The Programmer Cultivator

Chapter 329 - 37: A Silk Scarf to Hide Shame?

Luu Ninghui’s face lit up with joy upon hearing this. He took the scarf, walked up to Xu Weihai, and chuckled. "Junior Brother, see how considerate I am? How much I care for you! I was so worried you’d be embarrassed that I even brought out this top-quality Spirit Snow Scarf!"

Zhang Deming’s brow furrowed slightly. He glanced at Xu Weihai, who was lying prone on the bench, his jaw clenched tight. ’He certainly knows how to endure,’ Zhang Deming thought.

’Maybe he’s the one?’

With this in mind, Zhang Deming spoke up nonchalantly, "I’ve never seen a caning punishment before. Today, I find myself rather interested. Don’t cover him up. Just carry on. It’ll be something new to watch."

The men in front of him all froze. Luu Ninghui, who had been about to cover Xu Weihai with the scarf, turned cold. He looked at Zhang Deming and said, "Junior Brother, it’s best not to meddle in affairs that don’t concern you."

Zhang Deming nodded. "Yes, you have a point. But what if I insist on watching him be caned uncovered today?"

As Zhang Deming spoke, a powerful aura began to rise from him.

The men around him froze once more. The four members of the Law Enforcement Team all bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Senior Uncle."

Zhang Deming looked at Luu Ninghui. "Well? Do you have a problem with that?"

"This disciple wouldn’t dare!" Luu Ninghui immediately lowered his head, his face a mask of terror.

Zhang Deming glanced at Luu Ninghui, then turned and said casually, "I’m just here to watch the show. Carry on with what you were doing."

The team leader froze, taken aback. The two men beside him both looked at him and whispered, "Captain, do we proceed?"

"Of course we do. Didn’t you hear the Senior Uncle? Just follow the normal procedure."

Hearing this, the two men glanced at Zhang Deming. Seeing no reaction from him, they turned around, raised the clubs in their hands, and began the caning.

Ever since Zhang Deming had revealed his Cultivation, Luu Ninghui had been standing to the side with his head bowed, his expression anxious.

Zhang Deming, however, didn’t spare him another glance. He watched the caning intently, as if he had truly come over on a whim just to see it.

Xu Weihai gritted his teeth through the entire ordeal, enduring all fifty strikes. Because of the leader’s instructions, the two men didn’t pull their punches, but they didn’t strike with excessive force either.

An Ordinary person would have likely been crippled by fifty such blows. And while Xu Weihai’s backside was a bloody mess, as an Advanced Apprentice, he could still endure it.

After the punishment was carried out, the team leader and his three subordinates bowed to Zhang Deming before taking their leave.

Zhang Deming paid them no mind. The surrounding crowd of onlookers had already dispersed long ago.

Luu Ninghui hesitated anxiously for a long time before mustering his courage to speak. "Senior Uncle, this disciple will take his leave as well."

Zhang Deming just gave him a detached glance and nodded. ’A person like that is no longer in the same world as me, and it’s not like there was any real conflict between us anyway.’

Seeing this, Luu Ninghui bowed once more and left as if he were fleeing for his life.

Zhang Deming stood there, quietly watching Xu Weihai. After a long moment, Xu Weihai struggled to his feet and bowed to Zhang Deming. "This disciple thanks Senior Uncle."

Zhang Deming raised an eyebrow at his words. "Oh? What are you thanking me for? I came here specifically to laugh at your misfortune."

"Senior Uncle, this disciple is not a fool. I know what that scarf was for.

If they had really covered me with that scarf, my backside wouldn’t just be torn and bloody like it is now.

Instead, the outside would look perfectly fine, but the inside would be beaten to a pulp.

An injury like that would be fatal for a mortal. Even with my Cultivation, I wouldn’t be able to withstand it. I’d have no choice but to go to the Medical Pavilion, and the cost of that... I would have been better off just paying the fine in contribution points!" Xu Weihai explained.

"Is that so? I’m not too familiar with these things. But you say you’re not a fool?

I can’t say I’ve seen any proof of that. The Sect’s method of training disciples might have a ’survival of the fittest’ element to it, but it’s by no means cruel.

And yet you’ve ended up in this state. If you were so smart, how did that happen?

Still, I’m a bit surprised you don’t hold any resentment toward me for not stopping the caning. After all, I am a Senior Uncle," Zhang Deming said, looking at Xu Weihai.

Xu Weihai said, "Senior Uncle has already helped this disciple and taught me a lesson. This disciple will never forget your intentions and your kindness."

Zhang Deming’s eyebrow twitched. ’He could see what I was doing. He’s really not that foolish after all. Compared to the others, he’s the best I’ve seen so far. Maybe you’re the one?’

Zhang Deming considered this for a moment, then looked at him and said, "You should focus on taking care of yourself first."

With that, Zhang Deming said no more and turned to leave.

Xu Weihai bowed deeply toward Zhang Deming’s retreating figure. Then, enduring the intense pain, he staggered toward his small courtyard.

As he neared his courtyard, a faint glimmer of Spiritual Light caught his eye. He noticed a small bottle by the side of the path, half-buried in the dirt. It had likely been washed up by the recent rain.

It looked like it had been buried for many years. The bottle seemed to be transparent, but it was caked with dirt, and Xu Weihai could only see a faint Spiritual Light pulsing from within.

He hesitated for a moment, then hobbled forward, bent down, and pried the bottle from the ground.

After wiping away most of the mud, he could finally see the contents of the bottle clearly.

When he saw the two glass-like orbs inside the bottle, his pupils contracted. He immediately hid the bottle in his robes and hurried into his courtyard.

Back in his small courtyard, he shut the gate, activated the isolation Array, and returned to his bedroom. Only after lying down on his bed did he carefully take out the glass bottle, open it, and pour out two glass orbs and a very small pendant.

It looked like an ordinary green jade pendant.

But before he could study the pendant further, his hand, sticky with blood from his wounds, had just picked it up when a few drops of blood smeared onto it.

The entire pendant immediately vanished right before his eyes.

This left him completely stunned. He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him and frantically searched the surrounding area for a moment, but he couldn’t find it anywhere.