Chapter 961 - 957: Alarm Bells Ringing
Xu Zishu couldn’t help but panic immediately and hurriedly began to explain: "Master, it’s not like that, listen to my explanation..."
The Immortal Envoy on the loft sharply interrupted: "Explanation? First explain why you said you couldn’t leave, yet ended up running here."
At this moment, Xu Zishu felt the sky above her head begin to darken, even the fiery sunrise unable to dispel the gloom. She was tongue-tied for a long while, then eventually dropped her head in resignation and said, "Disciple has nothing to say!"
Although Xu Zishu wasn’t completely out of options for an explanation, like saying she was helped by someone to get here, instinct told her that this would only drag her into an increasingly unfavorable situation. Thus, she reluctantly put on an obedient facade to reduce her punishment, naturally hoping for lenience.
"Since you have nothing to say, then starting tomorrow, you will throw yourself into training. Considering you didn’t try to argue without admitting your mistake, there’s no need to make up for the training you missed previously!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Zishu hurriedly tried to speak up to thank her master and stop her from continuing. She knew well that her master’s words were far from finished, and once she said "but," her future days would not be pleasant.
Yet, just in that instant of hesitation, the voice from the loft had already sounded: "However, we cannot let you off easily for pretending to be sick and avoiding training. The days you rested will be deducted from your future vacation time."
Xu Zishu immediately felt everything go dark before her eyes, suddenly about to lose her balance. If it weren’t for the timely support from the person beside her, she might have fallen to the ground there and then.
She wasn’t Sun Miaohan or Ji Dantong, who besides the twelve days of vacation per month, had no other holidays. Xu Zishu had already taken five days off, and now with winter approaching, didn’t it mean she would have no vacation time until the end of the year?!
In an instant, Xu Zishu felt as though the sky had fallen and the earth had been torn apart, looking utterly hopeless.
Thinking of spending the following months in tight, almost torturous conditions, Xu Zishu’s legs gave out, and she promptly leaned entirely against her friend beside her.
The person beside Xu Zishu was named Zhu Yuexin, the two having been close friends for years. This time, the idea to self-harm was mostly Zhu Yuexin’s mischievous suggestion.
Initially, Xu Zishu was proud to have such a clever and cunning friend, often lying in bed secretly happy as she watched other sisters in the dorm come back exhausted, helping each other like dead dogs, and making a couple of snide remarks.
But at this moment, Xu Zishu felt none of that pride, instead she believed she probably had a fake friend.
"Yuexin, this time I really got screwed by you!" Xu Zishu complained weakly against Zhu Yuexin’s shoulder.
Zhu Yuexin hurriedly comforted her: "It’s okay, it’s just a few days off, bear with it and it’ll pass!"
"You say that as if it’s easy for you, you’re not the one without a vacation," Xu Zishu replied angrily. "And I just realized, when you gave me that lousy idea, why didn’t you use it too?!"
As soon as she said this, Zhu Yuexin immediately sensed a great danger, knowing that if she answered carelessly, it would lead to irreversible consequences.
In a flash, Zhu Yuexin quickly thought and replied: "Of course I couldn’t break my leg like you. If both of us did it, wouldn’t it obviously show Master that we’re doing it deliberately to avoid training?"
Xu Zishu naturally refused to let the fake friend, who caused her current plight, go so easily, and immediately frowned: "But you’re fine everywhere else, even if you didn’t break a leg, breaking an arm should be no problem, right? But you were completely fine, even performed diligently in front of Master, turning me into a negative example."
Zhu Yuexin’s face was filled with embarrassment. She indeed wanted Xu Zishu to try it out first, to see if this method would work. If it worked, she would make some adjustments to benefit from the sick leave privilege; if Xu Zishu failed, she would automatically abandon this plan.
In fact, if Xu Zishu hadn’t been singled out and criticized, Zhu Yuexin was also thinking of trying it later, but seeing things now, she’d better forget it!
Pretending to be sick for leave may be satisfying for a moment, but being exposed leads to double the suffering. Only a fool wouldn’t know the right choice.
However, just as Zhu Yuexin’s mind raced, considering how to respond to Xu Zishu’s query, that familiar voice suddenly echoed at the scene...
"Zhu Yuexin!"
The sudden voice made Zhu Yuexin shiver involuntarily, instinctively taking a step forward and responding with a bow: "Disciple..."
Just as she spoke the first two words, she heard a loud noise behind her, the sound of wood crashing to the ground, followed by a woman’s scream.
Turning around, she saw Xu Zishu splayed out on the ground, not far from her crutch.
Zhu Yuexin then realized that Xu Zishu had been leaning on her shoulder and her forward movement caused this scene.
Thinking of this, Zhu Yuexin hurriedly attempted to assist Xu Zishu lying on the ground, her eyes full of apology and panic, but just as she bent down, a pressure suddenly descended.
Zhu Yuexin only felt her whole body weigh down and thought that she too would follow in her friend’s footsteps...
...
About an hour later, the Immortal Envoys on the loft finally took the opportunity to teach a lesson to each disciple who usually didn’t train well, punishing them severely as if competing in seriousness, making other disciples dread and secretly grateful that they hadn’t tried to be clever.
Heartbreak Valley’s higher-ups clearly wanted this kind of effect, using an example as a warning to others, sounding the alarm to prevent such incidents from happening again.
Once everything settled, everyone turned their attention to Bai Xiaoxuan, anticipating what disposition Xu Ming would offer.
However, despite the anticipation, no one truly wished Bai Xiaoxuan to be punished, after all, unlike Ji Dantong and Sun Miaohan, her appearance was adorable and delightful, with a gentle and obedient personality, making it hard for anyone to dislike her.
What everyone wanted to see was Sect Leader Xu Ming’s attitude towards her Closed-door Disciple, the youngest in the entire sect. Would she give Bai Xiaoxuan leniency or enforce strict disciplinary action according to sect rules?
Of course, judging by Xu Ming’s usual high standards and strict requirements for her disciples, it was highly likely that Bai Xiaoxuan would be severely reprimanded, to display her absolute authority as Sect Leader.
Among those present, there were quite a few holding such thoughts, all waiting silently.