That night.
A figure in a blue dress flitted through the night sky like a ghost, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
The blue silhouette cut through the darkness, landing lightly on a large tree beside Jiang Ning's residence.
This person was none other than Yu Manyun.
"Pitch black? Is no one home?" Yu Manyun stared at the dark mansion ahead, a flicker of doubt crossing her eyes.
After spending the day gathering information, she finally located Jiang Ning's residence.
Cautious by nature, she chose to visit late at night to test Jiang Ning's abilities.
After all, she knew Xiao Emei's capabilities well.
The fact that Xiao Emei had failed in her mission proved that Jiang Ning was no ordinary man.
But for the sake of the palace master's position, she had to take the risk.
Yet, when she arrived under the cover of darkness, she found the entire estate shrouded in silence, eerily still.
Standing on the tree branch, Yu Manyun contemplated for a moment before lightly tapping her toes and floating gracefully into Jiang Ning's courtyard.
After a cautious half-hour search, she pushed open the mansion's front gate and stepped out.
"Gone. Empty!"
"Did he know I was coming? Did he flee with his family before I arrived?"
Muttering to herself, Yu Manyun crossed the threshold.
From her thorough inspection and the lingering warmth of the stove, she deduced that Jiang Ning's family had left earlier that very day.
"I heard he has a martial arts instructor. I'll go question him tomorrow!"
With one last glance at the darkened house behind her, she made up her mind.
Meanwhile.
Crackle
Sparks burst from the campfire, casting a warm glow over Jiang Ning and the others, their faces flushed in the flickering light.
"Uncle, it's so cold!" Little Doubao burrowed deeper into Jiang Ning's arms.
"You'll warm up once we eat," Jiang Ning reassured her, gently patting her back.
The temperature difference between day and night was extreme.
The clearer the sky during the day, the colder the night became.
Jiang Ning estimated that the temperature was nearing freezing.
Even with the fire blazing, its heat could only do so much against the biting chill.
Feeling Little Doubao shivering in his arms, he placed a hand on her back and channeled his inner energy to warm her.
The Internal Alchemy Cultivation Technique was a Taoist method for internal fortification, it energy energy-neutral and gentle.
Under the soothing flow of his inner energy, Little Doubao's complexion gradually regained its rosy hue.
"So warm!" She nuzzled against Jiang Ning's chest, a sweet smile spreading across her face.
Nearby, Liu Wanwan watched the scene, her eyes softening with affection.
She was well aware of her brother-in-law's extraordinary abilities.
With someone like him doting on Little Doubao, she had no worries about her daughter's future.
Just like Jiang Yiming before she and her husband could even plan for their son's path, Jiang Ning had already arranged everything.
"Fifteenth birthday enter martial arts. Enroll in the Martial Academy."
From there, advancing to the scholarly institutes and even the Daoist temples would be a natural progression.
Just then
"Dinner's ready!" Jiang Li's voice rang out.
At those words, Little Doubao immediately perked up.
"I want some!!"
"You'll get your share," Liu Wanwan chided her daughter with an amused glance.
A moment later, Jiang Yiming brought over a bowl of fish soup, packed with tender chunks of meat.
This was their dinner for the night.
Traveling outdoors and camping in the wild came with its inconveniences.
But the flesh of a two-hundred-year-old spirit fish provided immense nourishment.
Just a small bowl was enough to ward off the night's chill making it the perfect meal for them.
Jiang Ning accepted the large bowl from Jiang Yiming.
"A-Ning, let me take Little Doubao," Liu Wanwan said, stepping forward.
But the little girl in Jiang Ning's arms immediately tightened her grip on his clothes.
"Nooo! I don't wanna!"
"Be good now," Liu Wanwan coaxed.
"Doubao likes staying in Uncle's arms! It's so warm!" She clung stubbornly to Jiang Ning.
"It's fine, sister-in-law. I'll feed her," Jiang Ning chuckled.
"Sorry for the trouble," Liu Wanwan said apologetically.
Jiang Ning simply smiled and shook his head.
Then, looking down at Little Doubao, he said,
"Open up careful, it's hot!"
"Uncle, I can do it myself! I'm a big girl now I don't need to be fed!"
"Alright, alright!" Jiang Ning laughed heartily. "Little Doubao's all grown up!"
"Yes! Grown up!" The words seemed to energize her.
She immediately wriggled out of Jiang Ning's embrace.
"Slow down, don't burn yourself," Jiang Ning cautioned as she lifted a bowl nearly the size of her face, ready to dunk her head into it.
After a while.
The group had eaten and drunk their fill, their bodies now warm and comfortable.
"Little brother, I'll keep watch tonight!" Jiang Li was the first to speak up.
"No need for you to do it, big brother!" Jiang Ning shook his head and continued, "Let the old turtle handle it."
"What?" The old turtle, who had been lying quietly on the grass, suddenly raised its head and looked at Jiang Ning. "Master, me?"
"Yes," Jiang Ning nodded, staring at it. "Any problems?"
"No!" The old turtle immediately shook its head repeatedly. "No problem at all! I've had enough sleep over all these years missing a night or two won't matter!"
Jiang Ning said, "Then it's settled."
"As you command, Master!" the old turtle replied.
Jiang Li, who had been watching from the side, no longer objected.
"Little brother, in that case, I'll take Little Doubao back to sleep."
Hearing this, Little Doubao who only came up to Jiang Ning's waist immediately clung tightly to his leg.
"Daddy, no! I want to sleep with Uncle tonight."
"Little brother, see..."
Jiang Ning gently patted Little Doubao's head. "Big brother, let her sleep with me. My carriage has plenty of space anyway."
"Alright then," Jiang Li agreed.
Because Jiang Ning was right.
Tonight, they were camping in the wilderness, and the only place to sleep was inside the carriage, which wasn't very spacious.
Back in the carriage,
Lü Yi quickly lit the charcoal stove.
A wave of warmth soon filled the small compartment.
Under the candlelight, Little Doubao lay curled up in Jiang Ning's arms.
With one hand gently patting her back, Jiang Ning held a book in the other, continuing to read.
In his past life, he had long grown accustomed to staying up late.
By his estimate, it was only between 7 and 9 p.m. now.
In his previous world, this would have been just after getting off work!
How could he sleep at this hour?
[Literacy experience +1]
[Literacy experience +1]
[Literacy experience +1]
[...]
As time passed, his literacy skills steadily gained experience.
Before long,
Jiang Ning heard the sound of Little Doubao's soft snoring.
At the same time, he also caught the sound of Lü Yi yawning.
Looking up, he saw Lü Yi covering her mouth with her hand, her eyes watery and exhausted.
"If you're sleepy, go to bed," Jiang Ning said.
"Young master, I'm not sleepy!" Lü Yi shook her head.
"Don't force yourself," Jiang Ning chuckled.
"I'll stay and keep you company a little longer," Lü Yi insisted.
Seeing this, Jiang Ning didn't press further and continued reading by the lamplight.
An hour later,
He turned the last page, finishing the book in his hands.
When he looked up again, he saw Lü Yi already fast asleep, leaning against the carriage wall.
He shook his head helplessly.
First, he carefully placed Little Doubao on the bed and tucked her in. Then he walked over to Lü Yi.
As he lifted her, within just a few seconds, he could feel her body tense up.
Smiling, he laid her down beside Little Doubao and covered both of them with a woolen blanket.
Then, he returned to his seat in the carriage and picked up another book.
For him, sleeping or not sleeping made little difference.
With only the old turtle keeping watch outside, he wasn't entirely at ease. So he decided to forgo sleep and keep reading, steadily increasing his literacy experience.
In the blink of an eye,
Several days passed.
Along the way,
Because they were traveling with family, their progress wasn't particularly fast.
But Jiang Ning wasn't in a hurry.
Arriving in Dongling City a few days earlier or later made no real difference to him.
Moreover, even while on the road, his training and cultivation weren't interrupted.
As long as the sun was out and the weather was clear, he would leap onto the roof of the carriage and breathe in the essence of the sun.
For him, the disturbances of travel had no impact whatsoever.
Thanks to the nature of his Water-Fire Immortal Robe, absorbing solar essence no longer placed any strain on his internal organs.
Unlike Wang Jin, who had to be cautious and focused every time he refined solar essence requiring a quiet, undisturbed environment Jiang Ning had no such restrictions.
Absorbing solar essence was just a routine part of his training.
The rest of his time was spent reading, steadily improving his literacy skills.
Thus, despite the days spent traveling, his progress never slowed.
Along the way, he even took a break in a county town, treating the family to a good meal and letting everyone enjoy a hot bath.
"The flesh of that 200-year-old electric eel does provide a decent amount of source energy!"
Looking at the Source Energy stat on his panel, he nodded slightly in satisfaction.
Over the past few days, he and his brother's family had mostly been eating the meat of that 200-year-old electric eel.
The energy it provided was incredibly rich for ordinary people, a single meal would leave them feeling warm all over, unaffected by the wind and cold of outdoor travel.
Otherwise, with the drastic temperature swings between day and night, ordinary people camping outside would easily catch colds or develop fevers.
Because of his monotonous diet these days, he could see that the energy contained in this fish meat was truly extraordinary.
If he were to consume the entire electric eel, he felt that gaining a few hundred source energy points wouldn't be a problem.
Then, his gaze shifted downward.
[Skills]:
Literacy (Sixth Breakthrough 2356/7000) (Traits: Photographic Memory, Enhanced Senses, Quick Thinking, Exceptional Comprehension, Heavenly Eye, Transcendent Sixth Sense)
Internal Alchemy Cultivation Technique (Proficient 4588/5000)
After these days of accumulation, both skills had shown significant progress.
The experience value for Literacy had already exceeded two thousand points.
Meanwhile, the Internal Alchemy Cultivation Technique had surpassed four thousand five hundred points, and the transformation of inner breath upon reaching mastery was now less than five hundred points away.
Given his efficiency, as long as everything continued smoothly, he would achieve it in at most four or five more days.
Just then
The carriage suddenly came to a halt.
"Little brother!"
"Big brother, what's wrong?" Jiang Ning stepped out of the carriage and saw Jiang Li looking at him with a grave expression.
At that moment, the entire caravan ahead had also stopped.
Yesterday, after resting in Baisha County, they had set out early in the morning and traveled several dozen miles with a merchant convoy. Along the way, they chatted and gradually became familiar with the group.
When the merchants learned that they were heading to Dongling City to visit relatives, they invited them to travel together.
Jiang Ning had considered it briefly before nodding in agreement.
He then asked Jiang Li to handle the interactions.
Under normal circumstances, no one would refuse to join a large merchant convoy.
After all, when traveling far from home, there was safety in numbers, which helped avoid many troubles.
In recent years, as the world had gradually grown more chaotic, even official roads were no longer safe.
Petty thieves blocking the roads and bandits gathering in the mountains had become common occurrences.
In the days since leaving Luoshui County, he had already encountered several groups of highway robbers along the way, which had annoyed him endlessly.
On two occasions, while he was in the middle of absorbing solar energy, some reckless bandits had still dared to block his path.
The journey made him realize just how dangerous it was for ordinary people to travel long distances in this era.
That was why he had chosen to join the large merchant convoy.
At the very least, it would reduce many minor hassles.
Following behind the large caravan only required paying five taels of silver.
In return, it would save them from a lot of trouble and even provide some conveniences along the way.
Then
Jiang Ning looked ahead.
About a dozen carriages had come to a stop.
It was now midday, and the sun was scorching.
A moment later
He saw a middle-aged man in a long gown and cotton pants running toward them.
"Brother Liu, what's going on?" Jiang Ning asked.
The middle-aged man before him was one of the stewards of the merchant convoy ahead. It had been he who had extended the invitation to them earlier.
"Scholar Jiang!" the man called out.
Jiang Ning sighed inwardly.
Ever since Liu Guangqi learned yesterday that he was also heading to Dongling City to take the imperial examinations, the man had been unusually enthusiastic toward him, even addressing him as a "scholar."
According to Liu Guangqi, this was the proper respect due to a learned man.
Then, Liu Guangqi continued, "Up ahead is Twin Sun Mountain. Once we pass it, we'll only have one more day's journey before reaching Dongling City."
"Is there something special about Twin Sun Mountain?" Jiang Ning immediately grasped the implication in Liu Guangqi's words.
"Scholar Jiang is truly sharp!" Liu Guangqi praised before explaining, "There's a chieftain in Twin Sun Mountain who stops travelers to collect tolls. For safety's sake, the caravan will rest before entering the mountain to conserve energy, just in case of unexpected conflict."
"I see." Jiang Ning nodded.
Liu Guangqi reassured him, "Don't worry, Scholar Jiang. I'll make sure you arrive safely in Dongling City without delay for your examinations!"
"Besides, that mountain chieftain is very principled he's always taken his toll and let people pass without breaking his word! We're just being cautious to avoid any mishaps."
Jiang Ning smiled. "With Brother Liu's reassurance, I'm at ease."
Twin Sun Mountain he hadn't known about it before coming here, nor had he investigated any related information.
Given his current strength, ordinary mountain bandits were no longer worth his concern.
True experts rarely sank to such a level, resorting to becoming outlaws and ruling over mountains.
After Liu Guangqi left
Jiang Li said, "Little brother, from what I've heard, the bandit leader in Twin Sun Mountain was once an outer disciple of the Vajra Temple. His body-refining techniques are extremely tough, and he has the strength of a seventh-rank martial artist. He's not to be underestimated."
"Quite the character!" Jiang Ning nodded in admiration, finally understanding why the large merchant convoy ahead was being so solemn before entering the mountain.
A seventh-rank martial artist was a notable figure anywhere in Dongling Prefecture.
Someone like that had many options in life, yet he had chosen to become a bandit proof that such a man acted as he pleased, unbound by worldly judgments.
Then Jiang Ning added, "But don't worry, big brother. Even if a conflict arises, it won't be a major issue."
"That puts my mind at ease!" Seeing Jiang Ning's calm expression, Jiang Li immediately relaxed.
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