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

Page 16

There was only one clothing store in the county, and it was hard to find. Jiang Ning had to ask around before he finally found it.

"Shopkeeper, I want to buy clothes."

As soon as he stepped into the store, Jiang Ning spoke.

This clothing store is very small, only a few square meters, and the owner is a middle-aged woman in her fifties or sixties.

At this moment, the middle-aged woman was eating sunflower seeds. When she saw Jiang Ning come in, she didn't get up. Instead, she pointed into the shop in a muffled voice.

"Choose for yourself."

Because Huayin County is just a small county town, most of the people there are poor farmers who don't come to the clothing store to buy clothes. They sew their own clothes at home, so the business of this clothing store is not very good, and the owner only earns a little extra income.

Ignoring the shop owner's attitude, Jiang Ning scanned the clothes in the shop and quickly made his selection.

"how much is it?"

"Twenty-four copper coins, let's round it down to twenty copper coins."

At this moment, the shop owner smiled and said to Jiang Ning.

The reason for the drastic change in her attitude was that Jiang Ning bought three items at once, and twenty copper coins could buy a lot of things.

Jiang Ning nodded, took out his purse from his pocket, counted out twenty copper coins, and handed them to the shopkeeper.

Yue Buqun would give him some pocket money from time to time. Apart from occasionally asking his fellow disciples to bring back some paper when they went down the mountain, he hadn't spent much of it. Over time, he had saved up quite a bit of pocket money.

"Where around here can I buy donkeys and mules?"

Jiang Ning asked.

Zhongnan Mountain is located in the middle section of the Qinling Mountains, not far from Mount Hua, only a few hundred miles away. However, Jiang Ning did not intend to walk there. Hiring a horse-drawn carriage would be the best option, but this small county town did not have such a luxurious means of transport. Jiang Ning had to settle for a donkey or mule instead.

"Yes, yes, go out and walk west. There's a family called Old Li's at the far west end. They have a donkey that pulls the millstone. Recently, their son has fallen ill, and they're planning to sell the donkey to raise money for his treatment."

After I received the money, the shop owner's attitude improved considerably, and he answered my questions in great detail.

Jiang Ning nodded, then turned and walked out of the shop, heading straight west.

Arriving at the westernmost edge of the county town, sure enough, there was a house with a donkey tied up in its yard.

Most donkeys are relatively short, but this donkey was very strong and tall, almost as tall as a person. It was grayish-brown all over, but very smooth, with a set of big, white front teeth and big, bright eyes.

It's a good donkey.

Jiang Ning took a liking to the donkey at first sight.

Upon arriving at the courtyard gate, Jiang Ning began to knock on the door.

It was called a courtyard, but it was really just an open space enclosed by a fence. Jiang Ning could have easily jumped in if he wanted to, but he didn't.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

Not long after Jiang Ning knocked on the courtyard gate, the door to the room in the courtyard opened, and a middle-aged man came out.

"who are you?"

The middle-aged man looked at Jiang Ning warily. Although Huayin County had good public security, he was still very vigilant when a stranger knocked on his door.

Jiang Ning went straight to the point.

"I want to buy this donkey in your yard."

"what?"

The middle-aged man was taken aback and asked, "How did you know my family was going to sell the donkey?"

"The owner of the clothing store in the county recommended me to come here."

The middle-aged man suddenly realized.

He knew the proprietress.

"Please come in please come in."

Upon learning that Jiang Ning had come to buy his donkey, the middle-aged man quickly opened the gate to let Jiang Ning in.

How much are you willing to pay?

As the middle-aged man walked toward the donkey, he enthusiastically introduced it: "This donkey is called Maodou. Don't let its size fool you, it's only a year old. It has great stamina and runs very fast, no slower than a regular horse. It's also very gentle and intelligent. I usually don't want it to do heavy work. If it weren't for the fact that I have no other choice and my son urgently needs money for medical treatment, I wouldn't sell it."

When the middle-aged man approached, the donkey nuzzled him affectionately with its head, and the middle-aged man stroked its head reluctantly.

As Jiang Ning got closer, he realized that this donkey was even more robust than the one he had seen outside. Its body shape and four legs were in excellent condition, without any defects.

Such a beautiful and strong donkey is a rare sight.

"I'll give you five taels of silver."

Jiang Ning said directly.

The exchange rate between silver and copper coins fluctuates in this world. Sometimes one tael of silver can be exchanged for sixteen coins, and one coin is one hundred copper coins. One tael of silver can be exchanged for one thousand six hundred copper coins.

But sometimes one tael of silver could only be exchanged for ten coins, or even seven coins. Back then, one coin was worth eighty coins, so the fluctuation was huge.

However, when I came to this world from Jiangning, the exchange rate of silver was relatively stable. One tael of silver could be exchanged for ten coins, and one coin was one hundred coins. Basically, it didn't change much.

Normally, a donkey costs around 500 to 600 wen. Now, Jiangning is offering 5 taels of silver to buy this donkey, which is equivalent to paying ten times the price.

The middle-aged man was stunned, then quickly shook his head.

"That's too much, we don't need that much. One tael of silver will be enough."

He had originally planned to sell it for one tael of silver, and if the other party was sincere in wanting to buy it, he could accept eight hundred coins, but he did not expect Jiang Ning to offer such a much higher price.

"If I think it's worth it, then that's fine."

Jiang Ning didn't say much, but took out five taels of silver from his bag and handed it to the middle-aged man.

He was able to offer such a high price partly because he genuinely liked the donkey, and partly because the family was truly struggling financially; the furnishings and belongings in their home suggested they probably didn't have much money for medical treatment.

Chapter 28: Zhongnan Mountain

"thanks, thanks."

The middle-aged man's eyes immediately reddened. He held the five taels of silver in his hands as if they were some kind of treasure, and kept saying thank you.

Jiang Ning shook his head and said, "May I take it with me?"

The middle-aged man nodded repeatedly.

"Ok, Ok."

After saying that, he turned his head and stroked the donkey's head, saying softly, "Maodou, I, Lao Li, picked you up from the wild last year and have been raising you ever since. If Xiao Dong hadn't been sick and we didn't have money to treat him, I wouldn't have sold you. Please forgive me."

The donkey looked at the middle-aged man with its bright eyes, then nuzzled him with its head.

The middle-aged man added, "But don't worry, this young master is a good person. You should follow him closely from now on."

After saying these words, the middle-aged man untied the donkey's rope and handed it to Jiang Ning.

"Young master, please treat it well."

"Ah."

Jiang Ning nodded, then gently pulled the donkey towards him.

They are indeed very docile.

Jiang Ning patted its head, then took it and left.

As Jiang Ning left, the donkey kept looking back at the middle-aged man until he was far out of sight. Only then did the donkey stop looking back.

After leaving Huayin County, Jiang Ning checked the location. Zhongnan Mountain was south of Huashan Mountain. After finding the right direction, Jiang Ning took out a piece of clothing and draped it over the back of the donkey, then turned over and sat on it.

"Let's go."

Jiang Ning patted the donkey beneath him and pointed in the direction south of Mount Hua.

The donkey looked around, then turned and walked in the direction Jiang Ning had pointed.

Jiang Ning's eyes lit up.

This donkey is indeed very intelligent.

"start running."

After reaching a deserted road, Jiang Ning spoke to the donkey beneath him.

As if it could understand what he was saying, Maodou was walking slowly, but after Jiang Ning gave the order, it began to quicken its pace, then gradually increased, and finally started running.

Jiang Ning sat on the back of the donkey, which was being jostled violently. To prevent himself from falling off, Jiang Ning not only held tightly to the rope, but also pressed his legs against the donkey's belly and leaned forward to maintain his balance.

After running for a while, Maodou seemed to know that its master was not feeling well. It slowed down a bit and ran on all fours without its body shaking violently. Jiang Ning then felt much better.

"Good donkey, good edamame."

Jiang Ning couldn't help but smile.

The donkey ran very fast, just as the middle-aged man had said.

Those five taels of silver were well spent.

It seemed that Maodou had unleashed its true nature while running, baring its big front teeth and chirping happily.

As time went by, Jiang Ning's expression grew increasingly delighted.

The donkey has been running for some time now, and its speed has not slowed down at all. It has maintained a high speed, and its speed will slow down when it encounters a rough road, but not by much. Once it reaches a flat road, it will resume its previous speed, which means that it is running very easily.

Fast, stamina-rich, docile, and intelligent, Maodou made Jiang Ning like it more and more.

He never expected to have bought such a treasure.

After Maodou had been running for almost half an hour, Jiang Ning patted its head, signaling it to stop and walk slowly.

Maodou then slowly stopped and continued walking as before.

Zhongnan Mountain is not far from Huashan Mountain, only a few hundred miles away. According to his calculations, it would take three or four days to reach the destination.

Jiang Ning wasn't in a hurry; there was no point in being in a hurry anyway.

After climbing a rugged mountain path, Jiang Ning dismounted from the donkey and began to walk. Without stirrups, even with clothes as padding, riding was still very uncomfortable.

Moon stars are rare.

The bright moon hangs in the sky, its shimmering silver light spilling across the hillside. A young man practices his sword by a campfire not far away, his figure sometimes nimble and sometimes graceful. The firelight illuminates his figure, and his shadow on the ground dances with his movements.

An incredibly strong donkey was dozing on the grass, snoring loudly.

call out!call out!

The boy's sword danced in the air, slicing through the wind and creating a flurry of sword shadows.

Suddenly.

The boy thrust his sword forward with such speed that it was breathtaking. His movements ceased with the thrust, and a gentle breeze stirred, ruffling his disheveled hair.

Jiang Ning sheathed his sword, then returned to the campfire and sat down.

"Hmph~"

Maodou, who was dozing off, suddenly sneezed. He opened his eyes groggily, glanced at Jiang Ning, and then went back to sleep.

"The speed is indeed faster than before."

Jiang Ning sat cross-legged on the grass, talking to himself.

The move he just practiced was one of the Huashan School techniques, "The Phoenix Arrives." He had practiced this move for a long time and put the most effort into it. It was the last move he used when he fought Linghu Chong. However, compared to before, the "The Phoenix Arrives" he is practicing now is the one carved on the stone wall.

Although he now possesses almost all the sword techniques of the Five Mountains Sword Sect, including those more advanced than the Phoenix Comes to Ceremony, Jiang Ning did not rush to practice those techniques. Instead, he chose to relearn the Phoenix Comes to Ceremony, which he was most familiar with.

Just as Yue Buqun had worried, Jiang Ning also considered that aiming too high and practicing haphazardly would lead to mistakes. It would be better to start with the sword technique he was most familiar with, and then practice other techniques later.

Too much to chew.

If he can thoroughly understand the inscription "The Phoenix Arrives" on the stone wall, it will be a great improvement for him.

Jiang Ning's consistent belief is that whether it's a sophisticated swordsmanship or a simple slash or thrust, it's all just a technique.

So-called techniques are merely temporary ways to enhance one's combat power when one's own strength is insufficient. They are just icing on the cake and may be important in the early stages, but in the end, one's own strength will always be the primary factor, and sword techniques will be secondary.

This is also why Jiang Ning wasn't particularly eager to learn the Dugu Nine Swords from Feng Qingyang by currying favor with him.

It's better to have it, but it's okay if you don't.