Chapter 69: Unbearable

Inside the Disciplinary Affairs Office, Pang Tiansheng had also been carried onto a treatment table for emergency care, having already fainted.

The patrolling disciples helping with the treatment were somewhat confused. How could the Sect Leader's disciple, who had so many subordinates, have been beaten by two low-level cultivators? Looking at the empty surroundings, then at the faces peering from behind the windows, they seemed to understand something.

From behind the window, Duan You and Zou Xingbao patted each other's arms, looking relieved.

Last time, Shi Chun and his companion had gotten them punished. This time, they had originally intended to deal with them, but after witnessing this scene, they dropped the idea. These two even dared to beat the head of the Disciplinary Affairs Office and the Sect Leader's disciple; there was no need to bother with such fools.

Outside the Disciplinary Affairs Office, Bian Weiying arrived. She was looking for Shi Chun, having inquired and learned that he and his companion would be released from prison today.

As the saying goes, it's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. She had just arrived as the fight concluded, personally witnessing Shi Chun and his companion being carried away.

The first time she resigned as city lord and came to the mountain, hoping to meet him, she found these two caught trying to escape, so the meeting never happened. Now, a second attempt to make contact, and she finds them arrested for fighting again. What was going on?

She wanted to visit them in prison, but the sect was wary of her, fearing she might harm Shi Chun and his companion, and thus prevented her from visiting.

Unable to understand what had happened, she went inside to inquire. Only then did she learn the details, finding the situation rather peculiar. She asked why they hadn't helped Pang Tiansheng.

Someone replied, "It's not that we didn't want to help, but Steward Pang told us we weren't allowed to leave our rooms without permission."

Upon hearing this, Bian Weiying immediately understood that Pang Tiansheng was unpopular.

A little over half a day later, those who had been beaten in the prison gradually recovered under the medicine's effects. Wu Jinliang shifted his body, groaning, "Chun, were we too reckless?"

Shi Chun, whose body recovered quickly, had been able to speak for a while. "Are you scared?" he asked.

Wu Jinliang snorted, "Me, scared of him? If he didn't have so many helpers, I could take on ten of him alone."

Shi Chun replied, "Remember, once we're out, we go back to the Disciplinary Affairs Office. We find an opportunity to beat him up again. If we find an excuse, we act. If not, we create one!"

"Uh, isn't that inappropriate?" Wu Jinliang said, a mix of laughter and tears, finding it utterly ridiculous himself.

Shi Chun explained, "Didn't you see he wants to deal with us? In situations like this, if we tolerate it, he'll find ways to make us suffer. It'll be very difficult if we're at his mercy. But if we don't tolerate it, then he'll have to. Better a short sharp pain than a long drawn-out one. It'll be worth it if we get beaten twice more; they won't dare to kill us."

"That's true in principle," Wu Jinliang sighed. "If only my body had your strong recovery ability..." It was quite miserable to be beaten like this all the time; he could barely get up now, and one of his eyes was swollen shut.

They were locked up for several more days. When released, they were given new clothes again, and indeed, they were sent back to the Disciplinary Affairs Office.

There was no other way; there was truly no other suitable place on the mountain for them to stay.

As fate would have it, Pang Tiansheng was still the head of the Disciplinary Affairs Office. Wukang Mountain couldn't simply dismiss him over such a minor incident.

The gloom in Pang Tiansheng's eyes was visible. This time, he had learned his lesson and called a few more people to his side. However, trouble still arose as soon as he spoke.

"First, carry thirty loads of water this morning..."

Before the words had even left his mouth, Wu Jinliang roared and pounced, swinging his fists.

So fierce? Shi Chun was stunned for a moment. He hadn't expected Wu Jinliang to attack as soon as the other person spoke. What else could he do but quickly rush out to join forces?

Pang Tiansheng dodged one blow but not the other, falling to the ground with a thud, and was again surrounded and brutally beaten by Shi Chun and his companion.

The onlookers were astonished. Had these two gone mad? Should they help? When Pang Tiansheng had called them, he hadn't asked for help in a fight. They understood that the high and mighty Sect Leader's disciple didn't want to appear weak in front of them.

One person jumped back, distancing themselves, and so everyone else dispersed.

"Thirty loads, my foot! Others carry twenty, but you want to screw with us!" Wu Jinliang cursed as he punched, unleashing the anger from his previous beating.

Only then did others understand why the fight had broken out again, realizing these two truly had fiery tempers.

Shi Chun, who had inexplicably joined the attack, only then understood why Wu Jinliang had started hitting before the other person had even finished speaking. It was the first time he realized the big guy was so sensitive about numbers.

"Help! Help!" Pang Tiansheng was wailing again.

So a group of patrolling disciples was alarmed again. Although it wasn't their shift last time, they had already been verbally instructed on how to handle it. They immediately rushed up to rescue him, knocking Shi Chun and his companion to the ground again, and subjecting them to another group beating.

Their new clothes were torn again. The two, whose old wounds had not yet healed and now had new ones, were again carried away, bloody, and taken to the prison.

"Your grandpa will beat you every time he sees you..." A bruised and swollen Wu Jinliang continued to yell wildly towards the Disciplinary Affairs Office.

That ferocity indeed made the people inside the Disciplinary Affairs Office look on with surprise.

*Slap!* A loud slap silenced him.

Outside the Disciplinary Affairs Office, Bian Weiying, who had just arrived, was stunned. *Again?*

She had come because she knew they were being released today, and they had already fought again?

Did it have to be so outrageous?

She really began to doubt her decision. Was it truly reliable to work with people like this?

She stood silently by the doorway for a long time, carefully organizing her thoughts.

It was only when the patrolling disciples had settled the injured Pang Tiansheng and emerged that she came back to her senses and nodded to them in greeting.

Turning her head to look in the direction of the prison, she knew she couldn't get in there; they were guarding against her as if she were a thief.

After much thought, she felt this couldn't continue. So she walked into the Disciplinary Affairs Office and into Pang Tiansheng's room. She waved away the group of people who had ignored Pang Tiansheng's plight during the incident and were now pretending to be helpful.

Seeing her, Pang Tiansheng, on the couch, spoke with a tearful voice, "Junior Sister."

"Senior Brother Pang, calm down," Bian Weiying quickly comforted him. She then inquired about the incident, only to learn that the fight had started after just one sentence upon their meeting, which left her speechless. Did they really think Wukang Mountain was some moral sanctuary that couldn't make people disappear?

She didn't know where those two got such audacity, mere outsiders repeatedly daring to cause trouble on Wukang Mountain.

She thought of how her father wanted that person to motivate Bian Weikang, and wondered what her father's reaction would be if he repeatedly witnessed such incidents. Thinking of this, she almost laughed aloud.

After inquiring about the situation, she also made a suggestion to Pang Tiansheng: "Senior Brother, I'm living back on the mountain now. Could you help arrange something? When they are released from prison, could their water-carrying duty be transferred to my residence?"

Pang Tiansheng, who had just been looking downtrodden, suddenly had his eyes light up. He grinned, his mouth still bloody, and said, "Junior Sister is so thoughtful, you've gone to so much trouble. Don't worry, I'll arrange it!"

Bian Weiying was somewhat speechless, knowing that he probably misunderstood her intention. But she didn't say much more, simply telling him to rest and recover well before leaving.

Not long after, Elder Xia Fuli arrived, having heard the news. The Sect Leader had sent him.

The Sect Leader wouldn't personally bother with such a trivial matter. The plan to use Shi Chun to motivate Bian Weikang had also been proposed by this elder, so it was best to have the person who knew the inside story handle it with proper discretion. The instruction was to resolve it completely. After all, what kind of situation was it if fights kept breaking out on the mountain, always involving his disciple? Was the venerable Sect Leader to lose face?

Seeing the miserable Pang Tiansheng, Xia Fuli was truly speechless. To be repeatedly beaten like this on his own territory — what could he even say?

But there was no other way; this person's ability was limited, and his cultivation aptitude was poor. Normally, he wouldn't be suitable for cultivation. However, the Sect Leader had received a life-saving favor from his father, whose family had been ruined because of the Sect Leader, leaving him an orphan brought to the mountain.

He remembered when the boy first came to the mountain that year; the Sect Leader asked who would be willing to take him as a disciple, but everyone disliked his poor aptitude, and no one was willing. In the end, the Sect Leader had no choice but to take him in personally.

The results also proved everyone's judgment: some people simply couldn't learn certain things, and forcing them endlessly was useless. Despite not lacking cultivation resources, his cultivation still struggled to break through to high-level martial arts.

That he could now be a steward here was also considered a testament to the Sect Leader's special care.

After questioning Pang Tiansheng and other witnesses, and confirming the details of the incident, Xia Fuli hurried to the prison to ask what those two actually wanted.

A bruised and swollen Wu Jinliang was so beaten he could barely speak clearly. His voice slurred, "Everyone else carried twenty loads of water in a morning, but they made us carry thirty. What else could that be but intentionally messing with us?"

Xia Fuli angrily retorted, "That's because you caused trouble last time! The sect instructed him to increase your punishment; he wasn't intentionally messing with you!"

Was it a misunderstanding? Shi Chun and his companion fell silent.

Then Xia Fuli unleashed a barrage of furious threats. He was too lazy to reason with such people, clearly warning the two that if they dared to cause trouble again, he would kill them!

Because of this matter, Xiang Lan'er, who lived in a secluded courtyard, also became melancholic.

The insider at Wukang Mountain went to her again, distraught with complaints, saying that Shi Chun and his companion were clearly convinced nothing bad would happen to them, as the Demonic Dao would find a way to rescue them anyway. If this continued, it would be impossible to proceed, and everyone would be dragged down. The insider admitted he was at his wit's end, stating that since Miss was also unable to handle it, he had no choice but to report it higher up, over her head!

In special circumstances, they had the right to report beyond their direct superiors, and Xiang Lan'er couldn't stop them.

She didn't know what to say about those two. Ever since they came to Wukang Mountain, they had been in and out of prison, no different from living there every day, and were constantly beaten like dead dogs. What was the point?

A few days later, Xiang Lan'er received a message telling her to go down the mountain, so she found an excuse to go shopping and descended.

Entering Linkang City, she met with Feng Chi inside a clothing shop.

Inside the changing room, Xiang Lan'er asked, "What couldn't be conveyed by message that you had to make me come down the mountain to meet?"

Feng Chi's expression was grim as he said, "Miss, Nightingale used his original channels to report the situation on the mountain, bypassing authority."

Xiang Lan'er nodded. "I know about this. He informed me beforehand, and I allowed him. What, is there a problem?"

Feng Chi replied, "He has escalated the matter. After reporting Shi Chun and his companion's repeated disturbances on the mountain, he provided his own conclusion: he suspects that other forces of the Demonic Dao might have discovered our plan and intentionally sent Shi Chun and his companion to disrupt it. This matter has drawn significant attention from above."

Xiang Lan'er snorted coldly, "Do the people above have no brains? If they really wanted to disrupt us, would they need to go to such lengths?"

Feng Chi said, "That's not important. What's important is that those two have indeed gone too far on the mountain. Even I find it outrageous. They're running away, beating people up—how can two outsiders who just arrived on the mountain constantly beat up the Sect Leader's disciple? It's gotten so bad that Nightingale doesn't even dare to release them from prison, and it truly threatens our plan. Nightingale has clearly reached his limit; he is determined to remove this stumbling block. He spoke very seriously to the higher-ups, stating that he has encountered the most significant threat since going undercover!"