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

The three then prepared to go to the Golden Summit Temple.

On the way, Yue Buqun's gaze kept drifting to the Zhenwu Sword wrapped in Jiang Ning's hand.

My mind was racing, trying to figure out if this sword was indeed the Zhenwu Sword, the most prized treasure of the Wudang Sect.

If this is true.

Yue Buqun looked at Jiang Ning, then at the Zhenwu Sword, his eyes revealing nothing of his thoughts. He then uttered a sentence that Ning Zhongze could not understand.

"Perhaps this is destiny."

Yue Buqun thought for a moment, then said to Jiang Ning, "You can find a craftsman to forge a scabbard for it."

Jiang Ning had thought about it too, but forging a scabbard would take time, and it was a new scabbard for the Zhenwu Sword, which required a lot of skill and time. Jiang Ning had been traveling for the past two months and had no time to forge a scabbard.

In fact, Jiang Ning planned to forge a scabbard for the Zhenwu Sword after returning to Mount Hua this time. Now that he heard Yue Buqun say the same thing, he nodded and said, "Yes, Master."

Yue Buqun had already decided that once Chongxu arrived, he would ask him about the Zhenwu Sword.

Of course, Yue Buqun wouldn't directly ask about the Zhenwu Sword; instead, he would probe indirectly to confirm Chongxu's answer before making a decision.

If Chongxu says that the Zhenwu Sword is still on Wudang Mountain, then there's nothing more to say; from now on, this sword will be Jiang Ning's personal sword.

Based on his understanding of Jiangning, he knew that Jiangning would inevitably face bloodshed and danger in the future. Having a divine weapon that could fully support him in battle would greatly increase Jiangning's chances of survival and his ability to kill enemies.

He had just seen it too. This Zhenwu Sword is probably only usable by Jiang Ning. Apart from Zhang Sanfeng a hundred years ago, only Jiang Ning can truly use it. Perhaps this sword can accompany Jiang Ning for the rest of his life.

But if Chongxu were to say that the True Martial Sword had already been seized by the Demonic Sect...

Yue Buqun refused to give it to him either.

You Wudang disciples are incompetent. The sect's treasure was taken away by the Demonic Sect. Now my disciple has retrieved the Zhenwu Sword from the Demonic Sect, and almost died in the process. You, Chongxu, just open your mouth and want to take back the Zhenwu Sword.

That's not true.

Yue Buqun believed that even if the Zhenwu Sword was the Wudang Sect's most prized treasure, and Chongxu knew about it, there was at least a 90% chance that Chongxu wouldn't force it. If that happened, the Wudang Sect would have no place in the martial arts world anymore.

Chongxu must exchange something else for it if he wants to return.

But then a problem arises.

What will you offer in exchange?

Chapter 449: The world where only Linghu Chong is injured has been achieved (Bonus Chapter 11/26)

"Senior Brother."

At this moment, at the Golden Summit Temple, Yue Lingshan was also comforting Linghu Chong.

The two sat in a pavilion, with wine jars on a stone table in front of Linghu Chong.

Linghu Chong picked up a wine jar and poured it into his mouth.

Glug glug.

The wine kept entering his mouth, wetting Linghu Chong's clothes.

"Senior Brother, please stop drinking."

Upon seeing this, Yue Lingshan became anxious and snatched the wine jar from Linghu Chong's hand.

“Senior Brother, we are indeed very saddened by the passing of Junior Brother Jiang Ning, but you cannot let this discourage you. You should too, as should Junior Brother Lin. You two should all be like this.”

As Yue Lingshan spoke, her voice began to tremble with tears.

Lin Pingzhi was the first to break down after receiving news of Jiang Ning's death.

For Lin Pingzhi, Jiang Ning was not only the benefactor who avenged his family, but also the senior brother who taught him martial arts. Jiang Ning held a place in Lin Pingzhi's heart as a source of spiritual support. Now, upon hearing that Jiang Ning had been hunted down and killed by the Demonic Sect, Lin Pingzhi coughed up three mouthfuls of blood on the spot.

From that day on, Lin Pingzhi, who was already taciturn, became even more silent, spending all his time practicing martial arts, like a martial arts fanatic.

In contrast, Linghu Chong became despondent again after learning of Jiang Ning's death. He, who had gradually stopped drinking, returned to his old ways and is now drunk every day.

Apart from these two, the other Huashan disciples were also in very low spirits, and no smiles could be seen on their faces during this period of time.

Lu Dayou often sat alone, staring blankly at the broken sword in front of his chest.

At this moment, Linghu Chong's face was flushed and his eyes were blurry with drunkenness. Upon hearing Yue Lingshan's words, Linghu Chong chuckled and hiccuped, his speech becoming slurred.

“Junior Sister…Junior Brother…he left us too soon.”

As Linghu Chong spoke, tears began to fall from his eyes.

Linghu Chong doesn't usually express his feelings much, nor does he know how to express them. Even when Jiang Ning was still around, Linghu Chong and Jiang Ning didn't seem particularly close. Only now did Yue Lingshan realize how deep the brotherhood between Linghu Chong and Jiang Ning was in his heart.

Although the Huashan Sect has now taken in so many disciples, in Linghu Chong's heart, Jiang Ning will always be that junior brother.

When Linghu Chong learned of Jiang Ning's death, he was overwhelmed with grief, especially after seeing Yue Buqun's hair turn white overnight, which made him feel extremely distressed.

Linghu Chong picked up another wine jar and was about to continue drinking.

Yue Lingshan shattered the wine jar with a single chop to the neck.

Linghu Chong said with displeasure, "Junior Sister, what are you doing?"

Yue Lingshan was exasperated: "Junior Brother Jiang Ning didn't die a normal death. He was killed by the villains of the Demonic Sect. If you really had a deep bond with Junior Brother Jiang Ning, then you should have killed all the villains of the Demonic Sect to avenge him, instead of staying here drunk all day long."

Yue Lingshan shouted sternly.

"What's the use of this? What are you? What are your tears? Do you think the Demonic Sect will be wiped out with your tears? Do you think you can avenge Junior Brother Jiang Ning by getting drunk like this? If you truly have a deep brotherly bond with Junior Brother Jiang Ning, you should pull yourself together, avenge him, and kill everyone in the Demonic Sect!"

boom!

Linghu Chong smashed the wine jar, splashing wine everywhere.

Linghu Chong stood up abruptly, his face flushed.

Do you think I don't want to?

Linghu Chong swore loudly.

"I, Linghu Chong, swear that I will never coexist with the Demonic Sect! I will definitely avenge my junior brother!"

Just as Linghu Chong was getting emotional, a surprised voice sounded from behind him.

"Senior Brother, whose revenge are you seeking?"

"Of course it's Junior Master..."

Linghu Chong was about to answer without thinking, but he froze the next second.

That voice sounds so familiar...

Linghu Chong turned around abruptly and saw the person he had said he would avenge someone standing not far away, with his master and mistress beside him.

At this moment, Yue Buqun had an expression of utter disdain, as if he were extremely disgusted with him.

"Junior Brother!"

Linghu Chong was both surprised and delighted to see Jiang Ning. He seemed to be in disbelief, thinking he had drunk too much. But Yue Lingshan's delighted voice from the other side proved that he was not mistaken.

"Junior Brother Jiang Ning!"

Yue Lingshan looked pleasantly surprised.

"You're still alive!!"

Jiang Ning laughed. "Senior Brother, Senior Sister Ling Shan, it's been a long time."

Bang!

No sooner had Jiang Ning finished speaking than a figure rushed over like the wind and hugged him tightly.

"Ha ha ha ha."

Linghu Chong burst into laughter with delight.

"Junior brother, thank goodness you're still alive, hahahaha."

"Cough, cough, cough."

Jiang Ning then started coughing.

It wasn't that Linghu Chong bumped into him, but rather that Linghu Chong's strong smell of alcohol was truly unbearable.

It was Yue Buqun who came to Jiang Ning's rescue.

Yue Buqun gently scolded, "Chong'er! How can you behave like this in public!"

Ning Zhongze smiled silently at this moment.

Hearing his master's reprimand, Linghu Chong finally released Jiang Ning, but he still couldn't hide his joy.

"Junior brother, it's so good to know you're alright."

Linghu Chong reeked of alcohol, and Jiang Ning laughed, "Didn't Senior Brother not drink much anymore? How come you've taken up drinking again now?"

Yue Buqun's gaze toward Linghu Chong was also somewhat unfriendly at this moment.

"This...hehe...haha."

Linghu Chong scratched his head, trying to bluff his way out of it.

He had been drinking to drown his sorrows after learning of Jiang Ning's death, and Yue Buqun, who was also very sad, didn't pay any attention to him.

He and Jiang Ning had a long-standing brotherhood, and more importantly, he could always ask Jiang Ning for advice on any problems he had with relationships. But if Jiang Ning died, he would have no one to give him advice on any relationship issues.

Jiang Ning is not only his junior brother, but also his strategist!

However, Jiang Ning is alive and well now, but he's been drinking so much, getting drunk every day, and Yue Buqun's emotions have calmed down. Now that he sees him like this, he's bound to scold him.

“You and Ning’er were close, so it’s understandable that you were saddened to hear of his death, but you shouldn’t be so depressed and drink yourself into a stupor all the time.”

Yue Buqun's face darkened as he rebuked, "As the senior disciple of the Huashan Sect, you should set a good example for your fellow disciples, but instead you're behaving utterly foolishly..."

Seeing that Yue Buqun was talking nonstop, Linghu Chong realized something was wrong and quickly said something.

"Master and Mistress, rest assured, your disciple will definitely drink less... no, quit drinking altogether!"

Linghu Chong solemnly swore an oath, attempting to salvage his master-disciple relationship with Yue Buqun.

But it was too late.

"As the eldest disciple, you don't set an example for your fellow disciples. Instead, you get drunk every day. As your teacher, I will punish you by sending you to the Cliff of Contemplation for three months after you return to Mount Hua to temper your character."