Chapter 47: The Ceremony

  The sun shines in the sky, but there are no smiling flowers!

  Standing on a mountain in the depths of winter, if you can still see any flowers that are still open, it would be truly strange. Not to say there aren't any flowers that bloom in winter, but on this mountain, not even half a point of them can be seen.

  Ye Wen just sat upright in the main hall, with a cup of tea beside him that had been refilled countless times, yet he still felt parched. The reason was twofold: one, he was tired from non-stop talking; two, he was overly excited!

  Looking at the grand hall filled with people, although most of them were unfamiliar to Ye Wen, and some he had never even met before, everyone who came would first bow respectfully and say: "Ye Zhangmen, congratulations!" This scene was quite impressive, giving him a true sense of being the leader of a great sect, it was truly wonderful!

  The time was almost upon them, and the vast hall was filled with people either standing or sitting. Ye Wen smiled as he chatted idly with his fellow Jianghu companions on his left, while keeping an eye on Ning Shimei, who was busy rushing back and forth - seeing this normally stoic sister of his so flustered that she couldn't even lift her head made him feel inexplicably pleased.

  "Am I already abnormal?"

  Yue Wende made a joke to himself and took another sip of tea, just as the craftsman standing at the door shouted: "The head of Yue Shan Escort Agency, Yue Zong, and all the escorts are here with gifts!!"

  The deliberately drawn-out tone also made the people in the hall notice that a new guest had arrived, and this time the guest was none other than the father of today's protagonist, with an even more extraordinary identity. Upon hearing this, Ye Wen immediately stood up to welcome him, just as he was halfway there, Yue Hang led his own guards into the hall.

  "Leaf Palm Gate! Your sect is indeed extraordinary!" This was Yue Hang's first time coming to Shu Shan Sect, seeing that grand gate and this extraordinary main hall, he was shocked by the mountain gate.

  "General Yue's escort has arrived!" After exchanging greetings, Ye Wen directly invited General Yue to a front-row seat. He had already reserved two seats here in advance, one for General Yue and the other he wasn't sure if it would be used, but out of courtesy, he still kept it reserved.

  Many people who came to watch the excitement on Book Mountain saw the two seats that were particularly prominent as soon as they entered. Some people who didn't understand asked, "Who are those two seats reserved for? Is there a big shot coming today?"

  Some insiders would appear particularly pleased at this time, hehe smiled and asked the person to hit him before they would say the answer.

  "I don't know, do I? Actually, one of the disciples that Mount Shu is going to accept this time is the eldest son of the head of the Yue Mountain Escort Agency, and since his own son is going to be a disciple, as the father, he naturally has to come and pay his respects. So, one of those positions is naturally reserved for the head of the Yue Mountain Escort Agency!"

  "Is Patriarch Yue really that old? With his martial arts skills, does he still need to hand over his son to someone else for guidance? Could it be that the Shu Shan Sect is really that formidable?" Of course, Yue Hang wasn't that old; it's just that in the Jianghu world where strength is revered, people naturally had to treat him with respect, even when discussing him privately, they didn't dare show any disrespect.

  "But this is unknown..."

  This guy's information is clearly not very comprehensive, he only knows a bit. The person standing next to him looked at him with disdain and laughed: "I don't know about the strength of Mount Shu Sect, but their leader Ye is really powerful. He defeated Yu, the deputy leader of Liu Zhang Gang, with just one palm, causing him to spit blood. His kung fu skills are indeed impressive! I'm afraid he's even stronger than General Yue."

  Some people who didn't know the inside story nearby were amazed, and many small door representatives who didn't understand the situation secretly congratulated themselves. Today's excitement wasn't for nothing. If they could get to know this Ye Zhangmen, their future days on Book Mountain might be a little better.

  "At the very least, don't offend this gentleman!"

  Such an idea became the mainstream idea of many small factions in an instant, and only a few people did not believe these words at all. Some even knew that the Shu Shan faction was originally the Book Mountain faction that was destroyed by the Zhengquan Gate, but it just changed its pronunciation slightly and reopened its door.

  As for Ye Wen, they also have some understanding of him. However, in their impression, the Ye Zhangmen was still a useless waste who was knocked unconscious by Zhang Guisan with just two moves. They do not think that such trash can turn over in a short period of time and even have the ability to rival Yuetong, the head of the Yuetong Escort Agency.

  As for Ye Wen, this waste that they didn't even look at, actually became so glorious today, and was chatting with the head of the Yue family's escort agency, he felt extremely jealous in his heart, and secretly cursed: "I don't know what evil method this kid used, to actually deceive the whole family of the head of the Yue Mountain Escort Agency!"

  They didn't have the guts to personally test whether Ye Wen had really made a breakthrough and greatly improved his martial arts skills. After all, there was a reason for this, with the rumor that Ye Wen had defeated Yu Dahai with one palm, they had to be more careful in their actions. If Ye Wen had really become formidable, their rashness would likely not have ended well, and instead would have brought trouble upon themselves.

  However, they think that Ye Wen will not be arrogant for long. After all, the grudges between Ye Wen and Zhengquanmen are well-known to them. Now, Ye Wen has even re-established his school, using a name that is only one word different from the original, which is equivalent to contempt for Zhengquanmen. This behavior will certainly lead to suppression by Zhengquanmen.

  "Hmm, I'm sure there will be a good show today. If I'm not mistaken, Zhang will still be the one coming from Zhengyi Men!"

  These people stood in the temple, on one side coldly watching, on the other thinking about how to get along with the Zhengquanmen, and even how to step on it again when Ye Wen was stripped of his fake mask.

  "It's best if I can establish some connection with Director Yue, then I won't have to worry about making a living in this place!"

  These people's thoughts couldn't escape Ye Wen, and this group of people almost didn't have any intention to hide their intentions. When they came, they also enthusiastically greeted Ye Wen, but afterwards they just stood in the corner, coldly observing. As someone who had mixed around in society for quite some time, Ye Wen naturally guessed what kind of attitude these guys were coming with. He was just too lazy to bother with this group of clowns, and as for later? He didn't think that this group of people would have any possibility of appearing in his line of sight again.

  Because Ye Wen had secretly recorded the sects or forces these guys belonged to, when Shu Shan Sect wanted to unify Book Mountain in the future, these guys would be the first batch of objects to be eliminated.

  Invite Yue Hang to sit in the upper seat, Ye Wen immediately saw that there were many boxes behind Yue Hang, and it seemed that they were all gifts.

  Yue Hang saw Ye Wen sizing him up and casually replied: "A small token of respect, consider it a humble disciple's greeting to his master!"

  Ye Wen nodded, thinking that Yue Hang had made a great effort. Those boxes were heavy just by looking at the way others lifted them, which showed how valuable this gift was. So, the respect and sincerity behind it were definitely not small, but full!

  "Boss Yue is too polite!"

  He casually expressed his gratitude, and Ye Wen didn't seem to mind refusing, let alone that if he had discussed the matter with Yue Hang, Yue Shan's escort agency wouldn't have gotten any benefits either. Accepting a small gift from him wasn't a big deal.

  The two of them chatted casually for a few sentences, and Ning Ruxue, who had been busy running around, hurried over to say: "The time has arrived, let the Master Brother preside over the ceremony first!"

  Ye Wen nodded and then came to the center of the grand hall to host this initiation ceremony!

  Because of the juniority, the first to stand in the hall and prepare for apprenticeship was Ye Wende's master Xu Xian, who received disciples and entered the Shushan Sect. As soon as this young master from the Xu family arrived at the hall, even Yue Hang was shocked.

  He didn't expect that not only would his own son join the Shu Shan Sect, but also the young master of the Xu family. Two days ago, he had only heard that Xu Xian and his own old master had a falling out over something and left home, but he didn't think he would run to the Shu Shan Sect. "What's going on? Could it be that I've underestimated this Shu Shan Sect after all?"

  Yue Hang couldn't figure out what reason would prompt the young master of the Xu family to join the Shu Shan Sect, and why the Xu family, a renowned literary clan, would need to come all the way here to learn martial arts.

  He was at a loss there, and among many guests, there were quite a few who were puzzled by Xu Xian's subtlety, and suddenly felt strange.

  "Didn't they say that the one who's becoming a disciple today is the young master of the Yue family? I remember that kid from the Yue family wasn't this big, was he?"

  Such doubts were everywhere in the temple, and the visiting guests whispered to each other, guessing who this young nobleman was.

  During that time, there were indeed a few people who recognized Xuan, but they were initially startled by the scene of Xuan preparing to pay respects to his master at an intermediate stop, so it wasn't until the people around them started discussing in hushed tones that they came back to their senses.

  "That's the young master of the Xu family in the county town. Ah, how did he come here? Is he also going to join the Shu Mountain Sect?"

  "Xu family? Which young master of the Xu family?"

  "Which Xu family can Shushan County have? Of course it's Old Master Xu's son!"

  "What? Old Master Xue? But isn't his family a scholarly one? How did he end up coming to the Shu Shan Sect to learn martial arts? It can't be that the Shu Shan Sect teaches not only martial arts, but also music, chess, calligraphy and painting?"

  "How do I know?"

  Such murmurs rose and fell, but since everyone deliberately suppressed their voices, they did not affect the proceedings of the ceremony.

  At this time, Ye Wen had also finished the 'speech' he had prepared long ago, and finally got to the point. Only then did everyone understand that this time was still a substitute for collecting disciples into Shu Shan's door, not Ye Wen's disciple but his younger brother!

  This is nothing for those who just watch the excitement, but for Yue Hang, an old Jianghu, there are many things to think about.

  "If Xu Xian really became a disciple of Shu Shan Sect, what would be the attitude of the Xu family towards Shu Shan Sect? If the Xu family supported the development of Shu Shan Sect with their own financial resources in the future, this sect...” Thinking of this, Yue Hang felt extremely fortunate that he had invested in Shu Shan Sect early on and even got his son to join it.

  While everyone was guessing, Xu Xian's initiation ceremony had already been completed, and next were the two little ones who had been waiting on the side.

  Seeing his son about to become the new chief disciple of Shu Shan Sect, Yue Hang looked at Ye Wen and then at Xun Xian who was already standing aside, feeling a wave of excitement.

  Just as he was still excited, a loud shout came from the entrance, and a dignified and majestic man walked in with big strides: "Wait! I have a few words to say to Brother Ye!"