Chapter Forty-One: Releasing the Ferocious Beast

Bai Ze sternly questioned me and Dongfang Mo about the cause of the fire in the Myriad Scroll Pavilion.

“It was my eagerness to improve my studies—I pulled my junior along to study with me. The candle might have been blown out by the wind or knocked over by accident after we fell asleep.” Dongfang Mo took the blame upon himself on my behalf.

So Dongfang Mo was confined in the Myriad Scroll Pavilion, tasked with restoring and organizing all the burned books. As for me, for being “incorrigible,” I was sent to the Beast Garden to sweep, meditate in repentance, and copy scriptures to reflect on my actions.

“Hello, everyone, I’m back again,” I cheerfully greeted the half-beasts in the Beast Garden, thick-skinned as ever.

“Lord Yu Fei is here again. Did your beastly nature flare up once more?” Some of the half-beasts joked with me as they greeted me.

Those who spoke to me were nearly fully human in form, having shed their animalistic instincts. They were very gentle, some even witty, each with their own place to cultivate, though not yet free to come and go. The more wild and ferocious ones, not yet human—like Ya Zi and Bi An—were kept locked in cages.

Being confined in the Beast Garden was a bitter penance: no food after noon. The next day, Eleventh Senior Brother brought me a meal at noon, grumbling about how Senior Brother Bai Ze was too inflexible and how Mistress Lu Xue, under the pretense of poisoning and frailty, bossed the disciples around.

I laughed, teasing him that he was finally getting the chance to flatter her, yet was so unwilling. Eleventh Senior Brother replied that flattery should be given willingly; Lu Xue had shattered the beautiful image he had of her. He would rather go back to the days of burning incense at Lu Xue’s grave and flattering her there.

He also said that Lu Xue absolutely refused to eat any food made by Fourteenth Senior Brother anymore. Since no one else could cook, Bai Ze had to take up the task himself, and Lu Xue would only eat after Bai Ze tasted the meal first.

I smiled helplessly and sent Eleventh Senior Brother away, then spent the afternoon facing the wall in the garden, reflecting on my mistakes. Though I tried to recite scriptures and chant, my mind was full of thoughts about Lu Xue...

Perhaps it was because Master favored Lu Xue’s princess-like temperament that he treated her with such care. Or maybe she had suffered too much injustice and changed as a result. Having finally returned to those she trusted most, living in the home built for her, only to be poisoned—she must have been terrified. The gentle face she once showed was likely just an act for Master’s sake...

The more I thought about it, the more unsettled I felt. I shook my head vigorously: “Master and Lu Xue can do as they please; it’s none of my business. I won’t think about it, I won’t...”

As dusk fell and I was checking the beasts before their night’s rest, I passed by Lu Wu’s quarters and saw him pacing anxiously.

“Lu Wu, how have you been lately?” Since arriving at the Beast Garden, Lu Wu had been diligent in his cultivation, eager to reunite with his wife and child. Weiyang, moved by Lu Wu’s self-sacrificing act to save her, had also accepted him.

“Fine...” Lu Wu’s expression was troubled.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“It’s nothing... I’ve hit a bottleneck with my cultivation,” he replied.

“Oh. Ask Master about it when he returns,” I said.

“Mm...” Lu Wu seemed evasive.

After finishing my rounds, the evening bell had already tolled. As I returned to my meditation spot, I saw Lu Wu again, pacing restlessly in his quarters, hesitating as I approached.

“Lu Wu, what’s going on?” I pressed.

“Yesterday, word came from down the mountain that my child was attacked by a wild beast and gravely injured. Most of the Immortal Healers at the infirmary have been sent to the Western Region and the Divine Land, and the Immortal Lord is away too—no one can treat him. It’s been a whole day and night... Lord Yu Fei, you’ve inherited the Immortal Lord’s healing arts; could you please go and take a look?” Lu Wu pleaded.

“I could try contacting them with the Flowing Light Crane—would that help?” I offered.

“My wife will surely hide the truth from me, fearing I’ll worry. Please, find a way to check on them for me—I trust you. I’m really worried,” Lu Wu insisted.

“But I’m here as punishment, meditating in repentance... Perhaps I could ask Senior Brother Bai Ze—he’s on night duty tonight,” I hesitated.

“Bai Ze is so rigid and cold, he certainly won’t allow it. I know the Beast Garden can’t keep you in. I’m desperate—if you won’t go, my child’s life is in danger! I can’t stay here any longer...” Lu Wu grew increasingly agitated, nearly losing control and reverting to his true form.

If he broke the seal and lost himself to his beastly nature, all his previous cultivation would be for nothing. That would be disastrous. Forget it, I thought, it’s no trouble for me to slip out quietly. “Fine, I’ll go and have a look. You settle down and focus on your cultivation. Don’t worry—if your child were truly in grave danger, the infirmary would have sent word up the mountain by now. Since there’s been no message, it’s probably not so serious. Wait for my return.”

Lu Wu dropped to his knees with a thud, knocking his head on the ground in gratitude.

“Hush! Not another word. Wait for my news.”

I quietly opened the barrier, slipped out of the Beast Garden, and sealed it again behind me. Transforming into my true form, I left Kunlun and made my way to the infirmary. I found the room of Lu Wu’s wife, Weiyang, and knocked on her door.

“Lord Yu Fei, what brings you here at this late hour?” Weiyang asked sleepily.

“Lu Wu said your child was gravely injured with no one to tend to him. How is he now?” I asked.

“It’s nothing so serious. The boy’s just rowdy—got into a fight with a stray dog, scraped his arm, and lost half a tooth,” Weiyang replied. Raising a child on her own had long since stripped her of her former delicacy.

“Nothing else?” I pressed.

“No, really. My rodent clan’s teeth need to be ground down now and then anyway, even if they don’t get chipped,” she answered.

“I see. Let me have a look at your child—Lu Wu’s worried sick.”

Weiyang took me to see her son, who was indeed fast asleep, looking every bit the mischievous scamp.

“Such is the heart of a parent,” I couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

“Tell Lu Wu to focus on his cultivation. The child and I will wait for him here at the infirmary,” Weiyang entrusted me.

I promised her, left in haste, and flew back to the Beast Garden. Just as I entered the Jade Purity Realm, a sudden roar split the night—a Bi An beast darted past me and vanished into the darkness of Kunlun.

Bai Ze and the senior brothers arrived in a rush, holding ropes enchanted to bind immortals, each dragging several fierce beasts in tow.

“Eleven through Fifteen, stay behind. The rest, go after Bi An!” Bai Ze ordered.

“Yes!” The senior brothers flew off in pursuit.

“Yu Fei! Look at the mess you’ve caused! Where did you go?” Bai Ze rebuked me harshly.

“I...” Seeing the chaos, I knew something had gone wrong in the Beast Garden.

“You broke the seal and snuck out, releasing so many wild beasts! What was your intention?” Bai Ze summoned the immortal-binding rope and tied me up.

I actually knew how to undo the rope, but unsure of the full situation, I didn’t make a move. I pondered, “I clearly resealed the barrier after leaving the Beast Garden. I’ve done this countless times during my shifts—how could something go wrong? Besides, I’d checked all the cages...”

Bai Ze and the senior brothers recaptured the beasts and locked them back up. I was taken to the main hall. Lu Xue arrived as well upon hearing the commotion.

“Kneel!” Bai Ze shouted angrily.

I knelt in the hall, silent.

“Where did you go? Why did you release the beasts?” Bai Ze demanded.

I thought quickly: I couldn’t mention Lu Wu’s plea; it would implicate him and delay his reunion with his family. What should I say...?

“Did you poison Immortal Lu Xue and, resentful at your punishment, set fire to the Myriad Scroll Pavilion? Then, sent to the Beast Garden, you released the beasts out of spite!” Bai Ze accused.

“No!” I replied firmly.

Just then, the brothers who had chased after Bi An returned empty-handed. Sixteenth Senior Brother reported, “Bi An has fled Kunlun—his whereabouts are unknown.”

“Outrageous! Yu Fei, do you realize how grave your mistake is?” Bai Ze’s fury shook the Jade Void Palace itself.

I had no way to defend myself.

“Speak!” Bai Ze commanded.

“Senior Brother, there’s more to this than meets the eye! It’s true I left the Beast Garden, but I resealed the barrier and checked the cages,” I argued.

“And do you have any witnesses or evidence?” Bai Ze demanded.

“No,” I replied.

“Yu Fei, your conduct is disgraceful: setting fire to the Myriad Scroll Pavilion, sneaking out of the Beast Garden, releasing wild beasts, and now you dare to quibble! Gui Bin, fetch the disciplinary rod—three hundred strokes!” Bai Ze ordered in anger.

“Madam Lu Xue was poisoned; Thirteenth and Fourteenth Brothers each got fifteen and twenty strokes. That rod is a celestial artifact—three hundred strokes... Is he trying to kill me?” I frowned, uneasy.

“Senior Brother Bai Ze, let’s wait for Master to return and investigate. Junior Sister Yu Fei would never have done this on purpose,” Fifteenth Senior Brother did not fetch the rod.

“She did sneak out, and Bi An did escape—intentional or not, the result is the same! Are the rules of the Jade Purity Realm mere ornaments? Fetch the rod!” Bai Ze’s voice was thunderous.

“Please, Senior Brother, investigate before punishing Yu Fei!” the other brothers pleaded.

“Master is away, so the rules don’t apply? My word counts for nothing?” Bai Ze summoned the disciplinary rod.

“Senior Brother Bai Ze, please reconsider! If Master returns—” Fifteenth Senior Brother was cut off by Bai Ze: “Even if Master returns, he’ll follow the rules. Yu Fei has always been willful and unruly—Master was just angry with her the other day; he won’t always indulge her!” With that, Bai Ze raised the rod to strike me.

“Stop, Senior Brother! With Master away, you mustn’t abuse your authority!” Fifteenth Senior Brother blocked Bai Ze.

From a distance, Lu Xue watched, her sleeves raised to her lips, the corners of her eyes and mouth betraying a hint of a smile. Seeing this, I understood.

In the Myriad Scroll Pavilion, Dongfang Mo and I had inexplicably fallen asleep, and the candle had mysteriously set the scrolls aflame. I was confined to the Beast Garden; Lu Wu received news of his child’s injury; Master and the healers were conveniently absent. Out of nowhere, the seals and cages failed, and the beasts escaped. Yet Lu Wu’s child had merely lost half a tooth fighting a stray dog. It was as if each event was a link in a chain, someone orchestrating it all.

That poison that severs thought and feeling—perhaps she believed I administered it intentionally. Is all this her retaliation?

“Yu Fei has admitted her actions. How is this an abuse?” Bai Ze used magic to push aside Fifteenth Senior Brother, bringing the rod down on me.

Suddenly, the rod disappeared from Bai Ze’s hand, snatched away in a flash of white light.

“Bai Ze, what’s going on here?” Master entered the main hall, taking his seat and slapping the disciplinary rod on the table, his expression dark as water.

The brothers’ faces lit up with relief. Bai Ze stared at Master in shock, not expecting his sudden return.

Bai Ze recounted the events as he saw them: that I had acted improperly, shown no repentance, and sneaked down the mountain.

“Fei’er, is that true?” Master asked me.

Remembering Master’s demeanor during his ghost marriage to Lu Xue, and Chunfeng’s warning, I decided not to escalate things.

“I did sneak out,” I admitted.

“Why did you sneak out?” Master pressed.

“I was bored with meditation and wanted to go out for a stroll,” I echoed Bai Ze’s version.

“Nonsense!” Master thundered, “Gui Bin, fetch the disciplinary rod!”

I looked at Master—after two thousand years, I had never seen him so furious.

Fifteenth Senior Brother took the rod from the table and approached, awaiting Master’s order.

I instinctively touched my back, feeling a pang of sorrow. “If Master gives the order to strike me, it would hurt more than if Bai Ze did it. Besides, the wound on my arm hasn’t healed yet...”