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

Ning Zhongze nodded and said, "Much better. They're just some superficial injuries. After applying the medicine, they're fine now. They just need to rest more."

After leaving Hengshan City, Yue Buqun used his internal energy to heal Linghu Chong's injuries. Now, apart from having some difficulty running and jumping, Linghu Chong is fine.

Yue Buqun nodded, about to continue speaking, but Yue Lingshan spoke first: "Father, why don't you teach Senior Brother more swordsmanship? That way, he won't be in such a state next time he encounters Tian Boguang."

Upon hearing this, Yue Buqun frowned and said, "It's not that I don't want to teach him, it's just that his current internal strength is not up to standard, so there's no benefit in passing on some sword techniques to him."

Yue Lingshan said, "But Senior Brother is already working very hard now."

What she said is true; after his period of despondency, Linghu Chong did indeed work very hard, even harder than before.

Yue Buqun pondered for a moment, recalling what Jiang Ning had said earlier.

After a while.

Yue Buqun finally spoke: "How about this? I was originally planning to pass on some of the Huashan sword techniques to you after we returned to Huashan. Since that's the case, it's fine to pass them on to him as well. But make sure he remembers that he must practice hard before that."

Yue Lingshan's eyes lit up, and she said excitedly, "Thank you, Dad!"

After saying that, he got off the carriage and went straight to Linghu Chong's carriage to tell him the good news.

Yue Buqun shook his head upon seeing this: "A daughter is too big to stay at home once she grows up."

Seeing that Ning Zhongze had returned and that the matter had been discussed with Yue Buqun, Jiang Ning did not stay any longer and returned to his carriage.

Lin Pingzhi was sitting in the carriage waiting for him to return.

Lin Pingzhi was very handsome with fair skin. After changing into a set of fine silks and satins, he exuded an air of nobility. However, he no longer had the arrogance he used to have. His expression was calm and his demeanor was ordinary.

Jiang Ning went out early in the morning under the pretext of asking Yue Buqun for permission to teach him the Huashan Sword Technique ahead of schedule, and Lin Pingzhi waited for him to return in the carriage.

"Senior brother."

Upon seeing Jiang Ning return, Lin Pingzhi quickly bowed.

"Ah."

Jiang Ning nodded, then sat down. After Lin Pingzhi sat up straight, he said, "The journey to Mount Hua is long and will take a long time. Considering your different situation, Master has agreed to teach you the secret formula of the Mount Hua sword technique ahead of time. I will teach you."

Lin Pingzhi's expression brightened with joy.

"Thank you, senior brother."

Jiang Ning shook his head to indicate that it was alright, and continued, "I will not pass on the internal energy cultivation method of my Huashan sect to you for the time being. After returning to Huashan this time, Master will make major changes to the cultivation methods and sword techniques of the disciples in the sect. At that time, the disciples of Huashan will practice the new internal energy cultivation method. You and your senior brothers and sisters will practice together."

Lin Pingzhi nodded repeatedly.

Jiang Ning said, "Next, I will begin to teach you the sword technique incantation. You must memorize it."

Lin Pingzhi listened attentively to Jiang Ning's words, taking them very seriously.

Jiang Ning then began to teach him some basic Huashan sword techniques one by one. After teaching him all of them, he taught him more advanced sword techniques, starting from simple and gradually increasing the difficulty. Lin Pingzhi looked serious and carefully memorized Jiang Ning's words.

When Jiang Ning was teaching swordsmanship, he didn't just tell Lin Pingzhi everything at once. He explained the swordsmanship to Lin Pingzhi while he was teaching. When Lin Pingzhi encountered any questions, he would ask Jiang Ning, and Jiang Ning would answer them one by one.

However, some of Lin Pingzhi's questions were too novel and unusual for him to answer immediately. In such cases, Jiang Ning would first consult Yue Buqun and then explain the answers to Lin Pingzhi after fully understanding them.

After this experience, he gained a deeper understanding of the swordsmanship of Mount Hua.

……

Songshan.

Shengguan Peak.

Songshan School.

In the lobby.

A figure dressed in an earth-yellow robe sat on a futon, his expression cold and his eyes closed.

The figure sat cross-legged on a futon, his chest rising and falling slowly, his breathing long and deep. Each breath he exhaled swirled in the air, forming wisps of cold air, clearly indicating that he was practicing an extremely powerful divine skill.

However, a chill was faintly shrouded in his face, making his expression look extremely cold.

After a while.

The figure paused in his breath, and the chill that had enveloped his face vanished instantly.

The man opened his eyes, and those eyes were even colder than his expression.

Da da da.

Footsteps sounded outside the room, and soon several middle-aged men entered. They came to the center of the hall, bowed respectfully to the figure on the prayer mat, and called out.

"Greetings, Senior Brother."

The figure looked coldly at the middle-aged man leading the group and slowly asked, "Any results from the trip to Hengshan City?"

The person was cold, the face was cold, and the voice was even colder.

The middle-aged man, who was being watched by the figure on the prayer mat, felt an inexplicable pressure. He nodded cautiously after hearing the question: "Reporting to Senior Brother, Senior Brother Ding and the others have sent back information. Liu Zhengfeng is now disgraced, but he has managed to escape."

"When Senior Brother Ding and Senior Brother Lu were about to kill Liu Zhengfeng, Elder Qu Yang of the Demonic Sect suddenly appeared and rescued him. His whereabouts are now unknown."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Lengchan remained expressionless, his tone unchanged, but his voice grew even colder: "So many people were present back then, yet they couldn't kill just two people?"

"Please allow me to report, Senior Brother."

The middle-aged man felt immense pressure, but he still forced himself to say, "The situation was too sudden. Senior Brother Ding and the others did not expect that Qu Yang of the Demonic Sect would dare to step forward and rescue Liu Zhengfeng in public. Later, when Senior Brother Ding and the others were chasing after them, they found that two groups of people were fighting in Hengshan City. One group was of unknown identity, and the other group was from the Demonic Sect."

"The two groups started fighting for some unknown reason, but after seeing Senior Brother Ding and the others, the group of unidentified people suddenly retreated, and the group of demonic cult thieves fought with Senior Brother Ding and the others."

"Senior Brother Ding and the others spent a lot of time fighting off this group of evil cultists, but by then Qu Yang and Liu Zhengfeng had already escaped and disappeared without a trace."

"Two groups of people?"

Zuo Lengchan said in a low voice, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

After a while.

Zuo Lengchan spoke again: "In that case, are Junior Brother Ding and the others injured?"

Although the voice was cold, it carried a hint of concern.

The middle-aged man nodded quickly and replied, "Although Senior Brother Ding and the others killed many traitors from the Demonic Sect, Senior Brother Fei and Senior Brother Lu were still slightly injured, and Nephew Shi and the others were also injured."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Lengchan frowned slightly and fell into deep thought.

It seems there are some experts among those evil cultists.

After a while.

Zuo Lengchan looked up at the crowd below and said, "In that case, let's leave this matter alone for now."

"Yes, senior brother."

The middle-aged man who was leading the group nodded in agreement and then asked, "Senior brother, should we continue to press our advantage and completely destroy the Hengshan Sect in one fell swoop, and then incorporate them into our Songshan Sect?"

"Now, Liu Zhengfeng of the Hengshan Sect has been disgraced, and Master Mo is no longer in charge. The masters in their sect, such as Lu Lianrong, have been subdued by our Songshan Sect. Yu Yinzi and others from the Taishan Sect have also secretly sided with us. The nuns of the Hengshan Sect are just women. The Huashan Sect is now in decline. As long as we swallow up the Hengshan and Taishan Sects in one fell swoop, the remaining Hengshan and Huashan Sects will be like lambs to the slaughter, waiting for us to devour them."

The middle-aged man said excitedly, "Now my Songshan Sect is at its zenith, with many experts within its ranks. Even if we forcibly annex the other four sects, it will be a natural outcome."

"When the Five Mountains Sword Sects merge, not to mention the Demonic Sect, we will be able to stand on equal footing with Shaolin."

Not only him, but everyone else was also excited.

However, upon hearing his words, Zuo Lengchan showed no joy whatsoever. Instead, he frowned slightly and glanced at him.

"Acquire? Destroy?"

Zuo Lengchan's voice was slightly cold: "My Songshan Sect is the leader of the Five Mountains Sword Sects, the head of the Five Mountains family. How can we treat them like this?"

"I, Zuo, only felt that the Five Mountains Sword Sects were scattered in various places, and their strength was too dispersed, making them easy targets for the Demonic Sect. That's why I wanted to merge the other four sects to concentrate our strength against the Demonic Sect. I, Zuo, have never acted out of selfishness. My Songshan Sect and the other four sects are like brothers. Even though my junior brother Liu from the Hengshan Sect has betrayed the righteous path, my Songshan Sect's action to clean house for the Five Mountains Sword Sect was out of necessity. This was not my wish."

Zuo Lengchan glanced at him and said, "Our Five Mountains Sword Sect has been allied for over a hundred years. We have always been of one mind and as close as family. In the future, do not say anything that is detrimental to the unity of the Five Mountains Sword Sect."

The person he saw quickly nodded: "Yes, yes."

"Then, senior brother, what should we do next?"

Upon hearing this, Zuo Lengchan lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment before looking at another middle-aged man and asking.

"Have the people from the Huashan Sword Sect been found?"

The person being asked nodded repeatedly: "We found them. Led by Cong Buqi, we found Feng Buping and Cheng Buyou in a deep mountain not far from Shaanxi."

Zuo Lengchan nodded slightly upon hearing this, and then asked, "What are their thoughts?"

The middle-aged man said, "At first, Feng Buping and Cheng Buyou were very resistant to the idea of ​​merging the Huashan Sect into the Songshan Sect, but after being persuaded by Cong Buqi, they finally agreed."

After saying that, the middle-aged man sneered, "They are all outcasts of Mount Hua and have a strong desire to return to Mount Hua. However, with Senior Brother Yue in charge of Mount Hua now, they have no chance. Now that my Songshan Sect is willing to lend a helping hand, they will naturally not refuse."

"Ah."

Zuo Lengchan nodded slightly. Although there had been a slight mishap during his trip to Hengshan City, the situation was still under his control.

Seeing his silence, the middle-aged man asked again, "Senior brother, when shall we go to Mount Hua?"

Zuo Lengchan thought for a moment after hearing this and said, "Let Junior Brother Ding and the others come back first and let them recover from their injuries. After next year, let Junior Brother Ding, Junior Brother Lu, and Junior Brother Fei accompany Feng Buping and the others to Mount Hua. At that time, you should bring the Five Sacred Mountains Flag and invite the people from the Mount Tai Sect and Mount Heng Sect to go together as well. Before that, we should still focus our attention on the Demonic Sect."

"The Taishan and Hengshan factions are now largely under control. There's no need to rush. Let's deal with the Huashan faction's problem first."

As he spoke, Zuo Lengchan seemed about to laugh, but his expression was very stiff, and he could only force a smile as he said, "My Songshan Sect is the head of the Five Mountains Sword Sects. Since the Huashan Sect handled internal affairs unfairly back then, my Songshan Sect must uphold justice for Brother Feng and the others."

The others looked at each other in surprise, then cupped their hands in greeting.

"Brother, that's a good idea."

Zuo Lengchan nodded slightly, then waved to them, and the group respectfully took their leave.

After the others left, Zuo Lengchan closed his eyes again, sat cross-legged on the futon, his chest rising and falling with each breath, and a layer of coldness appeared on his face once more.

After leaving the lobby, the group chatted on their way out.

"Senior brother's martial arts skills have improved again."

One of the middle-aged men said.

"Yes."

The other person nodded and said, "Ever since Senior Brother mastered the Frost Qi, he has become increasingly unfathomable. Just now, we felt extremely cold inside the main hall as soon as we entered it."

A man dressed in blue robes laughed and said, "Our Songshan Sect is now at its zenith. Senior Brother Zuo is a man of great talent and ambition. Under his leadership, it won't be long before we can fulfill our wish of merging the Five Mountains Sword Sects."

"desire?"

Upon hearing this, someone chuckled and said, "Junior Brother Zhong Zhen, our Songshan Sect's current strength far surpasses that of the other four sects. Merging with them is only a matter of time and is not a grand ambition. Our goal is to eradicate the Demonic Sect and contend with Shaolin."

Zhong Zhen smiled and said, "Senior Brother Sun is right."

"Speaking of which..."

Another man, dressed in an earth-yellow robe like Zuo Lengchan, said, "The Huashan Sect is currently the weakest among the Five Mountains Sword Sects. Even if we wanted to annex them, the Huashan Sect wouldn't dare to say no. I don't know why Senior Brother Zuo would target the Huashan Sect ahead of time."

"hehe."

Zhong Zhen laughed and said, "Sixth Senior Brother, you don't know this, although the Huashan Sect is the weakest in strength now, Senior Brother Yue himself is very secretive. I heard that he mastered the Zixia Divine Skill a few years ago, but he never shows it off. I don't know how strong he is. I suppose that's why Senior Brother Zuo wants to subdue him, so he made his move ahead of time."

Sun Shen, the sixth of the Thirteen Protectors of Mount Song, nodded: "Perhaps."

He laughed again as he spoke: "However, annexing Huashan is not a good deal right now. Huashan Sect is so poor that even the sect leader has to rely on capturing thieves to exchange for bounties in order to make a living. Even if we annex Huashan Sect, we will probably have to pay out a lot of money. This is a really bad deal."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Upon hearing his words, the other thirteen bodyguards couldn't help but burst into laughter.

……

Time passed by, and by the time Yue Buqun, Jiang Ning, and their group returned to Mount Hua, it was already early July, not much different from the time it took them to go to Mount Heng.

The journey back to Mount Hua went smoothly without any unexpected incidents. The only unusual thing was that when Jiang Ning and Yue Buqun stopped to rest in a small town, Jiang Ning discovered that Lao Denuo had secretly slipped out of the inn once, but returned shortly afterward.

Jiang Ning took no further action, as if he hadn't noticed anything. Apart from that, he didn't discover anything else and continued on his journey back to Mount Hua.

During the time they were away from Mount Hua, nothing major happened on Mount Hua, and the situation was relatively stable. The disciples were also working hard to practice their skills.

After returning to Mount Hua and resting for two days, Yue Buqun summoned all the Mount Hua disciples to the training ground. He had something important to announce.

"What? Bandit suppression?"

When they heard what Yue Buqun was about to announce, everyone in the Huashan Sect except for Jiang Ning and Ning Zhongze looked incredulous.

"Ah."

Yue Buqun nodded and said, "Bandits are rampant in the four prefectures of Xi'an, Hanzhong, Fengxiang, and Pingliang. Some bandits have been entrenched in the mountains for a long time. They are kings of the mountains, harming the local people and robbing passing merchants and civilians. I have long wanted to eliminate them all, but firstly, their strongholds are hidden and difficult to find, and secondly, my Huashan has been in a recovery period for more than 20 years and has been closed for a long time, so it has been delayed until now."

Yue Buqun looked at the group of disciples, his tone slightly raised, but firm and powerful.