Xiao Jietian stared down at Hu Jia in genuine astonishment. He truly had not expected that a mere increase in force — scarcely more than before — would elicit such an earth-shattering reaction. Had he unwittingly triggered some hidden meridian or secret acupoint?
At this moment, Hu Jia's mind had completely collapsed into blankness. She had even forgotten to struggle.
What… what was that sound just now? Had she… had she truly made that noise?!
That absolutely could not be a sound befitting Hu Jia — the unrivaled Little Enchantress of Jia Nan Academy, feared and admired by countless peers!
A tidal wave of shame crashed over her heart.
The flush that had begun as mere anger from being hoisted by the collar now transformed into an indescribable blaze of humiliation and fury. Her face burned as though scorched by heavenly fire; her skin prickled hot and unbearably itchy.
It's over… I've lost all face. Never in my life have I been so humiliated. And right in front of Xiao Jietian… my image is utterly ruined. I'm done. Let everything burn.
All Hu Jia wanted now was to curl into a ball and vanish into the nearest crack in the earth.
Inwardly she cursed with venom: It's all that bastard Xiao Jietian's fault — that rogue, that scoundrel!
While she played the ostrich, burying her head in denial, an odd sensation crept over her — as though something were gently crawling across her skin. She turned her head slightly toward the source.
There — a large, warm palm still rested shamelessly upon her rear. Worse still, the fingers were moving — lightly, rhythmically, almost as though playing the strings of an invisible zither, tracing up and down with deliberate slowness.
Hu Jia's already crimson face instantly blazed scarlet. The accumulated shame reached its breaking point and detonated.
"Ahhh—!!!"
Rage ignited within her like dry tinder struck by lightning. Like a cornered little beast, she let out a cry that was seven parts shyness and three parts wrathful indignation.
Her suspended body thrashed wildly, attempting to lunge at Xiao Jietian's face — but it was futile. His iron grip held her effortlessly aloft.
"Xiao Jietian, you bastard! I'll bite you to death!"
She clawed and pulled desperately at the hand restraining her, yet without Dou Qi she was no more threatening than a newborn kitten facing a grown tiger.
Riiip—
A faint, ominous sound of tearing fabric drifted through the air.
Though soft, in the empty silence of the hall it rang clear and unmistakable.
Hu Jia's heart clenched. Her frantic struggles ceased at once. She knew — if this continued, her garments would be the first casualty, and she would soon be half-exposed in the most mortifying way imaginable.
She stilled. Then, lifting her head, she gazed up at him with wide, pitiful eyes, voice trembling and soft:
"Please… please put me down, okay? Big bad Xiao Jietian… no, big good person Xiao Jietian…"
"You were about to call me 'big bad guy,' weren't you?"
Hu Jia shook her head frantically.
"No, no! How could you possibly be a bad guy? You're the best — the most handsome, the most powerful…"
Yet inwardly she sneered: A wise woman knows when to bend and when to stand firm. Revenge is a dish best served cold — even if it takes ten years.
Xiao Jietian felt the moment had ripened. As for this unexpected "scenic view," he much preferred Hu Jia to offer it willingly, of her own initiative.
With deliberate gentleness he lowered her to the ground.
But the instant her feet touched the floor, Hu Jia's true nature erupted.
But I'm not some wise woman — I'm a petty little woman! Revenge must be taken the same day; I cannot endure even one night of grievance!
She sprang forward like a released spring. Her legs clamped around Xiao Jietian's waist in a fierce lock; without hesitation she lunged and sank her small tiger fangs into his shoulder.
She had expected him to yelp in pain — yet the moment her teeth met flesh, it felt as though she had bitten solid profound iron.
Not even the slightest indentation formed. Instead her own jaws ached fiercely.
"So hard… are you made of metal?!" she mumbled resentfully around the mouthful of unyielding muscle.
Xiao Jietian chuckled low in his throat.
His physique had been tempered by the Five Elements Heavenly Lightning; every inch of him was harder than divine steel. She would encounter something even more unyielding in due time.
In his present state, even a Dou Huang could strike him with full power and fail to leave a mark.
"That's only because your strength is too weak." He cast a disdainful glance at the girl still rubbing her sore mouth. "It seems you truly lack any honesty. You struck first — now it's my turn to counter."
The words sent a chill racing up Hu Jia's spine. A terrible premonition bloomed.
She immediately tried to pull away — but Xiao Jietian's grip froze her in place, unmovable as a mountain.
She put on her most pitiful expression, blinking up at him with watery eyes in a final, desperate bid to escape punishment.
Xiao Jietian ignored it completely.
He had just been pondering how to test his earlier suspicion; he had not expected the opportunity to arrive so swiftly — delivered straight to his door.
Raising his hand once more, he brought it down with the same measured force — striking the exact same spot, perhaps even a fraction lower, where the skin was thinnest and most sensitive.
Whack!!
Hu Jia's entire body tensed like a drawn bowstring. A sharp blend of pain and electric numbness exploded across her rear. Her mind buzzed, vision blurring into white.
"You… you…" Her lips quivered violently; the sting made her voice tremble beyond control.
Before she could finish, the second palm descended — same place, same merciless precision.
"Waaah—!"
This time Hu Jia could no longer hold back. A short, sharp cry burst from her throat — the sound of a kitten whose tail had been cruelly stepped upon.
She glared at him with tear-filled indignation and lunged again, sinking her teeth into the side of his neck.
This time Xiao Jietian deliberately lowered his defenses just enough — giving her an outlet for her anger, lest she truly burst from pent-up grievance.
His hand continued to fall. Crisp, rhythmic slaps echoed through the empty hall, one after another, relentless yet controlled.
"Mmm… aow…"
Under this absolute, overwhelming suppression — the smarting pain in her rear, the dizzying numbness in her mind, the multi-layered assault on body and spirit — Hu Jia's resistance melted away like spring snow beneath blazing sun.
With each successive strike her body could only manage instinctive, powerless twitches.
Her small hands clutched desperately at the back of his robe, fingertips trembling uncontrollably — clenching, releasing, clenching again. From her throat came only broken, involuntary sobs and whimpers of mingled pain and mortification.
Even the teeth sunk into his shoulder gradually slackened, the bite turning feeble.
After the tenth resounding slap, Hu Jia seemed to have spent every last ounce of strength. She collapsed limply against him — drenched in cold sweat, utterly disheveled, as though she had been dragged from a river.
"Stop… stop hitting me anymore!"
Her voice emerged weak and pleading, barely above a whisper.
Xiao Jietian had already confirmed his hypothesis. He withdrew his hand at last and smiled faintly.
"Let's see if you dare bite me again next time."
Hu Jia shook her head feebly, eyes brimming with shame, indignation, and lingering shyness.
"I won't dare… I won't dare anymore…"
Yet inwardly she seethed: Admit fault readily — but never truly change.
Xiao Jietian paid no mind to her inner defiance. In any case, controlling her had become far simpler now.
A gentle green radiance bloomed in his palm. He placed it lightly upon the slightly swollen, reddened curves he had just disciplined.
The verdant life-force flowed in, swiftly soothing the smarting heat and dispersing the lingering ache.