash of conscience. “Alright, alright, look at you getting all worked up again. We'll let it slide this time, but next time we definitely have to include the punishments everyone else received...”
Having said that, she stole a glance at Moqi and suddenly paused. “You wouldn't happen to be addicted to being whipped, would you? Getting others to increase your punishment?”
Moqi: “!!!”
Who was addicted to being whipped?! Aaaaargh, was this girl insane?! Could he really not beat her up?! Or perhaps he could just slaughter everyone here—would she still refuse to hand over the pill recipe then?!
He reached out to choke her neck, but she spun around to dodge it and smoothly stepped onto his flying sword. “Fine, fine, I was just joking. You're a grand elder of the Beiyao Sect, surely you can take a little joke. Let's go, let's go.”
Moqi: “...”
Sooner or later! He! Would! Definitely! Kill! Her!!!
Managing to suppress his anger with great difficulty, he secretly transmitted an order to the Beiyao Sect deacons before departing: “From today onward, do not arbitrarily punish the disciples of the Nine Saints Hall using the sect rules. If necessary, record their offenses first and wait for my notification to punish them all together!”
...
The pill cultivators of the Nine Saints Hall had all evacuated in advance and were currently hiding inside the array core. As a result, there wasn't a single soul from the Nine Saints Hall left on Baicao Peak, and even the pill manuals, elixirs, and cauldrons had been completely packed up and taken away.
Now that it was occupied by the Beiyao Sect, there were only a few scattered cultivators guarding the outside, with several Beiyao Sect pill cultivators waiting inside the Pill Pavilion.
Moqi shoved her into the pavilion, coughing violently a few times. His face was pale, and his mouth was filled with the metallic taste of blood. “Get paper and ink! Write down the pill recipe in full. If you dare play any tricks, I won't let you off!”
As he spoke, he swept his gaze over the several Beiyao Sect pill cultivators standing by the desk and said in a heavy voice, “Keep a close eye on her, all of you. I have other matters to attend to first!”
Just as he turned around, Song Yao poked her head over expectantly. “Are you in a hurry to heal your wounds, Elder Moqi? Do you want me to refine some Qi-Replenishing Pills for you? The kind you guys want.”
Moqi: “...”
No. How could anyone be this obnoxious?!
The veins on his temples throbbed violently. Exhaling a breath of turbid air, he slammed the door and left. “Shut up! I don't need your help!”
In comparison, the remaining Beiyao Sect pill cultivators appeared much colder. Each of them kept their eyes downcast, not even bothering to give her a second glance.
The leader stepped forward, placing the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the desk, and said in a businesslike tone, “Miss Lin, please. The Sect Master is waiting for the pill recipe. Please do not delay.”
“Easy enough.” Song Yao didn't bother arguing with them. She walked over, swept her robes aside to sit down, dipped her brush lightly into the inkstone, and quickly wrote down the recipe.
In just a few moments, she handed the written page over. “Here.”
The leader reached out to take it, glancing down at it. Instantly, her brow furrowed tightly.
The paper only listed a few medicinal herbs in a messy scrawl.
Her tone immediately sank. “That's it?”
Song Yao: “Yep.”
The leader's face darkened further. “What about the herb ratios? The dosage for each herb, the brewing duration—why isn't any of that written down?”
“We don't need all those complicated details.” Song Yao leaned back in her chair, casually twirling the brush. Hearing this, she shook her head matter-of-factly. “Just grab a handful of each. It'll be close enough.”
Hearing this, the corners of the pill cultivators' mouths twitched in unison.
They had been immersed in the path of alchemy for decades and had seen at least hundreds, if not thousands, of pill recipes. Yet, they had never heard of a proper recipe that simply said "just grab a handful."
This wasn't handing over a pill recipe; she was clearly trying to irritate them on purpose.
Clutching the flimsy piece of paper, the leader's expression grew even colder. “Then what about the refining techniques, the fire control methods, and the timing of pill formation? Surely you should write those down clearly? Miss Lin, the Sect Master wants a complete pill recipe, not a list of ingredients.”
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