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

Jiang Ning asked as he spread out the clothes and hung them on the drying rack.

When did you arrive?

Liu Zhao assisted from the side.

Upon hearing Jiang Ning's words, Liu Zhao said solemnly, "I came here immediately when I heard from my senior uncle that Master had also returned."

The senior master Liu Zhao mentioned is Linghu Chong.

Jiang Ning nodded and continued hanging the clothes to dry.

Liu Zhao didn't say anything more and quietly helped.

"You cleaned my room?"

Jiang Ning asked casually.

Liu Zhao nodded: "I thought that Master might not return for a long time after going down the mountain, so I often come to clean the room to prevent it from getting dusty when Master comes back."

"You have a heart."

Jiang Ning hung up all the clothes before turning to look at Liu Zhao and scrutinizing him from head to toe.

When he first took Liu Zhao to Mount Hua, Liu Zhao was still very thin and his complexion was a bit sallow. But after arriving at Mount Hua, his nutrition improved and he grew much taller.

Jiang Ning returned to the room and sat down. Liu Zhao stood in front of him, his back straight.

"I haven't been back for a year. How's your internal energy cultivation going?"

Liu Zhao quickly replied, "Master, I have never dared to slack off for a single day. I have been diligently practicing my skills these past few days."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning reached out and grasped his wrist to begin examining it.

After a while.

Jiang Ning withdrew his hand, his gaze somewhat surprised.

Liu Zhao was indeed not slacking off. He practiced the Hunyuan Gong of the Huashan School and had already developed internal strength two years ago. After years of hard work, his internal strength had reached the third level. Although it wasn't much, it was still quite good. With a little more practice, he would reach the level of the second-generation disciples of Huashan School a few years ago before he went down the mountain to find the Xiantian Gong.

It seems Master was right; Liu Zhao does indeed have the talent for Qi cultivation.

Jiang Ning nodded and said, "Diligence is key to practicing martial arts, but you should also read more books to understand principles."

Liu Zhao's small face was serious.

"Yes, Master."

Jiang Ning nodded, then suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way, I recently took on another disciple after going down the mountain. He's your junior brother, also surnamed Liu. I named him Liu Lie. He's currently at the foot of Mount Hua. I'll give you a lecture in a few days and bring him up so you can meet him."

Upon hearing that Jiang Ning had taken on another disciple, and one with the same surname as him, Liu Zhao became somewhat curious.

"Yes, Master."

"Okay, let's go."

Jiang Ning waved his hand.

Liu Zhao performed the ceremony with great solemnity before leaving.

Jiang Ning watched Liu Zhao's departing figure, then picked up a book from the table and began to read it.

"The five colors blind the eye, the five sounds deafen the ear, the five flavors dull the palate, and the pursuit of hunting and racing drives the mind mad..."

……

"Hey, what are you thinking about?"

When Yue Buqun returned to the Suoyoubuwei Pavilion, he found Ning Zhongze in a daze.

Upon hearing her husband's voice, Ning Zhongze turned around, her expression somewhat worried.

"Next month is Ning'er's birthday, and I still don't know what kind of birthday gift to prepare for him."

Hearing Ning Zhongze's words, Yue Buqun smiled and said, "Ning'er will be happy with whatever you give her."

Ning Zhongze rolled her eyes at him.

"Of course I know, but Ning'er has been away from home most of the past two years, and we even missed her birthday. We didn't prepare any gifts for her. We'll definitely have to think about it carefully this time, and you should think about it carefully too."

Yue Buqun laughed.

……

Time passed day by day. Ever since Jiang Ning asked to go down the mountain when he was last on Mount Emei and was refused, he never asked again. He knew that asking again would only lead to the same result.

During this time, he quietly read books on Mount Hua until this day when he prepared to give a lecture to Liu Zhao.

Worry-Free Pavilion.

Liu Zhao sat in the first row of the classroom, while Jiang Ning sat on the stage.

Liu Lie and his mother were also present.

"Today, I will not instruct you on the problems of practice, but teach you some principles."

Jiang Ning said to Liu Zhao.

"Yes, Master."

Liu Zhao looked serious.

Liu's mother carefully held Liu Lie to prevent him from making any noise that might disturb Jiang Ning's class.

Originally, there was nothing for the mother and son to do today, but Jiang Ning said that Liu Lie could also come and listen, so she brought her son along.

"When a petty person is at leisure, he does all sorts of evil deeds, but when he sees a virtuous person, he becomes ashamed and hides his evil deeds..."

There were several books on the desk in front of Jiang Ning. Jiang Ning glanced at them and began to speak.

"This is what is meant by sincerity within manifesting itself without; therefore, a virtuous person must be cautious when alone."

Jiang Ning was referring to a passage from the Great Learning in the Four Books and Five Classics.

After Jiang Ning finished speaking, he looked at Liu Zhao.

"Now I ask you, what does it mean for a gentleman to be cautious even when alone?"

Chapter 473: A Gentleman's Self-Discipline (Bonus Chapter)

When Jiang Ning said these words, Liu Zhao looked somewhat bewildered.

Liu Zhao was deep in thought when Jiang Ning asked him what the meaning of "a gentleman is cautious when alone" was.

After a while.

“Master, the meaning of ‘a gentleman is cautious when he is alone’ is that a gentleman should be careful when he is alone.”

Liu Zhao answered cautiously.

Jiang Ning smiled upon hearing this.

Liu Zhao joined the Huashan Sect when he was seven years old, and it has been almost two years now. Although Jiang Ning is his master, Liu Zhao is basically taught by Yue Buqun.

It seems that Yue Buqun didn't forget to teach him to read while teaching him martial arts.

"Ah."

Jiang Ning nodded slightly, indicating that Liu Zhao was right.

Before Liu Zhao could even feel happy, Jiang Ning spoke again.

"Then let me ask you again, what does it mean to be like a virtuous person who does not deceive even in a dark room?"

Liu Zhao, who was not yet happy, looked bitter upon hearing this. He buried his head in thought for a long time before looking up at Jiang Ning.

"Disciple doesn't know."

Jiang Ning was not disappointed upon hearing this, and said, "The few sentences I said to you at the beginning were remarks from universities. They meant that people of low moral character do all sorts of evil deeds in private, but when they meet gentlemen, they hide their bad deeds and pretend to be gentlemen on the surface. But everyone can see through what they have done, so what's the point of hiding it?"

"Therefore, even a virtuous person should be cautious when alone."

After Jiang Ning finished speaking, he continued, "Like a virtuous person who does not deceive even in a dark room, meaning that a virtuous person should abide by his words and deeds even when alone."

"A virtuous person is cautious even when alone, and does not deceive himself in the dark."

Jiang Ning looked at him and said, "What I want to tell you is that when you are alone, you must be vigilant, not vigilant against others, but vigilant against yourself."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhao looked somewhat bewildered.

"Because when people are alone, their dark side will be revealed, so you must be more vigilant and not do evil just because no one is watching."

Jiang Ning's expression was calm, and the sunlight shone on his face, giving it a halo.

"We must have a moral standard in our hearts. We must constantly remind ourselves what we can and cannot do. Even if no one sees us doing something and there are no consequences, we still cannot do it."

"You can hide what you do from others, but you can't hide it from yourself. I want to tell you that even in places where others can't see or hear you, you must maintain your integrity and be self-disciplined and cautious when you are alone."

Liu Zhao didn't understand what Jiang Ning had said before, but he understood Jiang Ning's explanation clearly, and his expression became serious.

"Yes, Master."

Jiang Ning glanced at Liu Lie, who was listening in from the side, then at Liu Zhao, paused, and then spoke.

"Your names and Liu Lie's names were given by your teacher. There is a meaning behind the name Zhaolie for you. Emperor Zhaolie of Han, Liu Bei, was virtuous throughout his life. When he was dying, he said, 'Do not refrain from doing good because it is small, nor do evil because it is small.' This is also my expectation for you. I hope you two will keep this in mind in the future."

Liu Zhao stood up, his expression serious.

"Your disciple will remember your teachings and never forget them."

Seeing this, Liu's mother hurriedly urged her son to speak like Liu Zhao.

Liu Lie stammered for a while, and finally just mumbled "I understand."

After saying this, Jiang Ning prepared to leave.

That's what he wanted to say in this lesson.

When Jiang Ning walked out of the classroom, he found Yue Buqun standing outside at some point.

"Master."

Jiang Ning bowed.

Yue Buqun smiled, stroked his beard, and nodded.