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

Page 114

"Please forgive my ignorance, I do not understand the meaning of what you just said."

Although he already had a guess in his mind, Jiang Ning still intended to ask the other party something.

"What you just said was that you were visiting Mount Hua on behalf of the Emei Sect, but the current head of the Emei Sect is Venerable Jin Guang. Since Venerable Jin Guang is in charge, and you are not here on his orders, I don't know which Emei Sect you are referring to."

Huiyin smiled faintly and said, "Naturally, it is the orthodox lineage of the Emei Sect."

Jiang Ning narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "Does the nun mean that the Emei Sect at the summit of Mount Emei is no longer the orthodox sect?"

Huiyin nodded: "That's right."

Buddhists often use cryptic language and speak in roundabout ways, but Huiyin did not do so. She directly admitted the truth and answered honestly to show her sincerity.

Jiang Ning nodded at this point and didn't ask any further questions.

The matter is quite clear: the other party means that she and the people behind her are the true orthodox disciples of Emei, while the monks and Taoists in the Golden Summit Temple on Mount Emei are not orthodox.

However, this aligns with Jiang Ning's thinking.

A hundred years ago, the Emei Sect was a major sect dominated by women. Although there were some male disciples, their status was lower than that of the female disciples. Now, a hundred years later, the situation within the Emei Sect has reversed. Men have become the sect leaders, and all the disciples under their command are men. Not a single female disciple has been seen.

In retrospect, it seems that a dramatic change may have taken place within the Emei Sect over the past century.

"Please have a seat, nun. My master is on his way."

Although Huiyin visited the mountain in the name of an old friend of Jiangning, she did not intend to discuss anything with Jiangning himself. She and the orthodox Emei sect behind her came for the sake of Mount Hua.

The following discussion requires Yue Buqun's presence; some things can only be discussed with Yue Buqun's presence present.

Just as Jiang Ning had expected, Huiyin simply smiled and nodded after hearing his words, and then began to wait.

While waiting, Huiyin also secretly observed Jiang Ning.

He was composed and dignified, and his manners during the conversation were courteous and not aggressive. He truly had the demeanor of a disciple of a prestigious school and did not seem like the kind of person who had done those things in Sichuan.

The news of Jiang Ning's massacre of Yu Canghai and his disciples had already spread throughout the martial arts world. This was the first time they had ever seen someone kill someone right at their doorstep.

Not long after, Yue Buqun arrived.

"Master."

Jiang Ning stood up.

Huiyin also stood up and bowed to Yue Buqun.

Yue Buqun nodded slightly: "Mm."

He then looked at Huiyin beside him and asked, "May I ask who this nun is?"

Jiang Ning said from the side, "Master, this is Abbess Huiyin, who is here on behalf of the orthodox Emei sect."

The orthodox lineage of Emei?

These four words are quite interesting.

Upon hearing this, Yue Buqun narrowed his eyes, as if he had thought of something. He glanced at Jiang Ning almost imperceptibly and noticed that Jiang Ning was nodding slightly to him.

Yue Buqun understood.

The master and apprentice had the same idea.

"This humble nun greets Sect Leader Yue."

Huiyin saluted.

Yue Buqun smiled and gestured for him to sit down, saying, "Master, you are too polite. Please have a seat."

Yue Buqun did not sit in the main seat, but instead sat next to Jiang Ning.

Huiyin sat down again, and only then did she have time to observe Yue Buqun, the leader of the Huashan Sect.

As the leader of a sect, Yue Buqun's attire was not flamboyant. He wore only a blue robe and had a scholarly air about him. He didn't look like a sect leader at all. Huiyin couldn't sense any aura from Yue Buqun. At this moment, Yue Buqun gave people the feeling of being very ordinary, like a schoolteacher without martial arts skills.

However, Huiyin did not believe that the leader of the Huashan Sect was not skilled in martial arts. Her inability to detect this could only mean that Yue Buqun's martial arts skills had reached a certain level.

Thinking of this, Huiyin's expression became even more serious.

"I wonder what brings you, Abbess, from all this way to Mount Hua?"

After taking his seat, Yue Buqun began to ask questions.

Although Jiang Ning went to Mount Emei last time to join forces with Jin Guang Shangren and others to fight against the Demonic Sect, he didn't say it out loud and just left. They probably didn't know the Huashan Sect's intentions, so why did they suddenly come to their door and even claim to be the true successors of Emei?

When serious matters were brought up, Huiyin's expression became serious.

"Before I explain my purpose, please allow me to explain what I just said. I'm sure Headmaster Yue and Benefactor Jiang also have many questions in their minds."

Yue Buqun and Jiang Ning nodded slightly.

"Master, please speak."

They already had a guess in their hearts, but they still wanted to hear what was going on.

Huiyin nodded and then said, "A hundred years ago, your sect was known as one of the six major righteous sects along with my Emei sect. Since its establishment, although my sect has not restricted the number of male or female disciples, only women can become the Emei sect leader. But now, not only is the sect leader a monk, but the sect is also full of men."

The Emei Sect not only requires women to be its leader, but also only virgins are qualified. Married women are not eligible, let alone men.

Yue Buqun nodded slightly.

"Indeed, the changes your sect has undergone in the past century have surprised all other sects. However, your sect has not been active in the martial world for many years, and we martial artists are unaware of what has happened within your sect. We only know that the current leader of the Emei Sect is Venerable Jin Guang. Could it be that the nun's intention is to..."

Huiyin nodded directly: "Those people in the Golden Summit Temple on Mount Emei are thieves who have stolen from our Emei Sect."

At this point, a cold look appeared on Huiyin's face.

Yue Buqun and Jiang Ning exchanged a glance but remained silent.

They do not blindly express their opinions before understanding the ins and outs of a matter.

"Since the death of our third-generation patriarch, the fourth-generation leader has also disappeared without a trace, leaving the vast Emei Sect without anyone to take charge."

The third leader of the Emei Sect was Abbess Miejue, and the fourth was Zhou Zhiruo. However, the fourth leader was irresponsible and simply disappeared, abandoning the Emei Sect. This made the Emei disciples very angry and helpless.

"At that time, the Emei ancestors could not find a successor, so the position of Emei leader was temporarily put aside."

"Until a hundred years ago, the Sun Moon Cult suddenly rose to power and wreaked havoc on the martial arts world."

The Sun Moon Sect was like a troublemaker, making a mess of the martial arts world, burning, killing, and looting everywhere. After learning that the Emei Sect had the Heaven-Slaying Sword, they went directly to Mount Emei to seize it.

Chapter 164: Purpose of the Visit

At that time, the Heaven-Slaying Sword had been destroyed, becoming two broken swords, which were kept in the Emei Sect's treasury.

The demonic sect launched a night attack on the Emei sect. After a fierce battle, they seized half of the broken sword and left. The Emei sect managed to keep the other half, but at a heavy cost, with many masters killed or wounded.

The Heaven-Slaying Sword is the most prized treasure of the Emei Sect. Although it has been destroyed, the masters of the Emei Sect have not given up on repairing this divine weapon. However, the people of the Demonic Sect came and took half of it away.

Since then, the Emei Sect has been at odds with the Demonic Sect. The masters of the Emei Sect decided that whoever could lead the Emei Sect to fight against the Demonic Sect or retrieve the other broken sword would become the leader of the Emei Sect.

Later, a monk joined the Emei Sect and soon returned the broken sword that the Demonic Sect had taken from him. That monk also became the head of the Emei Sect.

"But it's a scam!"

At this point, Huiyin's face showed anger.

"That broken sword wasn't the Heaven Sword at all; he found a fake one and fooled everyone back then."

After the fake sword was recovered, it was kept in the treasure vault, and the monk naturally became the leader of the Emei Sect.

It wasn't until twenty years later that an Emei disciple finally found a way to repair the Heaven Sword, and the truth was revealed, but it was already too late.

Over the years, that monk usurped power, constantly infiltrating the Emei Sect and winning over its male disciples. He marginalized the orthodox Emei lineage, including Huiyin, and recruited other monks who revered him. Eventually, a civil war broke out on Mount Emei. The monks and male disciples launched a surprise attack on Huiyin's lineage, forcing them to flee Mount Emei. The man who had seized power in Emei took control of the sect, and his disciple became the current sect leader.

To avoid other sects in the martial arts world discovering the internal strife within the Emei Sect, from the time of Master Jin Guang's master to the present day, the Emei Sect has always maintained a very low profile, and its disciples rarely venture into the martial arts world, making it a sect with a very low profile today, even leading some to suspect that it has declined.

"..."

Yue Buqun's eyes widened slightly upon hearing this.

The master and apprentice couldn't help but exchange another glance.

Jiang Ning didn't know what to say.

This is amazing! Absolutely amazing!

This is even more exciting than the sword qi competition at Mount Hua.

At least the sword energy dispute was an internal struggle within the Huashan Sect. The Emei Sect was completely usurped. This is probably the first time in history that a sect has been usurped like this.

Although Huiyin spoke very concisely without going into detail about the process, it was enough to astonish Jiang Ning and Yue Buqun.

"We, the true lineage of Emei, were forced to leave Mount Emei after the attack that night and have been in hiding ever since."

Upon hearing this, Yue Buqun pondered for a moment, then remained silent, giving Jiang Ning a barely perceptible glance.

Jiang Ning understood and said, "Since such a thing has happened to your sect, why not ask Wudang for help? Emei and Wudang had a close relationship in the past, and Wudang is now the Taishan of the martial arts world. If your sect asks Wudang for help, Wudang should lend a helping hand."

So many years have passed, and the Emei disciples of Huiyin's lineage have gone into hiding without seeking help from outside, which is very unusual.

Huiyin gave a wry smile and said, "Master Jiang, you may not know this, but although our Emei Sect had a deep relationship with Wudang a hundred years ago, that was during the time of our third generation patriarch and Master Zhang. After our fourth generation leader took over, our relationship with Wudang deteriorated rapidly."

She was talking about grudges from over a hundred years ago. Ever since the fourth generation leader, Zhou Zhiruo, disappeared, the relationship between the Emei and Wudang sects has not improved and has remained lukewarm. It wasn't until that monk usurped the throne that the relationship between the Emei sect and Wudang and Shaolin became very close. Now, the Emei sect follows the lead of Shaolin and Wudang. How could they dare to ask Wudang for help?

"and……"

Huiyin wanted to say something, but her brows furrowed repeatedly, and in the end she said nothing.

Jiang Ning nodded and said nothing more.

Yue Buqun asked, "Did you come up the mountain today to ask my Huashan Sect for help in reclaiming Emei?"

Although he was asking questions, Yue Buqun had no intention of getting involved in this mess. Judging from the current situation, the Emei Sect was a complete mess.

Even if the other party usurped the position, they have been in charge of Emei for decades. Moreover, many Emei disciples who launched the internal strife back then sided with the other party. That monk was also a member of Emei and a genuine Emei disciple. You were the ones who made them the sect leader. Now that this situation has arisen, you haven't asked for help from others for decades, and so much time has passed. Even if the matter is true, they can't help you.

Now the entire martial arts world knows that the current leader of the Emei Sect is Jin Guang Shangren. If Huiyin, who claims to be an Emei disciple, asks for their help, it would be unreasonable for them to actually intervene.

The Huashan Sect had recently been pressured by the Songshan Sect, so Yue Buqun was very sensitive and vigilant about this.

Jiang Ning shared the same thought. So far, they knew nothing and relied entirely on what the other party was saying. They had no idea whether it was true or false, and the other party hadn't mentioned any details when they spoke.

For example, the Heaven Sword is a divine weapon, and its materials are far superior to ordinary materials. Moreover, the Emei Sect has possessed the Heaven Sword for so long that it must have a very deep understanding of it. It is impossible for the other party to have just found a broken sword and fooled them. When that monk found the fake broken sword, the entire Emei Sect must have carefully studied it and confirmed that it was genuine before recognizing that person as the leader of Emei. In the end, when it was time to repair the Heaven Sword, they found that they had been deceived. There are too many suspicious points in this.

Just when Yue Buqun and Jiang Ning thought that Huiyin had come up the mountain to ask the Huashan Sect for help, Huiyin shook her head.

“This matter is an internal affair of my Emei Sect, and it is inconvenient for your sect to intervene. This humble nun did not come up the mountain for this matter.”

Oh?

Yue Buqun was somewhat surprised.

Jiang Ning frowned and asked, "Then what brings the nun here?"

Huiyin had a serious expression and an upright posture.

"For a century, the Demonic Sect has plagued the martial world and brought misery to the people. It is the duty of our righteous sect to eliminate the demons and protect the righteous path. Soon, our Emei Sect will officially clean up the villains who have stolen from our sect. After we have dealt with those people, we would like to form an alliance with your sect."

This was the true purpose of Huiyin and the Emei disciples behind her.

However, this was not what surprised Yue Buqun and Jiang Ning. What surprised them was what Huiyin had said earlier.

They were confident they could handle Jin Guang Shangren and his group themselves, without needing the Huashan Sect's help.

This means that after decades of accumulation and development, they are confident that they have enough strength to wipe out the Emei disciples led by Jin Guang Shangren. They came here only to make preparations for establishing diplomatic relations with the Huashan Sect in advance and to win the support of the Huashan Sect after the war. After all, Jin Guang Shangren has been in charge of Emei for decades. When the Emei Sect undergoes a major upheaval, some sects that are on good terms with Jin Guang Shangren may turn against them.

Chapter 165: Yama, the King of Hell

"At that time, some sects in the martial arts world may misunderstand us because they have been deceived by Jin Guang and his gang. We hope that the Huashan Sect can speak up for us then."

Although Huiyin didn't say it explicitly, it was as if she had the names of the Wudang and Shaolin sects written all over her face.

I don't know why these orthodox Emei sects are so wary of Wudang and Shaolin.

"If the Huashan Sect is willing to speak up for us at that time, we, the orthodox disciples of Emei, will be extremely grateful. In return, if the Huashan Sect ever encounters difficulties and needs help in the future, our Emei Sect will not stand idly by and will do everything in our power to assist them."

Yue Buqun fell silent.

It might seem that just saying a few words would gain the friendship and full support of the Emei orthodox sect, but in reality, it's not that simple. If Wudang or Shaolin were truly dissatisfied and made trouble for Huiyin and the others, Huashan Sect speaking up for Huiyin and the others would be putting them at odds with Wudang and Shaolin.

Decades ago, when the Huashan Sect was at its peak, they naturally had nothing to fear, but now...