Chapter 449: Family Discipline

"Jiajia, what exactly is going on?" Siming asked in confusion, looking at Lu Jiajia's serene and ethereal appearance after recovering from her shock. Everyone's gaze converged on Lu Jiajia.

This fairy, who was gentle and pure in everyone's eyes, finally spoke slowly and explained: "I secretly swapped this sound-recording stone. Sister Xueci was so busy telling me about the marvelous uses of the stone that she didn't guard against me. I found a similar one, recorded your words, and switched them out."

Siming's eyes flickered. Looking at Lu Jiajia's face, she suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity and apprehension. "Jiajia, did you foresee this day back then?" *Is that why Master appointed her as the senior disciple...?* Lu Jiajia smiled and replied, "How could I be that clever? At the time, it was just because you bullied me too much, so I wanted to get a little bit of revenge. I'm not Master; how could I have foreseen today's events?"

Only then did Siming slightly relax, barely regaining some confidence.

Zhao Xiang'er said, "So you've been pretending to be sweet and foolish these past two days, just to gain my trust?" Lu Jiajia didn't shy away, nodding, "Yes, I verbally warned Xiang'er, but her response to me was, 'Who can suppress me?'" *So that was a warning...* Zhao Xiang'er realized she hadn't detected it at all.

At this moment, they happened to be in Xihe Hall. As Zhao Xiang'er looked at the familiar furnishings around her, her spiritual consciousness inexplicably felt a sharp pain. She clenched her fists, pressed them against her eyes, composed herself, and stopped thinking, simply saying petulantly, "Jiajia! Are you just going to exploit my trust in you like this?" Lu Jiajia smiled faintly, "So, Xiang'er's trust in me, was it trust in me as a person, or trust in my supposed foolishness?"

"I... I certainly..." Zhao Xiang'er bit her soft lips. Her lips were already thin, and at this moment, they looked even more like she was pursing a small petal. In the end, she still complained wistfully, "Jiajia, I misjudged you!"

Lu Jiajia said, "Don't call me Jiajia; you must call me Sister Lu."

"..." Zhao Xiang'er was too aggrieved to speak.

Siming looked at the formidable Jiajia at this moment and said in discouragement, "In the end, was I the biggest fool?" Siming couldn't accept this, no matter what. Lu Jiajia gently gathered Siming's long hair and smiled faintly, "It's because I've been influenced by good company. Spending a long time with Sister Xueci, I naturally became smarter."

Only then did Siming's slightly furrowed brow gently relax. Of course, she knew Lu Jiajia was comforting her, but since things had come to this, she accepted the comfort. She looked at Lu Jiajia's gentle face, then at Zhao Xiang'er's proud eyes that held a hidden worry, and suddenly understood: reaching great heights might allow one to see far, but not necessarily to examine things more clearly. Standing at a height, the clouds and sky within view are certainly beautiful, but the world presented to the eyes is only a clear yet blurred outline. Seeing further sacrifices the perception of detailed beauty. Jiajia had grown unknowingly amidst such oversight.

Siming's mood lightened considerably. She suddenly recalled her years in the Star Spirit Palace. At that time, she liked to sit on the sundial, tilting her head back to gaze at the sky through the dome. Back then, she was considered the foremost person in Severed Boundary City; Ye Chu, who held an equal rank, was forced to stay in Snow Gorge by her and dared not emerge. Yet, whenever she looked up, the phrase "sitting in a well, looking at the sky" always surfaced in her heart.

Later, she and Ning Changjiu stepped over the white bones in the well and arrived in this world. She had thought that if she left Severed Boundary City, she must never forget that the new world would be a bigger well, and as a divine official, only the highest point of the divine realm, overlooking all things, would be the exit to the myriad paths she sought. But then, in the wilderness, as the watery moonlight fell into her pupils, she could no longer feel like she was "sitting in a well, looking at the sky." Siming didn't understand it then, only thinking it was due to escaping her cage, indulging in beauty, and her will being worn down. It wasn't until today that she suddenly understood the reason.

Lu Jiajia watched Siming's absentmindedness, reached out to touch her forehead, and teased, "What's wrong? Could it be that I've stolen Sister Xueci's wisdom?" Siming snapped out of her moonlit reverie, her icy eyes refocusing. She put on a mask-like expression of cold pride and said, "What nonsense are you spouting? Even after all your scheming, Jiajia, you've only won this one time. Are you going to get carried away so soon? This is merely a fool's lucky strike."

Lu Jiajia smiled gently and said, "But if it weren't for me, Xueci would still be sulking dejectedly, wouldn't she?" Siming didn't want to dwell on that question any longer.

Dressed in Xihe's phoenix gown, Zhao Xiang'er stood in the historic hall. Already feeling aggrieved, she became even more exasperated by their words. She looked at Ning Changjiu as if he were her last hope. "Ning Changjiu, are you going to collude with them too?" Zhao Xiang'er asked. Ning Changjiu rubbed his wrist and said, "Xiang'er, you hit really hard just now. Your husband is still aching all over."

Zhao Xiang'er retorted angrily, "Where did I hit hard? If I had really gone all out, you wouldn't be able to stand here talking to me right now!" Ning Changjiu chuckled, "Xiang'er, even in this state, you still dare to stand so straight and talk loudly to me?" Zhao Xiang'er's eyelashes fluttered slightly. Standing in the former Xihe Hall, she looked at Ning Changjiu, and long-sealed memories seemed to be pried open, leaving her with a sense of daze. But when she looked at Lu Jiajia and Siming, this feeling was involuntarily pulled back to reality.

Lu Jiajia urged, "Husband, aren't you going to carry out the family punishment yet?" Zhao Xiang'er stared at Ning Changjiu, not giving up her threat: "You wouldn't dare?!" Siming said lightly, "If Husband doesn't dare, I will." Zhao Xiang'er looked at Siming. Being bullied by Siming was the most unacceptable thing to her. She ground her silver teeth, looked up at Ning Changjiu, and remained silent.

Lu Jiajia said softly, "Xiang'er, Siming lost to you, and she accepted her defeat. Why are you so stubborn? Just beg for mercy and concede a little, and everyone will let you off." Zhao Xiang'er remained stubborn, saying, "I can accept defeat, and you can punish me if you wish, but don't even dream of me begging for mercy!" No sooner had she finished her defiant words than Zhao Xiang'er saw the three of them walking towards her.

This young woman, who had previously used various outfits—be it a black dragon robe, a phoenix gown, or a thousand-pleated princess dress—to tempt Ning Changjiu, and who had been so arrogant and sweeping all before her, finally became a lamb to be slaughtered.

On the throne of Xueci Hall, Lu Jiajia, Ning Changjiu, and Siming sat together, while the ethereal young woman lay sprawled across their laps.

Zhao Xiang'er's luxurious and noble phoenix gown was half-backless, revealing her delicate shoulder blades. Beneath her swan-like neck, her spine elegantly descended, disappearing into the phoenix gown, dipping to its lowest point at her waist, yet the curve did not break. Instead, it completed an exaggerated and exquisite arc, merging into the straight lines behind. It was her back, facing away from them, a silhouette that invited endless imagination.

Every part of her exuded beauty. This beauty was different from Lu Jiajia's gentle serenity or Siming's transcendent grace. It was more like a tender sprout breaking through the first snow of winter, proudly raising its head in the cold wind, yet so soft that it evoked pity and admiration.

"Hmph, don't forget, the Golden Crow is in the Three Thousand Worlds. Once you're out, I will definitely get my revenge!" Zhao Xiang'er held onto Lu Jiajia's leg, still not giving up: "If you let me off now, I, this Princess, will grudgingly agree to let bygones be bygones!" "No need for Princess Xiang'er to trouble herself," Ning Changjiu said.

"You... Ah!"

A crisp sound echoed through the hall, and the elegant curve of her body trembled suddenly. The young woman's body tensed; she closed her eyes and lips, as a current of humiliation coursed through her.

She was the empress of the Zhao Kingdom, the queen of the Western Kingdom, yet at this moment, her fiancé was spanking her bottom with sharp slaps. This sound echoed through her former royal hall, reaching everyone's ears. If sounds had perception, it would have been soft, like the sea breeze stirring up waves, or the heavenly wind patting clouds. Only Zhao Xiang'er found it utterly unpleasant, feeling only the tingling numbness of pain spreading through her body.

"I, I'm not Xueci. I'll never just... *hmmph*..." Zhao Xiang'er closed her eyes, biting her fingertips to prevent any sound from escaping. Lu Jiajia stroked her hair, and Siming kneaded her delicate feet. The phoenix gown wrinkled continuously, and ripples of fabric spread out. Zhao Xiang'er's delicate brows trembled.

*I am an empress... the supreme Fire Phoenix... How could this be...?* Although I provoked him and allowed him to apply family punishment, I am clearly twenty years old this year. Who gets... by their husband at twenty? *Beg for mercy... Anyway, everyone's just fooling around; they won't take it seriously.* *No! How will I ever face anyone again after this?* The more arrogant she had been earlier, the more humiliated she felt now. Ning Changjiu's voice continued to echo in her ears, telling her to be good, obedient, and submissive. It was the tone a father used to reprimand his daughter, clearly meant to humiliate her. *How awful... I'm not a little girl...* Zhao Xiang'er bit her lips tightly, her thin lips looking luscious.

In a daze, she suddenly felt that thousands of years ago, the same thing seemed to have happened in the same place. The scene, overlapping across millennia, was like a key that unlocked her long-sealed memories. "Husband, please stop the punishment. Xihe knows she was wrong." In the divine hall, Xihe gently knelt on the ground, looking at the stern-faced young man, and bowed her head in apology. This was her throne, and she had been punished on her own throne again. Di Jun watched her sternly for a moment, then helped her up and held her tenderly in his arms.

"If you dare to slack off in your cultivation again, the next time the punishment won't be just this," Di Jun said. Xihe bit her thin lips, tidied her ink-black hair, and said, "We are already supreme Sun Gods, residing here. Why bother cultivating like mortals?"

Di Jun said, "This current peace is false. We have only existed for a thousand years, a period too short for us to even cast our gaze further afield... But I can already sense many eyes watching us. We reign as gods over all creation, yet we remain in unknown danger. We must never be arrogant and oblivious. Otherwise, should disaster strike one day, I fear I won't be able to protect you." Xihe at that moment couldn't imagine such danger. She just nodded, "Mm, I understand." Di Jun stroked her hair, looking at her flawless face, his eyes full of tenderness: "Before that day comes, Xihe must master her true power." "True power?" Xihe tilted her head back, blinking her distinct black and white eyes.

Di Jun said, "Yes, just like my Changming, you also have a power truly belonging to you, Xihe. We are dao companions, but you are never my subordinate. Though my discipline towards you might be a bit strict now, I believe that one day you will understand..." Xihe softly asked, "Is that power hidden within my body?" "It should be. I can feel its presence," Di Jun said, embracing her. Xihe shook her head, "But I can't feel anything..." Di Jun said, "It's alright, we still have a long time."

Xihe nodded and asked, "I heard you've been practicing archery recently?" "Yes, practicing archery." "What for?" "Because there's a limit to controlling swords with spiritual energy, but arrows can fly very high and far without it. I'm thinking, if one day there appears a darkness that our spiritual energy cannot cross, and swords wielded by spiritual power cannot pierce, then perhaps arrows can penetrate it." "Is that the only reason?"

"Mm... Actually, there's another reason." Di Jun looked up at the sky and said, "I've had an absurd dream recently. I can't remember the details clearly, but I vaguely recall one thing." Xihe looked into his eyes and asked curiously, "What is it?" Di Jun said something baffling: "The history of humanity seems to be the history of sending arrows into the sky."

Xihe didn't take it seriously then, only saying, "Dreams... Changxi holds the authority over dreams. You wouldn't be..." Di Jun ruffled her hair: "Don't guess wildly." Xihe became even more alert, "I heard that woman is very beautiful?" Di Jun said, "Cultivate properly, and stop making wild guesses, or Her Goddess Highness might get another beating."

Memories of past lives flooded into her spiritual consciousness, and the electric currents coursing through her body became increasingly dense. She closed her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering incessantly, her lips like a flower in a strong wind, and faint hums indistinctly escaped them. Countless scenes from her time as Xihe rushed forth, impacting her spiritual consciousness. The struggle brought by humiliation transformed into a feeling of faintness. At one point, her body convulsed, and she actually fainted.

Zhao Xiang'er's reaction was sudden. Siming wondered, "Is she faking it?" Lu Jiajia, however, quickly leaned over and anxiously asked, "Xiang'er, are you alright?" Ning Changjiu had already picked her up. Not knowing if she was truly unconscious or pretending, he quickly channeled spiritual energy into her to examine her spiritual consciousness. Zhao Xiang'er's faint was due to a sudden disturbance in her spiritual consciousness, so she quickly woke up once everything stabilized.

When she woke up, she had only just been laid down on the couch in Xueci Hall, with everyone gathered around her. Zhao Xiang'er opened her eyes, her consciousness hazy, and said, "Wh-what happened?" They exchanged glances, unsure how to answer.

Zhao Xiang'er quickly became fully conscious, immediately realizing that she seemed to have been beaten unconscious... Fainting from this level of beating, this was too embarrassing! Zhao Xiang'er felt even more humiliated, thinking it would have been better to just beg for mercy and concede back then.

She quickly explained, "I, I just remembered a lot of old things. I wasn't knocked out, don't misunderstand, I didn't lose!"

Lu Jiajia looked at her and said with a hint of apology, "Thankfully, Xiang'er is unharmed."

Zhao Xiang'er said slightly angrily, "Don't apologize! It makes it seem like I can't take a loss. I, Zhao Xiang'er, accept my defeat. If you haven't finished punishing me, then continue. I won't faint again."

Ning Changjiu looked at her pale cheeks and said, "Xiang'er, rest well. If you hold a grudge, I'll go to the Three Thousand Worlds and let you beat me up again." Zhao Xiang'er became even angrier. She waved her fists, trying to climb off the couch, and argued, "I said! Don't apologize! I didn't faint. Clearly, your strength was too weak, and I... I was too comfortable and accidentally fell asleep!"

Siming moved through the gap between Ning Changjiu and Lu Jiajia, approaching Zhao Xiang'er. She looked at the young woman with resentful eyes, gently pressed her back onto the couch, and held her hand. Zhao Xiang'er looked at her and mumbled, "What do you want to do now?"

Siming gently covered her hand and said, "I've understood some things today." Zhao Xiang'er turned her head away and said, "Don't be mysterious."

Siming recounted the insights she had coincidentally gained in the hall that day. Zhao Xiang'er listened, seemingly without much interest. After listening, she asked in confusion, "What does that mean? I still don't understand why you no longer felt like you were 'sitting in a well, looking at the sky' after climbing out of the well and seeing the moonlight. We are clearly in a much bigger well, and as a divine official, you should know this very well."

Siming nodded her head slightly, her eyes slightly unfocused, and continued, "Because the well we truly face is not a physical well like the heavens and earth, but the well of inner desire." Zhao Xiang'er remained silent, continuing to listen. Siming said, "During those seven hundred years, I yearned to escape every moment. That kind of desire was a deep well. When I climbed out of it, the desire dissipated, and the well disappeared. But a person must sit in a well, look at a corner of the sky, and imagine its full extent to have the courage to keep moving forward. So, I started searching for a new well." "For a while, I set the goal of re-ascending to the divine realm, but that goal also shattered after reaching the Unobservable. It was Master who killed the Divine Lord, so could I possibly seek revenge on Master? And so... I was left with only one last well: my relentless desire to defeat you." "Before today, I always thought you were an enemy I had to defeat. After defeating you, I could then magnanimously forgive you. But just now, we severely punished you, and though I felt triumphant at the time, I realized I was still inside the well..."

Zhao Xiang'er held her hand, listening to Siming's words. Although she didn't fully understand, she vaguely grasped the meaning. Following Siming's line of thought, Zhao Xiang'er asked, "You've bullied me too, so why hasn't the well disappeared yet?" "Because I suddenly realized that I never considered you a true enemy." Siming looked at her, the ice and snow in her eyes silently disappearing. "A proud woman like you must surely hold an unresolved grudge about sharing a husband with others. What I truly wanted was to transform this grudge into our personal dispute, and using our victories and defeats as an excuse, to... well, reconcile with Miss Xiang'er."

As Siming spoke her gentle words, her long hair turned silver-white. This was the original color of her long hair. The woman, dressed in an ink-black robe with silver hair, had serene and tranquil eyes, and her sketched smile resembled a lonely river flowing by.

Zhao Xiang'er looked at her, her gaze flickering away, and whispered, "Aren't you a bad woman? Why are you talking like this...?" Siming lightly scoffed, "Divine officials all have noble moral standards. 'Bad' is merely your prejudice. I think Xiang'er is the truly bad one." Zhao Xiang'er glared at her with a sullen expression, gritting her teeth, "Didn't you just say you wanted to reconcile with me?" Siming said, "But ultimately, it's up to you."

Zhao Xiang'er's nostrils flared slightly, and with lowered eyelids, she looked at their clasped hands and said, "You stole my fiancé, tried to bully me, and now you want to reconcile with a few words? How could it be that easy? I won't agree." Siming smiled faintly, "Then what will you do, Princess Xiang'er? Will you claim the position of the main wife and banish me from the household?" As she spoke, she pinched Zhao Xiang'er's cheek and playfully flicked her nose. Zhao Xiang'er haphazardly waved her fists to stop her: "Stop it, if you keep this up, I'll really get angry!"

Ning Changjiu looked at them and said, "It's my fault. Since coming to the Western Kingdom, I haven't truly had a heartfelt conversation with Xiang'er." Zhao Xiang'er was easily embarrassed. She lowered her head and said, "What is there to talk about? My attitude is all in my fists." Ning Changjiu said earnestly, "I like you all, and I hope you can get along harmoniously. This thought is ultimately selfish and greedy. I know you are also considering my feelings. If I weren't here, Xiang'er and Xue'er would probably have a truly spectacular fight, wouldn't they?"

Siming said indifferently, "Don't project your small-mindedness onto a divine official. This Lord has always been magnanimous; even when I lost to Xiang'er and was punished, I didn't want to make things difficult for her, and begged for mercy early." "I think you just couldn't take it..." Zhao Xiang'er whispered. Siming glared furiously. Zhao Xiang'er also said, "I also prioritize the bigger picture. Even the time I spend lecturing you all is time I personally squeezed out from slaying the Six-Eared Macaque. I only lose my temper with my own time; I wouldn't delay everyone from saving the common people." "Xiang'er making time to be disciplined by us certainly shows she prioritizes the bigger picture," Siming retorted mockingly.

Zhao Xiang'er rubbed her palms together, ready for action. Listening to their words, Ning Changjiu finally smiled from the bottom of his heart. Lu Jiajia stood to the side, stunned for a long while, realizing that she seemed to have instantly gone from the smartest to the most naive.

Zhao Xiang'er and Siming also looked at her and began to denounce her. "Jiajia, don't think that swapping the sound-recording stone can be easily overlooked," Siming said. "Jiajia, you also expect me to forget how you pretended to be pure and innocent to deceive me!" Zhao Xiang'er said. Lu Jiajia didn't back down, stating righteously, "Clearly, you two wanted to cause trouble, and I merely seized the opportunity to punish you. Don't think you can turn the tables and slander me."

The three of them glared at each other for a moment. Zhao Xiang'er was the first to suggest, "Alright, Sister Xueci, don't you want to reconcile with me? The best way is for us to share hardships or unite against a common enemy." Siming said, "Are you saying we should team up against Jiajia? But Jiajia, she..."

Zhao Xiang'er shook her head. She pulled Lu Jiajia's hand and protected her by her side. Then, pointing at Ning Changjiu, she said, "Of course, our common enemy is him!" Lu Jiajia hesitated, "Husband has always been very good to us." Zhao Xiang'er coaxed, "Having multiple partners must come at a price; otherwise, it's too easy for him. Instead of us squabbling among ourselves, it's better to take down the ringleader." Siming also said, "I support Xiang'er. I've wanted to beat this villain for a long time. He should also experience the family punishment." Lu Jiajia looked at their enthusiastic eyes and reluctantly agreed.

Ning Changjiu looked at them and said, "Are you... sure?" As the initiator, Zhao Xiang'er nodded proudly and said, "You can still beg for mercy now." Before Ning Changjiu could speak, Siming said, "It's too late to beg for mercy now, Xiang'er. Let's take him down first." Zhao Xiang'er, Siming, and Lu Jiajia successively surrounded him. They were all powerful and peerlessly beautiful divine women, unparalleled in their generation. If they were to jointly attack Ning Changjiu in the mortal world, they could probably drive him back repeatedly and diminish his prestige. But this was the Golden Crow Divine Kingdom. Soon, their unity against a common enemy turned into sharing a common plight.

On the couch in Xueci Hall, the three celestial and divine women lay side-by-side, their plump and soft bottoms covered with red palm prints. In the blink of an eye, the sun set.

Zhao Xiang'er nestled in the soft bedding of the divine hall, sorting through her memories. When she truly came to, she called out twice, only to realize that Siming and Lu Jiajia had quietly left the divine hall. Only Ning Changjiu remained by her side. Ning Changjiu had prepared a meal for her.

"What is this? Why is it so thick?" Zhao Xiang'er asked. "This is Xihe's rice," Ning Changjiu replied with a smile. In the slightly dim environment, Zhao Xiang'er's cheeks reddened a little. She stared at Ning Changjiu and said, "Quick, tear up that recipe!" Ning Changjiu said, "How dare I tear it? This is Xiang'er's masterpiece, meant to be passed down through generations." Zhao Xiang'er puffed out her fragrant cheeks, silently planning her revenge once they returned to the Three Thousand Worlds.

Ning Changjiu stroked her beautiful hair, looking at the young woman's delicate features, and said, "Let's go out and watch the sunset, just like a year ago." Zhao Xiang'er paused slightly and asked, "Why watch the sunset?" Ning Changjiu said, "It's the twilight of the second day. We only have one last night of private time left. A year ago, our wedding wasn't finished yet... Xiang'er, let's get married."

Zhao Xiang'er's eyes flickered, and her delicate toes under the snowy white comforter involuntarily curled tighter. "Get... married?" Zhao Xiang'er stammered, slightly dazed. Ning Changjiu leaned closer to the young woman's face and said earnestly, "Next time we return to the Zhao Kingdom, I won't allow you to return to Zhao as you were."