The Dragon

Kneeling in the ancestral hall, the twin beauties discuss propriety

The Second Elder’s face was flushed with anger, and Gu Fuyou was filled with righteous indignation. The two glared at each other, and the atmosphere was tense as if swords were drawn.

Ji Zhaoling set down his tea cup, saying, “Enough.” His voice was like a spring breeze, carrying a gentle rain that extinguished the flames of anger.

The Second Elder let out a heavy sigh and said in a deep voice, “Sect leader, this girl has spoken recklessly and disrespected her elders. How can we let her off lightly?”

Ji Zhaoling smiled and said, “Elder, you also mentioned that she is just an ignorant girl, so it’s only natural that she might behave inappropriately. Why take her words seriously? As elders, it’s our duty to guide and show some leniency.”

Ji Zhaoling then turned to Liu Guizhen and the others standing by his desk, continuing, “Regarding the matter at Yinxue Pavilion, our sect has no specific rule against it. To punish you solely based on this would not be convincing to others. However, cultivators should focus on their cultivation and avoid places of debauchery and noise. I will sentence you to copy the Pure Thoughts Scripture once, to focus your minds and reflect on your actions. Do you accept this?”

Gu Huaiyou, Liu Guizhen, and Si Miao bowed and responded, “We, the disciples, accept the punishment.”

Ji Zhaoling’s gaze then settled on Gu Fuyou. After examining her expression, he slowly stated, “Gu Fuyou, your words and actions were inappropriate and disrespectful to your elders. In addition to copying the scripture, you will also be punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall for twenty four hours. Do you accept this?”

Gu Fuyou remained silent until Si Miao nudged her arm. She muttered, “I accept the punishment.”

The punishment was so mild it was hardly a punishment at all. Ji Xiyan was somewhat dissatisfied: “Sect leader, this punishment seems too…”

Ji Zhaoling interrupted, “Once the leader has spoken, there can be no changes.”

“But…”

Ji Zhaoling gestured with his hand to indicate that no further discussion was needed. “Enough, this matter is settled. Everyone may leave; I have other matters to attend to.”

Everyone had no choice but to take their leave.

Ji Xiyan and Second Elder walked side by side. Ji Xiyan sighed, “The sect leader’s kindness sometimes goes too far. With such gentleness, how can he establish authority? If this continues, how can he command respect in the sect?”

The Second Elder cast a cold glance at the departing Gu Wanpeng, sweeping his long sleeves behind him. He sneered, “Kindness? I see it as weakness,” and strode off.

Ji Xiyan said goodbye to Gu Wanpeng and hurriedly followed.

The Second Elder had a hidden meaning in his words, implying that Ji Zhaoling was lenient with Gu Fuyou and the others because he was wary of Gu Wanpeng.

Gu Wanpeng understood this. He felt guilty for causing trouble for Ji Zhaoling and quietly reprimanded Gu Fuyou, “You really need to know your limits.”

Gu Fuyou, being stubborn and defiant, especially when angry, would not back down if confronted. “Was I wrong in what I said?”

Gu Wanpeng said, “It’s not about whether you were right or wrong. Is that how you speak to your elders?”

Gu Fuyou defiantly responded, “He was the one who spoke disrespectfully first. Why should I respect him?”

“Because he’s your master, your elder, you must show the proper respect, even if he was wrong, it’s not your place to insult him. Otherwise, you’re in the wrong even if you were right. You may feel satisfied from scolding, but in the end, someone else has to clean up your mess!”

Father and daughter were both hot-tempered. Although Gu Wanpeng had matured over the years, losing the youthful recklessness he once had, and now exuded the demeanor of a city lord, he still struggled with managing his temper when it came to educating his daughter. Fortunately, his two sons were well-behaved, but his daughter…

“You seem to have forgotten all the manners you were taught at home,” the father chastised, pointing at his son. “You, as her older brother, should keep her in check!”

Gu Huaiyou spoke kindly, “Father, don’t be angry. Ah Man usually isn’t like this.”

The more Gu Wanpeng spoke, the angrier he got. “I know what she’s like! As soon as she entered the sect, she stirred up trouble and used tricks to summon the senior sister to form a contract, causing her to break the sect rules and enter Xian Luo, dragging the pure-hearted disciples into Yinxue Pavilion. It’s not enough for you to cause trouble yourself; you want others to be like you!”

“I thought after coming to Xuan Miao Sect, you’d learn some discipline. Tell me, what have you learned? You haven’t improved at all. You might as well have stayed at home.”

Gu Fuyou was already angry and resentful, and Gu Wanpeng’s last words hit her where it hurt, causing her to explode. She shouted with all her might, “I never wanted to come here in the first place! It was you who forced me. And now you’re saying I should have stayed home?”

Tears began to fill her eyes after her outburst.

Her brother tried to comfort her, saying, “Ah Man, don’t talk to father like that.”

But she pushed his arm away, overwhelmed by her feelings of injustice. Tears streamed down her face. “It was the Second Elder who started it by insulting Sister Zhu,” she exclaimed. “What did I do wrong? Why am I the one who’s wrong when I didn’t say anything incorrect? I will continue to speak like this! Always!”

“I did modify the formation to summon Sister Zhong because they all wanted to mock me and make fun of me! I summoned Sister Zhong myself with my own skills, so why shouldn’t I form a contract?”

“I entered Xian Luo, fell into the inner layer, barely escaping with my life, and you don’t even ask about it. All you do is criticize. No matter what I do, it’s always wrong in your eyes, just because it doesn’t align with what you want.”

Gu Fuyou sobbed, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand, her eyes red from rubbing. The tears wouldn’t stop. Pointing at Gu Huaiyou, she spoke between sobs, “You want him to manage me? He’s my brother, not my father. I’m your daughter, not his! If you don’t care, who else will?”

“Ah Man…”

By the end, she lost control and couldn’t stop herself. “You never care about me!” she cried, her voice breaking.

Gu Fuyou turned and walked away, only to see Zhong Michu coming from another path, clearly heading to the ancestral hall to be punished as well.

Gu Fuyou’s eyes were swollen and red, and her nose was red from crying. She didn’t want to talk to anyone and continued straight to the ancestral hall, removing the earrings from her ears as she walked. She tossed them fiercely into the grass beside the path.

Zhong Michu approached and greeted everyone, then continued towards the ancestral hall. As she passed the spot where Gu Fuyou had walked, her eyes drifted to the grass, and she silently picked up the earrings, wrapping them in a handkerchief.

Gu Fuyou walked straight to the stone gate of the ancestral hall, where a woman appeared before her, dressed in cloud-patterned robes, her hair like dark clouds, her eyebrows like spring mountains, and her eyes brighter than stars. She approached with graceful steps.

Although Gu Fuyou had never met her, she recognized her as Yunran, the esteemed cultivator. She stepped aside and bowed, “Disciple greets you, Elder Yunran.”

Yunran’s expression was indifferent as she walked past without a word.

Coincidentally, Zhong Michu arrived just then and came face to face with Yunran.

Zhong Michu paused briefly, then stepped aside and bowed, quietly addressing her, “Elder Yunran.”

Yunran seemed not to notice and walked away without acknowledgment.

Gu Fuyou and Zhong Michu entered the ancestral hall, where disciples were already waiting with disciplinary plaques. As soon as they arrived, the disciples guided them to kneel before the golden statues of their ancestors, handed them the plaques, and then left.

In the ancestral hall, the candles burned steadily, the incense smoke lingered in the air, and it was eerily silent.

Meeting Yunran had interrupted Gu Fuyou’s feelings of grievance and sadness, diminishing them by half. Unwilling to cry in front of others, and with Gu Wanpeng no longer around, she decided not to dwell on the upsetting matters.

Gu Fuyou first removed her own disciplinary plaque, changed from kneeling to sitting, and then removed Zhong Michu’s plaque as well.

Zhong Michu remained kneeling upright but noticed Gu Fuyou wiping the tears from her face. She reached into her sleeve, took out the handkerchief, and said, “Here, this is yours.”

Gu Fuyou took it, opened it, and saw it was her earring. The emotions she had managed to suppress surged back, and she bit her lip, holding back the tears in her eyes.

Zhong Michu said, “Wipe your tears.”

Without refusing, Gu Fuyou unfolded the handkerchief and covered her entire face, avoiding Zhong Michu’s gaze.

After a long while, Gu Fuyou asked in a hoarse voice, “Senior Sister Zhong, do you also feel that Yinxue Pavilion is a bad place?”

“If you think it’s a bad place, I apologize for summoning you there last night. I swear, I won’t let you step foot there again,” Gu Fuyou said.

Zhong Michu replied, “It’s not your fault. If I wanted to leave, you wouldn’t have been able to stop me.”

Gu Fuyou took the handkerchief away from her face and looked at her. She noticed that Zhong Michu was staring at her shoulder. As soon as their eyes met, Zhong Michu quickly looked away, smoothing out the folds of her robe.

“I…” After a pause, Zhong Michu finally continued, “I’m not sure what kind of place Yinxue Pavilion is. I’ve only heard sect members use words like ‘brothel’ and ‘pleasure house.’ When I asked my teacher, they always changed their attitude, saying it was a den of wickedness and not to go near it or even mention it. I seldom leave the mountain, so I don’t really understand.”

Hearing this, Gu Fuyou looked somewhat disappointed, thinking that Zhong Michu also viewed Yinxue Pavilion as an ‘den of wickedness’.

But then she heard Zhong Michu say, “Why don’t you tell me what kind of place Yinxue Pavilion really is?”

Gu Fuyou’s eyes brightened instantly. She hurriedly said, “What your master said isn’t entirely correct. While some places might be considered dens of wickedness, Yinxue Pavilion is different…”

She dragged a cushion close, only stopping when she was a step away from the cushion Zhong Michu was kneeling on, and sat down.

“Let me tell you…”

It turns out that in the previous generation, Yinxue Pavilion was just an ordinary pleasure house. The head matron was a kind-hearted person, but after a tragic incident where a young girl was abused to death, she thought about dissolving Yinxue Pavilion.

But there were problems. First, the girls would have nowhere to go and no means of making a living after Yinxue Pavilion disbanded. Second, even if they disbanded, other girls would still be sold and suffer; it would just be a change of location, and there was the risk that the girls, once released, might be captured and sold again, wasting her good intentions.

In the end, she let those who wanted to leave go and kept those who wished to stay, teaching them poetry and music so they could sell their talents instead of their bodies. The matron used her savings to buy as many trafficked girls as possible.

Zhu Ruo was one of those she bought. After the matron passed away, Zhu Ruo took over Yinxue Pavilion. Because of its unique style, the business flourished, and with enough spirit stones, she could even buy slaves from Bailu City.

But even with the claim of selling their talents and not their bodies, some people didn’t care and demanded favors. The powerful and influential ones were impossible to refuse, so Zhu Ruo had no choice but to accommodate them.

Therefore, most in Yinxue Pavilion were unfortunate and not in control of their own lives.

After listening, Zhong Michu remarked, “From what you’ve shared, both Zhu Ruo and the matron were admirable people.”

Gu Fuyou was thrilled to hear this, finally feeling at ease. She stretched out and lay down on the ground, a weight lifted from her heart. “Exactly!”

After chatting with Zhong Michu for a while, Gu Fuyou’s mood lightened considerably. She laughed, saying, “Sister Zhong, if you ever have questions about terms or words, come to me. I’ll explain them to you. Those masters of yours only take advantage of the fact that you don’t leave the mountain to feed you nonsense.”

“Alright.”

Gu Fuyou, recalling her previous encounter with Yunran in front of the ancestral hall, curiously asked, “Zhong Michu, isn’t Elder Yunran your mother? Why did you address her formally earlier?”

Zhong Michu’s hands tensed up suddenly. After a pause, she responded, “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Gu Fuyou asked in disbelief.

“I really don’t know…” Zhong Michu’s voice was even more strained this time.

Suddenly, a realization struck Gu Fuyou. It wasn’t that Zhong Michu didn’t know why she had to call her own mother by name; she didn’t know why her mother forbade her from calling her ‘mother’!

She suddenly understood everything, and other doubts flooded her mind. She had already imagined various possibilities, but no matter which one, Gu Fuyou felt that Zhong Michu was in a situation similar to her own.

Gu Fuyou, feeling a mutual understanding with Zhong Michu, looked up at the ceiling of the ancestral hall and pondered, “Senior Sister Zhong, why are parents like this?”

Having overheard part of the earlier conversation between Gu Wanpeng and Gu Fuyou, Zhong Michu knew Gu Fuyou’s words carried resentment towards her father. She responded, “There are no inherently bad parents in this world.”

Gu Fuyou sat up suddenly, “How can there be no bad parents? If he brings me into this world, he should raise me. Since he’s raising me, he should love me. If he can’t do that, then there is something wrong!”

Zhong Michu frowned, clearly not agreeing with Gu Fuyou’s skewed logic. “Parents endure so much for us, and yet you speak as if they owe us something? It’s we who owe them for giving us life.”

“They chose to have me, did I have a choice? No, I didn’t.” Gu Fuyou said dejectedly, “If I had a choice, I… I’d rather she hadn’t given birth to me.”

Gu Fuyou hung her head, after a long time, she murmured, “What’s wrong with wanting his affection? He’s my father, the closest person to me in this world. If even he doesn’t love me, who in this world will?”

Her words were biased, but they struck a chord in Zhong Michu, shaking her to the core, especially the last sentence. She covered her heart, her face pale as if pricked by a needle, feeling extremely uncomfortable. She desperately wanted to rid herself of this strange feeling, so she retorted, calling Gu Fuyou, “Foolish!”

Disappointed by the response she hoped for, Gu Fuyou pouted and retorted, “Stubborn!”

“You… are unreasonable…”

“You’re the one who’s unreasonable!”

Frustrated, Gu Fuyou dragged her cushion back to its original place, still feeling it wasn’t far enough from Zhong Michu. She walked a couple more steps before putting down the cushion, lay down with her back to Zhong Michu, and stopped talking to her.