Chapter 508: If the Upper Beam Is Crooked, the Lower Beam Will Be Bent

Luo Lekang didn't rush to answer Wang Lin's question; he merely glanced at the white lion beside Liu Dongzhu and her child, then quickly averted his gaze.

White lions are rare and can be considered anomalies.

It is natural that his disciple Yuan Ziming would covet it, but in his eyes it is ultimately just a beast—not even a demon beast—unfit to serve as a mount.

It isn't worth a second glance!

However.

When Luo Lekang looked at Wang Ping'an in Liu Dongzhu's arms, a flash of fervor flickered deep in his eyes before vanishing, yet his face remained expressionless as he said coolly:

"Old man, that youngster just said this child has been noticed by Lv Qianhu of the Fengyin County Demon-Subduing Office and is being considered as a disciple. Do you know whether that's true or not?"

"That is indeed the case, but my daughter‑in‑law hasn't consented yet!"

Wang Lin said gravely.

"Ha!"

Before Luo Lekang could speak, Yuan Ziming, who walked over from the side, seemed to have heard a colossal joke and burst into a mocking laugh, saying sarcastically:

"Old thing, you must have heard Lv Qianhu's reputation somewhere and deliberately said such absurd things to scare me, right?"

Just now an assassin struck out of nowhere, and even his close guard Ji Nian nearly lost his life, which terrified him half to death.

However, with his master Luo Lekang present, he wasn't worried; he knew exactly what his master was capable of and paid attention to Wang Lin's words.

Whether it's what Zhang Chengyong said or what Wang Lin said, he doesn't even trust a single punctuation mark.

He hasn't really dealt with Lü Tu; despite being the governor's son and holding high status in Fengyin County, he is still far inferior to Lü Tu.

Moreover, Lü Tu has a terrible temper; it's not just him—hardly anyone in Fengyin County gets along with Lü Tu.

Nevertheless, he knows a thing or two about Lü Tu. Many families, eager to get closer to him, have tried one scheme after another—such as recommending their prodigious youths to Lü Tu and asking to become his disciples—but all were rejected by Lü Tu.

According to Lü Tu, none of those so‑called prodigies catches his eye.

With Lü Tu's standards, how could he possibly favor a child from an ordinary household who is only a few months old?

Luo Lekang ignored Yuan Ziming's sarcasm, his gaze fixed entirely on Wang Ping'an in Liu Dongzhu's embrace, and said:

"Old man, I believe what you say and I also respect Lv Qianhu's judgment, but I'm curious—what extraordinary quality does your grandson possess that caught Lv Qianhu's attention? May I have a look at your child?"

Wang Lin was about to stubbornly refuse, unaware that Luo Lekang might harbor ill intent—pretending to glance at his Ping'an was a lie, while actually planning to harm his Ping'an.

He shouldn't suspect Luo Lekang of malice; after all, this is their first meeting, with no grudges, and there's no reason for Luo Lekang to inexplicably wish harm upon his Ping'an.

But with Yuan Ziming present—though he is the governor's son of Fengyin County—his threatening tone about their white lion still angered him.

He could only bow his head under the eaves, daring not to show any displeasure, suppressing his resentment to reluctantly agree to Yuan Ziming's forced purchase. Luo Lekang is Yuan Ziming's master, as the saying goes: a crooked upper beam makes the lower beam askew.

A disciple reflects the nature of his master.

Yuan Ziming, as a disciple, isn't a dog, and Luo Lekang, as a master, could hardly be a good fellow.

"Old man, rest assured, I only intend to glance at your grandson once; I won't harm your grandson!"

Luo Lekang seemed to notice the worry on Wang Lin's face and, before he could refuse, spoke first:

"Old man, if Lv Qianhu truly intends to take your grandson as a disciple, even if it makes me swallow a bear's heart and a leopard's gall, I would never dare harm your grandson's life. In the entire Fengyin County, no one is unaware of Lv Qianhu's power; not even I, and hardly anyone dares to offend him. Rest assured!"

"Master, don't listen to that old fool's nonsense!"

Yuan Ziming snorted coldly, his tone unfriendly: "What kind of person is Lv Qianhu that he could possibly favor a child of his who is only a few months old?"

He has always despised ordinary commoners; now his close guard was injured by a mysterious assailant—unknown who, but clearly not the work of these ordinary folk. Yet, since the mysterious figure didn't appear, he could only vent his hidden resentment onto those commoners.

Luo Lekang still ignored Yuan Ziming, instead smiling gently at Wang Lin as if awaiting his consent.

At first.

He also didn't believe that a common child's would be noticed by Lü Tu; Lü Tu is such a figure that he knows even better than Yuan Ziming, having dealt with him a few times. Lü Tu's aloof nature rejects even the prodigies of Fengyin County, let alone a child from an ordinary family.

This novel you...

Just.

The Flying Sword that just now shot into Wang Ping'an's body like a streak of Flowing Light made it clear to him the child's extraordinary nature.

Wang Lin opened his mouth, eager to refuse, but for some reason the words of refusal wouldn't come out, so he changed his tone and said:

"Dongzhu, show this gentleman our Ping'an!"

"Ah!"

Liu Dongzhu gasped, about to refuse, but before she could speak, Wang Lin cut her off:

"Dongzhu, this gentleman looks like a good person. Since he says he won't harm our Ping'an, I trust he truly won't. Show our Ping'an to him for a glance!"

Would he harm our Ping'an?

He has no idea about this, and with Yuan Ziming around it's easy for him to suspect Luo Lekang of ill intent. Even though Luo Lekang's words sounded pleasant, he wouldn't even trust a single punctuation mark, let alone half‑believe them. With a disciple like Yuan Ziming, what good could a master possibly be?

Nevertheless, he agreed to let Luo Lekang see their Ping'an, because he knows a truth: I am the fish, they are the knife and board!

Even if he refused, what would it matter? If Luo Lekang truly wanted to see their Ping'an, refusal wouldn't stop him; he could still seize it by force, and in the ensuing clash, their whole family, even Ping'an's life, might be at risk.

Liu Dongzhu was reluctant to hand her Ping'an over to a stranger, especially after Yuan Ziming's attitude, which gave her a poor impression of Luo Lekang. Yet hearing her father speak that way, she could only reluctantly pass her Ping'an over, though she couldn't help pleading:

"Sir, please do not endanger our Ping'an's life!"

(End of Chapter)