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

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"but……"

Yue Buqun changed the subject.

“I saw the children that Pingzhi brought back.”

Yue Buqun remained calm and spoke softly.

"When I saw them, I thought to myself, if I were in their shoes, could I have turned a blind eye to their plight? Could I have ignored the Beggars' Sect's despicable acts for the sake of the greater good?"

Yue Buqun stopped speaking.

After a long time.

"I can not do it."

Chapter 581: Jade Maiden Peak

"So let's not talk about punishment. You did nothing wrong. As for your point about causing trouble for the Huashan Sect, do you think your master will resent you for making enemies for the Huashan Sect?"

Yue Buqun laughed.

Jiang Ning said, "This disciple had no such intention, but..."

Before Jiang Ning could finish speaking, Yue Buqun interrupted.

"I do value the Huashan Sect too much, but that doesn't mean we have to be timid and hesitant. We should do what needs to be done. What does it matter if we make enemies for the Huashan Sect? Our Huashan Sect is meant to be enemies of evil and heresy, so why should we fear another Beggar Clan?"

Jiang Ning cupped his hands in greeting: "Yes."

"Alright, tell me about your discoveries during your trip to the Southern Shaolin Temple."

Yue Buqun waved his hand, not saying anything more about the Beggars' Sect, and instead asked about the outcome of the trip to Southern Shaolin.

"I made no discovery at the Southern Shaolin Temple, but I unexpectedly made a gain at Hengshan."

Jiang Ning then recounted the entire incident at the Southern Shaolin Temple in detail.

After a long time.

Yue Buqun frowned and remained silent.

"In your opinion, is what Bu Jie said true or false?"

Yue Buqun asked.

Jiang Ning smiled and said, "Master already has the answer in his heart, doesn't he?"

Yue Buqun also laughed, then frowned and said, "It seems that the Southern Shaolin Temple did indeed participate in the sword qi dispute of my Huashan. Before the death of Zen Master Lingxuan, he probably already knew the purpose of your trip to the Southern Shaolin Temple. His giving you and your fellow disciple the Great Rejuvenation Pill was probably as compensation. As for the words of Bujie, they should not be false."

Jiang Ning asked, "What does Master intend to do?"

Yue Buqun thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Although the Southern Shaolin Temple was not entirely uninvolved back then, having used the Sunflower Manual to plot against Yue and Cai, it was ultimately because the two of them were not firm in their minds that they fell into the trap. There's nothing I can say about that."

"Furthermore, the Southern Shaolin Temple did not interfere with the Five Mountains Sword Sects. The increasingly serious sword qi dispute within our Huashan Sect was not caused by the Southern Shaolin Temple, but by the Songshan Shaolin Temple. Moreover, Zen Master Lingxuan did not die naturally; he committed suicide. Since all the people from that time are dead and have nothing to do with the current Southern Shaolin Temple, let's leave it at that."

Yue Buqun said.

It's difficult to determine who was right and who was wrong between the Southern Shaolin and the Huashan Sect. It's true that the Southern Shaolin set a trap for the Huashan Sect, but if it weren't for the greed of Yue Buqun and Cai, they wouldn't have fallen into the Southern Shaolin's trap. Yue Buqun also cannot unilaterally blame the Southern Shaolin without considering the actions of Yue Buqun and Cai.

However, Yue Buqun's attitude towards the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song was different.

From beginning to end, Shaolin has been secretly targeting the Five Mountains Sword Sects, sowing discord, infiltrating, and instigating internal conflicts within Mount Hua. All of this is inextricably linked to Shaolin.

Yue Buqun will not let this go.

Jiang Ning had no objections and, after letting the matter drop, recounted how Ren Woxing had stormed Blackwood Cliff and met Dongfang Bubai, as well as how Liu Zhengfeng had acted as an undercover agent beside Ren Woxing and the intelligence provided by Liu Zhengfeng.

Yue Buqun frowned, and after a moment he couldn't help but sigh.

"What a troubled time."

After sighing, Yue Buqun looked at Jiang Ning and said, "Ren Woxing's attempt to use the Zhenwu Sword is manageable. I have already discussed this with Daoist Chongxu. Even if Wudang finds out that the Zhenwu Sword is in your possession, I have words to stop Chongxu if he comes to ask for it. This issue is not a big deal. As for Ren Woxing's attempt to take advantage of the fact that my Huashan Sect and the Beggar Clan are both weakened, you have already dealt him a heavy blow in Luoyang. I suppose he won't come now. However, we should still be vigilant."

Ren Woxing's two plans against Mount Hua were not bad, but since they were known in advance, as long as Yue Buqun paid attention and handled them properly, there was not much to worry about.

"As for Liu Zhengfeng, since you have made an agreement with him, I will not interfere. You will be responsible for the follow-up. I will tell Mr. Mo and Liu Qin about his matter."

Yue Buqun did not comment on Liu Zhengfeng's actions.

Regardless, Yue Buqun was happy that Liu Zhengfeng was returning to the right path.

"Yes."

Jiang Ning nodded.

"correct."

Yue Buqun seemed to remember something else and asked, "After you returned from the Southern Shaolin Temple, you went north to the capital, saying you wanted to see a friend. Did you see him?"

Jiang Ning nodded: "I saw him."

Yue Buqun asked curiously, "Who is your friend?"

When Zhu Houzhao sent someone to invite Jiang Ning last year, Yue Buqun was curious about Zhu Houzhao's identity. However, Jiang Ning was unaware of it at the time. Now that Jiang Ning has returned, he must know.

"He is the emperor."

"what?"

The four short words "Jiangning" startled Yue Buqun.

Jiang Ning said, "Zhu Shou's real name is Zhu Houzhao, and he is the current emperor of the Ming Dynasty."

Yue Buqun still had the same expression as before, clearly not having reacted yet.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning didn't say anything more, letting Yue Buqun process the news.

After a short while, Yue Buqun finally reacted. He looked at Jiang Ning, unsure of what to say.

"You went there and actually got to know the emperor?"

Yue Buqun first asked a question, then continued, "I originally thought that the friends you made in the capital were some princes or noblemen, but I never expected them to be the emperor... This..."

Jiang Ning said, "It was only during this trip to the capital that I learned of Zhu Shou's true identity."

Yue Buqun was at a loss for words, and it took him a long time to finally digest this explosive news.

What did he say to you when he invited you to the capital this time?

Jiang Ning recounted his every move since arriving in Beijing.

Yue Buqun frowned and remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"How much of what Zhu Houzhao said do you think is true? How much is false? Was he sincere?"

Yue Buqun didn't care what Zhu Houzhao said; he only cared about Jiang Ning's opinion.

Jiang Ning shook his head and laughed, "Whether it's true or not doesn't really matter. As long as he really does what he says, what's wrong with helping him?"

Of course, if Zhu Houzhao was deceiving him for the sake of power, then Jiang Ning would let Zhu Houzhao know that even the vast imperial city could not save his life.

Yue Buqun nodded.

"According to what you said, although Zhu Houzhao ascended the throne at a young age, he is not simple-minded. What he told you is probably to get you to do things for him. He has the intention of using you. You must be very careful when dealing with him and be on guard."

Jiang Ning nodded.

"The disciple understands."

After learning about Jiang Ning's entire journey down the mountain, Yue Buqun breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Jiang Ning had encountered many things along the way, he had been relatively safe overall, which put his mind at ease.

"correct."

Yue Buqun seemed to remember something else and said to Jiang Ning, "Now that you have taken the Great Rejuvenation Pill given to you by Zen Master Lingxuan, your internal strength should have increased considerably, right?"

Jiang Ning nodded: "This disciple has increased his internal strength by ten years."

ten years?

Yue Buqun's pupils shrank; this single Great Rejuvenation Pill had saved Jiang Ning ten years of travel.

"What level have you reached in martial arts?"

Yue Buqun couldn't help but ask.

Jiang Ning smiled and said, "This disciple has already reached the peak of the fourth level."

Since taking the Great Rejuvenation Pill, Jiang Ning's internal strength has increased dramatically. He can already feel that he has touched the limit of the fourth level of the Innate Skill. As long as he can break through the bottleneck, he can reach the fifth level of the Innate Skill and become a saint. He will be the second person after Wang Chongyang to cultivate the Innate Skill to this level.

Upon hearing this, Yue Buqun's expression hardened.

Jiang Ning's strength is no weaker than his; he is currently at the peak of the fourth level of the Innate Skill.

"Since you and I, master and disciple, are both at the peak of the fourth level of the Innate Skill, why don't we have a spar now and let your master see how good your martial arts are now?"

Yue Buqun said.

In fact, he had been curious from the beginning about the differences between the innate skill he practiced and the innate skill Jiang Ning practiced, and how big the difference was between a virgin and a non-virgin.

Yue Buqun had always wanted to try his luck with Jiang Ning.

However, Jiang Ning was his disciple, and his martial arts skills were inferior to his, so he could only keep this thought to himself.

But Jiang Ning's martial arts skills had progressed so quickly that he had reached the same level as Yue Buqun in just a few years. Yue Buqun could no longer suppress his thoughts and wanted to have a match with Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning was somewhat taken aback by what he heard, but he did not refuse.

"Yes, Master."

Yue Buqun laughed, got up and walked outside.

"Let's go to the top of Jade Maiden Peak."

Chapter 582: Awaiting the Result

Yue Buqun walked ahead, with Jiang Ning following behind, the two heading towards Jade Maiden Peak.

"Senior Brother, is there anything fun to do in the capital?"

"Senior Brother, isn't the capital city more prosperous than our Shaanxi?"

"Yes, yes, senior brother..."

A group of Huashan disciples surrounded Linghu Chong, chattering incessantly. Linghu Chong, who was in the middle of the group, felt a buzzing pain in his head.

Meanwhile, Yue Lingshan, who was at the edge, had a helpless expression on her face.

Upon learning that Linghu Chong had returned to the mountain, Yue Lingshan rushed over to find him. The two had not seen each other for nearly a year and naturally missed each other dearly. However, before they could exchange more than a few words, the disciples of Hua who had heard that Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong had returned to the mountain came to search for them. They did not find Jiang Ning, but they found Linghu Chong, who was being affectionate with Yue Lingshan, and thus this scene unfolded.

"Senior Brother, I heard the Emperor is in the capital. Did you see him there?"

A disciple of Mount Hua grabbed Linghu Chong's sleeve and shouted.

"you……"

Upon hearing this, Linghu Chong couldn't help but roll his eyes. He was about to say that if he were the emperor, he could see the emperor whenever he wanted, but before he could finish speaking, he was pulled away by another junior brother.

"Senior Brother, is the wine in the capital any good?"

"I……"

Linghu Chong had barely uttered a single word when he was pulled away by his fellow disciples.

"Senior Brother, why aren't you saying anything?"

"Senior Brother, say something!"

"Elder brother..."

"Elder brother..."

The crowd was chattering away, making it noisier than a market, which gave Linghu Chong a real headache.

The junior disciples were too enthusiastic, and Linghu Chong couldn't handle it at all. He looked at Yue Lingshan, who was not far away, and cast a pleading look for help.

Seeing Linghu Chong's appearance, Yue Lingshan couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle. After seeing the other party's distress signal, she spread her hands to indicate that there was nothing she could do.

Some Huashan disciples also noticed that Linghu Chong couldn't answer so many questions, such as Tao Jun and Ying Bailuo. However, instead of helping Linghu Chong out of the predicament, these two pulled him even harder, finding it quite amusing.