"Sister Cui Lan, it's nothing. I'll be back soon. They won't do anything to me," Zhang Ergou said, patting Liu Cui Lan's shoulder to comfort her.
Song Zhi Nan watched the two of them without a word, a playful smile on his face.
"Go back, and tell Master when he returns."
With that, Zhang Ergou followed Song Zhi Nan and the others towards the Hall of Discipline.
The imposing main hall was now packed with people.
Not only disciples from Chun Yang Peak but also disciples from other peaks.
They all pointed and whispered at Zhang Ergou, who stood in the center of the hall.
Zhang Ergou stood tall in the center of the hall, his expression cold and silent.
He understood now. This was all a setup. First, Xu Jiao deliberately framed Liu Cui Lan. Then, when he appeared, she provoked him. It was clearly a deliberate scheme by someone. He just didn't know what role Song Zhi Nan of the Hall of Discipline played in all this. Why had the Hall of Discipline arrived at Chun Yang Peak so punctually? These were all questionable points.
Glancing back, Zhang Ergou spotted Xu Jiao in the crowd, a sinister smile on her face. It seemed this incident was undeniably linked to Xu Jiao.
Although he had a general understanding of the truth, Zhang Ergou remained silent. He looked calmly at Song Zhi Nan, who was seated not far away.
Song Zhi Nan fiddled with the sword in his hand and looked at Zhang Ergou with amusement. "Master has important matters to attend to today, so I am in charge here entirely." He put on a righteous and magnanimous demeanor.
"Zhang Ergou, for wantonly injuring a fellow disciple, do you admit to this crime?" Song Zhi Nan asked coldly.
Zhang Ergou calmly met Song Zhi Nan's gaze. "Brother Song, you know more about the intricacies of this matter than I do, don't you?"
"If one wishes to accuse, why worry about pretexts! Heh heh!"
Zhang Ergou's calm gaze made Song Zhi Nan somewhat uneasy.
"Since that is the case, I will consider you guilty!" Song Zhi Nan sneered. "It's good that you admit your guilt. According to sect rules, wanton injury to a sect disciple warrants a whipping, to be carried out immediately."
"Whipping!" The disciples in the hall swallowed hard. They all seemed to know the terrifying nature of this punishment.
"Guess how many whips Zhang Ergou can take?"
"Zhang Ergou is doomed this time!"
Murmurs arose from the surroundings. Disciples from the Hall of Discipline stepped forward, dragging Zhang Ergou to a wooden frame. They then chained him and stripped off his clothes.
"Junior Brother Ergou, it's going to hurt. You'd better bear with it," Song Zhi Nan said, taking a whip from a disciple. This was no ordinary whip; it was specially made with barbs hanging from it. No wonder everyone had swallowed hard just now.
"So much nonsense. If I cry out, I'll take your surname!" Zhang Ergou glanced coldly at Song Zhi Nan. He understood now that Song Zhi Nan was also playing a dishonorable role in this. Zhang Ergou secretly noted all these things.
Song Zhi Nan sneered, raised the whip high, and lashed it fiercely onto Zhang Ergou's body.
*Crack! Crack!*
The sounds of continuous whipping echoed. Zhang Ergou did not utter a single sound. With each lash, deep whip marks appeared on his body, and soon his flesh was torn open, bleeding profusely. Despite the piercing pain, Zhang Ergou gritted his teeth and held on.
Song Zhi Nan looked at the stubborn Zhang Ergou and said coldly, "Let's see how long you can last!" With a cold laugh, Song Zhi Nan increased the force of his blows.
The whip repeatedly struck Zhang Ergou's body, its sound echoing in the silent hall.
*Crack!*
*Crack!*
*Crack!*
More and more blood stained Zhang Ergou's body. In a short time, he had become a bloody mess.
"This is the consequence of provoking our Xia Yang Peak. Master's method is truly ruthless," a Xia Yang Peak disciple whispered among the crowd.
"He deserves to be punished for wantonly beating fellow disciples."
"This Zhang Ergou is too arrogant. He's only been here a few days and has already caused chaos in the sect. He needs to be taught a lesson."
Song Zhi Nan seemed to be enjoying the pleasure of whipping others. The whip blurred in his hands.
From beginning to end, Zhang Ergou held his head high defiantly, not uttering a sound. As if in a contest with Zhang Ergou, Song Zhi Nan increased his efforts. "I want to see how long you can endure."
Song Zhi Nan swung the whip frantically, but he did not hear Zhang Ergou's cries of pain. This frustrated him.
*Crack! Crack! Crack!*
Song Zhi Nan grew more frenzied. The sound of the whip striking Zhang Ergou's body eventually merged into a continuous echo. As the favored disciple of the Head of the Hall of Discipline, Song Zhi Nan knew very well the horror of this whipping. Even a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage would find it difficult to endure a hundred lashes. Yet, Zhang Ergou had silently endured over a hundred lashes under his increased force.
"How many whips has it been?" the surrounding disciples whispered. Some could no longer bear to look at Zhang Ergou's慘狀.
"One hundred and ten whips!"
"Holy cow, after so many whips, he can still take it? Is Zhang Ergou even human?"
As the discussions continued, Song Zhi Nan seemed to have tired himself out.
"Take him down!" Song Zhi Nan put down the whip, handed it to a disciple, and went to sit down and rest.
After Zhang Ergou was taken down, he staggered, nearly falling.
"Can I leave now?" Zhang Ergou, his body trembling, asked Song Zhi Nan coldly.
Song Zhi Nan glanced at him. "As you wish!"
Zhang Ergou cast a cold look around the hall, especially at Xu Jiao and others hiding in the crowd. Under Zhang Ergou's cold gaze, they shivered as if being stared at by a venomous snake. Turning around, Zhang Ergou slowly walked towards the exit, his steps heavy, leaving behind a trail of bloodstains.
Outside the hall, Liu Cui Lan rushed over, tears streaming down her face. "Ergou, how could this happen to you?" Liu Cui Lan looked at Zhang Ergou with disbelief and a heart full of heartache. She wanted to help him up but was afraid of hurting him.
"Sister Cui Lan, let's go back. My skin is thick, and these injuries won't kill me," Zhang Ergou said with a smile, reaching out to touch Liu Cui Lan's face, leaving streaks of blood.
Liu Cui Lan's face was covered in tears, and she was too choked up to speak. She supported Zhang Ergou and headed towards Chun Yang Peak.
"Let's go, Ergou, let's go back!" Supporting Zhang Ergou, Liu Cui Lan felt immense regret. It was their weakness that allowed these people to bully them.
Zhang Ergou secretly swore that he would cultivate diligently and repay the pain he suffered today a hundredfold. In a daze, Zhang Ergou could no longer hold on, leaning against Liu Cui Lan and drifting into unconsciousness.
When Zhang Ergou woke up again, it was already evening. The pain throughout his body had not lessened, and the whip marks on his skin were clearly visible.
"Just you all wait for me, damn it. I'll make you all pay one by one in the future."