Lu Jin Becomes an Apprentice

"He pretended to be a good kid at the Sanyi Sect. His quota of firewood cutting was reasonable. Going up the mountain to take a look was also allowed. Individually, none of his actions violated any sect rules. But his motivation for doing any of them was not spiritual practice."

Si Chong asked, "What does the sect leader mean?"

"Let's make arrangements for those two kids first. I'll go check on them later. Liu Jin will come with me."

......

"As expected, a memorable scene: the mischievous kid got his background checked."

"This incident tells us that political vetting begins from a young age..."

"Upstairs in the mountains... right?"

"Brother, regional discrimination is unacceptable."

"This thread has gone off-topic. Why isn't Liu Jin doing anything? Does he really want Li Muxuan to follow the same path? I quite like him..."

"It's still early, the older ones are behind, but this guy doesn't seem very interested. I don't understand."

"Let's wait and see. It won't affect people in other timelines anyway. We'll see how this timeline turns out."

......

The next day, Zuo Ruotong personally went down the mountain and brought Liu Jin to the lower courtyard.

"Li Muxuan, Boss Li has made many connections with talented and extraordinary people. Why do you insist on becoming a disciple of Sanyi?"

Li Muxuan pondered for a moment, then knelt down and said, "Sect Leader, I wish to learn the Threefold Reversal of Life; I wish to obtain the method."

Zuo Ruotong remained noncommittal and continued, "Both of them have left, leaving only your future uncertain. Do you know why?"

Li Muxuan's heart stirred slightly: "I don't know."

"You are too arrogant."

Li Muxuan's pupils contracted slightly.

"Arrogance breeds dishonesty. Sincerity is the way of man. You wish to become my disciple, yet you intend to deceive even me?"

Li Muxuan knew that Zuo Ruotong had figured him out, so he could only say, "Sect Leader, I was indeed foolish in the past, but now I only want to repent and correct my mistakes. I have not been putting on an act these past few days."

Zuo Ruotong said emotionlessly, "I didn't say you were wrong before, so where does this talk of repentance come from? Or are you just putting on an act to portray the kind of person the Trinity Sect wants to see?"

After watching Li Muxuan for only a moment, before he opened his mouth to speak, Liu Jin interrupted him, saying, "Master, it's time for dinner."

Zuo Ruotong was also taken aback. Seeing that Liu Jin had hardly commented these days, she thought he was too engrossed in cultivation to care. Now she really wanted to hear what he had to say.

"All right."

After saying this, the two turned and left.

Zuo Ruotong walked up the mountain path: "Finally, you want to say something?"

"I believe that Master is not afraid that he is deceiving others, but that he is afraid of deceiving himself."

Zuo Ruotong smiled and nodded, signaling Liu Jin to continue.

"Did the master intend to take him back and train him again when he couldn't continue acting? Did this experience make him feel more deeply and change more sincerely?"

Zuo Ruotong laughed heartily: "What do you think?"

After a moment of silence, Liu Jin said, "This disciple thinks he is still too young."

What does this mean?

Liu Jin continued, "This child is naturally intelligent, even you admire him. But he's only ten years old, his life hasn't even begun, he's naive and doesn't understand the value of sincerity. In his world, there's no one who can see through him yet, so there's no need to put in any effort."

Liu Jin paused here, glanced at his master, and continued, "Master, you saw through him and exposed his true nature. But you are his idol and authority figure, so he only sees you as lecturing him. He feels ashamed, angry, and helpless, and just stubbornly clings to his own understanding. If this continues, he might go to extremes."

Zuo Ruotong seemed to be thinking about something, and after a moment's thought, she said, "I've been a bit arrogant. How about this, you spend some time with this child, and if it doesn't work out, then send him to Dongshan."

......

"Hiss, so they're finally going to make a move? I thought I'd just stand by and watch."

"If we successfully intervene, there won't be any trouble afterwards! There won't be any massacre of the entire family. Who could resist that temptation?"

"Indeed, but if it's so simple, why hasn't anyone else tried it?"

"It seems like fewer people were selected than expected. Don't you guys think it has any impact on your real lives?"

"Indeed, it seems to be less than one in ten thousand. The government is already doing the statistics, and our community is asking about it."

"Tsk, this is unbalanced..."

......

A few days later, Zuo Ruotong summoned Lu Jin to the main hall, where his father was also present.

"Has Lu Jin gotten to know his fellow disciples on the mountain these past few days?"

"Um!"

"Okay, today I'd also like to introduce you and your parents to a few more people."

Inside the room was a fellow disciple who had encountered a mishap while cultivating the Reverse Life Triple Realm. Zuo Ruotong explained the situation to Lu Jin and his father, and then asked Lu Jin if he still wanted to become a disciple.

Lu Jin kowtowed and formally became a disciple.

"From this day forward, you are a formal disciple of the Trinity Sect."

Liu Jin brought the news to the Lower House that evening.

Li Muxuan sat alone on the steps beside the martial arts arena. The setting sun cast a long shadow of him, stretching from the steps all the way to the bluestone slabs. He heard footsteps but did not look up.

"Lu Jin has mastered the basics," Liu Jin said.

Li Muxuan's hand paused for a moment. It was only a very slight pause; his fingers, which were plucking grass leaves, stopped for less than a breath before continuing. He placed the broken grass leaves on his knees, arranging them one by one in a neat row, before speaking: "Is that so?"

Liu Jin didn't speak. He stood beside the steps, neither moving nor sitting.

The silence lasted for a while. It wasn't awkward silence, but a tentative quiet as they both waited for the other to speak first. Finally, Li Muxuan couldn't resist. He swept the grass off his knees, looked up, and smiled his usual smile—a bright, almost contrived smile.

"Senior Brother Liu, may I ask you two questions?"

"ask."

"First, why did you interrupt Master when he asked me a question that day?"

Liu Jin did not answer immediately. Li Muxuan stared into his eyes, as if searching for something—a flaw, a guilty conscience, or some emotion he could use.

"Secondly," Li Muxuan continued, "why are you telling me about Lu Jin now?"

Liu Jin looked at him. The boy on the steps tilted his head back, his smile perfectly composed, but there was something deep in his eyes, something carefully hidden. It wasn't anger, nor resentment, but something more complex, something even he himself couldn't quite explain. A teenager, accustomed to seeing through others and controlling situations from a young age, suddenly had his rhythm disrupted by someone, and now that person was actively seeking him out—he couldn't understand it.

"Do you want to know the answer?" Liu Jin asked.

"certainly."

"You don't want to."

Li Muxuan paused for a moment. His smile didn't disappear, but the mirth in his eyes faded for a fleeting instant. Just a fleeting moment.

"What you're saying, senior brother, is true. If I didn't want to know, why would I ask?"

Liu Jin didn't respond to his question, but simply looked at him calmly: "You're asking me not because you want to hear any道理 (principles/reasoning) from me. You want me to speak. Once I speak, you can find something in my words—loopholes, biases, whatever—and then use those things to verify your own judgment. You're guessing which side I'm on. Once you've guessed, you'll know how to act next."

Li Muxuan's smile remained, but he remained silent.