Taking Over the Punishment Hall

"Young Hall Master..."

"Shut up!"

On the journey back to the sect, Ge Ye had been trying to say something, but the moment he gathered the courage to speak, Yun Zimo cut him off directly. Ge Ye was startled, immediately shrinking back to the rear of the procession to keep his disciple company.

A cold glint flickered in Yun Zimo's eyes; had they not been out in public, he would have long since run such trash through with his sword!

Did they truly think their schemes were flawless? Although the Sect Master might seem a bit naive at times, she was not so dim-witted as to fail to see through such trifles.

The journey passed in silence. Yun Zimo's expression remained cold, and even Nalan Yanran, sitting quietly beside him, dared not utter a word. The others were even more terrified, fearing they might provoke the Young Hall Master who was set to take over the Punishment Hall tomorrow...

"Seize him!"

The moment Yun Zimo stepped through the mountain gate, a sharp, stern voice rang out from the mountain mists. Hearing the reprimand he had listened to countless times since childhood, Yun Zimo remained expressionless, allowing his father's men to bind him.

"It is my failure as a father to teach him well. I beg the Sect Master to punish me!"

Yun Yin, Master of the Punishment Hall, stood at the top of the Misty Cloud Mountain stairs. He personally hauled Yun Zimo before the Sect Master and knelt on one knee to plead for mercy.

Yun Yin had acted this way toward his son because of a conversation he'd had with Yun Yun just after Yun Zimo left the mountain. Since his son was part of the punishment lineage yet had knowingly broken the law, the fault lay entirely with him as a father!

"Uncle Yun Yin, you speak too heavily. Zimo has his own calculations, and I do not blame him. However, since he broke the law, let the sentence be to transcribe the mountain gate precepts one hundred times."

"Many thanks, Sect Master!"

Yun Yin let out a sigh of relief. If his son had truly lost his right of succession over this, he would not know how to face the ancestors of the Punishment Hall, nor how to face his wife back home...

Yun Yun helped Yun Yin to his feet and gave a few more instructions before he took his leave. Then, ignoring the strange looks from the disciples, Yun Yun hauled her junior brother—who had dared to talk back to her earlier—off to her private study.

The suspended Yun Zimo remained calm; his years of traveling down the mountain had long since tempered his temperament to be incredibly resilient.

As for standing before Yun Yun later, he did not change his expression. Having seen that the study was empty when he was dragged inside, he knew Yun Yun would not actually do anything to him.

"Leaving the mountain without permission, defying sect orders, knowingly breaking the law... It is fortunate you did not cause any real disaster, or I would certainly have locked you in solitary confinement for several days!"

Yun Yun personally untied the ropes on Yun Zimo. Though she was scolding him, her tone was like that of a patient mentor.

"Sister Yun, I am already twenty. I am not a child anymore."

Yun Zimo's voice caused Yun Yun's hands to pause, before she gently smoothed out the wrinkles on his robes once more.

"Tell me, why have you always forbidden Yanran from breaking off her engagement? You clearly saw how much resentment the girl held in her heart."

Yun Yun returned to her seat and asked. If he could not give her a good reason today, she would certainly make Yun Zimo pay!

"When you took her in as a disciple years ago, you nearly left her unable to save face, and now you have stirred up this mess. What is this Three-Year Agreement?"

Seeing Yun Yun ask, Yun Zimo sat down to explain.

"The Three-Year Agreement was set by Yanran herself; what does it have to do with us? At the time, I just wanted to slap those pieces of trash to death."

Yun Zimo curled his lip; he had not induced anything.

"Vulgar!"

Yun Yun scolded him with a smile, and Yun Zimo continued.

"Sister, it is not that I do not want her to break off the engagement. If she does not like it, then this arranged marriage is better left undone! It is just the method she chose; she is young and hot-headed, so she is bound to take the wrong path. Add in the instigation of villains, and she could easily commit a grave error."

Yun Zimo spoke gently. Yun Yun spent her time in seclusion or guiding Nalan Yanran, and in her daily life, the girl was surrounded by elders or senior brothers who were deliberately currying favor. It was very easy for those parasites to lead Nalan Yanran astray. Although he had mentioned this to Yun Yun and the old Sect Master Yun Shan before he left the mountain, his status was low and his words carried little weight, so it seemed to have been useless...

"A grave error? Villains?"

Yun Yun glanced at Yun Zimo's increasingly handsome face.

"Are you talking about Ge Ye and his disciple?"

"I have long known they wanted to use Yanran's influence to enter the inner sect, but..."

"But because of the resources the Mo Clan provides every year, which Mo Ling is behind, you had to turn a blind eye."

Zimo finished the sentence Yun Yun had left hanging. He closed his eyes and let out a long breath; he should have finished them off before he left the mountain back then!

"It is a good thing you did not assassinate them back then. The whole sect knows you cannot stand those people. If they had truly died, you would not have been able to escape the consequences!"

Yun Yun saw through Yun Zimo's thoughts and tapped his forehead lightly, both as a reprimand and a reminder not to do anything foolish.

"If you knew what the Mo Clan had done, you would not think that way anymore..."

Zimo thought to himself. Recalling what he had discovered when he snuck into the Mo Clan during his travels, he scoffed; it was far more disgusting than what had been described in the books he had read.

"Rest assured, even when I take over the Punishment Hall, I will not touch certain things or certain people."

Hearing Zimo's words, Yun Yun felt reassured. She was afraid that this idealistic brother of hers would be unable to resist drawing his sword and hacking down everyone he couldn't stand.

"Go on. Tomorrow is the succession; I will personally bestow your seal."

Yun Yun stretched lazily and told Yun Zimo to go and prepare, though she did not realize there was anything amiss with the gesture.

"Sister..."

Zimo suddenly called out to Yun Yun, and before she could react, he gave her a light peck on the cheek, then fled the room as if escaping.

"You brat!"

Yun Yun exclaimed, a faint blush appearing on her face.

"Why are you running? It is not as if I would actually do anything to you..."

"Young... Young Hall Master!"

Seeing Yun Zimo arrive in such a disheveled state, Ge Ye, who had been secretly gloating over his abduction, was startled and hurriedly bowed to clear the path. Zimo offered a slight nod in return before quickly making his escape.

"This..."

Yun Zimo was actually so easy to talk to this time? Ge Ye was left bewildered, but with no clues to go on, he had no choice but to rush to the Affairs Hall to report to the Great Elder.

"Master..."

Inside Yun Yun's study, Nalan Yanran twiddled her fingers, carefully lifting her eyes to look at Yun Yun.

"Mm, sit down. I have heard about the matter with the Xiao Clan."

Yun Yun set down her brush after the final stroke on the scroll before looking up at her young disciple.

"Yanran, the ceremony is next year, isn't it? Haven't you missed home after being away for so many years?"

"Ma... Master, are... are you trying to send Yanran away?"

Nalan Yanran stood up, her voice tinged with tears; over these years, she had long regarded Yun Yun as her closest kin.

"Tomorrow, the Xiao Clan is coming to annul the marriage. You are the party involved; if you are not present, people will surely gossip. I must preside over the Punishment Hall succession ceremony and cannot accompany you. However, your Uncle Yun Yin is free. You haven't been home in years, so it would be good to go back and take a look. Stay for a few days to clear your mind."

Yun Yun made up her mind that in the future, she would ask Yun Yin, who was stepping down from the Punishment Hall, to properly instruct Nalan Yanran. She herself was only suited for cultivation; she truly was not adept at teaching disciples.

The next day, the Xiao Clan arrived to cancel the marriage, causing quite a stir in the Imperial Capital of the Jia Ma Empire.

The Nalan Clan of the Imperial Capital had their marriage annulled by the Xiao Clan of Wutan City?

What a perfect topic for gossip!

Elder Nalan, who was bedridden, was so enraged that he climbed out of his sickbed to curse Nalan Su for being an unfilial son, but in the end, the two families still dissolved the union. If nothing unexpected happened, once Elder Nalan passed on, the two families would have no further contact for the rest of their days...

However, these matters had nothing to do with Misty Cloud Mountain. It was a rule established by the first Sect Master, Yun Potian, that the Misty Cloud Sect would not interfere in worldly affairs. Even after nine generations, no one had broken this rule—or perhaps, the people on Misty Cloud Mountain had long grown accustomed to this life of detachment, and the Punishment Hall deserved much of the credit for that.

"Clang!"

"Welcome, Sect Master! Welcome, esteemed Elders!"

The disciples of the Misty Cloud Sect stood in formation and shouted. The entire younger generation gazed with fervor at the Sect Master and Elders, who represented the peak combat power of the Misty Cloud Sect—well, mostly the Sect Master...

"The Misty Cloud Sect has stood for eight hundred years, spanning three dynasties and eight Sect Masters who have worked diligently to restore the glory of our founder, Yun Potian. Although my talent is shallow and I am hard-pressed to compare to my predecessors, I, Yun Yun, will still strive for this my entire life! You disciples are the future hope of the Misty Cloud Sect; I hope you will lend me your strength!"

"We are willing to rebuild our glory!"

Although Yun Yun's words were concise, her clear, resonant voice and stunning beauty still left the many disciples in a state of extreme fervor.

"Ninth Generation Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect, Yun Yun!"

"Eighth Generation Hall Master of the Punishment Hall, Yun Yin!"

"Respectfully requesting the Old Sect Master to bestow the seal!"

"Granted!"

A gentle, masculine voice echoed from the back mountains of the Misty Cloud Sect. A stream of light tore through the air and arrived, transforming into a small seal that hovered before Yun Yun.

"Yun Yin, after the ceremony concludes, go to the Gate of Death. Do not leave seclusion until you have reached the rank of Dou Emperor!"

The voice of the Old Sect Master, Yun Shan, rang out. Yun Yin nodded in surprise, looking back at the Elders, whose expressions were all varied.

"Ninth Generation Hall Master of the Punishment Hall of the Misty Cloud Sect, Yun Zimo, receive the sword!"

Yun Zimo, dressed in black and white silk robes, returned the Green Spirit Sword he had worn for five years to the sect's swordsmith; in the future, this sword might be passed on to his own disciples.

As he took the Judgment Sword—the symbol of the path of strict punishment—from Yun Yin's hands, he felt a trance-like sensation, as if he could see the ancestors of old shouting sternly, judging the sins of the world.

"What you hold is not merely a sword, but the responsibility to protect the Misty Cloud Sect. No matter the time, you must place the sect above all else, even at the cost of your life!"

Whispers echoed in Yun Zimo's ears. Before long, he stood up and drew the Judgment Sword. One side was pitch black, the other silver-white, engraved with the sect's laws and the mantras of generations past. Sunlight reflected off the blade, piercing Yun Zimo's eyes.

Yun Yun walked up, her Dou Qi surging as she engraved Yun Zimo's name onto the seal. At the top of the seal, a small character for 'nine' was embedded into a crystal-clear Xiezhi statue, emitting a faint, fluorescent glow.

"I hope you can hold fast to your original heart, and govern both others and yourself with discipline!"

Yun Yun said only this before falling silent. She fastened the seal to Yun Zimo's waist and took out the Sect Master Token, placing it into his hands.

"Now that you are the Hall Master, all areas of the sect are open to you. To hold my token is to have me present; as long as you do not violate the sect's orders, you may act as you see fit!"

Looking at the three items that symbolized his status, Yun Zimo felt a surge of heroic spirit in his chest. He turned and raised the Judgment Sword high. The disciples within the sect raised their swords in unison, and the long, resonant sound of swords echoed through the clouds, spreading across the entire Jia Ma Empire.

"Misty Cloud Sect..."

A low whisper, coming from somewhere in the Jia Ma Empire, drifted through the air, eventually fading into a long, heavy sigh.