Chapter 15

Cultivation is not something achieved overnight; it is a process of long-term refinement and endurance.

Even the naturally intelligent stone monkey Sun Wukong, before his birth, absorbed the essence of the sun and moon for countless years.

As the hour of Mao approached, the moon had already shifted to the west.

Ning Wuxie woke up from a state of spiritual clarity, gathered his energy, and sat in meditation, breathing in the cool air. His gaze, fragmented with gold, was eerie and profound, and his silver hair trembled slightly.

Standing up, Ning Wuxie felt the increasingly powerful energy within his body. This power was internal and external, a very subtle feeling. Despite not sleeping all night, he still felt energetic and not the least bit tired.

Approaching the cliff edge, Ning Wuxie's eyes were like torches, revealing two dark gold points in the darkness. He flipped over and descended like a wild goose, his body wrapped in a thin layer of demonic aura, and he reached the bottom of the hundred-meter cliff in a moment.

Huh...

Just as Ning Wuxie landed, he felt a cold chill coming from behind. His body instinctively swayed, and his right leg swung around in a kick.

Peng peng...

The two legs collided in mid-air. Seeing the person, Ning Wuxie's pupils contracted, and his body flipped in the air, landing ten meters away. He exclaimed in surprise, "Big Brother?"

In the darkness, the tall black figure was also startled by Ning Wuxie's voice and stood still.

Ning Wuxie transformed into human form and called out again to the black figure under the tree, "Big Brother, it's me, Wuxie!"

Seeing Ning Wuxie, the black figure chuckled and scratched his head, revealing his face in the moonlight. With disheveled hair, standing at 1.9 meters tall, he was as strong as a bull, with an innocent gaze and a silly smile.

Who else could it be but Ning Bo Wu?

"Big Brother, have you regained your senses?" Ning Wuxie's expression changed slightly. Suddenly encountering Ning Bo Wu in this place was surprising, even making him doubt whether Ning Bo Wu's foolishness was an act.

Ning Bo Wu looked at Ning Wuxie, put his finger to his lips, and cautiously looked behind him in the snow, tiptoeing over and pointing to the thorny bushes with his left hand.

Ning Wuxie frowned and looked. For wolves, the night was as bright as day, and it was the same for Ning Wuxie.

In the distance, in the dry thorny bushes, two light gray rabbits were peeking out, nibbling on the grass stems exposed in the snow.

"Eat... eat..." Ning Bo Wu whispered, using simple words to express his meaning.

Ning Wuxie suddenly understood. Ning Bo Wu had been after these two rabbits. Unfortunately, Ning Wuxie's descent from the cliff had startled him, causing him to attack. Ning Bo Wu occasionally went into the mountains to hunt, and perhaps due to his foolishness, he was extremely focused in his actions, whether in martial arts or hunting.

When God closes a door, He opens a window.

In the icy and snowy weather, hunters rarely enter the mountains because the prey is hibernating. These two rabbits, perhaps driven by hunger, had come out at night to eat, only to be spotted by Ning Bo Wu.

Ning Bo Wu patted his chest, chuckled, and pointed to the rabbits in the thorny bushes. Then he quietly walked to a tree, about a hundred meters from the rabbits, which were eating the grass stems. The rabbits' ears twitched, and they raised their heads, listening vigilantly.

In an instant, a powerful black figure darted out from behind the tree, crossing the hundred-meter distance in a flash, leaving no trace on the snow. The rabbits reacted quickly, leaping several meters and running into the dense forest.

The rabbits were fast, but Ning Bo Wu was faster. Ning Wuxie knew his big brother's martial arts were extremely strong, but today he saw just how strong. In the blink of an eye, Ning Bo Wu had caught one rabbit, pouncing like a tiger and pinning the poor rabbit to the snow.

Seeing the other rabbit had already run far, Ning Wuxie flicked a thread of demonic aura from his fingertips, and the rabbit, which had run several hundred meters, collapsed on the ground, trembling and not daring to move. The innate bloodline suppression and the aura in the demonic energy had frightened the rabbit so much that it dared not escape.

Ning Bo Wu got up from the snow, holding the rabbit with a bloody nose and mouth, and scratched his head, wondering why the other rabbit had stopped running.

Two rabbits? Ning Bo Wu ran several hundred meters again, pounced like a hungry tiger, and pinned the already frightened rabbit under him.

Ning Wuxie watched in amazement. This was how his big brother hunted? Thinking of Ning Bo Wu's massive body pressing on the rabbit, Ning Wuxie couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead.

While Ning Wuxie was lost in thought, Ning Bo Wu, with a puzzled look, brought the two rabbits back, occasionally lifting one and staring at it with big eyes, seemingly confused about why the rabbit was so foolish.

After nearly the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the hour of Mao had passed, and the villagers had already woken up. Ning Wuxie, worried that his mother would be anxious if she couldn't find her two sons, hurried home with Ning Bo Wu.

The two of them ran swiftly. Ning Bo Wu noticed that Ning Wuxie was now running as fast as him, and he carried the rabbits even more energetically.

Back home, Ning's mother was already starting a fire. Ning Bo Wu proudly placed the two rabbits in front of her, gesturing with his hands and using simple words to describe the strange events of the day. He then flipped the already dead rabbit, which he had crushed, and stared at it, trying to see what was different about the two rabbits.

"Alright, alright, go wash your face. You're so dirty. Clean the rabbits while you're at it. Wuxie, we'll eat one, and you can take the other to your uncle." Ning's mother glanced at Ning Wuxie, a hint of hesitation in her eyes, but she still handed him one of the rabbits.

Ning Wuxie sensed something in his mother's words but didn't think much of it. He took the rabbit and headed to the south of the village.

The uncle Ning's mother referred to was the only school teacher in Ning's village, also a member of the Ning family, a poor scholar who had always been very caring towards Ning Wuxie. All of Ning Wuxie's knowledge was taught by Ning Feng.

Ning Feng lived in the school, unmarried, and treated Ning Wuxie like his own child. Seeing Ning Wuxie arrive, he quickly led him inside and said with a smile, "I heard Zhongyuan returned last night, but it was too late, so I thought I'd visit your home today. You came first, just in time. Here are two sheng of rice and one jin of flour for your mother. The county examination is approaching, so take good care of yourself."

Ning Wuxie respectfully bowed and smiled, "It should be the student visiting the teacher, not the other way around. This morning, my brother caught two rabbits, and my mother asked me to bring one to the teacher and pay respects."

Although Ning Feng was his uncle, Ning Wuxie usually called him "teacher" or "sir" out of respect, as did the other children in the village.

"You've grown up and become more sensible." Ning Feng looked at the taller Ning Wuxie, sighing lightly but feeling very satisfied. Ning Wuxie was someone he had taught step by step, a source of pride in his life.

A hint of struggle flashed in Ning Feng's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination. He waved his sleeve and said, "Wuxie, put the rabbit down and follow me."

"Okay!"

Ning Wuxie was puzzled. Why did both his mother and teacher seem a bit off today?

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