You Feel Guilty
Inside the Flowing Light Sword Sect.
The tall, upright young man wielded a heavy sword, his every move rigid and monotonous.
His face was already showing impatience, and he had wanted to give up several times, but when he glanced at the middle-aged man in the rocking chair next to him, he could only suppress his irritation and continue practicing these basic Swordsmanship.
"Keep your hand straight and your sword strikes powerful!" The middle-aged man, who seemed to be in a light sleep, would point out the shortcomings of the young man whenever he slacked off, as if he had eyes in the back of his head.
Seeing this, Zhou Heng'an could only continue swinging his sword with a sense of grievance.
"Father, you've been keeping me confined to practicing basic sword moves for a whole month now. When are you finally going to calm down?" Zhou Heng'an's Spiritual Power is now sealed, and he can only practice sword moves tirelessly every day, feeling no bitterness or fatigue.
But his father kept a close eye on him, making it difficult for him to even slack off.
Upon hearing this, Peak Master Zhou sneered, not even glancing at his son. "Naturally, I'll train you until you realize your mistake."
Zhou Heng'an immediately stopped, his expression grim. "What did I do wrong? I only gave Senior Sister Fuyun some things we didn't need to help her through this difficult time. Her improved cultivation is a good thing for our Flowing Light Sword Sect, isn't it?"
A month ago, when Peak Master Zhou was inspecting the treasure vault, he was surprised to find that the box of Spirit Crystal he had worked so hard to obtain was missing. After careful investigation, he learned that his beloved son had taken it to curry favor with someone else.
He was puzzled at the time, wondering why Su Fuyun could Foundation Establishment in the meditation room. He even thought he had misjudged her, wondering if this girl might be a promising talent.
Only now do I realize that Su Fuyun is indeed a formidable character, but his formidable skill lies in deceiving his son.
After learning that Su Fuyun's cultivation level was achieved using Spirit Crystal that even he himself was reluctant to use, Peak Master Zhou wished he could drive his only son off the peak!
At the critical moment, it was Zhou Peak Master's dao companion stepped in to mediate and comfort him, which barely calmed Zhou Peak Master down.
But in order to prevent his son from being further bewitched by Su Fuyun, he took drastic measures and forced Zhou Heng'an to practice swordsmanship every day.
Thinking that if her son became engrossed in cultivation, perhaps he would think less about Su Fuyun. At the very least, it would teach him a lesson so he wouldn't give away good things to outsiders so easily.
But judging from Zhou Heng'an's expression, he probably still doesn't think he did anything wrong.
Thinking of this, Peak Master Zhou couldn't help but rub his temples. "If I hadn't witnessed your birth with my own eyes, I would have doubted whether you were really my wife's and my child."
Both he and his wife are intelligent people, so how could their son be so stupid?
Zhou Heng'an curled his lip. "It's just a box of Spirit Crystal, is it really necessary to make such a fuss?"
"Ha, since you think it's not that serious, then why don't you use what you've found to curry favor!" Peak Master Zhou, with his sharp ears, couldn't possibly miss his son's nagging. "Keep swinging your sword, don't stop!"
Zhou Heng'an could only mutter under his breath as he did, sword in hand.
"Father, when will I be able to stop wielding a sword?" Zhou Heng'an couldn't help but ask.
Peak Master Zhou snorted lightly, "It depends on my mood!" But his mood was definitely not going to be good for the next few months.
While Peak Master Zhou was still putting on his "teaching his son" act, the Sect Master also made a rare ascent to Crimson Snow Peak.
Crimson Snow Peak, where Immortal Venerable Yanchen resides, remains as desolate as ever, even more so due to the departures of his two disciples.
When the sect leader came to visit, Gu Huaiwei wasn't particularly welcoming, but he wouldn't refuse to meet him either, since the sect leader was also his senior brother.
The two were somewhat distant in public because of Gu Huaiwei's status as "Sword Master," but in private, their relationship was closer than that of others.
But even the closest people have disagreements, like right now.
"Your disciple has been away from the sect for so long without sending a single message back. Why don't you go and ask him about it?" The sect leader couldn't help but ask as soon as he sat down.
Gu Huaiwei poured him a cup of tea. "Fuyun has been sending messages back, so Senior Brother doesn't need to worry."
"You know perfectly well I wasn't talking about Su Fuyun!" the sect leader said angrily. "Sang Ying is also your disciple, don't you care about her at all?"
Gu Huaiwei immediately frowned. "You know better than I how this disciple came to be. If you didn't feel guilty, why would you want me to take her as a disciple?"
The sect leader was taken aback by his junior brother's sudden remark and his expression immediately changed. "What do you mean by that?"
"My meaning couldn't be clearer. Senior brother, do you dare to say that you have no guilt towards Sang Zheng? Or do I need to remind you, who spread the news to Sang Zheng that there are Ice Lotus in the Vast Sea Secret Realm? And who knew that there were strange movements of Demon Beast in the Vast Sea Secret Realm, yet still urged the Sang Household couple to leave together?" Gu Huaiwei's eyes were as cold as ice.
He watched the sect leader's face grow increasingly dark, a mocking sneer rising in his heart, "By Sang Zheng, the most renowned figure in the Flowing Light Sword Sect, and then sending Sang Ying to my Crimson Snow Peak, you've eliminated your formidable rivals and gained a good reputation. Wouldn't that solidify your position as sect leader?"
The sect leader silently glanced at Gu Huaiwei. He had always thought that his junior brother only cared about cultivation and never paid attention to anything else. But he never expected that this seemingly indifferent person had seen everything.
"So, senior brother, I have accepted Sang Ying as my disciple as you requested. You don't need to worry about the rest." The implication was that he would give Sang Ying nothing but the title of master and disciple.
The sect leader fell silent. He knew his junior brother's temperament well, and knew that once he made up his mind, it was difficult for others to change it. If it weren't for Su Fuyun's utter incompetence and the pressure from all the sect's elders, he probably wouldn't have obediently accepted Sang Ying.
Since it was destined to end in failure, the sect leader had no desire to stay on Crimson Snow Peak any longer.
Before leaving, however, he still offered a word of advice. "Although I forced you to accept Sang Ying, she is talented and resilient. If you treat her well, you will surely be rewarded. But you have treated her so harshly for Su Fuyun's sake. If this creates a grudge in the future, I will not help you."
After speaking, he got up and left.
The sect leader sees clearly that although Sang Ying is currently weak, given time, she may very well achieve something Gu Huaiwei.
Others may not know, but he, as the senior brother, knew all too well that Gu Huaiwei was no longer the "Sword Master" who once astonished the world with his sword. This person had long been trapped by his inner demons and was destined never to reach a higher level.
As for Su Fuyun... well, let's not even mention him.
After watching the sect leader leave, Gu Huaiwei waved his sleeve, and the two cups of tea on the table instantly froze into ice cubes.
Although he and Sang Ying were not close, they had spent some time together on the same peak, so how could he not know what kind of person Sang Ying was? It was not the sect leader's place to lecture her.
If it weren't for Su Fuyun, he would certainly treat this disciple well as well. But... no matter what, he would give Su Fuyun whatever he wanted!