The Smiling, Proud Wanderer: Yue Buqun of Mount Hua

Soon, Yue Buqun arrived at the East Peak. The sun had risen high above the summit, its rays filtering through the sea of ​​clouds and refracting into a rainbow of colors, enveloping the entire mountain in a mysterious and magnificent atmosphere. Standing atop Mount Hua, overlooking the surrounding mountains, the sea of ​​clouds unfolded beneath his feet, making him feel as if he were walking on the sky. The mist swirled around the peaks, sometimes unpredictable, sometimes gentle and serene.

Looking down, there was a bottomless cliff, steep and precipitous.

If you slip, you'll be reduced to mincemeat.

Yue Buqun remained calm and fearless. It was just a cliff, how could it frighten him? Even if he accidentally fell, he could get off as long as there was a place to grab onto.

He glanced around; the distant mountain peaks lay beneath his feet, appearing and disappearing in the mist, like a fairyland. The trees in the mountains, also bathed in the mist, presented a mysterious and tranquil scene.

It is said that one should climb to the top of the mountain and look down on all the other mountains. Isn't Mount Hua the same?

The term "Huashan" first appeared in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" and the "Tribute of Yu". The "Commentary on the Wei River" in the "Water Classic" records: "Its height is five thousand ren, cut into four squares, and when viewed from a distance, it looks like a flower." Since "flower" was interchangeable with "Hua" in ancient times, it was named Huashan, which means Flower Mountain.

Indeed, if an immortal were to stand high above and look down, Mount Hua would resemble an enormous tree stump, with sheer cliffs stretching as far as the eye can see, making it difficult for birds to cross or monkeys to climb, its terrain as treacherous as if carved by a knife.

The only way to enter Mount Hua is to climb the North Peak through the Thousand-Foot Cliff and Hundred-Foot Gorge, and then take the Azure Dragon Ridge and Golden Lock Pass from the North Peak. This is the origin of the saying that there is only one path to Mount Hua since ancient times.

Standing here, Yue Buqun felt a surge of heroic spirit and drew his Gentleman's Sword to practice the Yangwu Sword Technique move by move.

As he wielded his longsword, it was as if he had been practicing swordsmanship on a mountaintop for decades. Initially, his swordsmanship was not very proficient, but he persisted regardless of wind or rain, practicing in the coldest and hottest winters without stopping. Gradually, his swordsmanship became more refined, and he came to understand its profound mysteries through this arduous practice.

Ultimately, man and sword become one, and one becomes a swordsman.

Uh, not yet. Anyway, it's really impressive.

At some point, Yue Buqun stopped practicing, and the essence of swordsmanship emerged in his mind, giving him a deeper understanding of swordsmanship. He only stopped after a long while.

He stood holding his sword, the tip pointing diagonally forward, carefully experiencing the essence of Yangwu's sword technique.

I am good at cultivating my noble spirit.

What is meant by "righteous spirit"?

Its nature is extremely vast and strong. If it is nourished by uprightness without causing harm, it will fill the space between heaven and earth.

At this moment, he understood what the spirit of righteousness was. It was a magnificent and unparalleled aura, vast and upright. When used, one wielded the sword with one's own body as the sword, and the sword's momentum preceded the sword's appearance, suppressing the enemy's fear and making them dare not resist.

Heaven and earth possess righteous energy, which manifests in myriad forms. Below, it becomes rivers and mountains; above, it becomes the sun and stars. In man, it is called the vast and righteous spirit, filling the boundless sky. When the imperial road is clear and peaceful, harmony prevails and the court is bright. When times are dire, integrity is revealed, each act recorded in history. It is in the records of the Grand Historian of Qi, in the brush of Dong Hu of Jin, in the dagger of Zhang Liang of Qin, in the integrity of Su Wu of Han. It is the head of General Yan, the blood of Attendant-in-Ordinary Ji…

Yue Buqun loudly recited the Ode to Righteousness, each line accompanied by a sword strike, his heart filled with righteous spirit. At this moment, I am justice! I am the righteous path!

You are all enemies!

What a magnificent spirit of righteousness! What a masterful swordsmanship!

Yue Buqun sighed inwardly. Faced with the mighty sword aura, what did it matter if the sword aura was a level higher than his own? He was terrified and could only suppress his fear and try his best to hold on. It was already good if he could use 70 or 80% of his martial arts skills.

Yue Buqun let out a long, loud whistle that echoed through the mountains before finally subsiding.

With this swordsmanship, there is nowhere in the world I cannot go. There are countless heroes in the martial world, but how many of them can be my match?

He glanced at the mountains, which all seemed to prostrate themselves at his feet, just as heroes of the martial world had no choice but to bow down in submission. Yue Buqun's heroic spirit was instantly aroused.

"What are you yelling about, you little brat?"

A reprimand rang out, and Yue Buqun turned his head to look. Before he knew it, an old man with white hair and dressed in green was standing five steps in front of him. He looked depressed, his face was as pale as gold paper, his voice was low and his expression was desolate, as if he contained endless sorrow; but there was a kind of majesty in his tone. Although his white hair and beard made him look old, he was restrained and his eyes were full of hidden brilliance.

Feng Qingyang!

Unlike last time when he wore a mask, this time his identity was exposed and he lost interest in wearing one.

Yue Buqun sheathed his sword, grasped the scabbard with his right hand, and bowed respectfully, saying, "Greetings, Uncle-Master Feng."

"No, I don't recognize you as the sect leader."

Yue Buqun smiled. He knew that Feng Qingyang would not admit it. It was the Qi Sect that tricked him, causing him to return only to find the sword duel over. The once mighty Huashan, the head of the Five Mountains Sword Sects, was now left with only a handful of people.

Most importantly, it's one thing to trick him into marriage, but couldn't you have found him a rich heiress? What's the point of finding a prostitute? My wife!

"The battle over sword energy is over twenty years old, why should my uncle hold a grudge?"

"It's not your Qi Sect that has failed; where is my Sword Sect now?"

Yue Buqun gave an awkward smile. The Sword Sect had been expelled from Mount Hua and would never be able to return, making them utter losers, and nobody cared. But the current situation was that Mount Hua had already lost its position as the leader of the Five Mountains Alliance. Zuo Lengchan, as the leader of the Five Mountains Alliance, held the Five Mountains Command Flag, yet he was ambitiously preparing to merge the Five Mountains into one, putting Yue Buqun under immense pressure.

Although he was not afraid, if he could get this Uncle Feng back to Mount Hua, what would Zuo Lengchan do? Would he dare to confront the Sword Saint of Mount Hua?

"Does Uncle Feng know the truth about the sword qi dispute?" Yue Buqun's opening line was a bombshell.

Before he could answer, Yue Buqun began to talk about the Sunflower Manual.

Back then, the Sunflower Manual was secretly kept by Zen Master Hongye of Shaolin Temple in Putian. When the Huashan elders Yue Su and Cai Zifeng visited Shaolin and heard about this, they secretly read it and each wrote down half of it. After returning to the mountain, they compared their notes with each other and found that the contents were completely different. The two could not agree on the content, so they simply practiced their own methods, which eventually led to the split of the Huashan Sect into the Qi Sect and the Sword Sect.

He didn't say anything about what happened to Mount Hua afterward, but just glanced at Feng Qingyang.

Feng Qingyang was well aware of the situation at Mount Hua. From then on, the conflict between swords and qi continued, eventually leading to Mount Hua's decline, leaving only a handful of disciples. It should be noted that at its peak, Mount Hua had two to three thousand disciples, making it a renowned sect in the martial arts world. It was also known for its martial arts prowess, with the saying "Fist originates from Shaolin, sword returns to Mount Hua," making it a holy land for swordsmen.

"You're saying this is a conspiracy by Shaolin?"

Feng Qingyang gritted his teeth, wishing he could wipe out the entire Shaolin Temple right now.

"Perhaps there's also Wudang."

"How could that be? Mount Hua is a prestigious and righteous sect. The Five Mountains Alliance has always been at the forefront of the fight against the Demonic Sect. What right do they have to do this?"

Feng Qingyang staggered backward, refusing to believe it. He had always thought that the Huashan sword qi dispute was just a contest of ideologies, but now you're telling me that someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes? How is that possible?

"The Five Mountains Sword Sects are renowned for their unparalleled swordsmanship. There's even a saying: 'The fist originates from Shaolin, the sword returns to Mount Hua.' The leader of the Mount Hua Sect is the Alliance Leader of the Five Mountains, commanding their disciples to fight against the Demonic Sect. Countless martial arts sects follow them in every battle between good and evil. Calling them the Alliance Leader of the martial world is no exaggeration. Where are Shaolin and Wudang now? Facing the righteous path of the martial world, how can the Mount Hua Sect progress further?"

Feng Qingyang remained silent. The Huashan Sect was like oil being poured on a hot fire. It seemed powerful, but in terms of its foundation, it was only third among the righteous sects. Shaolin Temple, a thousand-year-old treasure temple, was bestowed the title of the number one temple in the world by Li Shimin after the thirteen monks bravely saved Li Shimin. It had a profound foundation and was the number one among the righteous sects.

Master Zhang of Wudang Mountain reigned supreme over the world for sixty years, unmatched by anyone. Furthermore, it was a royal Taoist temple, supported by the imperial family. Back then, the imperial court dispatched hundreds of thousands of people to renovate Wudang Mountain; there was a saying that while the Forbidden City was being built in the north, Wudang Mountain was being renovated in the south—who dared to underestimate it?

Only Mount Hua, despite its seemingly powerful Five Sacred Mountains Sword Sects, has a shallow foundation. It is merely a coalition of five sword sects. Although it is called the Five Sacred Mountains Sword Sects, the five mountains are actually thousands of miles apart, making them easy targets.

If they want to go further, they'll have to encroach on the territory of two other companies, which they're unlikely to agree to.

"So what? Mount Hua has already declined. Can you still contend with Shaolin and Wudang?" Feng Qingyang said calmly.

"I don't have the strength, but I still want to reunite the sword and qi sects, so that from now on, sword and qi are one family, and there's no need to distinguish between you and me."

"That depends on whether you have the ability."