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

Page 334

Chapter 444: Departure for Jiading (Bonus Chapter 8, 8/26)

"This humble woman thanks my benefactor on behalf of my son, Liu Lie."

The woman repeatedly kowtowed to Jiang Ning to express her gratitude, and then said to the child, "My son, quickly kneel down and thank your master."

The child, Liu Lie, remained standing there blankly. The woman pulled Liu Lie down to kneel and kowtow three times to Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning did not stop him; this was something Liu Lie deserved to kowtow to.

After Liu's mother finished kowtowing to Liu Lie, Jiang Ning said, "Get up."

After Liu's mother helped her son up, Jiang Ning said to Liu Lie, "Now that you have become my disciple, I will tell you where your master is."

"My name is Jiang Ning, Jiang as in river and Ning as in peace. I am a disciple of the Huashan Sect in Shaanxi. Your grandmaster is Yue Buqun, the current head of the Huashan Sect. After you return to Huashan with me, you will need your grandmaster's permission to join my Huashan Sect."

Liu Lie, a two-year-old child, naturally couldn't understand what Jiang Ning was saying; he was speaking to his mother.

Hearing Jiang Ning's words, a pang of sadness flashed through Liu's mother's heart.

Shaanxi...

She wasn't familiar with the geography, but she could sense that Shaanxi sounded very far away from her, which in those days often meant that she and her son would never have the chance to see each other again.

However, Liu's mother became nervous again after hearing what Jiang Ning said next.

She could tell that Jiang Ning was no ordinary person, so the Huashan Sect must be an extremely powerful force, beyond her imagination. And as the leader of the sect, Yue Buqun was unlikely to agree to her son, a country bumpkin, joining the Huashan Sect.

Jiang Ning could tell what she was thinking just by looking at her expression, and then said, "You don't need to worry. My master is a gentleman and he won't refuse Liu Liehua a visit to the mountain."

Jiang Ning knew his place in Yue Buqun's heart. As long as he didn't ask for the sun, moon, and stars in the sky, Yue Buqun would agree to whatever he asked for. If only one of them could live, Yue Buqun would definitely choose to die so that Jiang Ning could live.

This is Jiang Ning's status in Yue Buqun's eyes. Let alone just taking on a small disciple, if Yue Buqun knew that Liu's mother had saved Jiang Ning's life, he would probably want to worship her.

Hearing Jiang Ning's words, Liu's mother finally felt relieved.

But what followed was sadness.

Well, at least Lie'er can survive and grow up safely with her benefactor, and perhaps in the future she can become a chivalrous person like her benefactor.

Liu's mother thought to herself.

Just as she was grieving alone, Jiang Ning suddenly asked, "What are your plans after your son returns to Mount Hua with me?"

"I?"

Liu's mother was taken aback, then looked bewildered.

Liu Lie is her only concern now. With Liu Lie gone, she really doesn't know what to do next.

Seeing her like this, Jiang Ning said, "Why don't you come with me to Shaanxi? Liu Lie is still young, and even if he comes to Mount Hua with me, he will need someone to take care of him. You are his birth mother, so it would be best if you could take care of him personally."

Liu's mother was delighted.

"My benefactor, may I go to Shaanxi to be with my son?"

Jiang Ning nodded.

Liu's mother was overjoyed. She had thought that Jiang Ning's agreement to take her son as his apprentice was already a way of repaying her life-saving grace, and she couldn't ask for anything more, lest it seem like she was taking advantage of the situation. But Jiang Ning's words made her feel no sadness at all, and she was about to kneel down to thank Jiang Ning, but Jiang Ning stopped her.

"No need for thanks, please rise."

After the woman got up, Jiang Ning asked, "Is there anything in your house that needs tidying up? If so, you can postpone your departure by two days."

Mother Liu quickly shook her head: "No, no, I only have some clothes, and I can leave today."

Jiang Ning nodded.

"Alright, go pack now, we'll be leaving shortly."

It's already October, and he can't delay any longer.

December is the inauguration ceremony for Abbess Qingzhu, the head of the Emei Sect. She is currently in Shandong, which is quite a distance from Sichuan. If she doesn't set off now, she will miss the ceremony.

Upon hearing Jiang Ning's words, Liu's mother nodded quickly, then went inside to pack. Not long after, she came out with a package.

This was all her possessions.

"Gone."

Jiang Ning asked.

Liu's mother shook her head.

"Gone."

All that's left is this room; there's nothing else worth taking.

Jiang Ning nodded, and then left the village with Liu's mother.

Their departure went unnoticed by the villagers, who only discovered the house was empty a few days later.

……

"I'm going to Mount Emei in Sichuan next. My master and his family are in Sichuan. When we get to Shaanxi, I'll take you and Liu Lie back to Mount Hua first and settle you in a village at the foot of Mount Hua. We'll talk about Liu Lie after I return from Sichuan with my master."

Jiang Ning took the mother and son to the nearest place where gold and silver were buried and retrieved some gold and silver. Then they went to the nearest town and hired a horse-drawn carriage to continue their journey.

Jiang Ning is now telling Liu's mother about his arrangements.

Mother Liu nodded: "I will follow my benefactor's arrangements."

After making arrangements for Liu Lie and his mother, Jiang Ning went to the driver's seat and drove the car himself.

Since Liu's mother was a woman, it was inappropriate for him, a man, to share a carriage with her. So, he addressed her as his brother and sister throughout the journey.

Da da da.

The carriage sped along the road, and Jiang Ning drove while lost in thought.

He originally intended to eliminate the forces that besieged Mount Hua last year during this trip, but he was unexpectedly ambushed, which delayed him for several months. He had to change his plans and go to Mount Emei in Sichuan to see Yue Buqun first, lest Yue Buqun think that something had happened to him.

After the Emei Sect's leadership ceremony is over, Jiang Ning will have to come out again to finish what he didn't get to do this time.

The distance from Shandong to Sichuan is very far, and we had to stop in Shaanxi along the way. Jiangning only had two months, so time was very tight. We didn't waste any time and rushed along the way with almost no stops. Finally, we arrived in Shaanxi in November.

Huashan.

After several months, Jiang Ning has finally returned to Mount Hua.

"I'll take you to Huaming Village to settle down first."

Upon arriving in Jiangning, he spoke to Liu's mother.

Huaming Village was built by the prostitutes and poor people he rescued in Xiangyang. Even the Wang Yuan family, whom he initially rescued, moved to Huaming Village.

Liu's mother naturally had no objection to this. Jiang Ning quickly settled her in and then set off for Sichuan without returning to Huashan.

The Huashan Sect is currently just a bunch of kids, and Cheng Buyou is recovering from his injuries. Yue Buqun and the others have probably already set off for Sichuan. There's no point in him going back to Huashan now; the most urgent thing is to go to Emei Mountain first.

Jiang Ning rushed as fast as he could and finally arrived in Jiading Prefecture, where Mount Emei is located.

It's late November now, and we're very close to Mount Emei. Jiang Ning finally has time to stop and rest. He also needs to wash away the dust from the journey so as not to be impolite when he meets Yue Buqun and the elders of various sects at Mount Emei.

However, when Jiang Ning entered the city intending to eat first and then stay at an inn, he overheard the conversation of other martial arts practitioners.

"Rumors have spread throughout the martial arts world that Ren Woxing of the Sun Moon Sect sent people to hunt down Ning Yanwang a few months ago. Now, Ning Yanwang's fate is unknown, and there is no trace of him. We don't even know if he is dead or alive."

A group of martial arts practitioners were eating and chatting.

Jiang Ning hadn't expected that this group of people would be discussing him.

"I think it's true. Haven't you noticed that there's no news about King Ning of Hell in the martial arts world anymore?"

One person shook his head and clicked his tongue.

"These past few months have been truly exciting in the martial world. I heard that when Headmaster Yue of the Huashan Sect learned that Ning Yanwang was being hunted down and his fate was unknown, he went completely mad. In the past few months, Headmaster Yue has been searching everywhere for the whereabouts of Ren Woxing and the others, causing rivers of blood to flow in the martial world!"

Chapter 445: Interesting

what?

Jiang Ning, who was eavesdropping nearby, was taken aback.

The people at that table were still discussing.

"That's right. I heard that Sect Leader Yue has gone mad and killed people everywhere. This period has been a disaster for those evil sects and underworld organizations."

One person sighed.

At this moment, someone laughed and said, "In the past, everyone was puzzled as to why Master Yue, who was known as the Gentleman Sword, could teach a ruthless killer like Ning Yanwang. Now it seems that Ning Yanwang has truly inherited his master's teachings."

His words made everyone laugh.

After a while, another person shook his head, drank a glass of wine, and said, "Who says otherwise! Just thinking about the fate of the three major underworld families a few months ago is still vivid in my mind. Hundred Flowers Valley, Flying Knife Sect and Heavenly Crippled Sect were slaughtered by Sect Leader Yue without leaving a single one alive just because they offered a bounty on Ning Yanwang. Now the Sun Moon Sect is directly hunting down Ning Yanwang. Sect Leader Yue will definitely fight the Sun Moon Sect to the death."

At this moment, one of the people at the table looked at his companions and said, "Speaking of which, Yue Buqun really valued Ning Yanwang. I never expected that his death would be such a big blow to Yue Buqun."

"Aren't you talking nonsense?"

His companion immediately said, "Don't you even know who Ning Yanwang is? He's already the third strongest in the righteous path at such a young age. He must have received all of Sect Leader Yue's hard work. In my opinion, Sect Leader Yue was grooming Ning Yanwang to be the next sect leader, but now..."

The man clapped his hands.

"Oh dear, a well-trained successor is gone just like that. Anyone would go crazy in that situation?"

"Hey."

One person shook his head and sighed, "Sect Leader Yue has no successor..."

Before the first person could finish speaking, another retorted, "Who said there's no successor? Doesn't Yue Buqun have a senior disciple named Linghu Chong? Linghu Chong is no ordinary person either; he's exceptionally talented and is already a first-rate master. In my opinion, Linghu Chong is quite good, and he's also the senior disciple of the Huashan Sect, so it's only right that he takes over the Huashan Sect."

"But compared to King Yama Ning..."

The others shook their heads.

At this moment, someone said, "The Five Mountains Sword Sect and the Sun Moon Sect have always been enemies, but for many years they have not easily started a conflict. In the past, the martial arts world has been able to maintain a balance. I'm afraid that after this incident, the righteous and the evil paths will start a great war, and the martial arts world will not be peaceful in the future."

"how do I say this?"

A companion asked.

The man swirled his wine glass, a knowing look on his face, and chuckled, “Ning Yanwang died at the hands of the Sun Moon Sect. Given Yue Buqun’s high regard for Ning Yanwang, he will surely fight the Sun Moon Sect to the death. Although the Five Mountains Sword Sects have now disintegrated, the Hengshan and Taishan sects still maintain their friendship with the Huashan sect. In addition, they are already enemies of the Sun Moon Sect. If the Huashan sect wants to go to war with the Sun Moon Sect, they will not stand idly by. And at the Songshan Conference in June, the Emei sect clearly stated that it would stand with the Huashan sect and would also inevitably go to war with the Sun Moon Sect.”

He looked at his companions and said, "Think about it, so many righteous sects have already started fighting the Sun Moon Sect. Do you think Shaolin, Wudang, and Kunlun will stand idly by? At that time, the righteous and the demonic paths will inevitably go to war. And according to my deduction, this will not be long. Maybe the war will start next year!"

The man spoke with such conviction, as if it were the absolute truth.

At this moment, someone stepped forward and asked, "Brother, how do you know?"

The person followed the sound and found a young man dressed in unusual clothes. He must have overheard their conversation and was curious, so he went forward to discuss it.

However, he did not answer. Instead, he looked the young man up and down and asked, "Who are you? Why are you eavesdropping on our conversation?"

The others also looked at him with hostility.

The young man didn't explain, but looked up and called out to the waiter.

"I'll pay for this meal for these gentlemen."

After saying this, the young man looked at him and explained with a smile: "I am new to the martial world and have not been in it for long. It is inevitable that I am concerned about the major events in the martial world. When I heard you brothers talking about the great war that will break out in the martial world in the future, I couldn't help but feel uneasy, fearing that I would be implicated. So I listened to a lot and made many plans. I hope you brothers will not take offense."

Hearing the young man's words, the expressions of the group softened, and the man smiled and said, "I see."

The group offered their seats to the young man, who then sat down.

After they sat down, the man who had spoken earlier said, "Young man, you don't look very old, and you're dressed quite well. Where are you from? Why are you traveling the world alone? Aren't your family worried about you?"

The young man laughed and said, "I am Ning Jiang, from Shaanxi. I haven't been in the martial arts world for long. My family wants me to go out and see more of the world, so I have nothing to worry about."

"That's it."

The man nodded and didn't ask any further questions. Instead, he continued, "Since you're new to the martial world, you must not know some things. So, I'll explain them to you so you can be prepared. It won't be in vain that you treated us brothers to this."

The young man laughed, cupped his hands in thanks, and said, "Thank you, brother."

The man nodded in satisfaction and said, "It's simple why I predict that a war between good and evil will break out next year. Although the Sun Moon Sect is powerful now, it has been divided into two factions: one is the Sun Moon Sect led by Dongfang Bubai, who is currently the number one in the world, and the other is the Sun Moon Sect led by Ren Woxing, the former leader of the Sun Moon Sect."

"Now that the Sun Moon Sect has split, the two sides are at odds and its power is not what it used to be. If the righteous path wants to eliminate the Sun Moon Sect, now is the best time. If my judgment is correct, the righteous path should deal with Ren Woxing's Sun Moon Sect first, and then deal with Dongfang Bubai's Sun Moon Sect."

After explaining his analysis, the man looked at the young man and said, "Young brother, since you treated us to this meal, I'll give you another piece of advice. I see you're still young and don't know how dangerous the world is. Don't be fooled by how exciting the storytellers describe it; it's full of dangers. I think you should go home as soon as possible to avoid getting into trouble and wasting your bright future."