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

Page 37

Upon hearing this, Yue Buqun reached out and grabbed Jiang Ning's wrist, beginning to inquire about Jiang Ning's condition.

After a while.

A look of surprise flashed in Yue Buqun's eyes as he looked at Jiang Ning and asked, "You've gained unauthorized access?"

Entering the inner sanctum is the third stage of the Innate Skill. Reaching this stage means entering the ranks of first-class masters.

Jiang Ning nodded and said, "I made a breakthrough a month ago by chance."

In the past year, besides traveling around and experiencing many things, killing many people, his state of mind has been constantly changing. He has also been constantly cultivating. After leaving Xiangyang Prefecture in May, he had already completed the refinement of his internal energy in July and entered the second stage with some success, a month faster than he expected. After another half year, his strength continued to increase, reaching the top level of the second tier, but he was still unable to break through the bottleneck and enter the third stage.

Jiang Ning originally thought that if he really wanted to break through the bottleneck, it would take him about two or three years. However, a month ago, he suddenly entered a mysterious state while practicing his skills. His mind was clear, and at that time, he naturally entered the third stage of the Innate Skill and became a first-class master.

The feeling was very mysterious, exactly the same as the feeling Jiang Ning had when he was in Xiangyang Prefecture; it was the state of mind that Taoists talked about.

Jiang Ning had experienced so much along the way, and his thoughts and insights had been constantly accumulating and changing. All of this accumulation exploded on that night, helping Jiang Ning enter the next level in one fell swoop.

If Jiang Ning hadn't been traveling during this time, and had instead been diligently training on Mount Hua, it's unknown how long it would have taken him to break through to a higher realm.

Yue Buqun looked astonished: "Is cultivating the Innate Skill with a pure Yang body really that miraculous?"

It's no wonder Yue Buqun was surprised. He himself was also practicing the Innate Skill, but his progress was slow, barely better than a tortoise crawling. After nearly a year of cultivation, he had only just entered the third stage, almost on par with Jiang Ning.

But he is different from Jiang Ning. Although he is not a pure yang body, he has practiced martial arts for decades and has profound internal strength. It is with this support that he has made such progress.

How old is Jiangning now?

Not even seventeen.

He started practicing martial arts at the age of seven, and in less than ten years, he reached the level of a first-class master.

What does it mean to be a top-tier expert who is not even seventeen years old?

Looking at all the second-generation disciples of the Five Mountains Sword Sect, no one can reach that level. Jiang Ning is currently the number one second-generation disciple of the Five Mountains Sword Sect.

At this age, with this talent, and with this strength, it's nothing short of terrifying.

Jiang Ning is not yet eighteen years old, his peak period has not yet arrived, and he still has a lot of room for growth.

If given more time to grow, how far will he go?

Yue Buqun began to get excited, his hand holding Jiang Ning trembling slightly.

He looked at Jiang Ning and seemed to see a future where the Huashan Sect would rise to the top of the righteous path.

Chapter 61: I Can't Stand It Anymore

Yue Buqun really wanted to burst out laughing.

My disciple Jiang Ning has the potential to become the leader of the righteous path!

Seeing Yue Buqun's excited appearance, Jiang Ning understood his feelings.

The Huashan Sect now has few disciples and insufficient high-level combat power. There are only about forty disciples in the sect, and only Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze are the two masters in the sect.

In contrast, the Songshan Sect, also one of the Five Sacred Mountains Sword Sects, has Zuo Lengchan as an example. He has the Thirteen Protectors of Songshan under his command, including Ding Mian, Lu Bai, and Fei Bin, all of whom are top-notch masters.

These are just the experts openly known in the Songshan Sect. There are countless hidden experts among their subordinates and collateral branches, making them many times stronger than the few insignificant members of the Huashan Sect.

Now, Jiang Ning has not only found the lost sword technique for the Huashan Sect, but also found the Innate Skill for Yue Buqun. Moreover, he himself has entered the realm of a first-class master at a young age. The impact Jiang Ning has brought to Yue Buqun is even more exaggerated than injecting a stimulant into Yue Buqun's major artery.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Yue Buqun gripped Jiang Ning's wrist tightly, his expression excited, repeatedly uttering that word.

After Yue Buqun calmed down, Jiang Ning asked, "Master, why haven't I seen Master's wife?"

Yue Buqun released Jiang Ning's wrist and laughed, "Your master's wife is cooking in the kitchen with Qiaojun and the others."

Jiang Ning nodded, then asked with a hint of curiosity, "When I came back just now, I heard from the other senior brothers that our eldest senior brother was punished to face the wall at the Cliff of Repentance again. I wonder what our eldest senior brother did this time to displease Master?"

Yue Buqun, who had just been smiling, suddenly turned serious.

“Since you left, he has become lax in his training and started drinking heavily again. I have warned him many times, but it has been no use.”

Linghu Chong needs someone to keep him in check and prevent him from slacking off. It's hard for him to be self-disciplined on his own. Jiang Ning played that role before.

But Jiang Ning was gone for such a long time. Without the pressure from Jiang Ning, Linghu Chong was able to practice diligently at first, but as time went on, his true nature was exposed again. He often got drunk and did not practice as diligently as before, making very little progress.

Yue Buqun told him many times, but Linghu Chong only persisted for a few days and then went back to his old ways. No matter what he said, it had no effect.

Ning Zhongze was a doting mother and spoiled him. Yue Buqun was busy practicing his Innate Skill and didn't have much time to manage him. After Linghu Chong repeatedly ignored her, Yue Buqun finally got angry and punished Linghu Chong by sending him to the Cliff of Contemplation to face the wall.

When Linghu Chong was mentioned, Yue Buqun sighed repeatedly.

Jiang Ning smiled and said, "Senior Brother is free-spirited and exceptionally talented. Blindly practicing might not be suitable for him. Everyone has their own opportunities. Perhaps in the end, Senior Brother will lead our Huashan Sect to become famous throughout the martial arts world."

Yue Buqun shook his head and said, "I just hope he doesn't tarnish the reputation of my Huashan Sect and doesn't make any shady friends."

"Stop talking about this."

Yue Buqun changed the subject and asked, "Where have you been traveling this past year?"

Jiang Ning said, "The North."

north?

Yue Buqun raised an eyebrow; he remembered that the north had suffered a drought last year.

"How is the disaster situation in the north?"

Upon hearing Yue Buqun's words, Jiang Ning couldn't help but shake his head: "The affected areas are mainly located in Shanxi. Huaiqing Prefecture and Luoyang are in better condition and have been less affected."

After leaving Xiangyang, Jiang Ning traveled around incognito. His first stop in the north was Luoyang, which was affected by a drought, but the impact was not significant, and prices of goods and grain remained relatively stable. Later, when Jiang Ning arrived in Huaiqing Prefecture, the drought there was more severe, and prices were high. In Shaanxi, one tael of silver could buy two shi of rice, but there it cost one tael and six mace to buy two shi of rice.

That's not all. Prices were even worse in the places we went to after Jiangning. In Zhangde Prefecture, it cost two taels of silver to buy a shi (a unit of dry measure) of rice.

If prices in these places are still relatively high but within a controllable range, then prices in Shanxi have already collapsed and are out of control.

Grain prices in Taiyuan and Pingyang skyrocketed, reaching five taels of silver per shi (a unit of dry measure) of rice, and were rising at an alarming rate every day. By the time Jiangning arrived, the price had risen to eight taels and six mace per shi of rice, making it unaffordable for ordinary people.

"so serious?"

Yue Buqun was speechless with astonishment.

Shaanxi is also located in the northern region and is connected to Shanxi. Yan'an Prefecture was also affected, with prices being relatively high, but not as outrageous as those in Taiyuan and Pingyang Prefecture.

Jiang Ning shook his head and said, "Shanxi is the hardest-hit area in this drought. In addition to the price increase due to the natural disaster, some rice and grain shops there are also hoarding food and driving up prices."

There are always people who profit from national crises in every era. They put their own interests first and don't care about national turmoil or the widespread displacement of people. They only care about whether food prices have risen and whether their own wallets have grown.

Jiang Ning traveled, observed, and killed his way through the area.

Jiang Ning's journey was filled with shocking sights and sounds. He had seen too many people selling their children just to survive, and he had also seen people who made a fortune from the disaster and were singing and dancing with joy.

Among the northern regions, Taiyuan and Pingyang Prefecture suffered the most severe disasters and also experienced the most severe price increases. Jiang Ning spent a considerable amount of time in these two places.

What impressed Jiang Ning the most was a street in Pingyang Prefecture, a street known as Yin-Yang Road.

That street was where the mansions of high-ranking officials and nobles were located. Some starving people, unable to bear the hunger any longer, would wander outside those mansions, hoping that the tightly closed red gates would one day throw out some leftover food that the nobles didn't want.

But Jiang Ning saw that the nobles behind those grand mansions would rather dump the leftover food in their backyards than give it away, especially in those mansions where prices were inflated, the aroma of meat wafting from the backyards assaulted Jiang Ning's nose.

Inside the mansion, people were talking loudly about how much the price should be raised next and how much money they could make after the price increase. A child nearby spat out a piece of meat he had just eaten, just to play with it. Outside the mansion, there were starving people everywhere.

Upon witnessing this scene, Jiang Ning took a deep breath and then unleashed a massacre.

Those officials and merchants who deliberately inflated prices and disregarded the lives of ordinary people were wiped out one by one by Jiang Ning, including their families. From seventy-year-old women to three-year-old children, they were all wiped out by Jiang Ning, leaving no one alive.

Yue Buqun hesitated several times before finally saying, "Ning'er, aren't you being too extreme? Those merchants who deliberately inflate prices can be killed, but why be so ruthless as to not even spare their wives and children? The harm should not extend to their wives and children."

Yue Buqun hoped that his disciples would be self-disciplined and uphold the righteous path, but not like Jiang Ning, who was too righteous, too extreme, righteous to the point of being evil, and righteous to the point of being frightening.

Jiang Ning looked at Yue Buqun and said, "Master, the premise of 'the calamity should not extend to wives and children' is that the benefits should not extend to wives and children. They inflated prices, hoarded rice and grain, and made a fortune. They profited from the blood and tears of the people, drank their blood, and ate their flesh. Those who were harmed by them starved to death, fled famine, or sold their children, did they have wives and children? Did they show any mercy?"

Jiang Ning understands that some people want to make money, as long as it's normal and reasonable. Even if they deliberately raise prices, as long as it's not too excessive, Jiang Ning won't intervene. In Luoyang, Huaiqing, and Zhangde Prefecture, although prices were high, the people could at least survive, so Jiang Ning didn't intervene. But the dire situation in Pingyang Prefecture and Taiyuan Prefecture made Jiang Ning unable to hold back any longer.

These guys are evil spirits in human skin. They have no bottom line, are inhumanly greedy, and are driving the people to their deaths. Jiangning wants to stop evil by killing.

Jiang Ning turned to look into the distance, his face calm: "I could tolerate them selling rice for one tael and six mace per shi, two taels of silver per shi, and even five taels of silver per shi, but I can't tolerate them selling it for eight taels and six mace per shi."

Jiang Ning spoke faster and faster, his face contorted with rage and fury. With each word he uttered, his ferocity and anger intensified, and his obsidian-like eyes grew icy cold.

"If they don't want the people to live, then they shouldn't live either."

Jiang Ning turned around, his obsidian-like eyes looking intently at Yue Buqun, and said, word by word:

“Whoever prevents the people from living, I will not let them live; whoever causes the people's families to be torn apart and their lives to be lost, I will make sure that their families are also torn apart and their lives are lost.”

Chapter 62: I Don't Want to Kill

“I don’t want to kill people, I want them to live, but they don’t want to, because they don’t want to live.”

Jiang Ning didn't just kill indiscriminately; he also gave them opportunities.

When Jiang Ning massacred the first house, he left a sign that said those who hoarded prices would die. However, this did not deter others. Prices in Taiyuan and Pingyang continued to rise. In the end, Jiang Ning massacred eighteen houses in succession. Only after some Jianghu figures who could not bear to see the miserable state of Taiyuan and Pingyang intervened and killed them out of their fear did they stop.

Jiang Ning saw many disciples of the Five Sacred Mountains Sword Sects in these places, including those from the Hengshan Sect, the Hengshan Sect, and the Taishan Sect.

These disciples of the Five Mountains Sword Sect also took action after witnessing the devastation in Shanxi, though they were not as ruthless as Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning did not make acquaintance with these people when he met them. He concealed his name and identity while doing these things. He left after the prices in Taiyuan and Pingyang finally came down.

"..."

Hearing Jiang Ning's words, Yue Buqun hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Given Yue Buqun's personality, if any Huashan disciple dared to argue with him like this, he would definitely be furious. If the person arguing with him was Linghu Chong, Yue Buqun would be even angrier and might even take action to severely punish Linghu Chong.

But this person was uniquely from Jiangning.

Unlike the other disciples, Jiang Ning was Yue Buqun's most outstanding and sensible disciple, and his feelings were extraordinary. Moreover, in his opinion, those people truly deserved to die. However, the difference between him and Jiang Ning was that Jiang Ning was too ruthless. This did not mean that he sympathized with those people, but rather that he was somewhat worried that Jiang Ning's extreme actions might lead him to despair and go astray if he found the world to be so dark that there was not a glimmer of light.

Extreme justice, if subjected to drastic changes, will go down the completely opposite path.

Jiang Ning lowered his head and said, "This disciple has been rude."

Yue Buqun chuckled, waved his hand, and said, "It's alright. Even fathers and sons have disagreements, let alone your master. I think you did the right thing. I'm just worried about you."

Yue Buqun then skipped over the matter and didn't mention it again. Instead, he said to Jiang Ning with a serious expression, "When you saw the lost sword technique of my Huashan Sect at the Cliff of Contemplation last time, you also saw the broken moves patterns left by those corpses, right?"

Jiang Ning nodded.

Yue Buqun frowned and said, "Those broken moves are real. The swordsmanship of my Five Mountains Sword Sect was broken by the corpses trapped in the stone cave."

Just as Jiang Ning predicted, Yue Buqun has discovered that those counter-strategies are indeed true.

"Those moves may not seem particularly special at first glance, but after careful observation, I discovered that they can indeed break the sword techniques of the Five Mountains Sword Sect. My Huashan Sect's sword techniques were completely broken by that person named Zhang Chengfeng."

When Yue Buqun discovered this, his feelings were beyond shock; they were downright horrified.

"I have destroyed all the sword technique patterns on the walls of the cave in the Cliff of Contemplation."

Yue Buqun said softly at this moment.

Jiang Ning looked at him in surprise upon hearing this.

Yue Buqun looked into the distance, a strange look in his eyes: "Those techniques must not be passed on."

He knew that if those broken techniques from the Cliff of Contemplation were discovered and taken out by others, it would be a severe blow not only to the Huashan Sect but also to the entire Five Mountains Sword Sect.

Jiang Ning naturally understood this as well, and thus comprehended Yue Buqun's motives. The stone cave was located deep within Jade Maiden Peak, and it was unrealistic to have someone guard it and prevent others from entering. The best solution was what Yue Buqun had done.

"However, I have already engraved those sword techniques and counter-attacks. Only your master, your master's wife, and you know about this. Chong'er doesn't know either."

Yue Buqun turned to look at Jiang Ning: "In the past few days, your master and I have carefully studied the Huashan sword technique and Zhang Chengfeng's counter-move, and then improved and optimized our Huashan sword technique. Although we still cannot completely get rid of the restraint of those counter-moves, it is not so easy to be broken."

Sword techniques are not static; they are constantly being improved upon by generation after generation. In game terms, Yue Buqun's approach is to update the game and fix the bugs. Although there are still some bugs, they are harder to detect than in previous versions.

Moreover, the techniques for breaking the Five Mountains Sword Sect's moves on the stone wall are only for dismantling each move individually. If they are not so rigid that every sword strike must be executed according to the teachings, the relationship of restraint is not actually that inflexible.

"correct."

Yue Buqun looked at Jiang Ning and asked, "Are you already learning the sword techniques inscribed on that stone wall?"

Jiang Ning shook his head: "I only learned the Phoenix Comes to Court."

After acquiring the Innate Skill, he spent most of his time practicing martial arts, leaving less time for swordsmanship. Learning is about quality, not quantity. Jiang Ning devoted all his time outside of practicing the Innate Skill to the Phoenix's Arrival Swordplay. He hasn't learned other sword techniques yet, but he sometimes studies them.

"That's good."