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

Page 35

After hearing this, Jiang Ning smiled and said, "Any bright and shiny surface will always have dark corners that cannot be seen in the light, and other places are no exception."

Just like Xi'an, that glorious ancient capital of six dynasties, it was infested with a group of blood-sucking worms.

Linghu Chong went inside, shaking his head. Not long after, Du Lanyin came out of the inn and asked in surprise when she saw Jiang Ning, "Junior brother, didn't you sleep all night?"

Most of the disciples who went out last night were male, while Du Lanyin and a few other female disciples stayed at the inn to help appease the brothel women and their families who had come with them. By the time Jiang Ning returned, it was already late at night, and they had long since gone to rest because they were too exhausted to stay awake any longer.

Good morning, senior sister.

Jiang Ning smiled and nodded.

After the battle in the brothel street, and then leading the Huashan disciples to raid a house, and not sleeping all night after returning, even though Jiang Ning was young and strong, he couldn't help but have dark circles under his eyes.

Upon hearing this, Du Lanyin felt a pang of sympathy and said, "Then you should go and rest. Senior Sister Qiaojun and I have already rested. We'll take care of anything that needs to be done later."

"it is good."

Jiang Ning nodded. He was also preparing to rest, but after hearing Du Lanyin's words, he didn't hesitate and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Senior Sister," before going back to his room to rest.

As soon as he returned to his room, Jiang Ning's tense mind relaxed, and drowsiness washed over him. He glanced at the sword still on the table and then collapsed onto the bed. He thought about the breathing techniques of the Innate Skill, adjusted his breathing, and soon fell into a deep sleep, his chest rising and falling steadily, his breathing with a strange rhythm.

An hour later.

Jiang Ning woke up after only two hours of sleep.

It wasn't that he didn't want to continue sleeping, but the noise downstairs woke him up.

Jiang Ning frowned and listened carefully. He discovered that some of the victims' families had brought their wives and daughters to the inn to express their gratitude to the Huashan Sect. Many ordinary people had also come to join in the fun, and with so many people, it became as noisy as a vegetable market.

Jiang Ning, having discovered the situation, didn't care and prepared to go to sleep, but was stunned the next second.

He suddenly realized something was wrong with himself.

How did his hearing become so good?

His room was deep upstairs, not close to the downstairs reception room. Even if there were sounds coming from downstairs, they would be quite faint by the time they reached him, and wouldn't wake him up like this.

Moreover, Jiang Ning now realized that his eyes seemed to see more clearly.

"Could it be..."

Jiang Ning suddenly realized something and quickly closed his eyes to focus on examining and feeling his body.

After a while.

Jiang Ning opened his eyes, a hint of joy in them.

His internal strength has improved again.

The biggest change he experienced when he cultivated the Innate Skill was that his internal energy gradually became more refined. For every bit of refined internal energy he gained, the original internal energy would decrease by two bits, just like purification. Although the total amount decreased, his strength did not decline.

It has been almost a month since Jiang Ning obtained the Innate Skill. He has not been lazy and his internal energy has been purifying step by step. According to Jiang Ning's original plan, it would take about three more months for him to completely purify his internal energy. However, he has now discovered that the internal energy that has already been purified has become even stronger.

Don't underestimate the few points; it's something that would take Jiangning seven or eight days to achieve, but it was accomplished in just one night yesterday.

This can be described as rapid progress.

Don't think this is an exaggeration. Taoist cultivation methods emphasize gradual progress, and the early stages are notoriously slow, like a tortoise crawling. Not to mention the supreme Taoist cultivation method, the Innate Skill. Even with Jiang Ning's talent, there was nothing he could do when cultivating the Innate Skill. He couldn't use any cheat codes. His current cultivation speed is already quite fast, and that's only because Jiang Ning is a virgin. Otherwise, it would be even slower.

But now, one day's training has already equaled seven or eight days in the past. It's like a tortoise suddenly having a seizure and starting to run wildly. How could Jiang Ning not be overjoyed?

There must be a reason for anything unusual. Jiang Ning began to carefully consider what was different about last night compared to usual.

There's no difference.

If there has to be one, it's that he usually cultivates, but last night he was busy killing people and didn't have time to practice. So this morning before going to sleep, he ate a nap following the breathing techniques in the Innate Skill.

Thinking about this, Jiang Ning slowly realized the truth.

The Innate Skill is a Taoist practice, not the kind of evil technique that makes you stronger by killing people. It doesn't require the same level of natural talent as Shaolin martial arts. It emphasizes mental state more. As long as you have a good mental state, you can achieve twice the results with half the effort in your practice.

So that means his state of mind changed last night or while he was sleeping, which accelerated his progress in cultivating the Innate Skill.

He fell into a deep sleep this morning, sleeping like a log, so it was impossible for him to be in any particular state of mind.

That was last night.

Chapter 58: I Like Light

"last night……"

Jiang Ning began to carefully recall everything that had happened last night.

After a while.

Jiang Ning remembered.

During his operation last night, he saw the coffins placed in the backyard of one of the brothels. When he opened them, they were all female corpses. Some of the corpses were already rotting and infested with maggots, with countless maggots wriggling in and out of the rotting flesh. Others had only been dead for a short time, but they all emitted a foul stench.

Upon witnessing this scene, Jiang Ning had only two thoughts in his mind: first, to rescue all the prostitutes; and second, to kill all those people.

At that moment, he entered a mysterious state of mind, and only after rescuing them all and killing all the people in that state did he emerge from it.

Jiang Ning can no longer recall the feeling of that state; he only feels that it is mysterious and strange. But no matter how hard he tries to recall it or adjust his state, he cannot enter that state again.

This is the opportunity, fleeting and precious.

If Jiang Ning can maintain that miraculous state, his cultivation progress will probably be rapid, and he will soon become a first-class expert, not just like Yu Canghai.

Jiang Ning shook his head. Such opportunities are rare and require both chance and luck. Even if he were to see that scene again, he would not be in that state again.

However, Jiang Ning was not worried about gains and losses. The journey was long, and it was good to treat this as a small surprise on the path of cultivation.

Jiang Ning got out of bed and went to the window. He opened the window and was greeted by refreshing air.

His room didn't face the street; when he opened the window, he saw a bamboo grove, which the innkeeper had planted himself.

Jiang Ning looked into the distance and found that the view was much clearer than he had seen before.

"Sharp hearing and keen eyesight".

Jiang Ning muttered to himself.

There are five stages in cultivating the Innate Skill. The first stage is to get a basic understanding of it, and the sign of this stage is that one's hearing and vision are sharp, which means that he has now entered the first stage.

The second stage is when you achieve some success; once you enter the second stage, you will be immune to all diseases.

It is said that one is immune to all diseases, but in reality, common illnesses are ineffective against those who cultivate the Innate Skill. In modern terms, it means that the body's immunity is enhanced, and one will no longer be infected with colds or fevers. However, if one encounters an incurable disease, there is nothing that can be done.

The third stage is to enter the inner sanctum, the fourth stage is to reach the pinnacle, and the fifth stage is to transcend the ordinary and become a saint.

According to Jiang Ning and Yue Buqun's analysis, the first three stages correspond to the third-rate, second-rate, and first-rate levels, respectively. Only by cultivating the Innate Skill to a high level can one be considered a first-rate master.

As for the latter two stages, neither Jiang Ning nor Yue Buqun could figure them out. Based on Yue Buqun's experience, the fourth stage still belongs to the ranks of first-class masters, but the strength and realm are far stronger than the third stage.

However, this was only Yue Buqun's experience, and he couldn't be sure.

As for the fifth stage, "Transcending the Mortal Realm," Jiang Ning and Yue Buqun were completely baffled.

The description of this stage of the Innate Skill is incredibly profound and mysterious; Jiang Ning and Yue Buqun couldn't understand it at all. Perhaps they would be able to comprehend it after further study.

It was within Jiang Ning's expectations that he had mastered the first stage of basic skills so quickly, given his solid foundation. Once his internal energy was fully refined and purified, he would be able to enter the second stage.

After glancing at the scenery outside the window, Jiang Ning turned and went back to her room to change her clothes.

The clothes he's wearing are still covered in bloodstains and smell strongly of blood, as he hasn't slept since last night.

Just as Jiang Ning was about to change his clothes, Linghu Chong's shouts rang out from the corridor outside.

"Junior brother, junior brother."

Bang bang bang!

There was a knocking sound on the door.

"Is Junior Brother asleep?"

Jiang Ning opened the door, and Linghu Chong's hand was still in the air.

"Huh? Junior Brother, you're still awake?"

Linghu Chong said.

Ignoring his idiotic remark, Jiang Ning asked, "Is there something you need, Senior Brother?"

Linghu Chong said, "A lot of people have come downstairs. The people of Xiangyang Prefecture want to thank us. My master is already downstairs. He asked me to come up and ask the junior brothers who are resting if they want to go down. So I came to ask you."

Jiang Ning shook his head and said, "Senior brothers and sisters, you go ahead, I won't go."

Linghu Chong asked in surprise, "Why don't you go? They want to thank us and express their gratitude. Wouldn't it be a shame not to go?"

Jiang Ning had already returned to his room, opened the package, and taken out clothes. He said, "I did these things not so that they would thank me, nor do I need them to thank me."

Linghu Chong asked, puzzled, "You don't want them to thank you? You don't need their thanks either? Then what's the point of all this?"

Jiang Ning paused for a moment, thought for a moment, and said, "So that they can live, and live like human beings."

Although Linghu Chong was older than Jiang Ning, he did not understand Jiang Ning's meaning at this moment.

Since Jiang Ning didn't want to go down, he didn't force her. He turned around and woke up the other junior brothers and sisters to go downstairs together.

Jiang Ning, carrying his change of clothes, walked from the inn's path to the backyard. He still smelled strongly of blood and was going to take a bath.

When Jiang Ning arrived at the backyard, he found Du Lanyin feeding Maodou hay.

"Huh? Junior Brother, didn't you go to the main hall?"

Du Lanyin was also surprised to see Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning shook his head and asked, "Senior Sister, aren't you going either?"

Du Lanyin laughed and said, "I'm not used to that kind of scene, and I came here because I remembered that I haven't fed Maodou yet."

At this moment, Maodou was eating hay and did not resist Du Lanyin's stroking of its head. When it saw Jiang Ning, it even rolled its eyes at him, meaning that others knew it was hungry and fed it, and that its owner was not as reliable as others.

"That's right, junior brother."

Du Lanyin then spoke up, "Why go to such lengths for them?"

She was referring to Jiang Ning's plan to give these women a new life.

Before this, those heroes would leave after saving these ordinary people, and what happened afterward was no longer their concern.

But Jiang Ning was different. Not only did he save these women, but he also made arrangements for what they might encounter in the future.

At the same time, she was also curious as to why Jiang Ning had such a strong sense of justice.

"Maybe……"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning did not speak immediately, but thought for a moment before saying, "It's because I've seen too much darkness, so I prefer light."

"I would give my life for this."

Du Lanyin was taken aback.

Jiang Ning bid farewell to Du Lanyin, went to the bathhouse to take a bath, washed the blood-stained clothes and hung them on the clothesline, and then returned to his room.

At this moment, there was no longer any trace of blood on him; he looked like an ordinary teenager.

Nothing else happened, so Jiang Ning sat cross-legged on the bed and began practicing his martial arts until he was called down for dinner in the evening.

At this time, the crowd of people who had surrounded the inn also left, as did the suffering women. According to other Huashan disciples, they seemed to have gone to make preparations.

Chapter 59: Starting Again

After dinner, Jiang Ning returned to his room to continue practicing his martial arts. Another day passed, and the Lantern Festival in Xiangyang Prefecture began.

Despite the major incident that occurred a couple of days ago, the lantern festival was still held as scheduled, and even more lively than before, bringing genuine joy to the people of Xiangyang Prefecture.

Jiang Ning originally wanted to continue practicing his skills, but he couldn't resist Lu Dayou and the others' persuasion and enticements, and was dragged along to attend this grand event.

It must be said that this lantern festival was indeed lively; Jiangning had never seen such a scene before.

Of course, this is also partly because he had been staying in Huashan for a long time.

The lantern festival lasted for two whole days, and the disciples of Mount Hua really had a great time.

On the third day, Jiang Ning prepared to leave.

"What? You want to leave?"