Chapter 4

The past five years flashed before his eyes. Although his body had been strengthened slightly each time, he still couldn't fully execute the first move. The cultivation of his internal energy was also very slow; in such a long time, he had only managed to unblock... one acupoint!

Ling Xiao felt a bit dejected, wondering how he had made it through these five years. His perseverance was something even he admired. Ling Xiao had once thought about catching the lightning rod himself when the plot began, but such a thing was too much of a gamble! He wasn't Lo Lo Fa, and he had no protagonist aura. After all, similar scientific experiments had turned Bruce Banner into the Hulk and the Abomination, and the same formula had made Captain America increasingly handsome while turning Red Skull into a complete failure!

Shaking his head, a single phrase from Fo Yin had brought back so many unpleasant memories. This melancholic mood didn't suit him at all. He calmed his mind and resumed his meditation. But this time, he didn't cultivate his internal energy; instead, he focused his mind on the Yintang acupoint, the spot between his eyebrows. There was a bright light there!

This light was indistinct and inscrutable. Although it existed within Ling Xiao's body, it completely ignored him. Fortunately, it hadn't reached the point of overpowering him; otherwise, it would have been a tragedy. He had discovered this light on the second day after he came to this world. Although he didn't know what it was, he understood that it was the reason he had been transported here.

He had no talent for martial arts, had opened his eyes as a beggar, and was looked down upon whenever he went out. Ling Xiao's life seemed to have been nothing but a series of misfortunes. He looked down at his wrist, where there was no watch, and thought, "Whether it's a man's sixth sense or the aura of a穿越者 (穿越者 means '穿越者', a term for someone who has traveled through time or to another world), it's telling me the plot is about to start! Master, you better pull yourself together!"

...

That day passed without much happening. Ling Xiao's only gain from his meditation was a numb thigh. He dragged his bored and frustrated body back home, and as he entered the gate, a figure suddenly flashed before his eyes.

He blinked and rubbed his chin, then kicked the door to Lo Lo Fa's room. "Ah ha! What kind of demon are you! Lurking around here, you better confess!"

"Shh!" Lo Lo Fa, with wide eyes, pressed a hand over Ling Xiao's mouth. "Keep your voice down! My wife is out shopping, don't let anyone find out."

Ling Xiao rolled his eyes. "You're acting so mysteriously even though you know no one's home! What? Hiding a dirty book?"

"No, the books these days are all the same, just a lot of noise and no new positions! And... why am I telling you this! Look what I've got!" He pulled out a book from his robe, a simple binding with a dark yellow cover, and four large characters written on it—Heavenly Flying Immortal!

Ling Xiao drew a sharp breath, his eyes nearly popping out. Damn! The plot has finally started, and he was so excited! Lo Lo Fa, seeing his face change and his body start to tremble, asked, "What's wrong? Having a seizure?"

"Sorry, just a bit excited, don't worry about it. By the way, how did you get this secret technique?" Ling Xiao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and pretended not to know.

"Huh? How did you know it's a secret technique? I haven't even looked at it yet!" Lo Lo Fa, being quick-witted, quickly noticed the loophole in his words.

"Uh... Heavenly Flying Immortal! The signature sword technique of the White Cloud City Lord, of course I've heard of it. I used to be in the Jinyiwei!" Ling Xiao exaggeratedly said.

"Oh, I see." Lo Lo Fa, being a straightforward person, believed him without question.

"You still haven't told me where you got the secret technique from!"

Lo Lo Fa's interest was instantly piqued. "Yesterday, I was on my way to a meeting when four figures flashed over my head. I was so angry! As a member of the Bao Long clan, it's my duty to protect the emperor and everything in the palace. How dare they fly around in my territory!"

"Then what? Did you chase after them?"

"Of course! Those four shameless guys actually went to the top of the Golden Hall! Illegal assembly, improper behavior! This could be a big deal!"

Ling Xiao, with a black line on his forehead, thought, "Then what? You scared them with your gold badge, and they left the secret technique behind to save their lives?"

Ling Xiao blinked, stunned. "That's it? Come on! You're giving me a teaser! Give me the full version!"

"That's the whole truth! The Heavenly Flying Immortal is right here! Don't you believe me?" Lo Lo Fa, seeing Ling Xiao's disbelief, looked pained.

Looking at Lo Lo Fa's seemingly pained but actually lecherous expression, Ling Xiao said softly, "So the truth is, you found a ladder to climb up to the roof, then showed your gold badge and scolded the four experts. They left the secret technique for you?"

"Hey? How did you know?"

"Guess." Yeah, just like the movie.

"Are you going to practice it?" Ling Xiao asked, looking at the secret technique.

"Of course! Those four guys seemed pretty reliable." Lo Lo Fa rubbed his chin.

"Reliable? Four lecherous middle-aged men? What's reliable about them!" Ling Xiao couldn't help but laugh, thinking of the four men in the movie.

Lo Lo Fa was puzzled. "Lecherous? No way! They were quite handsome, though not as handsome as me!"

Ling Xiao was shocked, a lightning bolt flashing through his mind. The plot was off!

Seeing Ling Xiao's strange silence, Lo Lo Fa was a bit confused. But Ling Xiao had no time to deal with him. His mind was filled with the differences between the movie and reality.

Scenes flashed through his mind like a slideshow, over and over again. People he had met and things he had heard jumped out from the depths of his memory.

Although he had been in this world for five years, Ling Xiao's social circle was very narrow. Describing him as ignorant and uninformed was not an exaggeration. His status determined what he knew. In the government, he was just a substitute for the Bao Long clan, and the least popular one at that. In the martial world, he didn't even qualify as a third-rate figure, and he didn't even have the right to know the names of some famous martial artists.

Even so, in this small circle, he had confirmed three major plots! Sword Rain! Jinyiwei! And Secret Agent 007! Lo Lo Fa's words made him realize he had underestimated this world.

"What are you thinking about? Your eyes are as big as a cow's!" Lo Lo Fa waved the secret technique in front of him.

Ling Xiao snapped back to reality. "Oh, nothing. You're sure they were all handsome?"

"Of course."

"Ximen Chuxue isn't bald?"

"No."

"Ye Gucheng doesn't have a plaster on his forehead?"

"No."

"Lu Xiaofeng doesn't have freckles all over his face?"

"No!"

"Then Hua Manlou..."

"What are you trying to say! They're at least experts, even if they're not as handsome as me. You can't talk about them like that behind their backs!" Lo Lo Fa roared, looking serious.

"Uh... sorry, just confirming some rumors. Are you really going to practice this?" Ling Xiao asked awkwardly. The martial arts potential of both master and apprentice, no, it couldn't even be called potential. Could they really practice martial arts with these bodies?

"Who says we can't!" Lo Lo Fa, as if his tail had been stepped on, jumped up and shouted, "I've looked at it, and it's all sword techniques! No internal energy required. Just treat it as external techniques. I don't expect to become a great hero with it, just to have a few moves to protect myself in a pinch."

"Your standards are really low." Ling Xiao sighed softly.

The topic of martial arts was always a taboo between the two. Lo Lo Fa, seeing Ling Xiao's dejected look, felt a bit awkward. The atmosphere became cold, but fortunately, his wife returned, and her chatter with the neighbor could be heard from a distance.

Lo Lo Fa tucked the secret technique into his robe and went to find his wife.

...

Ling Xiao returned to his room alone, feeling very heavy-hearted. He was troubled by the fact that the four people were very handsome, which was truly bizarre. He had hoped they would be lecherous middle-aged men!

Four handsome men meant what? It meant this was the plot of Lu Xiaofeng! It meant this was the world of the great martial artist Gu Long! It was a world that could make your legs tremble with fear! Ling Xiao was a bit shaky now!

Ling Xiao's past life was that of a movie enthusiast, especially fond of traditional martial arts films. Although this world differed from the movies, it was still within his acceptable range. For example, the Blackstone Assassins weren't as arrogant as in the movie, the emperor wasn't as foolish, and Lo Lo Fa actually had a family legacy of mechanical arts!

The appearance of the four men from Lu Xiaofeng gave Ling Xiao a sense of urgency for the first time. Whether in the movie, TV series, or the original plot, Ling Xiao had no room to intervene, as it was a peak battle! A final showdown of swords!

Ling Xiao? He didn't even have the right to watch the battle! Although he was reluctant, he was helpless! Of course, since it was troubling, he decided not to think about it, as wasting brain cells was something Ling Xiao never did. He was just very curious why Ye Gucheng had given the Heavenly Flying Immortal to Lo Lo Fa!

Flap, flap!

The sound of a pigeon's wings interrupted his thoughts, and a smile spread across his face. "This reply was quick!" He gently caught the pigeon, opened the message tube on its leg, and pulled out the letter.

"Under the bright moon and sparse stars, the river is cold, and I sit by the lonely lamp, tears streaming down my face."

He turned the paper over and over, his expression twisted. "Huh? Only this one line? What's this supposed to mean! What kind of big problem has this kid encountered to be so melancholic? Lonely lamp? Did he break up with his girlfriend? According to Korean dramas, when you encounter such a scene, it's either a terminal illness or the whole family has died!"

After thinking for a moment, he didn't change the paper and wrote a similarly sad and lonely poem on the back, following the old rules.

"Last night, the west wind withered the green trees. I climbed the western tower alone, looking to the end of the horizon." He stopped here, thinking it was a bit too much. Although they had never met, he still cherished this pigeon friend. He rubbed his chin and added another line, "How much sorrow can you have? Just like the spring river flowing eastward." He put the paper back into the message tube, smoothed the pigeon's feathers, and let it fly away.

His acquaintance with this pigeon friend was entirely due to a misunderstanding. It was a hot summer day a year ago, and Ling Xiao, lying under a tree for a nap, was awakened by a sudden splash of bird droppings. Enraged, he pulled out his slingshot and fired, and the pigeon fell to the ground. Realizing he had caused trouble, he carefully picked up the pigeon and treated it.

Of course, as a gentleman, Ling Xiao didn't peek at the message. But when he released the pigeon, he added a piece of paper, scolding the pigeon's owner for not controlling it and allowing it to defecate in public places!

To his surprise, the pigeon returned the next day with a message: "The quiet library has no visitors, the lonely books are ignored. After many days of closure, today they are opened, only to add to the sorrow of the ink-stained pages."

Dazed, he thought, "This is mocking me for being uneducated! I can't stand this! As a穿越者, if I'm looked down upon in this aspect, how can I face my friends from my past life!"

So Ling Xiao replied with a poem mocking the pigeon's owner, and thus the term "pigeon friend" was born!