Chapter Twenty-Five: The Method of Discipline with the Rod

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As soon as Liu Yunfei returned to the small building where he was staying, he received a call from the old king, inviting him over. “Ah, it seems I’m still too indulgent,” Liu Yunfei murmured, shaking his head.

When he entered the old king’s study, Liu Yunfei spoke first, “Your Majesty, are you feeling sorry for him?”

“Not really,” the old king replied, a bit embarrassed. “Perhaps I was too harsh? My grandson is the only one I have left, you know. My son passed away a few years ago.”

“Your Majesty, I wasn’t harsh at all. Do you know how hard he struck? He came at me with a knife. If it had been anyone else, they would be dead.”

“What? I didn’t know that. That beast,” the old king exclaimed, realizing that Awari hadn’t told the truth.

“You truly didn’t know? Then tell me, Your Majesty, where are his previous tutors?” Liu Yunfei pressed.

“Well, I didn’t tell you, but that’s exactly why I asked for your help,” the old king admitted, his face flushing. “Brother Yunfei, I’m truly sorry. I know you’re fearless—even bullets don’t frighten you—so what’s this to you, right?”

Seeing the king soften, Liu Yunfei continued, “In China, we have an old saying: ‘A strict hand makes a dutiful son, pampering breeds rebellion.’ It’s not entirely accurate, but Awari has reached a point where discipline is essential. He must learn that wrongdoings carry consequences. Do you really want Awari to grow into a cruel man? At this age, he already dares to stab people with a knife—what will he become as he grows older, a ruthless tyrant? If I’m to teach him, I must do what’s necessary. Only then can he be properly guided. If he gets away with it now, who will dare to correct him in the future? Today he stabs me, tomorrow he may stab you.”

The old king understood all this, but had never been able to bring himself to act decisively, nor had anyone dared speak to him as Liu Yunfei did.

Liu Yunfei saw the king still hesitating. “Your Majesty, do you trust me? I know my limits—I won’t harm him, nor strike him without cause. As long as he’s not too unruly, I’ll try to avoid it.”

“Very well, let’s do it this way. Only act if absolutely necessary; otherwise, focus on verbal guidance. I won’t interfere if you do need to discipline him. I’ll call him over and explain,” the old king finally decided.

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“No, don’t explain it to him. If you talk it over with him, he’ll remain unafraid. If he comes to you, you must firmly side with me—that’s the best way to educate a child,” Liu Yunfei insisted, though he himself was still little more than a child, telling others how to raise one.

Since the royal school was on holiday, Awari had few academic obligations. Each morning, he attended a lesson on the Quran, and Liu Yunfei accompanied him almost entirely. From the moment Awari woke up until he went to bed, Liu Yunfei was at his side. Liu Yunfei also tried to learn some Arabic, but with no teacher and the language proving difficult, he managed only a few basic greetings. Fortunately, Awari had behaved fairly well these past few days.

One morning, as Liu Yunfei sat with Awari during a Quran lesson, the white-robed elder was speaking:

A man once dined with the Prophet, forgetting to recite, “In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.” When only a morsel remained, he remembered and said, “In the beginning and the end of my meal, I invoke the name of Allah.” The Prophet laughed. Someone asked why, and he replied, “The devil Iblis dined with him the whole time. When he finally invoked Allah’s name, Iblis vomited all the food he had eaten.”

The Prophet said: When a person prepares to enter a room, Iblis follows. If he enters while reciting, “In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,” Iblis says, “I cannot enter.” If he does so when eating, Iblis says, “I cannot eat this food.” When drinking, Iblis says, “I cannot drink this beverage.” When sleeping, Iblis says, “There’s no place for me to sleep.” If he neglects to recite, then Iblis becomes his companion.

“Wait a minute!” Awari suddenly shouted, startling Liu Yunfei, who was dozing. “So if I recite ‘In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful’ right now, does that mean I won’t have to listen to your rambling?”

“You little devil, causing trouble again! Do you think you’re Iblis? Why not compare yourself to good people?” Liu Yunfei scolded him, giving him a light beating. Over the past days, this method had proven effective: whenever Awari misbehaved, Liu Yunfei would swiftly and lightly discipline him, leaving no room for retaliation. Awari had tried complaining to his grandfather several times, but it was useless.

“You bastard! How dare you hit me? That old man is just spouting nonsense—chanting a spell, it’s all rubbish. We, followers of the Sun Temple, only believe in the sunshine within our hearts. We believe in ourselves; everything is self-created. Unlike that white-bearded old man, who’s full of nonsense. A spell? It’s useless!” Awari taunted Liu Yunfei, dodging him and shouting as they played cat-and-mouse.

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“You make it sound reasonable, but what are the followers of the Sun Temple actually doing? Their words are noble, but their actions are despicable. That’s the deceptive part of the Sun Temple,” Liu Yunfei retorted.

“What are they doing? Saving our noble Arab people, rescuing Muslims. Look at the world—if not for some oil, Arabs would be like Palestinians, with no home at all.”

“I’ll beat you! Save, save, what nonsense! That’s not how you save people—your uncle and his men are kidnappers!”

“You’re lying! You’re tarnishing the sacred faith. I don’t believe you!” Awari shouted.

“If you don’t believe me, take me to confront them!” Liu Yunfei stopped.

“Tomorrow is the gathering day. I’ll take you, but you must promise—you’re only allowed to listen, not speak. Maybe you’ll be interested in our preaching,” Awari tried to recruit Liu Yunfei as a believer.

The next afternoon, Liu Yunfei followed Awari out of the palace. Outside, dozens of luxury sports cars were parked together, looking like an opulent car show. The engines roared from afar. Each car carried one or two Arab women, their faces veiled in black, but their figures and movements revealed them to be stunning beauties.

“Awari, haven’t seen you for days—did you find yourself a girlfriend?”

“Awari, I heard you’re under the control of some British mongrel and can’t leave the house?”

Listening to the comments of these Saudi aristocratic youths, Liu Yunfei frowned involuntarily. But he had promised Awari to keep silent, so after the servants brought their vehicle, he climbed inside. Awari kept watching Liu Yunfei with provocative eyes; when they were inside, Liu Yunfei jabbed Awari’s head: “Keep staring, I dare you.”