How did I, a fake bodyguard, become a terrestrial immortal?

On the official road leading to Hanlin City, a dilapidated cart, hastily pieced together, was slowly moving forward.

Calling it a horse-drawn carriage is actually giving it too much credit.

One of the original wheels had long since fallen off, and most of the vehicle's deck was cracked.

Lu Yang could only choose two of the most docile horses from those left behind by kind-hearted people.

Then they used ropes to barely tie up the still relatively intact carriage.

So a carriage that was already falling apart became a carriage that looked like it could fall apart at any moment.

creak...creak...

Hearing that familiar voice, Lu Yang couldn't help but twitch his lips.

He's most afraid of hearing this noise right now.

They had a feeling that this damn thing would send the three of them away again at any moment.

The good news, however, is that there are now a few more horses on the carriage.

The bad news is, he can't ride a horse.

The worse news is that Bai Yixin won't either.

As for Bai Miyao... never mind.

The little girl is now sitting quietly in the carriage without crying or making a fuss, which is already quite considerate.

Lu Yang led the way, his clothes torn to shreds.

Bai Yixin sat in the carriage with her daughter in her arms, glancing up at him every now and then.

His eyes held gratitude and awe, along with a hint of barely concealed doubt.

Lu Yang naturally noticed it.

In fact, ever since they left that muddy road, Bai Yixin had been stealing glances at him no less than a dozen times.

At first, Lu Yang quite enjoyed it.

After all, it's a bit unsettling to be looked at like that by a gentle and beautiful widow.

But after seeing it so many times, he started to get a little uneasy.

Finally, when Bai Yixin looked over again, Lu Yang couldn't help but turn around and say, "Sister Bai, just say what you want to say."

Bai Yixin blushed slightly when he saw through her thoughts.

She glanced down at Bai Miyao in her arms, hesitated for a moment, and then asked softly:

"Young Master Lu, may I ask... where exactly do you come from?"

Lu Yang's heart skipped a beat.

How do I explain this?

You can't exactly say you're from another world, can you?

Lu Yang coughed lightly and asked calmly, "Why do you ask that?"

Bai Yixin pursed her lips and whispered, "I just find it strange that someone with such a cultivation level could never be an ordinary person."

"But you didn't even have a place to stay in Black Bull Town before, and you almost slept on the streets."

"This... just doesn't make sense."

Lu Yang appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly he was groaning.

Good guy.

This woman looks delicate and frail, but she's not stupid.

Lu Yang put down the reins, put his hands behind his back, and tried to make his tone sound unfathomable: "Actually, I'm not from Black Bull Town."

Bai Yixin nodded gently: "I guessed it."

Lu Yang continued to add, "I come from a reclusive family."

Bai Yixin was taken aback. A hidden family?

Lu Yang tilted his head slightly, looking at the distant, rolling mountains, and said in a low voice, "My Lu family has lived in seclusion for many years, and the elders of the clan do not like to interact with the outside world."

"This is my first time entering the secular world, so I don't really understand the rules and regulations."

At this point, Lu Yang paused for a moment, then added, "And now I'm the only one left in the family."

Bai Yixin's expression changed slightly, and her original doubts instantly turned into a hint of apology.

She said softly, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked these questions."

Lu Yang breathed a sigh of relief.

Very good, it seems we've gotten past this hurdle.

He waved his hand, feigning nonchalance, and said, "It's alright."

Bai Yixin remained silent for a moment, then looked at Lu Yang's tattered clothes, as if she had finally figured something out.

No wonder Lu Yang possesses profound martial arts skills, yet he doesn't even understand the most basic rules of the martial arts world.

No wonder he dared to tell everyone he was a Wudang disciple, yet he couldn't even get into the escort agency in Black Bull Town.

However, this family has declined to the point where only he remains.

Thinking of this, Bai Yixin couldn't help but feel a little more sympathy, and her gaze towards Lu Yang softened.

Lu Yang was unaware that the identity he casually made up had already been automatically filled in by Bai Yixin with a whole tragic backstory.

Seeing Bai Yixin remain silent, he seized the opportunity to ask, "Sister Bai, you just said that with my level of external martial arts skills, I can't be an ordinary person. Why is that?"

She hugged Bai Miyao tightly and explained softly, "In Dali, it's as difficult as climbing to heaven for ordinary people to get involved in martial arts."

"It's not that they don't want to practice, but that there's no lineage to pass it on."

Another instance of inheritance?

This reminded him of the three men in black when he first traveled through time.

Lu Yang's brow twitched slightly: "Inheritance?"

Bai Yixin nodded: "Martial arts cannot be mastered simply by reading a book. To enter the realm of martial arts, one needs to practice the techniques and receive guidance from a master."

"Without a lineage, practicing martial arts haphazardly will at best injure your body, and at worst cause your qi and blood to become disordered, leading to sudden death."

Lu Yang was stunned.

So this world has such a high barrier to entry for martial arts training?

No wonder he had been looking for escort agencies everywhere, only to be kicked out as soon as they heard he didn't know martial arts.

You really can't blame them for looking down on you.

He really didn't even get inside.

Bai Yixin continued, "Therefore, most martial artists who can reach the rank of a certain level have a powerful background."

"Either you come from a martial arts school, or you join a sect."

"If one becomes even more capable, one can seek refuge with a powerful family, enter the government, and receive training from the Zhenwu Division."

"Even those martial arts gangs have their own rudimentary techniques, which they don't easily pass on to outsiders."

Lu Yang seemed to be deep in thought.

In other words, in this world, inheritance not only represents martial arts skills, but also a powerful backer.

If you know martial arts, it means you have someone backing you.

Bai Yixin said softly, "It's already quite remarkable that a small place like Black Bull Town can produce a ninth-rank martial artist."

Listening to her narration, Lu Yang gradually developed some suspicions.

Something's really wrong!

How could a widow burdened by her gambling husband know so much?

Martial arts traditions passed down through generations of families and sects.

These things don't seem like something an ordinary person from Black Bull Town would casually say.

Lu Yang led the horse, slowing his pace slightly.

He turned to look at Bai Yixin and suddenly asked, "Sister Bai, you seem to know a lot about these things."

Bai Yixin's voice abruptly stopped.

Inside the carriage, Bai Miyao had already fallen asleep in her arms.

The little girl wasn't sleeping soundly; one of her tiny hands was still tightly clutching Bai Yixin's clothes.

Bai Yixin looked down at the child in her arms, a hint of reminiscence flashing in her eyes.

After a long while, she raised her head and looked at the gradually darkening sky in the distance. She said in a very soft voice, "My father is Bai Chongshan, who was once the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue of Dali."

Lu Yang paused in his steps.

Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue?

Although he didn't know much about official positions in this world, based on his experience watching TV dramas in his previous life, this position often produced corrupt officials.

Bai Yixin ignored Lu Yang's reaction and continued, "Back then, the northern border suffered a severe drought, and the imperial court allocated three million taels of silver for disaster relief."

"My father was ordered to check the accounts, but he found that the money had been intercepted at each level before it even reached the disaster victims, and the account books were full of false records."

"My father submitted a memorial impeaching the Bai family, but before the memorial could reach the Emperor, the Bai family was in trouble."

Bai Yixin's eyes were slightly red, but she still tried her best to keep her voice calm: "Someone falsely accused my father of embezzling disaster relief funds, colluding with Jianghu forces, raising assassins, and plotting rebellion."

This charge is quite severe, Lu Yang gasped, any one of these charges could be fatal.

With all three combined, forget about overturning the verdict; just being able to leave with a whole corpse would be considered a stroke of good fortune.

Bai Yixin held Bai Miyao tightly in his arms, his knuckles turning slightly white.

"That night, the Zhenwu Division arrived very quickly. They sealed off the gates of the mansion, killed the guards, and arrested everyone they saw."

"Before my father was taken away, he only had time to let my sister and me escape through the secret passage in the backyard."

On the official road, only the creaking of broken carts remained.

Bai Yixin lowered her head, tears finally falling: "But we couldn't escape, there were people at the back door too."

"My sister knows that if we drag this out any longer, none of us will be able to leave."

Lu Yang glanced at Bai Miyao in her arms and vaguely guessed what was going on.

Bai Yixin's voice began to tremble: "She stuffed Yao'er into my arms and told me to take her child and leave."

"When I refused, she slapped me."

As he spoke, tears streamed down Bai Yixin's face.

That was the first time my sister hit me.

Bai Yixin closed her eyes, as if she could see the firelight of that night again.

"Not long after, a huge fire broke out at the Bai residence."

"It burned half the sky red..."

Bai Yixin raised her head, her eyes red-rimmed, and looked at Lu Yang: "Young Master Lu, I have been lying to you all along."

Lu Yang glanced at the sleeping Bai Miyao, then at Bai Yixin's pale face.

After a long pause, he couldn't help but sigh: "So, those people at the casinos in Black Bull Town..."

Bai Yixin smiled bitterly: "That gambling husband is real, but he has never touched me."

She took a deep breath and tried to get up, but Lu Yang stopped her.

"I hid it from you before. If you regret it now, I will not blame you at all."

"You have already saved my daughter and me once; I cannot drag you down with me again."

Lu Yang looked at her and remained silent for a moment: "Is it too late to leave now?"

Bai Yixin was taken aback, and felt inexplicably disappointed.

Lu Yang looked towards the distant direction of Hanlin City, and his lips twitched.

"I've killed them. Now tell me, your enemy isn't just the casino, but a powerful figure who can mobilize the Zhenwu Division to wipe out your entire family."

"Miss Bai, don't you think this news is a little late?"

Bai Yixin's face paled, and she opened her mouth, but didn't know how to answer.

Lu Yang suddenly smiled and said, "But having too much debt is not a burden, and having too many lice doesn't make you itch."

He led his horse and continued walking towards Hanlin City.

"Even if I turn back now, they won't let me off the hook."

Bai Yixin stared blankly at his retreating figure, her eyes reddening again: "Young Master Lu..."

Lu Yang waved his hand: "Don't look at me like that."

"I'm a very sexy person, and I can't resist the gaze of young girls in the throes of first love."