Mount Hua Heroine

Mount Hua's perilous beauty is unmatched in the world.

Snow fell in thick flakes before the pavilion.

A young girl danced with her long sword in the snow, her green skirt swirling and cold light flashing.

Her swordplay was as wild as the mountain's nature; Mount Hua Swordplay was renowned for its unpredictable and deadly moves. If one couldn't defeat the enemy in a single strike, they would fall into a perilous situation themselves.

After finishing a set of Mount Hua Swordplay, the girl stood with her sword on her back.

She gazed eastward, where snow continued to fall from the sky, while a sheer cliff dropped thousands of feet below her feet.

She sighed softly, a hint of sorrow hidden in her brow.

A middle-aged woman walked through the snow and entered the pavilion, draping the fox fur coat she carried over the girl's shoulders.

Yue Lingshan turned her head. "Mother."

"Shan'er, practicing swordplay and watching the snow alone?"

"I... I want to master the swordplay to help share my parents' burdens."

Ning Zhongze smiled and nodded. "Shan'er, you've made great progress recently. Your internal energy has reached the mid-stage of Dan Energy. You're not as lazy as before, and your father is very pleased. He said once your foundation in Mount Hua Swordplay is even stronger, he'll have me teach you the Jade Maiden Nineteen Sword Forms."

"I'll work hard!"

Ning Zhongze looked at her daughter, her own flesh and blood. She had long noticed that since returning from Mount Heng, Lingshan seemed preoccupied.

"Children of the martial world, martial arts are the foundation of one's existence. Chong'er has exceptional talent; he's already in the late stage of the Armor-Breaking Realm in his early twenties. He will inherit the responsibility of the Mount Hua Sect from your father in the future."

"But for you, Shan'er, I have selfish wishes. I only hope you are happy and content. Do you understand?"

Yue Lingshan's eyes reddened, and she threw herself into Ning Zhongze's arms.

"Still crying? You're almost a young lady ready for marriage, able to marry and raise a family."

"No way, I'll always be your daughter."

Ning Zhongze gently stroked her daughter's back, her eyes full of affection. She suddenly noticed a jade hairpin in Yue Lingshan's hair, something she had never seen before.

"What a beautiful Vermillion Bird Jade Hairpin. Did Chong'er give it to you?"

Yue Lingshan quickly stood up, wiped her eyes, and whispered, "No."

"Did you buy it with your own pocket money?"

Yue Lingshan nodded, then shook her head again. She had never lied to her mother before and her eyes darted around nervously, unsure of what to do.

Ning Zhongze saw this and asked, "Did that person give it to you?"

Yue Lingshan looked up at her, becoming flustered. "Mother, I just..."

Ning Zhongze looked at her daughter's expression and understood most of it.

She had heard from her senior brother that her daughter had been abducted by someone from the Demonic Cult at the foot of Mount Heng and taken all the way to Pingyang City.

To protect her daughter's reputation and avoid gossip, only she and her husband knew about it; none of the other Mount Hua disciples were informed. They were only told that their junior sister had gone sightseeing for those few days.

"Shan'er, I understand how you feel. When one is young and inexperienced, they might encounter someone exceptionally talented and mistake them for the best in the world, thus overlooking those who have been quietly waiting for them."

Yue Lingshan lowered her head, silent. That scoundrel from the Demonic Cult, aside from his appearance, didn't seem particularly talented.

"Let me tell you a secret."

Yue Lingshan looked up. "What?"

Ning Zhongze said, "Absolutely do not tell your father."

Yue Lingshan's interest was piqued, and she nodded vigorously.

Ning Zhongze sighed slightly and smiled. "Actually, when I was your age, I also met someone. He was already famous, incredibly dashing, and skilled in music. Countless women in the martial world were infatuated with him back then..."

"And then?" Yue Lingshan's gossip-fueled curiosity burned. Could it be that she wasn't her father's biological daughter?

Ning Zhongze laughed. "Later, of course, I married your father. We've been deeply in love ever since. Otherwise, how could you have been born?"

"What I want to tell you is that during youth, you will encounter many beautiful sights. But if something is too far away, don't force it. Otherwise, you might end up harming yourself and the other person."

Yue Lingshan fiddled with the hem of her clothes and whispered, "Mother, you're overthinking it. I... I just consider him a friend."

"A friend? Then can you tell me about this friend?"

Ning Zhongze looked at her daughter's shy demeanor, reminding her of herself in those years. She secretly thought, Lingshan has truly grown up.

"I originally thought he and Chong'er were childhood sweethearts, destined to be together... like me and my husband."

"Even if he were just an ordinary person. But he's from the Demonic Cult. Have all the remarkable men in the world joined the Blackwood Cliff?"

"It seems I need to discuss this with my husband soon and finalize the arrangements for her and Chong'er."

Study.

The Scholar in Green sat before the desk, frowning as he flipped through a yellowed booklet.

It was no wonder Yue Lingshan was so beautiful and refined. Ning Zhongze was a heroic female warrior, and Yue Buqun was also a top-tier handsome man. With such parents, their daughter's appearance was naturally bound to be outstanding.

"Junior Sister, you've come at the perfect time."

Before Ning Zhongze could speak, Yue Buqun handed her the yellow booklet.

Ning Zhongze flipped through a few pages. They all contained figures on the money and grain reported by the various estates under Mount Hua. Compared to previous years, there was a shortfall of one to three tenths. Her brow furrowed.

Among the Five Great Sword Sects, the Mount Song Sect was undoubtedly the best when it came to managing finances.

Of the counties surrounding Songshan, fifty percent of the land belonged to the Shaolin Temple, and forty percent to the Mount Song Sect. Furthermore, Zuo Lengchan, as the leader of the Five Great Sword Sects, held considerable prestige, attracting the patronage and offerings of many second and third-rate martial arts factions.

Mount Hua was not adept at business or property management. However, with its centuries of foundation, it still possessed over three thousand mu of fertile land, managed through six estates scattered across Huayin Prefecture.

The heads of these estates were mostly old acquaintances of the Mount Hua Sect. In fact, several of them were Yue Buqun's martial uncles.

Ning Zhongze put down the yellow booklet and looked at Yue Buqun.

"There was an agreement back then: sixty percent of the income from the estates was to go into the public fund. Considering they are elders, we haven't audited their accounts all these years, as long as things were passable."

"For three consecutive years, there were no major disasters around Mount Hua, yet the money and grain handed over to the public fund have been decreasing."

"This year is even worse, with such a direct shortfall."

Yue Buqun sighed, "Sister, what do you think we should do?"

Ning Zhongze pondered for a moment before saying, "An army marches on its stomach. Senior Brother, you've wanted to recruit more disciples and strengthen the sect several times, but haven't you always been thwarted by a lack of funds and supplies?"

A major sect like Mount Hua had extensive social obligations within the martial arts world. Today, some old senior would retire, tomorrow it would be a sect leader's birthday – gifts were expected, and they couldn't be stingy.

Yue Buqun cherished the reputation of the "Gentleman Sword." He never accepted offerings from escort agencies, nor did he use weddings or funerals to amass wealth. His social expenditures were essentially ten yuan spent for every one yuan received.

Thus, the sect primarily relied on the estates for support.

Besides social obligations, the cost of training disciples was also significant.

Food, clothing, housing, weapons, medicinal herbs for injuries, medicinal baths for strengthening the body – all these daily necessities required money.

Although the Mount Hua Sect held a prestigious position in the martial arts world, its disciples were quite poor. When Ning Zhongze saw the Vermillion Bird Jade Hairpin worn by Yue Lingshan, she realized it must have taken half a year's worth of pocket money to save up for it, which was why she was so surprised.

Ning Zhongze stated, "Without rules, there can be no order. I believe we should send people down the mountain to audit the accounts every year. For those who falsify records, a first offense will be a warning; a second offense will result in the repossession of the estate. After all, the deeds and land titles are in our hands."

Yue Buqun hesitated, "If word gets out, will our peers in the martial arts world gossip?"

Ning Zhongze replied, "As long as we are in the right and have a clear conscience, we can't stop outsiders from gossiping."

"After all, they are old members of the Mount Hua Sect. They shed blood for Mount Hua in their youth."

"And we haven't treated the senior members poorly."

"Their descendants, however, live lives of luxury, chasing dogs and birds. Some even use the Mount Hua Sect's name to bully the innocent. What kind of lives do our Chong'er and Shan'er lead?"

"Shan'er is already of marriageable age, yet she doesn't even have two decent pieces of jewelry or clothing. She's not one to fuss over food or clothes, but as her mother, I can't just ignore it."

Yue Buqun said, "Then I'll trouble you with this matter, Sister. For Master's sake, I hope they will restrain themselves and not truly damage our fellow disciples' camaraderie."

The previous sect leader of Mount Hua, Ning Qingyu, was Ning Zhongze's father.

Ning Zhongze nodded. This matter was difficult, but it was indeed most appropriate for her to handle it, to minimize any potential criticism as much as possible.