Chapter 14 The First Problem

  Where is the limit of the ring? Or what level of martial arts can this ring summon at most? Since Ye Wen thought of this, this question would come out from time to time, not because of any special reason, but simply out of curiosity.

  After all, curiosity is also a major driving force for human progress, so Ye Wen wanting to have a more detailed understanding of the treasure in his hand wasn't anything strange.

  "Is it the Golden Gate Wuxia's Beiming, Jiuyang Jiuyin and other divine skills or the more perverted ones that are almost equivalent to the ultimate martial arts of Huang Yi Wuxia's several great classics?"

  Ye Wen's speculation is limited to the world of martial arts, because the world he is currently in is only the world of martial arts, and he has not extended his thinking elsewhere.

  It was just an unexpected event that summoned the Lion's Roar Bullet, or it made him have more expectations for this ring, but he didn't think about it in more detail.

  Perhaps he is afraid of thinking too much, expecting too much, and after discovering that the ring does not meet his expectations in the future, he will be extremely disappointed. So he instinctively protects himself to avoid this situation from happening.

  Burn that basically useless Lion's Roar Bullet to ashes. Ye Wen glanced at the ring on his right index finger and muttered, "Forget it, what's the point of thinking so much? Besides, considering my current situation, thinking about those Nine Yang and Nine Yin things seems a bit too early! It's not late to consider these things when my cultivation really reaches that level!"

  He rubbed his ring finger, walked to the window, and opened the tightly closed window. A gust of cold wind mixed with snowflakes rushed into the originally warm room, and the freezing wind made Ye Wen shiver, but it also made him more alert.

  Taking a deep breath, his body felt cold and even his lungs were icy cool, but Ye Wen was not worried about catching a cold.

  One of the great benefits of having some achievement in internal strength is the improvement of physical fitness, although it's a bit cold on the mountain, but not to the point where he gets sick.

  Of course, if you practice to a very deep level, then you can avoid the invasion of cold and heat, at that time it is equivalent to completely ignoring the impact of environmental changes on the human body.

  This realm is still a distant dream for Ye Wen now, but from the initial feeling of coldness to these days gradually adapting and even fearless of coldness, he can clearly feel the changes in his body. And this change also gave him more confidence and longing for the future.

  Staring blankly at the night sky, although it's pitch black and nothing can be seen, there is no desire to close the window. Maybe he just wants to simply space out for a bit or take a look at the snowy scenery on the mountain.

  Just then, a sharp whistling sound caught his attention. He turned around to see a blurry figure practicing sword techniques not far away.

  That slender figure and the beautiful swordsmanship that was like a dance move, made Ye Wen immediately guess the identity of this person who practiced swords in the dark.

  However, the only ones living on the mountain and practicing martial arts were him and his junior sister Ning Ruxue. Although there was also a miscellaneous worker who lived on the mountain, doing chores such as sweeping, cooking, and farming, this person didn't know any martial arts at all, and was a destitute farmer's wife found by Ning Ruxue in the county town.

  This peasant woman is already over 40 years old, long past the age for martial arts training. Moreover, she herself has no intention of learning martial arts, and is simply happy to have found a place where she can earn enough to eat. As for working hard? Where isn't it hard work? And in this day and age, it's not like you can just find a job that allows you to make a living whenever you want.

  Although she seemed a bit cold on the mountain, this peasant woman didn't care about those things, so she was willing to follow Ning Ruxue up the mountain and become a miscellaneous worker for Shu Shan Sect.

  This middle-aged woman, called Aunt Zhao by the two of them, lived in a side room next to the kitchen. Generally, she would stay in her own room at night doing some needlework or simply resting early.

  These three people are the only residents above the waist of this book mountain, so when Ye Wen saw someone practicing martial arts in the courtyard, he almost knew without thinking that this person was his own sister Ning Ruxue.

  Yue Wen closed the window and left his room to come to the courtyard, until he got a little closer, he could see Ning Ruxue clearly.

  Although his eyesight has improved a lot with his internal strength advancing, the enhancement is limited and it's impossible to see things clearly in such a dark environment.

  Compared to Ye Wen, Ning Ruxue's internal strength was even weaker. It wasn't until Ye Wen approached that Ning Ruxue sensed someone was near and saw who it was.

  However, she may have guessed the identity of the visitor long ago, so she didn't stop her movements. A set of Jade Maiden Swordsmanship was used by her three times in a row before stopping.

  Sheathing the long sword, Ning Ruxue took out a handkerchief and wiped away the fragrant sweat on her forehead. Turning around, she greeted Ye Wen: "Big Brother, why aren't you sleeping?"

  Life on the mountain was very bitter and dull. The two brothers spent their days eating and practicing, occasionally going to find some wild vegetables or hunting animals for entertainment, which also improved their diet a bit.

  There's nothing else to do, so everyone goes to bed early. Normally at this time, people are already asleep.

  Today, because she couldn't sleep, and her internal skill cultivation couldn't be rushed, Ning Ruxue came out to exercise and practice her sword skills. Unexpectedly, her senior brother Ye Wen also hadn't slept, and he ran out to watch her practice sword fighting.

  Ye Wen didn't answer Ning Ruxue's words, but instead asked a question in return: "Didn't you, Shimei, also not sleep?"

  I didn't expect Ye Wen to ask this, Ning Ruxue was stunned for a moment before answering: "Can't sleep, so I came out to practice my sword skills!" As soon as she mentioned the Jade Maiden Sword Technique, Ning Ruxue gave Ye Wen a slightly strange look. To this day, she still finds it strange that her senior brother got his hands on such an obviously feminine sword technique, whereas the Carefree Heart Method didn't arouse any suspicion in her.

  Ye Wen pretended not to see Ning Ruxue's gaze, simply nodding casually and not continuing the conversation on this topic. Instead, he said: "Just finished practicing swordplay, all sweaty, don't stand here in the wind!"

  After finishing speaking, she turned around and walked towards the big house. Although she didn't call out to Ning Xue directly, everyone could understand that she was telling her to go back inside quickly so as not to catch a cold.

  Ning Ruxue's internal skill was far inferior to Ye Wen's, and apart from the fact that she had only recently started cultivating the Unrestrained Heart Method, Ye Wen also had a small cheat device that gradually widened the gap between their progress.

  Ye Wen was no longer afraid of the cold, but Ning Ruxue still couldn't withstand the harm that the cold air brought to her body. Just now she could stand in the wind and snow because practicing swordsmanship made her body hot, but if she stood in the wind and snow like this, tomorrow she would probably fall ill due to wind chill entering her body.

  Although Ning Yuxue knew that Ye Wen was concerned about her, she still muttered: "Do you need to take care of me? Of course I know..." However, although she grumbled, her footsteps didn't slow down much, and she closely followed Ye Wen back into the main house.

  This large house was originally built with a main entrance, and upon entering, the first thing you see is a central hall. This space can be used for dining, receiving guests, resting, reading, or even practicing martial arts and teaching apprentices.

  Right opposite the entrance, there is a screen-like wall that allows people to bypass the main hall from both sides and enter a room inside. However, this house is not where valuable items are stored, but instead piles of coal and firewood, as well as a large stove. This is where heat is provided for the bedrooms on both sides.

  As for the bedrooms on both sides, they are generally designed with a large kang as a sleeping place, a desk for writing and reading, and a large bookshelf for placing books.

  And turning in again, you can enter a room, where a large bucket is placed, which is used for bathing. As for hot water, it can be completely solved on the stove in the house with the kang. What makes Ye Wen happy is that there is a mountain spring just behind this big house, solving the problem of water source. In fact, this is also the reason why Ye Wen arranged the big house and kitchen in this location.

  Back in the main hall, Ye Wen did not go back to his bedroom directly, but sat down there and said to Ning Ruxue: "Since I couldn't sleep, let's talk for a while. It just so happens that I have a few things to say to you!"

  Ning Ruxue didn't respond and instead sat down directly, quietly waiting for what came next.

  Seeing Ning Ruxue like this, Ye Wen continued: "How much money is left?"

  Ning Ruxue didn't expect that her senior brother would talk to her about this, but the silver money had always been managed by her. In the past half year, occasionally going down the mountain to buy daily necessities was also handled by her, and Ye Wen never asked, no wonder he wasn't clear about the specific situation.

  "In the past half year, we spent a lot because my brother kept saying that we must buy enough food to nourish our bodies! So we didn't skimp on meat, eggs and fish, but now there's not much left!"

  Ye Wen has been emphasizing nutrition issues for half a year, especially since the two are still martial artists. If they can't keep up with their nutritional needs and become physically weak, then even if they have the most powerful secret manuals, they won't be able to become top-notch masters.

  So he would instruct to buy more fish and eggs every time he went down the mountain, but surprisingly, they didn't need to buy too much green vegetables because the land they cultivated on the mountain had already produced some crops, which was enough for the three of them to eat.

  But it just so happens that the things Ye Wen asked for were all expensive, and although he, Ning Ruxue, and Zhao Shu couldn't eat much of them, nor did they eat them every day, it still made the silver in their hands quickly disappear. Originally, Ning Ruxue thought that the silver she had saved up could be used for at least a year or two, but now it was almost all gone.

  Even if Ye Wen doesn't mention it today, Ning Ruxue will have to discuss this matter with her senior brother in the next few days. Otherwise, within half a month, the three of them can only rely on the remaining stored food on the mountain or go hunting and digging wild vegetables to make a living.

  "Besides, the New Year is approaching, our Shu Mountain Sect may be small and weak, but we still have to celebrate it. I plan to go down the mountain to buy some things for the New Year. Only the silver money has been almost depleted..."

  Ye Wen nodded, knowing that this was indeed the biggest problem he and others were currently facing. If there was no silver, their future days would not only be difficult but also affect their personal strength improvement, so they had to solve it as soon as possible.

  "In that case, I'll head down the mountain tomorrow and see if I can bring back some wealth."