Chapter 2

Wang Yue's home was in a small village to the north of Suzhou City.

The small village was called Wangjia Village, and everyone in the village had the surname Wang.

Wangjia Village had only a little over a hundred households, with a population of less than five hundred.

Wang Yue walked to a dilapidated thatched cottage and thought to himself, "Is this my home now? This house is in such bad condition that it can't even be lived in when it's windy or rainy."

The dilapidated thatched cottage could only be described as having four bare walls.

Wang Yue shook his head, "Wasn't the Song Dynasty the most prosperous economically? But why is Wangjia Village still so poor? Ha, it seems that the wealth of a dynasty has little to do with the common people. No matter how rich the court is, not a single coin will fall into the pockets of the common people."

Not to mention the Song Dynasty, even in the 21st century of Wang Yue's previous life, there were still many people in China who couldn't afford food. Yet, society was peaceful, and the country was very wealthy, with annual fiscal revenue in the trillions.

"Father, Mother, sister, I'm back."

Wang Yue pushed open the door and walked into the thatched cottage with a smile.

"Cough, cough." A coughing sound came from inside.

Lying on the bed was an old man who looked to be about sixty years old. This was Wang Yue's father, Wang Danhe. In fact, he was only thirty-eight years old. A man in his thirties looking so old shocked Wang Yue.

"Is it Yue'er who has returned?" Wang Danhe's voice was weak.

Wang Yue walked to Wang Danhe's side, helped him sit up against the wall, and said, "Father, you're not feeling well. If there's anything, I can do it. Where are Mother and sister?"

Wang Danhe said, "Your mother took your sister to dig for wild vegetables. It's about time for them to return."

Wang Yue nodded and said, "I see. I know. Father, I went fishing in the lake today, but unfortunately, I didn't catch anything and even fell into the lake. Luckily, I'm a good swimmer, or it would have been troublesome. Father, I'll go cook now."

Wang Yue's clothes were wet from the water. To avoid worrying his family, he mentioned falling into the lake but didn't say that Ah Bi had saved him, instead claiming he was a good swimmer.

This would make his family feel more at ease.

Wang Yue looked at the rice bin and saw only a bowl of coarse wheat flour.

"This family must change," Wang Yue frowned and resolved, "If I can't make our family live a good life, this family will be doomed soon."

Wang Yue mixed the flour and made noodles for dinner.

Just as the noodles were cooked, a middle-aged woman and a seven- or eight-year-old girl walked into the house.

"Mother, sister, you're back. Quickly wash the wild vegetables and put them in the pot," Wang Yue said with a smile to his mother and sister.

Sister Wang Xin looked at the noodles in the pot and asked, "Brother, what did you make?"

Wang Yue smiled and said, "Noodles. Today, you can have a full meal."

Mother looked at the noodles in the pot and smiled bitterly. She knew that Wang Yue had cooked all the flour they had. This was the only food they had left. How would they survive in the future? Would they only eat wild vegetables?

Wang Yue noticed his mother's worry and said with a smile, "Mother, don't worry. I won't let you go hungry again."

As he spoke, he patted his sister's head.

After the meal, Wang Yue took a hatchet and walked into the bamboo forest, making more than ten bamboo spears.

These tools were for hunting.

There were plenty of game animals in the surrounding mountains. As long as he could hunt them and sell them in Suzhou City, their life would not be a problem.

"Father, Mother, I'm going out. I'll be back in the morning."

Wang Yue, carrying the bamboo spears, walked out of the house.

"Be careful on the way," his mother's worried voice came from inside.

The family knew that entering the mountains at night was dangerous, but since Wang Yue insisted, they could only let him go.

"Old man, Yue'er seems different today," his mother said.

Wang Danhe nodded and said, "Yes, the child has grown up."

...

The next morning, Wang Yue returned home carrying a wild boar and a few rabbits hanging from his waist.

This night had been fruitful but also very dangerous.

If it weren't for Wang Yue's courage, perseverance, and the awareness of an internal martial arts master, he would have died in the mountains long ago.

"Father, Mother, sister, I'm back," Wang Yue called out loudly, carrying the game and the bamboo spears.

Seeing Wang Yue's disheveled appearance and the bloodstains on his body, his mother asked worriedly, "How are you? Are you hurt?"

Wang Yue smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mother. It's just a minor injury. It will heal in a few days."

Sister Wang Xin, seeing the game, jumped up happily, "Oh, great! We have meat to eat, we have meat to eat."

The smile on his sister's face made Wang Yue feel that even the danger was worth it.

Wang Danhe looked at the wild boar and said, "Yue'er, leave two rabbits. Let your cousin Shan take the rest to the city to sell."

Wang Yue nodded and said, "Alright, I'll go to Cousin Shan's house. He should be at home now."

Wang Shan was Wang Yue's distant cousin, nineteen years old, and three years older than Wang Yue.

Wang Shan's father was the village chief and the head of the Wang family.

More importantly, Wang Shan was the only martial artist in Wangjia Village. He worked as a guard in a security company in Suzhou City.

Wang Yue, carrying the game, arrived at Wang Shan's house. Wang Shan was exercising, sweating profusely.

Wang Yue, looking at Wang Shan's muscular body, thought to himself, "This kid is not bad. He has a good physique and strength. Unfortunately, he doesn't know how to mobilize his qi and blood. He's just a farmer's style, and in the martial world, he would be considered a third-rate martial artist at best."

"Brother Shan, I'm here," Wang Yue's voice interrupted Wang Shan's exercise.

Wang Shan wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled, "You haven't been around for a few days. Did you catch all this game? Not bad."

Wang Yue smiled and said, "I was lucky. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had such a good harvest. Brother Shan, look, I'm still injured."

Wang Shan said, "What do you need?"

Wang Yue put the game on the ground and said, "Brother Shan, I want you to take this game to the city to sell and buy some rice and oil for me. You can keep thirty percent of the money."

Wang Shan nodded and said, "Alright, I'll do it. I'm going to the city today anyway."

Wang Shan patted the stone bench next to him and said, "Sit."

Wang Yue sat next to Wang Shan and asked, "Brother Shan, is your training effective? Can you cultivate true qi?"

Mentioning martial arts, Wang Shan became interested, "You know about true qi? You seem to have some knowledge. Well, what I practice is just some farmer's style taught by the head of the security company. To cultivate true qi, you need cultivation techniques and manuals. But we are just small figures in the martial world, and we don't have such manuals. These manuals are extremely valuable and are only possessed by large families and major sects. In our security company, only the head has cultivated true qi, and the manual is a family heirloom, so he won't teach us."

Wang Shan's face showed envy, clearly hoping to learn real martial arts and cultivate true qi.

Wang Shan, as a guard, was only half a martial world figure. But he aspired to be a martial world figure and considered himself one.

Wang Yue nodded and said, "Yes, manuals are rare and very valuable. They won't be easily taught to non-disciples."

Wang Shan smiled and said, "Actually, my biggest dream is to become a strong figure like Qiao Feng of the Beggar Sect and Murong Fu of Gusu. Wielding a sword in the martial world, living freely and easily. They are the top young martial artists, but I have no hope in my lifetime."

Qiao Feng in the north, Murong in the south.

These two were idols in the hearts of young martial artists, with countless admirers.

Their fame was renowned throughout the country.

Wang Yue nodded and said, "Yes, Qiao Feng in the north, Murong in the south, they are indeed very powerful. Brother Shan, as long as you have confidence, you will become a strong figure like them in the future. Wielding a sword in the martial world will no longer be a dream."

...

In the blink of an eye, four months had passed.

In these four months, Wang Yue's family had undergone significant changes. They no longer worried about food and clothing, and even the house had been renovated.

Now, Wang Yue's family lived in a courtyard, with living conditions comparable to the village chief's.

Of course, all this was achieved through the game Wang Yue had hunted.

Sister Wang Xin's face, which used to be pale, was now rosy and very cute, much more beautiful than before when she was malnourished.

Father Wang Danhe's condition had also improved. Although he was still taking medicine, recovery was just a matter of time.

Now, Wang Yue felt very happy and content.

In his previous life, Wang Yue had devoted all his energy to national martial arts and the martial arts school. His parents had passed away early, so he had never enjoyed the warmth of a family.

In this life, Wang Yue had parents and a cute sister. He cherished everything and was willing to protect what he had with his life.

In the deep pond behind the village, Wang Yue was practicing martial arts.

Standing in the deep pond was much more difficult than on land, but the effect was much better.

In the water, he could not only exercise his qi and blood but also his lung capacity.

With the cultivation experience from his previous life, Wang Yue had already reached the Mingjing stage.

In his previous life, Wang Yue had practiced three major internal martial arts. Now, he only practiced Xingyiquan. He believed that once he reached the peak of Xingyiquan, other martial arts would be easy to master.

After all, internal martial arts were interconnected.

In the past, Wang Yue's skills could place him in the second-rate level in the martial world.

Wang Yue estimated that the first-rate martial artists in the martial world were equivalent to the Anjing stage in internal martial arts.

Qiao Feng and Murong Fu were the top figures among first-rate martial artists.

In the deep pond, Wang Yue closed his eyes and focused his mind on the changes in his body's qi and blood.

His heart beat strongly, like a drum, and he could even hear the sound of his blood flowing.

"I've reached my limit."

Wang Yue opened his eyes and pushed off with his legs.

"Bang!"

The pond suddenly made a muffled sound, and water splashed up more than two zhang high. Wang Yue leaped out of the pond, did a backflip in the air, and landed on the shore.

"Phew!"

Wang Yue exhaled the stale air from his body, and the strong airflow blew the dry branches and leaves on the ground.

"It's time to go back for dinner."

Wang Yue put on his clothes and ran down the mountain, agile like a monkey.

Wang Yue's body was agile, with streamlined muscles and no excess fat, full of explosive power, like a cheetah. In these four months, Wang Yue had grown taller, almost reaching 1.75 meters. Wang Yue estimated that by the time he was eighteen, he would be over 1.8 meters tall.