Chapter 5 The Chosen One
A commotion erupted in the crowd, with the woman's cries standing out loudly. Other parents with children held their babies tightly, as if afraid of losing them.
Seeing this, Hengbo didn't have time to think and quickly slipped out of the inner circle before the crowd completely descended into chaos, but by then the man was nowhere to be found. Left with no other option, she could only chase after him in the direction he had gone.
Fortunately, the road didn't lead to any bustling streets; instead, it was lined with dilapidated, low-lying houses and courtyards. Hengbo simply activated her light-footed skill, her nimble figure moving like a cat across the houses and searching everywhere.
Before long, they found the man in a rather old courtyard.
At a time when the streets are deserted, a light suddenly turning on in the distance is quite suspicious.
Following the dim light, Hengbo arrived at a courtyard that was unremarkable among the dilapidated houses. Some farm tools were scattered around the courtyard, and some coarse cloth clothes were hanging there, but judging from the size of the clothes, most of them were only suitable for young children.
To avoid alerting the enemy, Hengbo did not choose to rush in directly. Instead, he gently landed on the house with the lights on and carefully, yet with inexplicable skill, lifted a tile.
Sure enough, through the tiny gap, there was a little boy who looked no more than four or five years old lying on the ground. His coat had been removed, and the person squatting beside him, carefully feeling the child's coat, was the tall man who had bumped into him earlier that day.
Hengbo then got a good look at his face. He was quite unremarkable, and if he hadn't made a point of remembering him, he probably would have forgotten him in the blink of an eye.
The man carefully searched the child's clothes, but only found two or three bamboo grasshoppers that children liked to play with in the sleeve pocket. He casually threw these trinkets on the ground. Seeing that he had not found any extra money, he kicked the child on the ground in anger.
After venting his anger, he returned to the yard, casually picked up a dirty, patched piece of clothing from a row of clothes hanging out to dry, and roughly dressed the child lying on the ground who seemed to be fast asleep in it.
He examined the child carefully for a moment, then casually smeared some dust on the child's face and ruffled his hair.
Now, Hengbo felt that even if she brought the child to his mother, she wouldn't recognize him as her son.
Looking at the completely "new" child in front of him, the man showed a satisfied expression. He then tied the boy up tightly, found a rag from somewhere, stuffed it into the boy's mouth, and only then did he relax.
During this time, Hengbo kept watch on the roof. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he finally saw the man come out. He probably went to boil water to wash up. Although the security was a bit chaotic today because of the celebration, since such a child abduction incident had occurred, the authorities would definitely investigate strictly for at least the next two days. The man probably wouldn't go out again tonight.
Hengbo concealed his aura and quietly followed the man to the kitchen. Just as he stepped into the kitchen, a gust of wind came from behind him. The man turned his head in a panic, but before he could fully show his surprise, a blunt weapon had already struck him on the head, and his tall figure collapsed to the ground.
Hengbo confirmed that the person had completely passed out. He clapped his hands and went into the room where the child was missing. The child was still sleeping soundly by the bed, completely unaware. He checked the child's breathing and found it to be relatively steady and long. He guessed that the traffickers had used a drug to take the child away without anyone noticing.
She first untied the ropes binding the poor child, then, after thinking for a moment, went back to the kitchen and tied the child to the trafficker, whose forehead already had a large lump. Looking at her handiwork, Hengbo was still not satisfied. She stroked her chin and pondered for a moment before finally carrying the child to the street outside, choosing a relatively sturdy tree, and hanging the child up there.
After doing all this, Hengbo finally remembered the child who was still unconscious. He went back to the room, found the child's original coat, wrapped it around him, and then picked him up and returned along the same route.
Of course, "the original route" refers to running and jumping on rooftops and walls.
Since coming down from the mountain, Hengbo hasn't enjoyed this kind of freedom for a long time.
Biyun Mountain may lack many other things, but it certainly has no shortage of trees, and most of them grow particularly lush and towering. Hengbo had grown up in the capital city where land was incredibly valuable until he was five years old. Although his family's courtyard was considered spacious among the high-ranking officials, he had never seen such a vast expanse of land. Therefore, ever since he came to Biyun Mountain, he has especially enjoyed running around in the trees.
At first, Liu was extremely worried, fearing that Hengbo might fall and injure herself one day. But later, as Hengbo began to practice martial arts, her talent in martial arts gradually became apparent, and Qingxuzi said to Liu, "Don't worry, even if I fall from the tree one day, she won't be able to."
Yes, Hengbo is a genius, and that's no secret on Biyun Mountain.
When Hengbo first arrived at the mountain, Qingxuzi had no intention of seriously teaching her martial arts. He only wanted her to know some rudimentary skills so she could protect herself if she encountered a petty thief. Therefore, when Hengbo chose the sword over the knife, he said nothing.
At that time, no one on Biyun Mountain practiced swordsmanship. Qingxuzi himself used a knife, and Ruan Wangshu, as his disciple, naturally also used a knife.
The swordswoman who once lived on Biyun Mountain, Qingxuzi's junior sister and Hengbo's mother, burned herself out completely in that snowy night when it seemed like dawn would never come again, leaving Hengbo with only a frail silhouette.
Therefore, all of Hengbo's sword techniques originated from a sword manual called Jingchun, which had been passed down for several generations on Biyun Mountain.
By then, Ruan Wangshu's swordsmanship was already quite solid, and Qingxuzi no longer needed to teach her personally. Therefore, Hengbo didn't realize how wrong it was that she didn't have a master to teach her. However, whenever Ruan Wangshu practiced her swordsmanship, she would sit beside him, holding the sword manual, and learn swordsmanship in a very convincing manner.
The two would occasionally compete, and in the first year, even though Ruan Wangshu let Hengbo win, Hengbo never won.
The following year, the two had their share of wins and losses, and it was around this time that Ruan Wangshu began to take his junior sister seriously in martial arts.
By the third year, Ruan Wangshu had almost stopped winning.
After Qingxuzi learned of this, he sighed silently and finally called Hengbo over: "From now on, you will learn swordsmanship from me."
Little Hengbo asked with great confusion, "But Master, don't you not use a sword?"
Qingxuzi glanced at her and said, "Although I don't use a sword, most martial arts are interconnected, so I'm more than capable of teaching you."
However, Hengbo quickly made Qingxuzi realize that he had been too arrogant. This was because all of Qingxuzi's swordsmanship foundation came from his experience sparring with his junior sister Jiang Yingxue. However, the Jingchun Sword Technique, which was as graceful as a dragon in Jiang Yingxue's hands and as elegant as a startled swan, became a deadly force in Hengbo's hands, with killing intent everywhere.
Hengbo's sword is a killing sword.
In the current martial arts world, a person's martial arts proficiency is divided into four levels: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow. From shallow to deep, they are called Yellow Child, Profound Body, Earth Master, and Celestial Guest. Among them, Yellow Child is mostly someone who has just started learning martial arts, and most of them are not even very proficient in the moves. Profound Body means that one has already comprehended the moves of martial arts. However, a person is a person, and a weapon is a weapon. Only when one can achieve oneness with the weapon can one be considered to have entered the Earth level. Earth Master is often referred to as a Grandmaster, and many sect leaders and elders of famous sects are Earth Masters.
As for those from beyond the heavens... only those whose aptitude, comprehension, and effort are all exceptionally high have a sliver of hope. Currently, there are only a handful of such individuals renowned in the martial arts world, and most have vanished without a trace, their fate unknown.
Twenty years ago, Qingxuzi entered the Earth Rank with the Jufeng Blade. In recent years, he has been looking for an opportunity to break through. The Earth Rank requires the unity of man and martial arts, while the Heavenly Guest is a return to simplicity. Therefore, if he wants to go further, he must give up all external forces, including his natal weapon.
This is also why he passed the Gathering Peak Blade to Ruan Wangshu after she entered the Profound Rank. Firstly, Qingxuzi needed to discard the help that Gathering Peak brought him. Secondly, Ruan Wangshu had not yet entered the Earth Rank. For some unknown reason, Qingxuzi chose to let her enter the Dao through Gathering Peak.
However, although Qingxuzi had nearly mastered the way of the knife, he was only a Xuan-level swordsman. At this moment, when facing Hengbo's equally Xuan-level killing sword, even though he had practiced martial arts for many years, he was still at a disadvantage.
The sword in his hand was easily knocked away by the child in front of him. Although he had not used his full strength, the child in front of him, who was only waist-high, had only been practicing martial arts for three years. Moreover, since he had taken up the sword, no one had ever taught her. She had been practicing day and night with only a sword manual. Qingxuzi finally realized how amazing the sword talent Hengbo had.
However, once the sword's intent is formed, there is no turning back.
Looking at her lonely yet stubborn figure, Qingxuzi hesitated for a long time before finally giving up the idea of ​​persuading her to "repent and reform." Instead, he issued a strict order: "You shall not descend the mountain until you enter the Earthly Realm."
Hengbo at the time did not understand Qingxuzi's good intentions. He only felt that he had been locked up for no reason and was very distressed.
At this moment, the martial arts genius Hengbo was carrying a child as they walked across the low houses. Perhaps the trafficker hadn't drugged the child too heavily, because the child in his arms slowly opened his eyes amidst the swaying.
Due to the effects of the drug, his mind was not very clear. He only felt as if he was being held and flying in the sky. The person in front of him, although wearing a mask, had a pair of cold eyes that looked somewhat gentle under the bright moonlight.
At that moment, he felt like a child chosen by the gods.
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