Seeing Shi Feng take more than ten lashes without changing his expression or showing the slightest sign of pain, Shi Lan let out a small sigh of relief.
That made sense. Shi Feng was blessed with great fortune and showed no sign of an early death. There was no way he would meet his end here halfway through his life.
Just as Shi Lan watched Shi Feng being punished, the system's notification sounded in her mind.
[The novice task transition period has ended. The main quest is about to begin. Please choose your cultivation path.] [Path One: An empress revered by all.] [Path Two: A Devil Master feared by all beings.] [Your choice will have a great impact on the system's quests. Please consider your decision carefully.]
"What kind of impact?" Shi Lan asked silently, a vague unease stirring in her heart. She had a feeling this sudden choice from the system wasn't so simple.
[Please explore for yourself.]
"Can I not choose?"
[The system can give the host half an hour to consider. If the time limit is exceeded, the system will randomly choose a cultivation path.]
Shi Lan felt rather troubled. The system had given her too little information. Making a decision that could affect her for a long time to come based on so little left her feeling uncertain no matter how she looked at it.
By now, Shi Feng had taken nearly two hundred lashes. The guards administering the punishment were exhausted, and two had already been replaced. Apart from some redness, his back showed no sign of injury, and his expression remained as calm as ever.
Standing nearby, Shi Tianlu understood. Shi Feng's strength had certainly made another great leap.
The speed of his progress made Shi Tianlu feel that the waves behind were pushing the waves ahead. At the same time, he was even more determined to send Shi Feng to the Shengwu Immortal Sect. It would be a terrible waste for such a talent to be buried in Tenglong City.
Shi Tianlu's insistence on cultivating Shi Feng stemmed from his own private motives, too. If Shi Feng could grow strong, he would be a powerful umbrella protecting the Shi Clan and Shi Tianlu's children.
As for the matter between Shi Lan and Shi Feng, Shi Tianlu was actually opposed to it.
The difference between them was simply too great...
If Shi Feng really entered the Shengwu Immortal Sect in the future, he would surely rise like a green cloud and become a true martial arts powerhouse before long. Shi Lan, on the other hand, would never get far on the path of martial arts.
If something really did happen between Shi Lan and Shi Feng, things might be fine for now, but as time passed, the distance between them would only grow.
Shi Feng could handle that. For Shi Lan, it would surely bring great pain, perhaps even a lifetime of suffering.
Shi Tianlu had no expectations of Shi Lan. He only hoped she could live a peaceful, uneventful life beneath his wing.
As for Shi Feng, the path of a strong warrior did not need so much romantic entanglement.
"I choose the first."
Less than half an hour had passed when Shi Lan made her choice. Being revered by all sounded far better than being feared by all beings.
[The cultivation path has been selected.] [The main quest is now fully active.] [Main Quest: Reach the fourth level of the Body Tempering Realm within one month.] [Quest reward: Two basic draws and x1 Cleansing Pill. Quest failure: The host will be killed, and the system will initiate self-destruction.]
Shi Lan sucked in a sharp breath. She was still some distance from the first level of the Body Tempering Realm. Reaching the fourth level within a month was practically hell difficulty.
Before Shi Lan could recover from her shock, the system's cold voice sounded again.
[Side Quest Triggered: As the future empress, the host must always hold herself to strict standards. The life of an empress must be without the slightest blemish.] [Shi Feng and the others were punished because of the host's suggestion. Although they were at fault, the host should not remain uninvolved. She bears some responsibility that cannot be shirked and should receive a punishment of her own.] [To prevent your Dao heart from being tainted, please request punishment of your own accord.] [Quest reward: Unlock the system's virtual space. Quest failure penalty: The system's virtual space will be permanently sealed.]
After hearing the system's announcement, Shi Lan couldn't help frowning.
"What is the system's virtual space?"
[An important means of assisting the host's growth. Please explore for yourself.]
Whether she succeeded or failed, this side quest concerned the "system's virtual space." It was an important means of helping her grow, so it was obvious how important it must be.
But requesting punishment? Was the system's brain broken?
She'd only invited someone to visit a brothel. How had that gotten her into trouble? Though Shi Feng had indeed been implicated because of her...
Shi Lan glanced at the iron whip whistling through the air, then at her own slender frame. Her heart trembled. Would she even be able to stand after taking a lash like that?
"Father, today's events started because I acted on a whim. I cannot shirk the blame. Please punish me as well."
Shi Lan gritted her teeth and spoke resolutely. She didn't want to give up an important means of assistance—and surely Shi Tianlu wouldn't actually beat her to death, would he?
"Of course you won't get away with it. You went to a brothel in broad daylight! What kind of behavior is that? I'll settle accounts with you later!" Shi Tianlu snorted, his expression dark.
Shi Lan had always been a well-behaved child in his eyes, but since yesterday, her actions had grown more and more outrageous. How could he let this continue without reining her in?
Shi Lan was speechless. So Shi Tianlu had never planned to let her off the hook in the first place.
"Clan Head, Eldest Young Master is frail. He can't withstand the punishment whip!" Shi Feng's expression shifted, and he couldn't help speaking up.
Shi Tianlu said nothing more, quietly waiting for Shi Feng's three hundred lashes to end.
When the punishment was over, Shi Feng put on his clothes as if nothing had happened. Just as he was about to speak, Shi Tianlu announced Shi Lan's punishment first.
"Starting today, Shi Lan is confined to the estate for three months. She is not to leave!" With that, he swept away.
Shi Lan had thought she was going to be whipped. She froze for a moment, then let out a long breath of relief. It was only three months without going out.
[Side Quest complete. The system's virtual space has been unlocked.]
Hearing the system's notification, Shi Lan walked over to Shi Feng and asked with some curiosity, "Shi Feng, can you tell me what level your strength is at?"
The ordinary guards had been reduced to that state after twenty lashes. Shi Feng had taken a full three hundred and looked as if nothing had happened. Anyone who wasn't blind could see the difference in their strength.
"A little stronger than an ordinary guard." Shi Feng made a small gesture.
Shi Lan wasn't satisfied with this rather evasive answer, but she had no interest in talking nonsense with Shi Feng just then. She needed to go back and investigate the system's virtual space.
Returning to her quarters with some excitement, Shi Lan summoned the Empress Cultivation System's interface. A new option, "Virtual Space," had appeared on it.
Shi Lan tapped Virtual Space. A tugging force rose from deep within her soul, and her vision went black. When she opened her eyes again, she had arrived in a vast, snow-white space.
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