Chapter 40

At the dinner table that night, Father Baili Xi, Mother, Yuntong, and Baixiaosheng sat together, enjoying a warm meal. The little one was already fast asleep in the inner room.

"Big Brother, Big Sister, look at this rascal, he’s not just a food bucket but also a wine bucket!" Yuntong, slightly tipsy, pointed at Baixiaosheng, and his words made the two of them smile.

Wine was a luxury even for ordinary families, and Baixiaosheng started drinking because of Yuntong. But this guy was really a little wine bug; once he started drinking, he could drink a lot. He still remembered his 15th birthday when he and Yuntong tasted wines, and Yuntong actually got drunk from him. At that time, Baili Xi teased him a lot.

"Father, Mother, Uncle Tung, I toast to you!" Baixiaosheng raised his wine bowl and drank it in one gulp. Baili Xi and Yuntong also drank their bowls dry, while Mother took a gentle sip, looking at her eldest son with loving and tender smiles.

After being away from home for more than three years, his appearance hadn't changed much, but his demeanor was completely different. He looked much more mature, and his thin face showed a firm and resolute expression.

Seeing him, Mother felt a sense of "my son has grown up," feeling both comforted and reluctant.

The four of them ate and drank from around 6 PM until 8 PM. In the end, Baili Xi and Yuntong both passed out, and Baixiaosheng also felt dizzy and tipsy. His tipsiness wasn't from the alcohol but from the warmth in his heart.

Not having returned home for many years, the feeling of relaxation and warmth at home made him addicted. This feeling was almost indescribable, and it showed that even if the wine didn't make him drunk, he was already drunk from the warmth.

Gently supporting Mother, Baixiaosheng lay down on the bed. With blurred eyes, he looked at Mother's somewhat aged appearance, feeling increasingly moved and sad.

The ancients said, "When parents are alive, one should not travel far!" He didn't quite understand this saying, as it didn't apply in modern times. But looking at Mother, he suddenly understood.

How old was Mother? About 45, right? But her aged appearance looked like that of a 60-70 year old! At this place, 45 was quite old, and many elders died at this age. Look at his mother's gray hair; this would be unbelievable in modern times.

"Mother..." Holding Mother's hand, Baixiaosheng was reluctant to let go. He felt that if he let go, he might never be able to hold it again. He didn't know why he had this thought, maybe it was a sudden feeling? Maybe it was the frustration of living two lives? Or perhaps the fear of death?

In a daze, he felt his face wet. Were they his tears? Or Mother's tears? Maybe both.

That night, he had a dream. In the dream, he was in a sea of flowers, and the faint laughter of women attracted him. He went to see, but what he saw were the backs of two women. They seemed to be talking about him, but he couldn't see their faces. From the back, one was Mother, and the other? He tried hard to recognize her, but the back was so familiar, so familiar that he didn't dare to recognize it, and it made him afraid to recognize it.

When he woke up in shock, the woman turned her head, and it was an aged face—Mother! It was Mother, but it was his mother from his previous life.

In his previous life, he was a disobedient son, and he regretted it to death, but he couldn't make up for it. He could only wander, regret, and cry in the middle of the night. In this life, he was also a filial son, pouring all the love he had for his mother in his previous life into this life's mother, being playful, acting cute, doing everything he should do to make Mother happy and himself happy.

To say that he was not like a reincarnated person in this life, he was more like a real child! This was probably the true nature revealed by genuine emotions!

Opening his eyes, he looked at the familiar bed and slowly got up. Last night, he didn't even take off his clothes and just slept. Although he had a seemingly beautiful dream, his body felt tired. It was strange, how could his body be tired? This was probably a side effect of relaxation. He hadn't rested for more than three years, and once he rested, the fatigue of more than three years surged up.

This fatigue was not physical but mental. Everyone said maturity, but a person's maturity came from the transformation of the heart, and this transformation usually came with pain!

Baixiaosheng didn't have much pain, but the world made him sigh a lot, especially the things he encountered after returning, which made him feel uncomfortable and sad. This was probably also a reason why he went on a killing spree and couldn't control himself.

Walking out of the house, Baixiaosheng saw smoke rising from the kitchen. In the corner, Father was chopping wood. He smiled slightly and immediately walked up, taking the axe from Father's hand, saying, "Father, I used to do this."

"You rascal..." Father knew his son was concerned about him, and his heart felt warm. Watching his son chop wood, the Baixiaosheng in his eyes seemed to return to childhood.

In the past, this kid also chopped wood for him, saying he was exercising his arm strength. But would exercising arm strength make him stop despite the pain?

At that time, he knew his son was very sensible and filial. This made him very proud to have such a good son.

Parents with no great ambitions had only one hope for their descendants. Baixiaosheng was sensible and filial from a young age and worked hard in cultivation. What more could they ask for?

Perhaps, their only hope was to see a grandchild before they passed away. However, although they were just ordinary people, they understood the principles, especially in an environment where everyone in the village practiced martial arts. They knew the benefits of martial arts, and martial artists generally didn't get married too early because it would distract them.

They knew Baixiaosheng's sense of duty and filial piety, and they also knew his dedication to martial arts. Therefore, they never mentioned his marriage, and even when someone came to propose, they turned them away. They had already given up on seeing a grandchild. Fortunately, not long after Baixiaosheng left, they had another son, which gave the two old people a new hope and comfort.

Life at home was very simple. Two small dishes, rough tea, and occasional meat made everything taste delicious, like eating a big fish or meat. Usually, he helped his parents with chores, cleaned the house, and let them watch and talk, making their hearts warm.

Baixiaosheng spent three days at home. After three days, he left as per the rules and headed to the mountain city. During these three days, the mountain city was not peaceful. The sudden action of the Beggar Sect and the spread of various rumors made many evil forces nervous. They couldn't understand why the Beggar Sect suddenly took action.

The good forces were also unhappy. Although they didn't take action, the Beggar Sect had tied them to the public opinion, making them part of the execution. They knew their own affairs, but others didn't. The common people praised them, but could they explain it? This seemingly good thing, they could only accept it, but how they felt inside was only known to themselves.

That night, all the influential figures from various forces came to the Beggar Sect's base. This place was not a secret to them, and the Beggar Sect didn't hide it because it was just an old temple, nothing to hide.

The Yun Family Village also sent someone, and it was the village chief, Yun Gongming!

In the Beggar Sect's base, Yun Gongming was slightly surprised to see Baixiaosheng. The two elders beside him were also a bit taken aback. One of them whispered in his ear, "Village Chief, isn't that the kid from the Bai family?"

Yun Gongming nodded. The Yun Family Village was not large, and Baixiaosheng was an outstanding young man. He naturally knew about him. Even when Baixiaosheng returned a few days ago, he had heard about it and even went to see him. He didn't expect that when they met again, this kid had become the leader of the Beggar Sect in the mountain city. From his clothes, he was a fifth-bag disciple. This kid was really impressive, having become a third-bag disciple in just over three years. Impressive!

Looking at Baixiaosheng, what Yun Gongming felt most disappointed about was that he didn't have the surname "Yun" but "Bai."

"Seniors, Baixiaosheng, newly in charge of the Beggar Sect here, had the intention to do some good for the people, and acted a bit hastily, causing you all to be alarmed. Please rest assured, although the Beggar Sect is powerful, we do not bully the good. Our targets are only those who do evil. I believe everyone is a person with a conscience, and all are friends of the Beggar Sect..."

In the mountain city, there were no major forces, and the largest was the Beggar Sect. The rest were either small village forces like the Yun Family Village or martial arts schools similar to modern martial arts clubs. They were a force here, but outside, they were nothing. For example, in the Yun Family Village, Yun Gongming was a top expert, but outside... well!

The Beggar Sect was different from these forces. Although it was an external force, most of the beggars were from this place, making it a local force. This was the advantage of the Beggar Sect. Moreover, the Beggar Sect was a major force with countless experts. A few of them could easily crush the entire mountain city. Therefore, everyone usually gave the Beggar Sect face, and the Beggar Sect also lived in peace with everyone.

Today, Baixiaosheng immediately tied everyone up, making them unhappy, but they couldn't say anything because they were not as powerful. What could they say?

After Baixiaosheng's good words, everyone's faces looked a bit better. At least he gave them enough face, and this was what people with status cared about, just like the sages in ancient novels who cared about their own face. The people here were arrogant, so they were the same.

After some formalities, Baixiaosheng said, "I have invited everyone here today to eliminate the evil forces in our mountain city. Today, our Beggar Sect has already eliminated three forces in the city. The remaining ones need our efforts. I hope everyone, considering that I am also from the mountain city, will give the Beggar Sect a face and work together to eliminate the darkness and bring peace to our mountain city!"