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

Page 155

"Hey."

Upon seeing this, Prefect Chen sighed.

Since that incident, Chen Jin has been afraid to leave the mansion, confining himself to the Chen residence for fear of being gossiped about by outsiders. He originally wanted to take this opportunity to let his daughter go out and see the sunshine, to bravely take the first step, but he failed time and time again.

It seems the only option is to find an opportunity to have Young Master Jiang visit again.

Prefect Chen thought to himself.

……

Back at the inn he had booked, Jiang Ning's thoughts drifted back to Mount Hua, hundreds of miles away.

I wonder how Master is doing...

Jiang Ning thought to himself.

After the initial strong attack, the two sides are now locked in a stalemate. With Mr. Mo stirring things up inside the enemy ranks, things should be relatively quiet for a while. Once the enemy realizes that they can't break through with a strong attack, they may come up with other methods. As long as Yue Buqun and his men are careful, there shouldn't be any major problems.

As Jiang Ning pondered, he unconsciously frowned again.

His innate skill had been at the peak of the third stage for some time, but there was no sign of him breaking through. Even the battles he fought while guarding the Thousand-Foot Crag hadn't made him feel anything.

"Opportunity..."

Jiang Ning murmured.

After racking his brains without success, Jiang Ning shook his head to clear his mind and stop thinking about how to break through the barrier, allowing himself to calm down.

Taoist martial arts strongly discourage impatience; the more impatient you are, the more counterproductive it will be.

Jiang Ning got up and took a shower, then lay down on the bed to rest. He hadn't had much rest in the past few days.

Jiang Ning slept until evening and woke up to a knock on the door.

"Hero Jiang, Hero Jiang."

Shouts came from outside the door.

Jiang Ning got up and pushed open the door, where several constables were standing.

"Master Jiang, we have found the person you asked us to find."

The leader was a constable, Wang Yin, whom I had met in Jiangning last time.

"So fast?"

Jiang Ning was somewhat surprised.

He thought it would take the other party a long time to find the Taoist priest, but he didn't expect to find him in less than a day.

"Yes, we found a few Taoist priests in a small alley in the south of the city. Judging from their accents, they seem to be from Sichuan, but we don't know if they are the people you are looking for."

Wang Yin nodded.

After receiving instructions from Prefect Chen, they put in their best effort to search, and their efficiency was very high.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Ning said, "Take me there."

"it is good."

Wang Yin nodded and then led the way. After leaving the inn, the group headed south of the city, passing through streets and alleys, until they finally arrived at the place Wang Yin had mentioned.

"It's right here."

Wang Yin pointed to a dilapidated house.

Jiang Ning found the place somewhat familiar, and after a moment he remembered that he had been here before. This was one of the families that had been harmed by Tian Boguang.

At this moment, a Taoist priest came over from a distance carrying some vegetables. He became somewhat wary when he saw a group of officials surrounding the door of the house.

Jiang Ning recognized the Taoist priest; he was one of the Taoist priests who had come down the mountain to help him fight the Green Gang when he was in Dujiangyan.

"Taoist Master."

Jiang Ning walked out of the crowd.

"Master Jiang!"

The Taoist priest was initially wary, but his expression brightened upon seeing Jiang Ning.

"How did you get here?"

The Taoist priest was somewhat excited to see Jiang Ning there, but then became worried: "I heard that many people from all walks of life in the martial arts world have come to Shaanxi to deal with you. How are you doing? Are you alright?"

Jiang Ning nodded: "It's alright. I heard from a senior of my Five Mountains Sword Sect that you were in Hanzhong Prefecture, so I came here to pick you up. Where is Master Zhang?"

The Taoist priest quickly replied, "They're outside the city. After we heard about this, some fellow Taoists from Qingcheng Mountain came to help you."

Last time, Jiang Ning dealt with the Green Gang in Dujiangyan. The things he did were recognized by the Taoist temples of Qingcheng Mountain. After learning that the Huashan Sect was in trouble, they came without saying a word. Not only did the Taoists who had followed Jiang Ning down the mountain come, but other Taoists also came. Nearly two hundred people came.

Although most of these Taoist priests didn't have much skill, they still came.

"Thank you all for your help. Jiangning will never forget this kindness."

Jiang Ning bowed and thanked him.

"Mr. Jiang, there's no need for that."

The Taoist priest reached out to stop him.

“You’ve done a good deed, you’re a good person. These people can’t tolerate good people. We’re here not just to help you, we’re here to let them know that evil can never prevail over good!”

Chapter 220 Have you always been like this?

Although this Taoist priest was middle-aged, his heart was still full of passion.

“Great hero, now that we have found your friend, we brothers will not disturb you any longer. Farewell.”

Wang Yin cupped his hands in greeting.

"Walk slowly."

Jiang Ning nodded his thanks upon hearing this, and the constables then left.

"Master Jiang, are you very familiar with the government officials?"

Seeing the group leave, the Taoist priest frowned slightly.

"I killed Tian Boguang in Hanzhong Prefecture in the first half of the year, and that's how I got some contact with the local government. It was through them that I was able to find the Taoist priest."

Jiang Ning explained.

"That's it."

The Taoist priest nodded without saying anything, but looked at Jiang Ning with a rather serious expression: "Master Jiang, it's best to avoid dealing with these government officials in the future, as it's not good for your reputation."

In the martial arts world, it is taboo to get involved with the imperial court. Martial arts people naturally resent the imperial court. If Jiangning gets too close to the government, other martial arts people will treat Jiangning differently, even some righteous sects.

The Taoist priest was thinking of Jiangning's best interests.

"I know what I'm doing, please rest assured, Daoist Master."

Jiang Ning smiled, then changed the subject and asked, "Daoist Master, how did you come to be here?"

Upon hearing Jiang Ning mention his own affairs, the Taoist priest replied, "I've come to help an elderly couple here."

This family was the same one that Tian Boguang had harmed last time. The old couple's son was killed and his wife was violated. Jiang Ning had left them some loose silver last time.

“After the son of this elderly couple died, only their daughter-in-law was left to work hard. However, they had no descendants, and their lineage ended with their son's death. Some time ago, their relatives came here to demand their house, and my fellow Daoists and I couldn't bear to see them suffer, so we stepped in to help.”

Upon hearing the Taoist's words, Jiang Ning understood that those relatives wanted to exploit the family's infertility.

This kind of thing has happened throughout history and is not uncommon.

Squeak.

Jiang Ning and the Taoist priest were chatting at the door when the dilapidated door of the house was pushed open from the inside, and an old man came out.

"Master, I just heard your voice inside. Who were you talking to?"

Just as the Taoist priest was about to answer, the old man saw Jiang Ning, his eyes filled with disbelief. He then excitedly tried to kneel down, calling him his benefactor.

"My benefactor..."

Jiang Ning pulled him back in time.

Upon seeing Jiang Ning again, the old man could not hide his excitement and couldn't help but shed tears.

"It's been half a year since we last met. How have you been?"

Jiang Ning smiled.

"well."

The old man nodded repeatedly: "Thank you for your kindness..."

Jiang Ning stopped him; they're still at the door, so it's not convenient to talk about these things.

"Let's talk after we go inside."

The old man nodded: "Please come in, sir."

Jiang Ning followed the old man into the house, while the Taoist priest left. He was staying at an inn and lived nearby with several other Taoist priests, which made it convenient for him to take care of the elderly couple. He was now going to call the other Taoist priests over.

He was curious about what the old man was talking about, but he didn't ask.

Once inside, the place was not much different from last time. Two women, one old and one young, were weaving baskets in the courtyard.

The two also saw Jiang Ning, recognized him, and were so excited that they wanted to kneel down to thank him, but Jiang Ning refused.

After asking them a few simple questions about their lives, I learned that they had been keeping a low profile ever since Jiang Ning told them not to flaunt their wealth. They usually made a living by weaving bamboo baskets, and their food and clothing were decent enough. They hadn't been extravagant and attracted attention. Apart from their relatives trying to take over their property, they hadn't encountered any difficulties.

Jiang Ning listened quietly, then nodded.

Before this time, the Taoist priest had also brought several other Taoist priests over, none of whom Jiang Ning recognized, but this did not have any impact.

After the group introduced themselves, Jiang Ning inquired about their situation.

Where are Master Zhang and the others outside the city now?

A Taoist priest said, “It’s on a mountain about ten miles south of the city. We originally wanted to go directly to Mount Hua to support you, but we found that there were too many people. When we arrived, Mount Hua was already surrounded and we couldn’t get in. Brother Zhang told us to wait outside for the time being, and then we would try to contact you and figure out how to proceed.”

Jiang Ning nodded upon hearing this, and then said, "In that case, please take me to see Master Zhang."

"Fellow Taoist priests, benefactors, it's getting late and the city gates are closed. Please have dinner at my house first and then leave the city tomorrow."

"That's what the old man said."

Jiang Ning thought for a moment and nodded.

"Alright."

After having dinner at the elderly couple's house, Jiang Ning and the Taoist priests declined the old man's request to stay overnight and planned to return to their inn to rest. They felt it was inconvenient for them to stay longer since the family had a young daughter-in-law, so as not to cause gossip.

They agreed to meet early the next morning. Jiang Ning bid farewell to the Taoist priests and returned to his inn. After resting for the night, Jiang Ning got up early the next morning to settle his room bill and then planned to go to Prefect Chen's residence. As soon as he stepped out of the inn, he saw Constable Tan, whom he had met the day before, waiting outside.

"Hero Jiang".

Upon seeing Jiang Ning emerge, Constable Tan stepped forward and bowed.

Jiang Ning asked in surprise, "What do you need me for?"

Officer Tan smiled and said, "Yesterday you helped me deal with that troublemaking江湖人 (jianghu person). I would like to ask you to come back to the yamen with me so that I can ask the prefect for credit on your behalf."

Jiang Ning chuckled and shook his head, saying, "You're the one who caught him, not me. There's no need for that."

"No, it's necessary."

Officer Tan looked at Jiang Ning with a serious expression: "Although I arrested those criminals, I wouldn't have been able to catch them if you hadn't helped me."

Jiang Ning shook his head again: "I don't need these. If you insist on doing this, why don't you do me a favor as well, and consider it repaying the favor I did for you last time?"

"help?"

Upon hearing this, Officer Tan frowned, a look of hesitation in his eyes.

After a while.

"it is good."

Officer Tan nodded: "Okay, but let me make it clear beforehand that I won't help with anything involving favoritism or bending the law, and I will stop you from doing so."

"That's not the case."