Chapter 223 Punishment.
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Milly looked at Stephanie, who was kneeling in front of lier. If someone looked closely, he could see Stephanie’s hands gripping the cushion so tightly that her fingertips were turning white, her whole hands trembling slightly.
So, Stephanie could endure quite a bit!
It must be hard for her, considering how much she disliked Milly, yet now she had to kneel and bow to her. Stephanie must be fuming inside.
Sure enough, when Stephanie stood up, her face was as pale as a sheet, and she seemed about to collapse. Xavier quickly stepped forward to support her.
“Stephanie, are you alright?”
Stephanic forced a smile. “I’m fine, Xavier, Don’t worry. Don’t blame Milly; she didn’t mean it.”
Milly was caught in the crossfire.
As expected, Xavier shot a venomous glare at Milly, as if he was ready to skin her alive.
Milly snorted coldly. Stephanie had taken jabs at her before, and Milly could ignore her little tricks. But now, with Stephanie repeatedly insinuating that Milly was bullying her, did she think Milly was an easy targeti
Standing up and stepping forward, Milly looked down at Stephanie with cold eyes.
“From now on, address me as ‘Master Buddhism emphasises humility. I’ll forgive you this time, but you need to respect the hierarchy. Get it right next time, or the gods might punish you.”
Milly had already learned to fight fire with fire so quickly.
Stephanie’s face turned even paler. “You.
Milly’s words were like thorns piercing Stephanie’s heart, each one reminding her that Milly outranked
her.
Seeing Stephanie about to argue, Milly shot her a cold look. “Yes?”
She was using her position to intimidate.
Xavier, enraged, pulled Stephanie behind him and pointed angrily at Milly. “Don’t go too far! Stop using those sanctimonious excuses to bully Stephanie.”
Milly tilted her head, looking somewhat puzzled. “Oh? May I ask how I’ve bullied her?
“I am her Master. What’s wrong with her bowing to me? Besides, I’ve already said I’d forgive her this time and not pursue the matter. But if you disagree with my leniency, I’ll have to follow the Temple Law!”
Xavier’s chest heaved with anger. “You!!!”
Not giving them a moment to breathe, Milly turned to Karuna with a stern expression. “Master Karuna, according to the Temple Law, what is the punishment for a disciple disrespecting their senior?”
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Karuna hesitated. “Well….
He didn’t want to seem biased, but punishing a newly accepted disciple right away felt too harsh.
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“Serene’s actions were indeed inappropriate, but she just joined my sect and doesn’t yet know all the rules. Can we give her a chance? Buddhism teaches us to be forgiving.
Hearing this, Milly pressed her lips together.
She glanced at Stephanie, who seemed to have regained her composure. Seeing Karuna intercede for her. Stephanie visibly relaxed, as if confident she’d be let off.
How naive!
Milly’s eyes gleamed as she responded, “Master Karuna is right. Buddhism indeed reaches us to be forgiving
Stephanie breathed a deep sigh of relief.
“But…
Stephanie’s face turned pale, a sense of impending doom rushing to her mind.
“But, Master Karuna just saw it too. I did give her a chance just now and decided to forgive her. But it seems she doesn’t appreciate it and thinks it’s my fault. Would I harm her?
“As you said, Buddhism teaches us to be forgiving, but before that, there’s also strict self–discipline! If we are too lenient with ourselves, how can we uphold the teachings of Buddhism and deserve the gods blessings? It’s not about being lenient with oneself but about hindering one’s path in learning religion!
“Master Karuna, as elders, we should have more foresight than the disciples. They are young and ignorant. Shouldn’t we know better than Masters? This isn’t helping them but harming them!”
Her words were powerful, resonating intensely and causing even the opposing Karuna to take notice.
No wonder Nirvana insisted on taking Milly as his disciple; her insights were direct and sincere with every word.
Listening to her, Karuna felt a bit ashamed of himself.
“Okay, I’ve learned from this. You indeed have foresight.”
Then, she turned to Stephanie, shaking her head slightly with a hint of resignation. “Serene, go copy the Temple Law one hundred times as punishment.”
Xavier wanted to explain, but Stephanie stopped him.
A hint of resentment flashed in her eyes. Dmn Xavier, if not for him, I wouldn’t be stuck copying.
With over three hundred rules, copying a hundred times would take at least one night.
Stephanie gritted her teeth and reluctantly agreed. “Okay, Master.”
“Wait. A clear voice interrupted.
Milly sighed. “Well I’m just too kind–hearted to see my discinle suffer So for your first offence let’s
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reduce it a bit.”
Stephanie narrowed her eyes warily, clearly not trusting Milly’s apparent generosity.
“Alright, ninety–nine times then.”
Stephanie was fuming.
A hundred times versus ninety–nine, that was Milly’s idea of “reducing a bit.”
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As they were staying overnight at the Lotus Temple, the young monks had already cleaned several side halls for their rest.
Milly yawned widely, stretching her tired muscles. After a day of commotion, she was finally able to rest.
Just as she was about to take Apollo’s hand and head back to their room to sleep, she noticed Philip approaching with his cane not far away.
Milly squinted. Was he coming to defend Stephanie after seeing her punish her?
How petty.
Philip reached Milly’s side, his usually serious expression momentarily awkward and uncertain.
Seeming to hide something, he coughed lightly, and a barely noticeable attempt at friendliness crept onto his stiff face. “Um… Milly, would you come with me to pay respects to our ancestors on their tablets? It’s about introducing you to the Burnett family ancestors.”
Milly raised an eyebrow.
After all this time, this was the first time Philip had called her “Milly” Quite unusual.
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