149 Chapter 148: Heavenly Way Sect Elder (1/2)
The elderly man in gray stood atop a round gray disc, his hands folded behind his back, and his beard drifting along the breeze. He was emanating a potent aura of qi so powerful that it was causing Zhu Jiao's heart to race fearfully. As if to drive home the point that he was powerful, the air around him seemed to distort.
”…you were right.” Zhu Jiao glanced at me nervously, even as he continued to frantically retreat. ”This bastard really has an elder hiding somewhere to assist him when he finds himself cornered. How did you know?!”
”Well…” I shrugged nonchalantly. ”Because I read Wu Dong Qian Kun.”
”The fuck?! Seriously?!”
Zhu Jiao gaped at me in disbelief, but I was too busily focusing my attention on Elder Shen to pay any attention to him.
At this moment, Jiang Jun Hao had already received some clothes from the elderly man in gray, and he hurriedly wore them to cover up his shameful figure. Despite putting on fresh clothes, he still looked pretty haggard and battered, the injuries he received from the Domitar-class battle-automata still visible.
To be honest, he was strong enough to fight on par with the battle-automata, especially since he was equipped with his Heavenly Spear. It was surprising that he found himself cornered and beaten so pathetically. I guess he had used up quite a bit of strength when fighting furiously against Zhu Jiao earlier, and I was even more certain that he had underestimated the battle-automata. His formidable spear attack had pierced through the battle-automata's chest, the place where normally a heart would be if it had been a human.
In fact, had his opponent been a human, that strike would definitely have killed him instantly. Unfortunately for Jiang Jun Hao, the battle-automata did not possess a heart. Its cerebral cortex was inside its head – it would have been a different story altogether if he had crushed its head. Nonetheless, it still did not possess the same vulnerabilities that a human would have.
Thanks to that, the moment Jiang Jun Hao lowered his guard, the Domitar-class battle-automata capitalized on that instant and delivered an incredibly ferocious attack. Unable to react in time, Jiang Jun Hao took a direct hit and was severely injured.
That was the price he paid for underestimating his opponent.
”Elder Shen, kill these brats!”
After getting dressed, Jiang Jun Hao scowled darkly and barked an order. Opposite him, Zhu Jiao tensed and braced for a fierce battle. He also reached inside his spatial bag for more Pure Yuan Pills to recharge the hovering Domitar-class battle-automata.
I stepped up to his side. The reason why I chased after him was to assist when the elder inevitably emerged to help Jiang Jun Hao kill Zhu Jiao, after all. Having read Wu Dong Qian Kun, I was ready for this.
However…
Smack!
Elder Shen smacked the back of Jiang Jun Hao's head, sending him sprawling forward. Jiang Jun Hao gaped up at the elderly man in shock.
”You…”
”Who are you to give me orders? I'm a sect elder, you know? You're just a disciple. Know your place, you brat!”
Jiang Jun Hao shrank back, looking very pitiful.
”…”
Zhu Jiao exchanged a confused gaze with me, but neither of us let our guard down. Seeing our expressions, Jiang Jun Hao smirked. Even if he didn't order Elder Shen about, the old man would naturally eliminate us.
”I am very sorry for the trouble that a disciple from our sect has caused to the both of you.”
”Eh?!”
Jiang Jun Hao blanched when Elder Shen bowed deeply and apologized.
”What the hell are you doing?! Aren't you going to kill those brats?!”
Elder Shen turned around and smacked Jiang Jun Hao again. As the stunned Heavenly Way Sect disciple fell to his knees, the seemingly gentle old man kicked him in the stomach.
”Kill, kill, kill! Is that all you can think about?! Our Heavenly Way Sect has utterly failed to educate you, if all you can think about is killing! We are one of the eight major sects in the Martial Arts Alliance, and an orthodox sect! What the hell are you doing, going around ruthlessly murdering other people?! You think we're bandits, is it? Just because you want the Spirit Treasure Weapon owned by that young man over there, you think you can abuse the power and authority of our sect and kill and rob him? How can you call yourself a martial artist of the orthodox way?”
He bent down and slapped Jiang Jun Hao so hard that the younger man was sent spinning to crash on the floor.
”And ordering me around like this…you think you're an arrogant young master from a xianxia novel, is it? Don't you know how they all end up when they behave arrogantly and antagonize the protagonist? They all get killed! Never mind if they go get themselves killed – they drag the whole sect or clan into the mess and cause everyone to get wiped out by the main character! Targeting the protagonist, are you trying to destroy our Heavenly Way Sect?!”
”Even the Heavenly Way Sect elder is breaking the fourth wall now,” I muttered as I tried to shut my jaw after gaping at the unbelievable sight.
”Ahem.” Elder Shen cleared his throat and straightened up. ”I'm not breaking the fourth wall. I merely read too many wuxia and xianxia stories.”
I frowned. ”Then how do you know that Zhu Jiao is the main character?”
”It's pretty obvious.” Elder Shen shook his head in disgust and began raising his hand to count with his fingers. ”He has plot armor, he has protagonist-level luck that allows him to grab not one, not two, but many different treasures from a dungeon-styled tomb, and he has the great fortune to have sex with an ultra-beautiful girl. Not to mention, he also has a damned familiar – that Golden Kirin he was riding on earlier – and a battle-automata. And then he defeated a young disciple from my sect, even though he's supposed to be weaker and of a lower level. What kind of person is that lucky to the point where the whole world seems to revolve around him and the universe breaks its own laws just to keep him alive and gives him benefits after benefits? It's just not realistic. So the only explanation is that he is the main character of our universe.”
How the fuck did he know all that? I was pretty sure Elder Shen wasn't present when Zhu Jiao had the lucky ”accident” with Yan Qing Wu.
But he was correct. Zhu Jiao had the luck of a protagonist to the point where it seemed the universe was bending backward just to accommodate him. Conveniently providing him the tools or whatever he needed for the situation in the not too distant future…yeah, he was definitely a protagonist.
And realizing this, the old man was careful not to offend him. Furthermore, he was clearly an upright, orthodox martial artist with outstanding morals. He wouldn't have participated in this criminal murder in the first place, even without these ridiculous reasons.
”Again, I apologize to these two young masters. I assure you that the Heavenly Way Sect is not this ruthless or evil. I have no idea why Jun Hao's values have been twisted to this extent, but I promise you that I will bring him back to the sect and reeducate him.”
”Hah!” Jiang Jun Hao snorted defiantly. ”How will you reeducate me? You wouldn't dare! My father is one of the biggest…”
Elder Shen smacked him across the head again, silencing him before he could finish his sentence.
”Your father will definitely hear of this, mark my words. And you'll be sent into a Laogai camp for a few months to reflect on your actions.”
The color drained from Jiang Jun Hao's face when he heard that, and he threw himself at Elder Shen's feet, howling.
”No! Please! Anything but that! Please don't send me into Laogai! I beg you!”
Elder Shen's expression remained cold and scornful as he stared at the pleading Jiang Jun Hao. ”You reap what you sow. your own actions are what caused you to be condemned to such punishment. Who asked you to attempt murder and robbery, and drag the name of our esteemed sect through the mud? You'll be lucky if you don't get expelled!”
”Laogai? What's that?” Zhu Jiao whispered, confused. I sighed.
”It's short for Lao Dong Gai Zao. It's basically a corrective labor camp. Some sects put their members in corrective camps so that they will accept education and reform their behavior through hard labor. It's not just hard labor, but also meditation and education. It's designed to brainwash and indoctrine offenders, reforming them into upright, law-abiding citizens…or at least that's the theory, anyway.”
In reality, the punishment was so harsh that many of the disciples interned in the corrective camps dropped out of the sect because they couldn't handle the punishment. A few were even driven to suicide. Those who left the sect because they couldn't handle the punishment continued to have these on their records, which served as a stigma that barred them from joining other reputable sects or having a good future. Of course, in theory, such punishments would be deleted off the records if the offender truly repented, reformed and finished his sentence, but only the hardiest and most determined could endure.
And even among those who finished their sentences, many were a hollow shell of their former self, brainwashed and indoctrinated by the camp into near-mindless zombies who obediently listened to whatever their masters had to say.
Some people accused the corrective camps as not being ethical, but honestly…if the corrective camp was enough to reform a murderer like Jiang Jun Hao into an obedient, law-abiding citizen who would never hurt a fly again, I would say it served its purpose. Even if he ended up traumatized by the experience. Then again, what about the victims who were traumatized by his murder attempts, or the previous victims who had died at his hands? I was sure this wasn't the first time he tried to kill someone. Those techniques and his complete lack of hesitation indicated that he was no stranger to murdering.
A corrective camp was the least he deserved. Perhaps Zhu Jiao had the right idea about slaying him, but that would also make him a murderer, and turn him into the very person he was trying to mete justice on.
Zhu Jiao wasn't aware of all of these, but he did have some idea of what a corrective labor camp was, so he nodded dumbly.