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

Jiang Ning followed the mountain path uphill, and when he reached the woods halfway up the mountain, he suddenly noticed something. Looking up, he saw a figure on the mountain heading downhill.

The newcomer wore a wide blue robe and leaped continuously from the treetop, each leap covering an extremely long distance.

"Master?"

Jiang Ning was taken aback.

The one coming down from the mountain was Yue Buqun.

Only when they got closer could Jiang Ning see the expression on Yue Buqun's face clearly.

At this moment, Yue Buqun's expression was icy, his eyes filled with an unyielding chill, and his sleeves and hair fluttered behind him.

Jiang Ning was surprised.

Yue Buqun usually paid great attention to his demeanor and facial expressions, and this was the first time he had ever seen Yue Buqun show such an expression.

What's wrong with Yue Buqun?

"Master!"

In a flash, Jiang Ning shouted something.

Yue Buqun, who was descending the mountain in a fit of rage, heard Jiang Ning's voice and his expression froze for a moment before he saw Jiang Ning in the woods not far away.

Upon seeing Jiang Ning, Yue Buqun's icy expression melted away, and he leaped several times to stand before Jiang Ning.

"I heard from Dayou that you encountered that witch from the demonic sect? Did you suffer any harm? Are you injured anywhere?"

Before Jiang Ning could speak, Yue Buqun asked repeatedly.

Jiang Ning shook his head and said, "No."

As he spoke, Jiang Ning raised the broken sword in his hand and smiled.

"It's Sixth Senior Brother's sword that's in this state."

Yue Buqun glanced at the short sword and frowned.

If the weapons are in such a state, the battle must have been extremely fierce.

"Where is Master going?"

At this moment, Jiang Ning spoke up and asked.

Yue Buqun said, "I just returned from beyond the Great Wall and heard Dayou's report. I was just about to go down the mountain to find you."

Lu Dayou had been back at Mount Hua for a few days, and coincidentally, Yue Buqun was not there at that time; only Ning Zhongze, Cheng Buyou, and others were present.

Upon hearing Lu Dayou's words, Ning Zhongze and Cheng Buyou immediately led more than twenty disciples down the mountain to find Jiang Ning. Two or three days have passed, and they have not yet returned. Currently, only Feng Buping remains on the mountain to oversee Huashan.

"Now that you're back, go back to the mountain. Your master's wife and uncle probably didn't run into you on the way. Once you get back, I'll have your fellow disciples go down the mountain to find them and bring them back."

Seeing Jiang Ning return safely, Yue Buqun finally felt relieved.

Jiang Ning nodded: "Yes."

The two walked back up the mountain side by side.

Yue Buqun no longer had the urgency he had before and returned to his usual demeanor.

What happened during your trip to Sichuan?

On the way, Yue Buqun asked Jiang Ning about this issue.

He examined the Jiangning sword that Lu Dayou had brought back and saw the pits and dents on it.

That sword was given to Jiang Ning by him before he went down the mountain, but it ended up like this after a trip to Sichuan. This made Yue Buqun very uneasy, and he couldn't imagine what Jiang Ning had encountered.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning recounted everything that had happened since entering Sichuan.

Yue Buqun frowned and remained silent as he listened.

When Jiang Ning talked about the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect, his face didn't show much expression, and his heart didn't stir much emotion either.

Zhang Daoshi had already written about the Qingcheng Sect matter in advance. Although I was somewhat surprised at first, I was also mentally prepared.

As for the matter concerning the Emei Sect, although Yue Buqun was surprised, he did not react much.

The Emei Sect must have a rich history to have stood the test of time for so long.

The failure to unite with Emei was within his expectations, and Yue Buqun was not particularly regretful.

However, when Yue Buqun heard that Ren Yingying had started sending Miao girls from the Five Poisons Sect to contact Jiang Ning, his expression changed and turned cold.

Especially when he heard that Ren Yingying had sent more than twenty experts to intercept Jiang Ning in the rainy night, Yue Buqun's eyes were filled with undisguised coldness and killing intent.

He had never wanted to kill anyone like this before.

Chapter 153: Changes at Mount Hua

Later, after hearing that Jiang Ning had joined forces with Zhang Daoshi and others to wipe out the Green Gang, Yue Buqun nodded slightly.

After all, although what Zhang Daoshi said in the letter was true, Jiang Ning did kill Yu Canghai and his disciples. Zhang Daoshi was also a member of the Qingcheng Sect, and no one knew what his true thoughts were.

After a subsequent collaboration, the relationship between the Huashan Sect and the Qingcheng Sect was no longer so strained.

Overall, although Jiang Ning's trip to Sichuan did not result in a successful alliance with Emei, the resolution of the Qingcheng Sect's problem meant that the trip was not entirely in vain.

After recounting his trip to Sichuan, Jiang Ning described the fight he had with Ren Yingying. When he mentioned the Six Immortals of Peach Valley, Yue Buqun was surprised.

"Those six strange men were actually sent by that witch from the demonic cult?"

Yue Buqun said, "When these six people came up the mountain, they were talking nonsense and specifically asked for Chong'er. We originally thought that these six people were Chong'er's friends, but Chong'er didn't know them either."

After finding Linghu Chong, the Six Immortals of Peach Valley tried to forcibly take him down the mountain. At that time, Yue Buqun was still practicing his skills in his room. By the time his disciples informed him, Linghu Chong and his disciples had already been injured. If Linghu Chong hadn't been quick-witted enough to say that he would rather die than go down the mountain with them if they dared to kill the Huashan disciples, many Huashan disciples would have already been killed or injured.

At that time, Cheng Buyou and Feng Buping were practicing their swordsmanship. They were closer to him and arrived a step earlier. When they saw the six men attacking Linghu Chong, they stepped in to help.

After observing Linghu Chong, Cheng Buyou realized that Linghu Chong had a very high talent for swordsmanship and was a promising talent. He also valued this Qi Sect disciple highly and held them back. The Six Immortals of Peach Valley were furious and wanted to tear him to pieces. Four of them grabbed Cheng Buyou's limbs, while the other two blocked Feng Buping's rescue.

Yue Buqun frowned and said, "The movement techniques of these six people are very strange. Your Uncle Cheng didn't even have time to react before they grabbed his limbs."

When he arrived, Cheng Buyou was about to be killed, but fortunately he intervened in time to save him.

Seeing this, the Six Immortals of Peach Valley began to besiege Yue Buqun, trying to capture him in the same way they captured Cheng Buyou. However, they were repelled by Yue Buqun's internal force. After exchanging blows, Yue Buqun realized that the six people also possessed remarkable internal strength.

Upon seeing that these six people had come up the mountain intending to kidnap his eldest disciple and even tear apart the sect elders, Yue Buqun showed no mercy, severely injuring Peach Blossom Immortal and Peach Fruit Immortal. The other four also suffered varying degrees of internal injuries. The Six Immortals of Peach Valley were terrified and fled down the mountain.

Their movements were very strange, and Feng Buping and the other disciples could not catch up with them. Yue Buqun could catch up, but he was afraid that these six people were bait to lure him down the mountain so that he could attack the other Huashan disciples. In addition, at that time, everyone in the Huashan Sect except him was injured, and Feng Buping was also slightly injured. After considering all factors, Yue Buqun let them leave.

At first, he was wondering who sent these six strange people. He originally thought they were Zuo Lengchan's men, but he didn't expect them to be from the Demonic Sect.

When Yue Buqun heard that Jiang Ning had seriously injured Ren Yingying after chasing her for three days and three nights, and had also killed two of the six strange men, there was no joy on Yue Buqun's face. Instead, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

After Jiang Ning finished speaking, Yue Buqun stopped. Before Jiang Ning could ask any questions, Yue Buqun reached out and grabbed his wrist, and a wisp of internal energy flowed from Yue Buqun's hand.

Jiang Ning was slightly surprised by Yue Buqun's behavior, but said nothing.

After a while.

Yue Buqun withdrew his hand, his brows furrowing even deeper.

"Nonsense!"

Yue Buqun's tone carried a hint of reprimand.

"Do you think your body is made of iron? Are you out of your mind?"

He hadn't said anything about chasing Ren Yingying for several days, but he still refused to leave despite his poor physical condition and insisted on fighting the Six Immortals of Peach Valley. They weren't just small fry; they were six top-tier masters. Yue Buqun felt a chill run down his spine at their stubbornness.

"When can't we kill that demoness? She ran away, so what? We can just kill her next time we encounter her, right? You're so reckless with your health. If something happens to you, how can your master save you?"

Yue Buqun was filled with lingering fear.

Jiang Ning stays home all the time, but when he does go out, his heart can hardly take it.

"You have already overworked your body twice, and you already have hidden injuries. If you don't treat them in time, they will leave you with chronic illnesses in the future."

Many martial arts practitioners suffer a fate worse than death in their later years, mainly because they developed hidden ailments in their youth, leading to unbearable pain in old age due to the recurrence of these old illnesses.

This hidden ailment can cause immense suffering, or even severely impact one's martial arts potential, preventing any further progress in their lifetime.

Jiang Ning overexerted his body twice: once in Sichuan when he killed those twenty-odd skilled riders, and once during the pursuit of Ren Yingying.

Although Jiang Ning's two victories look amazing, they came at the cost of his own health.

Let's not talk about the incident in Sichuan. In that situation, not pushing your limits would mean certain death. But this time it could be avoided. Ren Yingying has run away, so be it. There will always be another chance. If killing Ren Yingying leads to the destruction of Jiangning, it's not worth it at all. Even if we kill Ren Yingying, it will still be a huge loss.

In Yue Buqun's mind, ten Holy Maidens of the Demonic Sect were no match for Jiang Ning.

As both a mentor and a father figure to Jiang Ning, Yue Buqun considered Jiang Ning's achievements outside as secondary; what he cared about was whether Jiang Ning was safe and sound.

Hearing Yue Buqun's fatherly tone, Jiang Ning didn't know what to say, so he could only reply, "Master is right."

There's no way to argue about this; you just have to accept the scolding.

Yue Buqun felt increasingly frightened as he thought about it. He shouldn't have listened to Jiang Ning and should have gone to Sichuan with him. He could hardly imagine how desperate Jiang Ning must have felt on that rainy night when he was alone with more than twenty people and received no support.

Yue Buqun said sternly, "If you continue to act so recklessly without regard for your health, I will forbid you from going down the mountain."

Jiang Ning bowed his head and said, "Yes."

"Alright, let's go back."

Seeing Jiang Ning's reply, Yue Buqun's expression softened a little, and he said...

Jiang Ning followed behind Yue Buqun.

Yue Buqun quickened his pace as he climbed the mountain, and Jiang Ning also quickened his pace.

On the way up the mountain, Yue Buqun told Jiang Ning about the situation of the Huashan Sect while he was away. Nothing major had happened in the Huashan Sect in the past few months, and the Songshan Sect had not made any moves after Ding Mian returned.

In the past few months, Yue Buqun has been renovating and refurbishing the Huashan Sect's buildings. This is a huge project, and so far only half of it has been completed, with the other half still under renovation.

Linghu Chong is currently injured, with the internal energy of three of the Peach Valley Six Immortals surging through his body. Yue Buqun used up a lot of his internal energy to treat his injuries. Although he cleared away the true energy of the Peach Valley Six Immortals, Linghu Chong's body still needs to recuperate. The ginseng from Mount Hua has been almost used up. On one hand, Yue Buqun sent his disciples down the mountain to buy some herbs to replenish Linghu Chong's qi and blood. On the other hand, he himself went to the border region to collect herbs for Linghu Chong.

Upon returning, she heard the news that Jiang Ning was chasing Ren Yingying, and without even resting, she rushed down the mountain to find Jiang Ning.

Yue Buqun was extremely worried about these two disciples.

Both of them were top-notch experts, and their speed in climbing the mountain was much faster than that of ordinary people. When Yue Buqun and Jiang Ning returned to Mount Hua, there were still some disciples practicing their swordsmanship in the training ground.

"Master is back."