Chapter 4

“I’ve wanted to beat you for a long time.”

On the Back Mountain of Qingyang Sword Sect, right in front of Reflection Cave.

Seeing Qin Fei daring to make a move against him, Xiao Yang wasted no time. He kicked Qin Fei away and rushed forward, raining down punches and kicks.

“Senior Brother, don’t hit me…”

“Senior Brother, spare my life…”

“Senior Brother, I was wrong… please don’t hit me…”

Qin Fei curled up on the ground, shielding his head while rolling around and begging for mercy, completely refusing to fight back as Xiao Yang landed hit after hit.

Seeing this, Xiao Yang only got more excited.

Because he knew Qin Fei had no intention of retaliating.

Pretending to be pitiful, acting miserable, feigning weakness, and fishing for sympathy—wasn’t that Qin Fei’s age-old trick?

And it worked best in front of the little junior sister.

In his past life, Xiao Yang had fought with Qin Fei for a thousand years; was he really unfamiliar with this act?

Sure enough, the moment the little junior sister saw Qin Fei getting beaten, she rushed over and yanked Xiao Yang away.

“Senior Brother, have you gone mad?”

Jiang Ting pushed Xiao Yang while glaring at him angrily.

“What? Does my hitting him make your heart ache?”

Xiao Yang shoved Jiang Ting aside and lunged back at Qin Fei, stomping on his face a few more times.

With a cultivation level inferior to Xiao Yang’s and clinging to his act of misery, Qin Fei took those kicks without putting up any fight. His face was soon a mess, utterly pitiful.

Spitting out a few bloodied teeth, he looked truly tragic.

Then Xiao Yang suddenly noticed blood seeping through the fabric on Qin Fei’s left shoulder.

He stepped forward and yanked the fabric apart, revealing a bandage soaked in blood.

“Was that you last night?”

Xiao Yang stared coldly at Qin Fei.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Senior Brother! Please, don’t hit me anymore… I was wrong, I really was wrong…”

Qin Fei cowered on the ground, trembling.

Xiao Yang knew it was all an act.

For Qin Fei, the worse he got beaten, the better.

Hitting a fellow disciple was a huge taboo—Xiao Yang was trampling all over the sect’s rules!

Wasn’t this a sure way to ruin him?

“Senior Brother… stop…”

“Slap!”

In a moment of panic, Jiang Ting slapped Xiao Yang hard across the face.

Xiao Yang stared at his little junior sister, stunned.

She actually hit him for Qin Fei?

“No… Senior Brother… I…”

Jiang Ting was equally stunned, staring blankly at her own hand.

A lump formed in Xiao Yang’s chest; that single slap from Jiang Ting wiped away the last shred of affection he had left for her.

Nothing here felt worth clinging to anymore.

He didn’t just want to abandon the title of Sect Holy Son this time; he didn’t want to be a disciple of Qingyang Sword Sect at all.

Xiao Yang suddenly felt a strong urge to leave Qingyang Sword Sect behind.

In this new life, he wanted to stay far away from them!

Indifferently, he turned and walked into the cave.

“Senior Brother… I didn’t mean it…”

Jiang Ting panicked, trying to follow him into the cave for an explanation.

“Ow! Little junior sister, I think my ribs are broken! It hurts so much!”

Qin Fei groaned in pain.

Jiang Ting hesitated for a moment, her expression flickering, but ultimately, she didn’t pursue Xiao Yang into the cave. Instead, she hurried over to the laying Qin Fei, who was pretending to be pitiful.

This time, he had truly been beaten badly by Xiao Yang.

Inside the cave, Xiao Yang listened to the departure of the two outside.

The little junior sister only ever had eyes for Qin Fei!

His heart felt oddly calm.

In his previous life, Jiang Ting had also dragged Qin Fei to him, insisting that he apologize.

He had fought Qin Fei then too.

Now, the real show was about to begin.

Sure enough, before long, two disciples from the Law Enforcement Hall arrived to summon him to the Qingyang Great Hall.

Xiao Yang smiled faintly and walked out of Reflection Cave, following the two law enforcers up towards the summit and the Qingyang Great Hall.

As he walked up the mountain, he saw many servant disciples clearing debris from the rocky path and broken trees.

Last night, the Demon Sect had attacked. Although the roots of Qingyang Sword Sect remained intact, many areas had been affected.

The one who ambushed him on the Back Mountain last night must have been Qin Fei.

Soon, they arrived at the entrance of the Qingyang Great Hall.

“This is outrageous…”

“Simply intolerable…”

The furious voice of Jiang Qitian echoed from within the hall.

Xiao Yang walked into the hall with an indifferent expression.

“Rebellious disciple, look at the great deeds you’ve accomplished!”

Jiang Qitian shouted at Xiao Yang, pointing to a figure on a stretcher, wrapped in bandages like a zongzi.

“Master… Master, don’t scold the Senior Brother, I think he didn’t mean it.”

The “zongzi” on the stretcher spoke with a trembling voice.

“Oh no, that looks terrible; I’m sorry…”

Xiao Yang barely held back a laugh as he looked at Qin Fei.

“Senior Brother, no need to apologize…”

Qin Fei was gearing up to act pitiful again.

“I did it on purpose.”

Xiao Yang smirked as he spoke, one word at a time. In his past life, being frantic hadn’t done him any good.

What was the point of trying to justify himself in front of the Master?

It hadn’t changed anything; they merely blamed him.

So really, if he didn’t go hard, he wasn’t being true to himself!

“Uh…”

Qin Fei was momentarily dumbfounded, looking like he had just swallowed a fly.

“Rebellious disciple, do you even see your Master in your eyes?”

“Do you even acknowledge the sect rules?”

“Harming fellow disciples is a huge taboo! I told you about it the very first day you entered the sect. Have you forgotten?”

Jiang Qitian’s temple throbbed in anger.

“Senior Brother, aren’t you going to apologize to Dad? Then to the little junior brother? This matter can blow up or die down!”

Jiang Ting was furious too.

“I hit him; that’s my mistake—no, I don’t acknowledge it! Apology? I won’t say it! And I’ll accept any punishment from the sect!”

Xiao Yang disregarded everyone’s scolding and declared loudly.

“Rebellious disciple, even your Master can’t control you now?”

Jiang Qitian exploded.

“Do you think that because you are the Sect Holy Son, a genius of the younger generation, I won’t punish you?”

Jiang Qitian was deeply disappointed in Xiao Yang.

“Senior Brother, you’ve changed. You used to care for the junior disciples, always helping them out. Why have you become so cold-hearted? Are you still the warm, gentle, and magnanimous Senior Brother I once knew?”

Jiang Ting lamented.

Xiao Yang quietly looked at Jiang Ting and thought, yes, I’m no longer that Xiao Yang who had eyes only for you—the one who’s left is dead.

At that moment, two figures strode into the hall; at the forefront was Lei Lie, the Law Enforcement Elder of Qingyang Sword Sect.

Following Lei Lie was Cang Xiao, the Transmission Elder of Qingyang Sword Sect.

Seeing the two elders arrive, Xiao Yang immediately sensed that things were getting serious.

Qin Fei, lying on the stretcher, shot Xiao Yang a glance filled with barely concealed malice.

Seeing the two elders, Jiang Qitian looked a bit surprised.

“Xiao Yang, you injured a fellow disciple. What punishment do you think you deserve?”

Law Enforcement Elder Lei Lie immediately bellowed at Xiao Yang.

“Disciple knows his crime. I previously spied on the sect’s secret texts and harmed a fellow disciple. Now, I have injured another fellow disciple, truly a grave sin, completely unforgivable. Please, Master, expel me from the sect to uphold the rules!”

Xiao Yang declared as he dropped to his knees before Jiang Qitian.

“What…”

Everyone in the hall was utterly dumbfounded by Xiao Yang’s actions.

Even Law Enforcement Elder Lei Lie looked a bit flabbergasted.

All eyes were fixed incredulously on Xiao Yang kneeling on the floor.

Yet, Xiao Yang’s heart was as calm as a still lake. After his rebirth, though he didn’t want to be the Sect Holy Son, there had still been a trace of longing for the sect.

But now he had let everything go.

There was nothing here worth holding onto anymore.

Given this, in this life, I’ll keep my distance from all of you.