Starting from Tianlong, Wudu Tianxia

Chengdong Lane is a typical alleyway in the lower-level neighborhoods. It is close to the edge of the city and has a chaotic layout with many workshops, presenting the characteristics of being "narrow, crowded, and shabby".

Most of the houses in the alley are made of adobe, with multiple households sharing a single earthen wall. The walls are constructed of rammed earth, and the roofs are rarely made of bricks or tiles, but rather thatched or covered with tattered mats. Cracks often appear after being washed by rainwater.

The doors and windows were simple wooden frames, without window paper or only covered with tattered cloth, making them drafty in winter and stuffy in summer.

At this moment, the little girl was huddled on a low couch made of just a few simple wooden planks.

A few wisps of autumn leaves and a chilly wind drifted in through the holes in the mud-brick wall. She wrapped herself up tightly and pulled the old cotton quilt tighter around herself.

Winter is coming again, I wonder... if we can make it to spring next year.

Looking at the tattered kite she had picked up from the corner of the wall, she thought back to last spring when she squatted far away on the riverbank, watching with envy those of her age running around, and those kites soaring high in the sky.

After they left, I secretly picked it up, thinking I'd have Grandpa repair it so I could...

However, before his grandfather could help him repair the kite, he fell ill.

The father and son's lives became more and more difficult each day.

A woman went to a herbal medicine shop to buy medicine. When she returned home and brewed the medicine, she heard the old man in the inner room groaning in pain. Her face turned pale, and she covered her ears, at a loss.

Later, they couldn't afford the medicine anymore. Under the blazing sun, she carried a basket bigger than herself up the mountain to collect herbs. As a result, her shoulders burned with pain from the chafing. After taking off the basket, she squatted at the foot of the mountain and burst into tears.

On the eve of the old man's death, the little girl secretly ran to Daxingshan Temple, hoping to pray for his well-being.

But the old monk saw that she was dressed in rags and refused to let her in, saying that those whose clothes were unclean were disrespectful to Buddha.

At that moment, she thought, "So... even Buddha only gilded his body, but didn't save people!"

Time flows gently like a stream, and one scene after another slowly unfolds.

In a daze, the scene remained on that day: the boy who gave her coins in the alley, the boy who stuffed food into her mouth in front of the steamed bun shop, and the boy who gently invited her to eat under the stone lion.

Suddenly, her crystal-clear eyes were filled with worry.

"Da da!~"

The sound of horses' hooves pounding the ground was somewhat startling in the still night.

She was startled at first when she lifted the old quilt and pushed open the wooden door, then her small eyes suddenly lit up.

Her eyes welled up with tears, but she stubbornly held them back like a mule. She took small steps forward, her voice nasal:

"You're here!"

Gao Yuan looked at her slightly reddened eyes and found it somewhat amusing: "Pin is a grown woman, why are you crying?"

"Are you blind?"

He ruffled her hair and said, "Alright, alright, you're really blind. You'd rather starve than beg for help, how could you possibly cry?"

"Mount up."

The little girl turned her head away: "What?"

"I'll take you out for a delicious and spicy meal."

"You liar, you're in cahoots with the slave traders in Mud Alley, aren't you? That's how they swindle children."

Gao Yuan chuckled, speechless. "No, you're nothing special. You wouldn't be worth much even if you were sold. Besides, why would your brother lie to his own sister?"

"Big brother?"

"Yes, from now on I'll be your older brother. Come on, I'll take you on a journey through the martial world."

"Blow a big fuss!"

"Small in stature but big in wisdom."

......

The next day.

The warm autumn sun, with its sharp rays, pierced through the wispy clouds above the Jingzhao Prefecture, casting its light upon the vast buildings and streets of the prefecture.

At noon, almost all the teahouses and taverns in Jingzhao Prefecture were packed with people.

The clouds over the Jianghu in Jingzhao have finally been stirred up!

The storytellers were all red-faced and stern-necked, bombarding each other with questions. Many people, who hadn't even eaten, crowded inside to listen.

"What a ruthless person! He single-handedly stormed into the Tianyi Gang's territory, wiping out more than thirty night watch disciples overnight. Is this person really the young man captured by Penglai?"

"The people from the Hidden Fire Bureau witnessed it with their own eyes, and disciples of the Heavenly Righteous Gang also testified. The screen wall standing in the ashes clearly bears the inscription 'First the Nine Wings, then destroy Heavenly Righteousness, sweep away the Lingjiu, and welcome and slay Penglai.' Who else could it be but him?"

"It is said that Lu Shou, the leader of the Tianyi Gang, and Shen Xuanmo, have all died!"

Someone pulled open their shirt and shouted, "I heard that the Zoroastrian Nine-Winged Taoist who attacked the Ma residence last night was also killed by this person!"

"A while ago, many people went to the two routes and five prefectures of Jingdong to join in the fun, but they never expected that this person had been hiding in our Jingzhao Prefecture all along."

"Do you have a portrait of him?"

"Yes, some members of the Tianyi Gang who know about this have already revealed it."

Inside the restaurant, a frequent merchant slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "The Tianyi Gang only has one deputy leader left. He heard the news in another state and is rushing back. There's going to be some excitement!"

A member of the Qinghong Gang in the crowd said to his companions, "Haha, so what if they're back? The Tianyi Gang's 'leader' is gone, they're finished!"

"Great! Great! Tianyi's territory is about to change hands!"

"Damn it, I lost a leg fighting them for territory a while back, now it's their turn to suffer!"

"Hahaha, let's drink, let's watch the show, someone will take care of them!"

"Alright, let's drink until we drop!"

......

Inside the Nanshan Fragrant Tea House.

In the past, storytellers would stand on the wooden platform in the lobby of the building to give their narrations, but now it has become Ma Wude's "clarification" venue.

Old Ma certainly wasn't in the mood to go up and chat, but Gao Yuan's incident had caused the entire teahouse to be packed with martial arts figures, and the Tianyi Gang had even come to demand an explanation.

The hundred or so people in the teahouse stared intently, while many members of Tianyi Gang glared angrily, eager to hear his explanation.

The others learned from him that Gao Yuan was someone he had met on the road, and they had no idea about his background.

Then he poured out his grievances, saying that everyone in the martial arts world knew his character, that he was generous and righteous, and that he liked to make friends in the martial arts world, and that he had nothing to do with this person.

The expressions on everyone's faces were tense.

For so many years, the Jianghu (江湖, a term referring to the martial arts world) of Jingzhao has never encountered such a momentous event.

The Tianyi Gang members watched helplessly as Ma Wude talked to himself on stage.

Such matters should normally be inquired about in a private residence, but Ma Wude is as slippery as an eel. As soon as they arrived, the bastard tore down the teahouse door and then jumped onto the stage to start performing.

Before long, the teahouse was packed with people from all walks of life.

Damn it, the people from Tianyi Gang who came to interrogate him couldn't retaliate, so they had no choice but to listen to his explanation.

Ma Wude repeatedly emphasized to everyone at the top:

"Old Ma really didn't know him well. He just took pity on him and thought it wouldn't hurt to give him a ride. Who knew he was a robber of Penglai? He must have misjudged people."

Ma Wude had his own agenda, telling the whole truth, but deliberately omitting the matter between Gao Yuan and the Zoroastrianism.

Someone sitting on the chair below, who recognized Tianyi, called out:

"Brother Pu, are you really sure it's him? I think Boss Ma's words sound very sincere, so it's possible that he really has nothing to do with it. His actions were unintentional, and he didn't realize he was inviting trouble."

Pu Shan, the leader of the Tianyi Gang, spoke with barely suppressed anger:

"The words on the screen wall were carved with powerful energy, not blown by the wind! Last night, Young Master Cui hosted a banquet, and many friends from the martial arts world saw him there. How could he possibly have no connection to it?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the teahouse erupted in chaos, with many onlookers joining in the commotion.

Upon hearing this, Ma Wude immediately retorted, "Brother Pu, don't talk nonsense. How would I know he was such a person!"

At this moment, Young Master Cui, sitting in the front row, spoke up: "Brother Ma is a man with property and business; what benefit would we gain from colluding with him?"

Pu Shan's face darkened. With the loss of their leader and their base being slaughtered, no one cared about Tianyi now. Seeing Cui Poyun standing up for Ma Wude, he didn't dare to object.

Xumi, the young master of the manor, also exchanged a glance with Ma Wude.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Lao Ma quickly gave the Long Tuan Sheng Xue to the young master.

Meanwhile, the young master of the manor was speaking up for him while inwardly cursing Ma Wude.

"That old Ma, such a ruthless man, actually instigated me to fight him. If I didn't know Ma Wude's character, I would have jumped up and punched him twice!"

Pu Shan stared at Ma Wude for a long time, then finally gritted his teeth and said:

"Alright! We'll believe you this once, Boss Ma! But if we find out you've uttered even the slightest lie, the Tianyi Gang will fight to the last man to give you a proper talking to!"

At this moment, someone suddenly asked, "But what does 'Sweep the courtyard at Lingjiu, welcome and slay Penglai' mean?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's a sect, maybe it's a place name, or maybe he's just making things up to mislead people."

Downstairs, a martial arts practitioner looked shaken; many people had wanted to join in the fun at Penglai back then.

But after last night's events, with the annihilation of Nine Wings and the killing of Tianyi, such martial arts skills, if one were to actually join the fun, would likely result in a banquet for oneself.

In less than a day, the news had spread throughout Jingzhao Prefecture, and traveling martial arts practitioners were spreading the news to even more distant prefectures.

Gao Yuan's fearsome reputation is enough to make any ordinary martial arts practitioner tremble with fear.