The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, becoming a disciple of Yue Buqun.

An elderly man and a teenager are walking on the street.

The old man was thin, dressed in tattered clothes, wearing a straw hat, hunched over, and looked sickly.

The boy helped the old man walk down the street.

The boy was dressed in brocade and silk, looking every bit the wealthy young master.

This unusual pair of old and young people walking down the street attracted a lot of attention.

Many江湖人士 (jianghu figures) and hooligans had their eyes on them, or rather, on this richly dressed young man. However, the strange combination of the two made these people unsure of what to do, and they hesitated to make a move, instead quietly following behind them.

The two seemed completely unaware.

"Master, why don't you go with my senior brothers?"

The boy looked at the old man, his brows furrowed, as if he had something on his mind.

"My old bones are getting old, I'm slow, I can't keep up with them, cough cough..."

The old man coughed twice as he spoke.

The boy didn't speak upon hearing this, but his brows furrowed even deeper.

The old man fiddled with the erhu in his hand and asked a casual question.

Are you worried about him?

The boy nodded: "He saved my life."

The old man's face was expressionless; he simply nodded slightly.

"It's good to repay kindness."

The boy did not react to these words.

He didn't understand why the old man had specifically chosen him to accompany him among so many disciples.

"Cough cough."

The old man coughed twice more and said something.

"Let's get started."

Upon hearing this, the young man's face hardened slightly, and he glanced out of the corner of his eye at the martial arts figures and thugs who were getting closer and closer behind him.

"Hey."

A thug stepped forward and blocked the two men, a strange smile on his face.

"Hey kid, you look all dressed up, you must have a lot of money on you. Lend us some to spend."

His companions also surrounded the old man and the boy.

The martial arts practitioners who were about to make their move stopped in their tracks, exchanged glances, and decided to wait and see what would happen.

The other people on the street changed their expressions upon seeing this and quickly left.

The boy looked at these people coldly and uttered a single word.

"kill?"

The old man's cough worsened, causing his head to shake up and down repeatedly.

"Ok?"

Seeing that the two ignored them, a thug became furious and reached out to grab the boy.

"Are you deaf if my older brother is talking to you?"

Clang!

A piercing clang rang out, and the thug felt a chill on his neck.

Before the thug could react, he felt a chill on his neck, followed by a sharp pain.

Bang!

The body fell to the ground.

The old man looked at the thin, thread-like wound on the thug's neck, from which blood was gushing out.

"good."

The old man nodded slightly.

The boy had a cold and hard expression, and held a thin and narrow scissor in his hand.

"you!"

The other thugs were startled and looked at the boy with shock and anger.

A flash of sword light appeared, the boy waved his hand a few times, and then sheathed his sword.

Several thugs clutched their necks and collapsed.

The old man looked at the corpses.

"Damn it."

After saying that, he stepped over the corpses of several people.

The boy followed.

The other martial arts figures looked at each other in bewilderment, remained silent, and dispersed.

Not far away, a middle-aged man with a large belly looked at the old man and the boy with a complicated expression in his eyes.

……

Not long after leaving Xi'an Prefecture, Jiang Ning and Yi Qing arrived at a remote village.

Several Hengshan disciples were secretly patrolling the outskirts of the village. When they saw Yi Qing and the others return, they all showed themselves.

"Senior sister."

Several Hengshan disciples bowed to Yi Qing, their gazes turning to Jiang Ning beside them with questioning expressions.

"Ah."

Yi Qing nodded and explained to them, "This is Jiang Ning, a junior brother from the Huashan Sect."

Jiang Ning bowed and said, "Greetings, senior sisters."

The group was startled by his words and looked at Jiang Ning with astonishment.

Ning Yanwang's reputation has become legendary during this period.

Is Master inside?

Yi Qing inquired.

One of the female disciples nodded.

"exist."

Yi Qing said, "Then let's go see our master first."

Several Hengshan disciples nodded, and after Jiang Ning, Yi Qing, and the others went inside, they hid again and continued their patrol.

As Yi Qing walked inside, she stopped outside a house where faint voices could be heard.

Several Hengshan disciples stood guard outside.

Yi Qing introduced Jiang Ning to the group, and one of the disciples knocked on the door.

"Master, Senior Sister Yiqing and Junior Brother Jiang Ning from the Huashan Sect have arrived."

The sounds inside the room immediately stopped.

"Come in."

The voice of Abbess Dingyi could be heard coming from inside.

"Yes, Master."

Upon hearing this, Yi Qing pushed open the door and said to Jiang Ning, "Junior brother, come in too."

Jiang Ning nodded and then went inside.

Besides Abbess Dingyi, there was another nun inside.

The two were sitting at the table, seemingly discussing something, and Master Dingyi's expression was very unpleasant.

“Master, Senior Uncle Dingjing.”

Yi Qing was the first to bow to the two of them.

Thanks to her reminder, Jiang Ning also learned the name of the other nun.

"Nephew greets Uncle-Master Dingyi and Uncle-Master Dingjing."

Jiang Ning bowed to the two of them.

Master Dingjing smiled and nodded at Jiang Ning.

Master Dingyi looked at Jiang Ning with surprise.

"Shouldn't you be on Mount Hua right now? How did you run into Yi Qing?"

Yi Qing explained, "Master, Junior Sister Yi Xin said we are in Xi'an Prefecture, and Junior Brother Jiang Ning came here specifically to find us."

Master Dingyi was taken aback upon hearing this, but her expression softened. She nodded slightly to Jiang Ning and then introduced him to Master Dingjing, saying, "Senior Sister, this is Jiang Ning from the Huashan Sect."

While Abbess Dingyi was speaking, Dingjing was already sizing up Jiang Ning. Suddenly, she spoke up and asked, "I heard that you chased down the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect some time ago. Is that true?"

"Yes."

Jiang Ning nodded.

Upon receiving the person's personal confirmation, Ding Jing also showed a hint of surprise.

"Senior sister, I already told you, it's definitely true."

Master Dingyi waved her hand: "If this boy hadn't chased after that demoness and angered her, why would he have gone to such lengths to have these people besiege the Huashan Sect?"

As Master Dingyi spoke, a smile couldn't help but appear on her rugged face.

She said that her judgment last year was correct.