I Accidentally Triggered the Restricted Punishment Protocol - Chapter 4

Unlike the scene of her previous ignominious departure, the Golden Scale Hall tonight was brilliantly illuminated by ten thousand palace lamps; from a distance, it looked like a celestial palace in the heavens.

However, Yi Hanxing knew that the person living inside was no immortal of the Nine Heavens, but a great demon who ate people without spitting out the bones.

In Qingtang Valley, the four seasons were like spring, with green willows and red flowers. Outside the Golden Scale Hall, a rustling willow forest swayed in the night breeze. A bright round moon hung in the sky, casting dappled shadows of leaves below like the whispers of demons and ghosts.

Yi Hanxing stepped through the shadows and lifted her skirt to ascend the stairs. As Qin Wuzhou’s personal disciple, she did not need a formal announcement to visit her Master. She composed herself outside the door before pushing it open.

“This disciple, Yi Hanxing, pays respects to Master.”

She cupped her hands and stood in the hall for a while, but receiving no reply, she boldly raised her head.

He was not there.

Yi Hanxing blinked, raising her volume: “Master?”

There was still no answer. In the dead silence of the night, the faint sound of flowing water drifted from the inner chambers.

Could it be that she had come at an awkward time and caught Qin Wuzhou bathing?

Yi Hanxing instinctively turned to leave, but after taking a single step, she remembered the purpose of her visit. She had already braved the tiger’s den; if she did not see the tiger, would all the effort she spent psyching herself up not be in vain?

She braced herself and followed the sound of water inward, brushing aside veils and curtains. The hall carried a faint, sweet fragrance, very similar to the scent she had smelled on Qin Wuzhou last night.

Passing through the corridors, Yi Hanxing caught a glimpse of white mist rising in the distance. It seemed to be an indoor hot spring. It would be impolite to go any closer, so she stood still outside the door and called out: “Master.”

The sound of splashing water inside stopped for an instant. A moment later, a man’s low voice drifted out: “Mhm?”

“This disciple, Yi Hanxing, has matters to ask of Master.”

The person in the hot spring paused before slowly standing up. His tall silhouette was projected through the gauze screen by the bright octagonal palace lamps, his outline visible in full detail.

Yi Hanxing only took one look before immediately lowering her head to fix her gaze on her nose. Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, her eyes automatically captured the highlight.

—It was a transgenic giant eggplant!

Fortunately, Qin Wuzhou did not seem to have any intention of showing off like a peacock in front of his disciple. Within moments, he was fully dressed. A fragrant wind mixed with moisture blew past as he flickered, appearing instantly at the high seat in the outer hall.

“You are looking for me?” He sat at the head of the hall in a dominating posture, a hint of loathing in his smile. His two golden eyes practically screamed: Why are you here again?

The chair was carved with unknown ferocious beasts. Qin Wuzhou leaned back against it, flanked by several half-person-tall golden branch lamps whose light was so bright it was almost impossible to see his face clearly.

Yi Hanxing pretended not to see the disdain on that blindingly handsome face. She honestly presented the neatly stacked pile of papers in her hands, which resembled a small mountain. “This disciple was cleaning her quarters today and found many past examination papers. I would like to ask Master to review them.”

Because she had been drinking and suffering from Qi deviation that previous night, she did not have much of a memory of it. Furthermore, she was good at keeping up appearances. No matter how much her heart wavered, her face remained as calm as a breeze. Facing Qin Wuzhou now was not awkward for her.

As for the latter, he was an old monster who had lived for a thousand years. Having seen all sorts of storms, he naturally would not stoop to bickering with a junior like her.

Sure enough, neither of them spoke of that night, tacitly ignoring it. On the surface, they appeared to treat each other with mutual respect.

But soon, the “cheap” Master revealed his true colors.

“I see.” Qin Wuzhou pointed casually. “Put them there. You may leave.”

Yi Hanxing did not move. She hesitated, “After I leave, will Master actually look at them?”

Qin Wuzhou: “No.”

This trash Master really did not even bother to pretend.

If he did not look, how could she proceed with her plan? Yi Hanxing refused to leave and brought out her prepared excuse: “Today I met Senior Sister Su outside the hall. A sentence she spoke inspired me greatly. As the saying goes, a teacher has the heart of a parent. What could make a parent happier than seeing their child diligent in their studies and growing healthily? This disciple also wants to make Master happy, so?”

“So, you brought these scraps of paper to me?” Qin Wuzhou lifted a finger, and countless white sheets flew into the air, flipping through with a synchronized rustle.

Within moments, he finished reading. He tossed the homework papers back to their original spot, his mouth curling in a mocking grin. “There are even Daoist technique assignments from last year. When you failed to turn them in back then, did you not say the exam papers were snatched away by a wild cat?”

Yi Hanxing, driven by her perfectionism, smoothed out a folded corner of a paper and said calmly, “Oh, that wild cat brought them back.”

Qin Wuzhou rested his cheek on his hand and gave a snort of laughter. “What a sensible little cat. Why do you not try meowing for me first?”

Yi Hanxing, being harassed for no reason, thought: If this were the 21st century, I would definitely report this immoral scumbag of a teacher to the Board of Education using my real name.

“Master, after reading my answers, do you have any thoughts?” She decided to endure it for now.

Qin Wuzhou: “Yes. Stupid.” Even basic questions about the symbiosis and mutual restraint of spiritual and demonic energy between heaven and earth were answered incorrectly. She could not even compare to a three-year-old child.

Yi Hanxing was overjoyed. “This disciple is indeed dull-witted and has many questions to ask of Master.”

Following that, like a postgraduate student who had just been admitted to her own school, she began to harass her senior with “garbage” questions to prove her diligence. she started attacking Qin Wuzhou with countless mindless questions similar to “Why does 1+1 equal 2?”

It had to be said that Qin Wuzhou’s performance was exactly what one would expect from a low-quality villainous Master. Out of every ten sentences, eight were mocking, one was dismissive, and one was a half-true, half-false explanation.

Qin Wuzhou: “All these years in the Hehuan Sect, you haven’t learned a single thing?”

Yi Hanxing put on the honest, aggrieved expression she had practiced. “This disciple’s natural talent is a notch below others. No matter how hard I work, I cannot catch up.”

The other man gave an emotionless laugh. His finger once again pointed out an error on her answer sheet, marking it with sharp, aggressive annotations. “True. Good for nothing but trouble.” And yet, he had been approached by such a fool.

Yi Hanxing peeked at him a few times. Tsk, such a handsome guy, why did he have to be born with a mouth like that?

If this man were a mute, just looking at him under the glow of the candles his long fingers holding a green jade brush as he bowed his head to mark the papers, he would actually have quite a bit of a free-spirited scholar’s air.

Alas, what a waste. While shaking her head internally, she said: “Master is right. Just like the mission Master assigned to me. That is the Shura Sword Lin Wujiu. This disciple only fears the heart is willing but the strength is lacking.”

Qin Wuzhou’s movements paused.

“So, this was your calculation,” he said slowly.

He looked up at her, the Glass Sun within his eyes refracting the flickering candlelight into sharp, splintered beams of brilliance.

Then, he let out another chilly laugh. “My stupid disciple has actually grown quite clever, even daring to scheme against her own Master.”

In truth, Yi Hanxing had given tonight’s visit to Qin Wuzhou careful consideration.

Her plan was simple: use the excuse of turning in her assignments and asking questions to thoroughly demonstrate her incompetence. She wanted to show that she was completely unfit for the mission to seduce and kill Lin Wujiu.

She was not worried about walking into a tiger’s den. If Qin Wuzhou wanted to kill her, he would have done so last night when she was suffering from Qi deviation and completely defenseless.

The reason she was still alive and kicking was thanks to good timing. Qin Wuzhou had just obtained the Glass Sun—a weapon of mass destruction in the original book equivalent to a nuclear warhead. Taming and controlling it required significant effort; if he committed a killing spree during this period, he would suffer a violent backlash.

She peeked at him again and, sure enough, noticed a tiny, bright red blood vessel in the corner of his eye.

Qin Wuzhou sensed her gaze, and the murderous intent in his eyes vanished instantly. Like a master of disguise, he replaced it with a radiant smile. “You came to see Master tonight just to say that you do not want to accept this mission?”

Yi Hanxing offered an honest smile, nodded, and said with a look of grievance, “This disciple only fears delaying Master’s great affairs.”

Nonsense. Qin Wuzhou gave an emotionless laugh. He tilted his head, his earrings swaying slightly. “Come here.”

Once she had compliantly moved in front of him, he patted her on the head.

…Does this man think he is petting a dog? Yi Hanxing complained internally, but on the surface, she finally bared her blade. “So, Master, can I—”

Qin Wuzhou smiled sweetly. “No.”

Well, that was not unexpected.

“Leave now.” Qin Wuzhou summoned her and dismissed her at will, waving his hand as if shooing away a fly.

Yi Hanxing wore a look of sorrow but said no more. She prepared to retreat respectfully. As she reached the door, she suddenly remembered something. “By the way, Master, yesterday you asked if I saw anything special on your body…”

The candlelight in the hall flickered. Half of Qin Wuzhou’s face was submerged in darkness, yet his voice remained cheerful. “Hanxing, did you remember something?”

“Yes.” Yi Hanxing looked sincere. “Master’s skin is very good. This disciple makes bold to ask: what kind of incense does Master use daily? You know, since I have to deal with Lin Wujiu, I must put effort into my appearance.”

Qin Wuzhou stared at her for a long time before saying, “Master does not quite remember. If you want it, I will have someone send it to you later.”

Yi Hanxing successfully tested the waters at the edge of danger and compliantly withdrew her foot, offering her respects once more before departing.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. There was no reason for Qin Wuzhou to already suspect her while she remained entirely in the dark.

Given Qin Wuzhou’s cunning nature in the original book, even if she clung to his legs and cried that she saw nothing, he would never believe her. It was better to test him first and try to seize the initiative.

Although she had not figured out what to do with this leverage yet, holding it in her own hands felt safer. Furthermore, she firmly believed that if someone suspects you of something, you might as well actually do it.

Tonight’s visit, while failing to convince Qin Wuzhou to abandon his foolish “conquest mission,” was not entirely without gain.

The moment she mentioned she had “remembered something,” Qin Wuzhou made an extremely subtle movement: he straightened his back and leaned his upper body away, pressing his spine more firmly against the back of the chair.

It was as if he were trying to hide something on his back.

Yi Hanxing instinctively touched her own back, thinking that her “cheap” Master’s secret was likely located there.

Tsk. Most of that night, he was the one lying underneath while she was on top of him. She never had a chance to see his back.