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

Page 333

The woman was very strong. Even though life had ravaged her and left her battered and bruised, she still lived on tenaciously, supporting her family all by herself.

At this moment, another small figure walked out of the house.

The threshold of the door was high, and the small figure climbed over it and wobbled toward Jiang Ning, stretching out her arms as she walked.

"Brother...hug."

The woman's baby has come out.

Seeing the child walking towards him, Jiang Ning hugged him and looked at the sun.

The child felt uncomfortable in the position and adjusted his position in Jiang Ning's arms before falling asleep again.

Jiang Ning looked at the child in his arms with a calm expression.

This child was much thinner and weaker than a normal two-year-old. Two-year-olds can already walk, but he still walked unsteadily and spoke unclearly.

The woman said that the child was born like this. The couple had consulted a doctor, who diagnosed him with congenital deficiencies, indicating that he was destined to die young. It was a miracle that he had survived this long, but it was hard to say how much longer he could live.

The woman's husband and his family were all good people. Even though they knew the child wouldn't grow up, they still took good care of him and didn't abandon him. It's just a pity that misfortune seems to befall those who suffer. Now, only the mother and child are left to depend on each other for survival.

Looking at the child in her arms who had quickly fallen asleep, Jiang Ning reached out and smoothed the dry hair on his head.

Just then, two farmers passed by and sneered when they saw Jiang Ning in the courtyard.

"Pretty face."

The two spoke as if no one else was around, completely disregarding whether Jiang Ning could hear them.

"I wonder where this young man Liu brought back from. He's even living in her husband's house. It's a shame her husband was killed by those bandits because of her. It hasn't been long since then and she's already found a young man. I wonder if her husband would be so angry that he'd come back to life if he knew about this from the underworld."

One of them said sarcastically, raising his voice even higher as if afraid Jiang Ning wouldn't hear him clearly.

Another person chimed in, "Yes, Liu Changgui died unjustly!"

No one in the village knew who Jiang Ning was. After rescuing him, the woman was afraid that Jiang Ning's enemies would come after her, so she didn't reveal a word. When the villagers saw that the woman had actually run back from the mountain stronghold with a young man, there were some gossips. The woman had gotten used to it by now.

However, the two of them started saying increasingly outrageous things.

"If you ask me, this woman has probably been hooking up with this pretty boy for a long time. She's probably overjoyed that her husband and his family are dead!"

"Doesn't she have a sick son? Anyway, her son won't live much longer. Once her son dies, she'll run away with this pretty boy!"

The two were discussing loudly when Jiang Ning suddenly appeared in front of them.

The two looked as if they had seen a ghost when Jiang Ning, who had just been in the courtyard, suddenly appeared in front of them.

"You...you...are you a human or a ghost?"

One person stammered.

Jiang Ning's face was very pale, and even under the midday sun, he had no color in his skin. In addition, Jiang Ning looked at them expressionlessly and appeared in front of them like a ghost. The two of them were so frightened that they were scared out of their wits as if they had seen a ghost.

Is the daughter-in-law of the Liu family raising a ghost?

The two thought with horror.

Jiang Ning's voice rang out.

"If I ever hear you say that again, I will..."

Before Jiang Ning could finish speaking, the two men immediately knelt down.

"I was wrong, I was wrong, I will never say it again."

The two were so frightened that tears streamed down their faces, and they kept kowtowing.

"Grandpa Ghost, please let us go. We'll never dare to say it again."

Grandpa Ghost?

Jiang Ning never expected that these two people would mistake him for a ghost, which made him unable to continue speaking.

Chapter 443: Destiny (Bonus Chapter 7, 7/26)

These ordinary people, who have never been to school and have spent their entire lives in the village, are most likely to believe in ghosts and gods. Jiang Ning did nothing but show off his skills, yet they thought they had seen a ghost.

Jiang Ning, who had intended to give the two a stern warning, frowned slightly and changed his tune.

“If I hear such words again in the village, I will make sure neither of you has a moment of peace.”

Jiang Ning was expressionless, his tone ethereal, and his pale face made him even more chilling.

The two were so frightened they almost fainted and repeatedly said they wouldn't dare.

"roll."

Jiang Ning gave a soft shout, and the two of them scrambled away. Before running, they subconsciously looked back and saw that Jiang Ning, who had been blocking their way on the road, had somehow returned to the courtyard and was holding the woman's baby.

This scene made the two of them feel like they had seen a ghost, and they dared not linger any longer, wishing that their parents had given them two more legs.

Jiang Ning glanced at the two fleeing figures, then looked away and instead focused his gaze on the sleeping child in his arms.

After a while, the woman finally came out of the house.

"My benefactor, the food is ready. Please come in and eat."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning got up, picked up the child, and went into the house.

The food was very light, but it tasted quite good for Jiangning.

"Please don't mind the simple food, my benefactor."

The woman said.

Jiang Ning smiled and said, "This is the best I've eaten in a long time."

When Jiang Ning woke up, he found that the woman had saved him. Seeing that her family was in dire straits, Jiang Ning wanted to give her some silver, but he had lost his silver in the battle, and the place where he buried the gold and silver he obtained from the mountain stronghold was too remote and a place where wild animals roamed. It would be too dangerous for a woman to go to those places alone, so he put the matter aside.

Later, when Jiang Ning suggested that he would get some gold and silver to thank the woman after he recovered, the woman firmly refused, saying that she should be rewarded for saving Jiang Ning, and that Jiang Ning should give her how much he saved her.

Jiang Ning remained silent and never mentioned it again.

After finishing his meal, Jiang Ning returned to the room where he was resting, took something, and sat outside.

Jiang Ning stared blankly at the broken sword in his hand.

This gentleman's sword was Yue Buqun's personal sword for many years. When he left Dengfeng, Yue Buqun gave him this sword again, but now it is broken.

This sword held great significance for him.

Jiang Ning was lost in thought for a long time. After regaining his senses, he looked back at the room where he lived.

The Zhenwu Sword is placed there.

Speaking of the True Martial Sword, Jiang Ning had to admit that it had greatly helped him after that great battle, significantly reducing his internal energy consumption. If it weren't for the True Martial Sword, he wouldn't have been able to retreat; he would have been worn down to death by experts like Xiang Wentian, Lan Fenghuang, and Shangguan Yun long ago.

"The True Martial Sword..."

Jiang Ning murmured softly.

He never expected that this sword would end up in his hands.

Perhaps this is destiny.

……

October.

After another month of recuperation, Jiang Ning's injuries were almost fully healed.

And he was preparing to leave.

“My benefactor, you were so badly injured before, and only a few months have passed. Why don’t you rest and recuperate for a while longer?”

The woman said it very sincerely.

The doctor had told her before that Jiang Ning's injuries were very serious and that she would need to rest for a long time, at least six months. During these six months, she should try not to move around too much, otherwise not only would the recovery be slow, but she was also afraid that the injuries would relapse.

The woman was also worried that if Jiang Ning left before his injuries had healed, those who were after him would find him again.

"My injury has almost healed."

Jiang Ning smiled.

Although he was seriously injured and on the verge of death before, he has recovered to a considerable extent after two months of recuperation.

The doctor said he needed to rest for at least six months, unaware that he possessed internal energy. The Innate Skill itself has a strong healing effect. After two months of rest, coupled with the automatic operation of the Innate Skill, his body had almost fully healed, and even the wounds on his body had healed.

Speaking of the Innate Skill, Jiang Ning was able to sustain himself for so long and get here only because the Innate Skill was circulating within his body on its own, keeping him alive. Otherwise, he would have died before he even got here.

Of course, the Zhenwu Sword played an indispensable role.

Seeing that Jiang Ning was determined to leave, the woman could not stop him.

Jiang Ning then asked, "What are your plans?"

The woman was taken aback, then looked disappointed.

She has nothing left except her son; her family no longer wants her.

Jiang Ning looked at her, then at the child beside the woman, and suddenly said, "Your son is weak and has a harder time growing up than others. I can try to find some herbs and a skilled doctor to treat him, which may allow your son to grow up safely."

Upon hearing this, the woman's expression shifted slightly. She did not answer immediately, but after glancing at her son beside her, she suddenly knelt down before Jiang Ning.

"This humble woman has a request: could you please accept my son as your apprentice?"

Jiang Ning was taken aback.

The woman said, “My son has been weak since he was a child. The doctor said he was destined to die young. It is fortunate that he has survived to this day. Now, I am not able to raise him by myself. I ask for nothing but that you, my benefactor, take him as your disciple. That would be better than him living by my side.”

She knew that Jiang Ning was no ordinary person, but a great man. Her son could not possibly grow up alive in this small village, and even if he did, he would be plagued by illness. Now might be her son's chance to change his fate.

Jiang Ning remained silent, his eyes lowered, and after a moment's thought, he nodded.

"Alright."

The woman was overjoyed.

Jiang Ning looked at the child. "Would you like to become my disciple?"

The child tilted his head, his eyes filled with innocent curiosity.

It took a moment before it finally opened its mouth.

"Willing... willing... to".

Jiang Ning nodded and looked at the woman: "What is his full name?"

The woman's eyes reddened upon hearing this: "He doesn't have a formal name yet. My husband originally thought that a humble name would make him easier to raise, so he gave him a nickname and planned to give him a formal name when he grew up, but..."

Jiang Ning remained silent for a while, waiting for the woman to calm down before speaking.

"In that case, how about I name him?"

The woman was delighted to hear this and nodded repeatedly.

"If my son is granted a name by our benefactor, it will be a blessing he has earned through three lifetimes of good deeds."

Jiang Ning didn't say anything upon hearing this, and turned to look at the child.

“You have been frail and sickly since childhood, and it is difficult for you to move around or speak clearly, so I named you Lie.”

"If you move slowly, then walk slowly and steadily. If you have difficulty speaking, then don't speak. Let your actions demonstrate your will."

The child didn't react to what he heard; he just tilted his head and looked at Jiang Ning.

Seeing this, the woman became anxious and quickly told her son to thank the master.

She was illiterate and had never been to school, but she knew that Jiang Ning's words reflected his hopes for his son.

The child looked at her blankly, not understanding why his mother was doing this, but still obediently replied.

"Thank you... Master."

Jiang Ning nodded.

“You also have a senior brother named Liu Zhao. His name was also given to you by your master. You two share the same surname, Liu. Perhaps this is your destiny.”

Jiang Ning said.

"I gave you these two names not because I expect you to be outstanding in the future, but because I hope that when you grow up you will have a righteous heart and do things to save people."

"As your teacher, I hope that your virtues will shine as brightly as the sun and the sky, that your virtues will be illustrious and your actions will be valiant."