Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan! Chapter 464 Kneel Properly

Bai Zihan gazed down at him briefly.

His face showed no alteration.

"Do it right,"

Bai Zihan stated evenly.

Yuan Jie's shoulders tensed up.

Bai Zihan's eyes dipped a bit, taking in the stiff posture, the tightly gripped hands, the lowered head that appeared more compelled than truly sorry.

"I sense no real remorse in what you said."

Yuan Jie's head jerked up just a touch, shock crossing his features.

(What?)

He was on his knees already.

He had offered his apology.

What else could Bai Zihan possibly demand?

His shame had hit its peak.

"Young Master Bai," Yuan Jie forced through gritted teeth, his tone quivering, "I have already-"

Bai Zihan lifted one hand.

Yuan Jie's speech cut off at once.

"If you're going to kneel," Bai Zihan went on, his voice gentle, "then do it correctly." His look had lost its detachment.

"Drop your head. Align your spine. Articulate your words."

"If you're apologizing, make it genuine."

Bai Zihan instructed as though the art of proper bowing was a lesson drilled in deeply.

Yuan Jie's breaths came unevenly.

This demand was outrageous.

He held the rank of a Soul Formation cultivator.

A key disciple.

And yet-

Not just made to kneel-

But now schooled in the proper way to kneel.

His sense of honor rebelled fiercely.

"I-"

His words faltered.

"I've owned up to my error. Young Master Bai, do you really need to push this much?"

A subtle grin curved Bai Zihan's mouth.

It failed to touch his gaze.

"You consider this pushing too far?"

The air in the arena chilled noticeably.

Still, Yuan Jie sensed a crushing weight bearing down on him like a peak.

"Who suggested the wager to begin with?"

Yuan Jie's mouth opened-but silence followed.

He regretted it deeply. Utterly.

"Give it another go," Bai Zihan instructed.

This was an order, not a choice.

Yuan Jie's thoughts shattered.

Another try?!

His embarrassment was already exposed to the whole sect!

He expects him to repeat it?

"This is too much!" Yuan Jie exploded, his voice shaking with fury and despair.

"I've honored my commitment!"

His stare whipped toward the supervising elder.

"Elder! You saw everything. I got down on my knees. I said sorry. I completed the bet!"

A few disciples shifted uncomfortably.

On paper-

He had done so.

The elder's forehead creased a little, obviously torn in his stance.

Before a word escaped him-

Bai Zihan's attention turned.

The slight grin vanished completely.

"I've stated your apology lacks true heart. Do it over!"

Yuan Jie's cheeks burned crimson.

His dignity broke.

"I already bowed!" he yelled roughly. "How much lower do you want me to

go?!"

The outburst rang out sharply across the arena.

Bai Zihan's face grew icy.

"You need to grasp this. When I tell you to retry-it's not regarding

your ego."

His stare fixed on Yuan Jie's shaking eyes.

"It's simply what's required of you."

Icy and relentless.

Yuan Jie's pulse thundered in his ears.

"You ought to realize the price of not upholding a bet as it should be."

Bai Zihan offered no further details.

He didn't have to.

Yuan Jie knew full well without explanation.

It wouldn't just be his honor shattered; his very existence hung in the balance if he didn't comply.

This was Bai Zihan. Crippled or not, his origins could make Yuan Jie wish he'd never existed.

His prior rebellion faded away.

His breaths grew faint.

The once-noisy spectators fell completely silent.

They watched and anticipated.

Yuan Jie's defiance crumbled entirely.

Gradually-

His back curved once more.

Deeper this time.

Both knees dug into the floor.

His palms spread flat on the rock.

His brow lowered until it met the fractured stage.

On this attempt-

No rigidity remained.

No pretended superiority.

Just raw dread. "... Young Master Bai," he murmured, his tone quaking wildly.

"I acted with hubris and disrespected Young Master Bai. I wronged you."

His forehead ground firmer against the stone.

"Please, I earnestly plead for your pardon."

The statement came out crisp.

Not booming.

Yet impossible to ignore.

Doubts about his honesty vanished now.

For it stemmed from sheer fright.

Quietness hung heavy.

Yet Bai Zihan found this effort lacking too.

"Once more," Bai Zihan declared.

"What?!"

Yuan Jie stared in stunned horror.

Still, he held no ground to deny the one empowered to end him and his entire family.

He bowed anew.

"Once more!"

"Once more!"

At the start, it amused; soon, it evoked sorrow.

Even former victims of Yuan Jie's torments felt compassion for his plight.

Truly, greater oppressors always exist.

Only after countless repetitions of Yuan Jie's bows did Bai Zihan at last approve.

"Well done! At last, I detect the genuine remorse. I trust you won't repeat the error."

Yuan Jie lay drained, past fretting over the shame paraded before all.

"...Gratitude for your mercy, Young Master Bai!"

His tone rasped.

Hollow.

Bai Zihan eyed him shortly, then averted his look as if the issue meant nothing anymore.

"Kong Zhanhong," he uttered steadily, pivoting a fraction.

Kong Zhanhong, Fei Ling, and Yun Qingmei stood ready, awaiting Bai Zihan.

Kong Zhanhong drew himself up promptly. "Young Master?"

"Time to depart!"

That simply.

As if the recent events were merely a fleeting episode.

Kong Zhanhong agreed without delay.

"Yes!"

The audience gradually roused once more.

Murmurs rippled outward.

Fei Ling sensed a shiver run down her back.

"True to form, Bai Zihan, you're utterly wicked."

Bai Zihan halted.

Turned a bit.

"Wicked?"

He echoed, a hint of humor in his tone. "What wrong did I commit? I didn't

push him into the bet."

His glance skimmed briefly over Yuan Jie, who remained prostrated on the stage like a broken doll.

"He chose it, and I simply granted his desire."

Fei Ling rolled her eyes, baffled at Bai Zihan's bold audacity in saying so.

Yun Qingmei interjected softly, her words gentle.

"Fei Ling, he earned this treatment."

Her gaze wandered to Yuan Jie.

"Countless outer disciples suffered his humiliations. He merits no pity."

She gave a subtle shake of her head.

"It's pure retribution."

Fei Ling stayed silent.

She recognized Yun Qingmei's point.

Even so, wasn't the severity a touch overdone?

Yun Qingmei's face altered faintly as a new concern arose.

"...Han Shewu won't take this quietly," she murmured, pitching her voice low. "Yuan Jie belongs to his circle. With this defeat-and such disgrace-he might step in."

A subtle strain crept back into their surroundings.

Lin Xuan's features tightened right away. Sure enough, with his subordinate bested, he'd surely act personally.

That said, he felt assured he could manage even Han Shewu in person.

But Sect Leader Han loomed behind, posing a real challenge.

Bai Zihan merely sneered.

"Step in?"

A trace of scorn laced his words.

"I doubt he dares tangle with my allies."

He resumed his stride, garments fluttering softly per step.

"No need for concern over it."

His assurance rang unshakeable.

Though Fei Ling harbored reservations, she figured it wasn't her burden to carry.

After several paces, Bai Zihan stopped once more, eyeing the sect gateway.

"Xueqing and Chu Ziyan must have reached here already."

His tone warmed a shade at their names.

"We can't leave them hanging. Let's move!"