Qian Gu was captured because the surge of immortal energy I left behind while flying out of Kong Ling alerted all thirty thousand disciples that I had awakened.
As for how I woke up, those juniors could probably figure out most of the story if they thought about it. I had anticipated someone might return to question Qian Gu after I left, but I hadn’t expected those juniors to actually capture him. What’s more, Qian Gu willingly allowed himself to be taken, fully prepared to endure the punishment of eighty-one lashes from the Soul-Devouring Whip.
Eighty-one lashes from that whip… even I would struggle to endure it, let alone Qian Gu.
I rushed to the Hall of Punishment, where countless disciples stood gathered outside. The hall was deathly silent, broken only by the sound of the Soul-Devouring Whip striking Qian Gu’s back—each lash echoing loudly.
“Stop.”
I stepped onto the white jade path that the disciples parted for me. I rarely interfered with the affairs of the Kong Ling Sect, and many of the juniors had never seen my face. Although protocol dictated they lower their heads, many still stared at me with wide eyes, their curiosity evident—even among the elderly with flowing white hair.
The elder wielding the whip immediately stopped. He was the youngest disciple of my junior brother, making him a senior figure here as well.
Ascending the platform, I took the Soul-Devouring Whip from his hand.
A trembling voice from an older elder nearby spoke up: “Immortal Master, Qian Gu has violated the sect rules. The eighty-one lashes must not be reduced, or how will the sect’s discipline stand…”
Others chimed in their agreement. Even Qian Gu, bound and suspended in the air, turned his head to look at me. His face was deathly pale, and in his eyes, there was a despair I couldn’t quite understand.
“Our Kong Ling Sect has upheld strict rules for a thousand years. I will not play favorites,” I declared. With a flick of the whip in my hand, three lashes landed on Qian Gu’s back in an instant. His back split open, blood pouring out. Though he had been holding back his cries, he finally let out a pained scream.
Gasps erupted from the juniors below; some even turned away or covered their eyes.
“But as his master, it is not right for anyone else to punish my disciple. Only I can deal with him.”
No one dared to argue further.
“These three lashes are my punishment for your outrageous defiance,” I said. “Now tell me—do you accept this punishment?”
Qian Gu, his voice faint as a whisper, still nodded.
After all, he is my disciple—one I promised to cherish like my own heart. Seeing him like this, my resolve softened, and I could no longer grip the whip. I suddenly slammed it down onto the ground. “You were accepted into my sect as a child, yet now you’ve developed improper thoughts. I can no longer guide your cultivation. From this moment on, after these three lashes, you are no longer a disciple of the Kong Ling Sect, nor are you my pupil. May you take care of yourself from here on.”
This outcome was expected by everyone present—everyone except Qian Gu.
He struggled to turn back toward me. “Master, this disciple is willing to endure all eighty-one lashes. Please, don’t cast me out!”
This foolish child… Anyone with sense could see that eighty-one lashes would surely kill him. By expelling him, I was sparing his life. Yet instead of leaving quietly, he begged me to keep him, as if...
He had no sense at all.
With a wave of my hand, the chains binding Qian Gu snapped, and he fell to the ground. Struggling to crawl toward me, he pleaded, “Master… please don’t… don’t cast me out…”
Taking a deep breath, I turned away, unwilling to look at him. “Take him beyond the gates of the sect. From this day forward, he is not to set foot in the Kong Ling Sect again.”
The disciples bound him and dragged him out as he fought desperately, screaming for me. His blood stained the white jade path red.
The hall was utterly silent. I coughed, the weight of everything I had dealt with since waking making my temples throb. “Disperse. Return to your training.”
Back at the summit of Kong Ling Mountain, I sat in the empty main hall. My headache was splitting, yet I had no desire to lie down.
Glancing out the window, it seemed as though I could see the young Qian Gu practicing his swordplay outside. His movements had been clumsy back then, but even so, there had been a faint air of immortality about him.
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