Chapter 9: Punishment

Chun Yi: Chun Yi is an 18 years-old-girl, the eldest student from Hidden Butterfly Valley and she is set out on a mission from her Master. She is kind in nature but regularly contemplates if she is created as an ultimate weapon of evil.

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Night had fallen, so they decided to pay a part of the ruins to the tavern owner. When Kun Shang found out that Xiu'er did indeed stole Gou Qingzhao's money, he was too tired to yell at her.

He put a hand on his forehead while his other hand was on the table and shook his head. She sat across from him, her hands folded underneath the table, fidgeting with a guilty conscience.

"Why would you even think of stealing from her?" He rubbed his temples. "She was such an aggressive person."

If it hadn't been for his incredible martial arts skills, they would have definitely died.

Xiu'er crossed her arms. "Of course, I knew she was aggressive. Ever since me and my brothers came to this village all we hear about in the streets and shops is Eastern Double Blade Sect and Gou Qingzhao, the Third Miss of the Eastern Sect. Eventually we learned that this town is the territory of this so-called Eastern Sect and is scrutinized by the infamous lady called the Third Miss. I had sneaked a chance to see her and ever since then, promised myself that I would steal from her at least once to teach her that she is not as formidable as she thinks she is. My hands might be fast, but not as fast as A'Li's. He's fast and sneaky, nicknamed the Invisible Hands, while I'm called Flying Dagger Hands. Wanna see our act?"

She stood up from her seat with spirits.

"No, thanks." He gasped and looked up while pushing her shoulder back down to the chair. He waved his hand behind him at Silang, who was going back and forth across the room fixing the beds for them. "Did you ever discipline her as her older brother? It occurs to me that she doesn't know any manners."

Silang peeked over his shoulder and looked Kun Shang up and down before replying, "Don't waste your time. I'm just as useless as my sister."

The room they were staying at was the only room left when they booked. Luckily, the room had two separate beds, one on each end to accommodate their group. A table was set in the middle of the room where Xiu'er, Kun Shang, Xiaogua and A'Li were. The decorations were plain: a brown rug spread under the table, a window opposite of the door, two lamps on each side of the bed, a candle on the table, and a small dresser next to the window.

That night, Kun Shang gave her a punishment that was best suited for her looking at the situation. When the tavern owner returned with the things Kun Shang had requested for, he told her to write a 200 page reflection on her actions. She gasped but didn't complain, probably knowing that she deserved her punishment. However, she made it clear to him that she only knew a limited vocabulary and may not be enough to make complete sentences.

"But don't worry," she continued. "I'm a fast learner. I think I may have a photographic memory."

Kun Shang relaxed his shoulders at how quick she regained herself from being upset. "How do you even know you have a photographic memory?" It was just a thought but he found himself asking her anyway.

"Well, that's because when my brother and I are leaving a town, I will remember exactly what our rendezvous points look like."

Silang just finished laying the sheets when he turned his head around with a scoffed look on his face. He knew what his sister was talking about, and most importantly, she was making fun of his terrible directions. When they would try to get out of town to go to the next one, he made many mistakes and would lead them going around in a circle ending up at the same place many times. His sister would call these their 'rendezvous places' just to get on his nerves. They probably circle on an average of three times a place to make her memorize what the places looked like. She's got no photographic memory.

He squinted his eyes in an angry manner to show his nose flaring, but he's actually more embarrassed and only said, "Shut up!"

Kun Shang decided to settle with Xiu'er writing "I'm sorry" on each page. Xiu'er smiled and let him show her how the strokes work. She didn't feel bad for lying that she couldn't read and write. In fact, she's probably as literate as Kun Shang and any scholar around. However, she didn't want to take the risk of letting him know she was literate, and she was also feeling lazy.

After hearing the easy level of the punishment, Xiaogua requested that he was in fact illiterate and wanted to share in Xiu'er's punishment.

"Xiaogua, I don't want the first word you learned to be 'Sorry'," Kung Shang had said glumly.

The kind Xiaogua smiled with soft eyes. He didn't mind whatever word it was, only that he was learning to read and write. Xiu'er's smile grew because she was glad to have a friend alongside her with the discipline, not knowing that they would soon become best friends in the future.

After laying the blankets, Silang soothed A'Li to sleep, then put him under the covers. He then crawled into the other bed and snored soon after.

Before Kun Shang went off to bed, he gave Xiu'er a grave face of all seriousness and told her if she ever steals again, she will regret it. Xiu'er swallowed, retracted her head back into her shoulders and nodded.

The crickets had stopped chirping past their time of the night. Xiaogua was a fast learner and was able to finish his half of the penalty before heading off to retire for the day. He took one look on the bed which had Silang and Kun Shang already on it, then looked at the floor next to it. He went to borrow a pillow and blanket from Xiu'er's bed, then went to sleep on the ground.

Three men on a bed just doesn't sound right to him.

Xiu'er rubbed her eyes. She struggled with the characters and wrote the strokes in wrong orders with her lazy hand. Almost giving up many times, but didn't, she was also susceptible to sleep. She gave half of her work to Xiaogua and only did a quarter of the total. Even then, she finished last.

Finally, in the third hour before the sunrise, Xiu'er fell asleep on the table with ink marks on her face, her cheeks pink from staying up late. Her breathing was peaceful as she snored softly into the night.