Ruthlessly Crushing a Flower

Deep in the nameless mountains, where the scenery was beautiful and the waters clear, stood a wooden Sword Cottage built from trees and bamboo. It was not large, but it was elegant.

Yang Shuzi sat upright in the main hall, his expression stern and his posture meticulous, like an old-school teacher who never tolerated sloppiness.

Wang Shu stood beside Yang Shuzi, looking at the two children standing below: Lu Linxuan and Li Xingyun.

Today was their apprenticeship ceremony. Wang Shu had already entered the sect while they were on the road, so he did not need to go through it again.

"Kneel!" Yang Shuzi barked sternly.

Li Xingyun and Lu Linxuan both dropped to their knees and said together, "Greetings, Master."

"Having accepted another's request, I must fulfill it loyally. Since you two have entered my sect, I will treat you equally."

Yang Shuzi's expression remained calm. His gaze fell upon Lu Linxuan and softened as he continued:

"Xuan'er, tell me, why do you wish to learn martial arts?"

"Of course it's to avenge my father, then become a heroine who upholds justice," Lu Linxuan answered without hesitation.

"Mm, not bad. Filial piety comes first among all virtues."

Yang Shuzi nodded repeatedly, then turned to Li Xingyun and asked, "Xingyun, why do you wish to learn martial arts?"

"To take revenge. To avenge the old servant, and those people who slaughtered my entire family. I won't let a single one of them go."

Li Xingyun was still a child, after all, and did not conceal the hatred he harbored toward his enemies.

"Hmph. Your hostility is far too heavy. Read medical books for two years first and temper your character."

Displeasure appeared on Yang Shuzi's face. Thinking of the boy's identity, if he learned martial arts in the future, would he not become a menace?

However, he did not show it. He said, "Xuan'er, Xingyun, Shu'er entered the sect before you, so from now on, he is your senior brother.

"Xuan'er, if there is anything you do not understand about martial arts, you may first ask Shu'er. If he cannot answer, then ask me."

"Master, what about me?" Realizing that his earlier words had angered his master, Li Xingyun asked pitifully.

Yang Shuzi answered Li Xingyun by tossing a copy of the Treatise on Cold Damage from the table.

Seeing this, Lu Linxuan covered her little mouth and giggled nonstop.

Yang Shuzi shook his head and headed outside.

Seeing this, Wang Shu also prepared to leave. For him now, increasing his strength was what mattered most.

"Senior Brother Shu, Master said I could ask you whenever I encountered something I did not understand. Is that alright?" Lu Linxuan ran over, looking at Wang Shu expectantly with her little face.

"Of course." Wang Shu smiled. Little Lu Linxuan was truly adorable.

"Senior Brother Shu, what about me?" Li Xingyun refused to be left behind and asked with the same hopeful expression.

"Junior Brother, a minor physician heals people; a great physician saves the world. Master is doing this for your own good by having you study medicine first!" Wang Shu said with a smile.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother."

After hearing that, Li Xingyun's smile stiffened considerably, though inwardly he was miserable. He thought:

Hmph, every one of you is hiding something. Fine, if you won't teach me, then you won't teach me. Do you think I can't secretly learn it myself?

Naturally, Wang Shu did not know what Li Xingyun was thinking. Even if he had known, it would not have mattered.

He was just a child. How could he understand the painstaking intentions of adults?

The following days were peaceful. Other than training, there was only training. And because the Azure Lotus Sword Song was so formulaic, Wang Shu had no difficulty understanding it at all. What he lacked was simply deeper internal energy.

001 had not triggered a Traffic Pack mission for a long time. Wang Shu was somewhat anxious, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Time passed leisurely like flowing water, and half a year went by in the blink of an eye.

These days had been very peaceful. Of course, Lu Linxuan came to Wang Shu every day to ask about martial arts while Li Xingyun secretly watched from the side, and Yang Shuzi turned a blind eye.

But that peace was shattered today...

"Ding. Traffic Pack Program Four has been randomly generated. Implant it?" 001's long-absent voice sounded.

"Yes," Wang Shu answered without hesitation.

"Traffic Pack Four is being implanted. Concept conversion: Ruthlessly Crushing a Flower. Accept Lu Linxuan's challenge and defeat her. Defend the dignity of being the senior brother. Time limit: one incense stick. Upon completion, randomly receive one Traffic Pack. Data synchronization: eight percent."

"???"

"Ruthlessly crushing a flower? Lu Linxuan's challenge?" Wang Shu looked confused.

At that moment, hurried footsteps sounded, and Lu Linxuan came running over, panting heavily.

"What happened, Junior Sister?" Wang Shu asked, feigning surprise.

"Senior Brother Shu, I've recently encountered a bottleneck in my martial arts, but I can't figure out how to break through no matter how much I think about it," Lu Linxuan said.

"Oh? That's strange. Then why are you running so urgently, Junior Sister?" Wang Shu asked.

"Master told me that when I encounter a martial arts bottleneck, I only need to cast aside all concerns, empty my mind, and fight a great battle."

Lu Linxuan replied, but a trace of cunning flashed through her bright eyes.

"Oh, Junior Sister, do you want to challenge me?" How could Wang Shu still fail to understand what Lu Linxuan was trying to imply?

"Not at all. Xuan'er merely wishes to spar with Senior Brother." Lu Linxuan put on an innocent and harmless expression.

If Wang Shu had not known this spoiled young lady's personality, he might truly have been fooled by her harmless appearance.

Although Lu Linxuan looked cute and sweet, her temperament was exceedingly devious.

In the original story, Li Xingyun had been completely dominated by his junior sister early on. He did not dare resist and submitted beneath her tyrannical might, with no say in anything at all.

Of course, that might also have had something to do with Li Xingyun, that fickle womanizer, harboring a tiny fantasy about his junior sister.

Now that they had been at the Sword Cottage for over half a year, how could Lu Linxuan possibly submit to someone else given her temperament?

Though she was small, it did not stop her from being determined to become the boss. So she had trained hard for half a year, and in the end, she set her sights on Wang Shu.

"A spar? She probably wants to use me to establish her authority." Wang Shu could not help but laugh. He saw through Lu Linxuan's thoughts at a glance.

So he said, "Since Junior Sister wishes to break through her bottleneck, then as your senior brother, I naturally have a responsibility to help."

If he did not seize this Traffic Pack that had practically been delivered to his doorstep, it would be an offense against heaven itself. There was no difficulty at all!

"Then Senior Brother, you'd better be careful. I'm attacking!"

Lu Linxuan took out a wooden sword, and her eyes suddenly turned sharp. She spun two or three beautiful flourishes through the air and struck a cool pose.

"Junior Sister, go!" Li Xingyun, who had appeared from somewhere, lay prone in the grass beside the Sword Cottage and cheered loudly.

Seeing this, Lu Linxuan smiled smugly. She rotated the wooden sword with her wrist, creating streaks of sword shadows in the air as she attacked.

"Wow, so cool!" Li Xingyun exclaimed in admiration.

This seemingly flashy sword technique was riddled with openings in Wang Shu's eyes—beautiful but useless.

He did not even need to activate Insight Mode. He could pinpoint the flaw and finish her with one strike.

Wang Shu's figure flickered, shifting between illusion and reality. A wooden sword suddenly appeared in his hand, and he swung it forcefully.

The sword contained tremendous force. With a crisp clang, he cleanly knocked Lu Linxuan's wooden sword from her hand.

The outcome was decided in an instant, yet 001 did not announce that the mission had been completed, nor did it notify him that the Traffic Pack had arrived.

Where had the problem occurred? For the sake of the Traffic Pack, Wang Shu thought carefully and reviewed the mission description once more:

"Ruthlessly crushing a flower. Accept Lu Linxuan's challenge and defeat her. Defend the dignity of being the senior brother. Time limit: one incense stick."

"Nothing seems wrong? Huh, this 'ruthlessly crushing a flower' needs to be emphasized!" Wang Shu suddenly realized that something seemed to be wrong.

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