My Heart is Too Soft

Murder and pillage for treasures!
Heavenly Palace's Heavenly Officials and Lishi normally had to use magical treasures for cultivation.
Since the righteous path could not yield magical treasures, they could only steal or rob.
Xu Lu shuddered, shaking his head to dismiss those thoughts from his mind.
Greed had almost blinded his reason.
Going to the Heavenly Palace to steal and rob—how was that different from seeking death?
Finding a blade to slit his own throat might yield a swifter death.
"Killing Lu Tong'en and the old scholar was an urgent necessity for survival. Those gains were merely unexpected windfalls.
This does not mean murder and pillage is the right path.
Morality aside, if one walks in the dark long enough, they will eventually meet a ghost. If I strike a hard wall, I will be the one murdered and pillaged.
It is better to do fewer of these unconscionable things."
Xu Lu gradually recovered his reason.
"If there is no way to obtain magical treasures from the Heavenly Palace, is there another way?
Is it possible for me to act myself and feed myself?"
Xu Lu had interacted with magical treasures before, and he tried to recall the details of that magical treasure.
"When I accidentally entered and activated the magical treasure back then, I seemed to see some lines inside it.
Those lines, on the contrary, are somewhat similar to the diagrams in a book left behind by Lu Tong'en."
A thoughtful look appeared on Xu Lu's face. He had only sorted out a portion of the books Lu Tong'en had left behind.
More of them he did not yet understand due to his current study progress.
"Since the Heavenly Palace can craft magical treasures, it means I can too.
As long as I can understand the principles of magical treasures!"
Xu Lu thought confidently.
If there were no difficulties, one must proceed; if there were difficulties, one must overcome them and still proceed!
"Heaven and earth spiritual energy...
Input—filtering—output...
If we view the chaotic spiritual energy of heaven and earth as an input signal, and the spiritual energy the human body can absorb as an output signal, then isn't a magical treasure a processor?
Or perhaps, a chip?"
Xu Lu's thoughts expanded, habitually comparing things to what he was familiar with.
"Inside a chip, there are circuits. Are these lines inside the magical treasure arrays, or something else?
If only I could have a magical treasure to dismantle.
For now, I can only wait until I thoroughly comprehend the knowledge Lu Tong'en left behind to see if I can unravel this mystery."
Xu Lu sighed. Lu Tong'en was not some high-level Esoteric Cultivator; the knowledge he left behind was extremely limited, and what Xu Lu currently understood was even less. He didn't know how long it would take to truly step onto the path of an Esoteric Cultivator.

Roar—
Suddenly, a miserable shriek cut off Xu Lu's thoughts.
His expression changed, and he rapidly swept the cluttered papers on the table into a wooden chest, then kicked the chest under the bed, his movements as practiced as if he had rehearsed them countless times.
He himself casually grabbed two kitchen knives and rushed out the door.
It wasn't that Xu Lu didn't want to use other weapons, but he had discovered that in this world, ordinary people without status were prohibited from carrying weapons.
Zhang Shitou was a reserve Lishi, so using a Fish-Head Saber was not a problem, but Xu Lu could not. Currently, he only use kitchen knives.
A kitchen knife was still a blade, and in any case, it was better than being bare-handed.
Ah, ah, ah!
The miserable screams continued, already disturbing the dogs and cats in Ande Ward, their barks and meows rising in unison.
The corner of Xu Lu's mouth twitched slightly. The familiar sound of a gong had already echoed outside; Ward Leader Old Liu had arrived. It seemed he wouldn't need to risk his life.
Looking toward the courtyard, a figure stood up near the base of the wall, turning to run.
Just after taking a step, he stumbled and collapsed to the ground.
Snap—
His arm happened to land right in the animal trap Xu Lu had set. The spring force and sharp saw-teeth almost severed his arm.
"How tragic..."
Xu Lu couldn't bear to look directly.
Ever since moving into this old scholar's courtyard, out of safety considerations, Xu Lu had specifically gone to a blacksmith shop to order quite a few large animal traps.
Then, he had set numerous traps in this courtyard.
At this moment, the uninvited guest had a large animal trap clamped onto his arm and leg respectively, rolling on the ground in agony, covered in blood.
The screams were so tragic that they stirred a sense of pity in Xu Lu's heart.
Thus, he grabbed a wooden staff about the size of an egg near the door, walked over, aimed right at the man's head, and struck down with all his might.
Thud!
The staff struck the center of the man's head.
The man instantly stopped moving. If not for his body still twitching, he would have looked like a corpse.
"Alas, my heart is still too soft," Xu Lu muttered to himself.
Clang, clang, clang!
The sound of a gong echoed outside the gate.
"Xu Lu, are you alive?
If you're alive, make a sound!"
"Uncle Liu, I'm here!"
Xu Lu called back loudly. He rapidly ripped open the clothes of the man on the ground, searching his pockets for a purse.
Without taking time to inspect it, he stuffed the purse into his chest, walked to the gate in a few steps, and pulled open the courtyard gate with a normal expression.

Ande Ward Leader Old Liu and several brave middle-aged men from Ande Ward stared at the man on the ground and the blood splattered everywhere, looking at each other in speechlessness.
"An animal trap this large and sharp must be incredibly painful," a man muttered softly.
The arm and calf of the man on the ground were a mangled mess of flesh and blood, with bone clearly visible.
"Just looking at it hurts!"
The eyelids of the crowd twitched rapidly.
"Xu Lu, what is this about?"
Old Liu swallowed hard, hooking his gong mallet back onto his belt as he asked.
"I don't know either," Xu Lu spread his hands, replying innocently. "I was sleeping in my room when I suddenly heard a miserable scream. When I came out to check, I saw this scene—"
"Are you trying to tell me he brought this animal trap himself?" Old Liu said.
"Of course not," Xu Lu replied seriously. "The animal traps were ordered by me. A few days ago, I discovered mice in the house, so I bought a few animal traps and placed them by the corner of the wall.
Uncle Liu, placing a few animal traps in my own home isn't against the law, is it..."
"It's not against the law!" Old Liu's eyelids twitched. An animal trap this large could catch even tigers and leopards, yet you tell me it's for catching mice?
Do you take this old man for a fool?
He glanced at the kitchen knives and the wooden staff in Xu Lu's hands, his eyelids twitching even faster.
"Put down your knives first. This fellow climbing the wall in the middle of the night is eighty to ninety percent a thief. Being injured by your animal trap is just his bad luck.
I will notify the magistrate's office constables to take him away," Old Liu said somewhat helplessly.
This courtyard was truly an unlucky place.
First, the old scholar was hacked to death, and now there was this petty thief. For a petty theft, even if caught by the authorities, he would only be jailed for a few days, but the result...
Old Liu glanced at the animal traps on the thief's limbs, his heart filled with pity. This condition would likely be difficult to heal.
"Old Liu, I think I know him," a man suddenly spoke up.
"He seems to be a subordinate of Du Yong."
"Du Yong? You mean Du Yong of the Dajiang Gang?" Old Liu's expression turned grave.
"That's him," the man nodded.
"Then this might be a bit troublesome," Old Liu muttered. He turned to look at Xu Lu and asked, "Xu Lu, have you offended anyone recently?"
"No, Uncle Liu. These past few days, I've barely even stepped out of the house, as you well know.
I don't even know what the Dajiang Gang is, so how could I have offended them?" Xu Lu cried innocence.
"Dajiang Gang..."
Old Liu, knowing Xu Lu was an outsider, explained.
After listening to Old Liu's explanation, Xu Lu understood.
This was similar to the ancient times Xu Lu was familiar with, where imperial power existed, with the difference being that in this world, divine power sat above imperial power.
In short, the Heavenly Palace and the imperial power co-ruled the world.
Overall, the Heavenly Palace and the imperial power held extremely strong control, leaving martial sects and gang factions virtually no space to survive.
The Dajiang Gang, though sounding grand, was actually just a gathering of thugs and ruffians in Jiangdu City.
They usually bullied the common folk and occasionally collected protection fees at the docks, doing anything but decent work.
Perhaps because this world possessed extraordinary power, the higher-ups did not care about these petty thugs.
Therefore, Jiangdu City turned a blind eye to the Dajiang Gang.
To the authorities, the Dajiang Gang was not worth mentioning, but to the ordinary citizens of Ande Ward, those people were tyrants whom they avoided at all costs.
"Xu Lu, are you sure you haven't offended the Dajiang Gang?" Old Liu asked, looking at Xu Lu with a grave expression.
"No!" Xu Lu shook his head with certainty.
"It's good that you haven't," Old Liu let out a sigh of relief. "It might just be a coincidence."
"We don't recognize him either, remember!" Old Liu said solemnly to those present. "This is just a thief who wanted to steal things, only to be accidentally injured by the animal traps in Xu Lu's house. Whoever asks, say the same, understood?"
"Understood!" The men of Ande Ward nodded one after another. The matter had nothing to do with them, so they naturally did not want to invite trouble.
What Old Liu said was also the truth; they knew nothing of any Dajiang Gang.

Old Liu called the constables, who took the man away and conducted a routine inquiry.
By the time all of this was settled, the sun was already high in the sky.
After Xu Lu cleaned up the blood in the courtyard, it was already the hour of Wu, the time agreed upon with Chen Siming.
Having not slept all night and gone through such an ordeal, Xu Lu felt exceptionally drowsy.
But when it came to studying, he could not delay even for a day. He splashed cold water on his face, gathered his spirits, and walked toward Anren Ward.
"Xu Lu, my inspiration has erupted these past two days, and I need to enter seclusion to write. I don't have time to teach you," Chen Siming said.
"Master Chen, I have already paid the tuition!" Xu Lu said anxiously. He currently felt Chen Siming taught very well and did not want to switch to another teacher and start over.
Furthermore, he had recently reached a crucial point in his studies and did not want to stop even for a day.
"I know," Chen Siming said. "I, Chen Siming, value credibility above all else and will not take your money for nothing.
This is the Elementary Literacy Guide I specially compiled for you."
He casually produced a book, the ink on it not yet dry, obviously written by Chen Siming just recently.
"Inside are explanations for two thousand common characters; you can study them on your own," Chen Siming said. "As for the class time, we can postpone it. After these two days, you can return to class, and if you have any questions, you can ask me then.
Thirty days a month, not a single lesson will be missed."
"Elementary Literacy Guide?"
Xu Lu accepted the book from Chen Siming with some helplessness. He casually flipped through it and was suddenly overjoyed.
This book was essentially Chen Siming's lecture notes. With this book, Xu Lu felt it could even serve as a dictionary.
"Thank you, Master Chen!" Xu Lu said sincerely.
"Taking people's money and resolving their doubts is only natural," Chen Siming waved his hand indifferently. "Go on."
Xu Lu carefully placed the Elementary Literacy Guide into his chest. After taking two steps, he suddenly paused, turned his head, and spoke to Chen Siming.
"Master Chen, there is something I have thought about, and I believe it is best to let you know."