Feather Duster

After Gu Yue tied the two of them up and dragged them home, she shoved them hard through the door. Just as Tang Wulin thought time had frozen, Gu Yue moved.

She did not unleash any dazzling Soul Skill. She merely raised her right hand elegantly, her five fingers slightly spread.

Pale blue Soul Power rapidly gathered and took shape in the air. A few seconds later, a strangely shaped "weapon" appeared out of thin air and landed in her hand.

That was a... Feather Duster?

Its entire body was made of some unknown blue crystal. Complex ice-flower patterns were carved into the handle, while at the translucent, glittering head was a cluster of fluffy, soft feathers that even gave off a faint glow when infused with Soul Power.

The whole vibe had suddenly become way too hardcore and absurd!

Tang Wulin and Yue Zhengyu's pupils shook at the same time, their brains completely crashing. One second ago, it had been a battlefield of romantic tension; the next... were they doing housework?

Gu Yue coolly weighed the dazzling Feather Duster in her hand and spoke in a grounded tone that was practically that of an auntie haggling at a market. "Get down."

Two simple words, concise and beyond dispute.

Tang Wulin: "...Huh?"

"If you don't want your head to blossom, get down." Gu Yue raised an eyebrow slightly and lightly tapped the solid wood coffee table beside her with the Feather Duster. It made a dull thunk, and frost instantly spread across the table's surface.

Yue Zhengyu's eyes darted around as he instantly seized a lifeline! The icy goddess had transformed into a neighborhood committee auntie—this adorable contrast was simply out of this world! He suppressed the urge to grin wildly, forced an ingratiating smile uglier than crying, hurried forward, and gave Tang Wulin a hard shove. "Did you hear her?! Hurry up and thank Gu Yue for her generosity! This is VIP-level 'family discipline'—people would beg for this and never get it! Come on! Get down! Show the proper attitude!"

Tang Wulin was caught between a rock and a hard place. Gu Yue's deadly stare was in front of him, while Yue Zhengyu's "friendly assistance" was behind him. Gritting his teeth and shutting his eyes, he threw himself stiffly to the ground with a thud, face-down on the carpet. Rather than being punished, he looked like he was attempting some advanced yoga meditation.

"Very good." Gu Yue nodded in satisfaction, then stepped lightly around behind Tang Wulin.

Yue Zhengyu curled up in the corner of the sofa, burying himself in the cushions and exposing only a pair of sly eyes as he prepared to enjoy the show of the year. In his heart, he had already awarded Gu Yue the trophy for Best Contrastingly Adorable Female Lead.

Holding the Feather Duster, Gu Yue traced a cross in the air and muttered under her breath, as if beginning some kind of Soul Skill. Blue Soul Power flowed through the crystal handle into the feathers, causing the fluffy plume to instantly tighten, poised to strike.

Tang Wulin squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth, waiting for the legendary blow that would leave feathers flying and eggs shattered.

Whoosh—!

A nearly imperceptible gust of wind sounded.

The agonizing pain he expected never came. Instead, an indescribably soft, unbelievably gentle sensation landed on his... butt.

It was neither painful nor itchy, but a tingling massage-like sensation infused with cool Soul Power.

Tang Wulin suddenly opened his eyes and turned around in utter confusion. Gu Yue wore a stern expression, so focused that she looked as if she were completing a work of art. Her wrist swung the Feather Duster in a perfectly standard arc, once, then again, precisely covering his entire backside.

Her movements were outrageously practiced. Every time it fell, the gentle Soul Power at the feather tips seeped into his muscles, bringing a strange sense of comfort. Not only did it not hurt in the slightest, but it even gave him the illusion that his channels were being cleared and his fatigue dispelled.

How was this family discipline? This was clearly a top-tier spa treatment!

Yue Zhengyu's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he watched from the sofa. He saw Gu Yue's eternally icy face, brows tightly furrowed and lips pressed into a line, wearing the solemn expression of someone carrying out the highest punishment. Yet the way that shining Feather Duster fell on Tang Wulin made her look exactly like a diligent housewife dusting away dirt that did not exist!

"Pfft..."

A tiny, suppressed snort slipped from Yue Zhengyu's throat.

He hurriedly covered his mouth, but his shoulders began to shake uncontrollably.

Gu Yue's sweeping motion abruptly stopped. For the first time, suspicion entered her cool eyes as she slowly turned toward Yue Zhengyu, who was huddled on the sofa.

"You, what are you laughing at?" A chill began gathering in her voice.

Yue Zhengyu instantly felt a shiver run down his back, but his powerful survival instinct kept him going. He tried to straighten his face and cover his earlier lapse with a cough. "Cough, cough, it's... it's nothing! I just think this 'family discipline' is very creative, very... artistically expressive! Yes, artistic expression! I was appreciating it, learning from it. I definitely wasn't laughing! Really!"

He did not even believe his own nonsense.

Gu Yue clearly did not believe him either. She gave a cold snort and exerted force through her wrist again. This time, the Feather Duster was no longer a gentle caress, but a series of punitive "point strikes."

Smack!

A crisp sound rang out as it landed squarely on Tang Wulin's butt. This time, the Soul Power was withdrawn, leaving only raw force.

"Ah!" Tang Wulin cried out. His earlier comfort vanished without a trace, replaced by burning pain. Tears nearly burst from his eyes. "Gu Yue! You're actually serious?!"

"Who told you to move around and interfere with law enforcement?" Gu Yue spoke righteously, her hand never stopping. Smack, smack! Two more strikes fell, one on each side of Tang Wulin's backside. She controlled the force perfectly—enough to make him feel humiliation and pain, but not enough to truly injure him.

How was this a beating? This was clearly precise "retaliation"!

Yue Zhengyu watched anxiously. If this continued, Tang Wulin's butt would turn into a palette. He had to draw the fire away!

"Gu Yue! Please show mercy!" Yue Zhengyu sprang up from the sofa and rushed between them, spreading his arms like a mother hen protecting her chicks. "Boss knows he was wrong! He really knows! Look, his butt is already red! If you keep hitting him, we won't be able to go out and face anyone tomorrow! If word gets out that he was... 'educated' by you with a Feather Duster, where would we put our dignity?!"

"Dignity?" Gu Yue finally stopped and tossed the Feather Duster into the air. It hovered there, giving off a faint blue glow. She folded her arms and coldly glanced at Yue Zhengyu.

"That's not what we meant!" Yue Zhengyu's eyes shifted as an idea came to him. He immediately put on a grief-stricken expression. "We're reflecting! Deeply reflecting!

I've realized that Boss's actions seriously hurt your feelings. His crime deserves death! So I think this 'family discipline' is too light! It is nowhere near enough to quell your anger, nor enough to show Boss's remorse!"

The effect of those words was immediate.

For the first time, obvious cracks appeared on Gu Yue's eternally unchanged icy expression. Looking at Yue Zhengyu, who was speaking fluently with a face full of "sincerity," she did not know how to respond for a moment. His logic was so twisted it could make heaven and earth weep.

"So?" she asked coldly.

"So!" Yue Zhengyu slapped his chest, speaking passionately. "We demand that the punishment be upgraded! Boss needs to atone through action! For example... for example, he can clean for you for a month! Or, or he can be your errand-running lackey for a month! He'll work without complaint, no grievances whatsoever! As long as you calm down, punish him however you want!"

Half of what he said was a sincere plea for mercy, while the other half was a trap. He refused to believe Gu Yue, an aloof goddess, would really turn into a landlady and order Tang Wulin around to mop the floor every day.

However, he had underestimated the strange "domestic authority" that Feather Duster had given Gu Yue.

Gu Yue fell silent. Her cool eyes moved back and forth between Yue Zhengyu and Tang Wulin, seemingly evaluating whether this proposal was feasible.

A few seconds later, she made a decision that left everyone dumbfounded.

"Granted."

"...Huh?" Yue Zhengyu and Tang Wulin froze at the same time.

"Since Tang Wulin is sincerely asking to be punished, I'll mercifully give him a chance to make up for his mistakes. And Yue Zhengyu, aren't you quite good at talking too?"

Gu Yue extended her hand, and the hovering Feather Duster slowly flew back into it. She used its tip to point at the living room. "Yue Zhengyu, go clean the windows. Tang Wulin, vacuum every speck of dust off the floor. The standard is that it needs to be clean enough to lick with your tongues."

"Pfft—cough, cough, cough, cough!" Yue Zhengyu sprayed out the mouthful of water he had just taken.

Tang Wulin collapsed directly onto the carpet, staring at the ceiling with lifeless eyes.

"N-No, Gu Yue!" Yue Zhengyu wailed. "Licking it with our tongues... that isn't ergonomically possible!"

"Then change methods." Gu Yue remained unmoved. With a flick of her wrist, the Feather Duster swung out again. This time, it was aimed directly at Yue Zhengyu's forehead.

"Ah! Fine, I'll clean! I'll clean, okay?!" Yue Zhengyu shrieked, clutching his head as he scampered away. He grabbed a rag and bucket and rushed toward the windows.

As he wiped, he mentally cursed Gu Yue's ancestors for eighteen generations. This was not a beating at all—it was a dimensional strike against his spirit!

Tang Wulin also got up from the floor miserably, picked up the vacuum cleaner, and began his long journey of "atonement."

Thus, the villa's living room, which had originally been tense and filled with the smell of gunpowder, turned into an incredibly absurd scene:

An independent and peerless young woman sat upright in the seat of honor on the sofa, holding a glowing "high-tech" Feather Duster. Her expression was solemn as she occasionally issued instructions—"A little more to the left, you didn't clean that properly." "The vacuum is too loud. You're disturbing me." "Yue Zhengyu, are you cleaning the window or bathing it?"

Meanwhile, her two "prisoners," one huffed and puffed atop a tall ladder while cleaning the glass and muttering complaints under his breath; the other pushed the vacuum cleaner across the floor, his back filled with bitterness and helplessness.

What filled the air was no longer the pressure of Soul Power, but a strange tension known as "trying not to laugh."

After wiping one window, Yue Zhengyu secretly turned back for a look. The setting sun shone through the spotless floor-to-ceiling window, landing perfectly on Gu Yue's profile. She frowned slightly, studying the Feather Duster in her hand with full concentration, as though researching the ultimate secret of the universe. Her cold temperament, combined with that everyday household prop, created a lethal kind of adorableness.

"Pfft..."

Yue Zhengyu failed to hold it in again and let out a very soft laugh.

"Yue Zhengyu!"

Without even turning around, Gu Yue swung the Feather Duster backhandedly. It traced a beautiful arc through the air and struck Yue Zhengyu squarely on the butt. It was not hard, but the sound was crisp and loud.

"Ah!" Yue Zhengyu jumped twice in place while clutching his butt. "I was wrong! I really was! I just thought... I thought when you get serious... you're especially... especially cute!"

The moment the word "cute" came out, the entire world seemed to fall silent for a second.

Gu Yue froze. She slowly turned around, her cool eyes now seeming to brew a small storm. She rose to her feet and walked toward Yue Zhengyu step by step. Every step carried suffocatingly low pressure.

"Cute?" she softly repeated the word, a dangerous curve appearing at the corner of her lips. "It seems the punishment I gave you earlier was not severe enough."

"Wait! Gu Yue! We can talk this out!" Yue Zhengyu was scared out of his wits and nearly stepped off the ladder.

Seeing his friend about to suffer a terrible fate, Tang Wulin could not bear it. He hurriedly raised the vacuum cleaner in front of himself and shouted, "Gu Yue! Listen to my explanation! This is all a misunderstanding! We were captivated by your beauty and wisdom! Really! We admire you from the bottom of our hearts!"

Gu Yue stopped and looked at Tang Wulin, who wore an expression like he was bravely going to his death, then at Yue Zhengyu, who was hiding behind the ladder and trembling.

In the end, she sighed helplessly. It was an incredibly long sigh, as though it blew away all the awkwardness and killing intent in the room.

"Enough, stop acting. Did you two graduate from the Academy of Drama Queens or something?"

As for where that Feather Duster went in the end? According to Tang Wulin's recollection afterward, he seemed to have seen Gu Yue put it into a spatial Soul Tool while muttering, "Keep it. It can still be used for the next big cleaning."

From then on, one more item was added to the house—an "artifact that protected the home" that made everyone pale at its mere mention.