The morning sun cast long shadows across the stone paths of the责凰门 as Master Xuanfa walked with measured steps, a leather leash held loosely in his right hand. The leash split into three branches, each connected to a black collar around the neck of a woman crawling behind him on hands and knees.
Lin Qiaoxin moved with practiced grace, her twin tails of black hair swaying as she crawled. She had been doing this for decades now, and her body remembered the rhythm even when her mind wandered. The sun warmed her bare skin, and she felt the cool stone beneath her palms and knees.
Beside her, Li Que’s red hair fell forward as she kept pace, her athletic frame moving with fluid efficiency. The high ponytail had come undone somewhere during their morning circuit, and strands of fire-colored hair trailed across her shoulders.
Shen Mengyue brought up the rear of the trio, her black hair spreading across her back as she crawled. The jade hairpin that had once marked her as a sect leader was long gone. Now only the black collar marked her status.
They passed a group of female disciples tending to the gardens. The disciples wore nothing, as was the custom of the sect they had chosen to join. A few of them paused in their weeding to bow their heads as their master passed. None of them stared. They had learned long ago that looking too long at the crawling elders was considered disrespectful.
Xuanfa stopped at a pavilion overlooking the training grounds below. He released the leash and let it coil at his feet as he sat on the stone bench. The three women immediately settled into a kneeling position before him, their heads bowed.
“You have all broken through to the late stage of the Divine Transformation realm,” Xuanfa said. His voice carried no warmth, no congratulations. It was a simple statement of fact.
Shen Mengyue pressed her forehead to the stone. “It is only because of our master’s discipline. The daily chastisement upon our backsides, combined with the spiritual energy of the Xuantian Realm, has allowed us to advance three hundred years faster than normal cultivation would permit.”
Lin Qiaoxin grinned against the stone. “I never would have figured out the fourth-order sealing array without all those boardings. The pain helped me focus.”
Li Que remained silent, but she pressed her forehead down as well. She had learned humility. The lesson had been painful, but it had stuck.
Xuanfa looked down at the three of them. “Since you have reached the late Divine Transformation stage, I have a task for you.”
The three women raised their heads slightly, waiting.
“The Sword Sect master, Bai Zhenshuang, has spoken disrespectfully of my sect. The Hundred Flowers Valley master, Hua Qianyu, allowed her disciples to occupy my medicinal gardens. And the Demon Saintess, Su Qianyao, has used her charm techniques to cloud the minds of disciples under my protection.”
His eyes swept across the three kneeling women. “You will go to them. You will inform Bai Zhenshuang, Hua Qianyu, and Su Qianyao that they are to present themselves at the entrance to my sect. They are to strip completely, kneel, and present their backsides. They will receive one hundred strokes of the Heavenly Dao Board each day for ten years. This is a minor punishment.”
He reached into his robes and produced three lengths of golden chain. The links glowed with a soft, warm light. The Restraining Immortal Chains.
“If they resist, you will defeat them. Then you will bind them and bring them here.”
Lin Qiaoxin crawled forward and accepted one chain. “Understood, master. We will not fail.”
Li Que and Shen Mengyue each took a chain as well. They tucked them carefully into their hair, winding the links around their wrists to keep them secure.
Lin Qiaoxin looked up at her master with bright eyes. “Master, this one has a request.”
Xuanfa raised an eyebrow. He did not speak.
“Now that we have reached the late Divine Transformation stage, we believe our daily punishment should increase. Four hundred strokes instead of three hundred. The current amount no longer provides sufficient… cultivation benefit.”
Li Que nodded. “She speaks the truth. The pain fades too quickly now.”
Shen Mengyue blushed, but she too nodded. “I agree with my sisters, master. Four hundred strokes would be appropriate.”
Xuanfa’s lips curved into something that was almost a smile. “So you have grown to love the feel of the board against your skin, have you?”
Lin Qiaoxin’s cheeks reddened, but she did not look away. “Yes, master. This one loves it. The sting, the burn, the way my master’s discipline focuses my mind. I love it all.”
Li Que’s voice was steady. “I have learned to crave the punishment. It reminds me of my place.”
Shen Mengyue’s voice was soft, but clear. “This one also loves it. Your discipline is my greatest honor.”
Xuanfa studied them for a long moment. “Complete this task first. When you return with the three women, I will grant your request. Your daily punishment will increase to four hundred strokes.”
The three women pressed their foreheads to the ground in unison. “Thank you, master.”
“Rise. It is time for today’s punishment before you depart.”
Lin Qiaoxin, Li Que, and Shen Mengyue rose to their knees, then turned and presented their backsides to their master. They lowered their upper bodies until their chests touched the cool stone of the pavilion floor. Their buttocks rose in the air, already exposed, already waiting.
Xuanfa clapped his hands twice. The sound echoed across the training grounds.
Three young women emerged from the hallway beneath the pavilion. They walked with the same perfect posture that marked all of Xuanfa’s trained disciples. Their faces were youthful, perhaps eighteen years in appearance. Their bodies were bare, black collars around their necks.
The first had twin tails of black hair and a mischievous glint in her eyes that mirrored Lin Qiaoxin perfectly. Lin Yuxin had her mother’s face, her mother’s build, her mother’s energy. The only difference was her age, younger, fresher, still learning.
The second had red hair pulled back in a neat tail. Li Yunling’s face carried the same proud bone structure as Li Que, the same strong jaw, the same sharp eyes. She walked with the same athletic grace, every muscle moving in perfect harmony.
The third had long black hair that fell to her waist, framing a face that was nearly identical to Shen Mengyue. Shen Xingmian’s features were softer, her expression more innocent, but the resemblance was unmistakable.
The three young women approached the pavilion and knelt before Xuanfa. Their voices came in perfect unison. “Greetings, master.”
Xuanfa looked down at them. “Your mothers have itchy backsides. They require discipline to maintain their cultivation. You will each take a Heavenly Dao Board and deliver two hundred strokes to your mother’s buttocks. After that, you will take a whip and deliver one hundred strokes to their crotches. They will spread their legs for you.”
Lin Yuxin’s eyes lit up. “Yes, master!” She scrambled to her feet and rushed to the rack of punishment tools mounted on the pavilion wall.
Li Yunling rose more slowly and walked to the rack with measured steps. She selected a Heavenly Dao Board and ran her fingers over its surface. The board was made of an ancient, veined wood that seemed to absorb light. It was heavier than it looked, denser than metal.
Shen Xingmian retrieved her board and stood beside her mother. She looked at Shen Mengyue’s upturned buttocks and bit her lip.
“Mother,” she said softly, “you know the position. Wider. Higher. Present yourself properly.”
Shen Mengyue shifted her knees apart and arched her back. The movement thrust her buttocks higher into the air. “Like this, Xingmian? Is this what master would want?”
“Yes. That’s perfect.” Shen Xingmian took a breath and raised the board.
Lin Qiaoxin twisted her neck to look back at her daughter. “Yuanyuan, make sure you hit the same spot twice. That’s what hurts the most. Layering the pain, do you understand?”
Lin Yuxin grinned. “I understand, mother. I’ll make sure you feel every single strike tomorrow when you’re hunting that sword woman.”
“That’s my girl.”
Li Que did not look back. She stared straight ahead at the pavilion wall, her back arched, her buttocks high. “Yunling. Do not hold back. If I feel you coddling me, I will make you train for an extra hour tonight.”
Li Yunling’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I won’t hold back, mother.”
She swung.
The Heavenly Dao Board connected with Li Que’s right buttock. The sound was sharp and wet, a crack that echoed across the training grounds. Li Que’s body jerked, and she let out a sharp gasp. A red mark bloomed across her skin.
“Good,” she breathed. “Again.”
Li Yunling swung again, hitting the same spot.
Lin Yuxin had already begun on her mother. She struck with enthusiasm, putting her whole body into each swing. Lin Qiaoxin laughed between gasps.
“Yes! That’s perfect! Right there! Harder!”
Lin Yuxin obliged. The board cracked against Lin Qiaoxin’s buttocks with increasing force, leaving a pattern of red and purple across the pale skin.
Shen Xingmian struck her mother with mechanical precision. Each stroke landed at a measured interval, same force, same spot. Shen Mengyue’s body trembled with each blow, but she did not make a sound. She had learned decades ago that crying only made the punishment last longer.
After the first fifty strokes, Lin Qiaoxin’s laughter had turned to hissing breaths. Her buttocks were a mess of angry red and dark purple. Beads of sweat rolled down her spine.
“Seventy more, mother,” Lin Yuxin said, her voice breathless from exertion.
“Hit harder,” Lin Qiaoxin growled. “I know you’re tired. Push through it.”
Lin Yuxin grit her teeth and swung harder.
By the time they reached one hundred strokes, Li Que’s buttocks were a deep, dark purple. She had stopped breathing through her nose and was now panting through her mouth. But she had not cried out. She would not give her daughter the satisfaction.
Li Yunling paused to rub her shoulder. “One hundred down. One hundred to go.”
“Keep going,” Li Que said. Her voice was strained. “Don’t stop until it’s done.”
Li Yunling resumed the punishment.
Lin Yuxin’s arm was beginning to ache, but she did not slow down. Her mother had taught her never to show weakness during a punishment. If the discipline was worth doing, it was worth doing properly.
The final strokes were the hardest. Lin Yuxin’s arm felt like lead, and each swing required every bit of strength she had left. But she grit her teeth and pushed through, delivering the last dozen strokes with as much force as the first.
When the two hundred strokes were complete, she dropped the board and flexed her aching fingers. “Done, mother.”
Lin Qiaoxin’s buttocks were a ruin of black and purple. The skin had broken in a few places, and thin lines of blood ran down her thighs. But she turned her head and smiled at her daughter. “Good girl. Now the whip.”
Lin Yuxin retrieved the whip from the rack. It was a slender implement, leather braided into a tight cord. She walked around to face her mother.
Lin Qiaoxin rolled onto her back and brought her knees up to her chest. She spread her legs wide, exposing everything. “Start with the lips. Then the hole. Make sure you cover both.”
Lin Yuxin brought the whip down.
The leather snapped against Lin Qiaoxin’s labia. She let out a sharp cry, her body arching off the ground. The pleasure mingled with the pain, sending a shock through her system that made her toes curl.
“Again,” she gasped.
Lin Yuxin struck again, this time across her mother’s clit. Lin Qiaoxin screamed, but it was not a scream of pain. Her hips bucked upward, seeking more.
Li Que had already rolled onto her back and spread her legs. Li Yunling stood over her with the whip, her expression cold.
“Hold still,” Li Yunling said.
“I am holding still,” Li Que snapped. “Just do it.”
Li
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