As winter settles in, the farming households submit their rents, using the remaining grain to exchange for some silver and purchase coarser foodstuffs. These provisions, naturally, are not as fine as what they grow themselves, but they ensure the family doesn't starve through the cold.

A small portion is always set aside for the New Year celebration, where fine grains and white flour serve as the best reward for having endured another year.

This year, the lives of these tenant farmers are slightly better—though this applies only to those under the purview of the Shu Mountain Sect.

"Sect Master Ye is truly a good man!" the tenants invariably say after the Shu Mountain disciples collect the rent. This is because Ye Wen not only unilaterally lowered the rents but also dispatched disciples to check on every household; if a family was struggling, the Shu Mountain Sect would lend them money to survive the winter, with the condition that the following year's rent would be slightly higher.

Even so, the total rent due was less than in previous years, and this small concession brought immense joy to the farmers, who praised Ye Wen endlessly.

Was Ye Wen a good man? While he wouldn't claim to be utterly wicked, he felt he was still some distance from being called good. When Li Sen, who managed these affairs, asked why he wanted to lower the tenants' rent, Ye Wen gave a single reply: "The prerequisite for making them work with their lives is ensuring they can actually live..."

The life expectancy of a tenant farmer in this world is low; being able to eat a full meal every day and ensuring the whole family survives is often enough.

If the harvest is squeezed too hard, making mere survival a luxury, they will still farm out of necessity, but the effort they put in will inevitably slacken. When struggling to survive the winter means little difference between working hard and not working hard, people start thinking, "Good enough is good enough."

This mindset ultimately affects the landlord—the Shu Mountain Sect. Therefore, Ye Wen chose benevolence towards his tenants, even preparing a series of supportive measures, such as providing farm tools and leasing oxen at low prices, just so these folks would work diligently for him. The more grain they produced, the better the Shu Mountain Sect would fare.

"However, doing this means our income for the Shu Mountain Sect will drop significantly during this period..." Li Sen's worry was not without reason. Although the Shu Mountain Sect's industries were growing, the scale of the sect was also expanding. The vegetable gardens on the mountain barely supplied vegetables, and while they could provide some eggs, meat and fish still needed to be purchased separately. Martial practitioners cannot go without meat; Ye Wen stipulated that even ordinary disciples must have meat in their daily meals.

Thus, while income increased, expenses were also substantial. Fortunately, Chen Yizhong’s medical hall had opened. Shushan County had long possessed only one clinic with a single doctor; ordinary people usually just treated minor ailments themselves. Now that Ye Wen had opened a clinic, business was explosively good. To build renown, the first three days were free consultations, attracting everyone with or without ailments, exhausting Chen Yizhong completely.

After three days, the frenzy subsided, but that initial output earned Baozhilin significant prestige. People in Shushan County now sought out Chen Yizhong for every sniffle and headache. Furthermore, Chen Yizhong’s medical skills, honed over years of travel, were indeed exceptional. After half a month, word of mouth spread, and Baozhilin swiftly became the largest clinic in Shushan County.

"It's not enough. We must find a way to open these two shops in Linshan County..."

Ye Wen was unsatisfied because Shushan County was too small and not a major transportation hub. Only those traveling to distant borders for furs or delivering goods to the border garrisons passed through. Moreover, Shushan County lacked any special local products, leading to low population flow.

Linshan County was different; it was a vital north-south thoroughfare and possessed its own unique products, attracting numerous traveling merchants and notable figures. If they could establish a foothold there, that would be a truly profitable venture.

"You’ve been incredibly busy this past year. Take a good rest these next few months. When spring arrives, the matter of opening a branch in Linshan County will undoubtedly require you to travel back and forth again..."

Li Sen quickly cupped his hands: "This is what your disciple ought to do..."

Ye Wen nodded: "Send more silver back to your family, and have a good year! You don't need to run around much during this time. First, find your master for guidance on your martial arts. For the remaining time, whether you want to travel or rest well is up to you. Just remember to return for the New Year's Eve dinner..."

"Yes..."

Li Sen’s family had long passed away, and he had no relatives in Shushan County. Receiving such a long leave from Ye Wen, he couldn't immediately think of where to go. But having free time was always good, and his martial arts had indeed lagged this past year. He used to be able to exchange a few dozen moves with Xu Ping, but now he couldn't manage it.

"Right, I will go find Master and practice my skills diligently..."

Ye Wen was unaware of Li Sen’s anxiety over his diminishing martial skills. He was busy pondering that if the branch shop opened in Linshan County, Li Sen would certainly be responsible for that area, commuting between the two locations, leaving the industries in Shushan County unattended.

Fortunately, these assets were not far off, so serious trouble was unlikely. Still, someone needed to be sent to take charge. Ye Wen considered whether he should send Yue Ning out for some real-world experience.

Yue Ning had followed him up the mountain at the age of eleven and was now nearly fourteen, his frame approaching adulthood. All his skills followed the same lineage as Ye Wen’s own. A recent inspection revealed that his Quanzhen Heart Method had reached a profound level, and having participated in combat during the recent attack by petty villains on Shu Mountain, he now possessed practical combat experience, making his movements measured and knowing when to retreat. "At worst, I can have Zhou Ding’er or Xu Shuai drop by occasionally to check on things..."

Having reached a decision, Ye Wen told no one, preferring to discuss the matter when the time came. Although Yue Ning was naturally composed, he was still a young teenager, in an age full of restless energy. Telling him now would likely shatter his focus on training.

In the following days, Ye Wen summoned Xu Ping. He didn't personally teach any saber techniques but claimed that recently, he had conceived some insights regarding the channeling of internal energy and strength that should benefit Xu Ping's saber practice, so he called him over to share.

Xu Ping had been worried about his martial arts stagnating. Hearing his master had guidance, he listened with rapt attention! After a while, he realized Ye Wen’s words were indeed profound and subtle. He could barely remember them clearly, and grasping their full meaning might take three to five years. He bowed deeply to Ye Wen, promising to return to meditate on these subtleties.

Seeing Xu Ping depart, satisfied, Ye Wen finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Of his three disciples: the eldest, Yue Ning, was basically following his current cultivation path, meaning the disciple would likely end up much like the master, relying primarily on internal power in combat. However, without Ye Wen's unique fortuitous encounters, achieving mastery would require stacking time upon time.

For the second disciple, Zhou Zhiruo, Ye Wen also had a rough teaching plan. Although she was currently practicing the Quanzhen Heart Method, her future direction would likely lean towards practicing her martial aunt's Lesser Formless Skill. There was no choice; the profound skill he possessed that was also suitable for women was the Lesser Formless Skill.

Moreover, the Lesser Formless Skill emphasized technique and was not a style based on brute force confrontation. Zhou Zhiruo’s gender made this a necessary consideration.

As for moves, there was no need to overthink; the Drifting Snow Piercing Cloud Palm, Mien Palm, Extinction Sword, and Absolute Sword were sufficient for Zhou Zhiruo. With both palm and sword techniques, and the highly lethal nature of the Extinction Twin Swords, she possessed moves for defeating and killing enemies. How far she progressed depended entirely on herself; Ye Wen couldn't assist much further.

Only the third disciple, Xu Ping, needed to master both saber and sword styles—to become truly dual-wielding. Ye Wen knew many excellent sword techniques but was only superficially acquainted with saber arts. The Five Tiger Gate Severing Saber that Xu Ping already mastered was not considered a profound skill, yet Ye Wen possessed many refined sword techniques.

This imbalance was like a wooden bucket, half long and half short. If this continued, the dream of dual mastery would become a hollow joke. Ye Wen hated seeing this outcome, so he constantly devised ways to teach this disciple. He racked his brain searching for even the slightest description of exquisite saber techniques and occasionally devised training ideas for his apprentice, such as chopping paper, splitting firewood, or slicing tofu.

Perhaps it was because his mind was too focused, but upon entering winter, this latest summoning yielded a Blood Saber Manual. Although the saber techniques within were used by an evil sect in the original narrative, no one here recognized them. Furthermore, the techniques themselves were incredibly exquisite. Had it not been for his own current lack of mastery in the saber, he would have taught this set of skills directly to Xu Ping.

For now, he could only impart key essentials to Xu Ping from time to time, ensuring they were adaptable techniques before passing them on.

Fortunately, the Blood Saber Technique lived up to its reputation as a refined saber art. Many of its profound principles greatly benefited Ye Wen himself. Even though he didn't use a saber, the subtle way the Blood Saber Technique channeled energy was breathtakingly ingenious, allowing him to borrow significantly and expand his martial knowledge.

In the original story, Di Yun’s fingers were half-crippled, and his pipa bone was pierced. Although the Divine Illumination Scripture was miraculous, allowing him to practice internal energy and strike enemies, he could not wield weapons.

However, the saber techniques of the Blood Saber Sect could be practiced without issue, and their power remained formidable, indicating the mystery of this school of martial arts. Furthermore, Ye Wen only possessed one Blood Saber Manual, containing the essence of the saber techniques and some maxims for channeling force and power, but no internal cultivation methods or higher-level saber arts.

"I wonder if the Blood Sea Demonic Art and Blood Demon Saber Technique from the game can be summoned."

Even so, this was enough to bring him great satisfaction. Moreover, the onset of winter coincided with his and his martial aunt’s birthdays. To receive this manual at this very time—was it a gift from the ring?

Thinking of this, Ye Wen kissed the ring, momentarily forgetting how he had cursed the damned thing recently for being so stingy by not providing the full set of items.

Regardless, one major difficulty was solved. Ye Wen could finally settle down to arrange the sect's Grand Competition. He chose to hold the competition just as winter began, initially by coincidence.

The newly admitted disciples had been in the sect for some time, and with the New Year approaching, the disciples who had gone out were returning one after another, with only a few still out on business yet to arrive. But this did not impede the normal proceedings of the competition.

Later, he realized that only near the year's end would the disciples be gathered. Holding the competition at this time was indeed most appropriate, so he immediately decreed: "From now on, we will hold this competition every year! Winners can inherit several exquisite martial arts skills from our sect! The one who shows the greatest progress will receive the same honor!" Of course, the final and most important objective was to see if there were any disciples worthy of being absorbed into the Inner Sect—a point that shouldn't be stated aloud, merely understood by all.

This year's competition started on November 1st. As for how many days it would last, Ye Wen didn't know; he would only have a rough idea after the competition concluded.

Ye Wen observed the entire competition from the sidelines. Although none of his direct disciples participated this time, the highest-ranking elders of the Shu Mountain Sect placed great importance on it.

Simultaneously, several personal disciples stood nearby. They could use these duels as opportunities for contemplation. Even if their skills were inferior to his own, observing others fight was beneficial for one's own cultivation. Coupled with Ye Wen’s strict order: "Everyone must attend!"—none dared to be absent.

The girl Huang Rongrong also secured a spot, sitting directly beside Xu Xian. She didn't find this awkward; she simply treated herself as an honored guest invited by the Shu Mountain Sect, constantly craning her neck around, occasionally pointing at a disciple next to Xu Xian: "That person looks very sturdy; perhaps they are quite skilled..."

Xu Xian would always react with a wry smile, simply stating, "A person's build has little to do with the level of their skill..."

Huang Rongrong was about to retort but then recalled that the Shu Mountain Sect seemed to teach many fine arts, and even outer disciples could learn decent internal cultivation methods. Once one understood internal power, it was indeed difficult to judge skill level based on physique. Internal arts were unlike external arts, which placed many requirements on physical form; moreover, an external expert who reached deep mastery could hardly hide it—an informed eye could discern it from their build.

After watching for a while, she spotted the somewhat slow-witted Guo Aniu. That fellow was also looking around amidst the crowd, sneaking glances toward Ye Wen and the elders every now and then. He didn't notice that in the eyes of many, he was merely a placeholder.

Some even whispered to each other: "Who got matched against Guo Aniu? Isn't that like forfeiting immediately?" ... "Oh no, I don't have to fight the first round. What luck!" ... "Hahaha, I'm definitely winning this time!" ... "Damn, you ran into Dumb Ox? You're set for life!" ... "Hehe," and similar comments.

Ye Wen heard all this clearly but remained silent. He merely thought to himself: Useless things! Before the fight even began, these people displayed such a lack of composure; they would probably remain outer disciples their entire lives.

However, seated there, he maintained a stern face, projecting the Sect Master's authority, yet he didn't start scolding. Instead, he simply instructed Xu Ping, who was overseeing the competition: "Begin..."

Xu Ping was responsible for supervising every bout this time, ready to step in and separate the two if someone lost control of their blows and seriously injured a disciple. Additionally, Chen Yizhong's apprentice, left on the mountain, stood nearby, holding wound medicine in one hand and a life-saving pill in the other, prepared for emergency intervention. As long as a breath remained, Ye Wen could save them. This was only possible because the disciples' low martial arts skill prevented excessively severe injuries.

As Xu Ping stepped onto the square section of flagstones previously marked out—a five-zhang area on each side, planned when the Shu Mountain Sect was first built, located in the martial arts plaza. Whenever disciples wished to spar, they would use this spot, which had effectively become the Shu Mountain Sect's main ring.

This Grand Competition was held here as well. Xu Ping stepped up, spoke a few brief words, and then immediately announced the start of the competition.

"He has zero talent as an announcer..." Seeing Xu Ping get straight to the point, Ye Wen muttered under his breath. Ning Ruxue, standing beside him, heard this and asked curiously, "Senior Brother, what did you say..."

Ever since being scolded by Huang Rongrong and feeling he had somewhat neglected his junior martial sister, Ye Wen now offered Ning Ruxue a constant smile and gentle tone: "Nothing, just that during this competition, Junior Sister can take the chance to see if there are any disciples you favor to accept into your lineage!" Ning Ruxue merely hummed noncommittally, unconcerned. She felt that since she would eventually follow Ye Wen, whether she took on personal disciples or not was irrelevant; Ye Wen's disciples were her disciples, and she would teach them all with dedication. Thus, she had long set aside the idea of recruiting her own apprentices.

As the two spoke, a winner had already been decided on the field. Ye Wen watched the match closely. He saw the saber user employ a move called Forceful Chop of Mount Hua, directly forcing the sword user's weapon out of his hand. He then held his saber across his chest and said, "I yield..." effectively declaring victory.

In reality, it was almost the same; the swordsman had lost his weapon—what was he supposed to do, fight with bare hands? He could only cup his fists in salute and walk off dejectedly.

The saber user who passed the first round walked off smugly, head held high, to boast animatedly with his familiar friends.

"He actually tried to meet a heavy saber strike head-on with a longsword? What was that disciple thinking!" Xu Xian sighed, shaking his head. He had also considered taking on another apprentice to guide, but seeing this, he thought, "If everyone is at this level, my plan might be hopeless..."

With that thought, his gaze shifted to Liu Muyan standing nearby. He noticed the latter maintaining a horse stance, his right hand held out as if gripping something. Xu Xian knew Liu Muyan had been practicing calligraphy with Ye Wen lately and was making progress; he was diligently practicing these basic stances. Since the fighting on the stage didn't pique his interest, he simply began practicing on his own.

Xu Xian observed this. Although Liu Muyan was a bit older, his perseverance and willpower were remarkable: "Perhaps I should take him as a disciple..."

As he pondered this, the chatter from Huang Rongrong nearby drew everyone's attention. Turning back, he saw that it was Guo Aniu's turn to fight.

"Aniu, don't disgrace yourself!"