Chapter 71

Yue Buqun heard Bu Jie spouting nonsense and felt a surge of anger, but he could also discern a bit of the monk's character from his dharma name. He restrained himself and said, "Master Bu Jie and my junior disciple Yilin have come from afar. Please come to the main hall for a cup of tea."

The fat monk chuckled and said, "You know my name? Ha, it must be that little Linghu Chong who told you. My daughter has good taste!" Although his words were incoherent, everyone knew he was acknowledging his dharma name as Bu Jie.

Yue Buqun ignored his nonsense and was about to invite him again when he suddenly heard Yue Fangxing say, "Master, did you invite the six strange people from Peach Valley to find my senior brother Linghu? They have reduced my senior brother to this state."

Upon hearing the name "Peach Valley Six," Yue Buqun and the others immediately focused their attention. If not for these six strange people, how could Linghu Chong be in such a state? Even now, the urgency of the Huashan Sect to leave was partly to avoid the Peach Valley Six.

Bu Jie said, "What Peach Valley Six, Peach Valley Seven? I only asked that little Tian Boguang to come. Hey... who killed Tian Boguang, and who has been playing tricks on this monk just now?" Yue Fangxing, in a hurry to go up the mountain, had not cleared Tian Boguang's body, which Bu Jie discovered on his way. He assumed it was the work of the Huashan Sect and dragged Tian Boguang's body to argue. However, when he reached Huashan, he was blocked by someone in the dark. He only entered after that person left, but he still didn't know who had blocked him.

Yue Fangxing guessed that the person was likely Feng Qingyang and didn't want to reveal it. He said, "Tian Boguang was stripped of his powers and died from a broken heart..."

Bu Jie interrupted, "Well! So it was you, little boy. Come, come, let's spar." He was truly impulsive.

Yilin, seeing him about to fight Yue Fangxing, hurriedly said, "Father..."

Bu Jie, hearing his daughter speak, immediately calmed down: "Alright, alright. Although Tian Boguang was supposed to be your disciple, he committed suicide before he could be formally accepted. Such a weakling, we don't need him. We'll find another one!"

"Junior sister Yilin, did you invite the Peach Valley Six?" Yue Fangxing asked. He was puzzled when he heard from Tian Boguang that he was injured by the Peach Valley Six. Since Tian Boguang and the Peach Valley Six were both sent to find Linghu Chong, how could they not know each other? Therefore, he asked Bu Jie. Hearing that Bu Jie seemed to not know the Peach Valley Six, Yue Fangxing became even more puzzled. Just as he was about to ask in detail, Bu Jie interrupted and wanted to fight him. Seeing Yilin speak, Yue Fangxing ignored Bu Jie and asked her.

Yilin said, "Senior brother Yue, I don't know any Peach Valley Six."

Linghu Chong, who had already calmed his internal energy, interjected, "That's not right! I clearly heard those six people say they were here to find me after losing a bet to a little nun."

Yilin, hearing the suspicion in Linghu Chong's words, became anxious and said, "Senior brother Linghu, I am a nun. How could I make a bet? The six people you mentioned are not my invitees." Her voice became more urgent.

Linghu Chong, seeing the nun's expression, believed her and didn't press further, but kept his doubts in mind.

Yue Fangxing, Yue Buqun, and the others were even more puzzled. The Peach Valley Six were so powerful, yet they had never been heard of in the martial world. It seemed they had suddenly appeared, and their first act was to find Linghu Chong. Who had sent them, and why were they tormenting him? This was truly a mystery.

Master Bu Jie, stopped by Yilin, looked around and saw Yue Lingshan tending to Linghu Chong. He said, "Little son-in-law, let's go. Your junior sister is very beautiful, and I'm not very comfortable with you being with her."

Everyone was taken aback. Linghu Chong said, "Master, you're joking. Such words damage the reputation of the Hengshan and Huashan Sects. Please stop."

Bu Jie scratched his head and said, "Ling'er, you... you... what's going on with this son-in-law? This... this is ridiculous, isn't it?"

Yilin covered her face and cried, "Father, don't say it, don't say it! He is him, I am me. What... what... does it have to do with us?" She cried and ran away.

Bu Jie, even more confused, stood there for a moment and said, "Strange, strange! When she can't see him, she desperately wants to. When she sees him, she doesn't want to. Just like her mother, a nun's heart is truly hard to fathom." Seeing his daughter run away, he immediately chased after her.

The onlookers found this amusing but, seeing Yue Lingshan's cold expression, dared not laugh out loud. The scene became awkward, and the other disciples quietly left. Only Yue Buqun, Ning Zhongze, Yue Fangxing, Yue Lingshan, and Linghu Chong remained in the room.

Yue Buqun shook his head, not thinking about the foolish man, and turned to Linghu Chong, "Chong'er, how are you feeling now?"

Linghu Chong said, "I'm much better now. Thank you, Master, Master Mother, and Junior Brother." He bowed deeply to the three of them. If not for Yue Buqun, Ning Zhongze, and Yue Fangxing, his life might not have been saved.

Yue Buqun stroked his beard and said, "That's good, that's good! However, your injuries are not fully healed, so you shouldn't travel far. Stay on Huashan with Lingshan and Fangxing. With Uncle Feng here, there's no need to worry about outsiders disturbing us." He was indeed considering Linghu Chong's well-being, but also wanted to leave a seed for Huashan. If anything happened to them, Linghu Chong and the others could carry on the Huashan legacy.

Linghu Chong, unaware of the deeper meaning, said, "Uncle Feng just transmitted a message to me, saying he has completed his teaching and has no more wishes. He won't see anyone from Huashan again and told us not to look for him. He might already be gone from Huashan."

Yue Buqun said, "Oh," feeling very disappointed. This plan was not going to work. Even if a few people stayed, without Feng Qingyang's protection, they would be vulnerable to attacks. It would be better to go to Fujian together. As for why only Linghu Chong heard Feng Qingyang's message, it was likely due to a secret transmission technique, which Yue Buqun had heard of before.

"Uncle Feng also transmitted a message to me, saying I should try to resolve the dispute between the Qi and Jian schools and bring the Jian school back to Huashan," Linghu Chong added, carefully observing Yue Buqun's reaction. He knew his master had always taken the Qi-Jian dispute very seriously and was unsure of his thoughts.

Yue Buqun pondered for a moment and said, "Huashan is in danger now. If the Jian school's brothers and sisters are willing to return to Huashan, that would be a good thing. However..." Over the years, his cultivation had deepened, and he was more committed to the Qi school. But from a higher perspective, he had become more open-minded about the Qi-Jian dispute, especially after mastering the Yangwu Sword. He was less averse to sword practice.

After hearing Yue Fangxing's plan for Huashan, Yue Buqun had a method to deal with the Jian school and even considered recruiting them. However, he needed their acceptance, or it would be one-sided. From the attitude of the Jian school today, they still had not given up on the Qi-Jian dispute and were unlikely to submit, which was why Yue Buqun was hesitant.

Linghu Chong said, "Uncle Feng said if the Jian school insists on continuing the dispute, then it's fine to let it be."

Yue Fangxing interjected, "If we can convince the Jian school to submit, the Qi-Jian dispute can be resolved, eliminating a potential threat. As the senior brother who has mastered the highest skills of both the Qi and Jian schools and is the future leader of Huashan, he has a good chance of recruiting them."

Yue Buqun, having seen the skills of the Jian school today, felt confident in subduing them. Even his son was not necessarily inferior to Feng Buping. He decided, "Then it's settled. If the Jian school is willing to join us, we will welcome them wholeheartedly and even set up a special hall for them to practice sword skills."

Linghu Chong was delighted and said, "Thank you, Master!" This was the only instruction from Feng Qingyang, and Linghu Chong, having greatly improved under his guidance, was determined to fulfill it. Hearing Yue Buqun's words, he felt reassured and thanked him.

Subsequently, Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze arranged for the other disciples to leave Huashan and go to Fujian. The inner sect male disciples would accompany them, while the female disciples would be sent back to their hometowns, with only Yue Lingshan accompanying them. Among the outer sect disciples, some would return home, while others would go with them. Yue Buqun selected a few with higher skills to accompany them, while the rest were encouraged to return home. Those with no place to go would stay in a separate residence at the foot of Huashan. Yue Buqun instructed these disciples to be cautious and not to fight if enemies came, prioritizing their safety. Although this was not ideal for the cohesion of the sect, he had no choice, given the weak state of the Huashan Sect. They could not afford to disperse their strength and had to act as a group to ensure their survival.

For a moment, only Linghu Chong, Yue Lingshan, and Yue Fangxing remained in the room. Linghu Chong asked Yue Fangxing, "Junior brother, did you really kill Tian Boguang?" They had grown up together and had no secrets, so he asked directly.

Yue Fangxing said, "I intended to kill him, but Uncle Feng stopped me. I stripped him of his powers, and he said he was struck by a fatal point and poisoned, so he died from a broken heart."

Linghu Chong sighed, "Tian Boguang and I had a pleasant conversation a few days ago. It's a pity he met his end on Huashan!" Although he had no deep bond with Tian Boguang, he was grateful for his leniency and felt a sense of regret.

Yue Fangxing, fearing that Linghu Chong might confuse right and wrong, said, "What's there to pity? Tian Boguang has defiled countless innocent women and killed many people. If we don't kill such people, what is the purpose of our martial arts?"

"Senior brother, how did you meet Junior Sister Yilin? How did Uncle Tiansong get injured? How did Junior