Chapter 112 - 110: Different

Chapter 112: Chapter 110: Different

"How tragic!"

"This is such a tragedy!"

Three minutes later, the three members of the Mushroom Squad and its unofficial member, Mirana, sat around a campfire, officially convening their second "Reflection and Summary Meeting."

The first was after being scared by mushrooms, and the theme of that meeting was the rather vague topic of "discipline."

This time, however, the theme was "obeying the leader."

Not only was the theme more explicit and specific, but the targets of criticism had also expanded from just Bai Ya to both her and Furen.

"Haven’t I told you again and again, don’t meddle in other people’s business! Don’t meddle in other people’s business!"

"But what do you do? You just had to go!"

"If I hadn’t secretly followed you, you’d be dead right now!"

"Yes, I admit, I’m also partly to blame this time... The problem is that I’ve been too lenient with you!"

"Perhaps someone as benevolent and kind-hearted as me just isn’t cut out to be a proper captain..."

His expression grave, Lu Wei’s tone suddenly turned bitter.

This immediately made Furen and Bai Ya hang their heads, their hearts filled with shame.

"Alright, you two don’t have to blame yourselves too much."

Glancing at them, Lu Wei continued, "After all, your intentions were good. It’s mainly the fault of those two bandits for being too cunning. Their disguise was indeed very convincing."

"Even I was almost fooled. It’s understandable that you were deceived by them."

"Huh? Almost?"

Furen looked up, stunned. "Brother Lu Wei, you mean you saw through it from the start?"

"Of course."

Lu Wei’s expression was calm, as if he had everything under control. "I knew it was a trap right after I questioned them."

Furen asked blankly, "Then why didn’t you say anything at the time?"

Lu Wei snorted coldly. "Hmph, to teach you a lesson, of course!"

"Why else do you think I followed you secretly?!"

"Only by making you realize the consequences of your actions could you truly understand how foolish you were!"

"Ah, so that’s how it was..."

Furen and Bai Ya’s mouths fell open in unison, both wearing expressions of "so that’s what happened." They were completely won over by Lu Wei’s good intentions and profound foresight.

Even Mirana turned her head to stare at him, her eyes wide. She never would have thought he could be so shameless.

’Wasn’t it because he was worried something might happen that he followed them?’

’How did that turn into "I knew it was a trap from the start"?’

’What’s the point of bragging like this?’

’Is it just to make himself look smart?’

Watching Lu Wei, Mirana was completely baffled.

Lu Wei, however, shot her a "don’t expose me" look, then continued speaking with a straight face:

"In any case, I’ll say it again: if we meet people who genuinely need help, we can offer them appropriate assistance, provided it doesn’t harm our interests and we can ensure our own safety."

"But, who are the people who genuinely need help? And who are the bad guys in disguise? How do you tell the two apart?"

Pausing for effect, Lu Wei looked at Furen and Bai Ya and posed a question.

Then, without waiting for them to answer, he shook his head sagely and answered his own question:

"Obviously, making an accurate judgment requires a foundation of rich Experience and meticulous observation."

"And based on what happened today, I don’t believe you currently possess the ability to do so."

"You don’t have a problem with me saying that, do you?"

"No, not at all!" Furen and Bai Ya quickly shook their heads.

"So, what should you do?"

"Listen to you!" the two replied, nodding quickly again.

"Mm..."

Nodding with satisfaction, Lu Wei looked gratified. He believed this meeting had already achieved its intended goals of "unifying their thinking and establishing his authority."

However, he felt it was still necessary to verify whether the two had truly grasped his point.

"Alright, I’ve been talking for a while. Now it’s your turn to speak, one by one."

With that thought, Lu Wei’s gaze shifted to Furen.

"Furen, you start."

"Huh? What should I say?"

"Just talk about what lessons you’ve learned from this incident."

"Oh, okay..."

Furen subconsciously sat up straight and answered with great earnestness:

"I’ve understood a profound truth: bad people don’t necessarily look like bad people, and someone who claims to be a dockworker could actually be a bandit in disguise."

"So, in the future, I will definitely be more cautious. I’ll examine every detail with a skeptical eye and try not to be fooled next time."

"I’m finished."

"..."

???

’Wait, from the sound of it, you’re planning for there to be a next time???’

Staring wide-eyed at Furen, Lu Wei couldn’t believe that after all his lecturing, this was the only lesson Furen had learned.

’Is it because his Comprehension is too low?’

"Hold on, let me rephrase."

Considering that Furen might have misunderstood him, Lu Wei fell silent for a moment before trying a different approach.

"Suppose next time we run into two people like that again. They look truly pitiful, and you can’t find anything wrong with their story. What would you do?"

"I’d listen to you."

Furen looked baffled. "Isn’t that what we just said?"

Lu Wei pressed, "And what if I’m not around?"

"If you’re not around... Ah! I get it!"

Furen’s expression suddenly shifted to one of dawning realization, and his tone became serious.

"Brother Lu Wei, you’re asking if I’ll continue to help people in the future, right?"

’Good grief, he finally gets it.’

Lu Wei nodded. "Yes. So, will you?"

"If you’re not there, and I really can’t see anything wrong, then yes, I will still help."

Furen answered immediately, without any hesitation. "It says in Mongosol’s Sea Song, ’No ship stays in port forever just because some waters hide reefs. The world has countless thieves, yet all houses still have doors and windows.’"

"Therefore, I can’t stop trusting everyone just because of one lie."

"Yes, I was deceived this time, and I almost died because of it."

"It’s a painful lesson, and I will reflect on it and examine myself, but it can’t be a reason for me to withdraw my goodwill."

"Because if everyone were like that, then those who truly need help would never receive it."

Looking at Lu Wei, Furen’s tone was sincere and resolute. He spoke these words without any hesitation or doubt.

Combined with such a well-quoted, humanistic sentiment...

It was as if he had suddenly reverted to the person Lu Wei first met.

That optimistic, kind, enthusiastic, polite, and ridiculously righteous silly son of a landlord.

Or perhaps, Furen had never really changed at all. He had always been this way.

"..."

The campfire continued to blaze, its light illuminating Furen’s face.

Staring blankly at him, Lu Wei opened his mouth as if to say something.

But in the end, he swallowed his words.

On one hand, he truly didn’t know how to argue against such a noble and righteous worldview.

On the other hand, he knew very well that Furen would probably never change.

At this rate, even if he were deceived a hundred times, he would likely extend a helping hand for the 101st time without a second thought.

Lu Wei could scorn this foolish self-sacrifice. He could even leverage the good reputation his predecessor’s father had built up to seek benefits for himself everywhere.

But at this very moment, whether as a companion, as part of his "conscientious merchant" persona, or due to that sliver of conscience that hadn’t yet been extinguished in his heart, he couldn’t bring himself to negate Furen’s philosophy.

So...

’Sigh, let it be.’

Shaking his head helplessly, Lu Wei realized all this and could only compromise.

Then he looked at Bai Ya.

To be honest, he couldn’t even be bothered to ask her now.

After all, judging from Bai Ya’s previous behavior, he was sure he’d get the same answer.

But considering this was a meeting and everyone should have a chance to speak, he asked casually:

"What about you?"

"I..."

Bai Ya pressed her lips together and didn’t answer right away.

She first looked at Furen, then at Lu Wei, and finally lowered her head to stare at her feet, which were pressed together. She murmured in a very quiet but calm voice:

"I’m different from Furen. I’m stupid, you see. I can’t tell if someone is lying to me."

"I just know that I’ve been deceived many times."

"I was tricked out of all my money while looking for a job, and I was used as bait and abandoned when I joined a team for an adventure... I always feel like there are more bad people in the world."

"Or maybe I’m just unlucky, and I’ve met too few people who wouldn’t lie to me."

"So few that it’s only you guys."

"So if there’s a next time..."

As she said this, Bai Ya’s voice suddenly trailed off.

She buried her head even lower, shaking it slightly and helplessly. In the flickering firelight, she muttered an apology to no one in particular.

"I’m sorry."

"I really don’t want to be deceived again."