Zhang Gui’s request was immediately agreed to by Ye Nu, since the man was willing to join the Shu Mountain Sect. Naturally, Ye Wen had no reason to refuse. As for what he would be used for, Ye Wen didn't care.

Moreover, Ye Wen’s willingness to take in Zhang Gui was partly due to considerations of reputation. Otherwise, given Zhang Gui’s skill, he was only slightly better than the outer disciples of the Shu Mountain Sect, about on par with his third disciple, Xu Ping, yet he was much older than Xu Ping. If he were truly brought into the inner circle, there wouldn’t be much room for further improvement.

As for the status of a menial laborer… Ye Wen planned to place Zhang Gui under Aunt Zhao’s supervision; as for what he did from there, it was up to him.

After conditioning Zhang Gui with the Purple Haze True Qi, Ye Wen did not linger. He returned directly to his own courtyard. After sitting for a moment, he practiced his swordplay for a while, simultaneously continuing to clear the meridians in his left arm. By the time he finished all this, it was already evening.

“Time flies so fast…”

Time slipped away with incredible speed; Ye Wen barely felt it, and the day was already gone.

Although the Shu Mountain Sect still had many shortcomings, and its overall structure was only just taking shape, with many areas still somewhat chaotic and disorderly, it was already infinitely better than before. Coupled with the fact that everything was gradually falling into place, Ye Wen finally no longer needed to handle every single matter personally as he had in the beginning.

In the following few days, Ye Wen practiced his skills on the mountain, taught his disciples, guided Liu Muyan through some basic techniques, and provided Zhou Ding, an outer disciple, with special attention, individually teaching him a few moves from the Returning Wind Tilting Swan Sword Style. Originally, he intended to teach Zhou Ding the entire sword style, but upon reflection, this sword style was still Xu Xian’s signature set. To teach the entire set to an outer disciple all at once might look bad in front of Xu Xian, so Ye Wen held back, teaching only a few moves.

However, he didn't close the door entirely, only saying that if Zhou Ding worked hard in the future, he would eventually learn the whole style. Moreover, the sword style itself was quite profound, and a few moves were enough for Zhou Ding to practice for quite some time, so naturally, he was not dissatisfied, leaving with excitement.

Afterward, Ye Wen learned that although Xu Xian had been busy handling sect affairs recently, his martial arts had not been neglected. Not only had he nearly mastered the Thirteen Swords of the Divine Gate, but in his spare time, he had also begun to experiment with the Soft Finger Sword Style that Ye Wen had demonstrated—the one involving using internal force to bend the blade. Remarkably, based on this style, he had created several corresponding sword moves that utilized the wonderful principle of bending the blade with inner energy.

However, because these moves required specific demands on the long sword, Xu Xian specially ran home to retrieve a fine treasured sword before he could execute them smoothly.

Upon hearing this, Ye Wen asked Xu Xian to demonstrate the Thirteen Swords of the Divine Gate and those new moves from the Soft Finger Sword Style one by one. While easily learning them, Ye Wen also discussed them with Xu Xian for a good while. Not only did they further refine the Thirteen Swords of the Divine Gate, but the Soft Finger Sword Style gained several new moves.

“Senior Brother, how many moves are you planning to create for the Soft Finger Sword Style?” Seeing the sword style become increasingly refined, Xu Xian was overjoyed. Moreover, these two sword styles were truly developed through his own tinkering, even if the core essence was proposed by Ye Wen.

Ye Wen pondered for a moment but couldn't recall how many moves the Soft Finger Sword Style originally had. Finally, putting on an air, he stated, “As many moves as you can execute, that’s how many moves this sword style will have! Otherwise, no matter how numerous, complex, or exquisite the moves are, if you can’t use a single one in actual combat, it’s no different from not knowing it at all!” He couldn’t recall where he had read this maxim, but it suited the situation perfectly for placating his junior brother at the moment, so he slightly modified it and spoke it.

This response indeed silenced his junior brother. Xu Xian was naturally brilliant; otherwise, he wouldn't have become a renowned scholar in his early twenties. Ye Wen’s words seemed to open a new path for Xu Xian, and this path was far smoother and broader. If he could walk it, his achievements in swordsmanship might rise several levels higher.

Seeing his demeanor, Ye Wen knew his junior brother had gained new insight. He muttered to himself, “Damn it! He’s had an epiphany already? I have a whole basketful of theories stored up… If this kid comprehends them all as I voice them, won’t he become the greatest swordsman under heaven?” Ye Wen had concepts like 'no move defeats any move,' 'no sword defeats any sword,' 'with sufficient cultivation, flora, earth, and stone can all become a sword,' 'striking first to preempt,' 'striking second to counter,' 'attacking where the opponent must defend,' 'using offense as defense,' 'returning an opponent's technique against them'…

“Uh… I’ll skip that last one…” After a thought, Ye Wen decided it was better to say less. Setting aside the possibility of confusing Xu Xian with theories that clearly conflicted, the last remark alone would be enough for Xu Xian to digest for a long time. When Xu Xian truly reached the next level, Ye Wen would at least have something impressive left to show off.

“It’s best not to reveal all your trump cards at once!” Looking at Xu Xian, whose talent was enough to inspire jealousy, Ye Wen refocused on cultivating his own martial arts.

In truth, Ye Wen’s choice to suppress others with sheer strength and continuously accumulate internal energy was not by choice. As a transmigrator, he knew too many exquisite theories. Due to the information explosion of later generations, many theories had been analyzed countless times. The result was that while he knew a basketful of theories, he had absolutely no idea how to apply them in actual combat.

What was worse was that many of these theories were relative, meaning they were fundamentally conflicting routines. Unlike Xu Xian, who, being initially ignorant of these things, could gradually forge his own path upon hearing them, Ye Wen had heard too much miscellaneous information—so much that it had overwritten his original understanding. After overthinking everything, every theory seemed correct. If he wanted to study these theories, his moves would inevitably involve pondering: Should I strike first, or should I wait?

Although he had experience fighting in brawls, those chaotic battles were driven by instinct; he never thought that deeply. Now that he had achieved some cultivation success, these theories remained uselessly stored within him. Therefore, he chose the simplest, most direct, and most visibly effective method: continuously cultivating his internal energy.

After all, regardless of the specific theory, all acknowledged that powerful internal energy naturally led to powerful martial arts. Since this was the universally recognized 'King's Way,' Ye Wen naturally wouldn't detour to chase after those miscellaneous things.

Even when choosing martial arts techniques, he selected those that were easier to understand and practice, or those that suited his temperament better. He didn't know if he could forge a path most suited to himself, but he was confident that he had chosen the safest path—as long as he worked hard, there would certainly be improvement, avoiding the agony of being stuck for years due to a single flawed theory.

Days passed one after another, and Ye Wen’s life during this period was comfortable and peaceful.

Concurrently, the matter of the blacksmith he had discussed with Li Fu after descending the mountain a few days prior was finally resolved. Li Fu was grateful that Ye Wen had caught the rapist last time, bringing great honor to Shushan County (Ye Wen was from Shushan County, and Li Fu had invited him; thus, the Shushan County constables received significant credit). Therefore, when Ye Wen sought help this time, both Li Fu and the county magistrate were very attentive, directly pulling out the blacksmith registration books to help Ye Wen search.

They finally narrowed it down to a blacksmith named Yu Ye, a relatively young man, not yet thirty. However, he possessed inherited craftsmanship, so his iron-smithing skills were solid enough.

“This man previously forged long sabers and implements of torture for our county yamen, so his skill is trustworthy! If Head Ye is interested, allow this brother to speak with him on your behalf?” Ye Wen merely smiled and politely declined, stating only that he would send someone to invite him and would not trouble Constable Li and the others. Firstly, he didn't want to incur too large a debt of gratitude that would be difficult to repay later; secondly, having officials invite someone for the Shu Mountain Sect would not sound good if it got out.

Sects and local governments, while mutually dependent and tightly connected behind the scenes, maintained a distance on the surface, appearing like two non-intersecting parallel lines. This was a sort of unwritten rule in the martial world. Of course, some sects maintained very close ties with the government, such as the Chan Sect and the Heavenly Dao Sect, reportedly having connections to the founding of the current dynasty. But the Shu Mountain Sect was not yet powerful enough to consider breaking certain rules temporarily.

Subsequently, Ye Wen sent Li Sen to personally escort Zhou Ding to invite Yu Ye to the Shu Mountain Sect, along with acquiring Yu Ye’s ancestral blacksmith shop, incorporating it into the properties of the Shu Mountain Sect. However, Yu Ye himself was not the one presiding over the blacksmith shop; instead, an apprentice he brought along managed the place, usually only forging simple ironware or repairing farm tools for neighbors.

Yu Ye’s arrival finally gave purpose to the several warehouses Ye Wen had prepared long ago and the small workshop built during the initial construction. Now, the sound of hammering iron echoed from that area daily. Although it was noisy, no one complained; instead, hearing this sound brought joy to all the disciples.

Besides Yu Ye, Chen Yizhong had also completed the arrangement for the Herb Pavilion. Not only was it fully stocked with a large quantity of commonly used herbs, but rarer medicinal herbs were also stored there. The sect’s medicine collection was even more comprehensive than the medical clinic currently under repair in Shushan County. In Chen Yizhong’s words: “It’s safest to keep them here!” Furthermore, he personally recruited two apprentices with some knowledge of medicine: one to manage the Herb Pavilion on the mountain, and one to assist him at the shop at the foot of the mountain. If a disciple on the mountain suffered a sudden severe illness, the apprentice stationed there had the crucial task of fetching Chen Yizhong down the mountain.

“Hmm… in that case, these apprentices may not need to know everything else, but lightness skill (Qinggong) is essential!” Realizing this, Ye Wen turned and glanced at Xu Xian. Xu Xian nodded knowingly, indicating understanding. Afterward, these two apprentices were set to rotate shifts every month. Whoever was staying on the mountain, besides managing the Herb Pavilion, also had to study lightness skill under Xu Xian.

As for the small workshop, it was also given the plaque ‘Ironware Pavilion,’ with the characters personally inscribed by Ye Wen. After inscribing the plaque that day, he felt refreshed and quite pleased with himself.

“Brother has finally reached the stage where I can inscribe calligraphy for others, even if it’s just for my own property for now…”

After these scattered matters were settled, Chen Yizhong came again: “Sect Master, our medical clinic is almost repaired. Should the Sect Master give it a name?” Ye Wen’s playful mischief resurfaced. He happened to be practicing calligraphy, allowing Liu Muyan to observe—for now, the student could only observe, and he had to stand in a horse stance, holding a writing brush horizontally to watch Ye Wen write. Hearing Chen Yizhong’s question, Ye Wen wrote three characters in a sweeping, vigorous style.

After finishing, he handed the paper to Chen Yizhong. Doctor Chen took it, read the three characters softly, “Bao Zhi Lin?” He then read it several times, praising, “Bao Zhi can be understood as a good medicine to heal, and Bao Zhi forming a forest naturally means it can cure all ailments. Sect Master, this name is excellent!” “Yes…” Ye Wen wanted to say that the character ‘Bao’ originally referred to a treasured sword, but thinking it unnecessary to elaborate, he let the misunderstanding stand, casually saying, “Since you think it’s good, then let’s use this name…”

He had actually prepared names like ‘Bao He Tang’ or ‘Bao An Tang,’ but those two sounded too common, so he didn’t mention them directly.

As for the slogan about saving one life and killing one life, it sounded too terrifying and would only scare away common folk seeking treatment, so he also kept that unsaid.

Chen Yizhong looked at the calligraphy repeatedly for a long time, finally smiling, “This old man has traveled the martial world for many years and possesses several unique private formulas. Now that the clinic is opening, I must give these formulas proper titles!”

Saying this, he glanced at Ye Wen and casually took out two sheets of paper filled with writing. “One formula is called Green Powder, specifically for external injuries; its effect is much stronger than ordinary hemostatic powder. The second is the Life-Preserving Pill, the essence of my life’s learning. As long as the person still has a breath left, taking this pill will sustain their life. It can preserve life for at most forty-nine days; beyond that, I can do nothing.”

“Besides that, for ordinary internal injuries, one pill suffices for recovery within three to five days. Even if slightly more severe, taking this pill will bring significant relief… Of course, it cannot compare to the divine medicines specifically designed for internal injuries. But since this medicine is intended to save lives, these lesser effects are acceptable!”

Chen Yizhong was quite proud when mentioning these two medicines, and even when admitting they were inferior to supreme healing elixirs, he showed no restraint, still looking very pleased. “Now that this old man has joined the Shu Mountain Sect, these two medicines are also considered part of the Shu Mountain Sect. In the future, when our Shu Mountain disciples travel the martial world, they will have an extra means of protection!”

Seeing these two prescriptions, Ye Wen was extremely excited. Others might not know, but he certainly did. He had been thinking about such medicines for a long time.

Look at those renowned great sects; which one didn't have famous elixirs? Later, when encountering peers in the martial world, if someone was injured, he could casually pull one out and say, “This is our sect’s Mo Dan (Mute Pill); this pill does this and that!” Then the surrounding people would exclaim, “Wow! This is the renowned healing divine medicine Mo Dan of the martial world! To see it today is worth the trip!”

Just thinking about it felt incredibly satisfying! Moreover, it was a method of advertising for his own sect. His intention in bringing Chen Yizhong to Shu Mountain was partly motivated by this.

Now that Chen Yizhong was proving useful, contributing two life-saving medicines shortly after joining the sect, Ye Wen wondered if there were others: “Does Doctor Chen have any good antidote medicines?”

“Antidotes?”

Chen Yizhong immediately understood. Besides blade wounds and internal injuries, poison was the most common affliction encountered when traveling the martial world. There were even experts who specialized in researching poisons. Once a toxic technique was unleashed, even top masters would inevitably fall victim. Therefore, people in the martial world were quite wary of poisons, which is why most famous healing elixirs circulating in the Jianghu usually had detoxifying effects.

After thinking for a while, Chen Yizhong finally gave an awkward smile: “Forgive me, Sect Master, but I have traveled the martial world for decades focusing only on treating illnesses. My research into detoxification has only been superficial. I don't fear ordinary toxins, but for those notorious potent poisons… this… uh… well…”

Seeing his reaction, Ye Wen understood that Chen Yizhong was not particularly skilled in detoxification. He stopped pressing him, saying, “If that’s the case, forget about it then!”

Perhaps spurred by Ye Wen’s statement, Chen Yizhong thought for a moment and then said, “Although I am not skilled in complex detoxification, creating a common antidote pill presents no problem. As long as one does not encounter those ultimate poisons… this antidote pill will be sufficient to preserve life, and ordinary toxins can be directly neutralized!”

Ye Wen considered it; having something was better than nothing, so he smiled and said, “Then I’ll trouble Doctor Chen!”

“It’s my duty, my duty!” Then he gestured toward the calligraphy, “Sect Master, I’ll take this piece of writing too. Let’s use these characters for our Bao Zhi Lin plaque!”

Ye Wen nodded, accepting the proposal. Seeing the Sect Master agree, Chen Yizhong left joyfully.

“Teacher, how many more days do I have to practice this posture?” Liu Muyan finally spoke after Chen Yizhong departed. He hadn’t dared to interrupt while Ye Wen was writing; in fact, concentrating on observing had made him forget his own fatigue.

Now that Ye Wen was not writing and only speaking with Chen Yizhong, his focus relaxed, and he felt like he could barely hold on.

Ye Wen, however, laughed, “Even when your calligraphy reaches mastery, you must continue exercising like this frequently in the future, otherwise your calligraphic skill is bound to regress!” Seeing Liu Muyan's pained expression, Ye Wen laughed again, “You have only just begun. I plan that in a few days, once you have enough strength, I will tie stones to the end of the brush. Only when you can maintain this posture for over an hour then will you be permitted to begin learning characters from me!”

“Ah?”

The words made Liu Muyan feel utterly defeated, wishing he could just faint. But recalling that once his calligraphy was mastered, combined with his vast knowledge, a grand future lay before him, giving up now would surely lead to lifelong regret. Gritting his teeth, he endured, only saying, “Master, please don't lie to me!”

Ye Wen smiled, “Although you haven't formally joined my Shu Mountain Sect, you are still my disciple. How could your master lie to you! As long as you study diligently and learn all the skills I possess, it makes no difference to me!”

These words filled Liu Muyan with expectation, vaguely imagining himself with robes fluttering, sleeves dancing, his brush moving like a flying dragon and a coiling serpent, producing peerless calligraphy with ease.

“Heh heh heh heh!”

“Hey! Snap back to reality!”………………