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

Page 209

This is what the bandits confessed. In the past, after they captured civilians, women, and those who robbed people on the road and took them up the mountain for fun, they would dump the dead here.

At this moment, Jiang Ning looked at this forest, where many white bones were laid out, some of which were already covered with dirt.

Jiang Ning dug a pit and buried the bones before going down the mountain.

……

"Hero, spare my life! Hero, spare my life!"

In a mountain stronghold, several bandits were kowtowing to a man, while corpses littered the surrounding area.

"We were wrong, we will change, we will definitely change, please, heroes, don't kill us."

Hearing the bandits plead for mercy, Jiang Ning shook his head.

"Many people have said this to me, but how can people like you change?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a flash of sword light appeared, and several bandits fell to the ground at the same time, blood gushing from their necks.

Jiang Ning shook his hand to wipe the blood off his sword, then sheathed it.

This was the last mountain stronghold he had swept away. He had been torturing the bandits and they couldn't get any information about the other strongholds, which meant he had wiped out all the surrounding strongholds.

After clearing out the last mountain stronghold, Jiang Ning descended the mountain and headed towards Jinan Prefecture.

In the days that followed, Jiang Ning did not encounter any more bandits who tried to rob him on the way across the mountains. The journey was very smooth until he crossed those mountains and came to a river on the other side.

There was a small town on the banks of this river. Jiang Ning rested in the town for a day before setting off to find a ferry.

"Young master, where are you going?"

A boatman was sitting on his boat waiting to attract customers. When he saw Jiang Ning walking toward the shore, he greeted him warmly.

"Shall we go to Jinan Prefecture?"

Jiangning Road.

"Let's go."

The boatman nodded repeatedly.

After agreeing on the price, Jiang Ning boarded the boat, but the boatman still didn't move.

Jinan Prefecture is a bit far, and it would be too costly to carry just one person at a time, so he planned to carry several more.

"Are there any more people going to Jinan Prefecture? Are there any more people going to Jinan Prefecture?"

The boatman shouted at the top of his lungs.

Before long, several more passengers boarded the ship, also heading to Jinan Prefecture.

"Dear guests, the ship is setting sail. Please be seated."

The boatman gave a shout and then started rowing.

"Hey, have you heard? It seems like all the mountain strongholds within a radius of several hundred miles have been wiped out."

As soon as the group sat down, one of them brought up a topic.

"No, who cleared it? The government?"

"That's what the other person is wondering about," another person said.

"The government? Hmph, if the government could wipe out these mountain strongholds, they would have done so long ago. Why wait until now?"

The person who had spoken earlier chuckled twice, then stopped teasing and said...

"I heard it was done by a mysterious person who wiped out all the surrounding mountain strongholds in one fell swoop."

"real or fake?"

As soon as he said this, everyone else expressed their disbelief.

"This area is full of mountain strongholds. Who has the ability to wipe them all out by himself? I don't believe it."

The person who was questioned shrugged: "I don't believe it either, but many villagers are talking about it. Many people went to those mountain villages to investigate and found that it was indeed true. There are no people left in those mountain villages."

Hearing him say that, the others couldn't help but become curious as well.

"Who did that?"

The first person to speak shook his head: "I don't know, I only know he's very young and a martial arts master. He must be a disciple of some major sect who stepped in to help someone in need."

"This is a good thing."

The others cheered.

“There used to be so many bandits and outlaws here. There was one every mountain, and there were countless of them. Countless innocent people died at the hands of these bandits. Now that they have been wiped out, it’s a good thing for us!”

"Yes, we used to have to take detours when passing through those mountains, but now we can walk through them without worry!"

Jiang Ning was positioned a little distance away from these people, listening to their conversation without showing any expression.

When he was sweeping through those mountain strongholds, he only mentioned his name in Tianfeng Village, and never mentioned it again in the other strongholds. Whether the people who were captured by Zhou Sanchun and other bandits didn't pay attention or forgot, Jiang Ning's name was never mentioned.

But this didn't matter to Jiang Ning. He didn't care about his reputation, and it was good that he wasn't exposed, as it saved him a lot of trouble.

Jiang Ning closed his eyes and took a short nap without listening to their conversation any further.

……

Shandong.

Jinan Prefecture.

"Sir, we have arrived at Jinan Prefecture."

The boatman greeted Jiang Ning and the other passengers warmly.

"Thank you."

Jiang Ning nodded, then disembarked and headed towards Jinan Prefecture.

He planned to rest in Jinan for a day before going to Mount Tai to see the Taoist Tianmen.

Chapter 289: Is No One Supporting Abbess Dingxian?

Jinan Prefecture was the capital of Shandong Province and was very prosperous. After entering Jinan Prefecture, Jiang Ning found that its prosperity was no less than that of Yangzhou.

The streets were bustling with people, and the noise of the marketplace was incessant.

Jiang Ning walked down the street, looking around.

Every place has its own unique characteristics. If Xi'an, the ancient capital of six dynasties, is full of antiquity, then Yangzhou is a city full of picturesque beauty, and Jinan also has its own unique charm.

"The Pavilion of the Immortals?"

Jiang Ning looked at the restaurant in front of him.

There was also a "Descended Immortal Pavilion" in Xi'an Prefecture, where Linghu Chong often went to drink.

Like the Zhexianlou restaurant in Xi'an Prefecture, this Zhexianlou restaurant is also very lively, with people coming and going at the main entrance.

Upon entering the Zhexianlou restaurant, the lobby on the first floor was packed with diners, bustling with noise and chatter.

Jiang Ning sat down at a table, and soon a waiter came over.

"Sir, how many people are in your party?"

The young man said with a smile.

"One."

Jiang Ning said something, and then, without waiting for the waiter to ask him what he wanted to eat, he said, "Bring all the dishes you have here to the table."

The waiter was taken aback.

"All up?"

"Ah."

Jiang Ning nodded.

He hasn't had a proper meal while traveling these past few days.

The man glanced at Jiang Ning.

He didn't think Jiang Ning was there to freeload, but he wondered if Jiang Ning could eat that much.

"Sir, would you like some more wine?"

"No need, please serve the food quickly."

Jiang Ning refused.

He was already a little hungry.

"Okay, wait a minute."

The waiter responded and then left.

Jiang Ning placed the sword on a chair to the side, and after a while, a waiter brought over a pot of tea.

Jiang Ning rinsed the teacup, then took a sip. It was slightly bitter, but with a subtle fragrance.

The taste is ok.

"By the way, the Five Mountains Sword Sects will be holding a new election for their leader in June, which will be held at Mount Song. The Mount Song Sect has sent out invitations to all martial arts practitioners in the world to attend this conference. Are you going?"

At this moment, a few people at a table not far from Jiang Ning started talking about this topic.

"Go, of course you're going! The Five Mountains Sword Sect is changing its leader. This is a big deal. If you don't go this time, who knows when the next opportunity will come?"

"Speaking of which, the Left Leader of the Songshan Sect has been the leader of the alliance for more than ten years, and he's doing just fine. Why does the Five Mountains Sword Sect suddenly want to change its leader?"

"Who knows? Anyway, I have to go and see. Maybe there'll be something interesting to see."

"Who do you think is most likely to become the leader of the Five Mountains Sword Sect this time?"

"I have high hopes for Daoist Tianmen. I believe he will become the new leader of the Five Mountains Sword Sect."

"Oh? Tell me your thoughts."

The person who believed that Tianmen Daoist was capable of becoming the leader of the alliance analyzed: "The Taishan Sect is second only to the Songshan Sect among the Five Sacred Mountains Sword Sects. Tianmen Daoist's strength is one of the top ten masters of the righteous path. I think he is no weaker than the leader of the alliance."

"That's a bad word."

Some people countered his point of view: "Compared to Daoist Tianmen, I think Master Yue of the Huashan Sect has a better chance."

The others also put forward their own opinions on who they thought was most likely to become the leader of the alliance.

“I think you are all wrong. I am more optimistic about Master Mo Da of Hengshan Sect. Master Mo Da is the most mysterious leader of the Five Mountains Sword Sect. No one knows his strength. Maybe his martial arts have surpassed the other four leaders.”

Some believe that Mr. Mo Da has the highest probability.

But someone immediately refuted this.

"Impossible. Although Master Mo is elusive and rarely makes a move, his martial arts skills are probably the highest among the Five Mountains Alliance leaders, right? You know, before Liu Zhengfeng of the Hengshan Sect colluded with the Demonic Sect, his Returning Wind and Falling Goose Sword technique already surpassed Master Mo's. He could stab down five geese with one sword, while Master Mo could only stab down three. Even so, Liu Zhengfeng was still chased and fled in a sorry state by Lu Baiding and other masters from the Songshan Sect. At that time, we didn't see Master Mo come out and say a word. I still think that Alliance Leader Zuo has the best chance of being re-elected as Alliance Leader."

The group began to argue about who would be the next leader of the Five Mountains Sword Sect in June, each supporting their preferred candidate.

"I think Master Yue is the right to be the leader of the alliance. Master Yue is the one who is truly hiding his true strength. He was able to teach two first-class masters, Linghu Chong and Ning Yanwang. Especially Ning Yanwang, whose reputation in the martial arts world has become so great in recent years that he makes the underworld tremble with fear. None of the other Five Mountains Sword Sects have a second-generation disciple who can compare to him. Doesn't that prove the point? Master Yue is definitely the strongest among the leaders of the Five Mountains."

"Being able to teach disciples doesn't necessarily mean that Sect Leader Yue is more powerful than other sect leaders. I believe that the overall strength of the Taishan Sect is only below that of the Songshan Sect. Daoist Tianmen's martial arts are unfathomable. I believe that Daoist Tianmen is the right person to be the next leader of the alliance."

“Master Mo’s previous secrecy was due to his hidden abilities. Now that the Five Mountains Sword Sect is about to change its leader, I believe Master Mo will definitely make a move.”

Each of them was arguing their case against the person they supported.

"No one supports Abbess Dingxian? Then I support Abbess Dingxian."

"Sir, your food is here."

At this moment, the waiter brought over plates of dishes and placed them on Jiang Ning's table; they were all hearty dishes with plenty of meat and fish.

"Ah."

Jiang Ning nodded and immediately began to eat, his speed of eating astonishing the waiter who was serving the dishes.

The restaurant, Zhexianlou, has a wide variety of dishes. If they were all served, it wouldn't be enough for one table. As soon as Jiang Ning finished a dish, a waiter would quickly bring out a new one. Before long, a stack of plates had been piled up on the side.

Meanwhile, a few people not far away were still arguing about who should be the leader of the Five Mountains Alliance.

"Would you like more dishes, sir?"