Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 30 Complaint
This girl nearly lost her life due to a fire accident, and the first thing she said when she woke up was to ask who had bullied Jiang Mingzhe.

Even Jiang Mingzhe, who prided himself on his keen insight, couldn't help but be moved at this moment.

"I'm fine, I just tried the Star-Picking challenge." Jiang Mingzhe spat out half a mouthful of blood and said casually.

"You're challenging me to reach for the stars!"

Azi was alarmed and sat up abruptly. As she moved, she felt an unfamiliar friction from her lower abdomen and back. A shiver ran through her delicate skin, and she let out a soft "Ah!" Her ears turned bright red.

Jiang Mingzhe calmly withdrew his hand: "I have already absorbed the poison for Senior Sister, but she still needs to regulate her internal energy herself."

"Ah."

For once, Azi showed a docile demeanor, lowering her head and responding softly.

Although the rebellious toxins in her body were drawn out, her out-of-control internal energy was still running wild and she dared not move. So she sat in Jiang Mingzhe's arms and began to practice her internal energy.

This time, it was Jiang Mingzhe's turn to be sad.

He was sitting cross-legged at this moment, with Azi sitting sideways between his legs. He had been focused on dissolving the poison and hadn't noticed anything, but now that he had finished, he immediately realized how light and soft the little person in his arms was, and how faintly fragrant she was, desperately trying to get into his nostrils.

"Hiss!" Jiang Mingzhe gasped, thinking that the young girl was still innocent and naive. If my young and vigorous body had any reaction, wouldn't it scare her?
He quickly closed his eyes and silently chanted: "If the heart is pure as ice, one will not be alarmed even if the sky falls; if the heart is pure as ice, one will not be alarmed even if the sky falls; pure, um, pure, pure and immaculate, with a faint fragrance... Oh no!"

Jiang Mingzhe was trying to comprehend the "Ice Heart Technique" on his own but failed. Just as he was about to make a fool of himself, a soft laugh came from the doorway: "Hahaha, good lad, you are truly loyal and righteous. I never expected that I would have such a disciple as you!"

Ding Chunqiu!
Jiang Mingzhe was startled, but his heart instantly cleared.

Turning his head, Ding Chunqiu gently waved his feather fan, smiling broadly, and stepped into the room. He glanced at A Zi and chuckled, "You really treat this little girl well. You're just a beginner yourself, yet you dare to risk healing her."

After saying that, he reached out and pressed his hand on Jiang Mingzhe's head. Before Jiang Mingzhe could react, a faint internal force flashed through his body like lightning.

Ding Chunqiu withdrew his hand and exclaimed in surprise, "Opening eight acupoints in just two days! This talent surpasses Zhaixingzi by a hundred times, and is even comparable to my own back in the day!"

He secretly felt jealous: This boy's talent is extraordinary, even surpassing mine! If I had met such a person when I was young, I would have tried every means to kill him. Hmph, he is decades younger than me and has become my disciple, so he is lucky.

His expression was very kind, and he said softly, "When I founded the sect, I was afraid that my disciples would become lazy, so I set the rule that the strong should be respected. This was my good intention to protect my disciples. Who would have thought that people's hearts are unpredictable? Over time, these little bastards have all regarded their fellow disciples as enemies and have no brotherly love at all. It pains me to see this."

Jiang Mingzhe thought to himself: If I believe even a single word of yours, I'll be letting down all the promises I've made over the years.

He said, “Master, please don’t worry. As the old saying goes, children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Besides, although my fellow disciples are competitive, they are also very affectionate. For example, when I entered the sect the other day, my third senior brother treated me to a delicious meal and gave me Five Treasures Honey Wine. My internal strength has progressed quite rapidly, all thanks to this wine.”

Ding Chunqiu chuckled and said, "You are kind-hearted and remember the good things others have done for you. No wonder you were willing to risk your life to save your senior sister."

As he spoke, he reached out and touched Azi's head, instantly calming her internal energy. Azi quickly jumped out of Jiang Mingzhe's arms and bowed, saying, "Disciple greets Master! Master, look, Senior Brother almost killed Big Ginger!"

Jiang Mingzhe also stood up, but his hasty movement aggravated his injury, causing him to spit out a small mouthful of blood. He wiped it with his sleeve as if nothing had happened, which made Ding Chunqiu nod in approval.

Ding Chunqiu laughed and said, "Little Azi, you've just recovered from your injury and you're already complaining?" Azi tugged at his sleeve and said coquettishly, "It's not complaining, Master. Look at Big Ginger, he's vomiting more blood than a pig being slaughtered for the New Year. He probably won't survive."

He continued, “Master, according to the rules of our sect, disciples are not allowed to challenge others within two years of joining, but the senior brothers do not care. Yesterday, it was Senior Brother Mingzhu who beat him, and today Senior Brother personally took action. Master, those senior brothers now only listen to Senior Brother’s orders and don’t even care about the sect rules that you personally set.”

Ding Chunqiu's expression changed slightly, and he nodded, saying, "Our sect's senior brother also serves as the Enforcement Venerable. His original intention was to let the disciples understand that there are many benefits to mastering martial arts. However, Zhaixingzi's abuse of this position to abuse his power goes against my original intention."

Azi was overjoyed and was about to take the opportunity to file dozens more complaints when Ding Chunqiu waved his fan and said, "You don't need to say anything more. I know what's going on. However, Zhaixingzi made a move today because he didn't know that you had a qi deviation during your practice. He thought that Jiang boy had deliberately trespassed. Jiang boy was worried about your safety and was only concerned with breaking down the door. He didn't have time to explain to him."

Azi twisted his sleeves almost into a pretzel: "No, Master, Senior Brother is so eager to find fault with Big Ginger, how could he listen to his explanation?"

Ding Chunqiu ignored him and looked at Jiang Mingzhe: "Disciple, what is your opinion on this matter?"

Azi hid behind Ding Chunqiu and winked, meaning that Jiang Mingzhe should take the opportunity to complain.

Jiang Mingzhe chuckled inwardly, thinking that with Ding Chunqiu's domineering and tyrannical nature, if he really wanted to deal with Zhaixingzi, he wouldn't even ask what he thought. After all, Zhaixingzi had been a disciple for many years and was the eldest disciple; if he were to deal with him for his sake, the other disciples would inevitably feel a sense of shared fate.

He clasped his hands and said, "Reporting to Master, nothing can be accomplished without rules. Since Senior Brother has upheld the rule, I have no other thoughts. I will just focus on cultivating my martial arts and challenge Senior Brother when I have achieved something."

Seeing that he did not take advantage of the situation, Ding Chunqiu was very pleased: "Good, you are exceptionally talented and have such ambition. You may not be inferior to Zhaixingzi. Here's what we'll do: once you succeed in the challenge, I will pass on to you an extraordinary divine skill and then send you to do a great thing for our sect."

When Azi saw that Jiang Mingzhe wasn't cooperating with her, she got annoyed and wanted to ignore him, but when she saw the bloodstains on his nose and mouth, all because of her, she felt sorry for him and could only continue to coax Ding Chunqiu: "Master, don't listen to Da Sheng Jiang's bravado. With his meager skills, when will he ever catch up with Senior Brother? He'll probably be bullied to death by Senior Brother long ago."

Ding Chunqiu thought to himself, Zhaixingzi is extremely jealous and is indeed not someone to be trifled with. If it were any other disciple, it would be fine, but Jiang Mingzhe is exceptionally talented, he finds him very agreeable, and he is counting on him to do things. It would be a pity if he were to die halfway through.

After pondering for a moment, he said, "Disciple, don't say that I'm being unfair. Since you're a martial arts prodigy, there's no need to follow the proper steps. Today, I'll teach you a lightness skill, a weapon, and a hidden weapon. If you can master them quickly, even your eldest brother might not dare to easily provoke you. However..."

Ah Zi asked anxiously, "Ah, but, Master, but what?"

Ding Chunqiu smiled and said, "However, our sect has never passed on skills in this way before, and I cannot directly break the rules. Let this big ginger do a small favor for me. If he does it well, the skills I just mentioned will be my reward. That way, no one can say anything."

Jiang Mingzhe quickly said, "Master, one internal skill and one Three Yin Centipede Claw are enough for me to study. If I can serve you and share your burdens, it is my duty and responsibility. How can I ask for any more rewards? It's like children being filial to their parents. Do they have to negotiate with their parents?"

Upon hearing this, Ding Chunqiu recalled his own experience of fulfilling his filial duty and seeking immortality, and was somewhat moved: "Good child, you truly deserve to be a disciple of our land of sages. Your senior brothers could not have said such words. However, whatever your teacher is willing to give you, you should just accept it. Have you not heard Mencius say: 'He who does not obey his parents cannot be a son.' Since your teacher's intention is there, you should obey."

Jiang Mingzhe clasped his hands and said, "Master's teachings are correct, I have remembered them. May I ask what Master wants me to do?"

Ding Chunqiu laughed and said, "Two years ago, I went to Wuliang Mountain in Dali Kingdom and snatched a poisonous monkey from the Miao people. It is best at catching centipedes and scorpions. Half a year ago, I forgot to close the cage door, and this little thing escaped..."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mingzhe was shocked and looked at Azi, whose face had turned deathly pale.

　I recommend a friend's new book, "We Agreed to Infiltrate the Demonic Sect, But How Did You Become the Sect Leader, Senior Sister?" It's a lighthearted, slice-of-life story. If you like this kind of genre, you might want to check it out. The writing is excellent.

(End of this chapter)