Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

After settling his two disciples in, Jiang Jibai was finally able to return to his room to rest.

He quickly tidied himself up, put on his coat and slippers, and walked to the bedside. Just as he lay down, a very faint hissing sound came from the darkness.

It sounds a lot like the sound of a snake flicking its tongue.

Jiang Jibai could imagine a scaly reptile standing upright in the darkness, staring straight at him, its small, beady eyes gleaming with a cold light as it locked onto its prey.

A chill ran down my spine, and goosebumps instantly covered my entire body.

Jiang Jibai reached out and touched the coat draped beside the bed. He slowly sat up, his eyes fixed on the direction from which the sound came—the location of the roof beam.

As soon as the snake showed its head, he would throw his coat at it and knock it away.

Unreachable, unreachable.

Jiang Jibai gave himself a psychological suggestion.

No sooner said than done, a dark shadow flashed on the beam, and Jiang Jibai threw off his coat without even checking if he had hit it. He took off running and reached the door in a few quick steps.

Qin Ji was suddenly covered up, and after struggling to pull off his clothes, he saw that Jiang Jibai was already at the door, about to rush out.

He quickly spoke up, "Teacher, it's me."

Jiang Jibai had already placed his hand on the door, but upon hearing that familiar voice, he paused and slowly turned around.

The master and apprentice met eyes.

The boy's silhouette was indistinct in the darkness, yet it calmed the hairs on Jiang Jibai's body, making his heartbeat slow. His tone was calm: "Is this what you mean by 'left'? Stealing from my bedroom in the middle of the night?"

For some reason, Qin Ji detected a hint of annoyance in this calm.

As he relit the candles in the room with a tinderbox, he grumbled, "Do you think I wanted to come? It was only because I was afraid you'd get angry..." and also because he was worried that his two cheap senior brothers would mess up their performance.

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw clearly the person standing by the door and fell completely silent.

Jiang Jibai's figure remained as upright as a jade tree, his face calm and serene.

But his sideburns were a little messy, one hand was still on the door latch, one foot was wearing a slipper, and the other foot was bare on the ground. This appearance was very different from his calm and composed expression, and could even be described as a bit disheveled.

Jiang Daru has always been the type to remain calm even when Mount Tai collapses before him, and Qin Ji has never seen him like this before, not even when he pretended to be an assassin to scare Jiang Jibai last time.

Could it be that the teacher thinks snakes are more terrifying than assassins?

Qin Ji grinned as if he had discovered some earth-shattering secret: "You're not afraid of snakes, are you?"

Jiang Jibai calmly tidied his disheveled hair and inner robe, avoiding the question. "What, you don't want to accept your two senior brothers' favor? You insist on getting a beating before you'll leave?"

If the Poison Master hadn't been barefoot, greatly reducing his lethality, Qin Ji would have already started to feel weak in the knees.

His gaze shifted from Jiang Jibai's bare foot to the lone shoe by the bed. After a moment's internal struggle, he finally condescended to pick up the shoe, walked to Jiang Jibai's side, and tossed it at his feet.

Bad guy, do you know who picked up your shoes?

You're not even grateful!

Who else in this world could have such an honor besides you?

Seeing that Jiang Jibai remained unmoved, Qin Ji muttered to himself while taking a cloth from the crossbar beside the couch.

I thought the junior disciple would run away when things went wrong, but to my surprise, he not only did not, but also enjoyed the junior disciple's service.

Although his face showed great reluctance, clearly conveying the message "Young Master, I am condescending to do this," he didn't forget to hand him the cloth.

A gentle light appeared in Jiang Jibai's gaze as he looked at the boy. He dried his feet, put on his shoes, and said, "Aren't you leaving? Aren't you afraid of getting a beating?"

The boy muttered to himself, "Your little disciple, I've always been someone who dares to act and take responsibility. If I were afraid, why would I be squatting in your room waiting for you?"

"You sent them away so you could attack me, didn't you?"

Jiang Jibai chuckled lightly, "What? You're really afraid I'll get angry and come here to play the hero?"

Qin Ji moved his lips, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence from his throat: "I shouldn't have made false accusations."

Jiang Jibai had reminded his junior disciple about the matter of reporting on others countless times, and had even punished him for it not long ago.

Perhaps thinking that reporting him was insignificant, the kid did as he pleased, letting it go in one ear and out the other, not taking it to heart at all. He repeatedly refused to change his ways, causing Jiang Jibai a great deal of headache.

谁知沈江流和这小子讲了讲什幺「同门爱」，这小子在明知可能要挨揍的情况下，竟然还折回来找他认错来了。

It's like the sun has risen in the west.

Jiang Jibai asked curiously, "What exactly did your senior brother say to you?"

What Shen Jiangliu said had absolutely nothing to do with the matter of making false accusations.

Qin Ji snorted in dissatisfaction, "What else can I say? You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth."

Jiang Jibai flicked his forehead, "How could you talk about your senior brother like that?"

Seeing the boy clutching his forehead, his eyes full of displeasure, Jiang Jibai said helplessly, "Since you think your senior brother is a dog who can't say anything nice and that what he's saying makes no sense, why are you coming to me to apologize?"

Qin Ji curled his lip.

You can punish yourself.

It won't stop me from saying one thing and thinking another.

Jiang Jibai sat down on the couch and smiled gently at the boy: "You've already admitted your mistake, and your two senior brothers have also pleaded for you. Let's let it go this time. Go back."

Are we just going to leave it at that?

real or fake?

When did the drug addict become so easy to talk to?

Qin Ji hesitated and asked, "Then shall I leave?"

Jiang Jibai smiled and nodded: "Let's go."

"Am I really leaving?" Qin Ji took a step and pretended to walk out.

Jiang Jibai lay down on his own, even pulling the blanket up a bit, "Go back and get some rest."

Qin Ji turned back, peering around tentatively: "Aren't you going to punish me?"

Jiang Jibai sat up, then pressed him down and gave him a few light slaps. "You've been punished enough."

That's it?

That's it?

Qin Ji clicked his tongue in amazement: "This is inconsistent with your usual vicious ways."

Jiang Jibai's forehead twitched, and he snapped at him, "Aren't you leaving yet?"

Qin Ji slowly stood up, looking at the tenderness in Jiang Jibai's eyes: "Why?"

Jiang Jibai smiled faintly and reached out to ruffle the boy's hair: "So well-behaved."