Chapter 1

At the Lingyun Sect, on the Siguai Cliff, the wailing wind swirled around the people covered in a thin layer of frost, as if searching for a heat source to extinguish at any moment.

Gu Chengshu, with her head and face covered, sat in a strange posture, trying hard to ignore the wind and accelerate the circulation of the Heaven and Earth Decision.

It wasn't that she didn't want to create a spiritual energy shield to protect herself; it was just that the wind on the Siguai Cliff, containing the cold evil from the icy pond below, was under special restrictions. A spiritual energy shield below the level of a Nascent Soul would only exacerbate the cold evil, and whoever used it would suffer.

But this reflection... she hadn't done anything wrong, so how could she reflect?

All Gu Chengshu could think of now was one word: fast!

How to make the Heaven and Earth Decision run faster.

Once it started, no matter how strong the wind on the Siguai Cliff or how intense the cold evil from the pond below, it wouldn't matter to her.

Gu Chengshu, who had been deprived of her magical robe and storage bag and had been living on wind and dew for nearly three months, already knew how to survive here.

Once...

Thinking of the days she spent lying in bed reading web novels, Gu Chengshu sighed softly.

The current body, with the same name as hers, seemed to have a family, a master, and a childhood friend, and her spiritual root quality was勉强 (barely) acceptable. But in reality, the family was a facade, the master was the father of the childhood friend, and the childhood friend had his heart set on someone else.

If it were just that, it wouldn't be so bad, but...

Gu Chengshu took a long breath, not letting the emotions and memories she had received affect the circulation of the Heaven and Earth Decision.

No matter what, she had to survive first before she could think about the future.

The bridge between her palms and soles became smooth again, and the small world within her body reformed. Gu Chengshu returned to a state of deep cultivation, oblivious to the passage of time.

...

"What did you say? Chengshu was punished and sent to the Siguai Cliff?"

The words of the disciple made Feng Lan, who had just returned to the sect from the flying tower, very unhappy. "For what?"

"Disciple Gu injured an outer sect disciple."

Jiang Pan, who replied, frowned. "That disciple said she was seeking revenge and bullying Junior Brother Yin, and that she was unworthy to be a disciple of Senior Uncle Yin. He also said that if Senior Uncle Gu were still alive, he would be ashamed of her."

What?

Feng Lan suddenly turned around. "What did Senior Uncle Yin say?"

"Senior Uncle Yin is in seclusion and not available. Senior Uncle Geng from the Punishment Hall said that mutual harm among sect members is a great taboo. No matter what, the fact that Disciple Gu injured someone in public is her fault, so... she was punished to the Siguai Cliff for three months."

"What about you? What did you do?"

Him?

The master's words were so cold.

Jiang Pan's face turned pale, and he hurriedly followed her steps to the Punishment Hall. "I pleaded for mercy, but Senior Uncle Geng scolded me and sent me away."

At that moment, he was truly grateful that he had only gone through the motions. Otherwise...

Feng Lan's expression softened. "Where is Yin Cheng? How did Chengshu bully him? What did he say after Chengshu was punished?"

"The cause of the incident, it is said, was a Yin Yuan Grass. The Yin Yuan Grass was being sold by an unskilled cultivator as a common Yin Yue Grass. They both saw it, and in the end, Disciple Gu bought it. Then, some disciples spoke up for Junior Brother Yin.

It is said that before this, there were several minor incidents, but they didn't escalate. This time, the disciple mentioned Senior Uncle Gu, and Disciple Gu couldn't bear it, so she hit him harder."

Jiang Pan's mouth was dry, and he stole a glance at his master. "As for Junior Brother Yin, he was trying to stop the fight, but Disciple Gu almost injured him. When Senior Uncle Geng asked him, he said it wasn't Disciple Gu's fault, that he had been careless.

He also wanted to plead for mercy for Disciple Gu, but the injured disciple disagreed. In recent days, it is said that he often goes to take care of the injured disciple, both to atone for Disciple Gu and to try to calm him down and plead for mercy together."

"How long has Chengshu been on the Siguai Cliff?" Feng Lan, somewhat satisfied, asked as she walked.

"Ah?" Jiang Pan was taken aback, pausing for a moment. "It's almost... almost three months."

Feng Lan, who was walking briskly to the Punishment Hall, suddenly stopped, turned to stare at her disciple for a moment, and her voice turned cold as ice. "How many days until three months?"

Jiang Pan swallowed, quickly calculating. "Four... four days!" Something seemed to flash through his mind, but he couldn't grasp it.

"Four days?"

How dare you!

Feng Lan narrowed her eyes. "Where is that disciple now?"

"He is... with Senior Uncle Geng. Senior Uncle Geng said he is not afraid of power and not tempted by benefits, making him a good candidate for the Punishment Hall, and has taken him as a named disciple."

"Huh!"

Feng Lan was so angry she laughed. "What a grand play! Have you visited Chengshu on the Siguai Cliff these days?"

"Since Senior Uncle Geng took over the Punishment Hall, he has been very strict, not allowing us to enter or leave at will."

Feng Lan closed her eyes. "Jiang Pan, do you hate Gu Chengshu?"

"No, no, disciple dares not!"

"Is it that you don't, or that you dare not?"

"Disciple... Disciple Gu is somewhat spoiled, and... I don't really like it, but I absolutely don't hate her, I..."

"Enough, stop talking."

Feng Lan interrupted him. "Go back and face the wall for three months. Don't come out without my permission."

Ah?

Jiang Pan opened his mouth but finally lowered his head. "...Yes!"

Junior Brother Yin seems to have some issues with Disciple Gu.

He...

Thinking of the master's earnest instructions to take care of Disciple Gu before leaving, Jiang Pan's heart trembled, and he hurriedly went back to face the wall.

Feng Lan snorted coldly, hesitating between Tianxiang Peak and the Siguai Cliff, and finally flashed to the Siguai Cliff.

After a while, she looked at the girl stripped of her magical robe, wearing only a middle robe, using its length to cover her head, still unable to withstand the cold, and bent over, practicing the technique to resist the cold evil of the Siguai Cliff. A trace of pity flashed in her eyes.

But the three-month punishment was almost over. If she intervened now, even if Senior Uncle Geng was willing to back down, he wouldn't have anything good to say.

She...

Feng Lan suddenly sensed something and her figure vanished.

"Chengshu!"

Soon, a figure approached quickly, and it was none other than Yin Zhenghai, who had just come out of seclusion. "You have suffered, come with your master home."

Home?

The surrounding cold was instantly replaced by warmth. How could Gu Chengshu not feel it? She slowly stopped her practice and raised her head, seeing a blurry figure.

"Your master has come to take you home."

Yin Zhenghai, seeing the large patches of black on his disciple's middle robe, his eyes flickered, and his voice became softer. "Don't worry, your master will give you a proper resolution!"

Resolution?

Pulling off the thin robe over her head, Gu Chengshu finally saw the person clearly.

Yin Zhenghai, the peak master of Tianxiang Peak, an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, her good master.

"Master..."

"It's your master!"

Yin Zhenghai's face was full of concern. "Come, follow your master home."

Home, back to Tianxiang Peak?

Gu Chengshu was startled. "Master, I did hit someone, and Senior Uncle Geng punished me according to the rules. Don't worry, in a few days, I will be back."

Yin Zhenghai: "..."

Very good, this girl seems to have become more sensible.

His expression turned serious. "No problem, I have already talked to Senior Uncle Geng. You can come home with me now."

"...Master, I... I don't want to owe Senior Uncle Geng a favor!"

Gu Chengshu almost couldn't control her expression. "I have already endured for so many days, what's a few more days?"

This?

Yin Zhenghai was very pleased that this little girl could maintain this spirit. "In that case, your master will wait a few more days. Don't worry, I have already scolded Yin Cheng. He..."

"Master, it's not Junior Brother Yin Cheng's fault."

Gu Chengshu tried to suppress her anger. "It's Zhang Minglin, he has ill intentions."

"I know, he is now..." A trace of anger flashed across Yin Zhenghai's face. "A disciple of Senior Uncle Geng, and has joined the Punishment Hall."