Punishment
Insisting that she had been cultivating was no longer going to work.
Yingshi knew that if she didn't correct her attitude now, she probably wouldn't be able to get off easily tonight. She quickly lowered her head and sincerely admitted her mistake. Father, I was wrong. I admit that I was indeed slacking off... but I promise to cultivate diligently from now on. I will definitely achieve a good ranking in the Tiangang Tournament to make up for my mistakes today.
A good ranking? I'll be satisfied if you can just protect yourself! Do you really expect to win first place? Xu Mingcheng flicked his sleeves and turned around, leaving her with only his back. He said coldly, The Tiangang Tournament is fast approaching, and I must suppress your playful and flighty nature. Do not sleep tonight. Since you rested enough while slacking off during the day, your punishment is to copy volumes one through eight of The Supreme Good is Like Water ten times! Show it to me first thing tomorrow morning!
Yingshi felt as if she had been struck by lightning. On her very first night after transmigrating here, did she really not even have the time to mourn her sudden death in her previous life?
Wasn't all this a bit too cruel?!
Father, please reconsider! She no longer felt any awkwardness in calling him Father. She rushed over, grabbed Xu Mingcheng's arm, and shook it vigorously. Your daughter already knows she was wrong. Please forgive me this once...
What is this grabbing and pulling! Xu Mingcheng pulled his arm away and glared at her coldly. Forgive you this once? How could it be that easy? If you aren't punished, how will you ever learn your lesson!
But The Supreme Good is Like Water is simply too long. Copying it ten times is impossible to finish in one night...
Fine, then I will give you a chance. If you can execute a complete set of the Celestial Water Blossom Technique today, you will be exempted from the copying punishment, Xu Mingcheng said expressionlessly.
Of course, he knew Yingshi couldn't do it.
...
Yingshi's mind went blank. She didn't know if the original owner's learning progress had fallen behind or if her own comprehension was lacking, but at the mention of the Celestial Water Blossom Technique, she only had an extremely vague impression. Even if she successfully channeled her spiritual energy using the method Shuangjian had taught her earlier, it would be impossible for her to execute a complete move. She couldn't even manage the starting stance.
Seeing Xu Mingcheng's I knew you couldn't do it expression, she gradually felt the blood rush to the tips of her ears, and she could no longer utter any words pleading for mercy.
Yingshi had been an honors student for over a decade. Even though she wasn't the overly competitive type and would even slack off to read novels before exams, she had developed the pitiful pride of a top student over the years. At this moment, she truly felt a sense of shame and indignation.
She had only just arrived... How did the saying go again? Do not bully the young and poor!
If she were given a little more time to adapt, it wasn't impossible for her to become stronger! Damn it!
Hmph, if you can't do it, then obediently copy the book! Xu Mingcheng left with a cold face, dropping one last sentence before departing. If you still cannot hand in the copied texts before nine in the morning the day after tomorrow, you will be in big trouble!
...Oh, so he gave her a grace period of an extra day and a half.
But what use was that?! It was still impossible for a normal person to finish! The Supreme Good is Like Water was notoriously long.
The Yingshi in the original book didn't seem to encounter these troublesome matters during this part of the plot. Was the impact really this huge just because she had dawdled for a few extra hours?
Yingshi stared at her cheap father as he walked away, constantly pondering the consequences of not accepting the punishment. After weighing the options, she felt she probably couldn't bear the price. It might even trigger a series of subsequent troubles that would affect her freedom of movement later on!
...
She took a deep breath and could only drag her heavy steps back to her room.
On this first night in another world, Yingshi didn't have time to brew any sentimental emotions over the passage of time, nor did she have the time to sort through the major and minor plot points after transmigrating into the book.
As she hunched over her desk writing furiously, the only two stray thoughts that managed to slip into her mind were Shuangjian in the thatched cottage on the back mountain, and the Celestial Water Blossom Technique that was stuck annoyingly in her heart.
...
When the sky began to turn faintly bright, Yingshi was halfway through her third copy.
It had to be said that the physical constitution of cultivators was truly excellent. Despite staying up all night, she didn't even have a single bloodshot vein in her eyes.
Although sitting for too long made her a bit tired, her wrists didn't feel any severe soreness.
She wondered how Shuangjian was doing over there...
The brush in her hand hovered over the paper, blotting a bean-sized ink spot. Yingshi paid it no mind. She checked the daylight outside the window and figured it was about time. She hurriedly tied the organized storage bag around her waist, then took out the medicinal packets and small medicine pot she had hidden under the bookcase.
Once everything was packed, she opened her door, looked around alertly, and only then dashed toward Nanny Zhong's small courtyard.
This time of day was no longer considered early for the servants. Nanny Zhong had probably already gone out to work and was not in the courtyard.
Yingshi somewhat clumsily lit the stove, then poured the medicinal packets into the pot according to the prescribed ratio. After bustling about for quite a while, she finally managed to brew the medicinal soup in a decent manner.
It would take some time for the medicine to finish boiling. She brought over a small stool, sat by the stove, and stared blankly at the medicinal soup that had yet to boil.
Detaching from her busyness all at once felt as if the anesthesia injected into her had suddenly worn off.
All sorts of complex emotions surged up. After swirling in her heart a few times, they merged into a single, ethereal wave of melancholy and disappointment.
...Would she ever have the chance to go back in this life?
Could it really be as Shuangjian had said? Once they finished walking through the plot, perhaps they could detach from this book?
If she was truly already dead, then even as a wandering soul, she still wanted to go back and see the people who cared for her and whom she cared for... instead of arriving in another world in a fog, without even having the chance to say a final goodbye.
If she had known earlier that that night would be the final night of her short life, she definitely wouldn't have spent it so casually...
Yingshi's eyes reddened and her nose tingled, leading to the scene Nanny Zhong saw when she barged in earlier—
My good Miss, what happened? Why are you so heartbroken?
All recollections came to a halt, and the timeline finally returned to the present moment where Yingshi brushed off Nanny Zhong's concern, picked up the medicine pot, and sneaked out. I have urgent matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving first!
She knew she had to pull herself together. She still needed to sneak to the back mountain to deliver medicine to Shuangjian without drawing attention!
...
The mountain forest was tranquil, with only the sound of the wind whispering through the branches and leaves. An inconspicuous thatched cottage stood among the lush vegetation. Before rushing over, Yingshi hadn't expected to see Shuangjian standing outside, looking as if he were waiting to welcome her.
The young man was already quite tall. He stood there wearing a faded, washed-out blue disciple uniform. His sleeves fluttered gently in the wind. Without needing any extra movements, he already gave off the impression of being as tall and straight as bamboo—even though he was clearly still being tormented by his injuries and illness.
This was the first time Yingshi had seen him standing up.
He had a tall stature, a straight back, a distinctly outlined waistline, and exceptionally long legs. Coupled with that face... no wonder he could capture the hearts of all sorts of female supporting characters. Yearning for beautiful things was simply human instinct!
Truly, just one look was enough to instantly dilute the melancholy in her heart...
"Shuangjian, why did you come out?" Yingshi quickened her pace, jogging over to him. "How is your body feeling? Are you still uncomfortable? I brought you some things!"
Shuangjian watched the young girl's figure approach from a distance. Perhaps she hadn't noticed, but teardrops still hung on her eyelashes, and the corners of her eyes were tinged with red.
She had been crying.
Shuangjian looked at her quietly, took the medicine pot from her hand, and asked softly, "Were you punished after you went back last night?"
"Sigh, don't even mention it! Xu Mingcheng punished me by making me copy books. It kept me up all night, and I still haven't finished," Yingshi said with a bitter face.
Her tone was sorrowful, but her emotions were direct and unobstructed—so she hadn't been crying over that.
It must have stemmed from the same source as the emotional breakdown she had revealed to him yesterday, related to her time-traveling.
Shuangjian understood in his heart, so he asked about the copying task, "How much is left?"
"More than half! Xu Mingcheng cruelly demanded that I copy the entire set of Highest Good is Like Water ten times. I haven't even finished the third time yet, I'm only on the fifth volume!" Yingshi gritted her teeth. "The most hateful part is that he wants it by tomorrow noon! So..."
She sighed, "So, after I finish delivering your medicine today, I have to go back and continue copying. I can't stay here long to keep you company."
"..."
Shuangjian's fingers involuntarily tightened, and the presence of a red string on his wrist suddenly felt very distinct.
That's right, he had already tied this token Yingshi left him onto his hand.
Thanks to this item, he had spent the most extraordinary night of his life yesterday.
If he hadn't been dragged down by his injuries, he might have made some preparations in advance so his strength could return to its peak sooner, freeing him from the control of others.
But even doing nothing, simply lying on the haystack and being at peace with himself, was a rare experience for him.
However, he was not an optimistic person. He found it hard to believe that having this knotted string by his side meant he could live freely and completely become an ordinary person escaping the binds of the rules.
The knotted string was merely an external object tainted with Yingshi's aura; it would eventually lose its efficacy.
If he didn't figure out the connection behind Yingshi and his derailed behavior, if he couldn't make its influence permanently act upon him, and if he couldn't hold the power of choice in his own hands, there would never be a day of absolute peace...
After a moment of silence, Shuangjian parted his lips and said, "Perhaps you can bring it here, and I will help you copy it. Although I never read books in the past, after integrating into this world, writing and recognizing characters is not a problem. I can also imitate your handwriting."
Yingshi waved her hands and said, "How could I have the nerve to trouble a patient! You should be resting properly. Besides, Xu Mingcheng only threatened that I'd be in trouble if I didn't finish. I bet he hasn't even figured out exactly what kind of trouble, and it's not like he can kill me..."
Shuangjian fell silent.
"The medicine soup is just the right temperature now, you should drink it first." Yingshi sat on the haystack and untied her storage bag, pouring out its contents all at once. "And here are the things I brought for you..."
A soft pillow, a fluffy quilt, pastries wrapped in oiled paper, a gourd water jug filled with spiritual spring dew, cultivation scriptures, lighting candles...
Shuangjian's gaze swept over the items one by one, finally settling back on Yingshi's face as he silently thanked her.
"But I have to take this storage bag back, I only have one." Yingshi embarrassedly hung the empty storage bag back on her waist. "Once we save enough money, I'll buy one for you too. It's really convenient!"
The storage bag had become her top favorite item in the cultivation world.
Even though it was only the size of a palm, its capacity was comparable to the yoga pants in modern live streams that claimed they could fit a family of three.
Lightweight and zero burden, it was a must-have for home and travel.
Unfortunately, it was very expensive. It didn't just cost silver; it also required spirit stones to purchase.
This storage bag of Yingshi's was a gift from Xu Mingcheng for her fifteenth birthday.
Fortunately, Shuangjian didn't seem to covet the storage bag. After pondering for a moment, he said to her, "This body of mine has read many miscellaneous books in the past. In my memory, a book recorded a spell called the Puppet Technique, which can drive inanimate objects to move according to one's thoughts. If you can master a little of it, it might help you copy the books."
"Puppet Technique?" Yingshi's eyes widened in sheer astonishment.
Shuangjian nodded. "That book detailed the casting conditions for the Puppet Technique. It's just that my spiritual power is too meager to attempt it, but your spiritual power is deeper than mine, so you could give it a try."
