Chapter 3

Huashan's rear mountain

"Phew, I'm back!"

On the cliff of the rear mountain, the sky had just begun to lighten; Yue Buqun looked at the familiar scene and took a deep breath.

The moment he stepped out of the shop, the stars shifted and the heavens turned; when he opened his eyes again, he had returned.

"Right, internal energy!"

As if remembering something, Yue Buqun hurriedly checked his internal energy cultivation—and saw that the increased energy was still there; he burst out laughing.

"Ha ha! Blessed by immortals, Yue Buqun shall be invincible in this world!"

His hearty laughter echoed across the rear mountain; Yue Buqun could not contain his wild joy.

Thinking of the effect of that one braised egg and one cup of cold boiled water, Yue Buqun felt his future shining brightly.

He freely released his inner joy; after a long while, he finally calmed down.

Thinking of Huashan Sect's current state, Yue Buqun decided the most important thing was to get money!

Just as Yue Buqun left the rear mountain, a figure suddenly appeared.

An old man with white hair stared at Yue Buqun's retreating back, his eyes filled with regret and a hint of confusion.

"Such a promising youth—how could he have gone mad!"

The old man sighed, then drifted away.

On the other side, Yue Buqun knew nothing of this.

Right now, he was asking his wife Ning Zhongze how Huashan Sect could get money.

"Senior brother, let's set aside business matters for now—I want to ask: where did today's sixty taels of silver go?"

Facing Yue Buqun's urgency, Ning Zhongze, who managed all of Huashan Sect's finances, asked directly.

Huashan Sect, though famed far and wide, was desperately poor.

The money Ning Zhongze controlled amounted to only a few hundred taels of silver.

"Uh? This… junior sister, I have my own use for those sixty taels of silver!"

Thinking of the magic of the food shop, Yue Buqun decided not to reveal it yet.

Even to his wife—the person closest to him—he would not tell.

But this flimsy excuse made Ning Zhongze suspicious.

"Junior sister, does our Huashan Sect truly have no way to generate income?"

Thinking of the price of that one braised egg—five taels of gold, equal to fifty taels of silver—

Huashan Sect's mere few hundred taels of silver would never be enough for him!

The more anxious Yue Buqun became, the more tightly Ning Zhongze frowned.

Strange—why had he suddenly become so obsessed with money?

It was no wonder Ning Zhongze was suspicious; Yue Buqun's behavior today was far too unusual.

Having roamed the Jianghu for decades, Huashan Sect was renowned—logically, it should not be this destitute.

But all of this was because of Yue Buqun's reputation as the Gentleman Sword.

To chase a good reputation, Huashan Sect could not openly amass wealth.

Even to protect its image, Yue Buqun rarely accepted wealthy disciples from the outer sect.

All day long, he cared only about cultivation—never about the sect's finances.

If not for her tireless efforts, Huashan Sect would have been sleeping on the streets long ago.

For decades, Yue Buqun had never been so eager about money.

Why today?

Unconsciously, Ning Zhongze thought of the day when Linghu Chong had gone to a brothel.

It was Yue Buqun who had gone to fetch him back.

Could today's sixty taels also be because of that?

"Junior sister? Junior sister?"

Seeing Ning Zhongze lost in thought, Yue Buqun softly called out.

"Oh—I was lost in thought, senior brother. Over the years, Huashan Sect has had no way to generate income—we truly have no extra silver!" Returning to herself, Ning Zhongze saw Yue Buqun's anxious expression and became even more convinced of her suspicion.

He must have gone to a brothel and taken a mistress!

Pfft, scumbag—sneaking around outside and now coming to beg for money!

"Sigh!"

Hearing Ning Zhongze's confirmation, Yue Buqun sighed in disappointment, thought of ways to get money, and fell asleep on his own.

The night passed without incident; by the next morning,

Inside Huashan Sect's main hall, Yue Buqun was now inspecting the hall's architecture, looking for anything valuable he could sell.

"Master!"

At that moment, a man and a woman entered.

"Hmph? Why are you crying so early in the morning? What kind of behavior is this!"

Seeing them enter, Yue Buqun immediately turned his gaze and saw Yue Lingshan and Lin Pingzhi.

But seeing Lin Pingzhi's frail, tearful appearance, Yue Buqun was deeply displeased.

"Father, don't scold little brother!"

Seeing Yue Buqun reprimand Lin Pingzhi, Yue Lingshan's compassion flared.

"Little brother has suffered enough—his parents were murdered, his family's escort agency fortune seized by Mount Qingcheng; now he's alone and helpless—we must treat him well!"

"Hmph!"

Yue Buqun, who was worrying over money, had no time to pay attention to any of this. He gave a cold snort and, with a wave of his sleeve, was about to leave.

But the moment he turned around, a flash of inspiration struck his mind.

"What did you just say?"

He hurriedly turned back, grabbed Yue Lingshan with one hand, and asked excitedly to confirm.

"Father, what's wrong with you?"

Suddenly grabbed by Yue Buqun, Yue Lingshan thought she was about to be punished too and couldn't help muttering softly under her breath.

"I just said that Little Junior Brother is already pitiful enough — his parents were murdered, and his family property has been seized. We should be nicer to him!"

Hearing the words "family property," a gleam instantly lit up in Yue Buqun's eyes.

Hahaha, the heavens really are helping him, Yue Buqun!

Looking at the puzzled expressions on Yue Lingshan and Lin Pingzhi's faces, Yue Buqun also realized he had lost his composure.

His years-long skill as a false gentleman kicked in, and he immediately returned to normal.

At this moment, a hand patted Lin Pingzhi's shoulder. The latter looked slightly startled, thinking he had done something wrong.

But the next moment, Yue Buqun's words made him delighted.

"I've been so busy lately that I forgot about your feelings!"

"Since you are a disciple of my Huashan Sect, this vendetta — our Huashan Sect must avenge it!"

The sudden words not only stunned Lin Pingzhi, but even Yue Lingshan standing beside him was dumbfounded.

"That's wonderful, Father — you're really going to help Little Junior Brother get revenge?"

Looking at his precious daughter's excited appearance, Yue Buqun radiated righteousness, grand and imposing.

"Naturally! A disciple of my Huashan Sect is not someone just anyone can bully!"

As the words of authority left his mouth, the look in Yue Buqun's eyes as he gazed at Lin Pingzhi changed.

Revenge? Sorry — he, Yue Buqun, wasn't interested in that!

But with property involved, he, Yue Buqun, absolutely had to go!