My Disciple Wants To Tease Me Every Day Chapter 23

Buddhas had their road and demons had their path. Though all belonged to the three thousand main ways, if two tigers fight, one will get injured.
　　
The Buddhist scriptures poured into Ning Guang's dantian. In an instant, it incited the demonic energy inside her body to start oscillating, gloomy gray smoke leaking from her back and circling in midair to converge into a sinister hissing spirit.
　　
Ning Guang began to scream miserably, her back stiff, blue veins exploding up on her forehead.
　　
Her eyes were gradually dyed ash-black by demonic energy, mixed with scarlet bloodshot veins, giving her entire person an appearance as fierce as a malicious spirit!
　　
"Ning Guang!" Seeing demonic energy steaming from her disciple's body, Di Jiufeng immediately threw herself over. The heavy ashy smoke was even thicker than liquid ink and was highly corrosive, burning a layer of skin right off the hand Di Jiufeng had reached out.
　　
Fresh blood dripped down her fingertips, burned into mist by the ashy smoke before it hit the ground.
　　
The familiar scent digging into her nose made the stunned Ning Guang awaken in a split second. She struggled to reach out a hand, but that short distance was like a heavenly moat. She couldn't reach her Shifu's fingertips no matter what.
　　
"The demonic path takes form!"
　　
"My heavens! This kid has already cultivated to the stage of internalizing the demonic path!"
　　
Shocked cries rose and fell, piercing through the crowd of people.
　　
Seeing demonic energy appear on Ning Guang's body, all of the elders consciously encircled her in their midst. Bai Du wove through the crowd to run onto the platform, kneeling down before the Sect Leader with a "putong". "Sect Leader, please observe, my Shifu was wrongly accused. She really is a demonic cultivator!"

He kowtowed loudly several times in a row, sound after sound sorrowful like a cuckoo crying blood.

[T/N: 杜鹃啼血, figurative meaning a 'plaintive lament'.]
　　
The Sect Leader really did prize harmony, but the demonic path was not something to be treated with benevolence. So, he didn't try to smooth things over, stiffening his face and walking to Ning Guang's side.
　　
"Evil creature!" Slapping a palm on Ning Guang's back and beating that demonic silhouette back inside her body, the Sect Leader seized her shoulder and tore both her and Di Jiufeng off the flying sword. "Jiufeng, you were always sensible, how did you do this sort of a confused thing today? You ought to know how serious a sin it is to harbor a demonic cultivator?!"
　　
"I knew, but there was nothing I could have done." Knowing he couldn't treat this with benevolence, Di Jiufeng didn't plan to flee.
　　
She knelt on the ground, first dispelling the Buddhist energy inside her disciple's body, then gathering her up in her arms and weakly explaining, "I myself did not want my disciple to cultivate the demonic path, but what could I have done?
　　
That day, Qian Sui drew demonic energy into my disciple's body. Though it wasn't apparent at the time, she got seriously ill after we returned. She was plagued by malicious demonic energy, it's not like you do not know what sort of outcome it would have! At least, her foundation would be completely destroyed, at most, she would lose her life!!"

When she had talked herself into a pa.s.sion, Di Jiufeng began to cough violently. On her wan face, only a smear of fresh blood by her lip was bitterly scarlet.
　　
She forcefully coughed, nearly coughing out her own lungs.
　　
Until long after, she no longer had the strength to cough and finally began to gasp for breath. She lifted her head to say, "I took my disciple up the mountain, so of course I had to take responsibility for her. I couldn't look on and watch her die, so I taught her the demonic path. I did all of this, if you are going to punish someone then punish me!"
　　
Letting her eyes droop and lowering her head, her head of black hair spilled down her crimson sleeves like layer upon layer of magnificent lotuses blossoming on the water's surface.
　　
Ning Guang didn't want her to take the blame alone, but Di Jiufeng had been pressing her into her bosom from beginning to end, using enough strength to sink her fingertips deep into her shoulder and make white marks appear on the skin.
　　
The Sect Leader glanced at the two. With a tone like hating iron for not becoming steel, he said, "Jiufeng, you know what punishment this will receive?"

[T/N: 恨铁不成钢, "hating iron for not becoming steel", means feeling resentment towards someone for failing to meet expectations.]
　　
Di Jiufeng said serenely, "I know. Corrupting a disciple into cultivating the demonic path, three strikes of punishment by lightning. Concealing it and not reporting, one strike. And, my disciple must also receive nine strikes of punishment by lighting until the demonic path is eradicated, the soul flying away and scattering, thirteen strikes in total. I will receive them all. My disciple is still small and did not have the power to choose, she should not receive this punishment. I will personally destroy the demonic path in her place. I ask Sect Leader to bestow a favor and spare her life!"
　　
Pressing Ning Guang on her own legs, Di Jiufeng kneeled down with a determined posture.
　　
This thing, no matter how they struggled, the fact of Ning Guang converting to the demonic path was incontestable. No matter for what reason she practiced the demonic path, since it was discovered, she had to receive nine strikes of punishment by lightning.
　　
This was the iron law of the entire cultivation world. Even if a G.o.d descended to the common world, they would be powerless to change it.
　　
Di Jiufeng already did not hope to escape this calamity. She only wished to receive it in her disciple's place. Ning Guang was only in the Core Formation stage. Even with the demonic path to depend on, under the righteous lightning of the heavenly stars, she absolutely would not have any margin of survival. But her, at least she was a Late-Stage Nascent Soul cultivator. Maybe, maybe there was still a bit of opportunity to see the conclusion of the annihilation by lightning.
　　
Di Jiufeng motionlessly kneeled on the ground, silent like the dead.
　　
Everyone thought she had despaired, but only she herself knew, she was waiting for Yue Qingfeng.
　　
This Shixiong of hers had long gotten a glimpse of heaven's mysteries and confirmed only she could weaken Ning Guang's vicious nature. As such, he would not look on and watch her die.
　　
Di Jiufeng was well aware of this, and only then seized the responsibility to help Ning Guang escape this calamity.
　　
Just as expected, seeing her in this state, Yue Qingfeng also kneeled down. He vigorously campaigned the Sect Leader, "Though Jiufeng is at fault, this root of this whole disaster is Qian Sui. If you do not distinguish between right and wrong and perform this punishment, I'm afraid it will be difficult to sway the ma.s.ses. Why don't you do this, have Jiufeng receive punishment on behalf of her disciple, then destroy her demonic path herself. As for the remaining four strikes of punishment by lightning, they will be received by the main offender Qian Sui. What do you think?"
　　
Saying this, Yue Qingfeng applied a bit of pressure.
　　
As the strongest one in the sect, of course the Sect Leader would consider his words. And, compelled under pressure, none of the other elders dared retort either. Fortunately, though this was a bit of a bend, it did not violate the cultivation world's iron law, so the Sect Leader also gave his consent.
　　
"What Qingfeng said is also reasonable. Then, Jiufeng, you go to the punishment chamber to receive your punishment. As for your disciple…"
　　
Yue Qingfeng automatically took up the subject. "I will deliver her to Pear Peak, Sect Leader need not worry."
　　
Even though it had been decided, Ning Guang wasn't willing to let her Shifu receive punishment. She began to struggle forcefully, opening her mouth to speak, but was knocked unconscious by a chop of Di Jiufeng's hand.
　　
She touched Ning Guang's face, cautiously turning her over to Yue Qingfeng's hands. "Shixiong, many thanks."
　　
"No need to be polite, it was also for myself." Taking over Ning Guang, when their hands crossed, he stealthily handed a defensive spiritual device to Di Jiufeng. "Shimei, live on well, that is the best thanks you can give me."
　　
Di Jiufeng went to receive punishment, and Yue Qingfeng took Ning Guang to Pear Peak. Before they had gotten halfway, Ning Guang awoke.
　　
She was aware that she could not walk, so she gave up on struggling. She only turned around on the sword, gazing into the distance in the direction of the punishment chamber. There, lightning flickered and broken shouts seemed to dash over, mingled in the wind, sound thin as gossamer, like a continuous stream of embroidery needles p.r.i.c.king into the pit of her stomach, dense to the point of being air-tight.
　　
"Feng… Feng…"
　　
"What are you calling her?" Hearing Ning Guang's voice, Yue Qingfeng stiffened his face. He walked over, towering above and looking down at her. "She is your Shifu! Do you understand seniority and social ranking? Who let you go and call her name!"
　　
Ning Guang didn't spare him a glance, sneering and saying, "What do seniority and social ranking count for, sooner or later there will be a day when I stand on the very summit, treading every single one of those worldly rites and conspiring vile characters under my feet. I'll make it so no one in this heaven and earth dares to bully my Feng!" Slightly lifting up her chin, she stared intently at Yue Qingfeng.
　　
Though Ning Guang's cultivation was low, she had her own frightening aura.
　　
Yue Qingfeng met her gaze for a while, and was actually compelled to turn aside his face by this burning cold light.
　　
He suddenly didn't know what to say. This fiend's life should not be ended, yet her temper was frightfully stubborn. Other than the Di Jiufeng with the Celestial Pivot in her birth chart, there must have been no other person who could cure her.
　　
Previously, he had left her by his Shimei's side for this reason, but he never thought she would grow these sorts of filthy notions!
　　
Yue Qingfeng creased his brow, unable to speak for a while in anger. He finally calmed down, swinging his sleeves and saying in righteous indignation, "She is your Shifu! How can you hold such filthy notions towards her! Today, if I don't teach you a lesson, I really will have wronged your elders!"

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