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

Page 214

No matter what, they are all disciples of the Mount Tai Sect, so it's really hard to talk about their discord.

"Oh? Why is that?"

Jiang Ning asked the question knowing the answer already.

Seeing Jiang Ning's persistent questioning, Fa Xing's expression became somewhat conflicted. However, after recalling what Daoist Tian Song had told him yesterday that Jiang Ning's identity was extraordinary and that he should try to build a good relationship with Jiang Ning, Fa Xing hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.

"Actually, junior brother, you don't know this. Although we are all fellow disciples, Grandmaster Yuji and his group are not on good terms with my master and Uncle Tianmen. The relationship among us disciples is also very tense."

Jiang Ning nodded upon hearing this and asked, "Why are Senior Yu Jizi and the others at odds with Master Tianmen?"

Fa Xing pondered for a moment and said, "Actually, I don't know either. I've only heard my senior brothers mention it. It seems to have started from the generation of our grandmaster. It is said that when our grandmaster's master handed over the position of sect leader to our grandmaster, Grand Uncle Yu Ji and the others were not satisfied. Until our grandmaster passed the position of sect leader to our grand-uncle before he passed away, Grand Uncle Yu Ji and the others were even more dissatisfied."

“They felt that their grandmaster had ulterior motives and wanted to monopolize the position of sect leader in our lineage, so they have been opposing their grandmaster ever since he became sect leader.”

The strained relationship between the elders also affected their disciples. The relationship between the disciples of Master Tianmen and the disciples of Yujizi's lineage was also very tense. But at least they could maintain a superficial peace before. What really brought the two sides to the current situation was Master Tianmen's return from Shaanxi.

"I heard that the Songshan Sect proposed merging the Five Sacred Mountains into one sect at Mount Hua. Junior Brother should know this as well."

Fa Xing then spoke.

"Ah."

Jiang Ning nodded; of course he knew, he was there at the time.

Fa Xing continued, "My senior uncle would never agree to the merger, but Grand Uncle Yu Ji and the others want to merge. After they came back, they kept telling us how good the merger would be, and that their disciples had already agreed to it, but we don't agree."

At this point, Fa Xing's expression became resolute: "Our Taishan Sect has been passed down for three hundred years. This merger would sever the lineage of our Taishan Sect. We will never agree to the merger."

"After Uncle Tianmen returned, he heard the news and had a few arguments with Grand Uncle Yuji and the others. Not long after, Grand Uncle and the others passed away, reportedly from a serious illness."

The Heavenly Gate Daoist dealt with Yu Jizi and the others in secret. No one knew about it except his fellow disciples, not even his own disciples like Fa Xing.

Since the deaths of Yu Jizi and the others, their disciples have suspected that Tianmen Daoren was responsible for their deaths, although there is no evidence. Nevertheless, the relationship between the two sides has deteriorated rapidly. In addition, their differing ideologies have led to one side agreeing to merge with the other while the other disagrees, making the already strained relationship even more irreconcilable.

The disciples under Yu Jizi and his group have gradually drifted apart from the disciples of Master Tianmen's lineage, resulting in the situation we see today.

"Qingsong and the others thought that Grandmaster Yuji was killed by Senior Uncle Tianmen, so they were very hostile towards us, but didn't we also hate them?"

Fa Xing sneered, "Our Taishan Sect has been passed down for hundreds of years. Grandmaster Uncle Yuji and the others said they would merge the sect and that's it. They want to destroy the foundation of the Taishan Sect. Let's not talk about whether they were killed by our grandmaster uncle. Even if they were, so what? What's the difference between what they did and betraying the Taishan Sect? Grandmaster Uncle Tianmen is good at dealing with people like them."

After talking with Jiang Ning yesterday and today, Fa Xing had a very good impression of him. He talked a lot without realizing it, and now his emotions were running high, so he blurted out these words. Even though he realized it was inappropriate, he did not change his words, but just stopped talking.

"..."

Listening to Faxing's words, Jiang Ning keenly noticed a fact.

It's likely that there are quite a few disciples in Master Tianmen's lineage who share the same thoughts as Faxing.

Those disciples who disagreed with the merger probably harbored not only hatred towards those who did agree, but also murderous intent towards them.

Jiang Ning had not expected that the conflict between the two sides had escalated to this point.

Based on what he has observed so far, if Tianmen Daoist continues to suppress this matter, it won't be long before internal strife breaks out in the Taishan Sect.

The lineage of Tianmen Daoren has more than 200 people, while the lineage of Yujizi has more than 150 people. If the two sides really break out into internal strife, the consequences for the Taishan Sect may not only be a severe blow to its vitality, but may even lead to its complete collapse.

The Huashan Sect suffered a setback in the past due to a dispute over sword energy, and has not recovered for decades.

For the rest of the journey, Faxing remained silent, seemingly in a bad mood. He only briefly mentioned the stories of the strange points along the way, and the two finally arrived at Jade Emperor Peak.

Jade Emperor Peak is the summit of Mount Tai, with an altitude of over 1,500 meters.

"Junior brother, look."

Faxing pointed to a stele in the northwest corner of the Jade Emperor Hall.

"That is where the ancient emperors set up an altar to offer sacrifices to Heaven."

Jiang Ning was also admiring the scenery at the top of Mount Tai.

Looking out from the top of Mount Tai, the clouds surge and roll. To the east, you can see the sun hanging above the clouds, and to the west, you can see the Yellow River, like a jade belt.

Jiang Ning looked up and gazed into the distance. The sun high in the sky shone brightly, and the scorching light made Jiang Ning unconsciously squint.

Ancient emperors believed that the summit of Mount Tai was the closest place to heaven and the sun, making it the most suitable place for the Fengshan ceremony.

“It’s a really nice place.”

Looking at the dazzling sun in the sky, Jiang Ning said.

Chapter 296: Factional Conflicts

After pausing for a while at the Jade Emperor Peak, Jiang Ning and Fa Xing finally descended the mountain.

The process of going up and down the mountain was not difficult for Jiangning, but it was a bit tough for Faxing.

He was just an ordinary disciple of Mount Tai, and his strength was only at the third-rate level.

After descending from Jade Emperor Peak, Faxing bid farewell to Jiangning and returned to recuperate on his leg.

It was dinnertime, and Jiang Ning planned to visit the Taishan Sect's canteen to see what it was like and experience the atmosphere. However, when he arrived at the canteen, he found it to be quite deserted.

It's not that there weren't many people; there were many, but everyone was silent, and hardly anyone spoke.

The hall was full of people, divided into two groups from the center. One group consisted of Taishan disciples dressed in mourning clothes, and the other group consisted of Taishan disciples in Taoist robes. Each group kept to its own boundaries and did not disturb the other. No one spoke, except for the occasional sound of someone chewing food.

Jiang Ning, holding his food, looked at the scene in the lobby and smacked his lips.

He thought that this must have been the scene when the disciples of the Sword Sect and Qi Sect of the Huashan School ate more than 20 years ago.

Jiang Ning shook his head, sat down at a table to eat, and soon after, the voice of Tianmen Daoist rang out behind him.

"How is it? Do you like the food from Shandong?"

Jiang Ning turned around and smiled, "That's good, Uncle-Master."

He wasn't picky about food; he ate whatever was available and wasn't picky about his taste. As long as the food wasn't too bad, Jiang Ning thought it was fine.

"Ah."

Daoist Tianmen nodded, then sat down with his food. The Taishan disciples beside him hurriedly tried to get up to pay their respects, but Daoist Tianmen stopped them, telling them to eat in peace. Only then did he speak to Jiang Ning.

"Aren't you worried about Master Yue, traveling alone?"

Jiang Ning took a bite of rice and then smiled, "I've traveled down the mountain twice before, so Master doesn't need to worry about me."

Tianmen Daoist shook his head and said, "That's different. The demoness's subordinates have only surrounded Mount Hua for a short time. Aren't you afraid that the demoness will send people to hunt you down if you leave Mount Hua alone?"

Jiang Ning laughed: "It would be better if she came after me, saving me the trouble of looking for her."

"Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers."

Tianmen Daoist shook his head and cautioned, "The world is dangerous, unlike what you experience on Mount Hua. Be careful in everything you do and don't trust others too easily. People like you who travel alone in the world are most likely to be targeted by others. Although your martial arts are high, there are some methods that cannot be prevented by high martial arts. The malice of people's hearts is far more terrifying than martial arts."

"Don't worry, Uncle-Master, I understand."

Jiang Ning nodded.

The Taoist Master Tianmen only gave one instruction before asking, "Where do you plan to go next?"

Jiang Ning said, "I have no specific purpose. My main purpose in coming down the mountain this time is to temper my mind and, incidentally, to help a junior brother with some issues."

Which junior brother?

The Taoist of Tianmen asked in confusion.

"Lin Pingzhi".

"It's him?"

Tianmen Daoist remembered that he was also present when Yue Buqun treated Cheng Buyou last time, and he also knew about Lin Pingzhi.

Jiang Ning then revealed the list.

Tianmen Daoist looked at him strangely and suddenly asked, "Let me see that list of yours."

"Okay, Senior Uncle."

Jiang Ning took out the list from his pocket and handed it over. Tianmen Daoist opened the list and began to read it.

"Li Qingwu, Li Yuan, Hu Yu..."

The Taoist priest of the Heavenly Gate murmured the name on the tablet, and after a while, he asked in confusion.

What do the checkmarks after these names mean? Why are some missing and others missing?

Jiang Ning explained, "Those names that are checked are places that my junior apprentice has already visited."

"..."

The Taoist priest Tianmen was speechless for a moment before saying, "Is this the Book of Life and Death?"

Hearing Tianmen Daoist's seemingly sarcastic remark, Jiang Ning gave an awkward laugh.

"what?"

The Taoist priest suddenly let out a soft exclamation and pointed to a name on the list.

"Isn't Zhao Tianlai in Luoyang? Luoyang is very close to Mount Hua, so why didn't you go to Luoyang first, but instead went to Yangzhou first?"

Jiang Ning's route can be seen from this piece of paper. He first went to Yangzhou, which is far away, and then to Jinan. He didn't go to Luoyang, which is the closest city.

"I plan to go last."

Jiangning Road.

This Zhao Tianlai is different from the others on the list, and his relationship with the Lin family is also extraordinary. Lin Pingzhi hates this person the most, and Jiang Ning plans to deal with him last.

Based on his timeline, he should be able to run into Yue Buqun's group heading to Mount Song when he goes to Luoyang. At that time, he will personally take Lin Pingzhi to Meijian Manor.

"Oh."

Tianmen Daoist nodded without saying anything, then handed the paper back. Watching Jiang Ning put the paper back into his pocket, his gaze still held a strange look.

I didn't mean anything by it, it's just that Jiang Ning's actions left me speechless.

He had never seen anything like it before.

"Uncle-Master, you..."

Jiang Ning planned to remind Tianmen Daoist of the current problems of the Taishan Sect. After all, his Huashan Sect had also experienced internal strife in the past. He hoped to use the example of the sword qi dispute in the Huashan Sect to warn Tianmen Daoist.

Ignoring these people won't work; it will only escalate the conflict.

But just as Jiang Ning was about to speak, several more Taoist priests walked in from outside the hall, one of whom Jiang Ning recognized somewhat.

It was the same Taoist Tianqi I had met at the Debao Martial Arts School a few days ago.

After entering the hall, the group saw Tianmen Daoist and Jiang Ning. The others didn't react much, but Tianqi Daoist couldn't help but snort coldly upon seeing Jiang Ning.

The image of Jiang Ning asking him what face he had was still vivid in his mind.

"He doesn't even bow to his elders. It seems this is the upbringing of the Huashan Sect. He's a good disciple taught by Sect Leader Yue."

Daoist Tianqi let out a cold laugh, his tone somewhat sarcastic.

The people traveling with him looked at him in surprise, then turned their attention to Jiang Ning, who was standing next to Tianmen Daoist. Those who had been to Mount Hua recognized Jiang Ning.

Immediately, someone echoed this sentiment.

"I'm afraid they think they're too good at martial arts and look down on us elders. After all, they're the pride of heaven, and they're already top-notch at such a young age. It's normal for them to look down on their seniors."

At this moment, another person sighed dramatically and said, "That's why the Left Alliance Leader's merger of factions is still very important. At least it can educate some disciples so that they know they should pay respects to their elders. Otherwise, what good is high martial arts? They're still just barbarians who don't know manners."

These people, working together, began to slander Jiangning.

Even though Jiang Ning hasn't said anything yet, they've already started verbally attacking him.

Before Jiang Ning could speak, Tianmen Daoist's expression darkened, and he was about to speak.

"The face of a petty person."

Just then, a voice came from a table not far away.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was very clear.

Tian Qi and the others' expressions darkened, and they looked in the direction of the voice, where one of them immediately shouted.

"Tian Song! What did you mean by that just now?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a figure stood up; it was none other than Daoist Tiansong.

Daoist Tiansong looked at the group with a cold smile.