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

Page 198

Yue Buqun glanced at Jiang Ning's departing figure, then went straight back to his room.

By this time, many Huashan disciples had already gotten up for their morning exercises, and they all bowed to Yue Buqun upon his return.

Yue Buqun nodded all the way back to his room, where Ning Zhongze had also gotten up.

"Why are you back so soon?"

Ning Zhongze was somewhat surprised that Yue Buqun had left yesterday and returned today.

Yue Buqun sat down at the table, poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and said, "I have already met Abbess Dingyi and the others."

"how's it going?"

Ning Zhongze asked.

Yue Buqun then recounted what had happened.

Ning Zhongze had been worried that the Hengshan Sect would suffer heavy losses like the Taishan Sect, but she finally breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that the other party was unharmed.

"Alright, they already know about Zuo Lengchan's assassins."

Yue Buqun said coldly, "We'll settle the score with Zuo Lengchan in June."

Mount Tai, Mount Heng, and Mount Hengshan want to settle accounts with Zuo Lengchan for being ambushed, while the Mount Hua Sect also wants to settle accounts with Zuo Lengchan for sending spies before, as well as for instigating Feng Buping and Cheng Buyou to attack them.

"Ok!"

Ning Zhong nodded vigorously.

……

February.

South Peak.

Yangtianchi (Looking Up at the Sky Pool).

Jiang Ning stood on the summit, looking at the distant, undulating mountain peaks, all covered in snow and exuding a pristine white.

This is the highest point of Mount Hua, from where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the entire mountain.

With only a few days left until his descent, Jiang Ning planned to visit the South Peak to enjoy the scenery of Mount Hua before heading down.

After a while, Jiang Ning came down the mountain and returned to his residence. There he saw Maodou playing in the snow in the yard and was in a good mood.

Jiang Ning had already fulfilled his promise to it last time. After showing off the few ginseng and other tonics in the kitchen, Jiang Ning took it into the deep Qinling Mountains to find rare and exotic herbs and let it eat its fill.

"Ang ang ang".

Upon seeing Jiang Ning return, Maodou called out a few times to greet him.

"I'm going down the mountain in a couple of days and won't be back for a while."

Jiang Ning patted its donkey's head.

This time, he doesn't plan to bring Maodou down the mountain.

"When I'm not at Mount Hua, don't run around. And don't go to Grand Uncle's place anymore, understand? If Grand Uncle gets so angry that he stews you, I can't help you."

Jiang Ning then gave Maodou some more instructions.

Maodou nodded up and down at the donkey's head, indicating that it understood.

After giving his instructions, Jiang Ning headed towards Chaoyang Peak.

He planned to go find Lin Pingzhi.

Lin Pingzhi has not yet given Jiang Ning the list of those who are hunting him and Cheng Buyou.

Jiang Ning traveled all the way to Chaoyang Peak, to Cheng Buyou's recuperation courtyard, where he saw Lin Pingzhi sweeping snow.

"Senior brother."

Seeing Jiang Ning approaching, Lin Pingzhi quickly put down his broom and came over.

"Ah."

Jiang Ning nodded.

"I'm planning to go down the mountain in a couple of days. How's your list coming along?"

Chapter 278: Choose One for Yourself (5,000 words)

Upon hearing Jiang Ning's words, he took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Jiang Ning.

"Senior brother, it's finished."

Jiang Ning took the paper, opened it, and saw that more than ten names were written on it.

"that's it?"

"Um"

Lin Pingzhi nodded.

He didn't know most of the martial arts figures who were chasing him, but the list on this page consisted of Lin Zhennan's friends from his lifetime, and Lin Pingzhi knew these people.

"Luoyang, Plum Sword Manor, Zhao Tianlai?"

Jiang Ning softly read out one of the names.

This name is more intense than the others, suggesting that Lin Pingzhi harbored a deeper hatred for the name's owner when he wrote it.

"Ah."

Upon hearing this name, Lin Pingzhi's expression turned cold.

Zhao Tianlai was his father's closest friend, and also the one who hurt him the most.

Meijian Manor is a powerful force in Luoyang, and it is located in Luoyang along with the Golden Saber Sect, the maternal family of Lin Pingzhi's mother, Madam Wang.

"Zhao Tianlai is the owner of Meijian Manor, and he and my father are sworn brothers."

Lin Pingzhi recounted the past relationship between his Fuwei Escort Agency and Meijian Manor.

Lin Pingzhi was held by Zhao Tianlai when he was a child. The two families were so close that they even arranged a marriage between their children, so that Lin Pingzhi and Zhao Tianlai's daughter would get married when they grew up.

"When my Uncle Cheng and I fled all the way to Luoyang, Uncle Cheng was already injured. I originally wanted to ask Zhao Tian to find a doctor to treat Uncle Cheng's injury, but he was very enthusiastic towards us on the surface. He arranged accommodation for Uncle Cheng and me, and then had my fiancée approach me, saying that I had suffered a lot on my journey and that she should take care of me."

Lin Pingzhi's expression was calm, but his voice was extremely cold when he spoke of his fiancée.

"But in reality, Zhao Tianlai wanted his daughter to get the whereabouts of the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual from me."

The cassock that Lin Pingzhi obtained in his hometown in Fujian was taken away by a group of men in black as soon as he got it. He also did not have the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual on him. He only knew some ordinary sword techniques, which were different from the real Evil-Repelling Sword Manual.

Zhao Tianlai and other martial artists who wanted the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual were wasting their time looking for him. The beatings that Lin Pingzhi and Cheng Buyou suffered along the way were truly unjust.

Lin Pingzhi spoke slowly, his expression growing colder and colder.

"After Zhao Tianlai's daughter couldn't get the whereabouts of the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual from me, she drugged me and Uncle Cheng. It was Uncle Cheng who noticed something was wrong, and later he led me to fight our way out of Plum Sword Manor."

Lin Pingzhi still remembers how Zhao Tianlai called him "good nephew" repeatedly, and how each of his attacks was more ruthless than the last.

Cheng Buyou suffered his most serious injury that time.

It can be said that Zhao Tianlai is the one Lin Pingzhi hates the most along the way. This hatred makes him toss and turn every night, unable to sleep, and he grits his teeth in hatred.

The relationship between the Lin and Zhao families is extraordinary. In fact, if the Fuwei Escort Agency had not been wiped out by Yu Canghai, the two families would have become in-laws. The intimacy between the two families is even deeper than that between Lin Pingzhi's maternal grandfather, Wang Yuanba's family. Otherwise, when Lin Pingzhi fled to Luoyang, the first person he would have sought out was Zhao Tianlai.

However, this person whom Lin Pingzhi trusted the most hurt him the most.

At the same time, Lin Pingzhi also felt deeply apologetic towards Cheng Buyou.

Ultimately, it's because he doesn't understand the wickedness of human nature and the principle that once someone leaves, they're forgotten.

"Senior brother."

Lin Pingzhi then added, "If you want to go to Luoyang, you can go to my maternal grandfather; he should be able to help you."

"Ah."

Jiang Ning smiled, nodded, and then changed the subject.

"Is Uncle Cheng feeling better now?"

Lin Pingzhi nodded: "Uncle Cheng is much better now and is resting. His injuries should heal in about two months."

When Cheng Buyou's situation was mentioned, Lin Pingzhi's expression finally relaxed.

Cheng Buyou really saved his life during this trip to Fujian. If it weren't for Cheng Buyou, he would have lost his life in Fujian.

"That's good."

Jiang Ning nodded.

"Since there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

"Alright, take care, senior brother."

Lin Pingzhi nodded, and after seeing Jiang Ning out, he picked up the broom again and continued sweeping the snow.

……

After returning from Chaoyang Peak, Jiang Ning saw Linghu Chong pacing back and forth in front of his residence.

"Eldest brother?"

Jiang Ning was somewhat surprised.

"Junior brother, you're finally back! I've been waiting for you for ages."

Upon seeing Jiang Ning return, Linghu Chong's eyes lit up, and he quickly stepped forward.

"what happened?"

Jiang Ning asked, puzzled.

"Junior brother, let's go inside and talk."

Linghu Chong didn't say much, but after saying a few words to Jiang Ning, he went into Jiang Ning's room.

Seeing Linghu Chong's mysterious expression, Jiang Ning became somewhat suspicious.

Is this kid going to ask him for relationship advice again?

Why make it so mysterious?

Jiang Ning didn't understand, but didn't ask any further questions, and then went inside as well.

As soon as Jiang Ning entered the room, Linghu Chong looked at him with a serious expression.

"Junior brother, do you want to learn the Dugu Nine Swords?"

"what?"

Jiang Ning was stunned.

Linghu Chong thought Jiang Ning hadn't heard him clearly, so he repeated it.

"Tell me, do you want to learn the Dugu Nine Swords?"

Jiang Ning looked at Linghu Chong suspiciously: "Why would Senior Brother suddenly want to teach me the Dugu Nine Swords?"

Linghu Chong chuckled and said, "I think this sword technique is very powerful. If only I know it, I'm afraid it will be buried. So I later found the senior who taught me the Dugu Nine Swords and asked if I could pass the sword technique on to someone else. That senior agreed to let me pass it on, but he insisted that I pass it on to someone with exceptional talent. You were the first person I thought of."

After receiving confirmation from Feng Qingyang, Linghu Chong had intended to find Jiang Ning and pass on his swordsmanship to him. However, Jiang Ning seemed to be very busy during the New Year, going down the mountain to provide rescue and taking Maodou to the deep Qinling Mountains. He often couldn't find him, so it was delayed until now. Linghu Chong simply decided to stake out the place.

"The senior who taught me swordsmanship said I had decent talent, so I thought, if even I can learn the Dugu Nine Swords, then you, junior brother, have even higher talent than me, so you must be able to learn it even better than me."

Linghu Chong wasn't just flattering him; he genuinely felt that way.

Jiang Ning was so much younger than him before he obtained the Innate Skill, yet his martial arts were already on par with his. Especially in the last two years, he left him far behind. Linghu Chong believed that Jiang Ning would find it very easy to learn the Dugu Nine Swords.

Upon hearing Linghu Chong's words, Jiang Ning's gaze became somewhat strange.

After a while.

"Thank you for your kindness, senior brother, but it's not necessary."

Jiang Ning smiled and shook his head.

"Junior brother, I'm telling the truth."

Upon hearing this, Linghu Chong became anxious and quickly said, "I had originally planned to pass it on to you. You might encounter some dangers while traveling down the mountain. With the Dugu Nine Swords by your side, you'll at least be safer."