"Brother, it's getting late. You should get some rest."
It wasn't until after ten in the evening that Duan Wuyu and Wu Weizi got up to take their leave.
"Alright, Senior Brother Duan. Junior Brother Wu, you two should also go back and rest. We'll chat again tomorrow." Chang Wude stood up and escorted them out of the room into the small courtyard. From the room next door, Wan Yunting and Kang Nuolan also came out. Li Zihang ran over, "Master, I'll escort you back."
"Uncle-Master, Aunt-Master, please take care..."
Wan Yunting and Kang Nuolan came over and politely said to Duan Wuyu and Wu Weizi.
"Good, then you two should also get some rest early."
Duan Wuyu and Wu Weizi nodded with a smile and turned to head towards the entrance of the small courtyard.
"Nuolan, you go rest. Xiao Wan, come in with me for a chat." Chang Wude turned to them and said, then turned to enter the room.
"Okay."
Wan Yunting nodded and followed him in, while Kang Nuolan turned and returned to her own room...
"Close the door."
Chang Wude said again. Wan Yunting closed the door, turned around, and sat down. He asked, "Is Sima Boyong also at the Taoist temple now?"
Chang Wude shook his head slightly and said, "He should be coming tomorrow."
Wan Yunting nodded and looked at Chang Wude, whose brows were tightly furrowed. He sighed and said, "This sect can no longer accommodate us!"
Wan Yunting's expression froze, and he asked doubtfully, "Why do you say that?"
Chang Wude was smoking, exhaling smoke as he spoke, "My senior brother told me that Sima Boyong returned to the sect more than ten years ago. Not only did he renovate the Taoist temple, but he also expanded the sect, developed tourism, and attracted visitors, making the Wu Liang Taoist temple flourish."
"Now, the number of new disciples accepted by the temple exceeds a hundred. I heard that he also established a school in the county town at the foot of the mountain to teach martial arts, spread the name of the Wu Liang Taoist temple, and enhance its reputation. He's doing all this very successfully..."
"In short, he is now making great contributions to the Wu Liang Taoist temple and has established high prestige among many disciples!"
Wan Yunting raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you implying that he wants to replace the Abbot, Senior Uncle?"
Chang Wude turned to look at him and said, "Apart from this possibility, I don't believe Sima Boyong would help the sect so benevolently. He has motives for doing all this."
Wan Yunting nodded and smiled, "Then what do you plan to do?"
Chang Wude waved his hand, "I've been away from the sect for too long. Now, my Senior Brother Duan and the others probably trust Sima Boyong. So, I can't change anything this time. After participating in the Ancestor Worship Ceremony, we'll go straight back to Huadu City."
"As for whether Sima Boyong wants to become the Abbot, I no longer care."
Wan Yunting looked at him and said, "You really don't care?"
"I truly don't care about these things. If I did, I would have returned long ago, and it wouldn't be Sima Boyong's turn," Chang Wude glanced at Wan Yunting dismissively.
"Alright."
Wan Yunting smiled and nodded, saying, "Then we'll just attend the Ancestor Worship Ceremony and then go straight back to Huadu City."
Chang Wude threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out. "Kid, I want to know how you plan to get justice for your master and clear his name?"
Wan Yunting's smile faded, and he sighed slightly, "With my current abilities, I can't get justice for my master yet. But it won't be long before I clear his name!"
Chang Wude nodded, "I don't know much about what happened in the capital back then. Although your master has already told you, I hope you can fulfill his dying wish."
"Yes, I will," Wan Yunting replied with a serious expression and a nod.
"You go back and rest. When Sima Boyong comes tomorrow, I'll see how capable he is now!" Chang Wude waved his hand, his old eyes sharp, and let out a cold snort.
"Okay."
Wan Yunting nodded and got up. He was also looking forward to meeting Sima Boyong and seeing what kind of person he was!
Back in his room, Wan Yunting called Fang Yanxi to update her on his situation. After chatting until midnight, he went to sleep...
At seven o'clock the next morning, Wan Yunting opened the door and came out. The snow had stopped, but it had snowed heavily last night, and the ground in the courtyard was covered with a thick layer of snow.
He came into the small courtyard and stretched, doing some exercises. Just then, Li Zihang ran in, "Junior Brother Wan, you're awake? Has Senior Uncle Chang woken up yet?"
"The door is still closed, I haven't seen it open," Wan Yunting pointed to Chang Wude's room door.
Just then, the door of the room opened, and Kang Nuolan emerged, wearing a white down jacket and jeans with black boots. Wan Yunting smiled, "Morning."
"Morning."
Kang Nuolan nodded calmly.
Li Zihang handed the toiletries to Wan Yunting, "Junior Brother Wan, here are the towels and toothbrushes and toothpaste. Hurry up and wash up, then come with me to the refectory for breakfast."
"Alright, then wait for us."
Wan Yunting then took out a towel and a toothbrush for Kang Nuolan. There was a faucet in the courtyard, so the two of them went to wash up directly. There was no hot water, and the water was icy cold, but as martial artists, they didn't mind it much.
Not knowing when Chang Wude would wake up, Wan Yunting and Kang Nuolan, after washing up, followed Li Zihang out and headed towards the Taoist temple's refectory...
Along the way, Li Zihang also gave them a brief introduction to the Taoist temple, saying, "Junior Brother Wan, Junior Sister Nuolan, after breakfast, I'll take you to the back mountain to see the scenery. It's quite nice there."
"Certainly."
Wan Yunting nodded with a smile. Coming to the Wu Liang Taoist temple for the Ancestor Worship Ceremony this time felt like a trip.
"Ha..."
Passing through the central courtyard, they saw a group of youths in blue Taoist robes gathered neatly in the courtyard practicing martial arts. At the same time, a senior brother who looked to be in his thirties was supervising these young disciples. "Hit harder! Don't slack off. You can't eat breakfast until you finish. Do you understand?"
"Yes..."
These young disciples responded loudly, continuously practicing the Chunyang Fist style, a very common fist technique of the Wu Liang Taoist temple. It was an external martial art, commonly learned by the disciples of the sect.
"Senior Brother Qi, you're supervising practice today?"
Li Zihang, who was leading Wan Yunting and Kang Nuolan, called out to Senior Brother Qi Wu, who was supervising the young disciples' practice.
"Mm."
Qi Wu turned and saw it was him, nodding in response.
"Then you continue. I'll take Junior Brother Wan and Junior Sister Nuolan to the refectory for breakfast." Li Zihang waved with a smile and continued to lead Wan Yunting and the others towards the refectory.
"Wait."
Unexpectedly, Qi Wu called out, startling Li Zihang. He turned to look at Qi Wu approaching. Wan Yunting had a smile on his face and politely nodded to him. However, Qi Wu nodded and looked at Wan Yunting and Kang Nuolan with a hint of disdain in his eyes, saying, "I heard you are disciples of Uncle-Master Chang?"
"Mm."
Wan Yunting nodded. Qi Wu continued, "Then your martial arts should be quite good, right?"
These words made Wan Yunting smile without saying anything. Li Zihang reacted and said, "Senior Brother Qi, what do you want now?"
Qi Wu's gaze was fixed on Wan Yunting as he directly said, "I want to spar with you, how about it?"
"Hmph, I knew it."
Li Zihang rolled his eyes speechlessly, knowing Qi Wu's usual demeanor.
Seeing the disdain and provocation in Qi Wu's eyes, Wan Yunting smiled and said, "Sparring is probably not necessary. Besides, I'm not your match."
"Heh, as expected."
Qi Wu sneered and said, "Someone who left the sect, what good disciples can they teach!"
Hearing him disrespect Chang Wude, Kang Nuolan's voice turned cold, "I'll fight you!"
Wan Yunting hadn't expected him to say such a thing, so he pulled Kang Nuolan back and smiled at Qi Wu, "Sparring, you say? Alright, then let's have a couple of moves."
"Don't worry, it's just a couple of moves."
Qi Wu glanced at him, turned around, and moved to the courtyard. The young male and female disciples, seeing this, all moved aside to make space.
Wan Yunting smiled and followed him, standing face to face. This immediately attracted quite a few people to watch.
Now all the young disciples of the Taoist temple knew that Wan Yunting was the disciple of Uncle-Master Chang Wude. They didn't expect him to actually dare to accept the challenge and spar with Senior Brother Qi Wu.
"What's going on up ahead?"
Senior Disciple Wei Ping and another junior brother happened to be passing by and saw this scene. Not knowing what was happening, they came over to ask.
"Senior Brother Great Disciple, you're here."
Li Zihang turned to look at Wei Ping and pointed to Wan Yunting and Qi Wu, who were standing face to face, saying, "Senior Brother Qi Wu wants to spar with Junior Brother Wan."
"Spar?"
The young man named Zeng Yongchang, who was following Wei Ping, sneered, "Senior Brother Qi Wu is a late-stage Hua Jin expert. This person called Wan Yunting is too overconfident."
Li Zihang heard this, turned and glared at him, then smirked, "Senior Brother Zeng, how about we make a bet?"
Zeng Yongchang smiled, "What, you're betting on this Wan Yunting to win?"
"Yes, I bet on Junior Brother Wan to win. Do you dare?" Li Zihang smiled.
"Sure."
Zeng Yongchang smiled, "Then I'll bet on Senior Brother Qi to win. Tell me, what's the stake?"
"You wash my underwear for a month!" Li Zihang grinned mischievously.
Zeng Yongchang glared at him, nodded, "Alright, it's a deal."
"Heh heh, then you can just wait to wash my underwear."
Seeing that he had agreed, Li Zihang chuckled sinisterly, making Zeng Yongchang's expression freeze. Could it be that this brat deliberately wanted to trick him?
Wei Ping, standing by the side, remained silent. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Wan Yunting, who was standing face to face with Qi Wu. He knew he was the disciple of Uncle-Master Chang Wude, but he didn't know how good his martial arts were. He was somewhat looking forward to seeing him spar with Qi Wu. wΑp.kanshu伍.net
"Senior Brother Qi, go!"
The surrounding young disciples all shouted to cheer for Qi Wu. Some disciples even mocked Wan Yunting for his blindness, daring to spar with Senior Brother Qi Wu, which was like seeking death.
"Please."
Qi Wu clasped his hands in a salute to Wan Yunting.
Wan Yunting also imitated him, cupping his hands and saying with a smile, "Please, Senior Brother."
Seeing this, Qi Wu spread his hands apart, his left leg sweeping in a half-circle on the floor. His sharp gaze was fixed on Wan Yunting, and he said, "Then I won't be polite."
Wan Yunting did not strike a stance, smiled and nodded at him, signaling him to go first...