Punishment
In the middle of the wide courtyard of the Wei Estate, the red-haired young woman knelt with her back perfectly straight.
Both arms were raised above her head, supporting two heavy buckets filled with water as punishment.
The blazing sunlight beat down upon her relentlessly, yet the physical strain did not seem to torment the face that was usually so cheerful nearly as much as the sorrow now clearly reflected in her eyes.
She was unnaturally silent.
‘I wronged her…’
The image of the injured Rouling remained vivid within her mind.
‘She was hurt because of me…’
Even the scent of Lanyi’s blood seemed to linger in Bajie’s nose, as though it still stained the Zhenyuan’s own body.
‘I… How can I possibly make amends to her?’
Far away upon the veranda, Wei Balong secretly watched his daughter with eyes filled with worry.
“Oh, heavens…!”
His large hands gripped the wooden railing so tightly that it nearly bent beneath his fingers.
Part of him wanted to order the punishment stopped immediately.
Another part of him knew that he could not.
“My Lord… please endure it,” Yufan said gently from where she sat behind him beside the other two wives. “Our daughter must learn from this.”
The three women had personally decided Bajie’s punishment after the Fourth Young Miss had led Lady Lin into danger and caused her to return injured.
‘My poor daughter… This time, you truly went too far.’
The red-haired young woman, however, felt no resentment toward her punishment.
‘I made her cry…’
Only the image of Lanyi’s tear-stained face circled endlessly through Bajie’s mind.
The pain of being hated weighed so heavily upon her that she almost felt as though she might begin crying herself.
As Bajie sank deeper into her sorrow, a man suddenly approached and silently knelt beside her.
When she turned to look, Bajie’s eyes widened.
“Big Brother…”
Before she could say anything else, Beyuan and Puzhen also walked over and knelt in a row beside their younger sister.
“Caring for one’s younger sister is the duty of an elder brother,” Pabao said in a calm but firm voice. “If I failed to look after you properly and allowed you to make such a mistake, then I should share your punishment.”
“When you were travelling through the martial world, we were unable to protect you,” Puzhen added while staring straight ahead. “But while you are here, protecting our younger sister must come before all else.”
Beyuan turned toward Bajie with his usual playful smile.
“The next time you plan to go somewhere and cause trouble, at least tell us first. That way, I can kneel beside you from the beginning instead of only learning about it afterward.”
Tears gathered in Bajie’s eyes once more.
Her surprise gradually became overwhelming gratitude.
No matter how terrible her mistake had been, her three elder brothers had never abandoned her.
“I am sorry… Brothers.”
The three men smiled faintly.
“If you have truly reflected upon your mistake,” Pabao said, “then once the punishment is over, please give us the gifts you prepared for us properly this time.”
He glanced sideways at her.
“Also… who were those iron knuckle guards actually meant for?”
Pabao teased her in an attempt to ease her sadness.
A faint smile appeared upon Bajie’s face, but it did not last long.
The guilt within her heart had not been washed away in the slightest.
Inside Lanyi’s guest chamber, A-Lan entered and placed a bowl of medicinal soup upon the table.
“My Lady, do you know what is happening in the courtyard?” she asked sarcastically.
“The Fourth Young Miss is kneeling there for everyone to see. And now all three Young Masters have gone to kneel around her as well!”
She scoffed.
“Hmph! The Wei family certainly knows how to protect its own. They must be trying to make the Young Masters look pitiful so that the ladies will reduce her punishment. How shameless!”
A-Lan was still furious after seeing her mistress limp back the previous evening in such a battered condition.
“A-Lan. Stop speaking carelessly at once.”
Lanyi scolded her in an even voice, although exhaustion lingered beneath it.
“But, My Lady…”
“The three Young Masters have nothing to do with this matter. Do not accuse them unjustly.”
Lanyi released a quiet sigh and looked toward the wound upon her shoulder.
Deep within her heart, she understood the situation better than anyone.
‘Although she was the one who led me toward misfortune, I was the one who chose to follow her.’
Her gaze lowered to the bandages wrapped around her body.
‘To speak honestly, part of this injury was also caused by my own carelessness.’
Even though she understood that much…
For now…
‘I… I cannot forgive her.’
Lanyi clenched her hand tightly.
‘I should never have trusted her!’
The three wives who were overseeing the punishment watched the four siblings kneeling together with conflicted expressions.
They knew perfectly well how deeply the three sons loved and wished to protect their only younger sister.
‘Those troublesome children… Are they not forcing our hands by doing this?’
‘Elder Sister… I do not think allowing this to continue would be wise.’
But the person least capable of remaining still was Wei Balong.
The Clan Leader paced back and forth restlessly.
If all three sons—who served as the pillars of the family—continued their silent protest in the courtyard, then who would patrol the unstable borders of the Cursed Lands?
After nearly an entire shichen had passed, his anxiety finally overcame his patience.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake!”
Balong strode into the courtyard with an enraged expression.
“What madness are you three doing!?” he shouted, though the concern beneath his anger was unmistakable.
“Pabao! Beyuan! Puzhen! If all three of you sit here watching over your fourth sister, then who will guard the borders? What will happen if trouble arises?”
Pabao raised his head and calmly looked toward his parents.
“Forgive us, Father. But if we are preoccupied with worrying about our younger sister, how can we possibly concentrate upon protecting the borders of the Cursed Lands?”
He continued steadily,
“The reason she must endure punishment here is because we failed to look after her properly.”
Yufan and the Third Wife immediately looked toward the First Wife.
Their expressions were filled with helplessness.
They knew perfectly well that Balong was not the only person who had spoiled Bajie until she became this unruly.
‘Look at the eldest child…’
‘If this continues, not only will important duties be neglected, but our sons’ credibility will suffer as well.’
‘Elder Sister, it seems we must change our plan.’
The three brothers had always served as the finest shield protecting their troublesome younger sister.
If they were allowed to keep kneeling there, the estate’s larger responsibilities would collapse before Bajie’s punishment ended.
The First Wife finally stepped forward and fixed her gaze upon her daughter.
“Bajie. Do you now understand what you did wrong?”
Bajie looked up at her mother with a sorrowful face.
The mischievous light that normally filled her eyes had clearly faded.
Although the arms that had supported the heavy buckets for nearly an entire shichen remained steady, the voice with which she answered sounded utterly drained.
“I understand, Mother… It was my fault.”
“Good.”
The First Wife released a long sigh.
“Then put the buckets down. Mother will change your punishment. Instead, you will go to the library and copy written apologies.”
The three brothers immediately smiled in relief when they heard that their younger sister had been released from the physical punishment.
Their smiles froze when the First Wife continued.
“That includes all three of you as well—Pabao, Puzhen, and Beyuan!”
Her gaze swept across them.
“Since you love your sister so dearly, complete your patrol duties first. Then return and copy written apologies in the library alongside Bajie. Mother will inspect every page personally afterward.”
Pabao bowed his head and accepted the order willingly.
“Your son understands, Mother.”
Puzhen, however, shrank his neck and made a deeply uncomfortable expression.
“Could I perhaps continue kneeling instead…?”
Just as he prepared to complain, his eyes fell upon the bucket Beyuan had placed on the ground.
“Wait…”
Puzhen frowned.
“Third Brother… Why does your bucket contain only half as much water as mine?”
He stared at Beyuan suspiciously.
“You secretly poured some away while I was not looking, did you not? No—someone like you probably filled it only halfway from the very beginning!”
Beyuan pretended that his leg had gone numb from kneeling and accidentally kicked over the bucket.
The remaining water spilled across the courtyard.
“Oh! Oh dear. My leg has gone numb.”
He looked innocently toward Puzhen.
“Second Brother, what are you talking about? We should hurry back to our duties.”
“You…! What a deceitful fellow!”
Still wearing a sorrowful expression, Bajie rose unsteadily upon her exhausted legs and began walking toward the library.
Her heart remained buried beneath the weight of guilt.
‘I am sorry, Brothers… This happened because of my mistake alone.’
A-Lan had secretly watched the entire event from around the corner of a building near the courtyard.
Her eyes widened, and she mentally slapped her knee in triumph.
‘I knew it!’
Without wasting another moment, she swept her skirt aside and hurried back toward Lanyi’s room to report everything to her mistress and A-Ling.
“My Lady! A-Ling! I knew I was right!”
A-Lan rushed inside with an excited expression.
“Just now, the ladies ended the Fourth Young Miss’s kneeling punishment! They also ordered all three Young Masters to return to their patrol duties as usual.”
She folded her arms.
“Do you see? In the end, they protected their own family. That punishment was nothing but an empty performance!”
A-Ling, who was holding a bowl of medicine for Lanyi, released a disappointed sigh.
“That is true. They are members of the same household. Why would they care about outsiders such as us?”
“Exactly! They sent her to copy books instead. She will probably sit there eating sweets rather than receiving any real punishment!”
Lanyi, however, remained composed.
She slowly placed down her teacup before explaining in an even voice,
“You misunderstand them.”
Both maids turned toward her.
“The three Young Masters must continue patrolling because their duty concerns the lives of the villagers.”
Lanyi’s hand tightened slightly.
“They… must protect the people from demons.”
After experiencing a demon firsthand, she now understood just how important the duties of the Zhenyuans truly were.
“As for changing the Fourth Young Miss’s punishment to copying books…”
A faint, complicated expression passed across her face.
“I believe that may be far more torturous for her than continuing to kneel in the courtyard.”
‘She despises reading more than anything else.’
The two maids fell silent and exchanged confused looks.
“Why would My Lady say such a thing?” A-Lan asked.
“Could it be that you are no longer angry with her?”
“Our Young Lady is far too kind…”
Lanyi looked directly into A-Lan’s eyes.
Her expression did not suggest forgiveness.
It reflected only a greater sense of reason.
“I have not ceased being angry.”
She continued calmly,
“I merely do not wish for either of you to misunderstand our hosts. The three of us must remain within this estate for some time.”
“If we constantly assume they have treated us poorly, or view everything they do in the worst possible light, then we will never find any happiness while living here.”
Lanyi paused before continuing.
“If we set aside what happened today, then throughout the entire past month, they have protected and cared for us exceptionally well.”
“This estate has been more peaceful than anywhere else.”
“So, in conclusion…” A-Lan said, eagerly interpreting the situation in her own way, “everything is the Fourth Young Miss’s fault alone!”
A-Ling immediately nodded in agreement.
Lanyi did not answer.
She merely turned her gaze toward the window, her expression impossible to read.
Her anger had not disappeared.
Yet it was difficult to deny that Bajie seemed to be the single troublemaker within an otherwise peaceful household.
At the same time, inside the silent library—
“Achoo! Achoo! ACHOO!”
Wei Bajie sneezed so violently that the brush in her hand jerked sideways.
A drop of black ink splattered onto the clean white sheet of calligraphy paper, forming an ugly stain.
She rubbed her nose and muttered miserably,
“Who is speaking badly of me…? Could it be Lanyi?”
Bajie stared gloomily at the ruined sheet.
“She must be cursing me inside her heart.”
She released a long sigh and gazed blankly at the mountain of paper before her.
The hand that had once wielded a fan and released golden Qi with fearless confidence was now forced to copy the words—
‘I was wrong.’
Again and again.
It was a punishment that tormented a freedom-loving Zhenyuan more deeply than physical pain ever could.
Amid the gloomy silence of the library, the door slowly creaked open.
Wei Balong carefully peeked inside.
He looked left, then right, making certain no one had followed him.
“Psst! My father’s beloved daughter!”
He spoke in a small, gentle voice completely unlike the commanding tone he had used while scolding his sons.
“Father brought you some soup made by your Third Mother.”
He hurried over to Bajie, carrying a steaming bowl of nourishing soup.
“Bajie… Oh, my poor child.”
Balong looked at her with immense pity.
“How are your legs? Do they hurt badly, Fourth Child?”
His voice trembled with concern.
He gently stroked his daughter’s head and handed her a small container of pain-relieving medicine.
“Apply this to your legs. Your mothers are all so hard-hearted, but Father truly cannot bear to watch you suffer.”
As he spoke, he raised the back of his hand and wiped away the faint moisture gathering at the corner of his eye.
Before Bajie could become moved by her father’s concern, the door opened once again.
Balong jumped in alarm.
He darted behind an old bookshelf with astonishing speed.
The person who entered was the First Wife.
In her hands was an identical bowl of soup.
“Come out, my Lord,” she said evenly while looking toward the shelf. “I saw the edge of your robe from outside the door.”
Balong slowly emerged with an awkward smile.
“Hehe… My dear wife… I merely…”
“I will lecture you later in our chambers.”
Her warning caused the large and imposing man to lower his head meekly.
Then she turned toward Bajie with a serious expression.
“Fourth Child, you must remember this.”
“To be a Zhenyuan does not merely mean possessing powerful solar or Yang energy.”
“The true essence of a Zhenyuan is to become a protector.”
Her voice grew firmer.
“What you did went against the path of the Zhenyuan that Mother has taught you throughout your life.”
Bajie listened in silence.
The guilt consuming her heart now hurt far more than any scolding she had ever received.
“I understand, Mother…”
Her voice was quiet.
“I… truly understand now.”
She slowly raised her head and asked,
“Then… is Lanyi badly injured?”
“Mother and the others have already treated her wounds. She should recover within a few days.”
The First Wife’s answer allowed Bajie to breathe a little more easily.
“And… will she stop being angry with me?”
The question caused both parents to exchange a glance.
They knew that Bajie had grown up with almost no close female friends.
She had also never made such a terrible mistake that another person had been seriously injured because of her before.
“Fourth Child,” the First Wife said more gently, “if you truly had no malicious intent and sincerely regret your actions, then perhaps one day she will cease being angry.”
Her expression immediately became stern again.
“But Mother is still angry with you now. Therefore, continue copying until you have completed every page.”
“And more importantly, do not remain alone with Lanyi for the time being.”
“Her Rouling energy is extraordinarily powerful and pure. You were fortunate that she did not drain every trace of your Qi while she had lost control.”
Bajie tilted her head and considered her mother’s words.
She remembered the moment when her golden Qi had touched Lanyi’s body.
Yet she did not think about being drained of energy.
The image that remained most clearly within her mind was the spider demon rushing toward Lanyi as though it had discovered the finest delicacy imaginable.
Bajie frowned deeply.
“But Mother… when that spider appeared, I saw it clearly.”
“It did not merely wish to injure her. It deliberately absorbed her Qi in order to enlarge its body.”
She looked directly at her mother.
“Is Lanyi’s Qi truly so attractive to demons?”
‘I did not pay attention when the mothers taught me…’
‘Mother said something before about Roulings and demons, did she not?’
‘Should I ask her now?’
Bajie’s words caused both Balong and the First Wife to freeze.
They exchanged a tense and silent glance.
For a brief moment, the room grew unnaturally quiet, as though some hidden truth could not yet be revealed to Bajie.
‘No. I should not ask.’
‘Judging by Father and Mother’s faces, they will definitely scold me for failing to pay attention.’
‘I shall ask Mother Yufan later instead.’
The First Wife quickly returned her expression to normal.
“Mother will handle that matter herself.”
Then she added sharply,
“As for you, remember this carefully, Bajie.”
“You are a Zhenyuan. Even though you are a female Zhenyuan, spending time alone with another woman—especially a Rouling—is improper.”
“If you carelessly overstep the boundaries of propriety, you may stain Lanyi’s reputation.”
She pointed her fan toward the stack of papers.
“Therefore, you are strictly forbidden from approaching her. Continue copying.”
After speaking, both parents left the library.
Bajie remained behind, scratching her head in complete confusion.
“Huh? What did Mother mean?”
‘Stain her reputation?’
‘The two of us? What exactly is Mother thinking?’
Then the image of Lanyi squeezing her eyes shut in terror suddenly flashed through Bajie’s mind.
She remembered the softness of Lanyi’s wrist when she had hurriedly seized it to replace the bracelet.
For no apparent reason, heat rushed across Bajie’s face and spread all the way to her ears.
“I-I only want to become her friend! I only want to protect her!”
Bajie shouted after her parents in confusion.
She dropped heavily into her chair and gripped the brush tightly.
“Hmph! Mother says such strange things! None of that helps me at all!”
Part of her remained worried about Lanyi.
Another part became irritated whenever adults spoke in difficult and mysterious ways.
“A friend… I merely wish to have a strong female companion. What is wrong with that?”
She complained quietly toward the stack of calligraphy paper.
Yet deep within her heart, the guilt of causing her “first friend” to bleed made it impossible for her to remain still.
“I only… want her to stop being angry with me…”
Bajie snapped open her fan and waved it rapidly in an attempt to cool the heat in her face.
Her mother’s words returned to her mind.
‘Mother said that she would stop being angry if I were truly sincere.’
Her eyes suddenly fell upon the brush and the stack of calligraphy paper.
Then she remembered that Lanyi loved poetry and written characters more than anything else.
‘Could it be that Mother ordered me to copy books because she was secretly hinting that I should write Lanyi a letter of apology?’
“That is it!”
Bajie’s eyes widened.
“Mother Pan is exceptionally clever. She must have intended to show me the proper path!”
Bajie slammed her palm against the table.
The light that had faded from her eyes suddenly blazed with hope once more.
“Excellent! I shall write the most beautiful characters I have ever written in my entire life and send them to Lanyi.”
“This time, she will certainly soften her heart and forgive me!”