The moment Tang Si lashed out with her whip, everyone was stunned; partly in wonder, partly in fear, the audience retreated. The woman's eyes burned with killing intent directed solely at the shocked Lin Shu.
He took two steps backwards, "What are you doing?" he asked in a quivering voice. He wasn't just scared, but also boggled.
The "hysterical" Tang Si wore an eerie smile on her face as she responded, "What am I doing? I merely want to show you who's the brazen one."
She tightened her grip before she lifted her arm and lashed out the silver whip mercilessly towards Lin Shu, striking a powerful yet precise attack.
The tip of the whip landed unerringly on Lin Shu's shoulder, creating a rip on his scholar's gown and a thin line of blood on his skin. The force of the whip made him lose his balance and fall heavily on the ground, clutching the wound on his shoulder with his teeth clenched.
Tang Si retrieved her whip before she administered several more lashes towards the neatly arranged study desks. The resulting clatter was deafening.
Thud!
Crash!
Clunk!
In a blink of an eye, most of the study desks were broken into half. Ink splashed everywhere and paper swirled in the air, while chaotic footsteps resounded as the scholars ran and took shelter at the edges of the room. As they rushed and squeezed past one another in a bid to get away, some of the scholars crashed into the desks and tripped while others slipped on the puddles of ink on the floor and fell head-first.
In no time, the entire study hall had descended into chaos! Every single one of them cut a sorry figure, with their face, neck, arms and clothes smeared with black ink.
Just as Lin Shu was about to stand up, still holding his shoulder and groaning in pain, the whip landed on his thigh once again. If it had landed an inch closer to his body, his family jewels would have been in peril. The burning pain in his leg made him fall once again to the ground.
His back hit the floor with a loud thud. "Ouch!" His anguished cry resonated across the hall.
Tang Si's rage was still not quenched. She walked toward Lin Shu and looked down at him with her hands on her hips, "Do you surrender now?"
Lin Shu's forehead dripped with cold sweat and his vision began to white out as he gasped for air. "You… you…"
"What is it that you want to say? Are you going to say that I'm a brazen woman again?" She waved her whip, preparing for another assault.
"Stop it!" A hand gripped her wrist tightly. Tang Si turned around and was greeted by a furious Ji Yunshu. Her eyes resembled burning balls of fire.
"Take a good look at what you've done!" Her voice was filled with strict disapproval and condemnation as she threw Tang Si's hand down angrily. Tang Si was taken aback before she finally raised her head to study her surroundings.
Only then did she notice that everyone in the academy was huddled together like mice spooked by a cat. The initially tidy desks were broken by her whip while the items on the table were now lying messily on the floor. Some of the scholars sprawled across the ground while the others were struggling to stand up. The floor was flooded with ink and covered with books. It was utter chaos!
Tang Si finally calmed down and registered the disaster she had created. Her eyes darted around nervously as she bit her lip and took a few steps backwards. Pointing her finger at the scholars, she defended herself, "Ah Ji, they were the ones who provoked me."
Ji Yunshu ground her teeth in frustration, but understood that a scolding would be of no help at this point! She could only step forward to help Lin Shu up. "Young Master Lin, are you hurt?"
Lin Shu pushed her away. "Go away," He continued to apply pressure on the bleeding wound on his shoulder while he massaged his sore thigh with his other hand.
"My apologies. What happened is undeniably our fault. I hope that…"
"What are you hoping for?" he looked at the mess, then pointed at Tang Si, "Wild brat. Do you want to die? How dare you turn our Mingshan Academy upside down."
Tang Si responded, "You were the one who started it."
"You…" Lin Shu's face twisted in agony. He felt as though he could die from the pain.
…
The news about the incident soon reached Teacher Yu. Together with Jing Rong, he rushed to the scene and nearly passed out when he saw the situation in the study hall.
The study hall was a sacred place that should never be dirtied and contaminated. Yet, all the furniture in the study hall was either broken or overturned. Ink and books were all over the place. The place was now more of a disaster zone than a study hall. Teacher Yu had always despised people who disrespected books. Looking at this, a deep rage started to boil.
"Teacher!" As though they had met their life saviour, the scholars swamped towards Teacher Yu and encircled him.
"Teacher, look at what this intruder has done to our academy."
"Yes, Teacher. You have to kick her out of our place."
"Teacher, what should we do?"
…
Teacher Yu sighed as he threw a glimpse at the injured Lin Shu. He proceeded to order two of the scholars, "Bring him to treat his wounds."
Full of resentment, Lin Shu voiced, "Teacher, please return justice to me. It's unfair for me to take the whips for nothing."
"Go and treat your wounds," Teacher Yu waved a hand.
"Teacher…"
"Go, now!" Teacher Yu ordered sternly.
Lin Shu finally shut his mouth. He glared at Tang Si while two of his peers helped him out of the place.
Knowing that she had made a huge mistake, Tang Su quietly and slowly wrapped the silver whip around her waist. At this moment, Mo Ruo leaned forward and asked, "Did you do this?"
She replied with a glare.
Mo Ruo grinned as gave her an inconspicuous thumbs-up. "That's very well done. Keep up your good work."
In actual fact, he was hoping that Tang Si would be expelled from their trip after such a catastrophic mistake. Then, his suffering would finally come to an end. That would be something worth celebrating.
Teacher Yu briefly reassured his students before he turned to look at Jing Rong. He asked, "Young Master Jing, how should we address this issue?"
'He's passing the buck to me! Should I accept this hot potato of an issue?' Jing Rong hesitated
Before long, Jing Rong focused his gaze and lifted his eyes. He walked towards Ji Yunshu and asked caringly, "Are you hurt?" Ji Yunshu shook her head.
"That's good." All he cared about at this critical moment was the well-being of Ji Yunshu.
He turned and answered Teacher Yu with a deep bow. Appearing solemn, he said, "Teacher Yu, we're in Mingshan Academy and we shall obey your rules. Miss Tang is definitely responsible for this. Hence, you may decide on the punishment."
Hearing that, Tang Si immediately rebuked, "How can he punish me? I'm not one of his students in his academy."
"Silence!" Jing Rong scolded as he threw her an admonishing look. "As long as you're within this compound, you have to follow the rules. You shall receive punishment if you do wrong. If they can't punish you, I'll do it since you're with me."
"You…"
"Guards!" Jing Rong called out.
Two guards entered the study hall.
"As the mistake was committed with her hand, her hand shall receive the punishment. Bring her out and break either one of her hands."
'What?' The two guards were taken aback. 'Break her hand? We've taken lives. But, this is the first time we are ordered to break a woman's hand.'