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

Linghu Chong looked completely bewildered.

Chen Qingyuan explained, "He is His Majesty's maternal uncle, a member of the imperial family."

"Oh, I don't know him. How did he die?"

Linghu Chong nodded, asking curiously.

Chen Qingyuan coughed and said, "The death of this imperial brother-in-law was very strange. This morning, he went to check on the mansion that was to be built and suddenly died in public, without any warning. It seemed like he died suddenly."

Linghu Chong, intrigued by this, asked, "Does he have an illness?"

Chen Qingyuan shook his head: "I don't know, but I've never heard any rumors about this imperial brother-in-law having any illness. Now the capital is in an uproar because of his death. Many Jinyiwei and Dongchang are investigating the cause of his death. The Empress Dowager is furious and has ordered a thorough investigation to find the person who killed the Marquis of Shouning."

Linghu Chong asked in bewilderment, "If it was a sudden death, who was the murderer?"

Chen Qingyuan explained, "Because the Empress Dowager believed that the Marquis of Shouning was murdered."

Then Chen Qingyuan explained the relationship between Empress Dowager Zhang and Marquis Shouning, as well as the Marquis Jianchang who died the year before last.

"The Empress Dowager believed that Marquis Jianchang and Marquis Shouning were both killed by others, which is why she went to such great lengths."

As he spoke, Chen Qingyuan glanced at Jiang Ning every now and then, his heart filled with inexplicable shock.

Chen Qingyuan was a court official with unusual connections in the court, so he naturally knew some things. For example, Zhu Houzhao disliked his two maternal uncles, the Marquis of Jianchang and the Marquis of Shouning. Just a few days ago, the Empress Dowager and Zhu Houzhao even had a quarrel over the Marquis of Shouning's plan to mobilize troops to build a mansion.

These past few days, Jiang Ning has been out almost all day. Linghu Chong and his daughter Chen Jin have no idea what Jiang Ning is doing outside, but Chen Qingyuan knows that Jiang Ning is always talking with Zhu Houzhao.

Yesterday, Marquis Shouning received an imperial edict from the Empress Dowager to mobilize the military camp to build today's mansion. Today, he died in front of his unfinished mansion, and his death was very suspicious. He died in front of everyone, which made Chen Qingyuan feel a little scared.

Despite his doubts, Chen Qingyuan dared not think any further.

Knowing too much about some things is not good for him.

Jiang Ning, unaware of Chen Qingyuan's thoughts, said, "Tomorrow, my fellow disciple and I will be taking our leave."

Chen Qingyuan was surprised: "So soon? Why not stay in the capital for a couple more days?"

Jiang Ning shook his head: "I won't stay any longer. There are urgent matters to attend to at Mount Hua."

Chen Qingyuan couldn't help but feel troubled: "Now the capital is under strict control because of the death of the Marquis of Shouning. Ordinary people are not allowed to enter or leave the city gate at will. I'm afraid that you and Young Master Linghu will not be able to leave the city tomorrow. So, tomorrow I will personally go to the city gate with you two and ask the soldiers to open the city gate so that you can leave the city."

Jiang Ning smiled and said, "Then thank you very much, Minister Chen."

Chen Qingyuan was flattered and repeatedly said, "I dare not, I dare not."

Regardless of the circumstances, his relationship with Jiang Ning is still fairly good, and they can be considered friends. Zhu Houzhao clearly values ​​Jiang Ning highly now. As long as he latches onto Jiang Ning, Zhu Houzhao will definitely notice him in the future. As long as Zhu Houzhao doesn't die young, his future career will be secure.

Chen Qingyuan couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

Young Master Jiang is truly a benefactor to me, Chen!

The next day.

Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong got up early to leave, and Chen Qingyuan did not go to the Ministry of Revenue, but instead escorted Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong out of the city.

Upon arriving at the city gate, it was indeed found that there were far fewer people entering and leaving the city, and those few who did appear to be entering or leaving the city were mostly people of high status.

Upon arriving at the city gate, Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong were indeed stopped. Only after Chen Qingyuan revealed his identity were they allowed to leave the city.

Once outside the city, two horses were already prepared for Jiang Ning and his companion; these were prepared by Chen Qingyuan the night before.

"Young Master Jiang, Young Master Linghu, the journey to Shaanxi is long. I wish you both a safe and smooth journey."

Chen Qingyuan cupped his hands and addressed the two men.

Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong returned the greeting, then mounted their horses and left.

Watching the two figures leave, Chen Qingyuan stood there for a long time before returning to the city.

……

Imperial kitchen.

"Your Majesty, Master Jiang has already left the city."

Liu Jin was very respectful.

Zhu Houzhao nodded and gave the order.

"Summon Chongxu, the leader of the Wudang Sect, to the capital. I wish to see him."

Chapter 555: The Bloodbath at the Beggars' Sect Branch Escalates

March.

After leaving the capital, Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong did not linger and headed straight for Mount Hua, finally arriving in Luoyang in March.

"Junior brother, rest in Luoyang for now."

Linghu Chong said to Jiang Ning.

They had been traveling on horseback for a long time and hadn't had much rest.

"it is good."

Jiang Ning nodded. In fact, he also planned to stay in Luoyang for two days to visit Liu Zhengfeng.

Liu Zhengfeng had mentioned meeting him in Luoyang when they were in Pingding Prefecture.

Upon entering Luoyang, the city was not much different from the one before.

Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong found an inn to stay at and then ate in the lobby, listening to other martial arts figures talk about the major events that had recently occurred in the martial arts world.

"Speaking of which, Dongfang Bubai truly deserves to be called the number one in the world."

One of the martial arts figures at the next table spoke up.

One person said, "I heard that a few months ago, Ren Woxing led tens of thousands of his gang members to Blackwood Cliff to fight Dongfang Bubai. Ren Woxing and other experts surrounded Dongfang Bubai, but they were no match for him."

The events that occurred at Blackwood Cliff in Pingding Prefecture in January have now spread throughout the martial arts world, sparking heated discussions. Basically, wherever Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong go, they hear martial arts practitioners from all over discussing this matter.

"Yes, I heard that Dongfang Bubai was still able to fight several top masters with ease. He truly deserves to be recognized as the number one in the world by both the righteous and demonic paths."

These martial arts figures spoke with great passion, as if they were actually there.

"If you ask me, Dongfang Bubai is truly a martial arts prodigy who appears only once in a century. There is no one in the world who can rival him today, and I'm afraid there never will be."

One person said this, but was quickly refuted by another.

"That's not necessarily true. Although Dongfang Bubai is powerful and unmatched in the world, it doesn't mean that no one will be able to defeat him in the future. If you ask me, there is someone who might surpass Dongfang Bubai in the future."

"Who?"

"Who else could it be? Ning Yama!"

Linghu Chong, who hadn't been paying attention at first, became interested when he heard the group mention Jiang Ning and started listening intently.

"Ning Yanwang?"

The others were taken aback.

The man who mentioned Jiang Ning nodded: "That's right, Ning Yanwang is no simple man. He has such high martial arts skills at such a young age. His talent is amazing. He has only been in the industry for a few years, but every time something is revealed, it is more amazing than the person. His martial arts skills are getting better and better. Not to mention the distant past, just the year before last, the former leader of the Five Mountains Alliance, Zuo Lengchan, died at his hands. I'm afraid that in a few more years, even Dongfang Bubai will not be his match."

This person's tone was full of admiration for Jiang Ning, as if he greatly worshipped Jiang Ning.

His tone also displeased the person opposite him.

"I admit that Ning Yanwang is indeed very powerful, but he is too young now. No matter what, he is still not as good as Dongfang Bubai. Perhaps he will have a chance to challenge Dongfang Bubai in the future, but he will never be Dongfang Bubai's opponent. He may be able to fight Dongfang Bubai when he trains for several more decades and Dongfang Bubai is old and weak."

Upon seeing the person opposite belittle Jiang Ning, that person became angry and said again.

"You know Ning Yanwang is young now? Don't you see how old he is? He's already the third best martial artist in the righteous path. I'm afraid even his master is no match for him now. In my opinion, it won't be long before he can defeat Dongfang Bubai."

Jiang Ning did not know this person, but this person believed in him very much, even more so than Jiang Ning himself, that he could become the next number one in the world.

Although Jiang Ning has been traveling the martial arts world for quite some time, this is the first time he has encountered someone who speaks so highly of him.

Linghu Chong couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

The two men, one for Dongfang Bubai and the other for Jiang Ning, started arguing heatedly, their faces turning red with rage.

As these people chatted, they suddenly turned the topic to themselves and even argued about it. Jiang Ning's face remained expressionless, but Linghu Chong winked at Jiang Ning.

"Junior brother, it seems that many people have high hopes for you and think you can surpass Dongfang Bubai."

After witnessing Dongfang Bubai's true power at Blackwood Cliff, Linghu Chong had to admit that Dongfang Bubai was formidable and that he could not surpass him. However, he also believed that Jiang Ning would definitely be able to defeat Dongfang Bubai in the future.

Jiang Ning remained silent upon hearing this.

We'll deal with the future when it comes.

"Alright, stop arguing."

The two argued heatedly, their faces turning red, until their other companions at the table began to try and calm them down.

"We're all brothers, is it really necessary to argue over something like this?"

One person started to offer advice, and the others all agreed.

"Yeah, stop arguing."

The two then snorted and stopped arguing.

"Whether Ning Yanwang can defeat Dongfang Bubai in the future or not has nothing to do with us brothers. So what if he can? So what if he can't? Can we eat more? Just talk about it, don't actually start arguing."

The others also laughed it off and changed the subject.

"Ning Yanwang is indeed very skilled in martial arts, but he is also too much of a troublemaker. Recently, something has been exposed in the martial arts world, which I only heard about today. It is related to Ning Yanwang."

Upon hearing that the matter was related to Jiang Ning, everyone else looked over, including those who admired Jiang Ning.

The man said, "I heard that last year, the Beggars' Sect's branch in Yanping was suddenly massacred. It was later revealed that the one who massacred the Beggars' Sect branch was Ning Yanwang. Now the entire Beggars' Sect is very angry, and a large number of members are heading towards Mount Hua, clamoring for Mount Hua to hand over Ning Yanwang and give the Beggars' Sect an explanation."

"This is bad; it might cause a fight between the Beggars' Sect and the Huashan Sect."

This person's words caused Linghu Chong, who was eavesdropping nearby, to change his expression, but he managed to remain composed.

After all, he already knew about this when he was in Hengshan.

"Why would Ning Yanwang go and massacre a branch of the Beggars' Sect out of nowhere? And from such a far distance, could it be that someone from the Demonic Sect impersonated Ning Yanwang to do it, so as to frame Ning Yanwang and cause internal strife within the Beggars' Sect and Mount Hua?"

"No, I heard that someone from the branch that was massacred escaped and personally identified Ning Yanwang as the culprit."

Upon hearing that Jiang Ning was responsible for the massacre at the Beggars' Sect branch, the others roared in disbelief.