The Smiling, Proud Wanderer: Yue Buqun of Mount Hua

"Good morning, Master. Greetings, Master."

Seeing him practicing his sword, the disciples who had just gotten up immediately sprang to attention and quickly came over to call out "Master." When he ignored them, they obediently ran over to practice their swordsmanship.

The disciples secretly groaned. Usually, their master's wife would teach them once and then let them practice on their own. No one supervised them, so they could practice as many times as they wanted. If they didn't practice, it was fine, as their fellow disciples would cover for them, and no one would investigate.

Now, with their master practicing swordsmanship up there, what can they do but obediently practice on the training platform? Before long, they're parched, weak, and unable to continue. Normally, no one practices swordsmanship this diligently; they'd all be out in the shade of a tree to cool off.

Seeing his master practicing swordsmanship up there, he couldn't slack off even if he wanted to. He could only grit his teeth and persevere, though he swung his long sword a little slowly.

Yue Buqun observed that these disciples were used to being undisciplined and lacked the chivalry and strength of true heroes of the martial world. In the martial world, strength was paramount. If they did not diligently practice their swordsmanship and improve their strength, how could they roam the martial world? They would only wait to be killed by a single sword strike.

He continued practicing his swordplay until he felt hungry and thirsty, at which point he put away his sword and left.

"Ugh, I'm exhausted! Senior brother, aren't you tired?"

"How can I not be tired? If this keeps up, I'll be exhausted to death."

Shouts came from behind, and from their movements, it was clear that everyone had sheathed their swords and were rubbing their backs, complaining of exhaustion.

Yue Buqun smiled, his voice carrying from afar: "Go back and practice your internal energy at noon, then continue practicing your sword in the afternoon."

"Ah!" A chorus of wails erupted from behind, but no matter how unwilling they were, they had to grit their teeth and persevere. With their master watching from above, who would dare to slack off?

I continued practicing in the afternoon until dark, and then returned home rubbing my sore back. I was almost exhausted that day.

The next afternoon, unable to persevere any longer, they watched their master meticulously practicing his swordsmanship, the sword gleaming coldly and radiating with aura. They were filled with envy, but unable to continue themselves, the group turned their gaze to their junior sister, hoping she could help them.

If anyone could face their master without fear, it would be the junior sister.

The Huashan Sect follows the rule of order of entry into the sect, with Yue Lingshan being the only exception. As the master's daughter, she cannot be included in the order of disciples, so she is addressed according to age: those older than her are called junior sister, and those younger than her are called senior sister.

Although not the strongest, he was deeply loved by his master.

Yue Lingshan nodded slightly, sheathed her sword, and flew forward, calling out, "Father, where has Senior Brother gone? I haven't seen him these past two days!"

She rushed straight to the platform, disregarding the danger. After all, her father wouldn't kill her, so why be afraid?

Yue Buqun reluctantly sheathed his sword, watching as she ran to his side, grabbed his arm, and shook it, acting all coquettish.

Although the other disciples did not speak, they tacitly sheathed their swords and gathered around, their faces filled with worry, wanting to know the whereabouts of their senior brother.

Whether he was genuinely worried about his senior brother or just wanted to take the opportunity to slack off, only he himself knew.

"I arranged for him to go down the mountain on some errands."

"Didn't Second Senior Brother always handle this before? Why is Eldest Senior Brother going this time?" Yue Lingshan was surprised. She wanted to play with her senior brother; how could she go down the mountain?

"He is the eldest disciple and bears the heavy responsibility of Mount Hua."

"Then what should he do?"

"I told him to hire a private tutor."

"Why bother hiring a private tutor? Those old scholars only know classical Chinese, and it gives people a headache."

Yue Buqun glanced at everyone with a half-smile, but did not answer. "You will know about this in the future. You are worried about your senior brother now. Once he invites the private tutor, that will be a different matter."

As they were talking, two figures appeared in the distance. As they approached, it was Linghu Chong. Beside him was a middle-aged man in a green robe, with a goatee. He looked to be about forty years old, holding a folding fan. He had an elegant demeanor and a scholarly air about him, clearly well-read.

Linghu Chong led him over, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Master, I have invited Master Sun over. He is a famous scholar in Huayin County."

"Greetings, Master Sun."

"Greetings, Sect Leader Yue."

Master Sun smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, but his face was pale and weak, and his legs seemed even weaker.

Mount Hua is located at the intersection of the Yellow River Delta, which is bordered by Qin, Jin and Yu provinces. It is bordered by Tongguan Pass to the east, Huaxian County to the west, the main Qinling Mountains to the south, and the Weihe Plain to the north. It is known as "the most precipitous mountain under heaven".

The difficulty of the climb is despair-inducing. Starting from Yuquan Temple at the bottom, one must pass through Qianchi Cliff and Baichi Gorge to reach the North Peak, and then climb Canglong Ridge and Jinshuo Pass to enter the Middle Peak.

It sounds simple, but it's actually incredibly difficult, truly deserving of its reputation for being exceptionally dangerous.

Take Canglong Ridge as an example. Canglong Ridge is known as the dragon vein of Mount Hua. It is named for its dark blue-black color and its shape resembling a swimming dragon. From a distance, it looks like a giant dragon piercing the sky. On the ridge, which is several hundred meters long, a narrow stone staircase less than three feet long winds its way up. On both sides of the path are bottomless abysses. From the air, it looks like walking on a knife's edge. If you lose your footing, you will fall off the cliff and die on the spot.

Back then, Han Yu, the leading figure among the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties, climbed Mount Hua and was so frightened that he cried and dared not go forward. He could only leave after writing a letter to the mountain for help, leaving behind the scenic spot "Han Tuizhi's Letter-Writing Site".

To fully appreciate the beauty of Mount Hua, you need two days: one day to climb up and one day to descend. Why? Because if you're exhausted from climbing up, you won't have the energy or time to descend.

It was already quite an achievement that Master Sun managed to climb up, but he was exhausted to the point of collapse. Yet he could still wave his folding fan, which shows that he was gritting his teeth and persevering, not wanting to lose face as a scholar.

The two arrived at the Hall of Righteousness and took their seats as host and guest. Master Sun cupped his hands in greeting and asked with a smile, "May I ask what important matter Sect Leader Yue has invited me here for?"

"I would like to ask Master Sun to teach my unworthy disciples on Mount Hua, so that they can read and write and understand the principles of human relations."

These disciples must be taught to read and write, and become well-rounded disciples who excel in morality, intelligence, physical fitness, and aesthetics.

Master Sun's expression immediately changed slightly. Climbing Mount Hua once had already exhausted him, so there was no way he would stay any longer. If it weren't for the kindness he had received from Mount Hua in the past, and the fact that Linghu Chong had pointed his sword at him, he wouldn't have wanted to climb it even this time.

Mount Hua is unparalleled in its perilousness. For example, the Thousand-Foot Cliff is a huge crack in the cliff face, nestled between two giant rocks. Its slope is extremely steep, almost vertical, and each step is no more than a third of a foot wide.

Looking down from the Thousand-Foot Cliff is like standing on the edge of an abyss; a slight misstep could mean certain death. Even using both hands and feet, it's difficult to climb. How could one possibly suffer there?

He shook his head vigorously, refusing outright: "Sect Leader Yue is joking. I teach in the county town and have dozens of students. How could I possibly come here?"

"This is the deposit."

Yue Buqun placed a ten-tael silver ingot directly in front of him. Master Sun still shook his head, but when he saw that the silver ingot was deeply embedded in the table, with only a small tip sticking out, his face immediately changed.

He slammed his fist on the table and angrily rebuked, "You're forcing me!"

"Mount Hua is a martial arts sect; how could they force us?"

The martial arts world is all about swift retribution and doing whatever you want. I'm giving you face by asking you to help teach my disciples. If you disagree, you can test the sharpness of my sword.

After telling him that he would arrange accommodations, Yue Buqun got up and left.

"My Master Sun studies the books of sages; how could he submit to swords? If you have the guts, kill me."

Master Sun shouted at his departing figure, "A scholar should not be subdued by force or swayed by poverty; how can he submit to tyranny?" He wanted to go out and reprimand him, but seeing the silver ingot buried on the table, he lost his strength.

This is like a scholar encountering a soldier—he can't reason with him, and this is coercion. Faced with this situation, he can only agree.

Looking at the silver ingot, he reached out to try and take it off, but the ingot was already deeply embedded in it, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remove it.

He was determined not to take it; it was money he had worked so hard to earn, how could he not take it? He went out and searched everywhere, picked up a stone and hit it hard, trying to find something to pry it open, but after spending half a day, he still couldn't get it off.

Having no other option, I turned the table over to check. The silver ingot had already pierced through the tabletop, protruding from the bottom. So I squatted down and started smashing it with a stone. If I couldn't pry it off, I could at least smash it.

Just then, Yue Buqun walked in and asked, "Master Sun, I have arranged the dormitories. Let's go take a look. If you need anything, just let me know."

This……

Master Sun's expression changed slightly. He had just declared that he was unyielding to force, but now he was being captured and was sweating profusely for money.

He stood up, placed the stone behind his back, and coughed, "Alright, let's go take a look."

My money is gone now.

Yue Buqun smiled, slapped a piece of paper on the corner of the table, and the mahogany table flew up out of thin air, flipped over, and landed back in its original position. Silver ingots also flew up from inside and landed on the table.

Apart from the marks left by the prying and smashing, the gleaming silver ingot showed no signs of damage.

Looking at the deep dent on the table, Master Sun was shocked. Silver is soft, yet Yue Buqun was able to embed the silver ingot into the wooden table without making a sound, without damaging the ingot in the slightest. He had never heard of or seen such skill before, and he really didn't know how Yue Buqun did it.

If that were to be slapped on him, how would he defend himself?

Despite his reluctance to sway others in the face of poverty, he still managed to grab the enormous silver ingot in his hand before leaving, and then followed Yue Buqun away.