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

Page 202

After finishing his meal, Jiang Ning wiped his mouth and then got up to pay the bill.

"Sir...sir, are you full?"

The stall owner stared at Jiang Ning in disbelief.

Jiang Ning nodded: "About 70-80% full."

"..."

Upon hearing this, the diners and the stall owners were speechless.

Prices in Yangzhou are high, and the piece of silver Jiang Ning had placed on the table earlier wasn't enough to pay the bill, so he had to add a little more.

It has to be said that prices in Yangzhou are much higher than in Shaanxi. For example, the candied hawthorns that the father and son I met in Jiangning a few days ago cost three coins a skewer, while in Shaanxi they only cost one coin a skewer.

Despite the high prices, the income of Yangzhou residents was higher than that of Shaanxi residents.

After paying the bill, Jiang Ning went to the riverbank to wait. By then, boats had already docked.

After agreeing on a price with the boatman of one of the boats, Jiang Ning boarded the boat, sat down in the cabin, and the boat began to row north.

Those people were shocked by how much he ate, but this was just Jiang Ning's normal appetite.

Martial arts training is very demanding, so the body needs to consume food to provide energy. Even the ordinary Lu Dayou can eat eight bowls of rice in one meal, so Jiang Ning needs to consume even more food.

Jiang Ning lifted the curtain of the boat and looked outside. At this time, there were many other boats sailing on the river besides his boat, some luxurious and some ordinary.

The light rain had stopped by then, and a white mist enveloped the river, blurring the riverbanks. Boats occasionally appeared in the mist before disappearing back into it.

……

Jiang Ning stood in front of a town, holding a piece of paper with more than a dozen names written on it.

Jiang Ning was looking at one of the names at that moment.

"Li Yuan, Baishi Town..."

Jiang Ning read it softly, looked up at the three characters "Baishi Town" on the town's sign, and then put the paper away.

"This is it."

Jiang Ning strode towards the town.

This town is a stop on the way from Yangzhou to Jinan Prefecture, but it's not a necessary stop. Jiangning took a detour to get here.

It was afternoon, and the town was bustling with activity. Jiang Ning walked through the town amidst the throngs of people.

"This town has a much larger population than Huayin County."

Jiang Ning looked around and came to this conclusion.

Since coming to the Jiangnan region, the population here is very dense; even the population of a small town here is larger than that of a county in Shaanxi.

Jiang Ning inquired about the address on the paper and then, guided by passersby, arrived at a secluded shop.

This is a blacksmith shop.

when!when!when!

A blacksmith is wielding a hammer, relentlessly pounding the iron that has just been taken out of the furnace, shaping it.

Jiang Ning walked into the blacksmith's shop and stood in front of the blacksmith.

The blacksmith also saw Jiang Ning, stopped what he was doing, and asked with a smile, "Young master, are you here to buy knives?"

Jiang Ning looked at him expressionlessly, slowly shook his head, and uttered two words.

"No."

Upon hearing this, the blacksmith's smile vanished instantly, and he frowned, saying, "If you're not here to buy anything, then what are you doing here?"

Jiang Ning turned around and walked around the blacksmith shop, examining the knives on the wall.

“I have a junior brother who was injured recently.”

Jiang Ning spoke in a calm tone, as if he were talking to someone he knew well.

The blacksmith looked at Jiang Ning with a puzzled expression.

This person looks perfectly normal, could he be sick?

"If you're injured, go see a doctor. What are you talking to me about? I'm not a doctor."

The blacksmith had a bad temper and didn't want to talk to Jiang Ning any longer.

But Jiang Ning ignored him and continued.

“My junior brother told me before he went down the mountain that he wanted to move the graves of his deceased parents, but he was chased by a group of people on the way, and one of my uncles was seriously injured.”

“Some of these people were close friends of my junior brother’s deceased father, but after his father passed away, they wanted to obtain my junior brother’s ancestral treasures and began to hunt him down.”

The blacksmith sensed something was wrong, his eyes narrowed, and he looked at Jiang Ning.

What's your junior brother's name?

Jiang Ning turned to look at him, her gaze calm: "Lin Pingzhi."

Upon hearing those three words, the blacksmith's expression changed. He looked at Jiang Ning with great seriousness, his eyes filled with apprehension, and he gripped the hammer even tighter.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Jiang Ning glanced at him, then continued walking around the blacksmith shop with his hands behind his back.

This blacksmith shop is quite spacious, with farm tools and knives displayed on the walls.

"Before I went down the mountain, my junior brother gave me a list with the names of several people who had chased him down this time."

As he spoke, Jiang Ning picked up a farm tool from the blacksmith's shop, examined it, and said...

“I recently went to Yangzhou and found a man named Li Qingwu. This man had hunted down my junior brother. He was the first on the list and is already dead. Now he is the second.”

The blacksmith looked coldly at Jiang Ning and said, "Am I the second one?"

Jiang Ning put down his farm tools, turned to look at him, and uttered two words.

"Li Yuan."

"hehe."

The blacksmith, Li Yuan, laughed upon hearing this.

"It seems you want to avenge your junior brother."

Jiang Ning didn't say anything more, just looked at him without any expression on her face.

This is a top-tier expert, and the only top-tier expert on Lin Pingzhi's list.

Some second-rate martial arts practitioners established their own sects in Yangzhou, while top-tier masters opened a blacksmith shop in a small town.

"My old friend's son joined the Huashan Sect after his family was destroyed. You call him junior brother, so you must be a member of the Huashan Sect."

Li Yuan put down the hammer in his hand and started to analyze the situation while stretching his muscles.

He had a smile on his face at that moment.

"When Lin Pingzhi gave you my name before you left the mountain, he must have mentioned my strength, but you still dared to come to me alone, which shows that you are very confident in your martial arts and confident that you can kill me at will."

Li Yuan walked to a table, took out a sheathed sword, and with a clang, the long sword was drawn, gleaming with silver light.

"If you're confident you can kill me, your martial arts skills must be at least first-rate. I've heard that there are two disciples from Mount Hua who have reached the level of first-rate masters: one is Linghu Chong, the eldest disciple of Mount Hua, and the other is Jiang Ning."

As Li Yuan spoke, he walked to the shop door and closed it. The interior then darkened, with only the light of the fire remaining.

"You must be Ning Yanwang?"

Although it is a question, it is stated in an affirmative tone.

Jiang Ning did not respond to his words, but looked at him expressionlessly.

"It's true that a hero comes from a boy."

Li Yuan looked at Jiang Ning's excessively youthful face and laughed.

"It is widely rumored in the martial arts world that King Ning is ruthless and merciless, killing countless people. I used to think these rumors were exaggerated, but now that I have met him in person, I think it is even more true."

Li Yuan laughed and said, "You don't look like the King of Hell to me, but rather like a rich kid."

With that, Li Yuan brandished his knife and said to Jiang Ning, "You want to avenge your junior brother? Then come on, I want to see what the legendary King Ning is all about."

Jiang Ning hadn't spoken since Li Yuan's response, and had already taken action.

call out!

Jiang Ning leaped into the air and floated to Li Yuan's side.

"Well done!"

Li Yuan chuckled and then swung his sword at Jiang Ning's lower body.

Jiang Ning raised his leg repeatedly, drawing a semi-circle in mid-air to easily dodge the knife, and then swung his arm to smash it.

Li Yuan cautiously refrained from parrying, instead dodging the attack. He then twisted his wrist, turning the hilt of his sword and sweeping the blade upwards.

Jiang Ning's expression remained unchanged as he easily dodged the attack, and the two resumed their exchange of blows.

Li Yuan's swordsmanship was sharp and highly disciplined. He moved very quickly, and the sword left afterimages in his hands, emitting a series of whistling sounds.

"You won't draw your sword?"

As he swung his sword, Li Yuan asked a question.

He saw that Jiang Ning had a sword at his waist, but Jiang Ning did not draw it to fight him. He thought that Jiang Ning looked down on him, and his heart was filled with murderous intent.

Jiang Ning did not answer Li Yuan's question.

call out!

Li Yuan swung his sword down, and Jiang Ning dodged to the side. The sword struck a log hanging horizontally behind Jiang Ning.

When his first strike failed, Li Yuan quickly drew his sword and swept his leg down. Jiang Ning grabbed the log, spun around in mid-air, and then kicked Li Yuan hard in the back. With a thud, Li Yuan felt a sharp pain in his back and fell to the ground.

"puff!"

Li Yuan coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Jiang Ning landed on one foot, raised the other leg high, and slammed it down hard, the force so great that it even created a gust of wind.

A gust of wind swept past Li Yuan's back, sending alarm bells ringing in his ears. Ignoring his embarrassment, he quickly bent over and fell face-first into the dirt, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Bang!

There was a loud bang.

Gravel flew everywhere under Jiang Ning's feet.

As Li Yuan scrambled to a distance, his eyebrows twitched uncontrollably and his eyes widened as he stared at the crater in the ground.

Chapter 282: The Second

Li Yuan gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, looking at Jiang Ning as if facing a formidable enemy.

At this point, he had completely lost the confidence he had before the fight.

Jiang Ning looked at him, kicked his foot, and a piece of gravel shot out.

call out!

Li Yuan rolled to the side and dodged, the gravel hitting the wooden stake behind him and embedding itself deep inside.

call out!call out!call out!

Li Yuan dodged and weaved, avoiding one piece of gravel after another. With a few muffled thuds, the gravel hit the wooden stake and the wall behind him.

Li Yuan rolled to the edge of the furnace, the scorching firelight illuminating his face.

"Gulu."

Looking back at the deeply embedded gravel, Li Yuan couldn't help but swallow.

Li Yuan felt a bit sweaty, perhaps because of the high temperature near the forge.

boom!

Li Yuan kicked over the forge, scattering the glowing charcoal on the ground. He then used his sword to send charcoal pieces flying towards Jiang Ning, trailing red flames.