The Subtle Human Heart

"You should go back first. Tomorrow, this old man will visit with my disciple."

Ouyang Zheng found himself in a difficult position, roasted by Lu Wu-bing's words.

He couldn't agree to the request to take on a disciple, but he also couldn't refuse it.

He could only implicitly accept.

For a moment, his expression turned grim.

"Disciple, I take my leave."

Lu Wu-bing, on the other hand, was in a great mood. He didn't spare the sword manual another glance, clasped his hands in a bow, and happily left the inn.

"Good kid, he's really latched onto me!"

Ouyang Zheng could only chuckle wryly.

"Congratulations, Father! Congratulations, Father! You've received another excellent disciple on this trip down the mountain."

A young girl in a green dress entered the room, walking with her hands behind her back, and congratulated him with a grin.

Ouyang Zheng shook his head. "He's already sixteen, yet his internal energy is weak and his stance is unstable. It's clear his foundation was poorly laid. Now that his bones have set, even if he practices our Celestial Star Sect's sword techniques and internal arts, his achievements will be extremely limited. Especially if he gets involved in others' grudges, it will only lead to trouble..."

"Daughter has inquired these past two days. The Lu family of the Hall of Returning Spring is like a living Buddha to thousands. Lu Changfeng's medical skills are miraculous, and he's a truly good person who has helped countless poor villagers. The Eastern Sea Sword Sect, in order to seize the sword manual, actually tried to use force and destroy their home and family. They are truly fiendish and go against the principles of the martial world. Father, don't you always say that our Celestial Star Sect is righteous, that we uphold justice, and should help those in distress? If we encounter true injustice, how can we stand by and watch?"

"That's true, but the Eastern Sea Sword Sect is not weak. Their sect leader, Gu Dongting, is also a top figure in the martial world with profound cultivation, and he even has some connections with the Gong King Manor."

As he spoke, Ouyang Zheng sighed again. "The Celestial Star Sect is currently in turmoil. We have Violet Sun Peak coveting us from the outside, and your two uncles obstructing us from within. It's really not wise to make another powerful enemy. The Eastern Sea Sword Sect dominates Haizhou, is wealthy and powerful, and is adjacent to Celestial Star Peak. If they decide to cause trouble... alas, why am I telling you all this?"

Disturbed by his thoughts, Ouyang Zheng realized he had said a bit too much to his daughter.

Children are pure and passionate at this age. If he told her about the struggles and machinations of the martial world, she wouldn't understand and would instead bear a heavy burden.

"I'm already grown up."

Ouyang Lan puffed out her cheeks and rolled her eyes, displeased that her father still treated her like a child.

"I understand all of that. No matter what, the Eastern Sea Sword Sect's actions are not righteous, and I can't stand it. Besides, Lu Wu-bing isn't as bad as Father makes him out to be. His roots might not be great, but he's clever and righteous. When he saw a child in danger on the street, he risked his own low abilities to save them with all his might. How bad can someone like that be?"

Most importantly, she had only quietly given him a hint, and he had actually come knocking on their door. He could even find a way to make her father, who hadn't taken disciples in a long time, reluctantly accept him. This was too amazing.

"Clever, yes. I'm just afraid he's too clever, too calculating." Ouyang Zheng was speechless.

The world of adults was completely different from the world seen through a child's eyes.

His daughter had been pampered since childhood; she was still too young and couldn't see the wickedness of human hearts.

That young man was always three steps ahead, setting traps everywhere. In just a few brief exchanges, he had managed to stir the emotions of an old hand like himself. His calculating mind was simply unfathomable.

"Alright, since this matter has been decided, this old man won't go back on his word. Chongshan has already gone to Tiger Ridge to gather information. You and Yun Chong should keep a close eye on the Lu family tonight."

In the Lu family's backyard, Lu Changfeng suppressed his injuries and held his sword. "Cough, cough, Wu-bing's journey is fraught with peril. If, if..."

When he woke up from his coma, he had heard from his wife that something had been found in the cellar, and that his son had taken the sword manual to seek help. Such an action was no different from a child carrying gold through a crowded market, entrusting his life to the mercy of others.

After the Eastern Sea Sword Sect's surprise attack, Lu Changfeng not only deeply recognized the level of his own martial arts but also the treacherousness of the martial world and the deceitfulness of human hearts. At this moment, he couldn't help but overthink.

Chen Yulian sighed. "You, you always used to think too highly of others, without any defenses. Now you think too lowly of them, always suspicious. You should know that Mr. Ouyang of the Celestial Star Sect is known for his righteousness reaching the heavens. Wu-bing's trip will surely be successful."

"How so?" Seeing his wife calm and composed, her worries completely gone, Lu Changfeng's anxiety eased a little.

His wife came from a prominent family in Weijing and was known as a talented woman in her youth. Her insights were quite extraordinary. If she wasn't worried at all, could it be that Wu-bing's actions had a deeper meaning?

"When it comes to planning, strategies themselves are neither good nor bad. Success or failure simply depends on how one deals with people. Since Mr. Ouyang has a reputation for righteousness reaching the heavens, it can be assumed that his usual conduct is upright and that he cherishes his reputation."

Chen Yulian spoke eloquently.

"If the man is as his name suggests, with his chivalrous heart, when Wu-bing finds him, he naturally won't allow the Eastern Sea Sword Sect to slaughter innocents, nor will he take the sword manual and do nothing. If they try to seize it by force and refuse to help, he won't be able to live with himself. He also wouldn't be able to refuse the sword manual... Firstly, he wouldn't want to part with it. Secondly, if he were to sit by and do nothing, and Wu-bing secretly arranged for the manual to be printed and distributed throughout the land, wouldn't that throw the world into chaos and cause immense suffering? A kindhearted Mr. Ouyang, how could he allow such a thing to happen?"

"That's right. If Mr. Ouyang is truly as he appears, a great and virtuous elder, then it would be so. But if he..."

Lu Changfeng judged others by himself and realized that if he were in such a situation, he would indeed have no other choice.

Then he remembered that the sect leader of the Eastern Sea Sword Sect, Gu Dongting, also had a good reputation, yet he had committed the act of destroying a family and killing its members to seize a sword manual. His heart began to waver again.

Hearts are hidden, and reputation is often not the same as reality.

Who would have thought that his most respected and admired father would also lie?

It was outrageous!

Chen Yulian added, "My lord is worried that Mr. Ouyang might be greedy and not as benevolent as the martial world rumors suggest, that his true nature is evil. If he were evil, and had obtained a divine martial arts manual that could make him dominant for a generation, why would he let so many people practice the same sword technique? Wouldn't he want only himself to know it? Therefore, he would be more concerned about the Lu family's safety than anyone else, wishing only that our Wu-bing remains unharmed and doesn't take that final, desperate step."

As for whether our household had seen the sword manual, or had practiced it in secret, he wouldn't worry about that either.

After all, in his eyes, both the master and Wu-bing had never considered practicing such demonic cultivation sword manuals over the years; they were true gentlemen, tested and true."

As she said this, Chen Yulian looked at Lu Changfeng with a very complex expression.

"Enough, from now on, Wu-bing will be in charge of all major family matters. We will do as he says, and after he takes a master, we will close the Hall of Returning Spring in Jiangzhou and leave for Xiangzhou."

Lu Changfeng listened to these words, stunned for a long time, before letting out a carefree laugh.

The night was dim, and the torches lit by the guards cast a flickering red glow. In his ears, he heard a surprised shout from afar: "Young Master is back."

That night, Lu Wu-bing practiced his swordplay all night without a moment's rest.

Around midnight, he heard the clanging of swords and the sound of clothes rustling in the wind outside the manor. He also heard the roar of energy blasts from hundreds of feet away in the northwest corner, like thunder.

He faintly heard the waves of the sea crashing, the sound of the surf...

A long laugh reached his ears, "Sect Leader Gu, the night is cold and the wind is biting, please take care of yourself."

"What an impressive Myriad Phenomena Sky Net, I will remember this."

Another slightly sharp voice whistled away, gradually fading from hearing.

Lu Wu-bing was overjoyed.

From the sounds outside the manor, he could roughly guess what had happened.

He quickened his steps, climbed over his family's wall, and looked into the distance. He saw a familiar, slender figure flash in the thin moonlight before disappearing.

Near and far, traces of killing intent, faint and indistinct, vanished completely, as if they had never appeared.