Yue Buqun refused to "help" Wang Jingyuan, no matter what. Though the Mount Hua Sect wasn't a Daoist sect, it had inherited some of the Quanzhen Sect's teachings.
Unlike Buddhism, which viewed the body as nothing more than a vessel, Daoism saw it as both "a den of worldly desires" and "a vessel for the Dao."
The core of the Quanzhen Sect's Inner Elixir Art was "using the false to cultivate the true." It held that "the false body and the true body complement each other." Though the physical body was seen as an illusory "false body with form," one had to cultivate it into a "true body" to transcend the mortal world.
When Wang Jingyuan descended to the mortal realm, he hadn't come down with a shaved head. And since he'd appeared on Huashan, a sacred Daoist site, Yue Buqun had naturally classified him as a Daoist Immortal Elder.
Now this Immortal Elder was going to damage his own body to help Yue Buqun revive the Mount Hua Sect. Yue Buqun wasn't happy; he was terrified.
How great a debt of karma would this incur? Could he, Yue Buqun, repay it over countless lifetimes?
Seeing that Yue Buqun truly wasn't willing to cooperate, Wang Jingyuan smacked his lips. "Fine, if you don't want to do it, I'll find someone else."
Yue Buqun immediately put on a solemn expression. "The Immortal Elder's willingness to help is already a blessing for the Mount Hua Sect. How could we let you damage your immortal body for the sake of our sect? We can take our time reviving Huashan. If anyone dares harm you, I, Yue Buqun, will regard them as my sworn enemy!"
After listening to Yue Buqun ramble on for so long, Wang Jingyuan finally caught on. "Well, well. The moment you realize you've got a truant in a wheelchair, you go straight for a hotfix, huh?
"Forget it. We'll leave it at that. A heavy nerf isn't the same as deleting it outright. It'll be a bit more troublesome, but I can still cultivate."
Yue Buqun picked up on the key point. "Immortal Elder, you can cultivate the Bixie Swordplay without castrating yourself?"
"Yeah, it's just a little slower. Don't look at me like that. My circumstances are special; you can't learn from me. Those like me survive. Those who imitate me die."
Yue Buqun supposed that made sense. After all, he was just a mortal. How could he compare himself to an immortal? Since he couldn't cultivate the Bixie Swordplay, he ought to consider the second problem instead.
He pondered for a moment, then said to Wang Jingyuan, "Immortal Elder, although it's a little... improper for the Bixie Swordplay to have fallen into the hands of the Mount Hua Sect, this was a kind offer from you, and I'm simply not blessed enough to accept it. I'll take full responsibility for this matter and won't let those ordinary mortals bother you."
Yue Buqun frowned. "What are you talking about? Before this is settled, your title of 'Gentleman Sword' will be very useful. You mustn't tarnish it so easily. Just say I acted on my own."
"But..."
"You're the 'Gentleman Sword.' It's only natural that you'd help take responsibility for a disciple's mistake. And since you're the 'Gentleman Sword,' even the aggrieved party won't pursue the matter. Who would really make trouble for you?
"If someone keeps making a fuss about this, then they have another motive. We'll give them what they want."
Yue Buqun remembered the sword manual Wang Jingyuan had copied out earlier. "Could it be..."
"Exactly what you're thinking. Now, let's talk about the real business."
Yue Buqun was astonished. "You mean this isn't the real business?"
Wang Jingyuan took a proposal signed by Lin Zhennan from inside his robes. "The greatest thing I gained on this trip was this. It's the foundation for reviving the Mount Hua Sect."
Yue Buqun had far too many questions for Wang Jingyuan, so the two talked by candlelight until late into the night. Only then did Wang Jingyuan return to his room to rest. He lay in bed and waited. As soon as midnight passed, a prompt appeared before his eyes.
[Zixia Divine Skill proficiency +1]
Looking at the newly arrived reward for his staged mission, Wang Jingyuan nodded in satisfaction and closed his eyes.
Early the next morning, Yue Buqun received Lin Pingzhi. "You must be Pingzhi. You certainly look like a fine young man."
Lin Pingzhi immediately knelt and kowtowed. "Disciple Lin Pingzhi pays his respects to Master."
Yue Buqun stroked his beard and laughed. "Good, good, good!"
Ning Zhongze raised a hand to help him up. "Child, get up."
With the two of them acknowledging him, Lin Pingzhi's place in the sect was now secure. Yue Lingshan, standing nearby, also breathed a sigh of relief. She'd long known that the supposed "accepting a disciple on Master's behalf" had been made up. Though Wang Jingyuan had later persuaded her to accept the arrangement, she'd always believed Lin Pingzhi would have a hard time winning her father over. Over the past few days, she'd come to like her "Junior Disciple Brother." The way he did everything by the book reminded her of her father, and made him far more dependable than a certain scoundrel.
She'd planned to plead for him if her father refused to accept him. She hadn't expected her father to accept Lin Pingzhi just like that. Yue Lingshan was genuinely delighted. She glanced at Wang Jingyuan, who stood nearby looking completely at ease, and muttered, "You jerk. I guess you're good for something after all."
Because Liu Zhengfeng had been badly injured, the Golden Basin Hand-Washing Ceremony had been postponed. The Mount Hua Sect disciples would have to stay in Hengyang City for a few more days.
With nothing else to do, Yue Buqun began instructing his disciples in martial arts one by one. But oddly enough, while the disciples lined up in formation to practice their swordplay, Wang Jingyuan stood to the side, watching as he munched on fruit.
He looked just like some heartless old man showing up with an iced cola to inspect his underclassmen's military training on the sports field. The other disciples didn't mind much. After all, Mistress had mentioned several times that Wang Jingyuan had an extraordinary background. Why would ordinary disciples resent someone with connections?
Of course, someone did resent him. The other person with connections present.
"Father, why doesn't he have to practice swordplay?" Yue Lingshan rubbed her sore arms and glared at Wang Jingyuan, who was making faces at her.
Yue Buqun immediately defended him. "Jingyuan's swordsmanship is already highly accomplished, far beyond yours. He doesn't need to practice."
"Father, didn't you say there's no end to learning? In martial arts, it's like rowing upstream: if you don't advance, you fall behind."
Yue Buqun continued to brush her off. "That's true, but you also need to balance work and rest. You've all seen how hard Jingyuan trains on Huashan. It's only right that he gets to rest now."
Yue Lingshan pouted, then her eyes shifted. "Father, since Junior Brother's swordsmanship is so accomplished, far beyond ours, why not have him give us some pointers?"
Yue Buqun opened his mouth to say more, but Wang Jingyuan had already drawn his sword and walked over. "I've got nothing better to do. I might as well take a few swings at the training dummies."
Wang Jingyuan pointed his sword forward. "I'll take you all on at once."
The senior disciples had never been beaten up by Wang Jingyuan before. Seeing him act so arrogantly, they decided to take the opportunity to "remind" him to show his senior brothers some respect. Then Wang Jingyuan beat them until they were in complete disarray.
When Wang Jingyuan sheathed his sword, the Mount Hua disciples were sprawled all over the ground, grimacing in pain. Yue Lingshan in particular looked on the verge of tears. During the melee, Wang Jingyuan had gone out of his way to give her special attention.
When he didn't receive any proficiency rewards, Wang Jingyuan shook his head in disappointment. It seemed that aside from Linghu Chong, the Mount Hua disciples were all pretty useless. No wonder Yue Buqun in the original story had such a miserable time.
After the lesson, the Mount Hua disciples helped one another back to their rooms to apply medicine. Only Lin Pingzhi kept staring at Wang Jingyuan with burning eyes before finally looking away, a little dejected.
Wang Jingyuan had won so easily just now not only because of his mastery of the Mount Hua Sword Technique, but also because he'd unexpectedly used a few moves from the Bixie Swordplay.
The Bixie Swordplay was incredibly fast. The other senior disciples couldn't make sense of it, but he and Yue Lingshan had seen it before. Yue Lingshan didn't care much about how strong a martial art was, but Lin Pingzhi was extremely excited. It was his family's ancestral swordplay, but unfortunately, he couldn't cultivate it.
Yue Buqun returned to his room, still dwelling on Wang Jingyuan's performance. Every one of his sword strikes had been perfectly executed, yet the Internal Energy attached to the blade had only just been enough.
That style of fighting looked just like the Sword Sect's. Then Yue Buqun shook his head. His little Mount Hua Sect couldn't contain someone like Wang Jingyuan. There was no point thinking too much about it.
He poured himself a cup of tea to soothe his throat. Just then, his wife hurried over, looking at him as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.
Yue Buqun was puzzled. "What's got you so flustered?"
Ning Zhongze said, "A lot of stories have suddenly been circulating around the city. Their contents are filthy, and they target Senior Brother Liu and Zuo Lengchan. I'm worried this is a plot by the Demonic Cult against our Five Great Sword Sects."
Wang Jingyuan had already told Yue Buqun all about his plan, so Yue Buqun knew exactly what Ning Zhongze meant. But when he thought of what Wang Jingyuan had told him earlier, he felt sick and wanted to vomit. His face twisted despite himself.
"That's right. This must be a plot by the Demonic Cult against us."
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