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

Page 274

At this moment, Zuo Lengchan walked up the steps of the Fengchan Platform, looked around, and asked a question.

"Has the Hengshan Sect not arrived yet?"

"Reporting to Master, we have not yet received any news from the Hengshan Sect."

A disciple from Songshan dressed in yellow robes replied from below the stage.

Zuo Lengchan nodded, but then swallowed back what he was about to say.

Many martial arts practitioners, seeing that the Shaolin and Wudang groups had arrived but the grand gathering had not yet begun, waited in vain until noon. Many of them began to feel very hungry and started shouting.

"What's going on? Are we not starting?"

"I'm starving."

The room suddenly became very noisy.

Upon seeing this, Zuo Lengchan channeled his inner energy and shouted, "Please be patient, everyone. Of the Five Mountains Sword Sects, only the Hengshan Sect has not yet arrived. We need to wait for the Hengshan Sect to arrive before we can officially begin the conference. If you are hungry, please go down the mountain first. The Songshan Sect has prepared fine wine and meat to entertain you."

Upon hearing that there was food, some martial arts practitioners quieted down and, led by the disciples of Mount Song, went down the mountain to eat.

"mob."

Upon seeing this, Yue Buqun couldn't help but shake his head slightly.

Among the many martial arts figures who came this time, their qualities varied greatly. Apart from the major sects such as Huashan, Emei, Shaolin, Wudang, and Kunlun, many of them were just idle people from the martial arts world. Judging from their actions just now, most of them were just a mob.

"Sect Leader Yue..."

At this moment, Fang Zheng came over and started chatting with Yue Buqun. Also coming over were the Kunlun Sect leader and the Beggar Clan leader, the Diancang Sect leader.

Two familiar faces from the Diancang Sect also came this time.

"Sect Leader Yue, it's been a long time."

Diancang stepped forward with his twin swords and bowed to Yue Buqun.

"Thank you, Brother Xie, Brother Liu."

Upon seeing these two old acquaintances, Yue Buqun's smile became much more genuine.

While Yue Buqun was catching up with acquaintances, Jiang Ning was adjusting his internal energy.

Another hour passed, and many martial arts practitioners had eaten and drunk their fill. However, the conference had not yet started, and these people began to stir again.

Upon seeing this, Zuo Lengchan returned to the steps, channeled his inner energy, and shouted.

"Everyone, today is the day when the Five Mountains Sword Sect re-elects its leader. However, the Hengshan Sect has not yet arrived. The conference will officially begin once Abbess Dingxian arrives."

Zuo Lengchan's voice echoed throughout the Fengchan Terrace on Mount Song, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"Sect Leader Yue, the Hengshan Sect has yet to arrive. It is already past noon. Our Left Sect Leader has sent me to inquire whether the sect leaders should continue to wait for the Hengshan Sect to arrive."

1

While Zuo Lengchan was explaining the situation, a disciple from Songshan came over and said something to Yue Buqun.

Yue Buqun glanced at him, then at Zuo Lengchan in the distance, and said, "Since today's conference is a joint effort of the Five Mountains Sword Sects, we should naturally wait for the Hengshan Sect to join us."

The four factions have come to Mount Song no longer for the matter of becoming the leader of the Five Mountains Alliance, but to confront the Mount Song faction. Naturally, they have to wait for the Mount Heng faction to arrive.

"I'll go back and report right away."

After receiving the answer, the Songshan disciple left, while other Songshan disciples also emerged from the Hengshan and Taishan factions.

"Master, the Huashan, Taishan, and Hengshan sects all have to wait for the Hengshan sect to arrive before they can begin."

After receiving the answers from his disciples, Zuo Lengchan frowned slightly, glancing at the three factions' camps in the distance, lost in thought.

After a short while, Zuo Lengchan summoned several disciples from Songshan Mountain and whispered something to them. Soon after, these disciples entered the crowd and moved among them. Before long, many martial arts practitioners began to make a fuss.

"We won't wait for the Hengshan Sect since they haven't arrived yet. Alliance Leader Zuo, let's begin."

"Yes, we've been waiting for so long and the Hengshan Sect still hasn't arrived. They must have given up on the position of alliance leader. In my opinion, the leader of the Five Mountains Alliance should be elected from among the four sects of Songshan, Huashan, Taishan and Hengshan."

Such voices rose and fell among the crowd, attracting many江湖人士 (jianghu figures, people from all walks of life) to echo them, growing louder and louder until they eventually became just one voice.

Zuo Lengchan continued, “I am grateful for your kind invitation to attend the Five Mountains Sword Sect Alliance Leader Election Conference. However, the Hengshan Sect is late in arriving. Time waits for no one. Since the Huashan, Taishan, and Hengshan Sects have already arrived, why don’t we begin the conference first? Before the Hengshan Sect arrives, the new Alliance Leader will be chosen from among our four sects. If Abbess Dingxian has any objections to the new Alliance Leader after she arrives, she can discuss with the new Alliance Leader to determine the position.”

Although there are various unwritten rules in the martial arts world, strength is ultimately the most important factor. Zuo Lengchan's idea is that the four sects should choose an alliance leader first. Regardless of who the alliance leader is, if Master Dingxian has any objections to the new alliance leader, then the new alliance leader and Master Dingxian should fight to determine the final position of the Five Mountains Alliance Leader.

"it is good!"

"can."

Zuo Lengchan's proposal was immediately accepted.

What are your thoughts, gentlemen?

Zuo Lengchan then turned the question to Yue Buqun and Master Mo Da.

Thousands of eyes immediately turned to Yue Buqun and the Taishan and Hengshan areas.

Tianmen Daoist stared coldly at Zuo Lengchan without saying a word.

Both Mr. Mo Da and Yue Buqun chose to remain silent.

None of the three factions expressed their opinions.

"It seems that Master Yue has no objection as long as he remains silent."

The silence of the three factions did not stump Zuo Lengchan. After a brief remark, Zuo Lengchan said, "Since none of the factions have any objections, let the conference begin."

The crowd responded loudly.

Zuo Lengchan spoke again: "As you all know, our Five Mountains Sword Alliance has been united for a hundred years, and we are as close as family. Thanks to the kindness of my brothers, I, Zuo, have been working diligently for more than ten years as the leader of the Five Mountains Alliance. I have never dared to slack off. I have been working day and night for the future of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance, and I am exhausted. I am already overwhelmed."

Zuo Lengchan sighed and said, "Actually, I had already considered stepping down, but I had to force myself to maintain the Five Mountains Sword Sect..."

"Left Sect Leader".

Zuo Lengchan was still maintaining his difficult posture when a shout suddenly rang out from the Huashan side, attracting the attention of all the martial arts practitioners. They discovered that it was Linghu Chong speaking.

Linghu Chong had long disliked Zuo Lengchan's pretentious manner and directly interrupted Zuo Lengchan's long-winded speech.

Linghu Chong said loudly, "Since you think being the leader of the Five Mountains Alliance is too tiring and you are no longer capable of doing it, why don't you give the position to my master? This position of leader of the Five Mountains Alliance originally belonged to Mount Hua. Now we can just return it to you. It will save you from losing sleep night after night."

Chapter 365: How can this hatred be resolved?

Only the higher-ups of the four Huashan sects and Jiang Ning knew that they were going to break with the Songshan sect and even dismantle the Five Mountains Alliance. Second-generation disciples like Linghu Chong were completely unaware of this. Therefore, Linghu Chong thought that the Huashan sect was also preparing to compete for the position of alliance leader during his visit to Songshan. Linghu Chong had always believed that the position of Five Mountains Alliance leader belonged to the Huashan sect, but it was taken away by the Songshan sect. Now that the Five Mountains Sword Sects were re-electing the alliance leader, Linghu Chong hoped that Yue Buqun would take the position. In addition, he disliked Zuo Lengchan very much, so when he saw Zuo Lengchan being hypocritical, he couldn't help but make sarcastic remarks.

However, his words caused an uproar among the crowd, who all looked at him with strange eyes.

"What do you mean!"

The disciples of Songshan were furious and glared at Linghu Chong.

Originally, they believed that the position of leader of the alliance should belong to the Songshan Sect. They went to help the Huashan Sect, but were kicked off the mountain that very day. Now, the other side was mocking and ridiculing their Songshan Sect leader under such circumstances. At this moment, all the Songshan disciples wished they could fight Linghu Chong to the death.

"Is the position of leader of the Five Mountains Alliance exclusively held by your Huashan Sect?"

"Now the Five Mountains Sword Sects are re-electing their leader to select someone who is both capable and prestigious. To become the leader of the Five Mountains Alliance, one must at least be the number one martial artist in the Five Mountains; otherwise, one cannot command respect."

Many disciples of Mount Song began to attack Linghu Chong.

"Humph."

Faced with these people's verbal attacks, Linghu Chong was not afraid at all and began to debate with the scholars.

"I think my master's martial arts are extremely high. I dare not say that there is no one in the martial arts world who can definitely defeat my master, but at least within the Five Mountains Sword Sect, there should be no one."

At this point, Linghu Chong chuckled.

"As for prestige, everyone knows my master's reputation as the Gentleman Sword. Everyone knows what kind of person my master is. My master is both capable and has enough prestige, so why can't he be the leader of the Five Mountains Alliance? In my opinion, my master is the best candidate to be the leader of the Five Mountains Alliance."

Upon hearing his words, many people began to whisper among themselves.

Everyone is questioning the veracity of what Linghu Chong said.

In the ranking of the top ten masters of the righteous path, Abbot Fangzheng of Shaolin and Daoist Chongxu of Wudang firmly occupy the first and second positions, while Zuo Lengchan is third.

Besides these three, the others are Yue Buqun, Tianmen Daoren, Master Mo Da, Abbess Dingxian, Zhenshanzi, the leader of the Kunlun Sect, Xie Feng, the leader of the Beggars' Sect, and Yu Canghai, the former leader of the Qingcheng Sect, totaling ten people.

There has always been controversy about the ranking of the top ten masters of the righteous path. For example, many people argue that Tianmen Daoren's martial arts are stronger than Dingxian Shitai's, while others argue that Mo Da Xiansheng's martial arts are stronger than Yue Buqun's.

Since the leaders of various sects rarely take action, no one can definitively say who is more powerful. However, regardless of the debates in the martial arts world, the top three of the ten righteous masters have remained unchanged, which shows that Zuo Lengchan's status in the martial arts world has always been the third most powerful righteous master.

However, this list changed after Jiang Ning killed Yu Canghai.

Since Jiang Ning single-handedly killed Yu Canghai and all his disciples at Qingcheng Mountain, Jiang Ning has been ranked among the top ten masters of the righteous path, currently ranking fifth.

The fourth is Yue Buqun.

The reason Jiang Ning is ranked fifth, even ahead of the Kunlun Sect leader and other prominent figures, is not only because Jiang Ning killed Yu Canghai, but also because of his later exploits.

Whether it was his pursuit of the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect or his solo defense of the Thousand-Foot Crag amidst thousands of martial artists, which resulted in a bloodbath, all these deeds demonstrate Jiang Ning's formidable strength, hence his ranking at number five.

As for Yue Buqun being ranked as the fourth strongest righteous cultivator, it's thanks to Jiang Ning.

Many people in the martial arts world believe that if his disciple is already so powerful, Yue Buqun must be hiding his true strength and is even more powerful, so they ranked Yue Buqun fourth.

Even so, Yue Buqun's ranking is still below Zuo Lengchan's.

Many people believe that Zuo Lengchan is still the number one swordsman of the Five Mountains Sword Sect.

"Chong'er, what nonsense are you spouting!"

Yue Buqun reprimanded Linghu Chong with a stern face, then looked up at Zuo Lengchan in the distance and said loudly, "Sect Leader Zuo, don't take my unworthy disciple's playful words to heart."

The Fengchan Terrace was a spacious place, but Yue Buqun's voice clearly echoed throughout the entire terrace and reached the ears of everyone present.

Many martial arts figures who had initially doubted the veracity of Linghu Chong's words fell silent upon witnessing Yue Buqun's display of skill, their eyes filled with astonishment.

To project one's voice requires considerable internal strength, especially in a spacious place like the Fengchan Terrace, where extremely deep internal strength is needed. Yue Buqun's current performance is in no way inferior to Zuo Lengchan's, causing many martial arts practitioners to begin to waver.

Zuo Lengchan, whose speech had been interrupted by Linghu Chong, had no change in expression. But upon hearing Yue Buqun's words, a smile appeared on Zuo Lengchan's face, and he said...

“Nephew Linghu is absolutely right. In fact, I also think that Sect Leader Yue is the best candidate for the next leader of the alliance.”

At this point, Zuo Lengchan paused and then said, "However, the position of the leader of the Five Mountains Alliance is very important. It cannot be decided by Zuo alone. It also requires the approval of the other three sects. If Zuo were to simply hand over the position of leader to Sect Leader Yue, I fear that Master Mo and Abbess Dingxian and other sect leaders would not be satisfied."

"I have no objection to Sect Leader Yue becoming the leader of the alliance."

At this moment, Mr. Mo spoke up, which can be considered as a response to Zuo Lengchan's words.

Zuo Lengchan was speechless.

Seeing him like this, Mr. Mo remained calm and composed.

In fact, Master Mo knew that after today, the Five Mountains Alliance would become history, and there would be no more Five Mountains Alliance Leaders, but at this moment he just wanted to say something to Zuo Lengchan.

For no other reason than to be happy.

"It seems that great minds think alike. Mr. Mo, like me, also thinks that it would be best for Master Yue to be the leader of the alliance. However, I am worried that Abbess Dingxian may have objections."

Zuo Lengchan quickly realized what was happening and immediately replied.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Mo chuckled twice but did not reply.

He had only intended to say a few sarcastic remarks before, but now that he was in a good mood, he naturally didn't want to argue with Zuo Lengchan anymore.

Zuo Lengchan didn't intend to continue arguing with him, and immediately said, "Since everyone has no objections, let's officially begin today's alliance leader election meeting."

Zuo Lengchan looked around and said loudly, "Everyone, although our Five Mountains Sword Sect needs to elect a capable and prestigious person to be the leader, as you all know, in the martial arts world, martial arts are still the most important factor in winning people's respect. If the newly appointed leader's martial arts are not enough to win people's respect, then I suggest that we have a sword contest."

"Zuo Lengchan, I have a question for you."

Just as Zuo Lengchan was about to begin the sword duel, Tianmen Daoist, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

Upon hearing Tianmen Daoist speak, Zuo Lengchan instinctively felt uneasy, but still smiled and asked, "What does Brother Daoist have to say?"

Tianmen Daoist stood at a distance, staring intently at Zuo Lengchan on the steps, his eyes bloodshot and his teeth clenched.

"You said that the Five Mountains Sword Sects have been allied for a hundred years and are like one family."

"Now I ask you, in order to merge the sects, you sent people to hunt down my Taishan Sect, killing dozens of my disciples and sending them to their deaths. You also sent Zhong Zhen and a few others to Taishan to bewitch the disciples of Yu Jizi and Yu Panzi's lineages in an attempt to overthrow my Taishan Sect, causing hundreds of deaths and injuries to my Taishan Sect. I want to ask you, is this the work of one family?"

Tianmen Daoist spoke each word almost as if he were shouting, his voice so loud that all the martial arts practitioners present could hear him.

"Zuo Lengchan, now I ask you, what is the reason for this hatred and resentment?"