Nighttime.
"It's a bit cold!"
After finishing his training, Jiang Ning felt the autumn wind blowing and couldn't help but tighten his clothes.
He could sense that the temperature tonight was even lower than last night.
The perceived temperature had dropped by about six or seven degrees compared to the previous night.
The current temperature was definitely below ten degrees Celsius.
Just two days ago, the weather felt like the peak of summer, with temperatures soaring to around forty degrees, making it unbearably hot.
In less than two days.
The temperature had plummeted from around forty degrees to below ten degrees.
Coupled with the cool autumn breeze, even with Jiang Ning's robust physique, the thin clothes he wore were barely enough to withstand such a drastic temperature change.
However, the chilly autumn wind still made him feel slightly cold.
This slight chill was uncomfortable.
Inside the Room.
The candlelight flickered.
Xie Xiaojiu looked out the window, deep in thought.
Whoosh
The autumn wind whistled outside, seeping through the narrow gaps in the window and causing goosebumps to rise on her arms.
By now, the night was deep.
The moonlight outside shone through the narrow window gaps, leaving only a thin sliver of light in the room.
After a moment.
Creak
Xie Xiaojiu pushed the window open.
The autumn wind blowing in the courtyard swept over her, causing her loose long skirt to cling to her body.
Revealing her graceful figure.
At this moment, the wind seemed to take on a tangible form.
"Sir!"
Xie Xiaojiu looked up and saw Jiang Ning lying on the beam under the eaves.
"Why aren't you asleep yet?" Jiang Ning turned his head to look down and instantly caught a glimpse of a breathtaking sight.
"I can't sleep," Xie Xiaojiu shook her head below.
Then she continued, "Sir, come sleep in my room! It's too cold outside to spend the night."
"Aren't you afraid?" Jiang Ning chuckled.
"No," Xie Xiaojiu shook her head.
"Do you trust me that much?" Jiang Ning jumped down from the beam.
Xie Xiaojiu looked at Jiang Ning with serious eyes. "I trust your character."
Jiang Ning smiled again.
"In that case, I won't refuse your kindness."
With that, Jiang Ning stepped over the threshold and entered Xie Xiaojiu's room.
As he stepped into Xie Xiaojiu's room, Jiang Ning immediately felt the temperature inside was several degrees higher.
He instantly realized that the wood used to build this room was special.
It was made of expensive wood that kept the room warm in winter and cool in summer.
At the same time.
Xie Xiaojiu felt a wave of nervousness.
Being alone in a room with a man at night was a first for her.
And she was wearing such thin clothing, with only a casual long skirt covering her body.
Although she usually dressed like this in her small courtyard, enjoying the rare comfort.
But now, it was completely different.
Being alone with a man in the same room made her even more nervous.
Images kept flashing through her mind.
Some of these images even made her blush and feel her body heat up.
A moment later.
Creak
Xie Xiaojiu pushed the room door, slowly closing it.
When she turned around, she saw Jiang Ning already sitting on a chair, pouring himself a cup of cold tea.
"Sir..." Xie Xiaojiu's voice trembled slightly.
"What is it?" Jiang Ning drank the tea in one gulp and asked.
Xie Xiaojiu steadied her mind and said, "Sir, my bed is a bit small. You might feel a bit cramped later."
Jiang Ning chuckled. "I'm staying at your place. How could I take over your bed?"
With that, Jiang Ning stood up and moved the chairs next to the table, arranging them into a makeshift bed.
"I'll sleep here!"
Seeing this, Xie Xiaojiu was momentarily stunned.
She realized Jiang Ning had misunderstood her meaning.
She had originally intended for the two of them to squeeze together on the bed.
Then, Xie Xiaojiu opened her mouth but couldn't muster the courage to say those words.
"Don't just stand there," Jiang Ning said. "It's late. Time to sleep."
"Alright!" Xie Xiaojiu hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
Walking to her bed, Xie Xiaojiu kicked off her slippers and glanced at Jiang Ning.
She saw that Jiang Ning had already laid down on the makeshift bed made of chairs, fully clothed, and closed his eyes.
She then slipped her legs under the covers.
In the next moment.
Xie Xiaojiu spoke again. "Sir!"
"What is it?" Jiang Ning responded.
Xie Xiaojiu asked, "Do you have any... aversions?"
"Coming from a common family, I don't have any such aversions," Jiang Ning replied.
Hearing this.
Xie Xiaojiu immediately got out of bed, picked up the quilt from her bed, and walked over to Jiang Ning.
"Sir, it's still getting colder tonight. This quilt is thicker. You should use it."
As she spoke, she reached Jiang Ning's side.
"Lie down, sir. I'll cover you with it."
Hearing Xie Xiaojiu's words, Jiang Ning found it amusing and nodded, then lay down.
Xie Xiaojiu spread the quilt she was holding over Jiang Ning.
After adjusting it, she asked nervously, "Sir, does my quilt have any strange smells?"
"Not at all," Jiang Ning leaned in and smelled it, catching a faint, pleasant scent, then replied.
Hearing Jiang Ning's straightforward answer, Xie Xiaojiu's anxious heart finally settled.
Then.
She took another quilt from the wardrobe and spread it on her bed.
The two soon fell asleep.
Three Days Later.
Over these three days, Jiang Ning had been tirelessly refining the Dragon-Tiger Tendon Refining Pill day and night.
With the support of this precious pill, his strength had improved rapidly.
"According to records, human tendons are categorized into four levels: ox, tiger, flood dragon, and dragon."
"Reaching the ox tendon level, at the initial stage of the seventh rank in martial arts, can increase explosive power by thirty percent."
"Reaching the tiger tendon level can double explosive power."
"Reaching the flood dragon tendon level can triple explosive power."
"Reaching the dragon tendon level can increase explosive power fivefold."
Jiang Ning flicked his wrist, engaging the tendons in his body and channeling the strength of his entire body.
Snap
The air suddenly cracked.
With this flick, he saw white mist flowing between his fingers even in the darkness.
"This explosive power must be just one step away from the flood dragon tendon level!"
Jiang Ning thought to himself.
He couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.
In just a few days, his strength had improved dramatically, progressing from the ox tendon level to being just one step away from the flood dragon tendon level.
This was all thanks to the Dragon-Tiger Tendon Refining Pill.
"This must be the power of money!" Jiang Ning couldn't help but sigh.
Through his personal experience with the Dragon-Tiger Tendon Refining Pill, he had come to understand an important point.
In this world, the difficulty of martial arts was only true for the poor and for martial artists from small places.
A few tens of thousands of taels of silver could bring him such improvement.
Although it seemed like a lot of money, it was only a significant amount for him.
The Great Xia Dynasty had a history of nearly a thousand years.
There were countless century-old families.
Millennium-old aristocratic families were not just legends.
And there were also sects with a thousand years of history.
For these powerful forces, a few tens of thousands of taels of silver were merely a few dozen taels of gold, perhaps not even a drop in the ocean for them.
The heirs of such forces must have enjoyed extremely luxurious resources from a young age.
"No wonder the Great Xia Dynasty has armies composed of seventh and eighth-rank martial artists!"
After these few days, he fully understood the role of wealth.
Not to mention the higher levels of martial arts.
At least at the levels of skin, flesh, tendons, and bones, martial arts resources had a significant impact.
With enough resources, perhaps these steps wouldn't be difficult at all.
"Talent and innate abilities can be changed later in life."
"So what does that even matter?"
Jiang Ning felt a sense of enlightenment.
[Source Energy]: 677.49
Glancing at his status panel.
"By tomorrow morning, my Source Energy should break through the 700 mark, right?"
"With over 700 Source Energy Points, I can complete the second and third limit breaks for my Wind and Thunder Archery."
"That way, even if Liu Linmen comes looking for me, I should have the ability to fight back!"
Jiang Ning thought to himself.
Over the past three days, with the Bamboo Gang secretly keeping an eye on the Yellow Heaven Sect for him, he had gained a thorough understanding of their movements.
After the miraculous feats displayed by the Yellow Heaven Sect, their followers spread the word like wildfire.
In just a few days, thirty percent of the population in the eastern district of the outer city had converted to become believers of the Yellow Heaven Sect.
Especially after a message spread by the Yellow Heaven Sect yesterday, stating that the believers in this area were devout enough.
Next spring, a Heavenly King would come to Luoshui County to pray for rain, ensuring a successful spring planting.
This message further ignited the fervor of the people.
At the same time, Jiang Ning also gained a clear understanding of Liu Linmen's condition.
After several days of treatment, Liu Linmen's eye injury had healed, and today during the day, he had even visited Ye Qiu.
This action immediately made Jiang Ning think of a possibility.
That Liu Linmen, as he had previously speculated, still didn't know who had attacked him that night.
Visiting Ye Qiu might have been to use his "Heaven's Eye" to observe Ye Qiu.
"Tomorrow, I'll see his movements to confirm if my guess is correct!" Jiang Ning thought to himself.
With his recent improvements in strength, he no longer felt the same level of worry as he had a few days ago.
The increase in strength had given him more confidence.
Compared to that night, his strength had improved significantly, more than doubling.
Not only had his Wind and Thunder Archery completed its first limit break, granting him control over wind and thunder.
But his tendon refinement was also just one step away from the flood dragon tendon level.
The strong and resilient tendons in his body now allowed him to unleash nearly twice the explosive power he had before.
On that night when he attacked Liu Linmen, he was only at the ox tendon level, which only increased his explosive power by thirty percent.
Moreover, in the past few days, his sword technique had also completed another limit break, and his sword momentum had improved, allowing him to draw upon the power of heaven and earth.
These three improvements had given him some confidence.
His current strength could no longer be simply measured by martial arts rank.
After all, he had now mastered internal energy, something only fifth-rank martial artists could achieve.
With all these factors combined, Jiang Ning wasn't sure if he could take on a fifth-rank martial artist, but at least against sixth-rank opponents, he felt no fear.
With the right conditions, he might even be able to challenge a fifth-rank martial artist.
A moment later.
Jiang Ning pushed open the door and entered Xie Xiaojiu's room.
"Sir!" Xie Xiaojiu sat on the bed, the quilt covering only her thighs. She put down the sword manual she was holding and greeted Jiang Ning.
"You didn't have to wait for me," Jiang Ning said to Xie Xiaojiu.
Xie Xiaojiu smiled faintly.
She stretched her legs out from under the quilt and slipped on her cotton shoes.
Over the past few days, the temperature had dropped further.
Even at home, Xie Xiaojiu no longer wore thin long skirts at night.
Instead, she wore a white mink fur dress. The inside and outside of the dress were lined with soft, white mink fur.
The thick mink dress concealed some of her figure, revealing only a small section of her rounded calves, slender shoulders, and pale arms.
The most breathtaking view was hidden by the thick dress, leaving Jiang Ning feeling a bit regretful that he couldn't appreciate the beauty of the world.
Walking to the table.
Xie Xiaojiu picked up the teapot and poured tea into a cup.
Gurgle
The hot tea poured from the spout into the cup, sending up wisps of steam.
"Sir, it's cold outside. Have a cup of hot tea to warm up before sleeping."
"Thank you," Jiang Ning smiled and took a small sip of the hot tea.
The teapot had been sitting for a while, so the water temperature wasn't very high.
Jiang Ning tested the temperature with a small sip, then drank the rest in a few gulps.
The hot tea warmed his body, instantly dispelling the slight chill.
Although the temperature drop wasn't as drastic as a few days ago, it was still getting colder.
It was now comparable to the winter temperatures in the south from his previous life.
Being close to the Luoshui River, the humidity was high, and the damp cold seeped into his bones. Even with his extraordinary physique, Jiang Ning still found the weather uncomfortable.
"Go to sleep. Don't worry about me," Jiang Ning said to Xie Xiaojiu, who was standing in front of him.
"Sir, it's so cold now," Xie Xiaojiu's heart suddenly raced. She hesitated, then slowly said, "Why don't... why don't you sleep on the bed?"
Xie Xiaojiu repeated the words she had said a few days ago.
"If I sleep on the bed, where will you sleep?" Jiang Ning chuckled, then patted the quilt beside him and continued, "Don't worry! With this quilt you gave me, I won't freeze! I'm a seventh-rank martial artist, after all!"
Looking at Jiang Ning, Xie Xiaojiu opened her mouth but suddenly felt her courage drain away.
"Then, sir, I'll go to sleep first!"
She quickly walked to her bed in three steps and slipped under the covers.
Jiang Ning watched her back and shook his head with a wry smile.
Then.
Jiang Ning arranged the makeshift bed and spread the quilt over himself, soon falling asleep.
The Next Morning.
"Sir, you're awake!" Jiang Ning opened his eyes to see Xie Xiaojiu washing her face nearby.
With her face wet, the hair near her ears and forehead clung to her skin.
From Jiang Ning's angle, he could see the fine down on her face.
Jiang Ning immediately sat on the wooden stool to calm the stirrings in his body.
At this age, full of vigor, mornings were always a bit uncomfortable.
Especially when waking up to the sight of Xie Xiaojiu, Jiang Ning needed some time to suppress the reactions in his body.
[Name]: Jiang Ning
[Source Energy]: 717.88
[Skills]:
Literacy (Third Limit Break: 517/4000) (Traits: Photographic Memory, Enhanced Senses, Quick Thinking)
Five Animals Fist (First Limit Break: 568/2000) (Trait: Essence Stored in the Five Organs)
Chopping Wood Sword Technique+ (Fifth Limit Break: 6000/6000) (Traits: Versatility, Swift as the Wind, Divine Wield, Unity of Man and Sword, Natural Sword Bone)
Internal Alchemy Cultivation Technique (Proficient: 493/5000)
Indestructible Vajra Body (Proficient: 453/5000)
Water Affinity+ (Fifth Limit Break: 6000/6000) (Traits: Underwater Breathing, Water Manipulation, Water Spirit Affinity, Cloud and Rain Control, Water Spirit Body)
Wind and Thunder Archery (First Limit Break: 1/2000) (Trait: Wind and Thunder Breath)
Water-Fire True Force (Proficient: 45/500)
Looking at his status panel, Jiang Ning felt a surge of excitement.
With his Source Energy breaking through the 700 mark, he now had more options.
Whether to break the limits of the Chopping Wood Sword Technique or Water Affinity or to complete the second and third limit breaks for Wind and Thunder Archery, was entirely up to him.
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