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

Fang Zheng was also somewhat annoyed upon hearing this.

Although Fang Sheng owed this favor, he also had a share in it, but he took all the blame for it.

The matter of them owing Feng Qingyang a favor involves an event that happened decades ago, but that's no longer important.

"In that case, let's leave it at that for now."

Fang Zheng said, "We must repay Senior Feng's favor. Next time, we'll see what Senior Feng plans to ask us to do. As long as it's not too outrageous, I'll agree to it."

"Ah."

Fang Sheng nodded, not dwelling on the matter, and then brought up another issue.

"Senior brother, the Emei Sect..."

Fang Sheng's face showed the same worried expression as before.

Fang Zheng's face began to show signs of annoyance again.

Chapter 251: Two Old Foxes

To be honest, he hadn't received any information about the Emei Sect beforehand, so he was in a state of confusion throughout the day, a feeling that Fang Zheng disliked very much.

"so."

Fang Zheng looked up at Fang Sheng and said, "After this, you will personally go to Sichuan to investigate what exactly happened to the Emei Sect."

"it is good."

Fang Sheng nodded.

After exchanging information, the two fell silent, the dim candlelight in the room illuminating their aged faces.

After a moment of silence, Fang Sheng stood up, bowed, and prepared to leave. Fang Zheng waved to signal him to leave, and only after Fang Sheng left did Fang Zheng's expression relax.

Fang Zheng rested one hand on the table, propped his forehead with his other hand, and kept rubbing his temples, looking utterly annoyed.

"Mount Song...Mount Hua...Mount Emei..."

Fang Zheng kept his eyes tightly closed, muttering these words over and over, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

……

Early the next morning.

"Sect Leader Yue looks refreshed and in good spirits, he seems to be doing well."

Fang Zheng, who had fallen asleep sometime last night, got up early this morning to take a walk on Mount Hua, where he bumped into Yue Buqun, who was also out for a walk.

"Abbot, you're up very early too. How did you rest last night?"

Yue Buqun responded with a smile.

Fang Zheng said with a faint smile, "Mount Hua is a place of spiritual beauty and pleasant scenery, so I naturally slept well."

"That's strange to say."

Fang Zheng laughed and said, "As people get older, their sleep doesn't get very good. In the past, when I was in Songshan, I often suffered from insomnia and couldn't sleep well. I didn't expect to sleep so soundly last night. I think Mount Hua is truly a place where the spirits of heaven and earth are concentrated."

"Haha."

Upon hearing this, Yue Buqun's smile deepened, and he said mischievously, "Since the Abbot loves Mount Hua so much, why don't our two sects switch places? I think Mount Song is the more beautiful and scenic place."

"Sect Leader Yue is joking."

Fang Zheng chuckled.

The Huashan Sect is so poor that all it has left is Huashan itself; what's there to exchange?

After exchanging brief pleasantries, the two took a walk together, from the South Peak all the way to the East Peak. Along the way, Fang Zheng brought up the topic again.

"Sect Leader Yue is so lucky."

"Oh? What makes you say that, Master?"

Yue Buqun raised an eyebrow, not understanding the meaning of "prescription".

"Master Yue must have put a lot of effort into having such an outstanding disciple as Young Hero Jiang. Now Young Hero Jiang has made a great name for himself in the martial arts world and his martial arts are superb. His eldest disciple, Linghu Chong, is also exceptionally talented. At a young age, his martial arts have already surpassed some of the famous seniors in the martial arts world."

Fang Zheng smiled and said, "Since the sword qi dispute began at Mount Hua, Headmaster Yue has worked tirelessly for the Mount Hua Sect to develop it to its current prosperity. With the merger of your sect's sword qi and the presence of two outstanding disciples like Young Hero Jiang and Young Hero Linghu, Headmaster Yue can now be said to have finally reaped the rewards of his hard work."

"hehe."

Upon hearing this, Yue Buqun chuckled: "My master entrusted the Huashan Sect to me before his death. It is all my responsibility, so there is no hardship involved. As for my two unworthy disciples..."

Yue Buqun paused for a moment, then said, "Ning'er has decent talent, and she has achieved some success because she practices diligently. However, her temperament is not up to par and she needs more training."

"As for Chong'er, he is unruly and troublesome. If I were to hand over the Huashan Sect to them now, I'm afraid the Huashan Sect that I have worked so hard to build would be ruined by the two of them in no time."

When Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong were mentioned, Yue Buqun's face still wore the same smile as before, without any change. His tone was relaxed and unpredictable, making it impossible for Fang Zheng to guess what Yue Buqun was thinking.

However, he was certain that Yue Buqun had no intention of stepping down at the moment, nor had he decided who to pass the position of Huashan Sect Leader to.

It seems Yue Buqun still has some attachment to power...

Having obtained this information, Fang Zheng did not elaborate on this matter further, simply mentioning it briefly.

"At least Sect Leader Yue has a successor, unlike me, who doesn't even have a successor to carry on his mantle."

Fang Zheng shook his head, looking somewhat helpless.

The two then arrived at the East Peak and saw a pavilion below. Fang Zheng had good eyesight and could see a chessboard inside.

"Sect Leader Yue, is this the famous Chess Pavilion on Mount Hua?"

Yue Buqun nodded: "That's right."

Fang Zheng looked down at the treacherous path and the pavilion at the end and laughed: "Legend has it that Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, once played chess with Chen Tuan here. Emperor Taizu lost to Chen Tuan by one move and then gifted Mount Hua to him. This legend has been passed down ever since."

"By the way, Sect Leader Yue."

As Fang Zheng spoke, he seemed to remember something and looked at Yue Buqun curiously, asking, "It is said that Chen Tuan was an ancestor of Taoism. This extraordinary person later went into seclusion on Mount Hua and left behind the Taoist tradition. Your sect has stood on Mount Hua for hundreds of years. Forgive my ignorance, but I do not know if your sect's founder was this extraordinary person?"

Upon hearing this, Yue Buqun smiled and said, "Although this extraordinary person left behind a lineage in Mount Hua and does have some connection with my Mount Hua Sect, he was not the founder of my sect. Instead, it was the founder of Guangningzi Hao Datong."

"Oh?"

Fang Zheng's eyes widened in surprise: "Could it be Guang Ningzi, one of the Seven Masters of Quanzhen Sect from hundreds of years ago?"

Yue Buqun nodded: "That's right, my Huashan Sect is a branch of the Quanzhen Sect from hundreds of years ago."

Although Yue Buqun had previously said that he was embarrassed to tell outsiders that the Huashan Sect was a branch of the Quanzhen Sect because he had managed it in such a way, he would not deliberately deny it when asked.

"I never imagined that the Huashan Sect and the Quanzhen Sect had such a deep connection."

Fang Zheng was genuinely surprised.

Others might not know the true value of the Quanzhen School, but Shaolin knows it best.

The Quanzhen School is the only sect that has surpassed Shaolin to become the number one sect in the world. Even Wudang, when Zhang Sanfeng was still alive a hundred years ago, was only on par with Shaolin and did not completely overwhelm Shaolin. It was only Zhang Sanfeng who overwhelmed Shaolin, while the Quanzhen School surpassed Shaolin in every aspect.

Although the Quanzhen School rose and fell quickly, Shaolin still has a deep impression of this sect. They never expected that the Huashan School was actually a branch of the Quanzhen School.

Fang Zheng did not experience that era, but he can still get a glimpse of it from the Huashan Sect.

Even the Huashan Sect, a branch of the Quanzhen School, was once known as one of the six major sects alongside Shaolin a hundred years ago. Even decades ago, the Five Mountains Sword Sect, dominated by the Huashan Sect, was renowned in the martial arts world.

Back then, the Huashan Sect was full of geniuses and masters. The Five Mountains Sword Sects, led by the Huashan Sect, put immense pressure on Shaolin and Wudang. If it weren't for that sword qi dispute that led to the decline of the Huashan Sect, Fang Zheng probably wouldn't dare to imagine how powerful the Huashan Sect would be now.

No wonder his master was so wary of the Huashan Sect.

Fang Zheng thought to himself.

Chapter 252: The Chess Game

At this moment, Yue Buqun also thought of the Huashan Sect from decades ago, and couldn't help but feel a little desolate, but he didn't show his emotions on his face.

"Sect Leader Yue, since we're already here, why don't we have a game of chess?"

At this moment, Fang Zheng seemed to suddenly become interested and made a suggestion to Yue Buqun.

"Here?"

Yue Buqun was surprised.

"What? Sect Leader Yue doesn't want to play chess with this old monk?"

Fang Zheng said with a smile.

"No, that's not it."

Yue Buqun chuckled and shook his head: "It's just that no one cleans this place usually, and it's been covered in dust for a while. How about I have my disciples clean it up first, and then I can play chess with the master?"

Yue Buqun knows how to play chess and enjoys playing it, but there were very few people in the original Huashan Sect who knew how to play chess.

Ning Zhongze does know a little chess. Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze had played chess a few times before, but Ning Zhongze was impatient and a terrible player. She would often stare at the chessboard with a serious expression halfway through the game, so Yue Buqun didn't dare to beat her.

As for the disciples of the Huashan Sect, needless to say, Jiang Ning later learned some chess skills after he grew up. In addition to practicing martial arts and reading books, he would occasionally play chess with Yue Buqun in the chess pavilion.

Jiang Ning's chess skills were not very good, not as good as Yue Buqun's. In addition, Yue Buqun was a bit cunning when playing chess. Jiang Ning would fall into several traps as soon as he made a move, and would be defeated and lose his armor. Over time, Jiang Ning was no longer willing to play chess with him, so the place was left vacant.

Fang Zheng smiled upon hearing this and said, "No need to trouble the children, we'll do it ourselves."

Seeing Fang Zheng say this, Yue Buqun had no choice but to go along with his guest, and the two of them followed the path down to the chess pavilion.

The chess pavilion is suspended in the air on three sides, and there is only one road leading to it.

This path is also a dangerous one on Mount Hua, called the Hawk's Turn. It is difficult for ordinary people to climb, but it is as easy as flat ground for Yue Buqun and Fang Zheng, two of the world's top masters.

Walking along the steep and winding road, Yue Buqun appeared relaxed, as if taking a leisurely stroll.

Although Fang Zheng was short, he was able to do it very easily.

The two arrived at the chess pavilion, where they saw a chessboard on the chess table and two boxes of chess pieces on either side.

At this time, the chessboard and chess table were covered in dust.

Fang Zheng sat down on one of the stone benches with a chuckle, completely unconcerned about the dust on the bench. He then looked at the dusty chessboard and table, and with a wave of his hand, the dust disappeared, but the dust on the ground seemed to have thickened again.

"Sect Leader Yue, please."