Step by Step Ascend to Immortality

Chapter 138: Chapter 127 Together

Seeing the doll-like little girl crying her heart out, the Linghua Sect disciples were at a loss. They immediately surrounded Shen Que'er, showering her with concern.

"Junior Sister Shen, what's wrong?"

"Don't cry, Junior Sister Shen!"

"Que'er, Que'er, didn't the master already teach you the art of cultivating crops?"

"Junior Sister Shen, I'll buy you some candied hawthorns!"

But the more they tried to console her, the harder Shen Que'er cried. Stomping her feet, she pointed accusingly at Liu Suiyun.

"You're a big bully! A terrible bully!"

Under the murderous stares of everyone present, Liu Suiyun wished he could disappear into the ground. He had only exchanged a few words with Shen Que'er, with no intention of making her cry. How did it turn into this inexplicable scene of her crying and pointing fingers at him?

"This has nothing to do with me..." Liu Suiyun muttered weakly, "Really, it has nothing to do with me!"

Only now did he realize how terrifying it was to make a little girl cry. Even his two senior brothers had taken Shen Que'er's side, as if he had committed some heinous crime.

The problem was, no matter what anyone said, Shen Que'er's tears just wouldn't stop. She'd finally reduced her sobs to quiet sniffles, but upon seeing the crowd gather, her crying flared up again. Witnessing such a delicate girl weeping so miserably, even Liu Suiyun felt a pang of pity. "What did I do wrong? Sigh!"

Liu Suiyun himself didn't know where he'd gone wrong. At that moment, Shen Yaqin descended before the Linghua Sect disciples, saying only, "Make way."

Without even realizing it, the Linghua disciples parted to allow the master through. She gently wrapped an arm around Shen Que'er's shoulder and softly asked, "Little Que'er, what's wrong? How did your senior brother Liu Suiyun bully you?"

Shen Que'er's eyes were still brimming with tears. Between sobs, she leveled grave accusations against Liu Suiyun.

"He lied! He lied!"

Liu Suiyun could only sigh helplessly, while their master continued to comfort her, gently patting her on the shoulder.

"Little Que'er, how did your senior brother lie to you? Tell your master, and I'll make sure you're treated fairly!"

This prompted Shen Que'er to pour out her grievances all at once: "Senior brother Liu is a big bully! A huge bully! He teased me, Master! He's absolutely awful. You have to stand up for me!"

Realizing that all eyes were on him once again, Liu Suiyun finally began to understand that being too handsome wasn't always a blessing. The Linghua Sect disciples opposite him were already reaching for their swords.

"Was it tonight?" Shen Yaqin continued soothing Shen Que'er, "Don't worry, Master will take care of it."

Although there had been a minor dispute between Liu Suiyun and Shen Que'er earlier that night, and perhaps a glance or two exchanged, everyone had seen it clearly—Liu Suiyun hadn't even touched Shen Que'er. Yet when Shen Yaqin asked this question, curiosity sparked among the crowd. Just when had Liu Suiyun teased Shen Que'er?

"It was back in Jiazhou!" Shen Que'er replied. "At the Jiazhou inn! He pretended to be an innocent outsider, ignorant about everything, just to mess with me. Yes, at the inn! He tricked me so badly I didn't know what to do..."

The inn? Teasing? A terrible bully?

All eyes turned on Liu Suiyun, filled with condemnation. To mess with such a delicate girl—how could he?

Liu Suiyun felt wronged beyond words, but he didn't know how to explain. Should he tell them he was actually clueless about spiritual plants and only acted the part of a na?ve outsider? That would just seal his fate.

Shen Yaqin shot a withering look at her disciple, clearly disappointed in him. "I'll deal with you later, Liu Suiyun. You've really gone too far this time. How exactly did you tease Que'er?"

Shen Que'er responded honestly: "He kept pestering me, asking questions I didn't want to answer. I told him to ask something else, but he wouldn't stop! Senior brother Liu is really mean!"

Now everyone understood. Liu Suiyun had asked Shen Que'er a question. Realizing how quickly he had made his move, the Linghua Sect disciples glared at him in fury.

They thought to themselves, "We had the advantage of proximity to her, and yet here comes this guy from Shenxiao Peak, swooping in to take what should have been ours. No wonder Que'er was so upset!"

Liu Suiyun's face fell. He never imagined things would escalate to this point. Now, even the Linghua Sect disciples were glaring at him as if he were some irredeemable villain. He felt thoroughly wronged.

Finally, Shen Yaqin grasped the situation. She couldn't believe how fragile Que'er's heart was, yet despite her desire to protect her disciple, she couldn't find a solution that would please everyone. Her expression turned frosty as she barked, "Liu Suiyun, kneel!"

Relieved at being spared the hostility of the crowd, Liu Suiyun quickly knelt before Shen Yaqin and Shen Que'er. Shen Yaqin snorted coldly. "Hold out your hands!"

Recognizing what was coming, Liu Suiyun obediently extended his hands. Shen Yaqin's eyes flashed, and she sternly asked, "Do you dare tease your junior sister again?"

"I wouldn't dare! Never again!" Liu Suiyun thought to himself, "With someone this fragile, who would dare?"

"Very well! You may be spared from death, but punishment is unavoidable." With a heavy hand, Shen Yaqin raised her sword and struck down on Liu Suiyun's palms. The sharp clang of metal against flesh rang out as Liu Suiyun fell to the ground, pleading.

"Master, spare me! Master, please have mercy on me!"

"Stand up and extend your hands again!" Shen Yaqin showed no leniency. Trembling, Liu Suiyun managed to get back on his feet and extend his hands once more. The sword hilt struck again, twice in quick succession, leaving his palms bloodied. Yet, despite the gruesome scene, Liu Suiyun realized that, strangely, his hands weren't actually injured—Shen Yaqin's strikes had been so precise that, though it looked terrible, he felt no real pain.

But he knew he had to keep up appearances.

"Disciple follows your orders!"

"Stop! Don't hit him anymore!"

Shen Que'er suddenly leaped forward, shielding Liu Suiyun with her body.

"Master, please, don't hit him again. If you continue, punish me too. It's my fault as well..."

With those words, many hearts shattered. They had hesitated for too long, thinking their little junior sister was still too young. Now, they realized that an outsider had swooped in to steal her heart.

"Punish him for teasing our junior sister! He must pay!"