Chapter 4: Lie Down There! (Please Favorite and Recommend)_1
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The sword light was pervasive, and the green waters rippled.
At that moment, Fang Yang's mind was blank, feeling that in this world, there was only the sword.
It sealed off all his avenues of retreat.
And thus, he stood there stiffly, like a wooden stake.
His hands were clasped behind his back.
The black robe made from silkworm thread fluttered in the wind.
Added to that still indifferent, cruel expression on his face.
He appeared so domineering.
Hum!
The sound of the sword's whine gradually died away.
The green longsword was sheathed, and Ye Qinghong stood there in a daze.
Looking at Fang Yang, who was gazing back at her with an unchanged expression.
Her red lips lightly bitten.
She had traveled a great distance in haste, all for the sake of her master!
Her return this time was to probe her master's secrets and hence, to betray and annihilate her own legacy!
The world only knew that the demon lord had five disciples.
Each one a rare talent, renowned in their own right.
But they didn't know that these five disciples hated their master to the bone, to the extent of a fight to the death.
They were all personally cultivated by the demon lord.
Subjected to endless torture, beaten and scolded at will.
The only meaning in their lives was to kill for the demon lord!
At first, they could bear it.
Even willingly.
After all, the demon lord was their master.
Until they learned a secret.
The sole reason the demon lord took them as disciples and painstakingly imparted peerless skills to them,
Was because he coveted their unique constitutions and intended to turn them into puppets.
The stronger their power, the stronger the puppet.
From beginning to end, they were just tools, without any real master-disciple affection.
Moreover, to prevent them from rebelling,
The demon lord even secretly ascertained the whereabouts of their families.
Secretly controlled them.
Over the years, to escape the demon lord,
The five of them schemed in every way possible, making multiple assassination attempts.
Yet none were successful.
Those so-called opportunities were mostly flaws deliberately exposed by the demon lord.
He wanted to test them, to admonish them.
Over the years, the demon lord was well aware of their thoughts, but he completely disregarded them.
Because, with the demon lord's power, he could easily sweep across everything, crushing any disloyal hearts.
But even so...
They never became discouraged, seizing any slight chance to attempt assassination, regardless of the consequences.
Just like this time when she learned the demon lord was in closed-door cultivation for a month and might fall into deviance, she hurried back.
Attempting to assassinate him!
Yet it was still a trap set by the master.
Those deep abyss-like eyes,
The indifferent face.
And the cruel, murderous smile on the corner of his mouth.
Sweeping across the desolate lands, looking down upon the world!
Seemingly more confident and domineering than before.
As if everything was under control.
Even though she could faintly sense that the demon lord's aura had weakened a lot,
Even the most foolish could sense that this was the adversary's trap, another test by the master.
If only...
The master's acting wasn't so poor.
Even a fool could tell it was a trap.
Moreover, she possessed the Glass Heart of Swordsmanship and had been deceived many times before?
Facing the powerful demon lord, continuing to attempt assassination was meaningless, and it might even implicate the other four disciples.
With this in mind, Ye Qinghong took a deep breath, and her cold eyes dimmed once again.
The Glass Heart of Swordsmanship automatically circulated.
Her eyes as cold as a deep pool.
She said icily,
"Disciple has offended the master. Please, Master, punish me."
Her words startled Fang Yang, finally snapping him back to reality.
Looking at Ye Qinghong, as sharp and cold as a sword, he couldn't help feeling a little apprehensive inside.
But he still sneered and said,
"Punishment? A great offense, a violation of the natural order. What do you think, how should I punish you?"
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Ye Qinghong's expression remained utterly still.
She knelt on one knee!
"Please, Master, deal with me as you see fit!"
Her voice, pure as pearls, rang out, like the desolate autumn rain.
The Blood Rain Hall was engulfed in silence.
Fang Yang looked coldly at the miscreant disciple, only able to see the side of their face.
[Deal with as I see fit? You see the senior disciple kneeling on the ground, their posture provocative. Your heart stirs, and you find the height just right. With no one else in the grand hall, you want to step forward and hold them down by the back of their neck...]
"What is all this messy nonsense..."
Fang Yang, with a head full of black lines, directly blocked out that voice and silently returned to his throne.
He looked at the woman kneeling on the ground, his fingers tapping the armrest.
What to do?
How exactly should he deal with this?
He had to think carefully about this matter; he couldn't afford to show any weakness.
First of all, he couldn't personally mete out punishment.
That would only reveal the complete loss of his powers.
Secondly, he had to act in line with the habits of a demon lord; it couldn't seem too abrupt.
He closed his eyes and pondered for a moment; his mind was filled with the thick diary.
He recalled the demon lord's records in the diary...
"No, I absolutely cannot do that!"
"I am a gentleman of upright character, how can I harbor such filthy thoughts. Moreover, she is my beloved disciple!"
Fang Yang shook his head.
He looked coldly at Ye Qinghong, who was still kneeling on the ground.
"Indeed, the cruelest of punishments should be meted out; you ought to be sent to the underwater prison in the back mountain, for at least a month."
Ye Qinghong muttered to herself, devoid of sorrow or joy, she had long anticipated all of this!
All these years!
The demon lord's most ruthless punishment was to lock them in the underwater prison in the back mountain.
There, it was pitch-dark, and icy winds pierced to the bone.
Ordinary people could hardly last a day there.
This time would surely be no different.
That's it!
No need to wait for the demon lord to speak.
She might as well go to the back mountain herself.
Biting her lip, she was about to get up and leave.
The next moment...
"Considering that you returned from a thousand miles away, and you have shown filial piety, I'll let you off lightly this once."
"You, lean over the chair."
The cold, steady voice echoed endlessly in the grand hall,
Ye Qinghong suddenly looked up, her piercing eyes showing a trace of bewilderment.
She, intoxicated with the way of the sword, did not quite grasp Fang Yang's meaning.
Lean over the chair?
What does it mean?
Hadn't she just committed a grave error?
Shouldn't she be kneeling on the ground, or even locked in the back mountain's underwater prison for reflection?
Why should she be leaning over there?
Could it be that this demon lord had come up with some new, inhumane method of punishment?
But she did not recall any such strange and unusual forbidden technique.
Ye Qinghong rose to her feet, her expression one of doubt.
She walked in front of the chair.
Her slender fingers grasped the chair's armrest.
She leaned over the chair.
Her bound hair fell down.
The blue cotton cloth could hardly conceal her graceful curves.
"Sink your waist down!"
The impassive voice rang out once again.
Ye Qinghong's brows knit together, feeling more awkward, but she complied nonetheless.
She was genuinely puzzled about what the demon lord was really up to.
Swish, swish...
Swish, swish...
In the cold grand hall, Fang Yang rose indifferently to his feet.
He walked towards Ye Qinghong without expression, and quickly arrived behind her.
[I can't hold back any longer, I can't hold back any longer, this is the perfect opportunity! Who could refuse teaching a Swordsman how to wield a sword...]
The sinister narration continued unabated.
Fang Yang sighed inwardly as he looked at the obedient Swordsman lying across the chair.
"The trees wish to be still, but the wind will not cease. Why must you force my hand?"
He raised his palm.
With a slap,
He brought it down hard!