Thunderous Measures

Finally, Miejue turned to Zhou Zhiruo and nodded. "Zhiruo, you did well too."

It was the first time Miejue had praised her. Zhou Zhiruo's starry eyes flickered, and joy involuntarily surfaced in her heart.

But she immediately lowered her head again. "It was only because Junior Brother protected Zhiruo. Zhiruo is unworthy of Master's praise."

Miejue smiled. "Although your courage remains unchanged, you were able to listen to Shaoan, and you could act when it mattered. Given your temperament, that is already no small achievement."

After giving her an objective assessment, Miejue withdrew her gaze. Then, with one hand behind her back, she walked toward Ding Minjun without saying a word.

Sensing Miejue's approach, Ding Minjun subconsciously tightened her grip on her sword, but then relaxed it again.

It was not that she did not want to resist.

Rather, Ding Minjun knew that with her strength, she could not defeat Miejue even if she were handed a divine weapon like the Heavenly Sword, let alone with this ordinary sword.

A few breaths later, Miejue's pair of cloth shoes entered Ding Minjun's lowered field of vision.

Miejue's gaze fell on Ding Minjun, her expression shifting between light and dark.

After a long while, Miejue's voice slowly rang out.

"Why?"

Her voice was as solemn and imposing as ever, but it also carried a trace of heartache.

It was as if a basin of ice water had been poured over Ding Minjun's head, making her shudder.

Ding Minjun raised her head somewhat blankly. She opened her mouth, but when the words reached her lips, she did not know where to begin.

Since Miejue had been watching from the shadows all along, she had naturally seen everything Ding Minjun had done.

Caught red-handed, even Ding Minjun, usually so glib-tongued, did not know how to make excuses now.

Immediately afterward, Ding Minjun ignored the injury and pain in her leg and hurriedly knelt properly. Raising her head, she admitted her mistake. "Master, I was only temporarily blinded. I was jealous of Junior Brother's talent. After returning to the Emei Sect, I am willing to be confined in the rear mountain for half a year—no, one year."

"I only ask that Master, for the sake of the ten years I have accompanied you, spare me this once."

Looking at Ding Minjun, who kept begging her, a trace of reluctance appeared in Miejue's eyes.

But that reluctance was quickly suppressed by Miejue.

She had already given Ding Minjun a chance.

If Ding Minjun had obeyed her orders this time and taken good care of Gu Shaoan and Zhou Zhiruo, it would at least have proven that Ding Minjun still had the Emei Sect in her heart, still had her as her master in her heart, and still possessed some kindness.

Then her usual behavior would amount to nothing more than arrogance, domineering conduct, and a slightly sharp tongue.

In Miejue's eyes, those were flaws, but they could be corrected.

If properly guided, Ding Minjun could still become a stern elder within the Emei Sect in the future and even join the Enforcement Hall.

But everything Ding Minjun had done had gone too far.

As a senior disciple, when her junior brothers and sisters were in danger, she had not only refused to help them but had instead launched a sneak attack from the shadows.

Later, when she saw that her actions had been discovered, she had even developed murderous intent.

For someone like that, never mind being her disciple—even if she had been one of the Emei Sect's elders, Miejue would not have shown her mercy.

After taking a deep breath, Miejue suddenly leaned forward. Her right palm descended swiftly and fiercely onto Ding Minjun's crown.

As the palm force surged, Ding Minjun immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.

The light in her eyes rapidly faded after that mouthful of blood left her lips.

Zhou Zhiruo could not help letting out a soft cry and turned her head away.

Looking at Ding Minjun lying on the ground, Miejue's palm trembled involuntarily.

But in the next instant, she withdrew her hand into her sleeve and declared loudly, "Remember this: all disciples of my Emei Sect must never turn their weapons against their own. Anyone who harms a fellow disciple will be killed without mercy."

As soon as she finished speaking, Juechen and the various Emei Sect disciples and elders hurriedly responded.

"We respectfully obey the Sect Leader's command."

Gu Shaoan first glanced at Ding Minjun on the ground, then looked at Miejue.

"As expected, names can be wrong, but titles cannot. 'Exterminate from above, extinguish from below'—when my master decides to act, she really shows no mercy at all!"

Miejue's reputation for hating evil was known throughout the martial world. What made the villains of the martial world tremble in fear was likewise Miejue's methods.

Once she acted, she was ruthless and merciless, concerned only with right and wrong, never with personal feelings.

If it had been someone else, they would inevitably have hesitated when forced to put righteousness before family, perhaps even been unable to strike.

But with Miejue, such a thing simply did not exist.

After all, when Miejue became ruthless, she was even capable of striking herself down.

If Ding Minjun had merely turned a blind eye today while Gu Shaoan and Zhou Zhiruo were surrounded by bandits, hoping to use them to kill her targets, Miejue might have only crippled Ding Minjun's martial arts and confined her in Emei's forbidden grounds for the rest of her life.

But Ding Minjun, as a senior disciple, had actually tried to actively murder her own junior brother and sister.

And those present had not only been Miejue, Gu Shaoan, and Zhou Zhiruo. Juechen and the other elders and disciples of the Emei Sect had been there as well.

If Ding Minjun did not die, how could Miejue, as Sect Leader, command the respect of the others?

However, looking back on this Bandit Suppression operation, when Miejue had taken only him, Zhou Zhiruo, and Ding Minjun with her up the mountain, she had already been setting a trap to test Ding Minjun.

As for the reason, Gu Shaoan vaguely sensed that it had something to do with him.

To a sect, a disciple with outstanding talent was far too important.

Miejue had devoted her entire life to glorifying the Emei Sect and eliminating the Ming Cult.

The talent he had displayed earlier might very well have led Miejue to believe that the Emei Sect could flourish because of him in the future.

That was why she had set up this situation to test Ding Minjun.

But regardless of Miejue's purpose today, her intentions had been for Gu Shaoan's sake.

This favor was one Gu Shaoan could only accept.

At that moment, Miejue turned her head and glanced at Ding Minjun on the ground once more.

In the end, she sighed and waved to Juechen. "She was my disciple, after all. Find two disciples and bury her in a place with good feng shui."

Juechen nodded and casually summoned several disciples to carry Ding Minjun's corpse away.

While Juechen and the other Emei Sect disciples continued searching the stronghold, Miejue turned her head and looked at Gu Shaoan.

"What are you hiding in your left sleeve?"

Gu Shaoan did not conceal it. He released the fingers that had been holding down his sleeve, and some medicinal powder immediately spilled into his palm.

"These are some medicinal powders I prepared before leaving the mountain. Once scattered, they can make people fall unconscious."

After all, this was Gu Shaoan's first time leaving the mountain. In addition to his insufficient strength, besides preparing powder that could detect poison, he had also prepared several medicines with different effects in case of emergencies.

Miejue glanced at the medicinal powder in Gu Shaoan's hand. After pondering for a moment, she said, "A martial artist's strength lies in themselves. Using poison to harm others is ultimately not the conduct of a righteous sect. Unless the situation is truly desperate, it is best not to use such methods."

Gu Shaoan nodded. "This disciple understands."

Seeing how readily Gu Shaoan responded, Miejue nodded lightly.

Her gloomy brows relaxed somewhat.

But when she thought of Ding Minjun, Miejue could not help sighing mournfully again.

Regarding Ding Minjun's storyline, the author admits that it was handled a little too hastily. The main concern was that if it became too drawn-out, some readers would feel that it was padding—that too many chapters were being spent on a supporting character. But after reading the comments and confirming everyone's opinions, the author will spend more time developing similar plotlines in the future, so the process will not be this rough!