Chapter 674: Did You Have an Epiphany? (Part 1)

Chapter 674: Did You Have an Epiphany? (Part 1)

Always the riddle-master, Lin Nuo tossed out a bizarre question, leaving Su Lingjiang baffled.

“The calamity is the person beside you; what should you do?”

Setting aside who that person might be, looking at it now, he almost became the calamity himself, nearly falling into darkness and slaughtering indiscriminately. How could he talk about others?

This was asking him to think from another’s perspective—if that calamity were someone else and he was merely a witness, what should he do?

It should have been the elders questioning the juniors, but now it was reversed.

If it were anyone else, Su Lingjiang would probably feel disrespected and teach him a lesson right away.

But this young man was the one who saved him from dire straits, so he naturally held him in high esteem.

Like a student meeting a mentor, this hero Su Lingjiang had to respond with respect and humility.

“If such a thing were to happen, my previous thought would be to fight against it, to protect the common folk from harm and eradicate the threat. But now my thought is to save him. I believe the people around me do not intend to do evil; they must have their reasons.”

“What if they have no reasons and are simply malicious?” Lin Nuo retorted.

“If there are none, I would still do everything in my power to persuade them to turn back to the right path.”

“Persuade? Are you joking?”

Lin Nuo laughed coldly, remembering the last time someone said something similar—it was that little girl named Luo.

That silly Luo Yi, saying such things out of naivety wasn’t strange. But you, a hero, saying this? Aren’t you just asking for ridicule?

Persuasion? Turn back to the right path? Are we talking about physically turning back? A swift end would do the trick—no turning back, just starting over.

“How would you persuade? With reason? If reason worked, so many people wouldn’t have died.”

“If it were possible, I would definitely prefer a confrontation without bloodshed. If necessary, I would resort to military force, as slaughter is the last resort. To reform the wicked and lead them back to the right path—that’s the initial intent of being a hero,” Su Lingjiang said solemnly.

“Being merciful to enemies is your greatest disadvantage. Your initial intention of heroism is truly laughable. You used to slaughter enemies; how can you have such foolish thoughts now?”

“Because of you.”

“Me?”

Now it was Lin Nuo’s turn to be baffled, wondering how this guy, who wasn’t old enough to be senile, could start talking nonsense.

In any case, that was how the Su family operated—always silly, with a logic that ordinary people couldn’t comprehend.

“Care to explain what you mean?”

“Regarding the previous matter, I was indeed a calamity, and you had the ability to kill me, but you didn’t. Instead, you went to save me—that change altered my perspective.”

“What??”

Upon hearing this, Lin Nuo was taken aback, thinking, “Wow, are we back to cursing? Really, just how can everything connect?”

If I had the ability to crush the heavens and the earth, you would be lying in a coffin right now, and saving you? Really?

If that blade could have killed you, could you still stand here boasting about it?

“Let me put it this way: saving you was just a coincidence. I intended to finish you off once and for all.”

“Alright, I get it. In terms of outcome, you’ve saved me and saved my Su family. In the past, I requested that Kexin follow my teachings and uphold the code of chivalry. But now I believe it’s best for her to follow you. You understand the way of chivalry far better than I do, and besides, she is more willing to listen to you. ‘Green comes from the blue’—at this moment, I truly understand the meaning of this phrase.”

Lin Nuo: “…”

In this day and age, the big villains understand the way of chivalry better than you? Maybe you could just go hide in the shadows. I could just do some internal conflict, fighting myself—becoming both the hero and villain.

At this moment, Su Kexin bounced out of the room, her mood exceptionally bright due to a family celebration.

The two men in the courtyard were the ones she respected and admired most; naturally, she would give priority to Lin Nuo.

It’s only natural—when a little girl encounters a handsome prince, she tends to forget about her seemingly omnipotent father.

“Daddy, Senior Brother~ What are you two talking about~?”

Though she asked this, Su Kexin ran to Lin Nuo’s side first, subconsciously sticking to him.

Su Lingjiang sighed lightly; it was evident to everyone that Su Kexin was sticking close to Lin Nuo. In the past, she always gravitated toward him, listening to him explain martial arts and share entertaining stories.

Now, it seemed Lin Nuo was quite indifferent to her, but she still wanted to cling to him. Moreover, this young man cared greatly for his daughter; otherwise, he wouldn’t have acted as Su family’s sole support when leaving.

Cold on the outside, warm on the inside—he genuinely cared for Kexin.

Thinking of his daughter blooming into a lovely young lady, sweet and adorable, he wasn’t too keen on her marrying off, especially to some rabbit-brained lad.

After all, young people aren’t mature enough to shoulder the responsibility of protecting his daughter.

However, regarding Lin Nuo, he had changed his mind. Lin Nuo possessed a maturity and steadiness that outshone other young men—his insight and thoughtfulness were unparalleled. Su Lingjiang felt inferior.

Lin Nuo was worthy of his daughter’s trust.

“Nothing much, I was just casually chatting with my future son-in-law about the principles of martial arts. I also benefited greatly from it.”

“Heehee, Senior Brother is so knowledgeable~ Daddy, you should exchange more ideas with Senior Brother; it will yield great rewards~”

“Yes, Kexin, you must learn from your future son-in-law more; it will bring great rewards. Coupled with my teachings, I believe you will gain extraordinary insights.”

“Uh-huh~ I’ve been learning from Senior Brother all along~ I’ve gained a lot of understanding and improved significantly~”

Su Kexin grinned; she always thought her improvements came from being with Lin Nuo. In reality, it was due to her own innate talent, and the Phoenix Twin Swords also benefitted from her activating the凰 first, leading to the emergence of the凤.

Upon hearing this, Lin Nuo thought, “Are you pulling my leg? In the end, who’s chopping who, and did you learn my dastardly tricks?”

Feeling exasperated, Lin Nuo said:

“What are you doing out here? Aren’t you supposed to be washing the dishes and tidying up the table?”

“Mom and the others are cleaning up; they told me to spend more time with you guys~”

Su Kexin was immune to Lin Nuo’s grumpy remarks, interpreting every word he said as music to her ears, glossing over any negative tones.

She tugged at his sleeve, truly a clingy little girl who thought about sticking to him whenever she could.

Lin Nuo found it hard to imagine her as the sword cultivator who despised evil in the battlefield, capable of sweeping through armies.

“Senior Brother, since we have some free time, how about we practice the Dual Dance Sword Technique~?”

“Is it your family’s custom to practice swordplay after meals? Don’t you need to digest first?”

“Ah, no~ Let’s wait for Senior Brother to digest a bit; once you’re done, we can practice~”

“By the way, how do you feel? Have you made any improvements? Or understood any sword techniques?”

Lin Nuo quickly inquired, logically, this line was supposed to have been stopped—Su Kexin shouldn’t be having an epiphany.

“Well… I feel like the凰之剑 seems to have strengthened in spiritual power. As for sword techniques… I indeed have gained some understanding, as if a fog has lifted.”

“What on earth? Show me your moves!” Upon hearing this, Lin Nuo felt something was off.

“Okay.”

Su Kexin complied with Lin Nuo’s wish, taking a deep breath and starting to wield the凰之剑.

Lin Nuo looked on, sweat breaking out on his forehead.