Yang Kai had just told Zhu Qing that this youth was a Disciple of Medicine Pill Valley, a follower of Great Emperor Miaodan.
Now that she had slapped him, she would certainly bring trouble crashing down on Lingxiao Palace. Yang Kai might even grow resentful toward her, and then her mission would be impossible to complete...
Zhu Qing was filled with unease, but back then, she simply couldn't hold back.
"I nearly got beaten to death by that wretched woman's slap, and you couldn't even tell?" the youth shrieked hysterically, his face a mask of outrage, as though he had suffered the world's greatest injustice.
"I really couldn't," Yang Kai said, regarding him with genuine surprise. He beckoned. "Come here and let me take a look. Let me check where she hit you."
The youth bounced three feet into the air and darted up to Yang Kai, thrusting his face forward. "My face! My face! She actually hit my face! Look what she did! If you don't give me a satisfactory explanation, I absolutely will not let this go!"
Yang Kai studied the injury on his face with great seriousness, nodded slightly, then suddenly raised his hand and slapped the other — perfectly intact — cheek.
Crack...
A sharp, crisp sound rang out. The youth tumbled through the air, spinning a full dozen times before slamming into the ground. Mid-flight, a spray of teeth burst from his mouth — nearly half of them gone.
After the heavy landing, golden stars swam before his eyes. He lay there in a daze, unable to collect himself for a good long while.
The women all stared, their eyes wide.
"Palace Master, you..." Hua Qingsi was horrified. If Zhu Qing slapping the brat could be dismissed as him asking for it, then Yang Kai — the Palace Master of Lingxiao Palace — slapping him meant the situation had spiraled completely beyond saving.
Yang Kai now represented Lingxiao Palace. Every action he took carried tremendous weight. Slapping the boy was essentially a declaration of war against Medicine Pill Valley.
Just thinking about it was terrifying. As the chief steward of Lingxiao Palace, Hua Qingsi suddenly felt... so tired! But she quickly came around when she saw that brat Li Xuan sent flying — an indescribable satisfaction welled up inside her.
The kid was just too annoying.
"If this happens again, hit harder," Yang Kai said, glancing at Zhu Qing.
Zhu Qing nodded numbly.
She was a Dragon Girl. Her devastating physical power was nearly unmatched — even Yang Kai had almost suffered at her hands once. Had she not held back, that single slap could have killed Li Xuan a dozen times over. It was only because of Yang Kai's prior warning that she had restrained herself, delivering merely a light lesson. Otherwise, Li Xuan wouldn't have survived.
"You... you dare..." Li Xuan finally came to his senses, extending a trembling finger toward Yang Kai. When he spoke, his words slurred through the gaps in his teeth. "You dare hit me!"
"What if I did?" Yang Kai feinted another swing, and Li Xuan immediately scrambled along the ground, clutching his head and crying out in alarm.
After a long pause with nothing happening, Li Xuan peered up at Yang Kai and realized he'd been played. His face flushed crimson, and he bellowed in fury: "I am a Disciple of Medicine Pill Valley! You dare hit me? You're all dead!"
"You never learn, do you?" Yang Kai's expression turned savage. He strode forward, seized Li Xuan by the collar, and hoisted him into the air.
Li Xuan struggled with all his might, but how could he possibly break free from Yang Kai's grip? He screamed in panic: "Wh-what are you doing!"
"Teaching you a lesson!" Yang Kai sneered and brought his palm down.
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack...
The relentless barrage continued. Though Yang Kai hadn't used a trace of Emperor Yuan, his raw strength alone was enough to make Li Xuan wish for death. After just a few slaps the boy was already weeping and wailing, utterly devoid of dignity.
"So young, and already learning all the wrong things," Yang Kai said, glancing sideways at him. He held his palm up in front of Li Xuan's face, glaring down with a fearsome scowl. "Can you speak politely now?"
"Y-yes... yes I can..." Li Xuan nodded frantically. His cheeks had gone completely numb, and from the corner of his eye he could clearly see his face, swollen to twice its size.
"Go apologize!" Yang Kai tossed Li Xuan aside, landing him right at Zhu Qing's feet.
Zhu Qing looked at Yang Kai in surprise, something stirring inexplicably in her heart.
Was he standing up for her? After all, given Yang Kai's current status, the wisest course in situations like this would be to minimize the damage, smooth things over, and move on quietly. But instead, he had beaten the boy senseless without a second thought and then ordered him to come apologize to her.
Didn't he find her annoying? Hadn't he been avoiding her all this time? What was this about?
For a moment, Zhu Qing's mind was a tangled mess.
Li Xuan staggered to his feet and stood obediently before Zhu Qing, bowing deeply. His voice was earnest: "I'm sorry, miss. I was out of line just now. Please be the bigger person and don't hold it against me. I'm just a kid who doesn't know any better. Please don't be angry."
After the thorough beating, Li Xuan seemed like a completely different person — impossibly well-behaved and sensible.
Zhu Qing furrowed her brow slightly. "It's nothing."
It really was nothing. The boy had tried to get fresh with her earlier, but she had dodged every attempt and hadn't suffered any harm. If anything, he was the one who had been beaten into an unrecognizable mess by Yang Kai.
"Thank you for being so generous, miss!" Li Xuan said gratefully. Then he turned, walked up to Yang Kai, and offered an ingratiating smile. "Big brother, I've already apologized, and that sister has forgiven me. So, you see..."
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes. "Mm, not bad. A promising student."
Li Xuan chuckled. "You flatter me, big brother! If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way!"
"What about the spirit herbs? You don't want them anymore?" Yang Kai asked, his expression loaded with meaning.
Li Xuan slapped his forehead and laughed awkwardly. "Ha, almost forgot! This was a task from my master!"