When Yan Fuzhen saw Ning Xuan approach, he raised the crimson, nacing-looking Red Bone Whip from the floor and presented it with both hands held high above his head. "My arrangents were inadequate, which placed you in danger, Master. Please bestow the whip as punishnt."
Ning Xuan sat on the sofa, looking down at the sinuous, wicked Red Bone Whip. The light seed to flow over the whip’s crimson markings like molten lava, casting a bloody glow. Countless barbs protruded from its bone-like segnts, each tipped with a Red Refining Stone the size of a grain of rice, making the whip’s red aura blaze even brighter.
Yan Chong had already silently removed his shirt, revealing shoulders and a back as taut as a fully drawn bowstring. His body trembled slightly as Ning Xuan’s gaze swept over him. He was all too familiar with the power of the Red Bone Whip. Red Refining Stones were a type of Fire Elent Energy Stone. Upon contact with blood, they would automatically heat up like molten lava. A single strike would brand the flesh with a searing pain that wouldn’t fade for half a month.
Yan Chong could almost feel the searing pain on his back just from thinking about it. He kept his head bowed, not daring to look up, terrified of betraying his fear and anxiety.
Yan Fuzhen was far calr. As he saw Ning Xuan’s fingertips caress the handle before she took the whip in hand, he imdiately began to undo his buttons. With a light twist of his long, slender fingers, the intricately patterned, dimly gleaming button at his collar was undone, revealing the pale skin of his neck.
Ning Xuan leaned forward and pressed the tip of the whip against Yan Fuzhen’s hand as it continued to unfasten his buttons. "Housekeeper Yan, this has nothing to do with you. Get up."
"You are rciful, Master, but I was the one who assigned your Hidden Guards. Their failure is my responsibility as well." Yan Fuzhen lifted his head slightly, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he spoke.
Ning Xuan suddenly pressed down hard, digging the whip’s handle into the hand Yan Fuzhen was using to unbutton his shirt. Frowning, she looked at him. "Vicarious liability? Is it because I’m just a mission given to you by Ying Yaoshi? Is that why my words don’t work on you?"
"You are not a mission, Master. I serve you willingly, and I would never dare defy your wishes. However, the proper administration of rewards and punishnts is the way one must manage their people. As the head housekeeper, I especially cannot be the one to break the rules." Yan Fuzhen knew that in Ning Xuan’s eyes, he still wore the label of ’belonging to General Ying,’ and he had been searching for a chance to shatter this fixed perception.
"I was willing to forgive you because of how diligent and responsible you’ve been lately. Since you refuse my kindness, then I won’t stand in your way. Follow your old rules." Ning Xuan tossed the whip down, stood up, and walked toward the dining room.
From the mont she saw the Red Bone Whip, sothing had felt off. Waves of heat surged through her body, and a restlessness stirred deep in her heart, filling her with a violent urge for destruction. ’I want to see thick, viscous blood. I want to hear piercing, agonizing screams. I want to rip apart everything whole and pristine.’ The agitation made her feel as if she could lose control at any mont.
After tossing the whip aside, Ning Xuan started to walk past Yan Fuzhen, but he grabbed the hem of her clothes. Ning Xuan took a deep breath, suppressing the tyranny in her heart, and snapped, "Let go."
"If you administer the punishnt personally, Master, then I can avoid the Criminal Law Institute. Master, I don’t want to go to the Institute. Could I trouble you... to do it yourself?" A pleading look appeared on Yan Fuzhen’s face, and a hint of panic surfaced in his usually calm eyes. ’It’s not that I’m afraid of the Criminal Law Institute. It’s that an incident like this is the perfect opportunity to shatter her fixed perception of . If Ning Xuan punishes herself, it would be a huge benefit to earning her approval. I have to fight for this chance.’
After he finished speaking, Yan Fuzhen presented the whip once more. Ning Xuan gripped it, a red light flashing in her eyes. "Housekeeper Yan, you asked for this."
Ning Xuan held the whip in her right hand. Its tail slithered toward Yan Fuzhen’s shirt, already unbuttoned twice at the collar. The dark, patterned fabric fell open at her touch. Yan Fuzhen quickly undid the remaining buttons and shrugged off the shirt, revealing his elegant collarbones and a broad back marked with old scars. Ning Xuan moved behind him and swung the whip hard. CRACK! Like a striking viper, the whip lashed across his pale spine, instantly splitting the skin. A blood-red light surged in Ning Xuan’s eyes, her emotions flaring as if ignited. CRACK, CRACK, CRACK! The dull thuds of the whip fell in a fast, dense rhythm.
The muffled groans escaping Yan Fuzhen’s throat echoed in the room. When his back muscles clenched, his shoulder blades trembled violently, like the wings of a broken butterfly. Beads of sweat trickled down his taut spine, collecting in the small of his back before dropping to the floor.
After more than a dozen lashes, the crisscrossing welts on Yan Fuzhen’s back were a shocking sight. Ning Xuan felt her arm was much stronger than usual today. Moreover, with every lash, the agitation in her heart only intensified. Her palms burned, her blood boiled, and a strange desire began to surge. She finally realized sothing was wrong with her. Tossing the whip to the floor, she said, "That’s enough, Housekeeper Yan. We’ll consider the matter settled."
Yan Fuzhen, who had been ntally braced for the pain, finally relaxed. A faint fragrance reached his nose, emanating from Ning Xuan. It was the scent of pheromones, secreted during a fever period. He looked up at her in concern and saw that her face was slightly flushed. Her right hand was clenched into a fist, her arm trembling from the force of it. She was clearly struggling to endure sothing.
Yan Fuzhen stood and put on his shirt. He said in a low voice, "Master, do not worry. It seems your fever period has arrived early. Your two Contractors are nearby. There is no need to suppress it."
Both male and female Spirit Controllers experience a fever period after coming of age at eighteen. Ning Xuan was still two months shy of her eighteenth birthday.
Female Spirit Controllers differ from their male counterparts. Their spiritual power is stable, so their fever periods are typically subtle and mild. They suffer no harm even if they carry on as usual during this ti. In fact, because the flow of blood and energy is faster during a fever period, it aids the circulation of energy and accelerates their Cultivation.
Since there are no significant adverse effects and no drawbacks, there is naturally no need for things like Inhibitors.
However, Ning Xuan’s state seed different from others. The pheromones she was releasing grew increasingly potent. A female Spirit Controller’s pheromones have a strong effect on n. Yan Fuzhen’s Level was much higher than Ning Xuan’s, so the scent had little impact on him. But Yan Chong, standing nearby, was clearly affected—his face was flushed red.
"Contractor."
"Contractor."
Chen Nan and Lin Mo approached Ning Xuan and bowed.
The two hadn’t dared to watch while Housekeeper Yan was being punished. They had been waiting in an empty room on the first floor and only ca out to check after the sounds from outside had stopped.
"Alright, let’s go eat," Ning Xuan said, taking the lead toward the dining room.
Yan Fuzhen whispered a few words of instruction in Yan Chong’s ear and dismissed him with a wave. Then, he followed after Ning Xuan.
Ning Xuan reached the dining table and sat down. Several young Attendants, their faces flushed, brought out the prepared dishes one by one and then hastily retreated.
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