eurekapd Chapter 9: Failed Escape Leads to Beating and Punishment
Chapter 9: Failed Escape Leads to Beating and Punishment
He was greatly alarmed. Upon closer inspection, he saw an old Taoist priest staring at him with a hostile expression, holding a ruler in his hand.
"Good disciple, where do you want to go so late?"
Xuan Kongzi's voice rang out in the silent night, and Han Yi's heart sank into an ice cellar.
"Damn it! I've been caught!" he thought to himself, his mind racing as he tried to come up with a suitable excuse.
"I came out to pee!" He scratched his head awkwardly, forcing out a smile that looked more like a grimace.
"Are you sure?" Xuan Kongzi narrowed his eyes slightly and gripped the ruler in his hand tightly.
"Master... we're from the same hometown, don't pretend!"
"Fellow villager?" Xuan Kongzi raised his voice, already furious. "I'll teach you to try and curry favor with me!" He strode towards Han Yi, the ruler in his hand already raised.
Han Yi inwardly cried out in alarm and instinctively tried to dodge, but his right leg wouldn't obey him. It turned out he had injured his leg when he fell while climbing over the wall, and it hurt whenever he put any force on it. He struggled several times, but all his efforts ended in failure, and he could only slump to the ground.
Xuan Kongzi wouldn't let him off so easily. Without hesitation, he lashed the man's left arm with his ruler. The man jolted violently, screaming as he jumped to his feet. The instinct for survival ultimately overcame the pain, and without a second thought, he turned and ran.
Seeing this, Xuan Kongzi struck him several more times with the ruler. The pain made him run away while screaming in agony, the sound particularly shrill in the quiet night.
Thus, a comical scene unfolded outside the courtyard. Han Yi, like a frightened rabbit, frantically darted around the Taoist temple, veering left and right, trying to shake off the old man behind him. He looked utterly dejected, staggering as he fled. The old Taoist, however, pursued him with nimble steps, his ruler lashing out repeatedly, each strike creating a whistling sound. The burning pain seemed to remind Han Yi that he wasn't running fast enough. Xuan Kongzi, beaming with smugness, continued to whip him.
"Hurry up! You think you can slip down the mountain at this slow pace?"
"You're a pervert, you old geezer!" Han Yi cursed, wincing in pain. "Heartless!" "Worse than a beast!" "You old bastard, you just wait!"
"You rebellious disciple still has the strength to curse your master!" Xuan Kongzi struck him on the back with the ruler several more times.
Finally, even after the ruler broke, Xuan Kongzi continued to drag him back to the Taoist temple. Once inside, the old Taoist cast a spell, and he was tied to a wooden stake in the open space. He twisted and struggled desperately, trying to break free, but to no avail.
"What do you think you're doing, you old geezer? I'm the young master, how dare you mistreat me!" Han Yi's eyes widened in fury, his anger reaching a fever pitch. But then Xuan Kongzi produced another ruler and, disregarding Han Yi's status, began to whip him mercilessly. After another beating, Han Yi was covered in wounds and blood, looking utterly wretched.
This wasn't a Taoist temple, it was a den of demons! The treatment was exactly the same as a pyramid scheme operation. No one had ever dared to beat him like this before. The old Taoist glared at Han Yi and said with interest, "You little brat, you think you can go back after entering my Xuantian Dao Sect? Dream on! Even if you die, you'll die here!"
"Damn it, that tone makes it even more convincing!" Han Yi thought to himself, how could he encounter a scam park after transmigrating to the cultivation world? "Becoming a disciple requires mutual consent, you can't force things, old man." Han Yi said as he twisted his body, trying to break free.
"I don't care if it's sweet or not, as long as it quenches my thirst!" the old Taoist sneered. "I'll tie you up for the night and deal with you tomorrow." The old Taoist flicked his sleeves, turned and left, leaving Han Yi alone on the spot.
The moonlight, like water, shone upon him. The bright moonlight outlined his tall, upright figure, but it did little to alleviate his pain. The physical pain, though not fatal, was excruciating. Coupled with his bound body, it only intensified his torment. He looked up at the bright moon, his heart filled with sorrow. "What a living devil!" he thought. "We are all of the same origin, why must we fight each other so fiercely!" He sighed intermittently, struggling fiercely, but all in vain.
"You were caught so quickly? I thought you could run a little further, at least get out of this yard." Huixin appeared beside Han Yi at some point, arms crossed, shaking her head slightly, as if watching a joke.
Han Yi was tightly bound by ropes, wincing in pain as he pleaded with Hui Xin, "Senior brother, these ropes are too tight. I'm covered in injuries and can't move at all. Please untie them for me."
Huixin remained unmoved, saying only, "Don't expect me to untie you. I'll just try to ease your pain. You're lucky to have met such a kind senior brother like me."
As she spoke, Huixin pried open Han Yi's mouth and stuffed a pill into his mouth. The moment the pill went down, Han Yi felt a wave of comfort spread from his stomach, quickly coursing through his entire body.
Huixin turned and left, leaving behind the words, "Junior brother, each pill costs ten gold ingots. I'll owe you for now, and you'll remember to pay me back when you have the money."
Han Yi's eyes widened, both surprised and angry: "You swindler, it was only one gold ingot each when we went up the mountain, how come it's increased tenfold?"
Huixin waved her hand without turning her head, refusing to haggle with him.
The next morning, sunlight streamed into the courtyard of the Taoist temple. Han Yi, tied to a pillar, hung his head, looking dejected, exhausted, and helpless.
Xuan Kongzi walked over, holding a ruler in his hand, and asked, "After being tied up all night, have you learned your lesson?"
Yesterday, he beat Han Yi so badly that his skin was torn and his ruler even broke. Now that Han Yi is completely healed, he naturally knows it's all thanks to Huixin.
Han Yi quickly admitted his mistake: "Master, I know I was wrong and I will never dare to do it again. Please untie me."
Xuan Kongzi saw through his thoughts at a glance and said, "Don't overthink it, or you'll regret it."
Xuan Kongzi untied Han Yi's ropes and led him to the place where the training equipment was placed. He picked up a sandbag weighing twenty or thirty pounds and threw it to him, saying, "You've been tied up all night, so stretch your muscles and run laps around the summit with this sandbag on your back."
He scoffed inwardly, thinking to himself, "What kind of outdated training method is this? Is all I can do is carry sandbags and run laps?"
But fearing a beating, he had no choice but to obediently tie the sandbags to his body.
At first, I could manage to run, but after a short distance, my legs became increasingly heavy.
After running only one mile, he felt as if his legs were filled with lead, so heavy that he could hardly take another step.
In a fit of pique, he lay down on the ground and refused to get up no matter how much Xuan Kongzi whipped him with the ruler. He even stubbornly said, "Hit me if you want, but I'm not going to run away again."