SMACK!
The loud cracking of someone’s hand meeting another’s face echoed within the Crimson Hall, currently filled to the brim with disciples from the Crimson Swords. No longer exuding an air of understated luxury, the air within the hall was solemn--or it should have been. Luo Feng noticed many of the faces present smirking as they watched their master slap him. He was not popular among many of the disciples, because he came from a place of poverty. Most of the people here belonged to powerful families both inside and outside of the sect. They longed to see the ‘upstart’ Luo Feng be brought low.
At the moment, Luo Feng had been stripped down to his underwear. His body was covered in bruises and small lacerations. Most of them were from his battle with Jian Wu. The wounds had yet to heal because Master Zhang Zhou had forbade him from using a recovery pill.
“You have disgraced me,” Master Zhang Zhou said, voice colder than winter’s chill. Luo Feng barely withheld his shudder as the man continued. “I cannot fathom how someone I personally trained for decades could lose to an upstart like Jian Wu. He has not even been here for more than a few months. For what reason have I spent all my time training you? Well?”
“F-forgive me, Master.”
CRACK!
Luo Feng grunted as another hand slammed into his face, the opposite of where he had already been smacked. Two large red prints now adorned his cheeks. They were swelling. While his body might have been made more durable thanks to his cultivation, receiving a slap from someone like Master Zhang Zhou was not something the likes of him could withstand.
“I am not asking for an apology.”
Luo Feng trembled as he lowered himself to the floor in a kowtow, his forehead pressed firmly against the floor.
Master Zhang Zhou had a reputation as a fearsome and strict master. His martial prowess and cultivation made him one of the strongest elders within the sect. His mastery of various sword techniques was far beyond that of all but maybe the sect master and his second-in-command. Everyone respected this man, even those who opposed him.
But what really made him so feared was both his demanding standards and past actions. The master of the Crimson Swords held all of his disciples to incredibly high standards and forced them to go beyond their physical limits. His training methods were harsh and unforgiving, and many a disciple had worked until they coughed up blood. A few had even been crippled. If that was all, then perhaps they would still not fear him so much, but Master Zhang Zhou also had a reputation for harshly punishing those who failed to meet his standards. He would find out what you feared the most and use that to punish you.
Luo Feng’s greatest fear was being humiliated in front of his fellow disciples. He had clawed his way to the top of the food chain without a reputation, family influence, or money. The last thing he wanted was all that hard work going to waste.
But that was exactly what was happening.
Immediately after losing, Master Zhang Zhou had called for him, forced him to strip down, and then paraded him in front of his fellow disciples. All the people present were those who had seen what was happening and followed to watch the show. His master had done this on purpose. He knew that Luo Feng was not well-liked among his fellow disciples and did this so that everyone could laugh at him. That was also why he didn’t tell the disciples to stop snickering, which he normally would have done. Master Zhang Zhou wanted Luo Feng to feel that sense of humiliation and shame.
“I spent many long years training you up, watching you grow. I thought quite fondly of you. It seems those feelings were misplaced. If you could lose to a new disciple so easily, it just proves that you are not the man I thought you were.”
“…”
Luo Feng did not think Master Zhang Zhou was being fair. Jian Wu was not an ordinary disciple. Having finally fought him in combat, he now understood that the man Wu Meiying favored was much stronger than a normal disciple had any right to be. He might have even been a match for some of the sect elders.
He said nothing, however, because he knew that to speak was to invite more punishment.
“You must be punished,” Master Zhang Zhou declared. “I would normally have you banished from the sect, but I have spent far too many resources on you to go that far. You should be grateful. Instead, you shall be removed as my personal disciple and demoted to a normal member of the Crimson Swords. You will also go into isolated training for one year. If I see you outside of the Hall of Isolation, I will banish you from the sect.”
The Hall of Isolation was what they called the meditation chamber. It was a pagoda of magnificent design with several rooms that became isolated from the outside world when used. Sealing arrays on the wall absorbed the world’s chi and made it easier for cultivators to cultivate. Luo Feng had once spent a whole month inside, but that had been the extent of what he was capable of. Spend too much time in isolation and you were liable to go mad. What this man was suggesting was definitely a punishment.
And yet, Luo Feng could not disobey.
He remained kowtowed even as his body trembled at the idea of what he was about to face.
“Yes, Master.”
At Master Zhang Zhou’s urging, the crowd who had come to watch Luo Feng’s humiliation dispersed, and a few people stepped forward to direct him to an isolated training chamber. He was not allowed to get dressed. Luo Feng did everything humanly possible to keep his face expressionless as the two “guards” leered and laughed at him.
The Hall of Isolation soon appeared before them. It was a ten-story pagoda painted a deep crimson. Gold lintel posts complimented the dark red walls and ceiling. A pair of steps led up to the entrance, guarded by a pair of statues bearing sheathed swords. These were not normal statues but golems. They could be activated by Master Zhang Zhou, but they also activated when someone stepped out of line. No doubt, they would attack Luo Feng if he left the Hall of Isolation before the year was up.
“Get in!”
He was led up to the eighth floor and shoved into a room, which the two closed behind them. The clicking of a lock echoed around the room and the seals all along the floor, walls, and ceiling lit up. He looked around for a moment, his face finally cracking, and then he sat down and in the center of the room.
I won’t be defeated.
Gnashing his teeth together as he recalled the humiliation he had just experienced, Luo Feng felt hatred surge inside of him. A masked face appeared within his mind’s eye.
Jian Wu… I will see to it that you regret humiliating me.
Alone in the isolated room, Luo Feng silently declared his revenge.
***
Zhang Zhou left the Crimson Swords headquarters shortly after punishing Zhang Zhou. Flying down from his mountaintop, he flew over the forest, his destination far from any semblance of civilization. The ancient trees of the Heavenly Sword Sect became denser.
The sect master liked having this expanse of untamed wilderness. Long ago, he had imported numerous magical beasts to populate the forest. These magical beasts were used for training, medicinal parts, and even armor and weapons. It was his belief that having an ecosystem with powerful magical beasts living right next to the disciples would instigate those under his wing to grow stronger.
There was merit in this way of thinking; even Zhang Zhou would admit that. However…
Zhang Zhou soon set down on the forest floor. Light disappeared as he vanished beneath the trees, the canopy overhead so thick that he could not see past it. He walked confidently as though he had traveled this route many times. What eventually appeared before him was a small pavilion where two people already sat.
The most eye-catching of the two was the beautiful woman. Zhang Zhou had long since believed himself beyond lust, but her beauty was such that even he felt a stirring in his loins. Her flawless jade skin was complimented by both the shimmering silky hair the same color as the night sky and her modified tangzhuang.
Made from a lustrous, deep crimson silk that shimmered with even the slightest movement, the fabric looked both smooth and cool against her flawless skin. Unlike the traditional tangzhuang, her attire featured a form-fitting cut that hugged her silhouette. It better emphasized her graceful, hourglass figure. The jacket’s narrow waist and flared hips created a further captivating shape that drew the eye. Because of its low-cut collar, Mei Qi’s neckline and a hint of collarbone were exposed.
The other person sitting next to her was a man who looked younger than Zhang Zhou but was actually older. He had not a trace of gray hair upon his head and had smooth skin like a teenager. His young face was not marred by time, though if one looked into his eyes, they would have seen a near bottomless well of wisdom, strength, and cruelty. He had steel gray eyes that were as sharp as swords and long black hair tied behind his head in a simple ponytail. Unlike his flowery companion, he wore a simple hanfu made from pure black fabric.
“You finally showed up. Are you done humiliating your disciple?” asked the young-looking man.
“Feng Renjian… I won’t ask how you knew what I was doing. I did my best to discipline him. Whether he becomes stronger or breaks under the pressure is out of my hands,” Zhang Zhou said as he stepped underneath the pavilion and took a seat on the stone table.
The man didn’t look it, but he was related to Feng Tiangsheng. They were cousins. Feng Renjian had always hated his more illustrious cousin, who had been a prodigy of the greatsword. He had teamed up with Zhang Zhou and Mei Qi and conspired to cripple Feng Tiangsheng in order to elevate himself within his clan.
“I think you might have been a little too harsh on dear Luo Feng,” Mei Qi said with a giggle. “It is not his fault he lost. I did warn you that Jian Wu was not someone to be trifled with.”
Zhang Zhou grimaced. This woman had indeed appeared before him one day to warn him that picking a fight with Jian Wu without ample preparation was foolhardy. He had ignored her warning and now his faction was suffering humiliation. Worse still was the knowledge that Jian Wu trained under Feng Tiangsheng, a man he had laid low by using cheap and cowardly tactics. Rumors were already beginning to spread. People would begin saying he wasn’t as strong as he claimed before too long.
“Jian Wu provoked my faction. What else was I supposed to do?” asked Zhang Zhou.
“Grin and bear it?” offered Mei Qi, a scathing remark if there ever was one. She had to know he couldn’t do that. To not meet someone’s provocation but hide like a turtle in its shell was to invite rumors that he was afraid of some upstart disciple. He’d had no choice but to respond.
“You know I cannot do that.” Zhang Zhou glared at her, but she merely smiled back as though nothing was wrong, forcing him to sigh. “So? What have you called me here for? It must be something good. None of us have met each other for many years.”
“Mei Qi here has brought an… interesting proposal to me, and I only thought it right to share this with you as well. We are, after all, conspirators who worked together to cripple the Heavenly Sword Sect’s rising star.” Feng Renjian said.
Zhang Zhou looked at Mei Qi with a hard glare, but she still just smiled. This woman was nowhere near as powerful as him. Yet he did not dare go against her. She might not have had his strength as a cultivator, but she was a conniving woman who would happily use any dirty method to plot your downfall, and she was smart enough to accomplish it without getting caught. It was she who had come up with the plan to humiliate, cripple, and destroy Feng Tiangsheng.
“While I was being held in captivity at Divine Moon Hall, I met a certain person who has offered me a great chance. I would like to offer you two this same chance.” Mei Qi paused to sip some tea. She was the only one who had some. Smiling behind her cup, she drew out the silence until Zhang Zhou was fed up. “The Heavenly Sword Sect is a slowly dying beast. What happened during the magical beast invasion had ruined our reputation, and no amount of hard work will help it recover. That being the case, would it not be better to destroy the sect from within and build it anew?”
Thanks For The Chapter.