Two days later, you successfully waited for your senior brother, Linghu Chong, at Returning Goose Tower.
At that moment, his face was pale and he was covered in blood. He could not even walk steadily. It was obvious he had lost too much blood.
Before you had time to reveal yourself and greet him, he was knocked to the ground by a pretty young nun.
Seeing this familiar scene, you immediately realized that the young nun was Yi Lin of the Mount Hengshan Sect, while the lecherous man following behind her was Ten-Thousand-Mile Solitary Walker Tian Boguang.
At this thought, a trace of cold killing intent immediately surfaced in your eyes.
No matter the era, anyone who raped women deserved to die!
Just as in the original story, Linghu Chong had no choice but to act friendly toward Tian Boguang, drinking and competing with him in games, in order to save Yi Lin from his hands.
During this process, Tian Boguang became so pleased with himself that he announced his identity, prompting Daoist Master Tiansong and his disciple Chi Baicheng of the Mount Tai Sect to attack him in an attempt to eliminate evil.
Unfortunately, the two had not mastered their skills. Even after joining forces with Linghu Chong, they were no match for Tian Boguang. He beat them both so thoroughly that they could not fight back at all, and even hacked Chi Baicheng to death on the spot.
Yet you did not rush to intervene during this process, because you had noticed an interesting person—Lin Pingzhi, disguised as a beggar.
In your view, there was only one truly upright person in the entire world of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer: Lin Pingzhi, who had not yet suffered the complete destruction of his family.
Someone like him should not have met such a tragic fate, so you planned to lend him a hand.
Seeing that your senior brother, Linghu Chong, had already been beaten beyond recognition, you stopped hiding yourself. In an instant, you flashed between the two men and casually ran your sword through Tian Boguang's throat, ensuring that he was thoroughly dead.
Linghu Chong was both shocked and delighted by your appearance. But before he could enjoy his happiness for more than a moment, he was interrupted by Luo Renjie, one of the Four Talents of Qingcheng, who had just arrived.
The other man had not seen you kill Tian Boguang, and he did not recognize you at all. His eyes were fixed solely on Linghu Chong, who had rescued Lin Pingzhi, and he demanded that Linghu Chong hand Lin Pingzhi over.
You had no favorable impression of the Qingcheng Sect's act of taking advantage of someone's misfortune, so you casually struck him with a palm and sent him flying.
You told him to pass a message to Yu Canghai: Lin Pingzhi was under the protection of the Mount Hua Sect. If Yu Canghai had the ability, he could come and demand the man from you himself. You also announced your identity.
Your strength had nearly reached the limit of the Purple Xia Divine Skill. In the entire martial world, the only people who might still be stronger than you were probably Dongfang Bubai and Feng Qingyang.
Therefore, it was time for the martial world to learn that the Mount Hua Sect had more than just one senior brother, Linghu Chong. It also had an even stronger fifth disciple, Tao Jun.
It was also time to help Mount Hua reclaim the position of Five Peaks Alliance Leader.
Although you had struck only casually, Luo Renjie still vomited blood and suffered serious injuries.
He did not dare to stay any longer. With the help of his junior brother, he immediately fled in disgrace, while you made no attempt to stop him.
As a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, you knew that your master, Yue Buqun, valued his reputation above all else. You had no intention of ruining the "Gentleman" reputation your master had painstakingly built over several decades.
Afterward, you first stopped the bleeding of your senior brother, Linghu Chong. Then you had Lin Pingzhi and Yi Lin, who had been watching from the side, help Linghu Chong up. Together, you headed off to rejoin the other Mount Hua disciples.
Since you had decided to help Lin Pingzhi, you naturally intended to keep him by your side.
Lin Pingzhi had already been hiding everywhere like a rat crossing the street. After witnessing your formidable strength with his own eyes, he immediately followed behind you without the slightest hesitation.
Before leaving, you gave a profound look to a grandfather and granddaughter.
You did not know the two of them, but having readied yourself with your knowledge of the plot, you knew their identities: Qu Yang, an elder of the Demon Cult, and his granddaughter, Qu Feiyan.
Although your master, Yue Buqun, had always taught you to exterminate members of the Demon Cult without asking questions, that did not align with your principles. You simply pretended not to have seen anything.
Yet that single glance caused Qu Yang's expression to change. He immediately pulled his granddaughter away from the tavern.
He estimated that his strength was only slightly greater than Tian Boguang's. Since you could kill Tian Boguang with a casual sword strike, killing him would take two strikes at most.
When you found your fellow disciples at the inn, your junior sister, Yue Lingshan, had already joined them.
At that moment, they were confronting Abbess Dingyi, the leader of the Mount Hengshan Sect, who had been provoked by Daoist Master Tiansong. She had come to demand that Linghu Chong, who had called Tian Boguang his sworn brother, return the captured Yi Lin.
With your arrival, Yi Lin immediately explained everything clearly, allowing the two sides to turn hostility into peace.
To express her apology and gratitude, Abbess Dingyi immediately took out the Mount Hengshan Sect's special healing medicine, Heavenly Fragrance Healing Ointment, and personally treated Linghu Chong's injuries.
Half a day later, once Linghu Chong's condition had stabilized, you set out for the Hengshan inn to rejoin your master, Yue Buqun.
By then, the sky had darkened. Just after you arrived, you happened upon Daoist Master Tianmen, leader of the Mount Tai Sect, and Yu Canghai, leader of the Qingcheng Sect, who were there to cause trouble.
Because of your intervention, Daoist Master Tiansong and Luo Renjie had both survived. Thus, the two leaders could only indulge in a brief war of words, and your master, Yue Buqun, did not take them seriously at all.
When Yi Lin publicly explained the events once more, especially mentioning that you had killed the lecherous criminal Tian Boguang, everyone from the various sects looked at you with surprise.
Afterward, they all showered your master with praise, saying that he had taught his disciples well and that the Mount Hua Sect had successors worthy of carrying on its legacy. Yue Buqun found this immensely satisfying.
You did not rush to expose Lin Pingzhi's identity. Only after everyone had returned to their respective homes did you take Lin Pingzhi to find your master, Yue Buqun, alone and explain who he was.
The fear and anxiety he had endured for so many days, along with the hatred born from his family's destruction, had already caused Lin Pingzhi to mature considerably.
Once his identity was exposed, he immediately fell to his knees before your master, Yue Buqun, without hesitation, hoping to take him as his master.
As for Lin Pingzhi, this troublesome burden, Yue Buqun would have been delighted to accept him as a disciple in the past.
But times had changed. After learning the Five Peaks Swordplay and the corresponding methods to counter it from the cave on Siguo Cliff, Yue Buqun's thoughts had long since changed.
He was no longer desperate to obtain the Bixie Swordplay.
The only reason he still paid attention to Lin Pingzhi was that he did not want the man to fall into anyone else's hands—especially not those of Zuo Lengchan of the Mount Song Sect.
Your master, Yue Buqun, had personally told you all this beforehand, hoping that you would help him. You had agreed.
Seeing that your master, Yue Buqun, did not agree, Lin Pingzhi hurriedly knocked his head against the floor repeatedly.
Your master, Yue Buqun, then turned his gaze toward you, wanting to hear your opinion.
You did not particularly care either way, but seeing Lin Pingzhi's pitiful state, you still nodded.
When he saw you nod, your master, Yue Buqun, relented and agreed to accept Lin Pingzhi—but first, he had to obtain the consent of Lin Pingzhi's parents.
Although it had not yet been confirmed whether he could join the Mount Hua Sect, Lin Pingzhi was still beaming with joy.