56: Go down the mountain!

The moonlight was cold and clear.

Di Yan's graceful body was in disarray, her clothes tattered, and both sides of her pretty face were swollen; it was clear she had been slapped hard again.

"Di Yan, you truly disappoint your Revered Master!"

Su Quan had already put on his clothes by now. He stood with his back to the young girl, his hands behind his back, gazing up at the bright moon in the sky as he let out a faint sigh.

Hearing this, a needle-like pain pierced Di Yan's heart.

If she remembered correctly, this was the first time her Revered Master had addressed her as "Di Yan" instead of the affectionate "Xiao Yan"!

"Revered Master, I am sorry. Everything is Xiao Yan's fault. Whether you want to beat me or scold me, I will submit to whatever you do, Revered Master!"

She bit her red lips with her pearly white teeth, intense guilt and self-reproach filling her heart.

No matter what, she should never have done such lewd things to her beloved Revered Master!

"Ding, originating from the Destiny Heroine, regret value +10000!"

The System's notification sounded in his ears, and there was a subtle ripple in Su Quan's eyes.

Finally, a gain.

It was not in vain, all the groundwork and planning he had done over the past twenty years.

"Hold out your hand!"

Su Quan scolded angrily, his face full of fury, holding a ruler in his hand that flowed with purple light throughout its body.

Seeing this, Di Yan's pretty face showed some fear, but she still tremblingly extended her small hand.

This ruler had appeared in Di Yan's life a long time ago.

When she was young, it was used to supervise and admonish the girl to Cultivate diligently; if there was any slack, it would land heavily on her body. In other words, it could be said to represent the side of the Revered Master's dignity.

However, after she grew up, it hadn't been taken out for many years.

"I took you under my tutelage when you were five, cultivated you with great care since you were young, taught you peerless techniques, and taught you the principles of how to conduct yourself in the world. I never expected that I would raise such a beast who acts in such a scandalous and disgraceful way, shaming the sect!"

Su Quan scolded sternly, and the ruler immediately landed heavily on the girl's hand.

One strike after another.

In the empty wilderness, dull sounds of impact rang out continuously.

Although the girl was already a Nascent Soul Peak Cultivator and her Physical Body had been tempered to the point of being impervious to swords and spears, that ruler was a Magical Artifact meticulously crafted by Su Quan. It was not only incredibly sturdy but also had the ability to affect both the flesh and the Soul simultaneously.

While hitting her, Su Quan scolded: "You are in the prime of your youth. If you are truly hungry and thirsty, I can understand that, but then go down the mountain to a brothel and find those male prostitutes to vent your urges!"

"Open your eyes wide and look carefully, who am I? I am your Revered Master!"

"A Revered Master for a day is a father for life; incestuous relationships between Revered Master and Disciple are a great taboo in the Immortal Realm. You cannot possibly not understand this principle!"

"To dare to vent your lustful desires on your Revered Master now—is this acceptable? If your strength becomes greater than your Revered Master's in the future, will you want to forcibly violate your Revered Master then?"

"You Rebellious Disciple, you are truly bold; is there anything under heaven that you dare not do?"

The pain brought by the ruler to her Physical Body and Soul surged like waves, one higher than the other, but all of this combined did not equal even one ten-thousandth of the twisting pain and self-reproach in Di Yan's heart.

Having sobered up, she realized just how presumptuous and absurd she had been just now.

Even if her Revered Master had killed her on the spot in his rage, it would have been normal.

"Revered Master, Disciple knows she was wrong. Disciple will never dare to do it again. Please forgive Disciple this one time!"

Di Yan's delicate body trembled, her forehead knocking heavily against the ground as she choked out: "Disciple was just confused for a moment and committed such an act of a Rebellious Disciple against Revered Master, but Disciple's respect for Revered Master is absolutely genuine, without a shred of falsehood!"

"Enough, enough. I have nothing left to teach you now. You... go down the mountain!"

Su Quan looked up and sighed, putting away the ruler with a sense of listlessness, and turned to walk towards the courtyard.

Perhaps only many years later would the young girl realize, in a daze, that her Revered Master usually used the water-elemental Origin Qi between heaven and earth to clean his body; this was the only time he had stripped naked to wash.

And she had just happened to run into it.

"No, Revered Master, I beg you, don't drive me away. Disciple truly knows she was wrong. Disciple doesn't want to go anywhere; Disciple only wants to stay by Revered Master's side!"

Di Yan was completely panicked; she had never imagined that one day she would be driven away by her Revered Master.

She wept bitterly, hugging the young man's thigh tightly and begging piteously, hoping only that her Revered Master would rescind his order.

However, Su Quan did not want to look at her again. His Origin Qi surged, and he coldly blasted the girl away, leaving her with only his back disappearing at the end of the road.

"Revered Master!"

Di Yan wailed miserably, pounding the ground in regret.

There was only one thought in her heart: her Revered Master did not want her anymore.

A boundless sense of fear engulfed her entirely.

...

The rain fell harder and harder.

The continuous heavy rain had already lasted for fifteen days.

Su Quan sat cross-legged in the room, eyes closed in meditation, nourishing his Origin Qi.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes and looked out the window, only to see the young girl still kneeling in front of the door, allowing the heavy rain to wash over her delicate body, motionless like a statue.

Her pretty face was pale, and her cherry lips kept trembling.

She had maintained this posture for a full fifteen days.

For these fifteen days, she had not touched a drop of water or a grain of rice, and judging by her stance, she looked like she would continue to persist.

It strongly carried the implication that if Revered Master did not forgive Disciple, Disciple would kneel here until she died.

"This girl!"

Su Quan sighed imperceptibly, his helpless voice drifting outside the room.

"Leave. Your Unfeeling Sword Heart will never reach the Realm of Perfection if you stay here!"

"Revered Master, Disciple is willing to listen to you and go down the mountain to gain experience and comprehend the Unfeeling Sword Heart, but what Disciple wants now... is only your forgiveness!"

Di Yan's voice was hoarse, carrying an indescribable stubbornness.

"Forgiveness? How can it be so easy to be forgiven after doing something wrong!"

Su Quan's laughter was unreadable.

"No matter what price I have to pay, as long as Revered Master can forgive me and call me Xiao Yan again, Disciple is willing to do it even if it costs me my life!"

Di Yan's eyes were resolute.

"Very well then!"

The young man's tone was long and drawn out, and he said softly: "If you can truly become the Number One in the World, then I will forgive you!"

"Number One in the World?"

Di Yan's expression was slightly stunned.

This requirement was undoubtedly difficult, but no matter how hard it was, she was willing to grit her teeth and try.

The young girl gripped the soil tightly with her delicate fists, her forehead knocking heavily against the ground, and she said with a trembling voice: "Disciple will keep Revered Master's cultivation in her heart!"

"Please forgive Disciple for being unable to serve by your side in the days to come. After Disciple becomes the Number One in the World, she will return to your side to fulfill her filial piety!"

"Disciple is leaving!"

After saying these words, Di Yan stood up resolutely. Rainwater washed down her pretty face, and one could seemingly see surging radiance and faith.

She bowed to the door one last time, then turned around, carrying only a jade sword, and strode down the mountain.

The young girl departed for half a lifetime, and when she returns, she will surely shake the world with her fame.

Inside the room.

Su Quan sat alone in the darkness, watching the girl's back disappear at the end of his line of sight through the rain-drenched window.

For a long time, a sigh came from the darkness.

"Xiao Yan, don't blame your Revered Master for being heartless; in truth, I am more reluctant to let you go than anyone else!"

"It is just... your Revered Master is also powerless!"

He raised his hand to wipe the corner of his eye, and a faint dampness came to his fingertip.

"Can a man like me, who is hypocritical and filled with coldness in his bones, shed tears of genuine emotion?"

"Perhaps, it is because I have become too immersed in the act!"