“Bang… Bang… Bang…” Li Qiye brought a beating to Zhang Yu. Zhang Yu, within the three hundred disciples, his cultivation was near the bottom, but he joined the martial hall two years earlier compared to the majority of the other disciples.
Even though Zhang Yu's cultivation was weak, he had the toughness of an old ox and a spirit that would not let go. The Serpent Punishing stick violently struck his body causing his whole body to ache; it was as if his bones and tendons were peeled, even standing up was difficult.
However, Zhang Yu, again and again, tried to stand up, even knowing that this resistance was a waste of time; however, he kept trying to stand up, again, and again, and again and again, just to be beaten by Li Qiye again and again, down to the ground.
This time, Li Qiye was deliberately trying to test him; again and again, he struck Zhang Yu. Even though there was no blood; however, he struck Zhang Yu until he felt an unbearable pain, his bones and tendons felt as if they were shattered.
If this was a different person, they would be motionlessly lying on the floor; however, Zhang Yu, again and again, stood up, and again and again, resisted Li Qiye's strikes.
“Bang… Bang… Bang…” The stick kept striking Zhang Yu's body. This striking sound caused the other disciples to lose their wits; they felt that Li Qiye had gone too far against Zhang Yu.
The last three times, Li Qiye usually only brought a person to the ground, and then he would stop; however, this time, it was as if Li Qiye was purposely making it difficult for Zhang Yu. Again and again, he struck Zhang Yu, and Zhang Yu, again and again, stood up just to be struck by Li Qiye, to the ground.
Until the end, Zhang Yu was no longer able to stand up from the strikes. Even though his body sustained no injuries and it didn't shed blood, his four limbs were tired; he was trembling from the pain. Cold sweat the size of a bean ran rampant, and he had a pale-white face – this showed how much pain he was in.
Seeing the state of Zhang Yu, many disciples couldn't help but shiver repeatedly; with fear in their mind, the many female disciples felt bad, and they couldn't bear to watch.
“A spirit that is unwilling to give up, very good!” Li Qiye glanced at Zhang Yu, who was tiredly lying on the ground, with a calm-sky clear-wind expression and said: “If I was unhappy, I wouldn't take it out on little characters like you all. Take ten thousand steps back; if I wanted to take it out on you all, I can think of – off the top of my head – three or five hundred brutal ways to torture you all!”
These words of Li Qiye was for Zhang Yu's ears, and also the rest of the disciples.
“You…” After beating Zhang Yu, the Serpent Punishing stick of Li Qiye readily pointed at another disciple: “Come out.”
The disciple pointed at by Li Qiye had his hair explode, his two legs trembled, and, under the tyrannical abuse of Li Qiye, he couldn't not go out.
Li Qiye looked at this disciple, and he smilingly asked: “Do you all know why I have to beat you guys?”
At this time, in the eyes of the disciple, Li Qiye's smiling face was more terrifying than the devil's smiling face; his two legs shaking, his body exuded cold fear, and he couldn't speak clearly. He stuttered: “Ye-yes, it was because we offended older brother…”
“Wrong!” Li Qiye smiled: “Fight back.”
Finished speaking, the Serpent Punishing stick in his hand, once again, violently flew past.
“Bang!” This disciple was struck by Li Qiye once, and he cried and moaned.
“Next.” Li Qiye, once again, picked a random disciple and beat him once; he struck him until he couldn't stand up from the ground.
Suddenly, wailing sounds of pain went up and down in the field, and, under the Serpent Punishing stick, one after another, all of them suffered.
“Speak, why am I beating you guys?” Li Qiye beat a disciple with no place to hide; this disciple could only accept his fate, and he was beaten by Li Qiye till he had a swollen nose. In the end, he gave up on resisting, and he held his head with both hands, leaving Li Qiye to fiercely strike.
“N-no, I don't know…” This disciple could only consider himself unlucky; he said a dozen answers, but there wasn't one that made Li Qiye's hands stop.
At this point, a frightened voice rang: “Ol-older brother's strikes were… were hitting our, our weak points… or, or it is because ol-older brother is, is testing us; our merit laws, inside our merit laws, are flaws.”
Hearing these words, Li Qiye suddenly stopped and turned around, looking for the origin of the voice. The one who spoke was a female disciple, Li Qiye had a little impression of her; a big pair of eyes with a frightened expression.
The face of the female disciple that was pretty and delicate. From her expression, one could tell that she was not bold. At this time, Li Qiye's “vicious” eyes turned around; the female disciple unconsciously took a step back. Her palm became sweaty, the older female disciple next to her was worried about her, and he gently pulled at her once.
Li Qiye pointed at the big-eyed female disciple with the frightened demeanor, and he smilingly said: “You, come out.”
This disciple was quite frightened and dawdled out.
This scene was a bit funny; Li Qiye was only a thirteen to fourteen-year-old boy, and the girl in front was clearly older than Li Qiye.
In front of Li Qiye, the female disciple waddled forward like she was a little lamb facing an old wolf.
“Speak, why do I want to beat you all.” Li Qiye beamingly smiled as he looked at the female disciple; her face was whitely pale, and she didn't dare to come closer.
This female disciple was indeed very afraid of Li Qiye, and she took a step back. This scene, it was like Li Qiye was a young master who specialized in bullying kind-hearted young girls.
The female disciple finally bit her teeth, and, with a voice like a silver bell, she quietly said: “I, I feel that, older brother, e-each strike, all, were hitting me. Our techniques have openings, ol-older brother want-wanted to test our merit laws, our flaws.”
Having said that, the big-eyed timid looking female disciple looked at Li Qiye without confidence, and she then immediately tucked her head down; she really was afraid of Li Qiye.
At this point, she thought Li Qiye was going to act violently; however, Li Qiye slowly and casually asked her: “What is your name?”
“Xu, Xu Pei.” This female disciple's scalp was tingling from being stared at by Li Qiye. She was older than Li Qiye, but the moment Li Qiye stared at her, she felt like she was being targeted by a Prehistoric Desolate fierce beast.
“Xu Pei, younger sister Xu.”
Li Qiye cheerfully smiled: “I will tell you a good piece of news; very lucky, you have guessed correctly.”
Li Qiye's words got out. Many disciples were stumped for words, and Xu Pei's heart couldn't help but became ecstatic; finally, she had escaped a calamity.
“From now on, you are the oldest sister; the three hundred disciples of the Cleansing Jade Peak will be led by you.” Li Qiye slowly spoke: “However, it is your turn to make a move right now.”
Li Qiye suddenly appointed this position, causing the other disciples to startled. Xu Pei was also startled; she was startled, not because of the appointment, but because of the sentence said afterward by Li Qiye. “Old-older brother, I, I had guessed correctly to your, your question. I, I won't be exempted from the beating?”
Li Qiye beamingly and cheerfully smiled: “It is true that you have guessed correctly. However, I didn't say I was going to let you go. My way of living is very fair; I always treat others equally.”
Right now, facing Li Qiye's cheerful smile, Xu Pei felt that it was scarier compared to an old wolf.
In the end, Xu Pei didn't have any other choice; she had to gather the courage to resist. At the point when she was about to make a move, she couldn't help but timidly say: “O-olde-older brother, not, not the face, is that okay…?”
Wishing to appear beautiful was the nature of all women; even a cultivator was like this. Li Qiye's Serpent Punishing stick's strike, even though it didn't leave wounds, but being beaten till one's face and nose were swollen, this – to any young girl – was a torturous affair.
“I can think about it.” Li Qiye happily smiled, but his Serpent Punishing stick had already aimed for her face.
Xu Pei became frightened. She immediately moved her feet into a defensive gate, barely dodging the stick from hitting her face, but the Serpent Punishing stick was like maggots in the bones; she had just escaped but another strike was on the way.
Xu Pei was alarmed. Once again, she used the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect's stepping techniques to dodge, but Li Qiye was still chasing her – it was hard to escape.
“If you keep on running away, do you trust that I will beat your face into a pig's head or not?” The voice of Li Qiye, like an evil ghost, rang.
These words astonishingly frightened Xu Pei. No longer dared to run, she immediately turned around to fight. She let out a roar with her long sword in her hand put into motion, and she crossed horizontally towards Li Qiye.
“Bang!” One sound, one stick from Li Qiye, without mercy, ruthlessly struck the sweet fragrant shoulder of Xu Pei; the pain caused her tears to flow; it was as if her sweet smelling shoulder was about to break into pieces.
“This power of 'One Sword Sweep the Earth' is one part too weak. It can't even withstand a single blow. One Sword Sweeps the Earth; the move is just like its name, sweep through everything!” Li Qiye violently struck Xu Pei's sweet shoulder until she cried; however, Li Qiye was still cheerfully smiling, and he said: “Again.”
Li Qiye ignored Xu Pei's pitiful state; his cheerful smile was extremely ruthless, and he said: “A fight to the death, it is not just being scrupulous as the earth, but it is also as courageous as the heaven. When meeting your enemy face-to-face in a narrow path, the braver one will win! Your heart is bright like a mirror, able to see clearly the downy feathers in the autumns; however, you are lacking the will to fight a bloody battle to the end – lacking the courage and enlightenment to fight a battle to the death!”
Li Qiye was giving pointers to Xu Pei; not only in her lacking techniques, but also her mentality in battle!
Xu Pei could only reluctantly withstand the pain and let out a lovable roar; her sword created a net like a sea, and she returned a blow towards Li Qiye.
“Bang…” Li Qiye, once again, struck her waist and indifferently said: “This one 'Sword like the Grand Water' lacks a majestic boundlessness; this move is dependent on the word 'Grand! 'Grand Righteous Energy!” [3. “Sword like the Grand Water” is “Jian Hao Ru Hai”, “Grand Righteous Energy is “Hao Ran Zheng Qi”. Li Qiye is stressing on the profound truth of the technique which is the word “Hao”. Also “Hao Ran Zheng Qi” is very common in xian xia, usually used by kings or good-natured people]
“Bang…” Li Qiye, once again, obliterated Xu Pei's openings; with each move and each technique, he taught Xu Pei: “This 'Southern Swallow Returns to its Nest' was practiced very well, but you shouldn't be complacent; it is still lacking maturity. A weakness can momentarily be exposed.”
Li Qiye enjoyed reading merit laws and techniques that were practiced by the Cleansing Jade Peak's disciples. In reality, the three hundred disciple's practicing methods and techniques were limited, and the majority of these methods were left behind by Li Qiye for the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect that year. There were even some that Li Qiye had created just for Immortal Emperor Min Ren.
[1] This repetition of “again and again” was in the raws so we wanted to keep the meaning.
[2] Double negatives, Author loves them, embraces them.