Chapter 6: Army PaddlesThey didn’t have to wait too long. Footsteps could be heard coming toward them about 15 minutes later.

A figure walked into the main hall, and Butler Fu immediately said in a low voice, “Master, the two Young Masters are waiting inside for you.”

Ye Sheng’s face paled, and he couldn’t help feeling anxious inside. The person who was walking in now was Lord Ye, the most highly skilled martial artist in Great Qin, and a man who had control over 1 million soldiers.

Ye Qing was usually unafraid of anything, but he, too, straightened up, put on a stern expression, and hid his trembling hands.

Everyone in Ye Manor was afraid of Lord Ye. Even the few women who had been married to him were filled with love and fear for him at the same time.

Lord Ye was wearing a brocade robe with a purple and gold crown on his head. His hair was turning slightly gray. He walked straight to the chair reserved for the head of the family and sat down.

Ye Sheng and Ye Qing immediately fell to their knees and bowed. “Greetings, Father.”

Lord Ye grunted in response. His expression was cold, and he stretched his arms out to place them on the armrests of the chair. His fingers were as fair as white jade and slim and long like a girl’s. There wasn’t a single speck on them. But when he gripped the armrests, one could see the power that showed that he was in control of everything.

Lord Ye sat up higher and stared down at Ye Sheng and Ye Qing. A silent and invisible pressure covered the two boys and made them keep their heads lowered. Neither dared to look up. They were unable to look their father in the eye.

This was Lord Ye, the most highly skilled martial artist in all of Great Qin. He had reached the pinnacle of his martial arts cultivation.

“Ye Sheng, stand to one side.” Lord Ye pointed one finger to tell Ye Sheng to stand next to Butler Fu.

Ye Sheng obediently and quietly walked over.

Only Ye Qing stood alone in the middle of the main hall.

A panic arose in Ye Qing’s eyes as he swallowed his saliva a few times. He had a bad feeling about this.

“How do you think I should punish you?” asked Lord Ye coldly as he stared at Ye Qing.

Ye Qing immediately fell to his knees again and his body trembled all over as he said, “Father, I know I was in the wrong. I was the one who did a wrong thing. I shouldn’t have hit him so hard.”

Lord Ye’s expression didn’t change. He pointed at Ye Qing and said, “You’ve made a grave mistake, and I cannot let you go unpunished. Go out and receive 100 strokes from the army paddle.”

Ye Qing’s face froze. 100 strokes from the army paddle? That meant that it wasn’t going to be administered by someone in the family, but the soldiers under Lord Ye’s command. If it was Lord Ye’s soldiers, that meant that they would be impartial about it. After receiving these 100 strokes, he could lose half the skin on his butt, and that was if he didn’t die.

“Why, you’re not happy about this?” scoffed Lord Ye coldly.

Ye Qing clenched his teeth and said, “It’s not that I’m not happy about it. I just don’t understand. Even though I did hit him too hard, Twelfth Brother was in the wrong as well.”

Ye Sheng frowned. He was the victim in this whole thing. How could he have been in the wrong?

“The two of you made such a commotion in the house this time, and neither of you will get away scot free. Go out and receive your beating,” replied Lord Ye flatly. His tone of voice was very cold, and it made all of them shudder.

Ye Sheng heard these words while standing to one side and felt that his back was terribly cold. He started breaking out in a cold sweat.

He was going to be punished also.

As expected, after Ye Qing helplessly went out to receive his punishment, Lord Ye looked at Ye Sheng.

“I warned you before and have told you that you are not allowed to learn martial arts. Why did you go along with Ye Qing to the area to practice?” asked Lord Ye in a cold voice.

Ye Sheng bowed his head and replied, “Father, I was wrong.”

He could tell that there was no way to argue with Lord Ye. Even though Ye Sheng hadn’t been in the wrong, he had to admit that he was wrong.

Lord Ye grunted satisfactorily and said, “In this case, Ye Qing committed a big mistake while you made a small mistake. I’ve decided to give Ye Qing 100 strokes of the army paddle, and you will receive only 50 strokes. The rules of this family are very strict, and everyone should make sure you just do what you’re supposed to. You are the child of a concubine, so if you get into a conflict with Ye Qing, you will definitely be on the losing end. Also, you are already 16, so you are of age according to the laws of Great Qin. What plans do you have?”

Ye Sheng kept his head bowed and said, “I would like to leave the manor to study and make a name for myself as a scholar.”

Lord Ye frowned at this. “You want to leave the manor already?”

Ye Sheng nodded quietly. It was too oppressive to remain in this household, and he really didn’t want to stay here anymore. Besides, he needed to develop his dantian, Earth, further. If he couldn’t go out of the house, it was too troublesome to get anything done.

Just practicing martial arts within the house was already a huge problem. If he was discovered, Ye Sheng was sure that he would be beaten to death.

Ye Sheng was very sure about this. This Lord Ye standing in front of him right now had really beaten one of his own sons to death already, and that was Ye Sheng’s Third Brother.

Third Brother had been just like Ye Sheng, in that he was forbidden from learning martial arts. But because his mother’s position was high and she was considered a mistress, he’d started practicing martial arts in secret. However, he had been discovered, and, in the end, Lord Ye had gotten his men to beat Third Brother to death in front of the entire household.

Third Brother’s mother was so angry about this matter that she’d fainted on the spot. She moved out of Ye Manor to live near Icy Mountain Temple. She chanted Buddhist scriptures every day and hated Lord Ye to the core.

Ye Sheng had been very young when he’d witnessed this, and his mother had shielded him from the sight. After that, she’d instructed him time and again about never learning martial arts at all. If things had been different, as the Sacred Lady of the Reincarnation Sect, she could have taught him a lot given her broad knowledge and perspective on the world despite having her cultivation ability removed.

But for the sake of Ye Sheng’s own life, she’d never taught Ye Sheng a single word.

“Father, studying at home is different from studying at an academy. I know my place in the family, and I have no wish to participate in any competition within the household. I just want to study quietly and attain good results to do my late mother proud,” said Ye Sheng in a soft voice.

“You haven’t even finished reading all the books within the house yet, so why bother going to an academy?” Lord Ye frowned immediately when he heard Ye Sheng mention his mother. This was the first time his expression had really changed since setting foot into the main hall. He refused Ye Sheng’s request immediately.

“Yes, Father.” Ye Sheng gave up. This method wasn’t going to work.

“Finish reading all the books in the house first. Only the children of poor families would choose to study at an academy. The books in my own library far exceed those of an academy, so you can go and read the books in this house when you don’t have anything else to do.” Lord Ye calmed down when he saw how Ye Sheng was being obedient and pliable, and he gave Ye Sheng permission to enter the General Collections Library.

“Thank you, Father,” said Ye Sheng as he pretended to be very grateful.

“Go out and receive your punishment. After this, do not go anywhere near the place where the family practices martial arts. If you are discovered, then I’ll break your arms and legs the next time,” said Lord Ye in a cold and distant voice.

“Yes, Father,” Ye Sheng answered obediently.

Lord Ye waved his hands and shut his eyes.

Ye Sheng bowed to take his leave, then bowed to Butler Fu as well, before walking out quietly. He made sure to observe all the formalities and was not reluctant about it at all.

There was a gleam in Butler Fu’s eyes when he saw what Ye Sheng had done, and he wanted to say something, but he didn’t say anything in the end.

…

After he’d walked out of the main hall, it didn’t take him long to hear howls and screams accompanied by the sound of someone getting beaten.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The sounds were excruciating as each paddle hit Ye Qing’s body. Ye Qing was a martial artist at the Acquired Level Sixth Stage, but he couldn’t help but yelp from the pain.

Ye Sheng’s face clouded over. He could really feel the authority inside this large courtyard.

He slowly walked over and saw that there were two large boards in the middle of the empty space. Ye Qing was already lying on one of them, and the stern looking soldiers were now using the paddles to hit him again and again.

“Ye Sheng, just you wait! I’m suffering so badly because of you, you stupid piece of trash!” Ye Qing started yelling when he spotted Ye Sheng. There were bloody bruises all over his buttocks, and he could even feel the pain in his bone marrow. Fury burned strongly within his heart, and he wished he could run over and bite Ye Sheng to death.

Ye Sheng ignored him and just quietly lay on the other board. Two soldiers walked over, pulled off Ye Sheng’s outer pants to leave him with only his underwear on, then started beating him with the paddles.

BAM!

Ye Sheng’s eyes instantly opened wide as his entire body shuddered. A bloody red imprint immediately appeared on his butt.

The pain was so bad he could really feel it in his bones. These soldiers seemed to be hitting him on the areas that hurt the most, and Ye Sheng clenched his teeth tightly.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

One after another, 50 strokes rained down. Ye Sheng was exhausted by the end. His butt was covered in blood, his face was deathly pale, and blood was dribbling out of his mouth. He had been really severely injured.

On the other board, Ye Qing was suffering an even worse fate. He had received 100 strokes, and his entire back and butt were a mess of bloodied flesh. Ye Qing had already fainted from the pain.

“Young Masters, please don’t hold it against us,” said the soldiers quietly after they were finished. They quickly put everything away and left.