Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

Qin Ji was dragged by Jiang Jibai all the way to the inner room of the study. He stared at Jiang Jibai's hand movements with a wary expression, as if he would immediately start making a fuss and accuse Jiang Jibai of being biased if Jiang Jibai dared to put his hand on the accessory at his waist.

Jiang Jibai looked at his little disciple, who was always ready to explode and whose eyes were like searchlights, and smiled helplessly. He placed a porcelain bottle by the bed, got up and walked to the washbasin stand, took out a cloth and soaked it in water.

After this series of actions, how could Qin Ji not know Jiang Jibai's intention in bringing him to the inner room of the study?

That's more or less.

Qin Ji let out a satisfied hum, walked straight to the low couch, took off his boots, hugged a pillow, lay down on the couch, and comfortably closed his eyes.

Jiang Jibai wrung out the cloth, looked up, and saw the boy lying there like a useless cat, waiting for him to serve him.

He chuckled and shook his head, then slowly walked to the edge of the couch, sat down, and casually slapped the boy on the back.

The boy, as expected, reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, clutching the dumpling and exploding in anger, his voice rising eight octaves: "Applying medicine is fine, but what are you doing? You poison master!!!"

Jiang Jibai asked indifferently, "How many times have you complained about your senior brother? You've never learned your lesson?"

Qin Ji was not intimidated at all, and accused him vehemently: "Fang Yanqing's stinginess hasn't changed, has it? Shen Jiangliu's foul mouth hasn't changed either, has it? Why are you singled out to hold me accountable? Poison Master, you're biased!"

Jiang Jibai glanced at him slowly and deliberately: "I think what you said last time made a lot of sense. If I don't establish my authority soon, my disciples will start to get arrogant and domineering. It just so happens that both of your senior brothers are here today. Why don't you make an example of them and let me whip you until you're completely disoriented, so that I can also warn those two monkeys?"

Pshaw, trying to scare me.

Qin Ji didn't believe a word of it, and pushed the porcelain bottle beside the bed towards Jiang Jibai, clearly instructing him: "Apply the medicine!"

Jiang Jibai was so angry at his arrogant attitude that he almost laughed. He then gave him a light slap and commented succinctly, "You're fearless because you have something to rely on."

Qin Ji snorted lightly, embodying the phrase "fearless with confidence" to the fullest extent, even slapping Jiang Jibai's thigh to emphasize, "Stop dawdling, hurry up!"

Jiang Jibai resignedly untied his junior disciple's waist sash and rolled up his silk trousers slightly.

The wounds were exposed to the air; there were only two lashes, yet they resembled two ugly centipedes, lying menacingly across the skin.

Even though three days have passed, it is still a deep purple and dark. Although the small broken skin at the peak is not large, it has obviously not been treated well. It has formed a few yellow scabs, and the surrounding area is still swollen.

Jiang Jibai folded the cloth in his hand, avoiding the loose scab, and gently applied it to the bruises with cold compress. His voice was devoid of emotion: "I was angry at the time and hit too hard."

He was so angry that he held back and didn't fight back. He only slapped him twice and sent him away. He deserved to be bullied and treated like a king by his apprentice.

The coolness behind him made Qin Ji take a comfortable breath, but what he said was completely different from what he thought: "At least you have some self-awareness, Poison Master!"

"Have you not been applying the medicine properly these past few days?" Although it was a question, it was almost a statement.

Qin Ji rested his arms on the pillow, his eyes lowered, his voice somewhat muffled: "I'm busy, when would I have time?"

"Not even enough time to apply the medicine?" Jiang Jibai asked calmly.

Qin Ji retorted stubbornly, "Do you think everyone is like you, a nobody?"

Jiang Jibai was used to his junior disciple's rude remarks and didn't even blink. However, he didn't stop what he was doing. He pressed the edge of the lash mark to check if there were any lumps underneath.

Qin Ji groaned in pain.

Jiang Jibai looked at his young disciple, who seemed distracted and somewhat listless, and dissolved the ointment from the porcelain bottle in his palm. His voice was gentle: "I heard from your senior brother that you feel disappointed in me?"

Qin Ji's expression froze, and he almost fainted from the shock.

Shen Jiangliu, that sly whistle, actually revealed forbidden words, daring to broadcast even my private conversations to the Poison Master.

I want to execute him!

No, he must be executed by slow slicing! Executed by slow slicing!

Qin Ji pounded the bed and said angrily, "That big-mouthed Shen Jiangliu, I'll never let him get away with this!"

The boy's voice cracked as he uttered the words "big mouth," and he looked furious, though his slightly reddened ears betrayed his embarrassment and anger.

Jiang Jibai didn't interfere in the "irreconcilable enmity" between the two brothers. His warm palms channeled the medicinal power into the boy's wounds, and his tone rose slightly: "How come I don't remember ever saying I was disappointed in you?"

Qin Ji, ignoring the pain, turned and accused, "You didn't say you wouldn't even punish me!!! And you say you're not disappointed in me?"

Jiang Jibai was both amused and exasperated: "I didn't mean to punish you, but now I'm the one in the wrong. Do you need a beating?"

Why do you think I became your disciple? That's exactly why I came here!

After muttering a few words to himself, Qin Ji felt a pang of bitterness rise in his chest for some reason, and his voice became somewhat muffled: "I've been lying all the time, and you're unwilling to distinguish which of my words are true and which are false. You even say you don't want to endlessly guess my troubles. You're just tired, weary, and eventually you'll be disappointed in me."

...

This is the second update from yesterday. Today's update will be around 1 PM. I'm still 510 words short of updating, everyone keep going!