Punishment

Lu Yueqing walked up to Baihua Pavilion, looking at the two black-clothed guards at the door and asking, "Who was that Young Master Shi who just left?"

"Little girl, that master has nothing to do with you, so don't ask too many questions."

"That's right, little girl, forgive us for not being able to say more. However, if you're interested in joining our Baihua Pavilion, and becoming one of us, we can tell you anything you want to know."

"You're so beautiful and graceful. If you join Baihua Pavilion, I guarantee you'll be the courtesan of the highest rank."

The two black-clothed guards looked at each other and laughed heartily.

Seeing that Lu Yueqing was still standing at the entrance and not leaving, one of the guards couldn't help but speak, "What? Do you really want to enter our Baihua..."

Before he could finish speaking, the two guards suddenly felt an invisible, immense force descend from above. Their knees buckled, and they knelt on the ground. The stone steps in front of Baihua Pavilion immediately cracked.

"I'll ask one last time, who was the person who just left?"

The words from above were filled with chilling intent, and the two guards were terrified.

A Foundation Realm expert!

Sensing the killing intent emanating from the woman before them.

The two guards ignored the sharp pain in their knees and spoke in fear:

"That was Shi Family's Eldest Young Master, Shi Lan!"

"We had eyes but failed to recognize your eminence. We didn't know a martial artist of the Innate Realm was before us. Please be magnanimous and spare our lives!"

The two men repeatedly kowtowed and begged for mercy. The woman before them could kill them both right now without any repercussions.

No one would offend a Foundation Realm martial artist for the sake of two mere guards.

After a long silence, the two cautiously raised their heads. The woman before them had already vanished.

The two men let out a sigh of relief, sitting on the ground with faces full of the joy of having survived a disaster.

"Patriarch, the Lu Family has entered the city."

Hearing the expected news, Shi Tianlu asked without surprise, "Where are they now?"

"Yun Sheng Tower."

"I understand. You may go."

"Patriarch, there's one more thing."

"Speak."

"Eldest Young Master went to Baihua Pavilion today with a group of guards."

"What did you say?!"

Shi Tianlu slammed the table, and the solid wood desk shattered into pieces.

"Shi Lan took a group of guards to a brothel?!"

The person reporting didn't understand why Shi Tianlu was reacting so strongly and hesitantly replied, "Y-yes."

"Where is Shi Feng? Didn't he stop her?!"

"This... I'm not clear about the specific situation."

"Alright, I understand. You may go."

After the person left, Shi Tianlu loudly ordered someone outside, "When Eldest Young Master returns, have her bring all the guards who accompanied her today directly to the Ancestral Hall!"

"Yes!"

Shi Lan returned to Shi Manor. Upon hearing Shi Tianlu's order, she led a group of guards to the Ancestral Hall, located near the backyard.

Shi Tianlu sat imposquely before the Ancestral Hall, his expressionless face illuminated by the seven or eight square stools placed in front of him.

Beside each stool stood a guard holding an iron whip.

"Father." Shi Lan bowed and greeted him.

The guards following Shi Lan looked at Shi Tianlu's expression and the men with iron whips standing by the stools. They all had a premonition and said in unison, their voices a little shaky, "Patriarch."

"As guards for the Young Master, you were negligent in your duties, allowing the Young Master to slip out of your sight and indulge alone. What crime should you be punished for?"

Shi Tianlu said word by word.

"According to the rules set by the Patriarch, dereliction of duty should be punished with twenty lashes." A guard holding an iron whip stepped forward and said.

"Do you have any objections?" Shi Tianlu swept his gaze over the guards behind Shi Lan and asked sternly.

"We have no objections."

The guards gritted their teeth, removed their upper garments, and consciously walked to the square stools, sitting down one by one.

Shi Lan kept her eyes on her nose and her nose on her heart, remaining silent. She silently thought, This has nothing to do with me. I didn't know about this rule. At the same time, she maliciously thought, This is for making you guys comfortable earlier.

A whistling sound cut through the air, followed by dull thuds as the iron whips struck flesh, accompanied by muffled groans.

The iron whips were made of pure iron, and the executioners were martial artists. Each whip strike carried at least a hundred pounds of force. Just listening to the whistling wind was enough to know the effect of the whip on the human body.

The twenty lashes ended quickly. The guards who received the punishment were basically incapacitated and were carried away.

Only Shi Feng remained.

Seeing Shi Feng preparing to take off his clothes, Shi Lan raised her hand to stop him and said to Shi Tianlu, "Father, Shi Feng never left my side. Does he really need to be punished?"

Shi Tianlu's gaze deepened. "Following the young master and not stopping his absurd behavior is a crime deserving double punishment. Two hundred lashes!"

"On what grounds?!"

Shi Lan's expression changed. Twenty lashes had already left them in such a state, looking like they'd be bedridden for at least a month. Two hundred lashes would surely kill someone.

"Patriarch, isn't this punishment too severe?" the executioner guard couldn't help but speak up.

"Execute the punishment!" Shi Tianlu ordered sternly.

"No! This is unfair!" Shi Lan became anxious. Shi Feng was the first subordinate she had taken in this other world. If something happened to him, how would she face herself later? Moreover, Shi Feng was not in the wrong this time.

"He is my person, you can't do this to him!"

"What did you say? Say that again, you hear me?!" Shi Tianlu's eyes widened.

Shi Feng was also stunned.

"He is my person!" Shi Lan retorted, not backing down.

"Three hundred lashes, execute immediately!" Shi Tianlu roared, then stared at Shi Lan and warned, "If you say one more word, add ten more lashes!"

"I..."

"Eldest Young Master, it's alright." Shi Feng reassured Shi Lan, took off his shirt, and sat on the stool.

Shi Tianlu was not angry about the guards' negligence, but rather about Shi Lan going to the Baihua Pavilion.

Shi Feng, knowing full well that Shi Lan was a woman, had not stopped her from going. This was a grave mistake, and he deserved punishment.

Now, if Shi Lan pleaded for Shi Feng again, it would only add fuel to the fire.

Shi Feng understood all of this clearly.

Besides, with his current physical strength, twenty lashes were nothing. Two hundred lashes wouldn't be much either.

The executioner guard sighed and swung a whip towards Shi Feng's back, holding back most of his strength.

Shi Tianlu, with his keen eyes, immediately spoke, "Strike with full force! If you can't bear to, you can take the punishment for him!"

With this guard's strength, even using full force wouldn't necessarily injure Shi Feng. If he held back again, it would be no different than a tickle.

"My apologies."

The guard whispered and increased the force in his hand.

The iron whip whistled through the air and struck Shi Feng's back. Shi Lan couldn't help but frown at the sound.