Chapter 17: Punishment and Peril

Su Yan spent the rest of the morning avoiding Jian like his life depended on it—which, given her temperament, might not have been far from the truth. Every time he so much as glanced in her direction, she would smirk, sending shivers down his spine. The incident in the bathroom was already burned into his memory, and he had no idea how to face her without his soul trying to escape his body.

Unfortunately, fate wasn’t on his side.

“Su Yan, come here.”

Jian’s voice was sweet, too sweet. It was the kind of sweetness that masked something sinister beneath.

He gulped and turned around slowly, hands sweating. “Yes…?”

She was lounging on the couch, her damp hair now dry and flowing elegantly over her shoulders. “We need to set some rules now that we’re living together.”

His stomach twisted. That didn’t sound good.

“Rules?”

“Yes.” She patted the seat beside her. “Sit.”

He hesitated. There was no way this was going to end well. But resisting might make things worse.

Reluctantly, he obeyed.

She leaned in close, her voice dropping to a sultry whisper. “Rule number one: If you’re going to sneak peeks at me, at least have the guts to admit it.”

Su Yan choked on air. “I DIDN’T SNEAK A PEEK!”

She laughed, eyes gleaming with amusement. “Mm-hmm. That’s what they all say.”

He buried his face in his hands. “Please just kill me.”

“Tempting,” she mused. “But no. You’re too fun to play with.”

He groaned. “Are all Core Disciples this sadistic, or is it just you?”

“Oh, I’m special. Now time for your punishment.”

"WHY AM I GETTING PUNISHED?"

"You think I'll let that incident slide without giving you a beating?"

That was what he was afraid of.

Just then, a new mission screen popped up in his vision.

[Mission: Prove Yourself!]

Objective: Survive a spar against Jian without running away or passing out.

Reward: +2 Agility, +1 Reflex, and ‘Jian’s Approval’

Penalty for Failure: Extreme embarrassment and a personal ‘training’ session from Jian.

Su Yan paled. “Wait, what does ‘personal training’ mean?”

Jian tilted her head. “Something wrong?”

The system chuckled. “Oh, you’ll see.”

He had a very, very bad feeling about this.

---

The Sparring Match

The courtyard was empty save for the two of them. Jian stretched lazily, dressed in a simple training outfit that still somehow made her look unfairly attractive. Su Yan, on the other hand, was already sweating.

“Alright, Su Yan,” she said, cracking her knuckles. “Let’s see if you can actually fight or if you just rely on dumb luck.”

He swallowed hard. “Go easy on me?”

She grinned. “No.”

And then she vanished.

Su Yan barely had time to react before a foot nearly took his head off. He ducked, rolling backward just as Jian’s palm strike shattered the ground where he had been standing.

“HOLY—”

“Don’t just dodge,” she chided, appearing behind him in an instant. “Fight back.”

He spun around, activating Shadow Step, his body flickering into the darkness. He reappeared behind her, aiming a palm strike at her side.

She caught it effortlessly.

“Cute.”

Before he could react, she twisted his wrist, flipping him over her shoulder. He hit the ground hard, groaning in pain.

“Too slow,” she sighed, crouching beside him. “At this rate, you’ll never survive in real combat.”

Su Yan gritted his teeth. “I’m… just warming up.”

Her eyes twinkled. “Good. Then let’s really fight.”

And just like that, she was on him again, moving faster than he could follow.

He was so dead.

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