Favoring one over the other is a major taboo in educating children.
Since Qing Jun was reprimanded, Zhiwei must be reprimanded as well.
Otherwise, it would hurt Qing Jun’s feelings.
Chen Ye let Qing Jun go and asked her to call her senior sister over.
The little girl hurriedly nodded her small head, covering her buttocks, and waddled out of the small dark room.
"Senior Sister... Master is so scary! You must be careful!"
Finally, she didn’t forget to look at her senior sister with a pitying gaze, whispering:
"Master will press you on his lap and whip you hard!"
As she said this, Qing Jun’s voice was low, making it sound quite terrifying.
"Hmm?"
Zhiwei quietly clutched the hem of her clothes, her heart pounding,
"Is Master really that angry?"
That’s the Bone-Scraping Whip, after all!
If the Bone-Scraping Whip is used, the buttocks would be ruined!
"Very angry!!"
The little girl said seriously; she couldn’t be the only one embarrassed!
Actually, the Master’s strikes weren’t that hard, and since she practiced the Body Refining Technique, it didn’t really matter to her.
It’s just... she was timid and feared pain, so she ended up crying...
She eagerly looked at her senior sister, trying to spot fear on her face.
However, to the little girl’s disappointment,
Her senior sister wasn’t scared at all; rather, she even quickened her pace a bit.
"Huh? Senior Sister... you... you’re not afraid?"
The little girl was stunned to see her senior sister walking eagerly towards the small dark room.
The black-haired girl maintained her expressionless face, silently giving her a glance:
"As a disciple, how can one let the Master wait for long... Besides, it’s only right for the Master to discipline the disciple."
Qing Jun was slightly confused by what she heard.
Although the words seemed flawless, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
But her little brain couldn’t figure out what was wrong, so she just stared blankly as her senior sister walked inside.
Leaving her alone to idly kick the stones on the ground: "Senior Sister is so brave..."
...
Inside the small dark room, the light grew dimmer.
Zhiwei quietly walked in, her small figure appearing somewhat frail in the dimness.
She kept her head bowed, the dark hair on her forehead obscuring her eyes and brow, making her expression unclear.
She remembered Qing Jun’s exaggerated description earlier—Master would press her on his lap and whip her hard.
Yet, inexplicably, the older girl’s heart held not much fear but rather a sense of calm as if dust had settled.
"Master." She called softly, her voice characteristically cool, but with a slight tremor.
Does this girl feel fear too?
Chen Ye was genuinely pleased.
Because as long as Zhiwei still felt fear, it meant she retained her humanity.
He had initially worried that Zhiwei’s awakening this time would lead her to further lose her humanity.
The previous Zhiwei was already cold enough.
If the situation worsened, she might turn from being cold to being expressionless and emotionless.
Chen Ye sat on the only low stool in the middle of the room, his back facing the door, his figure appearing somewhat inscrutable in the flickering candlelight.
He did not immediately turn around, only responding with a faint "Hm."
Zhiwei pursed her lips, quietly clenching the hem of her clothes.
She walked behind Chen Ye, trying hard to make her voice sound more obedient: "Master... Zhiwei knows her mistake. Please punish her, Zhiwei is willing."
"Oh?" Chen Ye slowly turned around, his face expressionless, his gaze calm as he looked at her, "What was your mistake?"
The black-haired girl stood quietly, her face pale but it was the paleness of someone who hasn’t seen sunlight for a long time.
Her dark hair swayed near her slender waist.
She looked both quiet and obedient.
She lowered her head, her voice faint: "I shouldn’t... shouldn’t have disobeyed Master’s words, and followed Sister Bai to the Moon Rhinoceros Lake District alone... causing trouble for Master."
She paused for a moment, then added: "And I shouldn’t... shouldn’t have let Qing Jun take risks."
Looking at her submissive appearance, how could Chen Ye feel angry?
He smiled slightly: "You said it wrong."
"Wrong?" the older girl’s eyelashes quivered.
"You’re only half a year older than Qing Jun; you can’t possibly be responsible for the risks Qing Jun takes."
Chen Ye’s tone was calm, yet very serious.
He didn’t believe that the older child must always give way to the younger one or shoulder more responsibility.
Besides, Zhiwei was only half a year older than Qing Jun...
Chen Ye continued:
"You are her senior sister, not her mother, and certainly not her guardian. Taking care of her, protecting her, is the Master’s responsibility. Ultimately, it’s the Master’s oversight that left you two little girls at the Lingyin Sect..."
He sighed.
Indeed, it was Chen Ye’s mistake.
He often thought that the two little girls shouldn’t just be "little girls."
They seemed as if they should be more mature than their age, capable of looking after themselves.
But no matter how mature they appeared, they were just eight- or nine-year-old children.
Leaving these two children in an Immortal Cultivation sect without any guardians...
Thinking about it now, even Chen Ye felt a bit apprehensive.
Zhiwei suddenly looked up, her calm black eyes unexpectedly showing a hint of surprise.
She hadn’t expected Master to say such things.
She was the older sister... she was supposed to take care of her younger sister...
Seeing the older girl’s surprised look, Chen Ye moved to Zhiwei and knelt down so that his gaze met hers.
He reached out, gently tucking the strands of hair away from her forehead that covered her eyes, revealing her pretty eyes:
"In front of Master, Zhiwei is still just a little girl..."
"Master..."
The older girl lowered her head, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow under her eyes, hiding the inexplicable emotions in her eyes.
A strange and unprecedented feeling of relief quietly spread in her heart.