Behind the mountain, by the pond.
Chen Ye rested his head on his arms, lying on the rock, squinting at the clear sky.
In his heart, the image of his two disciples was not unchanging.
At first,
when they were in the slum area of Yunxi District, his impression of the disciples was gloomy, mysterious, and even... made Chen Ye feel a tinge of fear, as the image of the "great villain" and "great savior" in the original game storyline had left such a deep shadow on him.
But as they gradually interacted,
he discovered that no matter what the future held, at this moment, they were just two little girls.
Not only were they devoid of malice, but their minds had not yet outgrown their naivety.
Gradually,
Chen Ye began to feel that his two disciples were actually just harmless little rabbits, obedient and well-behaved, posing no threat.
But...
At this moment, he suddenly realized that this harmless little rabbit was secretly monitoring him!
Frankly, it sent a chill down Chen Ye’s spine and raised doubts in his heart.
He wondered how much of Zhiwei’s innocent demeanor was an act.
People have always been bewildered by things beyond their control.
Chen Ye was no exception.
"Alas..."
He sighed heavily again, with a trace of bitterness in his voice.
Zhiwei, oh Zhiwei, what should I do as a master?
Behind him, his eldest disciple’s pleasant voice came.
"Master... is that you?"
The voice of the ink-haired girl was still calm but carried a hint of excitement.
She wore a white dress, her black hair cascading like a waterfall, possessing a cuteness as it should be, yet there was an inexplicable hint of coldness.
Holding a small food box, she feigned indifference and said:
"Master, have you not eaten yet? This is something Zhiwei recently learned from Granny Li, said to be a specialty from Granny Li’s hometown. If Master doesn’t like it..."
She spoke softly for a while, suddenly sensing something amiss, only to see her master looking at her coldly.
"Ma... Master?" Zhiwei felt inexplicable panic.
"What is this?" Chen Ye waved the jade pendant in front of her.
"Master... are you hungry? I made something for you..."
"I asked you a question."
"This is Aunt Mao’s jade pendant..."
"Oh, it turns out it’s Mao Qingzhu’s. I’ll settle accounts with her later."
"..."
"Why aren’t you speaking?"
"It has nothing to do with Aunt Mao, Master, listen to me..."
She wanted to explain, but her tongue seemed frozen.
Since accidentally discovering the mystery of this jade pendant, it started with curiosity and later became like drinking poison to quench thirst, gradually becoming an addiction.
She hid by the pillow, listening to her master’s sighs when he was alone, speculating on his worries;
listening to his footsteps when he went out, fretting about his safety...
All these became her solace hidden by the pillow... she thought her master would never know.
Zhiwei clutched the food box tightly, her throat choked, and countless words were swallowed back.
"When did this start?" Chen Ye caressed the jade pendant, his tone calm, yet the air around seemed to thicken. "Spying on your master, is that fun?"
"No... no, Master!" Zhiwei suddenly looked up, tears swirling in her eyes, "I... I just... just wanted to know what Master was doing, wanted to hear Master’s voice more..."
Listening to this nearly earnest explanation,
Chen Ye’s thoughts surged, recalling her trailing closely behind him, remembering her feigning sleep and clinging to him, showing affection...
These memories all transformed into sharp pains at this moment, piercing coldness into his heart.
This excessive attachment and desire to spy must be nipped in the bud!
Overindulgent parents often spoil the child.
In the past, he had been too indulgent; it was a failure of his duty as a master.
The Cultivation Realm allows no luck; today she eavesdropped out of attachment, tomorrow it might lead to an irreparable mistake!
"Don’t cry!" Chen Ye’s voice suddenly grew sharp.
The stern tone he had never heard instantly choked Zhiwei’s sobs, leaving only soft sniffling as she looked at him in fear.
The fear was not of her master’s punishment, but that her master would hate her from then on.
Though young, she also knew that in the Cultivation Realm, spying on others is a taboo!
Even among family, one cannot cross the line, let alone between master and disciple?
Chen Ye expressionlessly untied a whip from his waist — it was a short, entirely black whip, about three feet long, neither leather nor fabric, seemingly forged from metal and beast bones, cold as ice.
"Since you know fear, you should remember what is taboo!" Chen Ye gripped the whip, his voice icy, "Hold out your hand! Ten stripes!"
The familiar whip brought back memories.
Even though she was not afraid of pain, the fear in her memories was a pain inflicted on the soul.
She trembled, slowly extending her delicate white palm, facing upward.
"Snap!"
The first whip lashed down like lightning!
No flesh flew, yet the fine bone spikes on the whip felt alive, instantly piercing her skin, bringing a heart-piercing pain!
The whip of memories overlapped with the whip of reality.
As if it whipped directly on her heart!
"Ah—!"
Zhiwei let out a scream, her body violently trembling, as if pinned in place, a dense array of crimson pinprick-like blood spots appearing on her palm, her temples soaked in cold sweat.
"...Do you know your mistake?" Chen Ye paused, gripping the whip, coldly watching her.
The master is in pain! He must be in pain!
Clever as she was, she caught the subtle pause.
Suddenly, she no longer wanted to admit her mistake.
What wrong did she commit?
If it were someone else, who could resist listening?
This is human nature, an irresistible temptation!
How was she wrong?!
"Zhiwei is not wrong..." The ink-haired girl spoke without hesitation, unexpectedly uttering.
Who would have expected that the anticipated forgiveness turned into a farce.