XIAO SHUXIANG'S

81 - Troubleshooter (1) [Revised]

Xiao Shuxiang looked up while looking at the signboard that read 'Hand of Punishment'. He exhaled slowly and began to step inside.

The first thing he saw was a room with shades of wood chocolate. Several landscape paintings and rhymes adorn the walls of this room.

There was a cloth paper that had a large size. There are 20 lines of names on the paper.

Xiao Shuxiang directed his gaze around the room, he also saw that there were two disciples of the Sky Sword Sect sitting on the floor with wood struck in front of them.

"Hey, Son? What are you doing here?"

A voice that Xiao Shuxiang heard made him turn his head. He saw the other two Heaven Sword Sect disciples sitting down while being seen writing something.

Xiao Shuxiang stepped up and approached the table that was taller than his body.

He tiptoed to be able to show his face to the two Heaven Sword Sect disciples in front of him. Even so, Xiao Shuxiang could only reveal his two eyes.

"I'm here because I was told by my thick-bearded grandfather,"

"Thick bearded grandfather..?" the two disciples of the Sky Sword Sect caressed their chins. In the next instant, the two nodded and began to ask Xiao Shuxiang about the class he had taken this morning.

"What class did you take?"

"I took an ethics class,"

"I thought it was Gaozu's teacher who told you to come here. Aye, right?"

Xiao Shuxiang pouted as he nodded, "I only slept a little and the thick-bearded grandfather immediately scolded me, even to the point of telling me to come here to take the punishment."

"Son, I'll tell you. The rules of this sect are very strict. You're lucky to receive a light sentence, usually Gaozu's own teacher punishes his students."

Another Sky Sword Sect disciple said, "The direct punishment of Gaozu's teacher is the most severe. I warned you not to look for trouble or make him angry. Now tell me what your name is and start taking your punishment there."

Xiao Shuxiang then told him his name and just like the other disciples of the Sky Sword Sect-they gasped when listening to Xiao Shuxiang's name.

"So you're the new kid." the disciple of the Sky Sword Sect then wrote Xiao Shuxiang's name on the paper in front of him. He then asked Xiao Shuxiang to go to the place where his other two friends were sitting on the floor.

Xiao Shuxiang simply complied. He wanted to quickly get out of here in order to avenge the child he thought was guilty of his present circumstances.

"Are you ready, son?" one of the Heaven Sword Sect disciples asked Xiao Shuxiang who was standing amongst them. These two disciples were holding thick wood 70 cm long.

Xiao Shuxiang nodded, the two then began to beat his back in turn.

tubs!

tubs!

Xiao Shuxiang clenched both of his hands while enduring the blows from the two disciples of the Sky Sword Sect.

The two forehead disciples who were hitting Xiao Shuxiang furrowed, they had always heard the moans of disciples who were under the practice of Forging Qi level 4.

"Obviously he is still at Forging Qi level two, this is.."

"Hmm, his body resistance is good.."

tubs!

tubs!

The two Heaven Sword Sect Disciples were unaware that Xiao Shuxiang's practice should already be at the 4th level of Forging Qi. Merely, Xiao Shuxiang's Qi was sealed by the roots on his dantian.

Just as the tenth blow, the two disciples of the Sky Sword Sect started to stop. Xiao Shuxiang tried to rub his back and waist as well because he felt itchy.

"You can walk, son?"

"Yes, that's it..!" Xiao Shuxiang walked slowly and walked back to the Heavenly Sword Sect disciple who recorded his name earlier.

Xiao Shuxiang was given a kind of stamp on the back of his left hand, this as proof that he had completed his sentence.

"Remember, you don't come here again. If you come again, your name will be written there. You can see the twenty names on the walls of this room. They were the names of the disciples who committed three consecutive offenses and it was a shameful thing,"

The Sky Sword Sect disciple also told Xiao Shuxiang not to re-enter the Main Hall, as it would anger Lan Gaozu.

Xiao Shuxiang nodded weakly, he actually preferred to truant rather than have to listen to Lan Gaozu's hospitality which made the drowsiness.

Xiao Shuxiang then stepped away and left the Punishment Hall. This time, no matter what happens, he will avenge the actions of the child who has punished him.

Just a few steps away, Xiao Shuxiang heard a cry calling out his name.

"Brother Xiao..!" Jing Mi and a disciple of the Sky Sword Sect who was around 13 years old, were seen walking quickly towards her.

"Brother Jing? What's up..?" xiao Shuxiang asked, as Jing Mi and the Heaven Sword Sect disciples were already nearby.

Jing Mi with a worried look on her face held onto Xiao Shuxiang's shoulder, flipped it upside down and touched Xiao Shuxiang's face while asking her how she was.

"How are you doing, brother? You okay?"

"Brother Jing, would I look good if you did this to me?" Xiao Shuxiang let go of Jing Mi's hand which seemed to be almost ruffling her face.

"Ciih, you think my face is a pillow..?!" Xiao Shuxiang rubbed his cheeks slowly, his attention then focused on the child who was with his classmates.

Jing Mi introduced her new friend to Xiao Shuxiang. "This boy was named Nie Shang, he was the son of a merchant sent to study in the Sky Sword Sect. Brother Nie has only been here three days. So you could say, Brother Nie is just like us..!"

Jing Mi gently patted Nie Shang's shoulder, she was so happy to introduce her new friend to Xiao Shuxiang.

"All right, but what made you come here? Is that thick-bearded grandpa's lesson over?" Xiao Shuxiang asked as he walked, Jing Mi and Nie Shang also walked alongside him.

"That's right, the lesson is over.." Jing Mi nodded, "My feet are really hard to move for a few minutes and the lesson that grandfather brought me has absolutely no understanding."

Nie Shang, "Among the existing teachers, it is only Gaozu's teacher's lessons that make some students sleepy..."

"If I think, he doesn't deserve to be a teacher." said Nie Shang, half-whispering.

Jing Mi nodded in agreement. Along the way, he told Lan Gaozu much of his attitude when Xiao Shuxiang was absent.

"He's very creepy. I even had trouble breathing because of it,"

"You've only had one day Brother Jing, I've had three days in this place. It feels really heavy.." Nie Shang rubbed his chest.

?!

Jing Mi and Nie Shang realized that Xiao Shuxiang was not walking with them anymore. The two turned their heads and found the boy stopped with a gaze that pointed somewhere.

"Brother Xiao? Why stop?" Jing Mi walked up to Xiao Shuxiang and patted him on the shoulder slowly.

Xiao Shuxiang did not answer the question from Jing Mi. His eyes were fixed on a boy standing there listening to his friend speak.

"Brother Xiao, who did you see?" Nie Shang also gently touched Xiao Shuxiang's shoulder. He directed his gaze following Xiao Shuxiang's eyes.

Nie Shang finally found out that his new friend was staring at Lan Guan Zhi. "Ah... He was the young master Lan Guan Zhi, the most famous disciple in this Sky Sword Sect."

Nie Shang, "At the age of 9, young master Lan Guan Zhi had been at the late stage of the Mortal Foundation. No child can rise as fast as he can. That young master Lan. was a genius who only existed once for a hundred years.."

Nie Shang at length said that during the three days of being in the Sky Sword Sect, he had always heard about Lan Guan Zhi. This was because every single action of Lan Guan Zhi, even a trivial thing, must always be a warm conversation among the junior and senior disciples of the Sky Sword Sect.

Xiao Shuxiang clenched his hands together, inexplicably getting even more annoyed when he heard Nie Shang's story about that flat-faced boy..!

Qi started to gather in Xiao Shuxiang's fist. Jing Mi and Nie Shang gasped when they realized it, they both then asked about what had happened to Xiao Shuxiang.

"Sa-Brother Xiao, Ka-!!"

Jing Mi's words were instantly cut off as Xiao Shuxiang suddenly shot straight towards Lan Guan Zhi.

!!

Lan Guan Zhi was aware that anyone was intending to attack him, immediately he leaped backwards and along with that - Xiao Shuxiang's fist directly hit the ground where Lan Guan Zhi was standing earlier.

A BAAAM!!

Such a loud sound, shocked all the disciples around the place. Jing Mi and Nie Shang subconsciously opened their mouths in shock at Xiao Shuxiang's sudden action.

***