Chapter 2

The listening system is a life-saving method of Baixiaosheng. The space within it allows Baixiaosheng to hide and not be discovered. Just like this time, if it weren't for the system, he would probably have died at the hands of Yu Canghai of the Qingcheng Sect.

Behind the tree, Baixiaosheng sighed with lingering fear. He had practiced for over ten years, successively defeating his parents and Uncle Yun, and among the younger generation in the manor, he had no rivals. Among the older generation, there were only a few. If he said he wasn't proud, that would be impossible.

He still remembered how passionate he was when he left home, thinking about challenging figures like Xiao Feng in the future, which made his blood boil uncontrollably.

Unfortunately, Baixiaosheng encountered his first crisis as soon as he left the manor.

At the time, he met a group of bandits, more than twenty of them, who were robbing a small merchant caravan. Initially, Baixiaosheng was delighted, thinking it was his chance to act heroically. But after a while, he realized he was too weak.

Perhaps his martial arts weren't weak, but his experience was far too lacking. Especially when those people fought for their lives, it made Baixiaosheng hesitate. When he killed someone and shed blood, they retreated, but then they rushed forward again, making Baixiaosheng extremely embarrassed and even getting cut a few times.

At that moment, Baixiaosheng was as embarrassed as a stray dog, unable to act heroically, and even struggling to save his own life.

That time, he used the system space to hide, and with lingering fear, he hid for three days until he couldn't bear the hunger anymore and left the system.

After that, he became more cautious and resolved to hone his skills. At the time, the stubborn Baixiaosheng decided to confront the bandits. Relying on his superior martial arts, he ambushed them, killing them until they were terrified.

That was the first time Baixiaosheng killed someone, and it made him go crazy, losing control. When he calmed down, he was extremely afraid.

Not long after, Baixiaosheng discovered a hidden secret in the system.

His system space was a beautiful place, surrounded by mountains and forests, with a wooden house in the center. Outside the wooden house was a vast grassland, with a large blue stone standing alone. The system used this mirror-like large blue stone to analyze Baixiaosheng's martial arts.

In this space, there was a straight path. Following the path, one could see a huge waterfall. When Baixiaosheng relaxed, he was curious about what was behind the waterfall. He walked in and saw a huge stone door. When he pushed it open, everything changed.

Originally, he should have been transported to the mutated Tianlong world, but he ended up in the world of "Smiling, Proud Wanderer," and as soon as he came out, he met Lin Pingzhi, who had just been rescued by Yue Lingshan.

This young man, seeing his parents being bullied by Fang Renhao and Yu Renzhi, disregarded the strength gap and was about to step forward. Baixiaosheng, seeing this, thought of the young man's tragic background and his filial piety, so he stepped forward to restrain him and saved Lin Zhenan and his wife.

After that, he bullied Fang Renhao and Yu Renzhi, but Yu Canghai turned around and bullied him.

Leaning against the tree, Baixiaosheng held his chest, showing no signs of joy, only a continuous sense of frustration. He had underestimated Yu Canghai, whose palm strike made his chest feel like it was being pierced by needles. If it weren't for his cultivation, his injuries would have been even more severe. In short, the gap in skills between him and Yu Canghai was too large.

By his estimation, his current strength was about the same as Linghuchong. Perhaps his internal cultivation was slightly better than Linghuchong's, but his other skills were not. If they faced each other, it would be a fifty-fifty chance. But Yu Canghai? This guy could easily overpower Linghuchong, and dealing with Baixiaosheng would be no problem.

Relaxing his chest, Baixiaosheng slowly circulated his internal energy to alleviate the pain. After staying outside for another day, Baixiaosheng traveled at night.

After walking for half the night, he finally saw a village, which made Baixiaosheng very happy. He immediately ran over, found a household, bought some food, and asked where he was and how far it was to Hengyang City.

From the villagers, Baixiaosheng learned about his future journey and immediately left. Before leaving, he saw a blacksmith shop and bought a long sword. The sword Baixiaosheng bought was not an ordinary long sword but a large sword twice as thick and one and a half times as wide as a regular long sword, weighing about thirty pounds.

He bought this sword to train his arm strength and hone his basics. Otherwise, at his age, learning swordsmanship would take a long time. Although he had practiced sword techniques before, it wasn't for long. Now, he needed to find a way to improve, and training with a heavy sword was the best method.

As Baixiaosheng walked, he used the system to hone his sword basics. With the system's help, he didn't have to worry about the basics, but over time, it became unbearable. Fortunately, after a month, he finally received a 70% basic evaluation from the system. At this point, he eagerly took out the Tian Shan Sword Technique and started learning.

The Tian Shan Sword Technique has thirteen forms and was given to Baixiaosheng by Yuntong, who watched him practice. It is said to have been created by the ancestor Yun Feiyang. However, it is not a high-level sword technique. The first nine forms are simple combinations of basic sword techniques, and the last four forms are more complex but not difficult. Baixiaosheng mastered the technique in just three days.

After another ten days, Baixiaosheng had a basic grasp of the Tian Shan Sword Technique and arrived outside Hengshan City.

In "Smiling, Proud Wanderer," the first major event is the destruction of the Lin family, and the second is Liu Zhengfeng's retirement. Since Baixiaosheng had entered the martial world, he had no reason not to get involved. However, he needed to think carefully about how to save Liu Zhengfeng's family.

In a tavern in Hengshan City, Baixiaosheng held a wine cup, a playful smile on his face, looking at a small hunchback sitting in front of him.

The hunchback was eating his meal, and Baixiaosheng sat opposite him, making him very uncomfortable. Just as he was considering whether to leave quickly, three more people came in. They saw that the table was full except for the two empty seats next to him.

"Can we sit here, hunchback, scholar?" The hunchback, hearing the three men ask, immediately smiled and said, "Of course, of course, I was just about to leave." He got up, pretending to leave. Baixiaosheng laughed, turned to him, and pressed his shoulder, saying, "Brother Lin, why are you in such a hurry? We're here to attend Liu Zhengfeng's retirement ceremony. This place is full of martial artists, so it's a good place to hear what everyone has to say."

"Ah, the scholar and the hunchback are also here for Liu San's retirement ceremony?" The three men were surprised, and one of them even sneered. Baixiaosheng ignored him and looked at Lin Pingzhi, who was visibly afraid. When he called him "Brother Lin," it almost made his heart skip a beat.

"This time, Liu San's retirement is a big event. Three days before the ceremony, Hengshan City is already full of guests," another man with one eye said, "Naturally. The Hengshan Sect already has a great reputation, and with the Five Great Sword Sects united, their influence is enormous. Who wouldn't want to form a connection with them? Besides, Liu Zhengfeng, Liu San, is a formidable martial artist. His 'Backwind Falling Goose Sword' is the second-best in the Hengshan Sect, only slightly inferior to the sect leader, Mo Da. People have long wanted to form a connection with him. But he doesn't celebrate his birthday, doesn't get married, and doesn't have a daughter to marry off, so there's no opportunity. This time, with his retirement, martial heroes naturally gather. I think the next few days will be even more lively in Hengshan City."

Hearing the three men talk, Baixiaosheng leaned close to Lin Pingzhi's ear and whispered, "Lin Pingzhi, I saved your family. Why are you trying to leave when you see me? Am I that scary?"

"It's you..." Lin Pingzhi whispered in surprise, recognizing the voice of the person who had freed him and told him to run that day.

"You remember." Baixiaosheng laughed, picked up his wine cup, and drank.

"Sir..." Lin Pingzhi looked at Baixiaosheng, unsure how to address him, but thinking of his parents, he gritted his teeth and said, "Sir, please help my parents again. I will be forever grateful."

Hearing this, Baixiaosheng rolled his eyes and said, "Lin Pingzhi, do you think Yu Canghai is easy to deal with? Last time, I almost died at his hands. I can deal with Qingcheng Sect disciples, but not Yu Canghai."

"Sir..." Lin Pingzhi was desperate, but Baixiaosheng interrupted him, "Don't try to get me involved. I'm not unwilling to help, but I'm not strong enough. However, even if I'm not strong enough, my mind is still sharp. Come here..." Lin Pingzhi immediately leaned in, and Baixiaosheng whispered in his ear, "You're a fool. Yu Canghai is making things difficult for your family, ostensibly to avenge a grudge, but in reality, it's for your family's辟邪剑谱. But he can't say that openly, or he would be seen as a villain. So, find a protector and then ask Yu Canghai for your family."

"Find a protector?" Lin Pingzhi was a bit confused, but his eyes lit up when he saw Baixiaosheng. Seeing his expression, Baixiaosheng cursed him as a fool and said, "You can join the Five Great Sword Sects. Liu San's retirement will attract all the sects, and you can join one. With the influence of the Five Great Sword Sects, none of them can be matched by the Qingcheng Sect. Join one of them, and they can help you. Isn't that enough?"

"Yes, yes, yes." Lin Pingzhi understood, his face showing joy. He looked at Baixiaosheng, full of gratitude, and said, "Sir, thank you. Your great kindness will never be forgotten."

"Alright, no need for that." Baixiaosheng waved his hand, not taking it seriously. At this moment, the three men were talking about the Hengshan Sect, slandering Mo Da.

Baixiaosheng noticed a thin, tall old man with a lute enter, singing, "Alas, the Yang family, with loyal hearts..." His voice was long and mournful, making people feel uncomfortable.

Seeing Mo Da's entrance, Baixiaosheng smiled and was about to speak, but a short, fat man spoke faster, shouting, "What are you howling about? You interrupted me." Mo Da immediately lowered his lute, but the sound was even more unbearable. The short, fat man tried to speak again, but Mo Da increased the volume, interrupting him, making him feel very cold.

Baixiaosheng knew something interesting was about to happen and said to Lin Pingzhi, "Kid, your luck is here. Meeting this person is a stroke of luck."

Lin Pingzhi was confused but followed Baixiaosheng's gaze, just as Mo Da stood up and walked towards the short, fat man. The short, fat man, seeing this, said angrily, "Old man, what are you doing?" Mo Da shook his head and said, "You're talking nonsense!" Then he turned and left. The short, fat man, furious, reached out to grab his back, but suddenly a green light flashed, and a thin, long sword appeared on the table, making a few clinking sounds. The short, fat man was shocked, and Baixiaosheng slapped the table, shouting, "Great sword technique!"

Mo Da glanced at Baixiaosheng in surprise but ignored him, saying again to the short, fat man, "You're talking nonsense!" and slowly left the tavern.

Seeing this, Baixiaosheng pulled Lin Pingzhi and said, "Come on, the main character is right there. Don't let him get away."

Lin Pingzhi, lacking experience, didn't know who the main character was, but someone in the tavern did, though Lin Pingzhi didn't hear. Fortunately, Baixiaosheng was by his side. Baixiaosheng pulled him and quickly chased after Mo Da. However, Mo Da was strange; as soon as he left the tavern, his speed increased dramatically. His steps seemed slow but were actually fast, and the two couldn't catch up.

After running for a while, Lin Pingzhi was out of breath. He realized this old man was a true expert. His speed was remarkable, surpassing even the senior beside him, who couldn't catch up either.

"Unfortunately!" Sitting on the ground, Baixiaosheng slapped the earth in frustration. Lin Pingzhi, catching his breath, asked, "Sir, who was that senior?"

"You fool!" Baixiaosheng scolded, "That sword technique just now cut through seven teacups. In Hengshan City, only Liu San of the Hengshan Sect has such skill. But Liu San is fat, and his 'Five Swallows Pierced by One Sword' technique, though good, is not as good as this person. By age and skill, this must be Mo Da, the leader of the Hengshan Sect."

"Mo Da!" Lin Pingzhi exclaimed, deeply regretting it. If he could join Mo Da, his parents...

Baixiaosheng also shook his head. He came here to wait for Mo Da to help save Liu Zhengfeng's family. He knew that if he tried to save them himself, it would be very dangerous and might not work. But if Mo Da helped, there would be no problem. Unfortunately, Mo Da was gone, which was...

Thinking about this, he looked at Lin Pingzhi and asked, "Lin Pingzhi, I remember your parents ran away. How did they get caught by Yu Canghai again?"

Not mentioning it would have been better. Hearing this, Lin Pingzhi's eyes turned red. He had never felt so wronged in his life, especially in recent times, which had been like a roller coaster, with three shocks a day.

That day, Baixiaosheng unexpectedly saved his family, but he underestimated the Qingcheng Sect's setup. This time, the Qingcheng Sect mobilized all its disciples to deal with the Fuwei Escort Agency. When Lin Pingzhi's parents ran, they didn't get far before being caught by Qingcheng Sect disciples. Fortunately, Lin Pingzhi was lucky and managed to hide, or he would have been caught too.

Baixiaosheng couldn't do much about this. If his skills were better, he could have stormed the Qingcheng Sect and forced Yu Canghai to release the family.

Seeing Lin Pingzhi's regret and pain, Baixiaosheng had an idea and opened his mouth to say something but ultimately didn't. He was hesitant. Given Lin Pingzhi's current situation, if he wanted to save his parents, it wasn't impossible, but he would have to use the辟邪剑谱. However, this was risky. If Yu Canghai got the辟邪剑谱and still wanted to eliminate them, they would have no way to stop him. But ignoring Lin Pingzhi would be too cruel. In his heart, the辟邪剑谱was clearly less important than his parents. If he could exchange the辟邪剑谱for his parents, he would not refuse.

In the original story, Lin Pingzhi became a eunuch, driven by his blood feud and the manipulation of Yue Buqun. Perhaps in a different environment, with a master who didn't covet the辟邪剑谱, Lin Pingzhi would have a better fate.

"Got it!" Suddenly, Baixiaosheng clapped his hands. He thought of someone who might be able to help. He looked at Lin Pingzhi, who was surprised, and said, "Kid, come with me. There might be someone who can help you."

"Really?" Lin Pingzhi was delighted, but before he could ask more, Baixiaosheng dragged him towards Hengyang City. Unbeknownst to them, Mo Da's thin, gaunt figure emerged from nearby, watching their distant backs and murmuring, "Lin Pingzhi... Fuwei Escort Agency?" Then, the lute sound rang out again, and Mo Da resumed his expressionless, gaunt appearance, but his direction was directly behind them.