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

Page 75

These Huashan disciples didn't care. They weren't even born when the sword qi conflict happened. Their resentment towards the Sword Sect came from Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze. Although Yue Buqun planned to reconcile with the Sword Sect, Ning Zhongze was completely unaware of it beforehand. Having personally experienced that brutal struggle, it wouldn't be easy to persuade her.

Yue Buqun's expression stiffened slightly upon hearing Ning Zhongze's name.

Yue Buqun gritted his teeth and comforted his disciple, saying, "Don't worry, your master has a way."

Chapter 116: Done

After bidding farewell to Jiangning, Yue Buqun brought a bowl of ginseng soup that had already been cooked from the kitchen to the door of the room.

It was already dark, but the Suoyoubuwei Pavilion was still brightly lit. The pale yellow candlelight cast a shadow on the window, indicating that the person inside was still awake and sitting by the window waiting for someone to return to their room.

Yue Buqun stood at the doorway, holding a bowl of ginseng soup, looking at the figure in the window, somewhat hesitant.

Seemingly aware that someone was already standing outside the door, the figure inside the room did not move, but a faint, cold snort came from within.

Yue Buqun sighed, drank the ginseng soup in the bowl in one gulp, then threw the bowl behind him, gently pushed open the door and went in, closing the door behind him.

……

Early the next morning.

Yue Buqun opened the door and came out from the inner room.

For some unknown reason, Yue Buqun's face seemed a little pale after a night's rest, and he had faint dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept all night.

Yue Buqun leaned lightly against the door with one hand and placed the other hand on his lower back. Although his face was slightly pale, he looked relaxed.

Exhausted, Yue Buqun arrived at the training ground.

Cong Buqi's body has been disposed of, the bloodstains on the training ground have been washed away, and the crater has been filled in. Although it is still somewhat uneven, it is not too different in general.

It was still dark, but some Huashan disciples were already practicing their swordsmanship in the training ground.

Not only were there disciples from Mount Hua, but some disciples from Mount Heng were also practicing swordsmanship, though their sleepy expressions suggested they hadn't fully woken up yet.

Upon seeing this, Yue Buqun smiled slightly.

Seeing the Huashan disciples so competitive lately, Abbess Dingyi was extremely disappointed and gave the Hengshan female disciples a severe scolding, making them also get up early to practice swordsmanship like the Huashan disciples.

Master Dingyi was naturally strong-willed and believed that there was no reason why they couldn't do what others could do.

She not only instructed these female disciples of Hengshan to do this, but also said that she would make all the disciples do the same when she returned.

The involutionary atmosphere within the Huashan Sect was started by Jiang Ning, and this trend will soon spread to the Hengshan Sect.

Yue Buqun glanced at the figures practicing swordsmanship in the arena, but did not see Jiang Ning, and his eyes showed some surprise.

Jiang Ning would normally be practicing his sword at this time.

Yue Buqun's gaze swept over them one by one, and finally he saw Jiang Ning's figure.

At this moment, Jiang Ning was standing at the edge of the training ground, looking at the scenery below the mountain and in the distance, his gaze blank and lost in thought, as if he were thinking about something.

For some reason, Jiang Ning seemed somewhat lonely in Yue Buqun's eyes at this moment.

Yue Buqun stared blankly at Jiang Ning's figure.

Jiang Ning is very talented. At his current age, he has already surpassed many veteran masters. When Jiang Ning was young, Yue Buqun thought about letting Yue Lingshan spend more time with him. Jiang Ning has a steady personality, and Yue Buqun felt at ease entrusting Yue Lingshan to him.

But for some reason, Jiang Ning didn't seem to have any feelings for Yue Lingshan. Sometimes when Yue Lingshan came to visit him, he would refuse. Although the two were about the same age, they should have been childhood sweethearts, but in the end, Yue Lingshan got along better and better with his eldest disciple, while her relationship with Jiang Ning could only be described as so-so.

At first, Yue Buqun thought that Jiang Ning was too young to understand the feelings between men and women, but as Jiang Ning grew up, he remained the same, and it seemed that he really had no thoughts about this matter.

Originally, even though he couldn't arrange a marriage between Jiang Ning and Yue Lingshan, Yue Buqun was thinking of finding a marriage for Jiang Ning himself when he got older. But unexpectedly, Jiang Ning actually found the Innate Skill, the treasure of the Quanzhen Sect, and had already started practicing it himself.

To practice the Innate Skill, in addition to talent, comprehension, and mental state, one also needs to maintain a pure yang body. Otherwise, once the body is broken, the effect will be greatly reduced. Just like Yue Buqun, although he can also practice the Innate Skill and his progress is not slow, it is because of his decades of foundation that he is supported. Without the Zixia internal energy, his progress would be very slow.

Therefore, when Yue Buqun learned that Jiang Ning had already mastered the Innate Skill and was making rapid progress, he was very conflicted. If Jiang Ning continued to practice like this, he would surely become a lonely figure in the future.

In his view, Jiang Ning was not unaware of the consequences when he practiced the Innate Skill, but he still chose to practice it. He chose to sacrifice his own happiness to shoulder the future of the Huashan Sect. Although Yue Buqun did not say it, he felt extremely sad.

Seeing Jiang Ning standing alone on the edge, Yue Buqun felt a pang of pain in his heart.

Yue Buqun took a step toward Jiang Ning, wanting Jiang Ning to know that he was not alone.

But the next second, Yue Buqun stopped in his tracks.

He saw a figure rushing towards him from afar, carrying a piece of clothing in his hand, and draped it over Jiang Ning's shoulders.

"Senior brother, it's very cold on Mount Hua this morning."

Lin Pingzhi looked at Jiang Ning with concern and said.

Coming back to his senses, Jiang Ning looked at his clothes, nodded to Lin Pingzhi, and smiled, "Thank you, Junior Brother."

Lin Pingzhi smiled.

"What were you thinking about just now, Senior Brother?"

Jiang Ning shook his head and smiled, "It's nothing, I was just spacing out."

Actually, he was just thinking about when to go down the mountain.

Zuo Lengchan's conspiracy against the Huashan Sect has now come to an end. It is unknown when he will make his next move, but at least for some time, he will not target the Huashan Sect again, otherwise it would be too obvious.

This way, once the Huashan Sect has finished recruiting its disciples, Jiang Ning will have time to go to Sichuan.

In addition to dealing with the Qingcheng Sect issue, he planned to visit the Emei Sect during his trip to Sichuan.

The Emei Sect was once a major sect, but now it is very low-key, and its disciples rarely venture into the martial arts world, causing its reputation to gradually fade away.

Jiang Ning plans to visit Mount Emei to see how the Emei Sect is doing now, whether it has declined or not.

If they have declined and are in a worse state than their Huashan Sect, then there is naturally nothing to say. But if they are still a major sect with a deep foundation, then we can try to persuade them to unite against the Demonic Sect.

After all, the Emei Sect once had someone like Abbess Miejue.

Opinions on Abbess Miejue are mixed, but Jiang Ning had watched the TV series "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" before and was deeply impressed by one of her lines.

Exterminate them, exterminate them! We must annihilate all evil spirits and demons.

"Ning'er, Pingzhi."

A familiar voice rang out, and Jiang Ning turned around to see Yue Buqun standing behind them.

"Master."

Lin Pingzhi quickly bowed.

Yue Buqun smiled and nodded.

Seeing the smile on his face, Jiang Ning was suddenly surprised and asked, "Master, what about Mistress...?"

Upon hearing this, Yue Buqun revealed a subtle, smug smile and gave Jiang Ning a look.

"It's done. I've successfully persuaded your master's wife."

Chapter 117: Merging of Sword Qi

After a night of reasoning and emotional appeal, Ning Zhongze was finally persuaded by Yue Buqun. Jiang Ning didn't know exactly how he persuaded her, and Yue Buqun didn't say either.

It's good that Ning Zhongze has no objections. If Ning Zhongze really strongly opposes this matter, it will still be a hidden danger for the Huashan Sect in the future.

Upon hearing Yue Buqun's words, Jiang Ning couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Master is indeed master, truly amazing.

I don't know why, but Master's expression didn't seem too good.

"Master, you don't look well? Didn't you get much rest last night?"

Jiang Ning asked in surprise.

Yue Buqun nodded: "I didn't sleep well last night."

Last night, after entering the house, Yue Buqun spent more than two hours coaxing Ning Zhongze, from evening until midnight, until his lips were worn out.

To make Ning Zhongze happy, Yue Buqun used every means at his disposal, saying all sorts of nice things. After explaining the reasons, he used every sweet word he could think of and never thought of to coax Ning Zhongze, and only then did he manage to appease her.

After coaxing him to sleep, he didn't sleep all night again. This kind of high intensity was really hard for this old man who was slowly getting older.

"correct."

Yue Buqun said to Jiang Ning, "I have decided to postpone the recruitment of disciples until after the sect's merging ceremony. However, I will make some changes. I will have your Uncle Feng and Uncle Cheng come down the mountain with you. Each of you will be in charge of a prefecture. Of course, the number of disciples will remain the same. What do you think of this?"

Feng Buping had no objection to rejoining the Huashan Sect.

Cheng Buyou probably wouldn't have any objections either. Before leaving, Feng Buping had already assured Yue Buqun that he would definitely persuade Cheng Buyou, so Yue Buqun wasn't worried.

With two more top-tier masters added to the Huashan Sect, along with Jiang Ning, Ning Zhongze, Linghu Chong, and Yue Buqun, the sect now boasts six top-tier masters, making it far stronger than before. This means that recruiting twice as many disciples shouldn't be a problem.

Upon hearing Yue Buqun's words, Jiang Ning frowned slightly, but said nothing.

Although the number of spots has been increased from thirty to sixty, the Huashan Sect can still recruit if they really want to.

After all, the biggest problem for the Huashan Sect before was the lack of masters. Even if they took in too many disciples, Yue Buqun couldn't teach them all. Now that they have two more masters, Feng Buping and Cheng Buyou, they can share some of the pressure.

Jiang Ning nodded and said, "Master's consideration is very thorough."

Hearing that Jiang Ning had no objections, Yue Buqun also laughed.

Lin Pingzhi, who was listening to Jiang Ning and Yue Buqun's conversation, was stunned.

Master even had to discuss such an important matter with Senior Brother Jiang Ning, and the last sentence was a question, clearly asking for Jiang Ning's opinion.

Lin Pingzhi had thought Jiang Ning was highly regarded within the sect, but he now realized that he had underestimated Jiang Ning's importance in Yue Buqun's heart.

Having finished discussing important sect matters, Yue Buqun prepared to return to his room.

He was allowed to come out so early for some fresh air, as he will be going back later.

However, on his way back to his room, Yue Buqun suddenly turned to the kitchen, drank the remaining ginseng soup in one gulp, and then went back to his room with a resolute look in his eyes.

He was truly risking his life to ensure that the Huashan Sect would not have internal conflicts in the future.

Nine days later.

Zhengqitang.

The memorial tablets placed in the back hall were moved to the open space in front of the Hall of Righteousness. Yue Buqun stood at the very front, Ning Zhongze, Feng Buping, and Cheng Buyou were slightly behind, followed by Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong, and the rest of the Huashan disciples stood further back.

Feng Buping and Cheng Buyou finally returned two days ago, bringing their disciples with them.

When the group arrived at Mount Hua, they were covered in dust from their journey, which showed that they were indeed in a hurry.

Feng Buping and Cheng Buyou had only three disciples in total, two for Feng Buping and one for Cheng Buyou.

Before this, Feng Buping and Cheng Buyou had both lived in seclusion in the deep mountains, rarely venturing out into the world, almost completely isolated from the outside world. These few were recruited by them a few years ago.

The five of them, master and disciples, lived in seclusion deep in the mountains. Needless to say, they had plenty of food and clothing. When Feng Buping arrived with his disciples, the disciples of Mount Hua were all astonished.

It's too awful.

He was disheveled, his clothes were tattered and old, and his complexion was as yellow as Feng Buping's, clearly showing signs of malnutrition.

Their appearance was so good that they could be called beggars. When the disciples of Mount Hua first saw them, they thought they were wild men who had escaped from some mountain valley.

Even Yue Buqun was slightly surprised when he saw this scene.

He originally thought that even if Feng Buping and the others weren't doing so well, they were still better off than the Huashan Sect before, but he never expected that they were actually living such a miserable life.

Looking at it this way, although the Qi Sect has had a tough time these past few years, the Sword Sect has had an even tougher time.

It feels like you thought your brother had made it big, but it turns out he's begging for food.

Yue Buqun was also deeply moved upon witnessing this scene.

It turns out everyone is suffering the same way.

At this moment, these people had all changed into Huashan Sect uniforms and stood among the Huashan disciples, their complexions looking much better than they had two days ago.

The open space was surrounded by a group of female disciples of Hengshan and Master Dingyi herself.

Yue Buqun stood at the front with a serious expression, holding three incense sticks in his hand.

Originally, this ceremony was supposed to be held in the back hall, but the space there was too small to accommodate so many people. After several discussions, the memorial tablets were temporarily placed here and will be moved back after the ceremony.

"May the ancestors of Mount Hua be with you."

Yue Buqun held three incense sticks, his expression solemn.