"Why do you always do this, Master?" Zhao Ya fumed. "It's clearly the Disciple who made the mistake, yet you insist on punishing Brother Xiao Bai!" This was the only time she ever talked back to Yang Kai. On ordinary days, she was perfectly well-behaved.
It had been like this ever since she came to Azure Jade Peak. Every time she misbehaved, it was Zhao Yebai who bore the punishment. At first it was being denied food and sleep, or being sent down the mountain to haul a hundred buckets of water. Now it was having him stand for days on end with heavy weights piled on his shoulders.
Though Xiao Bai possessed immense strength, he had never cultivated. Even so, standing for three days straight without rest, balancing a water-filled vat on his head without spilling a single drop — that was something even he might not endure.
"Then don't make mistakes," Yang Kai said flatly, regarding her with an indifferent gaze.
"This Disciple refuses to accept it!" Zhao Ya said, her voice trembling with grievance.
"Then endure it."
Zhao Ya's chest heaved several times. Suddenly she walked over to Zhao Yebai and stood shoulder to shoulder with him, dropping to her knees with a thud. "The Disciple will accept the punishment together with him!" she declared, cheeks puffed out in stubborn defiance.
Yang Kai said nothing and turned to walk away.
If he didn't use the person you cherish most as punishment, how would you ever remember the lesson? Zhao Ya seemed meek on the surface, but since childhood a vicious temper had lurked within her heart — perhaps because her own parents had abandoned her when she was still an infant. The only person she had ever truly cared about, from her earliest memories to the present day, was Zhao Yebai. Even Yang Kai, who had been her Master for ten years, could not compare.
This time, in a fit of rage she had tried to kill Liu Yi to avenge Zhao Yebai. If Guan Qianxing hadn't intervened in time, she would have succeeded.
Zhao Ya was destined to be a wild, untamed horse — and Zhao Yebai was the reins that held her in check.
When Yang Kai had plucked her from the mountains and brought her to Yu Lu's doorstep years ago, he never imagined that Zhao Ya's cultivation talent would prove to be so heaven-defying.
The night was quiet, so the growling of a stomach rang out especially loud.
Zhao Ya, kneeling beside Zhao Yebai, slapped her forehead and jumped to her feet. "Brother Xiao Bai, wait here. I'll go to the kitchen and find something for you to eat."
"That... wouldn't be right, would it?" Zhao Yebai glanced in the direction Yang Kai had departed. "I'm still being punished."
Zhao Ya snorted. "Master only said you should stand here for three days without letting any water spill. He never said you couldn't eat or drink! You've never cultivated a day in your life — how are you supposed to last three days without food or water?"
With that, she dashed off to the kitchen. Fortunately, Zhao Yebai had already prepared dinner earlier. Zhao Ya filled an enormous basin and returned to stand beside him, feeding him spoonful by spoonful.
If the senior and junior brothers of Seven Star Workshop could see this sight, they would probably beat their chests and wail in despair.
The young man and woman exchanged a smile, everything understood without a word.
A grain of rice clung to the corner of Zhao Yebai's mouth. Zhao Ya reached over, plucked it off with her fingers, and popped it into his mouth.
Footsteps sounded from behind. Zhao Ya turned to look and saw a group of senior figures from Seven Star Workshop ascending Azure Jade Peak in a procession, led by Shangguan Ji.
When she caught sight of one middle-aged elder among them, she couldn't help but let out a pointed "hmph."
Guan Qianxing sniffed and sighed inwardly, thinking to himself that he must have offended someone in a past life. He had only pulled Liu Yi out from under her hand, and already she wouldn't so much as give him a decent look. If she'd actually killed Liu Yi, then there would have been real trouble.
But judging by the way Zhao Ya and Zhao Yebai looked — kneeling side by side like that — it seemed they were being punished!
The group hurriedly averted their eyes and walked past as though they hadn't noticed either of them.
No one dared strike up conversation. If they provoked Zhao Ya into a fit of shame and fury, these old men might never find a way to save face.
When they reached the front of the great hall, Shangguan Ji bowed deeply. "Shangguan Ji, accompanied by the various Elders, requests an audience with the Supreme Elder."
Yang Kai's voice carried from within the hall: "I have already learned the full account of what happened. Right or wrong, from now on keep your own Disciples in line. Should anyone provoke the people of my Azure Jade Peak again — no matter who they are — I will personally clear our ranks!"
Shangguan Ji dared not offer the slightest objection. He bowed and replied, "This subject obeys the Supreme Elder's command!"
The group departed as grandly as they had arrived, but the heavy weight on each of their hearts had finally been lifted. Though Liu Yi had suffered a terrible loss and Zhao Ya had injured a fellow disciple, what truly terrified them was having provoked the Supreme Elder's wrath. A mere warning from him was nothing short of a blessing in disguise.
"Senior may be a bit eccentric, but he's still on your side," Zhao Yebai mumbled through a mouthful of food.
Zhao Ya said nothing.
"When you get a chance, go apologize to Senior. And stop talking back to him on my account. He only has you as his Disciple — if you keep defying him, it'll hurt his feelings."
"Mm-hmm, I know." Zhao Ya nodded repeatedly, reaching up to wipe Zhao Yebai's mouth with a sleeve. "I'll go get more food."
Zhao Yebai's strength was extraordinary, and his appetite was just as incredible. Fortunately, Azure Jade Peak was never short on provisions. Had they still been at Seven Star Workshop, he would have eaten the household empty long ago.
After feeding Zhao Yebai his fill, Zhao Ya grabbed a little food for herself and then resumed her place kneeling beside him, keeping him company.
Gazing at the person beside him, Zhao Yebai thought once more of Miao Feiping's words from that day. Each sentence rang through his mind like the blow of a great hammer.