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

At this moment, Chongxu on Wudang Mountain was receiving people who had come from the capital.

"You have come from afar, sir. I am sorry for not being able to greet you properly. Please forgive me."

Inside the main hall.

Chongxu bowed to a eunuch.

The eunuch who arrived was not presumptuous. After returning the greeting, he smiled and said, "Master Chongxu, I have come on His Majesty's orders."

Chongxu asked curiously, "What are Your Majesty's orders?"

The eunuch laughed and said, "It wasn't an order, His Majesty asked me to deliver a piece of calligraphy to the Taoist priest."

As soon as the eunuch raised his hand, his attendant stepped forward with a tray in both hands.

Upon seeing this, Chongxu wanted to kneel down to express his gratitude, but was stopped by the eunuch.

“Master Chongxu, there’s no need for such formality. His Majesty said this is just a gift for you. You don’t need to make such a big deal out of it.”

Upon hearing this, Chongxu's expression turned solemn. He bowed respectfully towards the direction of the capital and said, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

Chongxu then solemnly took the tray from the attendant's hands.

At this moment, the eunuch laughed and said, "Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has never bestowed any rewards upon other high-ranking officials, let alone this calligraphy in His Majesty's own hand. This shows how much His Majesty values ​​the Taoist priest."

"I am deeply honored."

Chongxu said, "Since you have come from afar, why don't you stay at Wudang Mountain for a few days? I will be happy to entertain you."

The eunuch smiled and waved his hand, saying, "I need to return to the palace as soon as possible to report to His Majesty, so I won't stay any longer."

This eunuch came quickly and left in a hurry. He left immediately after completing his task, without lingering or accepting any gifts from Wudang. He was quite unique.

After seeing off the eunuch and his entourage, Chongxu returned to the mountain. The other Taoists had been waiting for a long time and came forward to greet him when he returned.

"Sect Leader, the Emperor has presented you with a calligraphy scroll, which shows that our Wudang Sect is still important in the Emperor's heart."

One of the Taoist priests couldn't hide his joy as he spoke.

Other Taoist priests also spoke up.

"Yes, the emperor summoned the sect leader shortly after ascending the throne and even presented him with gifts. This shows that the current emperor is different from the previous one, and our Wudang sect will definitely receive more support from the court in the future!"

These Taoist priests had differing opinions, but their basic stance was the same: the current emperor valued Wudang highly, and Wudang was likely to receive the emperor's support in the future.

Chongxu remained calm at this moment, as this incident had somewhat alleviated the melancholy caused by the Zhenwu Sword.

"Sect Leader, quickly take a look at what the Emperor has written in the calligraphy bestowed upon us."

One of the Taoist priests urged him on, and the other Taoist priests echoed his sentiments.

"Yes, Sect Leader."

Chongxu nodded.

It was difficult to check the message when the eunuch who delivered it was still alive, but now it can be checked.

Chongxu lifted the red cloth covering him, but his expression froze the next second.

"Only the sky is above, and no mountain can compare..."

The Taoist priest who saw the calligraphy read the words aloud.

The other Taoist priests were puzzled after hearing this.

"Isn't this Kou Zhun's poem about Mount Hua? How did the emperor give us this calligraphy?"

All the Taoist priests looked at Chongxu, wanting to see how he would explain their questions.

At this moment, Chongxu's mind was in turmoil, but his face remained calm.

“When I entered the palace, I happened to see the emperor writing this calligraphy. At that time, the emperor asked me to evaluate his calligraphy. I suppose that is why the emperor gave this calligraphy to me.”

Chongxu said without changing his expression.

"I see."

The other Taoist priests nodded and said nothing more.

They no longer had any doubts, but Chongxu's heart was already filled with ripples.

The things he said to Zhu Houzhao were known only to him; no one else knew. Only Chongxu knew that Zhu Houzhao and Jiang Ning of the Huashan Sect knew each other. In fact, according to Zhu Houzhao, their relationship could even be described as that of close friends.

Just as news broke in the martial arts world that the Zhenwu Sword of his Wudang Sect was in Jiang Ning's hands, Zhu Houzhao sent someone to deliver this calligraphy. Especially at this critical juncture, Chongxu absolutely did not believe it was a coincidence.

What did Zhu Houzhao want to remind him of?

Chongxu was deep in thought, but his emotions remained unseen. Zhu Houzhao's gift of the calligraphy seemed to be just an interlude, and Chongxu made no further moves in the following days.

This prompted other Taoist priests to admire Chongxu's composure in the face of both favor and disgrace, as he remained unmoved even in the face of the emperor's grace.

Chongxu had no idea what others thought of him; only he knew what he had been feeling these past few days since receiving the calligraphy from Zhu Houzhao.

But on this day, Chongxu received something else.

It was a letter sent by the Huashan Sect.

"Sect Leader, Sect Leader."

The same old Taoist priest who had consulted with Chongxu earlier hurriedly ran towards Chongxu's residence.

"A letter has arrived from the Huashan Sect."

The old Taoist priest held a letter in his hand and said excitedly.

After waiting for so many days, the letter from the Huashan Sect finally arrived.

Upon hearing this news, Chongxu felt a tightness in his chest. Instead of feeling joy, he adopted a cautious attitude and said...

"Let me see."

After Chongxu took the letter from the old Taoist priest, he opened the envelope and quickly scanned the contents, but his expression grew increasingly solemn.

The old Taoist priest standing to the side looked on with a puzzled expression.

Did Yue Buqun impose extremely harsh conditions in his letter?

After Chongxu finished reading, the old Taoist priest finally asked his question.

"Sect Leader, what did Sect Leader Yue say?"

Chongxu looked extremely solemn and didn't speak, but instead handed over the letter.

The old Taoist priest took the letter with a puzzled look and examined it.

Respectfully addressed to Daoist Chongxu.

I opened the letter and felt relieved.

It has been more than a year since I parted ways with you, Master, from Mount Emei. I wonder how you have been lately? Have you heard of the rumors circulating in the martial arts world recently? This matter concerns your sect's Zhenwu Sword.

Previously, my disciple had indeed snatched a sword from Xiang Wentian during the encirclement of the Demonic Sect. The sword was engraved with the words "Zhenwu". After obtaining the sword, I thought of your sect's treasured Zhenwu Sword. However, after talking with the Taoist priest, I learned that your sect's Zhenwu Sword was still on Wudang Mountain. Therefore, I believed that the Zhenwu Sword in my disciple's possession was a fake made by the Demonic Sect, and I stopped paying attention to the matter.

Unexpectedly, Ren Woxing recently claimed that the Zhenwu Sword in his disciple's possession was the lost treasure of your sect. Therefore, after hearing this, Yue wrote a letter to the Taoist priest to inquire about the truth of the matter.

If this is false, then it is a conspiracy by Ren Woxing targeting our righteous sects, intending to sow discord between the Huashan and Wudang factions. The evil cultists have not given up their desire to destroy our righteous path, and there may be more conspiracies targeting Huashan and Wudang in the future. I hope you will be careful and cautious, Daoist.

If this is true, the sword in my disciple's hand is indeed the Zhenwu Sword, the lost treasure of your sect. The Huashan Sect is willing to return it to you in its original form, and my disciple will personally deliver it back to Wudang.

Chapter 597: What to Exchange?

The old Taoist priest was overjoyed after reading all the contents of the letter.

"Sect Leader, Sect Leader Yue is such a good person, he is actually willing to return the True Martial Sword to Wudang."

Chongxu did not respond to the old Taoist's words.

The Zhenwu Sword is their sect's most prized possession, and its symbolic significance goes without saying. It was the sword that their founder, Zhang Sanfeng, carried when he swept away the demons. Later, it was taken away by the Demonic Sect for more than eighty years. In the past hundred years, Wudang has been unable to get it back no matter what they do. Now that the Zhenwu Sword is in the hands of the Huashan Sect, the Huashan Sect is willing to return it in its original form without making any demands. It seems as simple as just having a letter from Chongxu and it will be returned immediately.

but……

Is it really that simple?

It's not that simple, of course.

Although Yue Buqun did not mention any conditions in his letter, Chongxu did not think so.

Even if the leaders of major sects have conditions, they won't say them too obviously; they'll keep them tacitly understood.

However, Chongxu read the letter carefully three or four times but could not find the conditions implied by Yue Buqun, which puzzled him and made him unsure of what the Huashan Sect wanted.

"Why is the sect leader so troubled?"

The old Taoist priest was puzzled when he saw that Chongxu was not happy after reading the letter, but instead became even more solemn.

Chongxu was called back to his senses and shook his head, saying, "It's nothing. I was just thinking about how to reply to Sect Leader Yue about welcoming back the Zhenwu Sword."

The Zhenwu Sword is the most prized treasure of Wudang, with extraordinary symbolic significance. It was taken away by the Demonic Sect more than eighty years ago and is now in the hands of the Huashan Sect. The Huashan Sect intends to return it voluntarily, but problems have arisen as a result.

If the Huashan Sect is willing to return it, can the Wudang Sect accept it directly?

They will inevitably have to express their gratitude with a generous gift, or rather, exchange it.

But this raises another issue.

What can Wudang offer in exchange?

Upon hearing Chongxu's words, the old Taoist priest was also in a dilemma.

You must understand that the Zhenwu Sword is no different from anything else. It is the sword of the founder Zhang Sanfeng and a symbol of sweeping away demons. To get the Zhenwu Sword back, it must be of equal value; otherwise, it would be an offense against the Huashan Sect.

But that's where the difficulty lies.

The Wudang Sect has many valuable items, including martial arts manuals and divine weapons, but only two can truly be compared to the Zhenwu Sword in status.

One is the Tai Chi Classics created by Zhang Sanfeng in his later years, and the other is the Pure Yang Wuji Gong, the highest mental cultivation method of Wudang.

Could we exchange Tai Chi Chuan and sword for the Zhenwu Sword?

Absolutely not. The Tai Chi Classics are a martial art created by Zhang Sanfeng, extremely profound and unfathomable. For Wudang, it is more important than the Zhenwu Sword, and it is impossible to exchange it for the Zhenwu Sword.

As for the Pure Yang Limitless Skill, that's even more impossible. It's the highest internal energy cultivation method of Wudang, the foundation of the Wudang sect. Chongxu would never dare to exchange the Pure Yang Limitless Skill for the True Martial Sword.

The Zhenwu Sword is very important to Wudang, but in the end it is just an external object, and it has a greater symbolic meaning to the Wudang school than the Taijiquan Jing and Chunyang Wuji Gong. Chongxu could not exchange either of those for the Zhenwu Sword.