Lei Ming, who was particularly terrified of Wu Qingcheng, grinned and hurried over to say, "Qingcheng, why are you still awake? We went out for a walk because we were having trouble falling asleep."

Wu Qingcheng, on the other hand, berated them with a severe expression, asking, "Don’t you realise you almost caused a disaster?"

"Hehe! But we didn’t go out, Qingcheng. Please don’t be mad. This is nothing, let’s not tell Ye Liuyun about it!"

Lei Ming pleaded while swaying Wu Qingcheng’s arm.

Wu Qingcheng seriously asked, "Have you ever thought about why during the daytime, Liuyun only allowed Moma to go out and had to bring along two Demonic Wolves?"

"Why? Is it because they are the wolf clan?" Leiming asked confusedly.

Wu Qingcheng rolled her eyes at him as she explained, "That’s because some of you have unique bloodlines and auras that should not be exposed! Especially before those Beast Tribe!"

"If the two of you went out and exposed your auras, you would only lure in stronger adversaries. Then all our efforts these days would have been in vain! We would have no choice but to retreat immediately!"

"Have you not caused enough trouble for Ye Liuyun?"

"Liuyun always has his considerations while doing things," added Su Miaoyin. "Are you aware of his plan to act recklessly? If you ruin his plans, you will face grave consequences!"

It was only then that Lei Ming and Dragon Lady realized the magnitude of the trouble they might have caused if they had gone out.

Meanwhile, Scorch let out a silent sigh in her mind, lamenting how she was dragged into this mess by them both.

However, Su Miaoyin was right. If she had gone out and couldn’t find Ye Liuyun, she wouldn’t know what to do. She began to feel regretful now. It was fortunate that they were dragged back in the last minute.

Otherwise, they would be infuriating Ye Liuyun when he returned.

Seeing the three of them with their heads lying low in guilt, Wu Qingcheng didn’t feel like pressing the issue any further.

Suddenly, Ye Tiandao stormed in with a team of soldiers.

"What’s wrong?" Wu Qingcheng was taken aback by the surprise.

"The master has found out!" Ye Tiandao expressed apologetically.

"What?" Lei Ming’s voice faltered upon hearing what he announced.

"How did Liuyun find out?" Wu Qingcheng asked with a puzzled expression.

Ye Tiandao had to explain, "It was a breach of military law and had been reported by the guard!"

With a sigh, Wu Qingcheng accepted that there was nothing else she could do to salvage it. However, she was curious when she saw the soldiers behind Ye Tiandao.

"But why are you..?"

Ye Tiandao cleared his throat and announced, "The master ordered that for breaking military discipline, Scorch, Lei Ming, and Dragon Lady would each be lashed twenty times as a public warning. And are not... not allowed to wear armour or use genuine energy to resist!"

Most of them gasped in horror as they looked at Lei Ming and the others sympathetically.

After a long pause, Lei Ming finally replied, "It’s okay. We can handle the twenty lashes. It’s bearable."

"Er... The master also said that we should use Scorch’s eight-level Fiery Snake Whip, to be executed by soldiers..." When Ye Tiandao got to that point, he couldn’t go on with the decree.

Wu Qingcheng merely stared at Lei Ming and the other two.

Even with their strong physical build, twenty hits from an eight-level weapon like the Fiery Snake Whip would shred them to pieces.

Trembling, Scorch produced the Fiery Snake Whip. With a wave of Ye Tiandao’s hand, the soldiers behind her stepped forward to take the whip and simultaneously tied up the three of them before they pushed them out.

"Boom, boom, boom..." The military drums sounded from within the fortress, and all the soldiers gathered at once.

Thinking something serious had happened, the members of the Tiger Mercenary rushed out too. They were surprised to see everyone was out in the open.

In the limelight were three prominent figures, Lei Ming and the other two, being tied up on stakes. Each of them had a soldier standing at their side, holding the fiery snake whip in their hands.

"What in the world is going on? Are they spies?" Bucktooth asked Cao Meng in confusion.

Cao Meng shook his head, indicating he didn’t have any idea as well.

At this point, a platoon leader stepped forward and announced. "Scorch, Lei Ming, and Dragon Lady were caught trying to sneak out of camp in the dead of night, violating military discipline. They will each receive twenty lashes to serve as an example to the rest! Let the punishment commence at once!"

No sooner had he finished his statement, an executor stood before Scorch and swung the whip at her.

Following the loud snapping sound of the whip, a scream escaped Scorch’s lips. Her clothes were instantaneously stained by a strip of blood.

Each lash was followed by an agonizing scream from Scorch.

Twenty agonizing screams later, Scorch’s cries grew faint, her clothes now dyed scarlet from her blood.

The sight was too horrifying for most of them to look at.

Next up was Lei Ming. She resolved to grit her teeth and endure these twenty lashes without a single cry.

Yet, after only the first lash, she involuntarily wept out.

Upon contact with the skin, this Fiery Snake Whip which was covered in flames, could cause excruciating agony that went right to the bone.

Furthermore, it was evident that the soldier administering the punishment had extensive training, and every blow was accurate, penetrating through their cloth to hit the flesh. Hence, it did not tear their clothes to spare public humiliation, yet the pain caused was at its maximum.

Dragon Lady was the only one who managed to endure without uttering a cry. However, after twenty lashes, she passed out.

"Execution complete," announced the soldier. Wu Qingcheng immediately ordered to untie Lei Ming and the others, then carried them back to their dwelling to treat their injuries with Vital Waters.

Several women came to help. When they tore open their clothes and saw their bodies battered and bloody, they were all petrified.

However, these external injuries weren’t much when treated by Vital Waters. It would recover in no time.

Now that she was no longer in agony, Lei Ming began to describe how painful was the punishment to everyone.

"Don’t blame me! It was too painful. I wanted to endure and tried not to yell out. It’s all Scorch’s fault. She was the first to scream. If she had set a good example, I wouldn’t have embarrassed myself!" Lei Ming continued to blame Scorch.

Holding her own Fiery Snake Whip, Scorch said, "This item is such a treasure. I didn’t realize how hurtful it would be to whip someone!"

By now, Dragon Lady had also regained consciousness.

"How impressive! You didn’t make a squeak. I admire that of you!" Lei Ming praised the Dragon Lady.

"The pain was terrible! I struggled to keep in my scream! I would have probably roared or shown my true form if I had. I had no choice but to clench my teeth and take it!" Dragon Lady said.

"Hahaha! Here I was thinking you were so strong!" Lei Ming laughed.

Seeing that they had all recovered well, Wu Qingcheng spoke. "All of you, please give Liuyun some peace of mind in the future! Look what you’ve done to him! If he wasn’t genuinely angry, he wouldn’t have ordered the punishment."

"The situation at the frontier battlefield is already complicated enough. If you court trouble for him again, it could lead to worse consequences."

"I know. I’ll behave. I won’t cause trouble again! The whipping was too painful!" Lei Ming responded.

"It was all my fault!" Scorch also reflected.

Wu Qingcheng gave her advice, "We’ve all made mistakes, but when have you ever seen Liuyun hold a grudge on our past offences? At most, he mentioned it and then forgot about it. Why are you taking it to heart?"

"If he was the kind of person to bear a grudge, Lei Ming would have been ditched long ago!"

"Eh? Why use me as an example?" Lei Ming argued dissatisfiedly.

Wu Qingcheng laughed it off, "In fact, it’s you all messing around that’s causing him trouble. Hence angering him!"

After reflecting on their flaws and continued their conversation before returning to their dwellings to continue their cultivation.