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

Linghu Chong breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled, "Yes, Master."

Yue Buqun ignored him and turned to leave.

Linghu Chong only called out to Jiang Ning after Yue Buqun's figure had disappeared completely.

"Junior brother, junior brother."

Linghu Chong looked at Jiang Ning with a curious expression: "Who won just now, you or Master?"

Jiang Ning smiled but didn't say anything, and left as well.

"Why won't you say anything?"

Linghu Chong couldn't help but smack his lips.

Could it be that the junior brother won? No, if the junior brother won, then what about the laughter they heard from Master earlier?

Did Master win?

That doesn't make sense either. If Master had won, he wouldn't be smiling so happily.

Linghu Chong sighed helplessly.

I originally wanted to see who was more powerful, my junior brother or my master, but now it's all a mystery.

Ok?

Linghu Chong's eyes suddenly lit up.

He didn't know the outcome, but someone else did.

Grand Uncle was living in seclusion on Jade Maiden Peak, so he must have seen it.

Next time, I'll take out two jars of wine that I hid in the cave of Contemplation and invite my Grand Master Uncle to drink with me, and also ask him about it.

Linghu Chong was making plans in his mind.

Yue Lingshan looked at Linghu Chong with a puzzled expression.

She watched as Linghu Chong's expression shifted between dejection and joy, as if he were going mad.

"Senior Brother, are you alright?"

Yue Lingshan was somewhat worried about Linghu Chong's mental state.

Could it be that his father scolded him so badly that he's gone stupid?

Linghu Chong, regaining his senses, chuckled.

"It's alright, it's alright, let's go."

……

When Jiang Ning returned to his residence, he couldn't find Maodou anywhere. He wondered where it had gone to play again.

Pushing open the door, the furnishings inside were exactly the same as when Jiang Ning left. The pillows and blankets on the bed were neatly folded, the desk and floor were dust-free, and the room was very clean.

It must have been Liu Zhao who frequently came to clean when he wasn't around.

Jiang Ning had just placed the Zhenwu Sword on the table when a voice sounded outside.

"Master."

It was Liu Zhao's voice.

"Come in."

Jiang Ning gave a signal, and Liu Zhao then entered.

Jiang Ning looked at him. It had been almost a year since they last met. Liu Zhao had grown much taller, and his appearance was no longer as childish as before. His facial features were now clearly defined.

"Disciple Liu Zhao greets Master."

After Liu Zhao entered the room, he bowed respectfully to Jiang Ning.

"Ah."

Jiang Ning asked, "Have you eaten?"

Liu Zhao nodded: "This disciple has already eaten."

Jiang Ning nodded and didn't say anything more. After a while, Lin Pingzhi also arrived.

"Senior brother."

Lin Pingzhi looked at Jiang Ning with a look of surprise and delight.

Jiang Ning smiled and said, "Junior Brother Lin, it's been a long time."

"Did you have a smooth journey, Senior Brother?"

Lin Pingzhi asked with concern.

Jiang Ning nodded to indicate that everything was alright, and then began to talk about the Golden Saber Sect in Luoyang.

"The Demonic Sect has withdrawn from Luoyang, and the Golden Saber Sect is now safe and sound. Old Master Wang said he would bring his family to visit Mount Hua in a while, and that would be a good time to see you."

Lin Pingzhi stood up with a solemn expression and bowed to Jiang Ning: "Thank you, Senior Brother, for saving my maternal grandfather's family."

Jiang Ning laughed and said, "We are brothers, so there's no need for thanks. Besides, even if it weren't for the Golden Saber Sect, I would still have taken action."

The two then chatted about other things. Lin Pingzhi said that the children he brought back from the Yanping branch had been taken care of in Huaming Village. Although their disabilities were incurable, at least they could survive.

The two were talking, and Liu Zhao was listening quietly, though he would occasionally chime in.

This is somewhat different from before. In the past, Liu Zhao would have remained silent in this situation.

"Junior brother and nephew will not disturb senior brother's rest."

Lin Pingzhi got up after sitting for a short while.

Jiang Ning has just returned and should need to rest, so Lin Pingzhi is preparing to leave with Liu Zhao.

"Ah."

Jiang Ning nodded, watching the two leave, his gaze lingering on Liu Zhao's retreating figure.

The child seems much more cheerful now.

Jiang Ning sat at his desk and looked at the books on it before going back to bed to rest. When he woke up again, it was already dark outside.

Remembering that he would be having dinner at his master's place that evening, Jiang Ning got up and headed towards the Suoyoubuwei Pavilion.

"Junior brother is here? Please sit down, please sit down. We can eat in a little while."

When Jiang Ning arrived, he found that Linghu Chong was already there helping out.

It's called being an assistant, but really it just means helping to serve the dishes.

"I guess I arrived at just the right time."

Jiang Ning sat down and smiled.

"Master was planning to have me go and call you, but I didn't expect you to arrive before I even got there."

Linghu Chong chuckled.

"By the way, where are Master and Mistress?"

Jiang Ning discovered that Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze were nowhere to be seen.

"My master's wife is cooking in the kitchen, and my master is helping her."

Linghu Chong replied casually.

Ok?

Jiang Ning was somewhat surprised.

Yue Buqun personally went into the kitchen? That's quite rare.

"Then I'll go help too."

Jiang Ning got up and was about to go to the kitchen when Yue Buqun's voice rang out from not far away.

"No need, it's already done. Please sit down."

Yue Buqun, Ning Zhongze, and Yue Lingshan all came in carrying dishes.

"Please sit down, everyone."

Yue Buqun invited the group to sit down, and judging from his smiling face, he was in a good mood.

Chapter 585: Let them beg their fill

"You haven't been back for so long, I wonder if you've been eating well outside. Eat well this time."

Ning Zhongze also had a big smile on her face.

"Yes, Master's wife."

As soon as Linghu Chong sat down, he praised Ning Zhongze's cooking skills: "To be honest, what I've missed most since I've been away for so long is my master's wife's cooking."

Ning Zhongze laughed as well: "Eat more if you like it."

The atmosphere was cheerful and harmonious.

"Master."

At this moment, Jiang Ning looked at Yue Buqun and brought up something.

"When my senior brother and I returned to the mountain today, we found a lot of beggars in the village at the foot of the mountain. They were all members of the Beggars' Clan. I heard from other senior brothers that they deliberately arranged for these beggars to undermine the prestige of our Huashan Sect?"

Yue Buqun also put down his chopsticks, his brows furrowed.

"good."

Linghu Chong exclaimed, "Master, these Beggars' Clan members claim to be righteous, but they do all sorts of heinous things behind the scenes. Now they're bullying us again. Why don't we just kill them?"

Yue Buqun shook his head.

"It's not that simple."

So far, although those beggars have caused trouble in various villages, they have only been begging and have not done anything else to harm the villagers. At most, they have caused inconvenience to the villagers' lives. Yue Buqun has not been able to find an excuse or reason to drive them away or kill them.