That Fair-Faced 'Sage' {Completed}

20. Eighty Lashes!

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The spectators in the shadowed seats of the punishment hall, watched as Zhao LanFeng was bound in the centre of the stage.

Up in the seats, Zhao ChaoYun couldn't bare to watch.

'A-Liu! Please be strong!' He had protested the punishment as best he could, but the other Clan leaders had outvoted him!

Clan Leader Shuǐ, who had first suggested the idea, had suggested a measly thirty strokes, but between the back and forth arguments, especially by Kong JuLong, it had somehow climbed to eighty strokes!

"Clan Leader Zhao, you are rarely involved with the Wulin, so you may not know this. The High Grandmaster will accept nothing less!" Kong JuLong had stated.

"This can be considered a 'slap on the wrist', considering Zhao LanFeng's crime!" Wong FuHeng put in. "It's only because he has such a small figure, that you think the punishment is too much!"

"Exactly! You yourself see why I am worried! Shouldn't we give a sentence more befitting to LanFeng's size?!" Zhao ChaoYun had attempted to protest further, but Kong JuLong had thundered,

"Clan Leader Zhao! Your Grand nephew's crime is not 'befitting to his size'! Is destroying two ruling clans, and killing so many people, a joke?! We know now that a lot of them were guilty, but what about the few innocent people, who stood in his way, those two nights?!

"We a being lenient, because we know they crossed his bottom line, and we also need to study the case further! And besides, Zhao LanFeng's size is the reason I didn't suggest the rigid bamboo or the paddle! Wouldn't he die from those?!"

Zhao ChaoYun had fallen silent after that, and at present, he scowled at a few of the other Clan Leaders, who were carrying out a bet.

"Someone as skinny as this... Ten gold pieces that he cries out before thirty strokes!" Wong FuHeng held out his hand, and a gold certificate appeared.

"Please! He destroyed two clans... I'll bet thirty gold pieces that he doesn't cry at all!" Wei Zhu Qing joined in, patting her elegant, graying updo.

"I'll bet fifteen, that he loses consciousness before fifty lashes!" Another put in, and  yet another joined in to say,

"That would be boring! If he losses consciousness, we'll all have to wait here till they revive him and we can continue!"

That statement made Wang FeiYang turn extremely white-faced, as he sat a short distance from them.

Zhao LanFeng had saved him from the hole he had been sinking into for most of his life, and now he had to watch him go through this?!

FeiYang fisted his hands, wishing he had been strong enough to save Zhao LanFeng completely, but he was just grateful it wasn't the death sentence...

Shuǐ ChangSheng also looked down  toward the centre of the hall. His face bore no expression, but inside, he was a bit worried. He had suggested only thirty lashes, but the other clan leaders had raised it to eighty!

All he had been able to do, was promise Zhao ChaoYun that he would put an end to it, if Zhao LanFeng's life was in any danger.

Off to one side, Zhou ZhuFeng watched as well, and he slammed a fisted hand on his lap.

'Zhao LanFeng should have died nineteen years ago!' He raged internally. 'Why appear now and make things difficult?! After everything he said during the hearing, all eyes will now be on the Zhou family!'

He glared at Zhao LanFeng with pure hatred...

Down in the centre, LanFen looked up toward Zhou ZhuFeng, and her eyes stared straight into his, though she couldn't see him.