Zheng Niangzi shot to her feet and hurried out. "How could the Eldest Young Master have gone berserk in the Great Refectory?"
"Who knows? There wasn't any warning. It was during peak dining hours, so there were a lot of people. When the Eldest Young Master lost control, he terrified the disciples eating, and they all rushed out, but they ended up blocking the exit, and no one could get out. It was a dreadful scene," the reporting disciple said with a somber expression. "Should I call for more people to help?"
"Xiao Qin, take a few people with you and come with me to the Great Kitchen. You've worked in the Great Kitchen before, so you're familiar with the area."
"Understood, Zheng Niangzi." Xiao Man immediately gathered a few people and followed Zheng Niangzi to the Great Kitchen.
When Xiao Man and his group arrived, disciples were still being carried out, some injured. Many more lay inside, their lives uncertain, while the sect's physicians desperately tried to save them.
Xiao Man followed Zheng Niangzi, stepping over pools of blood as they entered. The cooks and laborers in the Great Refectory were stunned, huddled in corners, their faces etched with terror and helplessness.
"Pull yourselves together! Help carry the living out for treatment, and the dead out for proper placement." Zheng Niangzi's loud voice proved effective, jolting the frightened people back to their senses. They shakily stood up. Witnessing the bloody scene, many couldn't help but vomit, but they had to summon their courage and help the laborers carry out the bodies.
Meanwhile, the elders of the Disciplinary Hall had pinned the Eldest Young Master to the ground. His eyes were bloodshot, and despite his fierce struggles, he seemed to have lost all reason.
Zheng Niangzi calmly directed the unharmed personnel in the Great Kitchen to help move the bodies and clean up. The elders of the Disciplinary Hall dragged the Eldest Young Master out.
Xiao Man stood by the entrance, watching the Eldest Young Master who appeared deranged. A faint, cunning gleam flashed in his eyes. No wonder Yue Ran had gone berserk in front of others multiple times; it was clear the Eldest Young Master's medicine was potent.
As the elders of the Disciplinary Hall dragged the Eldest Young Master to the entrance, he suddenly broke free from their grasp and lunged at Xiao Man, his expression suggesting he intended to kill him!
"Xiao Qin, be careful!" Zheng Niangzi threw the large iron ladle in her hand without hesitation, striking the Eldest Young Master squarely on the head. At the same time, Xiao Man delivered a kick that hit the Eldest Young Master in his most sensitive spot!
The Eldest Young Master, who had gone berserk and killed indiscriminately, did not succumb to the restraining techniques of the elders of the Disciplinary Hall, nor to Zheng Niangzi's iron ladle. Instead, he was struck in a vital area by Xiao Man's kick and fainted from the pain!
The elders of the Disciplinary Hall looked at the Eldest Young Master lying on the ground, then at Xiao Man, who looked innocently bewildered. They intended to take him away as well, but Zheng Niangzi, being protective, stepped forward to shield Xiao Man.
"Elders, you should hurry and take the Eldest Young Master away. Look at this place! If he wakes up and goes mad again, what if he harms someone else?"
The elders of the Disciplinary Hall glanced at Xiao Man and then, supporting the unconscious Eldest Young Master, they departed.
Zheng Niangzi patted her chest. "You scared me to death! I thought you were done for."
"Zheng Niangzi, you're amazing!" Xiao Man gave her a thumbs-up. "You knocked the Eldest Young Master out!"
Zheng Niangzi gave Xiao Man a strange look and, after a long pause, managed to say, "Likewise. I suppose we'll both be on his bad side now."
The Eldest Young Master had always cultivated an image of being respectful to the virtuous and wise, steady, and amiable. However, this berserk episode in the Great Refectory had destroyed years of effort. His rare loss of control had caused more damage than the infamous Young Sect Master.
When the Eldest Young Master regained consciousness, he found himself confined in the Hall of Punishment. Standing before him was an elder of the Hall of Punishment, whose face was perpetually devoid of emotion. Regardless of who the offender was or their status, impartiality was maintained.
"Yue Zhong, you went berserk in the Great Refectory, injuring and killing hundreds of disciples, turning the Great Refectory into a river of blood. Do you know your offense?" The elder of the Hall of Punishment's voice was cold and steady, utterly professional.
The Eldest Young Master looked at his hands, stained with blood. His clothes were unrecognizable, hinting at the horrific scene. But why had he lost control?
"Elder Huo, I have been framed."
"Yue Zhong, countless people witnessed you slaughtering in the Great Refectory, causing immense damage. Do you have any explanation for this?" Elder Huo reprimanded coldly. "As a direct descendant, to lose control and arbitrarily kill fellow disciples is a grave offense."
The Eldest Young Master's expression became flustered. "Elder Huo, someone set a trap for me! Someone must have poisoned my food!"
Elder Huo's expression grew colder. If the Eldest Young Master had eaten alone, then poisoning was possible. However, the Eldest Young Master had eaten in the Great Refectory. If he had truly been poisoned, others would have been affected. Furthermore, when they apprehended the Eldest Young Master, they had him examined, and he showed no signs of poisoning, only a simple loss of control.
"Yue Zhong, your crime of injuring and killing fellow disciples is heinous. According to sect rules, you will receive one hundred lashes and be sent to Reflection Cliff for half a year!"
Upon hearing this, the Eldest Young Master became anxious. Reflection Cliff was no place for the living. Without food or water, it was designed to train their clan's ability to endure and suppress inner rage. Yet, he had always managed to suppress it well. Why had it erupted so suddenly?
"Elder Huo, was I the only one who went berserk?" The Eldest Young Master finally sensed something was wrong. According to his calculations, Yue Ran should have been the one going berserk and harming people at this time. But because he himself had lost control in the Great Refectory, he had no time to execute his plan. Now, Yue Ran was trapped in the formation. Even if he went berserk, he couldn't harm anyone.
"Do you wish for more people to go berserk?" Elder Huo retorted coldly. "Do you think the damage you caused isn't enough?"
"No, Elder Huo, I was truly framed. I have always controlled my emotions, enduring and restraining myself. I wouldn't lose control for no reason..."
"I do not look at the reasons, only the results. The result is that you went berserk in the Great Refectory, injuring and killing countless disciples. Among them, over two hundred outer disciples, over a hundred inner disciples, and over a hundred laborers were harmed, a total of more than five hundred casualties caused by you alone." Elder Huo ordered the guards to escort the Eldest Young Master out and chained him. "One hundred lashes, and then to Reflection Cliff."
The biting cold of the iron whip struck his body, pain piercing to the bone. The Eldest Young Master let out a shrill scream, but this was only the beginning. The direct descendants of the Heavenly Sword Sect learned the Phoenix Fire Technique from childhood. While it greatly enhanced their offensive power, it had a flaw: it made their temperament fiery and prone to losing control. To overcome this, they had to learn the Cold Moon Technique to help them suppress their inner fire.