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

Page 359

The Huashan disciple then recounted what he had just told Linghu Chong.

Jiang Ning narrowed his eyes slightly upon hearing this.

Zhu Shou?

He does remember this person.

"Senior brother, I understand. Bring that person here."

Jiang Ning said.

"it is good."

The Huashan disciple turned and left.

Jiang Ning pondered for a while, and then the Huashan disciple arrived with another person.

The man had an ordinary appearance and dressed very plainly.

However, he always had a smile on his face.

"Junior brother, it's him."

The Huashan disciple pointed at the man and said.

Jiang Ning nodded: "Thank you, Senior Brother."

After the Huashan disciple left, the man bowed to Jiang Ning.

"This humble one, Zhu Qi, greets Young Master Jiang."

The movements were very respectful.

"Did Zhu Shou send you?"

Jiang Ning glanced at him, looking him up and down while asking him questions.

This person had a smile on his face, calluses on his hands, and a very stable lower body, indicating that he had some basic skills, but no internal strength.

"Yes, Young Master Jiang, our master has something to tell you."

Zhu Qi was very respectful, even bowing slightly as he spoke.

"What message did Brother Zhu ask you to deliver?"

Zhu Qi still bowed slightly.

"My master said that it has been almost a year since we last met in the capital. Some time ago, he learned from people who came to the capital that Young Master Jiang was in danger. He was quite worried and asked me to come to Mount Hua to inquire about Young Master Jiang. I also brought a letter with me."

After saying that, Zhu Qi took out a letter from his pocket and handed it over with both hands.

Jiang Ning accepted the letter expressionlessly.

To Brother Jiang

It has been several months since we parted ways last year...

The beginning is just some rambling and not very important; the real content comes at the end.

"I never imagined that Brother Jiang was the renowned King Ning of Hell in the martial world, and also a great hero of Guanzhong appointed by the imperial court. When I first met Brother Jiang, I thought he was a disciple of some wealthy family, which only made me laugh."

Jiang Ning showed no expression upon seeing this.

"I'm sure Brother Jiang is curious about how I know your true identity. I'm very curious about you, Brother Jiang, and also about the martial arts world. So I would like to invite you to the capital for a chat, where many questions will be answered."

I'd also like to learn about the "Fish Theory" that Brother Jiang mentioned; perhaps we're kindred spirits.

Looking forward to seeing Brother Jiang again.

The signature is Zhu Shou.

Jiang Ning calmly finished reading the letter, then looked at Zhu Qi. "What else did Brother Zhu say?"

Zhu Qi hurriedly said, "My master instructed me to tell Young Master Jiang that he is very interested in what Young Master Jiang said and wants to discuss this issue with Young Master Jiang again. Please make sure Young Master Jiang comes."

Jiang Ning looked at him and said, "I don't plan to go down the mountain for the time being."

Zhu Qi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Master also instructed that Young Master Jiang can go to the capital at any time."

Jiang Ning nodded and asked, "How will I find your master once I get to the capital?"

Zhu Qi smiled and said, "My master said that when Young Master Jiang arrives in the capital, he can simply seek out your old acquaintance, Minister Chen. Minister Chen will know what to do."

Jiang Ning narrowed his eyes upon hearing this, then nodded.

"I see."

Zhu Qi finally stood up, a smile on his face.

"Young Master Jiang, I have delivered my message and am now taking my leave."

Jiang Ning nodded. "Take care."

Zhu Qi left.

Jiang Ning, however, was still thinking about Zhu Shou.

After a while.

Jiang Ning turned and went back into the house.

The next day.

"I heard that someone came yesterday, claiming to be a servant of an old friend of yours in the capital?"

Yue Buqun brought up this matter.

He is the head of the Huashan Sect, and he only needs to ask about what happens on Huashan.

"Yes."

Jiang Ning nodded and then told him about it.

Yue Buqun frowned slightly, and after listening, he said, "According to what you said, this Zhu Shou is probably not a simple person. You need to be careful."

Yue Buqun's words had another meaning. He was not worried that Jiang Ning would be in danger. If Jiang Ning were in danger, it would be someone else.

Yue Buqun wanted to remind Jiang Ning not to get too close to Zhu Shou.

Although he didn't know Zhu Shou's identity, since the other party could find this place and instruct a vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, his identity must be very noble, and he was probably a member of the royal family.

But it was precisely this point that he wanted to warn Jiang Ning about.

The martial arts world has always been at odds with the imperial court. People in the martial arts world deeply resent the imperial court, and the imperial court also dislikes these martial arts people who possess strong personal martial arts skills.

Previously, Jiang Ning was fine as the Guanzhong Hero who received the imperial reward, since it was just a title without any official position or salary. However, if the people of the martial arts world knew that Jiang Ning was close to the people of the imperial court, it would not be so simple. Even his Huashan Sect would probably be looked at differently.

Jiang Ning nodded.

"Master, don't worry."

Yue Buqun didn't say anything more; he knew Jiang Ning knew what he was doing.

Another month passed.

"Master, I would like to go down the mountain."

Jiang Ning found Yue Buqun.

This time, Yue Buqun did not refuse.

"Alright, I'll let Chong'er come with you."

Chapter 481: Descending the Mountain

Yue Buqun did not stop Jiang Ning from going down the mountain.

"When are you going to leave?"

Jiang Ning laughed and said, "There's no time like the present, let's do it today."

Yue Buqun shook his head: "It's too hasty. Let's do it tomorrow. We should have a proper meal before we leave, right? Besides, we need to prepare the horses in advance."

Jiang Ning nodded.

"Yes, Master."

"Ning'er, Chong'er, you will be going down the mountain tomorrow. I won't say much more. Just be careful."

At the dinner table, Yue Buqun said.

"Master, rest assured, your disciple will definitely be safe and sound with Junior Brother Jiang Ning. If we really encounter any danger, your disciple will risk his life to bring Junior Brother Jiang Ning back."

Linghu Chong quickly assured him.

Why risk your life?

Yue Buqun glared at him.

"Whichever one of you is the other, you are both my disciples. You must both return safely."

"Yes, Master!"

Linghu Chong chuckled, feeling a warm feeling in his heart.

This was the first time he had ever heard Yue Buqun show him such concern.

"Ning'er."

Yue Buqun looked at Jiang Ning. “You must be extra careful on your trip to Fujian. Rumors are circulating that you have the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual. Although you are highly skilled in martial arts and can intimidate some people, there are bound to be those who are not afraid of death. Normal methods are fine, but I’m afraid they might use underhanded tricks or poison.”

Jiang Ning's martial arts skills are not yet invincible. Even if they were, if he were to fall into someone's trap or be poisoned, he would be powerless to help from Mount Hua, and both Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong's lives would be in danger.

"Master, rest assured, your disciple will be more careful."

Jiang Ning nodded.

Yue Buqun hummed in agreement before getting down to business: "Actually, it would be good for you to go to Fujian. After returning from Emei, I also wanted to visit the Shaolin Temple in Putian. However, I am preoccupied with trivial matters at Huashan and have to handle many matters, big and small. It would be good for you to go in my place. I will first write a letter to the Shaolin Temple in Putian to express my intention to visit."

Communication between large forces like this needs to be discussed in advance, otherwise it will be seen as disrespectful and impolite, especially for a large force like Shaolin Temple.

Moreover, the Huashan Sect and Putian Shaolin Temple used to be on good terms, but after the split between Yue and Cai, their relationship soured and they haven't had any contact for many years. If they suddenly want to visit, they're afraid they'll be politely refused if they don't write a letter in advance.

Yue Buqun's actions were also intended to mislead his opponents.

After all, the Huashan Sect had not had any dealings with the Putian Shaolin Temple for decades. If they suddenly went to visit now, it would inevitably be noticed by the other party as something was amiss.

Yue Buqun had already thought of a reason for the visit: he would say that the Huashan Sect and the Southern Shaolin Temple had a long-standing friendship, but Huashan had declined and lost contact. Now, Yue Buqun was sending someone to visit, firstly to re-establish contact between the two sides, and secondly to discuss martial arts.

"Yes, Master."

Jiang Ning nodded.

"Going to Fujian?"

Linghu Chong seemed to be deep in thought upon hearing this, and looked up at Yue Buqun.

“Master, I remember that Junior Brother Lin’s hometown is in Fujian. Should we invite Junior Brother Lin to come with us this time when we go down the mountain?”

Yue Buqun shook his head.

"No need, just you and Ning'er are fine together."

Linghu Chong nodded and said nothing more.

Yue Buqun looked at Jiang Ning.

"Safe travels."

Although Putian Shaolin Temple is not the same as Songshan Shaolin Temple and is not well-known in the martial arts world, it cannot be ignored.

Southern Fist and Northern Leg, Northern Shaolin is now the leader of the righteous path, but Southern Shaolin is by no means unknown. It's just that Southern Shaolin is very low-key and rarely appears in the world, but that doesn't mean it's weak. The fact that it produced such powerful figures as Zen Master Hongye and Lin Yuantu back then already shows the strength of Southern Shaolin.

In fact, Yue Buqun planned to go by himself, but he was indeed very busy. Some time ago, he had already distributed the Zixia Divine Skill, and now many disciples had reached the required level of internal strength to practice it. He had to stay on Mount Hua to keep an eye on them and prevent them from going astray due to improper practice.

After all, he was the only one in the Huashan Sect who had mastered the Zixia Divine Skill, and there was no one else who could teach him.

"Master, rest assured, your disciple will be more careful."

Jiang Ning understood Yue Buqun's meaning and nodded.

Yue Buqun glanced at Linghu Chong and then gave Jiang Ning some instructions.

“Your eldest brother loves to drink. Now that he’s gone down the mountain without my supervision, he’ll probably get drunk all the time. You need to keep an eye on him, control his alcohol intake, and not let him drink to the point of unconsciousness.”