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

Page 344

Fang Sheng nodded. "Yes, but most of them are disciples from below. Almost all the top experts above are dead, with only one, Daoist Songwen, managing to escape."

Fang Zheng inquired, "Where is he now? Can we find him?"

Fang Sheng shook his head. "Song Wen disappeared after escaping from Mount Emei that night. My junior brother has been searching for him all this time, but to no avail."

Upon hearing his junior brother's words, Fang Zheng fell into deep thought.

Fang Sheng suddenly asked, "Has that Pine Pattern Daoist arrived...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Fang Zheng looked up at him.

Fang Sheng shut his mouth and remained silent.

After a long time.

"It seems they went into hiding after escaping down the mountain decades ago. It's quite surprising that they now have the strength to wipe out the Emei disciples of the Golden Light Master's lineage in one fell swoop."

Fang Zheng spoke slowly, his face expressionless and his tone unwavering, leaving no one knowing what he was thinking.

Fang Sheng looked at him. "Senior brother, now that those people from Emei have returned, could it be that they know what happened back then...?"

Fang Zheng shook his head. "No."

"After that senior from the Emei Sect returned to Emei, there was no news of her, and the Emei Sect did not react. It is likely that they did not know about it, otherwise it would not have been kept quiet for so many years. Later, no evidence was found from her after her death, so it is unlikely."

Fang Sheng frowned. "But those nuns were rather cold towards Shaolin before, it's hard to say what they might do..."

Fang Zheng was also puzzled, but still shook his head. "They probably think that Master Jin Guang is on good terms with Shaolin, which is why they are somewhat disgusted and wary of Shaolin."

Upon hearing this, Fang Sheng still felt that something was amiss.

"Junior brother, I understand what you mean."

Fang Zheng looked at him and said, "No matter what, things have already come to this point. Whether they know or not, it won't affect us. We just need to pay more attention to Emei from now on."

Fang Sheng's brows relaxed, he nodded, and then brought up another matter. "Senior brother, we previously contacted the Hengshan and Hengshan sects, trying to win them over to our Shaolin. However, although Master Mo Da's words were full of praise and flattery for our Shaolin, he had no intention of getting close to us, and the same was true for Abbess Dingxian."

Fang Zheng thought for a moment and then said, "They probably haven't been separated from the Five Mountains Sword Sect for long and haven't gotten over the idea of ​​the Five Mountains Alliance yet. Once the pressure from the Demonic Sect is put on them, they will know what to do."

"We can talk about this later. There's no rush to win over both factions. There's plenty of time later."

Planning something or a plan is never something that can be accomplished overnight; it requires sufficient patience and time.

Fang Zheng was very clear about this.

Chapter 460: Heaven and Earth Are Impartial

"Ok."

Fang Sheng nodded.

This is something that certainly cannot be accomplished in a short time.

"Any news from the Demonic Sect?"

Fang Zheng brought up this question again.

Upon hearing this, Fang Sheng put aside his thoughts and replied, "At present, we still don't know exactly how Ren Woxing escaped, but it should be that Xiang Wentian and Ren Yingying rescued him secretly."

Fang Zheng nodded.

Fang Sheng frowned. "Logically speaking, since Dongfang Bubai has trapped Ren Woxing, he shouldn't have been rescued so easily by Xiang Wentian and Ren Yingying. This doesn't fit his methods."

Fang Zheng was also unaware of Dongfang Bubai's thoughts.

Fang Sheng sighed. "Since Dongfang Bubai became the leader of the Demonic Sect, the sect has been much more peaceful. However, Ren Woxing has returned to the martial world. Judging from his character, the martial world is about to face another catastrophe."

"There's no need to worry too much now."

Fang Zheng then said, "Although Ren Woxing has escaped, the Demonic Sect is now divided. Ren Woxing must hate Dongfang Bubai the most right now. Ren Woxing has countless followers, and the two sides have an irreconcilable hatred. I think they will fight each other soon, which may not be a bad thing for our righteous path."

"That's what senior brother said."

Fang Sheng nodded, then sighed.

"It's a pity that Jiang Ning was indeed very talented. If he could have joined Shaolin, he would have been able to lead Shaolin to greater strength in the future. But now he has died at the hands of the Demonic Sect. What a waste of such a promising talent."

Fang Sheng couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

He genuinely wanted Jiang Ning to join Shaolin Temple, after all, Jiang Ning's talent was truly exceptional.

Fang Zheng, however, took it in stride.

"Junior brother, you are obsessed with it."

Fang Sheng didn't understand why Fang Zheng was saying that, so he lowered his head. "Please enlighten me, Senior Brother."

Fang Zheng stood up and stretched, then turned to look out the window. "Everyone talks about the martial world, but what exactly is the martial world? You and I are both in the martial world, or rather, we are all part of the martial world."

"The martial arts world is a torrent, and there may be one or two geniuses who stand on the top of the torrent with their own talents, enjoying the attention of the crowd. That is infinitely glorious, but also infinitely dangerous."

Fang Zheng shook his head and sighed, then continued.

"Take Jiang Ning for example. He became famous at a young age, and his martial arts skills were superb. He was well-known in the martial arts world. Who didn't know him? But what was the final result?"

Fang Zheng shook his head. "No matter what kind of genius one is, no matter how much one stirs up the tide in such a torrent, one can never escape the torrent. If one is not careful, one will be submerged by the torrent and never be able to stand up again."

Fang Sheng understood the meaning of Fang Zheng.

"I understand what you mean, senior brother. I just feel it's a pity that Jiang Ning has such talent. If he could join Shaolin, Shaolin could become even stronger."

Fang Zheng shook his head again. "You still don't understand."

"The development and growth of a sect is the result of the accumulation of countless heroes over hundreds of years. It is not achieved overnight, nor is it the achievement of one person. Is the development of any sect to its current state due to the merits of any one person? It is the foundation accumulated by countless predecessors over hundreds of years."

"Without such a foundation, one person alone could not have accomplished these things. If you think that Jiang Ning's talent will allow him to dominate the martial arts world in the future, and you want him to join my Shaolin Temple to strengthen the Shaolin Temple, then you are making a big mistake."

"Shaolin has stood for a thousand years without falling because of the invincible martial arts of any one person."

"So what if his martial arts are unparalleled? What about Dongfang Bubai? Without tens of thousands of followers under his command, how much of the martial arts world could he change by himself?"

Not to mention that Jiang Ning is already dead. Even if he were alive, how much could he change? Even if he were to develop his talent, he would just be another Dongfang Bubai, and wouldn't have much impact on Shaolin.

"It would be unprecedented for one person to be able to strengthen or overwhelm Shaolin. Even Wudang, founded by Zhang Sanfeng, the founder of Wudang, was only on par with Shaolin at its peak. So what now?"

Fang Zheng wore a faint smile. "Looking at the past is clearer than looking at the future. Even someone as brilliant as Master Zhang can only do so much. How many Master Zhangs are there in this world?"

Zhang Sanfeng's talent is so rare that it's hard to find someone like him even once in hundreds of years. Fang Zheng doesn't believe that anyone can reach Zhang Sanfeng's level now.

Jiangning?

That's giving him too much credit, and besides, he's already a handful of dust now.

Fang Zheng shook his head inwardly.

He did appreciate Jiang Ning's talent, and it would be great to bring him into Shaolin, but it wouldn't matter if he didn't.

If I gain it, I am fortunate; if I lose it, it will have no impact.

Fang Sheng bowed his head and clasped his hands together. "Junior brother, I have learned much."

Fang Zheng naturally wouldn't scold Fang Sheng. Fang Sheng was his junior brother for many years and had done a lot for him. All he needed to do was correct Fang Sheng's thinking.

"By the way, senior brother, with such a huge change happening in Emei this time, shouldn't we do something?"

Fang Sheng asked.

Fang Zheng thought for a moment and shook his head. "Now is not the right time."

"Wait."

……

Mount Emei was covered in snow in December.

The Golden Summit Temple, located at the summit of Mount Emei, is surrounded by clouds and mist. Enveloped in clouds and mist, the Golden Summit Temple is magnificent and resplendent, like a palace in the sky.

From a distance, the surging sea of ​​clouds resembles a fairyland, and a red sun on the horizon dyes the sky golden-red. Such a spectacular sight is truly rare in the world.

It didn't snow on Mount Emei today, and Jiang Ning sat in a rocking chair outside, basking in the long-awaited sun.

The sun was high in the sky, and its rays fell on Jiang Ning, giving his face a golden hue and casting a halo around the book in his hand.

"When everyone recognizes beauty as beauty, ugliness is already present; when everyone recognizes goodness as goodness, evil is already present. Therefore, existence and non-existence arise from each other..."

Jiang Ning gently turned the pages of the book, softly reading the words on it.

What he was reading was none other than the Tao Te Ching.

Jiang Ning's Innate Skill has now reached the fourth level, and his body can now circulate the Innate Skill on its own. He gets stronger every moment he breathes and sleeps, so he doesn't need to spend as much time practicing as before.

This doesn't mean Jiang Ning doesn't need to practice anymore; he'll continue practicing as usual. It's just that at his current level, focusing solely on practicing won't lead to significant improvement. So, Jiang Ning might as well find something to do to improve his mental state.

For example, reading books.

He loved reading even when he was weak, and that hasn't changed to this day.

"Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs; the sage is ruthless, treating the people like straw dogs..."

Jiang Ning then flipped to this spot.

Most people in the world misunderstand this statement as meaning that Heaven and Earth are heartless, treating all things as straw dogs, that sages are heartless, treating the people as straw dogs, and that Heaven and Earth and sages are ruthless.

But in reality, this is not the case. The true meaning of this statement is that Heaven and Earth have no preference for any of the things in the world, and the sage has no preference for any of the people in the world.

This is not heartlessness, but fairness, impartiality, and treating all things in the world equally.

Only by truly understanding this point can one grasp its meaning.

Having read this, Jiang Ning closed the book, got up from the rocking chair, and prepared to go back to his room.

Chapter 461: Arrival at Wudang (19/26)

"Senior brother."

At this moment, Lin Pingzhi came from a distance, seemingly carrying something in his hands.

Lin Pingzhi has been coming quite frequently during this period, mostly to ask questions about martial arts.

In fact, it wasn't just Lin Pingzhi; Lu Dayou, Liang Fa, and other Huashan disciples also came frequently, as did disciples from the Hengshan, Taishan, Hengshan, and Emei sects.

Jiang Ning had met the disciples of Hengshan and Taishan several times and was quite familiar with them. When they learned that Jiang Ning was alive and had returned, they all came to visit him to congratulate him and ask him for martial arts advice. Jiang Ning was not very familiar with the disciples of Hengshan and Emei, but he welcomed them all and did not refuse their requests for advice.

It's fair to say that Jiangning has been quite busy lately.

Yue Buqun, Master Mo Da, Abbess Qingzhu, and other sect leaders were all pleased to see this happen.

After all, Jiang Ning's martial arts skills are very high, and he holds an extraordinary position in the Huashan Sect. Being able to befriend him would benefit their disciples and enhance the friendship between the sects.

"Junior Brother Lin, is something the matter?"

Jiang Ning was not surprised to see Lin Pingzhi.

"Senior brother."

Lin Pingzhi jogged over, looking like he was running quite fast, with a fine layer of sweat on his temples.

“Senior brother, winter has arrived. I noticed that you are dressed in thin clothes and have not prepared any winter clothes. I was afraid that you would catch a cold, so I gave you this crane cloak.”

A smile appeared on Lin Pingzhi's face, and he then unfolded his crane cloak.

The crane cloak, as the name suggests, is a coat made of crane feathers.

However, crane cloaks are usually made from a type of waterbird similar to a crane, so the colors vary.

The crane cloak that Lin Pingzhi gave him was pure white, without a single blemish, clearly different from ordinary crane cloaks. It was a crane cloak made of genuine crane feathers, and was extremely valuable.

Jiang Ning glanced at it and said to Lin Pingzhi, "Thank you for your kindness, Junior Brother Lin, but it's not necessary."

He has now entered the fourth level of the Innate Skill, and his physical strength is incomparable to that of ordinary people. It can be said that diseases are no longer a problem for him, let alone minor illnesses such as catching a cold.

Even in the dead of winter, Jiang Ning could walk in the snow wearing only a single layer of clothing without any effect, as his innate skill would automatically circulate within his body to resist the severe cold.

"Senior brother, this is a token of my junior brother's appreciation."

Lin Pingzhi said repeatedly, "Senior brother avenged my family's death, and also sought justice for me and Uncle Cheng from those who besieged us. He also took the blame for the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual. I have no way to repay your great kindness and virtue. I can only express my gratitude in small way. I hope you will not refuse."

Jiang Ning thought for a moment. "Then thank you for your kindness, Junior Brother Lin."

Lin Pingzhi was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly.