After the three-way encounter that night, the girls felt both ashamed and angry, and none of them gave Nie Yun a kind look.

Having gained an advantage, Nie Yun naturally didn’t care and spent his days trying to please and fawn over the three women, making them both angry and amused.

Before they knew it, the day that Nie Yun had agreed upon with the leaders of the three sects had arrived. Early in the morning, the Huashan Sect welcomed its distinguished guest.

“Sect Leader Nie, Heroine Ning, it’s been a long time,” Master Tianmen said with a smile.

“Haha, Daoist Tianmen looks radiant. I’m sure everything went smoothly when you went back last time.” Seeing Tianmen’s relaxed appearance, Nie Yun said with a double meaning. Ning Zhongze smiled and nodded in return.

“Alas… It’s shameful to say, if it weren’t for Sect Leader Nie’s reminder, I’m afraid my Taishan Sect’s century-old foundation would have fallen into the hands of others, and I, as the sect leader, would have become a laughing stock.”

Master Tianmen sighed deeply as he thought about the affairs within his sect.

After returning last time, he immediately arranged for people to investigate privately, which almost made him, the sect leader, faint.

Several senior members of the sect conspired to seize the position of sect leader.

Many disciples were embroiled in sharp conflicts and infighting.

Those who opposed him, in particular, made up almost a third of his disciples.

With a ruthless heart, Tianmen unleashed a massacre, thoroughly purging the entire Taishan Sect, from top to bottom, inside and out.

However, this will inevitably cause a great loss of strength. Previously, its strength was second only to the Songshan Sect, but now it is probably not much stronger than the Huashan Sect.

Although the internal troubles were resolved, Tianmen was heartbroken.

“A gentleman can be deceived by his own methods, so Uncle Tianmen need not take it to heart,” Nie Yun said with a smile, while Ning Zhongze also chimed in with words of comfort.

Tianmen is a man who can be a fierce and capable general, but he is definitely not a commander-in-chief.

In the original story, Tianmen was the most powerful branch of the Taishan Changmen sect. However, when he went to Songshan to attend the sect conference, more than 160 of the 200 or so people accompanying him were hostile to him, which shows how muddle-headed he was in his daily life.

He fought to the death with Qinghai Yixiao, which seemed heroic, but it was just a display of bloodlust. He didn’t consider the situation of the Taishan Sect after his death.

Nie Yun and Ning Zhongze were chatting with Tianmen Daoist when another disciple brought in guests.

“Amitabha, Sect Leader Nie, this humble nun greets you.”

An elderly nun of medium build clasped her hands in prayer to Nie Yun. She wore a moon-white robe and held a string of prayer beads in her left hand. Her face was kind and her demeanor calm and composed, yet she exuded an aura of authority that commanded respect.

This person was none other than Abbess Dingxian, the head of the Hengshan Sect, and one of the few characters in the original novel of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer who was exceptionally intelligent, decisive, and of impeccable character.

Master Dingyi, whom Nie Yun had met in Hengshan City before, stood behind Master Dingxian and smiled and put her palms together.

Nie Yun dared not be negligent and quickly returned the greeting, saying, “Nie Yun greets Master. In the past, I often heard Master and Mistress talk about the Three Peaks of Hengshan, and they always praised them highly. It is truly an honor to meet you today.”

Master Dingxian smiled slightly, “Sect Leader Nie, you are too kind. This humble nun should thank you for saving my nephew.”

“Hehe, the Five Mountains Sword Sects are all of the same ilk, Master is too kind,” Nie Yun said with a smile.

After a while, Master Mo Da of the Hengshan Sect also arrived. After exchanging pleasantries, everyone sat down.

Nie Yun spoke first, “I wonder if the journey to Mount Hua was smooth for all the sect leaders?”

Tianmen Daoren and Master Mo Da both nodded and said everything was going smoothly, but Abbess Dingxian hesitated and remained silent.

Nie Yun, observing the situation, had some suspicions in mind and asked, “Did you encounter any trouble on the way, Master?”

Abbess Dingxian sighed deeply, “Amitabha. If it weren’t for Sect Leader Nie’s reminder, I’m afraid this humble nun…”

She shook her head and uttered another Buddhist chant.

Tianmen Daoist and Master Mo both changed their expressions. They had both heard Nie Yun mention that the Songshan Sect would arrange for people to intercept and kill Hengshan masters. Now they understood what had happened to the Hengshan Sect on the way.

Tianmen Daoist shouted, “Master Dingxian, is Zuo Lengchan really so heartless and insane?”

Master Dingyi could no longer suppress her anger and said, “Who else could it be but him? If it weren’t for Senior Sister’s warning that day, we would probably be dead already. That Zuo Lengchan colluded with scoundrels of the martial world, impersonating the Demonic Sect to secretly carry out his poisonous attack. He is truly despicable and shameless!”

Nie Yun shook his head, wondering how Master Dingyi, with her fiery temper, could have raised such a naive girl as Yilin.

Thinking of Yilin, Nie Yun couldn’t help but recall the erotic memory of that night in the cave, where the little nun lay sprawled, her genitals in full bloom.

“Speaking of which, Yilin hasn’t made a move yet. Should we try to flirt with her again? But never mind, let’s deal with this matter first.”

Nie Yun came to his senses and said, “Zuo Lengchan is ambitious, so it’s not surprising that he did this. Fortunately, the two abbesses were prepared and prevented his conspiracy from succeeding. In fact, what happened to Uncle Liu that day was a test of our four sects.”

Upon hearing that his sect had been brought up, Master Mo quickly asked, “What do you mean by that?”

“If it were merely to prevent Uncle Liu from retiring from the martial arts world, why did the Songshan Sect’s Grand Protector Ding Mian, Second Grand Protector Lu Bai, and Third Grand Protector Fei Bin all arrive? This is clearly a show of force, a test of whether we can command respect and enforce the law, even at the cost of massacring Uncle Liu’s entire family. If we allow them to distort the truth and stand idly by, the consequences will be unimaginable. Think about it, Uncle Liu is being wiped out by the Songshan Sect on his own territory in front of the other three sects. Will the Hengshan Sect be willing to let the other three sects…” He would never trust them again, and because his junior brother was stigmatized for colluding with the demonic sect, Sect Leader Mo lacked the confidence to oppose Zuo Lengchan’s proposal to merge the sects. The disciples of the Taishan Sect, originally at opposite ends of the sect, would see Zuo Lengchan as a leader worthy of their allegiance, and the elders of the Tianmen Sect would undoubtedly see their power greatly increased. As for the Hengshan Sect and the Huashan Sect, one was composed entirely of women, and the other had a newly appointed sect leader; they were not a threat. He could then forcibly merge the sects, and the four of us, unable to unite, would be defeated one by one.

Upon hearing this, the group recalled the events of that day and felt a chill run down their spines.

The schemes of the Songshan Sect were intricate and ruthless. If it weren’t for Nie Yun’s sudden emergence and the breaking of the Songshan Sect’s conspiracy, there would probably be no Five Mountains Sword Sects now, only the Five Mountains Sects dominated by Zuo Lengchan.

Master Dingxian said, “Amitabha. The Left Sect Leader is already the leader of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance, holding a high position and great power. Why must he merge the five sects and become the leader alone? Moreover, he is willing to go to great lengths to wage war and harm his fellow practitioners. It is really… too domineering.”

Master Dingyi said sternly, “Senior Sister, the villain is ambitious and insatiable. This matter can no longer be resolved by our tolerance and concession.”

Mr. Mo frowned and said, “That’s right. Zuo Lengchan is scheming and will not give up until he achieves his goal. Now, the only way for us to escape this predicament is to work together.”

“Sect Leader Nie, you said before that you had a plan in mind. Now that all the sect leaders are here, please tell us your plan!” Tianmen Daoist knew that he was not good at devising strategies, so he said to Nie Yun.

“The best course of action now is to enhance the strength of our four factions. You must understand that although there is a distinction between good and evil in the martial world, in the end, the strong prevail.”

Nie Yun said to the four people, “Back then, the ten elders of the Demonic Sect and our Five Mountains Sword Sect had a fierce battle on Mount Hua. Although the ten elders were all wiped out, our sects also suffered heavy losses, and many exquisite sword moves were lost.”

“That’s right. At that time, I was only a second-generation disciple. If it weren’t for a senior uncle who risked his life to save me, I would probably have died under the giant axe of ‘Hercules God and Demon’ Fan Song.”

Tianmen Daoist sighed, “That great battle, with rivers of blood flowing, is still vivid in my mind to this day.”

Master Mo, Abbess Dingxian, and Abbess Dingyi also looked sorrowful, clearly thinking of their fellow disciples who had sacrificed their lives in that great battle.

Nie Yun and Ning Zhongze exchanged a glance, then stood up and said, “Please follow me.”

The group was puzzled, but they all followed the two out of the hall and headed towards the Cliff of Contemplation.

When they arrived at the secret cave on the Cliff of Contemplation, they were all stunned.

The walls were covered with unique sword techniques from various schools, many of which had been lost for years. Even those that hadn’t been lost were far inferior to the techniques on the walls, clearly indicating incomplete lineage.

“Heavens! It’s the ‘Five Great Swords’! This… this is ‘How is Mount Tai?’ This is ‘Seven Stars Falling from the Sky’…” Tianmen Daoist shouted as he looked at the sword techniques on the stone wall. He never expected to see his sect’s long-lost secret techniques here.

Master Mo Da, Master Dingxian, and Master Dingyi were also extremely shocked.

“Amitabha. Sect Leader Nie, where is this place?” Master Dingxian, being a nun, quickly calmed down. Mr. Mo and…

“It’s a long story…” Nie Yun told everyone how he accidentally discovered the secret cave while practicing swordsmanship at the Cliff of Contemplation.

“So, these corpses must be the tenth elder of the Demonic Sect.”

After listening to Nie Yun’s account, Abbess Dingxian looked at the ten skeletons in the cave and sighed softly, saying, “Amitabha. The deceased are gone. May you do more good deeds in your next life to make up for your sins in this life.”

After saying this, he put his hands together and silently recited the Rebirth Mantra.

Tianmen Daoist bowed to Nie Yunshen and said excitedly, “Sect Leader Nie’s noble character and broad mind are truly admirable. We, the entire Taishan Sect, will forever remember this great kindness and righteousness.”

Even the perpetually sorrowful face of Master Mo showed a hint of a smile. He bowed deeply to Nie Yun with utmost respect and said gratefully, “Sect Leader Nie first saved my junior brother, and then helped my Hengshan Sect find the legacy of our ancestors. I am deeply grateful. If there is any need for your service in the future, my Hengshan Sect will not hesitate to do so.”

Master Dingxian and Master Dingyi also performed a Buddhist salute. Master Dingxian smiled and said, “Amitabha. Hengshan Sect thanks Headmaster Nie. If you have time in the future, you are welcome to visit Hengshan. This humble nun will certainly welcome you with open arms.”

Nie Yun smiled and said, “There’s no need for such formalities, everyone. We, the Five Mountains Sword Sect, are of one mind and share the same roots. I’m simply returning the item to its rightful owner.”

That’s what they said, but all three sect leaders kept this enormous favor in their hearts.

Master Dingxian, with her keen observation, noticed many new markings next to the sword techniques and asked in confusion, “Sect Leader Nie, what are these markings…?”

Nie Yun laughed and said, “Those were the words of the Demonic Sect members insulting our Five Mountains Sword Sect before they died. They were very vulgar, so I cut them out. Master, look there.”

Following his hand, Abbess Dingxian looked over and saw sixteen large characters carved on the stone wall: “The Five Mountains Sword Sect, shameless and despicable, loses in martial arts competitions, and plots to harm people.” There were also many new carvings around it.

Looking at those sixteen characters, Abbess Dingxian immediately knew that the other parts that had been cut off must have been curses and insults. She nodded and didn’t think about it any further.

At this moment, Tianmen Daoist pointed at the sword moves of the Songshan Sect and said, “Sect Leader Nie, what are your plans to do with the sword moves of the Songshan Sect?”

Nie Yun narrowed his eyes slightly, not answering, but instead asking, “What suggestions do you all have?”

Master Dingyi, with her fiery temper, immediately retorted, “Of course we should destroy them all! Are we going to hand them over to Zuo Lengchan to kill us?”

Master Dingxian frowned slightly and said, “Junior Sister, be careful what you say.”

Master Mo stroked his beard and said, “Sect Leader Nie, even if Zuo Lengchan obtains these sword techniques, I’m afraid he won’t give up the idea of ​​merging the sects!”

Nie Yun smirked, “I am not like Mr. Dongguo who cannot distinguish between good and evil. Since Zuo Lengchan has already made a move against our four sects, he can forget about these sword techniques.”

Tianmen Daoist clapped his hands and laughed, “That’s right. Since Zuo Lengchan has already torn off all pretense, why should we give him any more help?”

Master Dingxian shook her head, put her palms together, and uttered a Buddhist chant, but she did not object.

Nie Yun shook his head and said, “It’s not just about not giving it to him. The reason I invited everyone to Mount Hua today is to study together how to break the Songshan School’s sword techniques.”

The group was taken aback. Master Mo said, “Sect Leader Nie, do you mean you want to break the Songshan Sword Technique?”

“good!”

Nie Yun said, “Since the tiger intends to harm people, then don’t blame people for having malicious intentions. Sect Leader Mo, think back to that day, if we hadn’t worked together, Uncle Liu’s family would have been wiped out in blood. Daoist Tianmen, although the internal troubles of the Taishan Sect have been eliminated, it must have suffered considerable losses. Abbess Dingxian, although we failed to intercept the two this time, there must have been some casualties among the sect’s disciples, right? Are we allowed to scheme against the Songshan Sect, but we can’t scheme back against them?”

The three sect leaders pondered these words for a long time.

Master Mo nodded and said, “In that case, I will stay a few more days and help Sect Leader Nie break the Huashan Sword Technique.”

Tianmen Daoist also said, “Sect Leader Nie is right. The blood of my Taishan Sect disciples cannot be shed in vain.”

Master Dingxian hesitated for a long time, her expression constantly changing. Master Dingyi, standing beside her, said anxiously, “Senior Sister!”

Seeing her junior sister’s indignant expression, Abbess Dingxian knew that forcibly suppressing her feelings would only create a rift between them. So she sighed and said, “Amitabha. This humble nun will act as an angry Vajra for once.”

********************

Over the next few days, the three sect leaders and their disciples stayed at the Huashan Sect, copying down their sect’s sword techniques from the stone wall while studying how to counter the Songshan sword techniques.

The sudden influx of people has certainly made the mountain more lively.

Fortunately, the Huashan Sect still had the foundation of being the number one sect among the Five Sacred Mountains, and there were still plenty of rooms available, which allowed them to make proper arrangements for all of them.

Ten days later, the sect leaders bid farewell to Nie Yun and descended the mountain. Nie Yun warmly escorted them to the foot of the mountain before returning himself.

Tianmen Daoist looked back at Nie Yun’s figure, which was still as graceful as the wind and as swift as lightning on the rugged mountain road, and sighed, “The Yangtze River’s back waves push the front waves, and a new generation surpasses the old!”

Master Mo kept shaking his head and muttered, “No wonder he doesn’t covet our sword techniques at all. I’m afraid in his eyes, the sword techniques of our four schools are easily broken with a flick of the finger.”

Master Dingyi sighed, “Fortunately, Sect Leader Nie isn’t an ambitious person like Zuo Lengchan, otherwise…”

While at the Liu residence, Nie Yun’s martial arts skills only impressed them with his profound internal strength. But after spending these past few days together, they truly understood what it meant to be a genius of unparalleled talent.

Nie Yun completely countered all the sword techniques and variations of the Songshan Sect. No matter how they tried to use them, they couldn’t salvage the situation and could only withdraw their swords and admit defeat. The sect leaders were merely cooperating to provide them with moves.

The same thought popped into everyone’s mind: if the Songshan School’s sword technique was broken so easily, what about the Hengshan/Hengshan/Taishan sword techniques?

They dared not think any further, because the answer was already clear.

Master Dingxian turned the prayer beads in her left hand, remained silent for a long time, and then softly said, “Amitabha.”

Nie Yun used his lightness skill to quickly return to the mountain.

He arrived at the hall and saw Ning Zhongze sitting there waiting for him. Upon seeing him, a gentle smile immediately appeared on her face, just like a wife seeing her husband returning home.

“Master’s wife!” Nie Yun pulled her into his arms.

Ning Zhongze quickly broke free, blushing as she said, “We’re outside, don’t do this!”

“Hehe, everyone’s practicing swordsmanship in the training ground these days, what’s there to be afraid of?” But Nie Yun didn’t insist. He sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, and gulped it down in one go.

“Drink slowly! You’re so old, yet you drink water like a little kid!” Ning Zhongze shook her head with a smile as she watched Nie Yun gulp down his water.

“Master’s wife is waiting for me here because you have something to ask me, right?” Nie Yun put down his cup. “Is it about those counter-moves?”

Ning Zhongze nodded and said, “Yun’er, why did you destroy all the countermeasures?”

Nie Yun smiled and said, “Master’s wife, you are kind-hearted and upright by nature, so naturally you tend to think the best of people. But you must know that while you shouldn’t have the heart to harm others, you can’t be without the heart to guard against them. Now that our four sects are on good terms, there’s naturally nothing to worry about, but what if another person like Zuo Lengchan emerges in any of our sects in the future…”

He paused for a moment, looking at Ning Zhongze who seemed to be deep in thought, knowing that she understood what he meant.

Nie Yun continued, “Although the Dugu Nine Swords can also break the Five Mountains Sword Technique, firstly, my Uncle-Master Feng once asked me not to pass it on to outsiders; secondly, this sword technique requires extremely high talent, and very few people can learn it. If we were to have another conflict with the four sects, these counter-moves would be the trump card of my Huashan Sect.”

Ning Zhongze pondered for a long time, then nodded and said, “What you said makes sense. I was thinking too simply.”

Nie Yun took her hand and said with a smile, “Don’t think too much. My biggest wish is for you to be happy every day without any worries.”

“Yun’er…” Ning Zhongze’s eyes were full of tenderness, and she also took his hand in return.

Looking at the beautiful woman in front of him, Nie Yun’s smile suddenly turned lewd. “Master’s wife, the big bed in my room is ready. How about we have another foursome tonight?”

Ning Zhongze’s face immediately flushed red, and she quickly pulled her hand back. “What nonsense are you spouting! What four people? Don’t even think about it!”

Nie Yun chuckled inwardly, preparing to tease her a few more times, when suddenly he heard someone call out, “Nie Yun, Nie Yun, where are you?”