Chapter 201: The First Disciple

Recruiting disciples did not have to be too strict; having some talent was enough to be considered an ordinary disciple. Moreover, Leo was still young, and there was no rush for core inheritance disciples.

“Big brother?” The child turned around, looking at him in confusion.

“What is your name?”

“Ida.”

“Do you want to learn swordsmanship?”

Leo asked, noticing that this child was under ten years old, making him the perfect candidate to be nurtured from scratch, depending on his willingness.

Generally, it was unlikely for him to refuse; having grown accustomed to a life of poverty, no one would give up the hope in front of them.

“Is it possible?”

“Of course, as long as you want to.”

“I am willing!” Ida hurriedly said, his eyes shining, then dimming, “But I have a companion; I don’t want to abandon her.”

Leo nodded, appreciating that this child thought of his companion, “I can let her join the swordsmanship dojo as well.”

“That’s great! Thank you, big brother!” Ida said excitedly.

Ida’s companion was in the slums, and Leo went there with him.

“Are you the child who came out of the cultist cave?”

On the way, Leo learned about Ida’s situation.

He did not expect Ida to be one of the children he and Michelle had encountered in the cultist cave before; no wonder he recognized him right away.

“That’s right. Thanks to you breaking down the door, I was able to leave. I have always remembered you all and hoped to meet you again to thank you.” Ida said.

Leo glanced at him; before he and Michelle left, none of the children had the courage to step out of the cave.

One could imagine the inner struggle Ida faced, having gone through numerous hardships, mustering the courage to leave that prison.

Once he stepped out, it was a new world, and it marked the beginning of breaking free from his own constraints. The Heartflow needed people with the courage to break their shackles and surpass their limits.

From Ida, Leo saw a reflection of his younger self, but the hardships Ida had endured surpassed his own, having long since forged a resilient heart. This was exactly the kind of disciple Leo was looking for.

At that moment, Ida suddenly said, “By the way, what happened to that beautiful big sister?”

Leo fell silent, noticing that Ida’s expression was somewhat off. Ida realized he might have said something wrong, lowering his head in guilt, “I-I’m sorry.”

Leo did not mind and changed the subject, “Did the other children come out with you?”

Ida shook his head, looking a bit dejected, “Only me. They didn’t come out. I want to thank you, big brother, and also, I’m sorry. I always wanted to apologize to you; we wanted to harm you back then, but you let us go, and now you are willing to teach me swordsmanship. I am truly sorry.”

Ida’s face showed genuine guilt, not a facade.

Leo was increasingly satisfied; not only had he come out of the cultist cave alone, but he also knew to repent for his wrongdoings. At least he was reflecting on himself and had not been completely brainwashed by the cultists.

Moreover, with him and the old man watching over, Ida would not go astray in the future. The first disciple was secured.

Then, they arrived at the slums.

Beneath the prosperous imperial capital, there was also a dirty side; most orphans and homeless people gathered here, and a foul stench lingered in the air.

Outside a dilapidated thatched hut, the two pushed the door open and entered.

Immediately, a musty smell hit them, and dust filled the air. The roof was in ruins, and large beams of sunlight shone directly into the room through the holes above.

“Lily, I’m back.”

In the messy little room, a dirty little girl curled up on a hard wooden bed, with large bruises remaining on her body.

Ida handed her the steamed bun he had stolen, “This is a bun I stole; you eat it.”

The little girl named Lily timidly glanced at Leo, took the bun, took a bite, and then handed it back to Ida, “I’m full; you eat.”

Her throat was a bit hoarse, as if she had been injured.

Ida shook his head, “I ate earlier.”

Seeing the two of them pushing the food back and forth, Leo said, “I will take you to eat something good, but first, let’s buy you some clothes.”

At that moment, Ida introduced, “Big brother Leo, this is my companion Lily. After I left the cultist cave, I wandered around the empire for over half a year and met her. Originally, I came to the capital with her to find her family, but it seems her family is missing. We could only steal to survive. Not long ago, we were discovered and couldn’t escape; she got seriously injured. Can you help her heal?”

This was also the situation for most orphans; to survive, they had no choice but to steal. If they were lucky, they could escape; if not, they would be caught and beaten. Although they got beaten, at least they could fill their stomachs.

“Sure.” Leo noticed that not only Lily but Ida also had many bruises, both new and old, so he said, “You need to treat your injuries as well.”

“Thank you, big brother Leo,” Ida looked at Lily again, “Lily, this is big brother Leo, the benefactor who will teach us swordsmanship in the future. Quickly thank him.”

“Thank you, big brother Leo.” Lily said softly.

Leo took the two to the nearest branch church for treatment and asked the priest to use magic to help them clean their bodies. The two became much cleaner immediately, and then he took them to buy new clothes and have a big meal.

Looking at the sumptuous food in front of them, Ida’s appetite opened up, while Lily seemed to have little appetite, chewing and swallowing slowly. Seeing this, Ida proactively filled a large bowl of food for her.

After eating, Leo took them back to the swordsmanship hall.

“From now on, this will be your home. You will become part of the Heartflow Swordsmanship dojo. My only requirement of you is to never do anything that harms the interests of the Heartflow.”

Looking at the spacious courtyard in front of them, the two’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Ida exclaimed, “Big brother Leo, can we really live here?”

“Of course, find a room you like to stay in.”

“Thank you, big brother Leo!” The two thanked him simultaneously and quickly ran inside to choose their favorite rooms.

In the following period, while Leo trained in swordsmanship, he did not forget to teach Ida and Lily.

He started with physical training, focusing on building their bodies. Since Lily was a girl, the requirements were a bit lower, while Leo was stricter with Ida.

Ida was also quite resilient; his past experiences had long since forged a strong will, and his talent was not bad. Perhaps he could achieve something in the Heartflow.

Training was just one aspect; Leo also assigned them a mission: to find children suitable for joining the Heartflow, orphans similar to them.

They were quite familiar with the orphans in the imperial capital, knowing which ones had suitable character and which did not. They would select suitable disciples, and thus, the number of Heartflow disciples gradually increased, reaching ten. Although it was still not a significant number, once these people grew up, the Heartflow would shine again.

Subsequently, Leo wrote a letter to the old man:

“Old man, the Heartflow Swordsmanship Dojo has been reestablished. I have selected some talented orphans as disciples and hope you can come down the mountain to teach them.”

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