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

Page 14

Anyway, all these sword techniques and ways to counter them are engraved here, and when Yue Buqun looks at them later, he will find that these moves are real.

"Ning'er."

Yue Buqun looked at Jiang Ning.

"You and Chong'er have recovered the lost Huashan sword techniques for our sect, which is a great achievement. I intend to pass on all the Huashan sword techniques on this stone wall to you. You can postpone your training for a while. It's not too late to go for training after you have learned the sword techniques."

Chapter 24: Night Talk

If you want to learn swordsmanship, you can't just have the moves given to you and start practicing.

They also need the guidance of renowned teachers.

Some of the sword techniques on these stone walls were ones that even Yue Buqun had never learned, and those he had already learned were not as exquisite as those on the stone walls. Even Yue Buqun himself had to practice them all over again, let alone Jiang Ning.

Yue Buqun is stronger than Jiang Ning, has a higher realm than Jiang Ning, and is also quite talented. He has also been cultivating for a longer time than Jiang Ning, so he will definitely master it faster than Jiang Ning. It's not too late to teach Jiang Ning the sword techniques after he has learned them.

Yue Buqun had no intention of keeping anything from Jiang Ning or preventing him from learning.

Jiang Ning discovered this cave, and these sword techniques are the foundation of the Huashan Sect. If it weren't for Jiang Ning, Yue Buqun might never have seen these lost Huashan sword techniques, and the Huashan Sect would never have had the chance to obtain them again. Just like those divine martial arts manuals of the past, they disappeared from the world's sight and quietly lay somewhere.

Therefore, Yue Buqun would not be stingy with Jiang Ning.

As for preventing Jiang Ning from learning the sword techniques on the stone wall, that's even more impossible. Jiang Ning entered the cave before him and had already seen these exquisite sword techniques. Even if Yue Buqun forbids Jiang Ning from practicing them, Jiang Ning might still secretly practice them. Putting aside whether Jiang Ning will have any problems practicing on his own, Yue Buqun would become Jiang Ning's enemy first.

Instead of doing that, it would be better to be open and honest, with master and disciples working together to strengthen the Huashan Sect.

Jiang Ning thought for a moment and shook his head: "Master, I still want to go down the mountain to gain experience first, and it won't be too late to practice swordsmanship after I break through the bottleneck."

"Our Huashan Sect values ​​internal energy more than swordsmanship. Although these sword techniques are very exquisite, they can only serve as an aid to my cultivation."

Mastering so many sword techniques is not something that can be done overnight; it will definitely take some time. In order to save time, Jiang Ning plans to practice on the road.

Upon hearing this, Yue Buqun smiled and nodded in satisfaction: "I am very pleased that you have such an idea."

Despite the temptations of many exquisite sword techniques, he was able to maintain his original intention and remain steadfast in his beliefs.

Very good, very good.

Yue Buqun was becoming increasingly satisfied with Jiang Ning.

"Since that's the case, then I support your decision. You will be going down the mountain to train on your own tomorrow. Come to the back hall tonight; I have something to say to you."

The back room?

That is the place where we worship the ancestors of Huashan throughout history.

Jiang Ning was somewhat surprised, but still nodded.

"Yes."

Yue Buqun nodded and said to Ning Zhongze and the others, "Let's go back."

"Yes."

Jiang Ning nodded.

After leaving the cave, Yue Buqun personally found a huge rock from Jade Maiden Peak to block the entrance, a rock even larger than the previous one.

After doing all this, Yue Buqun gave Yue Lingshan and Linghu Chong another warning: "This cave is an absolute secret of my Huashan Sect. You two must keep it a secret. No one is allowed to tell anyone, including Denuo and Dayou. If I find out that you have revealed this matter, I will not let you off lightly!"

Yue Buqun's words were very harsh, and Linghu Chong and Yue Lingshan quickly promised that they would never say anything, which put Yue Buqun at ease.

At this moment, Linghu Chong asked curiously, "Master, besides the lost sword techniques of our Huashan Sect, there are also lost sword techniques of the other Five Mountains Sword Sects in that cave. Shouldn't we tell them?"

Yue Buqun pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "Let's not tell them for now. I have my own plans."

Yue Buqun made up his mind that he would keep the secret in the cave sealed forever until the Huashan Sect grew strong enough to rival the Songshan Sect.

The Songshan Sect is currently the strongest among the Five Mountains Sword Sects, and its leader, Zuo Lengchan, has great ambitions and wants to annex the other four sects. If Yue Buqun were to reveal the secret of the cave to them now, Zuo Lengchan would not refrain from annexing the Huashan Sect out of gratitude, but would instead accelerate the other party's actions to annex the Five Mountains Sword Sects.

Yue Buqun will tell the other four sects about this, but only if the Huashan Sect has grown strong enough to compete with the Songshan Sect, or if his own martial arts skills surpass Zuo Lengchan's. Before that, Yue Buqun will not do anything to aid the enemy.

"Oh."

Linghu Chong nodded, and there was no objection.

But the next second he grinned foolishly at Yue Buqun with a smirk.

"Master, this...that...hehe."

Yue Buqun frowned and said, "Just say what you have to say. Why are you beating around the bush?"

Linghu Chong chuckled and said, "Look, my junior brother and I have recovered the lost sword technique of our Huashan Sect, making a great contribution to the Huashan Sect. My punishment..."

Linghu Chong didn't say anything, but just grinned at Yue Buqun with a knowing look on his face.

Yue Buqun glanced at him and said indifferently, "No, but don't do it again."

Linghu Chong's eyes lit up.

"Thank you, Master!"

After confirming that the cave contained the lost sword technique of the Huashan School, Yue Buqun felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his heart. He walked with much lighter steps and seemed to have become more than ten years younger.

After all that back and forth, it was already close to evening, just in time for dinner.

Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze went straight back to Suoyoubuweixuan, while Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong hadn't eaten all day and were already feeling hungry. On the way to the canteen, Linghu Chong was already shouting that he could eat a whole cow.

When they arrived at the canteen, the other Huashan disciples had already arrived, but because their senior brother Linghu Chong was not there, they could not start eating and had been waiting for them.

During the meal, at Lao Denuo's suggestion, Lu Dayou, Ying Bailuo, and other Huashan disciples kept asking where Linghu Chong and Yue Buqun had gone and why they had only just returned, chattering incessantly with questions.

Jiang Ning would definitely not tell, and Yue Lingshan also kept her father's words in mind, keeping her mouth shut and revealing nothing.

Linghu Chong, on the other hand, was a chatterbox and loved to joke around. When his junior brothers asked him questions, he couldn't help but speak up. However, he didn't reveal the secret of the Cliff of Contemplation. Instead, he brushed them off with a few words and then started bragging about how he had punished evil and promoted good along the way, and how he had easily defeated Hou Renying and Hong Renxiong of the Qingcheng Sect, which drew gasps of amazement from them.

He had captured the attention of all the Huashan disciples.

Only Laudenau smiled silently, his eyes conveying an unreadable emotion.

late at night.

After dinner, Jiang Ning packed some clothes and other necessities for the journey in his room before leaving and going to the back hall.

When he arrived, he found Yue Buqun already sitting in the main seat with his eyes closed, resting. Three incense sticks were re-inserted on the incense table.

The incense and candles had burned nearly halfway, so it seemed that Yue Buqun had been waiting here for quite some time.

"Master."

Jiang Ning stopped in front of Yue Buqun and bowed.

Yue Buqun opened his eyes, looked at the disciple in front of him, and nodded slightly.

"Ah."

After saying that, Yue Buqun stood up and stood in front of the incense table, his hands behind his back. He didn't turn around, but just casually threw out a sentence.

"Ning'er, did you discover the secret of the stone wall on the Cliff of Contemplation unintentionally?"

Jiang Ning's eyes narrowed instantly.

Chapter 25: Heart-to-Heart Talk

"This disciple does not understand Master's meaning."

Jiang Ning remained calm and composed, without panicking.

Yue Buqun then turned around, staring intently at him, and spoke again, but instead of pressing him for answers, he asked a trivial question.

"Did you see anyone other than my Huashan disciples on Mount Hua? Did you encounter any strange people on your journey down the mountain to Yunmeng County?"

Jiang Ning was somewhat surprised, then shook his head: "No."

Yue Buqun didn't speak, just stared at him intently, as if judging whether what he said was true or false.

After a while.

Yue Buqun's brows relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face: "Ning'er, you have really done your master a great favor this time, and you have also done the Huashan Sect a great favor."

Jiang Ning asked knowingly, "Why do you say that, Master?"

Yue Buqun sighed deeply.

“Ning’er, I originally thought that I could handle some things myself. You, Chong’er, Shan’er, and Dayou should just focus on practicing your skills. As long as the entire Huashan Sect works together, our Huashan Sect will be able to revive sooner or later.”

But things don't always go as planned.

"Nowadays, the Demonic Sect's influence is spread all over the country, and they are always trying to destroy our righteous sects. Meanwhile, Zuo Lengchan of the Songshan Sect is always thinking about annexing the other Five Mountains Sword Sects. Our Huashan Sect is now in a very difficult situation."

Yue Buqun finally poured out the pressure in his heart to his disciples.

However, he didn't see any shock on Jiang Ning's face, so he couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you surprised?"

Jiang Ning countered, "Why are you surprised?"

Yue Buqun asked in surprise, "The Five Mountains Sword Sects have always been closely connected. Didn't you feel puzzled when you heard that the Songshan Sect wanted to annex the other four sects?"

Jiang Ning smiled calmly and said, "Wherever there are people, there is a jianghu (martial arts world). Besides, we are in the jianghu ourselves. The jianghu is full of intrigue and backstabbing. The Songshan Sect is powerful, and it is only human nature for them to want to swallow up my Five Mountains Sword Sect and go further."

"We are at their mercy, like fish on a chopping board. The Huashan Sect is currently weaker than the Songshan Sect, so it is not surprising that they want to annex us."

Yue Buqun smiled and nodded.

"It's good that you have this understanding and haven't been blinded by the grand principles in books, preventing you from seeing reality clearly."

After saying this, Yue Buqun sneered, "Zuo Lengchan wants to annex my Huashan Sect, so he sent Lao Denuo to be an internal spy for my Huashan. He thinks I don't know, but I saw through him a long time ago."

"I deliberately pretended not to know and left Laudenuo behind in order to lull Zuo Lengchan into a false sense of security."

Jiang Ning was somewhat surprised.

He hadn't paid close attention when he read The Smiling, Proud Wanderer before, and hadn't noticed many details. He didn't know if Yue Buqun knew that Lao Denuo was a traitor. He originally wanted to find an opportunity to get rid of Lao Denuo himself, but Yue Buqun said that he knew Lao Denuo was a traitor, so why didn't he kill him?

Seemingly aware of Jiang Ning's doubts, Yue Buqun smiled and said, "Lao Denuo is just a pawn. I can kill him at will, but I cannot."

"He is an internal spy sent by the Songshan Sect to monitor my Huashan Sect. Although he is a pawn of the Songshan Sect and is not good for my Huashan Sect, I can also use him to reassure the Songshan Sect and Zuo Lengchan so that they will not immediately take action against my Huashan Sect."

"Furthermore, even if I kill him, Zuo Lengchan will continue to plant spies in my Huashan Sect. I am not a god and cannot immediately discover who the traitor is. Rather than that, it is better to spare Lao Denuo's life for now."

"Keeping him around has its advantages. We can assign him the dirty and hard work of our Huashan Sect, but we won't let him discover the true secrets of our Huashan Sect."

Jiang Ning nodded.

Yue Buqun's approach was correct.

After saying a few words, Yue Buqun skipped over the topic. He hadn't brought Jiang Ning to the back room to talk about these things.

At this moment, Yue Buqun took out a purse from his wide sleeves. It was stuffed full, and no one knew what it contained.

“Ning’er, this is your first time going down the mountain for training. I don’t know how long you will be traveling. I’m afraid you won’t have enough money for your journey. Take these with you and don’t be stingy on the way. Spend money as you need to.”

Yue Buqun handed over the purse directly.

"Thank you, Master."

Jiang Ning took the purse with both hands, and immediately felt a weight in his hands. A look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

This is quite a lot.

Yue Buqun smiled and said, "There are two hundred taels of silver in here. You can take it for now."

so much?

Did Yue Buqun really become rich overnight?

Back in the day, even Guo Furong didn't carry this much silver with her when she went out, right?

Two hundred taels of silver is enough for an ordinary person to live a life free from worries about food and clothing.

"This……"

Jiang Ning was interrupted by Yue Buqun before he could speak.

Yue Buqun waved his hand and said, "I know what you mean. Take it with you. It's what you deserve. Don't worry about the sect's expenses."

"Yes, thank you, Master. I will always remember your loving care."

Jiang Ning accepted it.