" Gray immortal" [] WWxNH []The untamed.

6:The cost of Defiance

*Chapter 6: The Cost of Defiance*

The carriage ride back to Lotus Pier was unusually quiet. Wei Ying sat beside Jiang Cheng, his head resting against the wooden frame as he stared out at the passing landscape. The cultivation conference had come to an end, and with it, the storm Wei Ying had narrowly avoided.

But the weight of Wen Ruohan’s words still lingered in his mind. His encounter with the leader of the Wen sect had left a mark—one that wouldn’t fade easily. And yet, it wasn’t Wen Ruohan’s dark aura or his thinly veiled threats that gnawed at Wei Ying.

It was the silence from Jiang Fengmian and the icy coldness of Madam Yu that awaited him at home.

As the gates of Lotus Pier came into view, Wei Ying couldn’t shake the tension building inside him. It was as if something heavy and foreboding hung in the air, and he had no doubt it had to do with Madam Yu. Jiang Cheng had already reported what happened at the conference, and Wei Ying knew it wouldn’t take long for her to confront him.

The moment they entered Lotus Pier, Madam Yu was waiting. Her eyes, sharp and unforgiving, zeroed in on Wei Ying with such intensity that he felt a chill run down his spine. Jiang Fengmian was there too, standing silently at her side, his expression unreadable.

“Wei Wuxian,” Madam Yu’s voice was like the crack of a whip. “Come forward.”

Wei Ying straightened, doing his best to appear calm as he stepped forward. He could feel Jiang Cheng’s gaze on him—worried but silent.

“*I heard about what happened at the conference,*” Madam Yu continued, her voice laced with fury. “*Standing up to Wen Ruohan? Challenging a sect leader? Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused us?*”

Wei Ying opened his mouth to respond, but Madam Yu cut him off with a sharp glare.

“*You think you’re clever, don’t you? You think you can act recklessly and get away with it because my husband has taken a liking to you?*” Her words dripped with venom, and Wei Ying could feel the sting of each one. “*You are nothing but trouble, Wei Wuxian. And I will not have you dragging this sect down with your foolishness.*”

Jiang Fengmian, as usual, said nothing. His silence was deafening, and for the first time, Wei Ying felt the ache of it deep in his chest.

“If it weren’t for my husband’s soft heart, you’d have been thrown out long ago,” Madam Yu sneered, her hand tightening around the handle of her whip, Zidian. “*But I won’t let you tarnish the Jiang family’s reputation. Not anymore.*”

Before Wei Ying could react, Zidian lashed out, the purple lightning cracking through the air. Pain exploded across his back, but Wei Ying gritted his teeth, refusing to cry out. He had been disciplined by Zidian before, but this time, the blows felt different—harsher, more personal.

One stroke, then another, and another. The searing pain coursed through his body, but Wei Ying stood his ground. He wouldn’t give Madam Yu the satisfaction of seeing him break.

Jiang Fengmian’s silence was the worst part. He stood there, watching, as Zidian continued to strike, his face impassive. Wei Ying’s heart clenched. He had always looked up to Jiang Fengmian, loved him like an uncle, but now...now it felt as though that love was one-sided.

After the twentieth strike, Madam Yu finally stopped. Wei Ying’s body was shaking from the pain, but he remained silent, his breath ragged. Madam Yu looked at him with disgust, her eyes cold and unforgiving.

“*I hope you’ve learned your lesson,*” she spat, turning on her heel and walking away.

Jiang Fengmian, still silent, approached Wei Ying. For a moment, Wei Ying dared to hope that he would say something, anything, to comfort him. But instead, Jiang Fengmian’s voice was low, distant.

“*Make sure you don’t bring any trouble to my children,*” he said quietly before walking away, leaving Wei Ying standing there, his heart shattered.

---

Are you enjoying this book???