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

Page 107

If the weapons are in such a state, the battle must have been extremely fierce.

"Where are you going, Master?"

At this moment, Jiang Ning spoke up and asked.

Yue Buqun said, "I just returned from beyond the Great Wall and heard Dayou's report. I was just about to go down the mountain to find you."

Lu Dayou had been back at Mount Hua for a few days, and coincidentally, Yue Buqun was not there at that time; only Ning Zhongze, Cheng Buyou, and others were present.

Upon hearing Lu Dayou's words, Ning Zhongze and Cheng Buyou immediately led more than twenty disciples down the mountain to find Jiang Ning. Two or three days have passed, and they have not yet returned. Currently, only Feng Buping remains on the mountain to oversee Huashan.

"Now that you're back, go back to the mountain. Your master's wife and uncle probably didn't run into you on the way. Once you get back, I'll have your fellow disciples go down the mountain to find them and bring them back."

Seeing Jiang Ning return safely, Yue Buqun finally felt relieved.

Jiang Ning nodded: "Yes."

The two walked back up the mountain side by side.

Yue Buqun no longer had the urgency he had before and returned to his usual demeanor.

What happened during your trip to Sichuan?

On the way, Yue Buqun asked Jiang Ning about this issue.

He examined the Jiangning sword that Lu Dayou had brought back and saw the pits and dents on it.

That sword was given to Jiang Ning by him before he went down the mountain, but it ended up like this after a trip to Sichuan. This made Yue Buqun very uneasy, and he couldn't imagine what Jiang Ning had encountered.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning recounted everything that had happened since entering Sichuan.

Yue Buqun frowned and remained silent as he listened.

When Jiang Ning talked about the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect, his face didn't show much expression, and his heart didn't stir much emotion either.

Zhang Daoshi had already written about the Qingcheng Sect matter in advance. Although I was somewhat surprised at first, I was also mentally prepared.

As for the matter concerning the Emei Sect, although Yue Buqun was surprised, he did not react much.

The Emei Sect must have a rich history to have stood the test of time for so long.

The failure to unite with Emei was within his expectations, and Yue Buqun was not particularly regretful.

However, when Yue Buqun heard that Ren Yingying had started sending Miao girls from the Five Poisons Sect to contact Jiang Ning, his expression changed and turned cold.

Especially when he heard that Ren Yingying had sent more than twenty experts to intercept Jiang Ning in the rainy night, Yue Buqun's eyes were filled with undisguised coldness and killing intent.

He had never wanted to kill anyone like this before.

Chapter 153: Changes at Mount Hua

Later, after hearing that Jiang Ning had joined forces with Zhang Daoshi and others to wipe out the Green Gang, Yue Buqun nodded slightly.

After all, although what Zhang Daoshi said in the letter was true, Jiang Ning did kill Yu Canghai and his disciples. Zhang Daoshi was also a member of the Qingcheng Sect, and no one knew what his true thoughts were.

After a subsequent collaboration, the relationship between the Huashan Sect and the Qingcheng Sect was no longer so strained.

Overall, although Jiang Ning's trip to Sichuan did not result in a successful alliance with Emei, the resolution of the Qingcheng Sect's problem meant that the trip was not entirely in vain.

After recounting his trip to Sichuan, Jiang Ning described the fight he had with Ren Yingying. When he mentioned the Six Immortals of Peach Valley, Yue Buqun was surprised.

"Those six strange men were actually sent by that witch from the demonic cult?"

Yue Buqun said, "When these six people came up the mountain, they were talking nonsense and specifically asked for Chong'er. We originally thought that these six people were Chong'er's friends, but Chong'er didn't know them either."

After finding Linghu Chong, the Six Immortals of Peach Valley tried to forcibly take him down the mountain. At that time, Yue Buqun was still practicing his skills in his room. By the time his disciples informed him, Linghu Chong and his disciples had already been injured. If Linghu Chong hadn't been quick-witted enough to say that he would rather die than go down the mountain with them if they dared to kill the Huashan disciples, many Huashan disciples would have already been killed or injured.

At that time, Cheng Buyou and Feng Buping were practicing their swordsmanship. They were closer to him and arrived a step earlier. When they saw the six men attacking Linghu Chong, they stepped in to help.

After observing Linghu Chong, Cheng Buyou realized that Linghu Chong had a very high talent for swordsmanship and was a promising talent. He also valued this Qi Sect disciple highly and held them back. The Six Immortals of Peach Valley were furious and wanted to tear him to pieces. Four of them grabbed Cheng Buyou's limbs, while the other two blocked Feng Buping's rescue.

Yue Buqun frowned and said, "The movement techniques of these six people are very strange. Your Uncle Cheng didn't even have time to react before they grabbed his limbs."

When he arrived, Cheng Buyou was about to be killed, but fortunately he intervened in time to save him.

Seeing this, the Six Immortals of Peach Valley began to besiege Yue Buqun, trying to capture him in the same way they captured Cheng Buyou. However, they were repelled by Yue Buqun's internal force. After exchanging blows, Yue Buqun realized that the six people also possessed remarkable internal strength.

Upon seeing that these six people had come up the mountain intending to kidnap his eldest disciple and even tear apart the sect elders, Yue Buqun showed no mercy, severely injuring Peach Blossom Immortal and Peach Fruit Immortal. The other four also suffered varying degrees of internal injuries. The Six Immortals of Peach Valley were terrified and fled down the mountain.

Their movements were very strange, and Feng Buping and the other disciples could not catch up with them. Yue Buqun could catch up, but he was afraid that these six people were bait to lure him down the mountain so that he could attack the other Huashan disciples. In addition, at that time, everyone in the Huashan Sect except him was injured, and Feng Buping was also slightly injured. After considering all factors, Yue Buqun let them leave.

At first, he was wondering who sent these six strange people. He originally thought they were Zuo Lengchan's men, but he didn't expect them to be from the Demonic Sect.

When Yue Buqun heard that Jiang Ning had seriously injured Ren Yingying after chasing her for three days and three nights, and had also killed two of the six strange men, there was no joy on Yue Buqun's face. Instead, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

After Jiang Ning finished speaking, Yue Buqun stopped. Before Jiang Ning could ask any questions, Yue Buqun reached out and grabbed his wrist, and a wisp of internal energy flowed from Yue Buqun's hand.

Jiang Ning was slightly surprised by Yue Buqun's behavior, but said nothing.

After a while.

Yue Buqun withdrew his hand, his brows furrowing even deeper.

"Nonsense!"

Yue Buqun's tone carried a hint of reprimand.

"Do you think your body is made of iron? Are you out of your mind?"

He hadn't said anything about chasing Ren Yingying for several days, but he still refused to leave despite his poor physical condition and insisted on fighting the Six Immortals of Peach Valley. They weren't just small fry; they were six top-tier masters. Yue Buqun felt a chill run down his spine at their stubbornness.

"When can't we kill that demoness? She ran away, so what? We can just kill her next time we encounter her, right? You're so reckless with your health. If something happens to you, how can your master save you?"

Yue Buqun was filled with lingering fear.

Jiang Ning stays home all the time, but when he does go out, his heart can hardly take it.

"You have already overworked your body twice, and you already have hidden injuries. If you don't treat them in time, they will leave you with chronic illnesses in the future."

Many martial arts practitioners suffer a fate worse than death in their later years, mainly because they developed hidden ailments in their youth, leading to unbearable pain in old age due to the recurrence of these old illnesses.

This hidden ailment can cause immense suffering, or even severely impact one's martial arts potential, preventing any further progress in their lifetime.

Jiang Ning overexerted his body twice: once in Sichuan when he killed those twenty-odd skilled riders, and once during the pursuit of Ren Yingying.

Although Jiang Ning's two victories look amazing, they came at the cost of his own health.

Let's not talk about the incident in Sichuan. In that situation, not pushing your limits would mean certain death. But this time it could be avoided. Ren Yingying has run away, so be it. There will always be another chance. If killing Ren Yingying leads to the destruction of Jiangning, it's not worth it at all. Even if we kill Ren Yingying, it will still be a huge loss.

In Yue Buqun's mind, ten Holy Maidens of the Demonic Sect were no match for Jiang Ning.

As both a mentor and a father figure to Jiang Ning, Yue Buqun considered Jiang Ning's achievements outside as secondary; what he cared about was whether Jiang Ning was safe and sound.

Hearing Yue Buqun's fatherly tone, Jiang Ning didn't know what to say, so he could only reply, "Master is right."

There's no way to argue about this; you just have to accept the scolding.

Yue Buqun felt increasingly frightened as he thought about it. He shouldn't have listened to Jiang Ning and should have gone to Sichuan with him. He could hardly imagine how desperate Jiang Ning must have felt on that rainy night when he was alone with more than twenty people and received no support.

Yue Buqun said sternly, "If you continue to act so recklessly without regard for your health, I will forbid you from going down the mountain."

Jiang Ning bowed his head and said, "Yes."

"Okay, let's go back."

Seeing Jiang Ning's reply, Yue Buqun's expression softened a little, and he said...

Jiang Ning followed behind Yue Buqun.

Yue Buqun quickened his pace as he climbed the mountain, and Jiang Ning also quickened his pace.

On the way up the mountain, Yue Buqun told Jiang Ning about the situation of the Huashan Sect while he was away. Nothing major had happened in the Huashan Sect in the past few months, and the Songshan Sect had not made any moves after Ding Mian returned.

In the past few months, Yue Buqun has been renovating and refurbishing the Huashan Sect's buildings. This is a huge project, and so far only half of it has been completed, with the other half still under renovation.

Linghu Chong is currently injured, with the internal energy of three of the Peach Valley Six Immortals surging through his body. Yue Buqun used up a lot of his internal energy to treat his injuries. Although he cleared away the true energy of the Peach Valley Six Immortals, Linghu Chong's body still needs to recuperate. The ginseng from Mount Hua has been almost used up. On one hand, Yue Buqun sent his disciples down the mountain to buy some herbs to replenish Linghu Chong's qi and blood. On the other hand, he himself went to the border region to collect herbs for Linghu Chong.

Upon returning, she heard the news that Jiang Ning was chasing Ren Yingying, and without even resting, she rushed down the mountain to find Jiang Ning.

Yue Buqun was extremely worried about these two disciples.

Both of them were top-notch experts, and their speed in climbing the mountain was much faster than that of ordinary people. When Yue Buqun and Jiang Ning returned to Mount Hua, there were still some disciples practicing their swordsmanship in the training ground.

"Master is back."

"Oh, Junior Brother Jiang Ning is back too."

Several disciples saw Yue Buqun return and Jiang Ning finally come back, and quickly sheathed their swords and waited at the mountain pass.

"I met the master."

After Yue Buqun and Jiang Ning came up, the Huashan disciples bowed to Yue Buqun.

"Ah."

Yue Buqun nodded slightly, then pointed to one of his disciples and said, "Songnian, later you take a few junior brothers down the mountain to find your master's wife and Uncle Cheng, tell them that Ning'er has returned safely, and let them go back to the mountain."

Yan Songnian nodded respectfully: "Yes, Master."

"Alright, you can continue practicing your swordsmanship."

Yue Buqun waved his hand, said nothing more, and hurriedly walked towards the Suoyoubuwei Pavilion.

"Ning'er, come with me."

When the other Huashan disciples saw that Jiang Ning had finally returned, they originally wanted to ask him some questions about what had happened after he went down the mountain, but after hearing Yue Buqun's words, they all looked at Jiang Ning with regret.

"Yes, Master."

Jiangning Road.

Upon returning to Mount Hua, Jiang Ning discovered that Mount Hua had changed significantly since he left.

As he walked along, he discovered that many houses and buildings had been renovated, with new tiles and repainted beams and pillars.

Yue Buqun did not make any major changes, but instead made repairs to the existing structure. Some areas were expanded, while some buildings were demolished. The Huashan Sect no longer had the impoverished feel of before. From a distance, the buildings were layered and had a sense of depth, exuding an ancient atmosphere, but without the luxurious feel of the Songfeng Temple in Qingcheng that Jiangning had seen before. It was a sight to behold.

However, this pleasing sight faded after walking inside for a while. The buildings inside were the same as before Jiang Ning descended the mountain. The only difference was that the rear hall, which enshrined the ancestors of Huashan, had been renovated, just like the buildings seen outside. Not only that, but the space had also been expanded considerably, making it at least several times wider than the previous rear hall.

Yue Buqun explained that the exterior represents the face of the Huashan Sect, so renovating the exterior first would make it more presentable when guests visit Huashan. The rest can be done later.

As for the back hall, it is a place for worshipping ancestors, so it must be repaired.

Yue Buqun said, "I have already promised you, Uncle Feng, that I would also enshrine the memorial tablets of the former Sword Sect disciples. Although it was only a temporary measure at the time, I will keep my word and I will not go back on my word."

Moreover, since the plan is to enshrine the memorial tablets of the Sword Sect disciples, the Qi Sect disciples cannot be left out.

Of course, the memorial tablets of the Sword Sect disciples and Qi Sect disciples cannot be placed together with those of the ancestors of Mount Hua.

"I intend to place the memorial tablets of your Sword Sect and Qi Sect's deceased senior uncles and elders on the left and right sides below the ancestral tablets, in two rows."

As Yue Buqun spoke, he gestured, explaining that in the future, when the disciples of Mount Hua entered the main gate, they would see rows of memorial tablets on the left and right sides of the back hall, with a long passageway in the middle, and at the end of the passageway were the ancestors of Mount Hua.

Chapter 154: Healing Wounds

"I also plan to place the memorial tablets of future Huashan disciples in the back hall for them to worship in the future."

Previously, the Huashan Back Hall only enshrined the ancestors of Huashan throughout the ages. The memorial tablets of Huashan disciples were not qualified to enter the Back Hall. Yue Buqun wanted to change this. From now on, as long as they are Huashan disciples and have made contributions to Huashan, they will be remembered by the Huashan Sect and their memorial tablets will be entered into the Back Hall for future generations to worship.

Of course, this is only a secondary point. As long as one is a disciple of Mount Hua, even if one does not make any great contributions in one's life, as long as one upholds the belief of rectifying one's heart and mind and helping the world and saving people throughout one's life, one is a good disciple of Mount Hua. After death, one will receive the incense offerings of Mount Hua. The Mount Hua sect will not mistreat such a disciple.

Yue Buqun himself disliked infighting and preferred a harmonious atmosphere within the sect. In his mind, ability was secondary; what he valued most was character. Loyalty to the sect and upright character were paramount, and he had a strong sense of collectivism.

Considering future problems, Yue Buqun simply demolished all the buildings near the back hall and allocated all the space to the back hall.

With a spacious area, the Huashan disciples could stand without feeling crowded. Otherwise, like the last time, during the sect-union ceremony, the entire back hall wasn't enough for all the Huashan disciples to stand in, and they had to move to the open space in front of the Zhengqi Hall, which would have been too awkward.

However, this would require a considerable amount of money, and the internal cash flow would shrink drastically.

"I also plan to renovate and expand the residences of you, Chong'er, Dayou and other Huashan disciples. Now that there are more people in our Huashan Sect, it is becoming more lively. Although the old houses are still habitable, some of them are moldy and need to be renovated."

"Once the main buildings inside the gate are repaired, I plan to renovate and expand your residences."

When talking about the construction of the sect, Yue Buqun's mouth never stopped. He was planning the future blueprint of the Huashan Sect, with a faint smile on his face. Sometimes, when he got excited, he would raise his hand slightly under his sleeve, and his eyes would be very bright.

"Especially your residence."

Yue Buqun suddenly mentioned Jiangning.

"The room you are staying in is where I lived when I first started learning the trade. It's been quite a few years now and needs to be renovated. In a while, I will hire villagers from the foot of the mountain to come up and renovate it. If you have any requests for the new house, you can tell them."