I am dying of old age, and I have awakened to the character of longevity.

The moon on the eighth day of the lunar month, though only a semicircle, was exceptionally bright.

It sprinkled the white snow on the mountain, and the crystal snow particles scattered a clear moonlight, sparkling and bright.

Xie An originally intended to come here to see A'Bao, to talk to Shan Wai and Wei Dian… …and by the way, to tell Wei Dian that he was not alone, and that Blood Ridge was still there.

But after seeing Lin Yun, Xie An felt even more relieved.

On the road that Wei Dian walked, on this land of Blood Ridge… …it was never lonely.

After drinking a jar of old wine, Xie An felt a warm current flowing in his lower abdomen.

The alcohol hit his head, and his mind became much more heated.

Xie An did not disturb Lin Yun, but carried the empty wine jar and went down the mountain with a smile.

The black market under the night was open as usual, and the business was still booming.

From a distance, he saw Zhang Lin, Zhou Xing, Liang Zhi, and Wang Xiang busy.

There were also familiar voices of shopkeepers shouting and selling.

Xie An had heard these familiar voices for a whole year.

Now, listening to them again, they sounded pleasing and kind.

"Boss, why are you here?"

Wang Xiang saw Xie An from a distance, and hurried over to greet him, "Our black market has a new beef shop, the taste is absolutely amazing, how about I treat you to a couple of pounds to try it out?"

In Da Qian, a society dominated by agriculture and industry, cattle are important means of production, and ordinary people rarely have access to beef.

Some local governments even openly prohibit the slaughter of cattle, and those who slaughter cattle commit a major crime.

Qingwu County belongs to the border of the Da Qian Dynasty, and the situation is relatively difficult and chaotic.

The control over cattle slaughter is relatively relaxed, but ordinary families still find it difficult to eat beef.

It's no wonder that the beef shop has to be opened in the black market…

Xie An had just drunk alcohol and really wanted to cut a couple of pounds of beef to satisfy his hunger.

He glanced at Wang Xiang and saw this guy taking out dozens of rusty copper coins from his inner pocket, counting them one by one.

After Wang Xiang counted them clearly, he realized that he had overestimated his financial resources, thinking that he could still treat his boss to a pound if he didn't eat it himself.

"Boss, I'm full, so I won't eat it.

I'll treat you to a pound of beef."

He suddenly looked up and found that his boss had already walked away.

Xie An's voice also came.

"I'm full, not hungry."

Wang Xiang felt very embarrassed.

After deducting expenses, there wasn't much left.

Moreover, Wang Xiang knew that he had to practice martial arts if he wanted to get ahead, so most of his spare money was used to learn martial arts in the hall, and he lived very frugally.

If Xie An hadn't given him eight doses of Tiger Skin Yuan Soup, he wouldn't have been able to break through until now.

… …

Xie An returned to the other courtyard, closed the door, suppressed the emotions in his heart, and began to practice the Longevity Exercise.

Although Xie An won the first place in the examination, and Tang Qingyun also publicly announced Xie An as the new incense master of the Blood Ridge Black Market.

But this was only verbal, and it would take three to five days before the official appointment was made.

Changing the roster, internal interrogation, carving the sign, tailoring the uniform, personnel deployment, etc., all take time.

Xie An paid attention to putting things in his pocket for safety, and would not consider things that had not been implemented as a foregone conclusion.

Nor would he be carried away by it.

He planned to take advantage of these few days to consolidate his Longevity Exercise.

After all, Tang Qingyun and Tang Qingfeng had both tested his Qi sensation.

Judging from their attitude and expressions, Xie An knew… …that there was no problem with his Qi sensation.

It is estimated that the news will soon reach the ears of the Tang Old Master.

If there are no accidents, the Tang Family Fort should have further actions soon.

Compared to this incense master, Xie An was more interested in the Tang Family Fort's unique skill, the Bright Jade Skill…

"The most urgent task is to consolidate the Longevity Exercise and strive to cultivate the Qi sensation to a further level.

In this way, when going to the Tang Family Fort, things will undoubtedly be smoother."

Xie An's days became peaceful again.

In addition to managing the black market, he spent the rest of his time practicing the Longevity Exercise in the courtyard.

Five days passed in a flash.

This morning, Xie An was still practicing the Five Animal Frolics in the courtyard.

Tiger looking for food, deer running long distances, bear shaking, ape picking fruit, crane flying…

Although they are the same five forms, Xie An has already cultivated the sounds and postures of the five animals.

If someone who didn't know the situation was outside the courtyard, they would probably think that there were roaring tigers, roaring bears, and calling cranes in the courtyard…

As the exercise progressed, the heat flow in Xie An's lower abdomen became larger and larger, vaguely as thick as a thumb.

Huh!

Xie An breathed a long sigh of relief and slowly stopped the exercise.

Feeling the heat flow in his lower abdomen injecting into his limbs, his whole body was hot, and he felt extremely comfortable even standing in the freezing cold.

Xie An called out the panel:

[Current Longevity Destiny: Level 1!]

[Five Animal Frolics: Cultivating Internal Qi (51/100)]

[Fetal Breathing Exercise: Divine Light Appears (10/1000)]

[Remaining Years: 35 Years]

"The progress of cultivating internal Qi is finally more than halfway."

Although the progress seems very slow, Xie An knows… …that this is actually an exaggerated improvement.

Meng Hu has been practicing the Longevity Exercise with the Tang Old Master for twenty years before barely completing the internal breathing cycle.

And Xie An has only been practicing the Longevity Exercise for less than two years, but the Longevity Destiny has made the progress concrete.

Each progress point improvement, compared horizontally… …is a very exaggerated improvement.

Gathering his thoughts, Xie An began to review the last part of the Five Animal Frolics' mental formula, combining theory and practice, comparing each other.

"The final stage of cultivating internal Qi, and also the ultimate stage of the Five Animal Frolics, is—using intention to guide Qi!

The so-called using intention to guide Qi is to use one's own intention to guide the operation of Qi, and through the concentration of intention and the coordination of breathing, to make Qi run through the whole body and nourish the spirit with Qi.

After reaching the highest realm of the Five Animal Frolics, one can use intention to conduct meticulous regulation of the Qi and blood operation, achieving harmony between body and mind, and the unity of intention and Qi!"

Now Xie An is only fifty progress points away from the final step of using intention to guide Qi.

Moreover, the using intention to guide Qi of the Five Animal Frolics has the same wonderful effect as the final part of the Fetal Breathing Exercise, Divine Light Appears.

However, the denominator of the progress of Divine Light Appears is 1000, and the difficulty is increased tenfold.

Although this is difficult to bear, Xie An feels that the effect should also have a tenfold difference.

All the efforts and torments are worth it.

Thinking of this, Xie An's mind was filled with the relevant formulas and records of Divine Light Appears:

"After sitting down, shine the divine light on the lower Dantian, so that the spirit enters the Qi, and the Qi wraps the spirit outside.

With this intention, exercise the intercourse of spirit and Qi, unceasingly year after year, until there is no trace of distracting thoughts, the pulse does not feel beating, and the fetal breathing stops!"

Reading this, Xie An felt a little scalp tingling.

The pulse does not feel beating… …and the fetal breathing stops!

It looks very scary.

Before, it was cultivating internal breathing to achieve fetal breathing.

Now, in Divine Light Appears, the fetal breathing must be stopped, and even the pulse must not beat.

Isn't this no different from being dead?

If this realm is reached, no matter how outsiders check, they will find no difference from a dead person.

This Fetal Breathing Exercise is a bit evil at the highest realm.

Suppressing his emotions, he continued to recite the formula and mental method:

"After the pulse stops beating and the fetal breathing stops, settle in the void, and you will feel a divine light shining between the ancestral apertures, forming a state of entering small concentration.

When stillness reaches its extreme, movement arises, and suddenly you feel the vitality of the whole body converging towards the lower Dantian, revealing a ball of true Qi, contained in the Crimson Palace.

This is the Qi of the Crimson Palace."

Crimson Palace?

Xie An knew that the so-called Crimson Palace is the position in the middle of the chest, that is, the position where the Tanzhong acupoint is located, also known as the middle Dantian.

It echoes the upper Dantian Niwan Palace and the lower Dantian Qi Sea.

These things are rarely involved in martial arts.

Martial arts emphasize the refining of skin, flesh, bones, viscera, and blood, and do not pay much attention to human acupoints.

However, some methods of traditional Chinese medicine longevity exercises involve a lot of these.

If Xie An hadn't studied the Longevity Exercise in depth, and had read too many martial arts novels in his previous life… …otherwise, he would not have understood.

In the past, Xie An always felt that acupoints and the like were too far away from him.

Unexpectedly, as the Longevity Exercise became more and more refined, he has now reached the point of involving the mysteries of it.

"After cultivating the Qi of the Crimson Palace, you can wrap the primordial spirit, and you will feel muddled and confused every day, as if you are pregnant in the womb, adapting to any shape, warming and nourishing in the middle.

In this state of practice, sometimes there is a beating in the ancestral aperture, and soon the whole body beats, like frying beans, with endless explosions.

Suddenly, sweet dew descends from the mouth, and quickly use the divine light to stare at the lower mouth, rotate the Mao-You Zhou Tian once, and store it in the field."

"Sometimes, in the midst of stillness, you suddenly see a bright moon appearing in front of you, and immediately use the divine light to stare at it.

After a while, sunlight appears, and the moonlight merges into one, quickly use the divine light to condense and collect, suck it in with your nose, and send it into the lower Dantian together with the saliva!

This is, Divine Light Appears!"

After reviewing the formula and mental method, Xie An had a new feeling and couldn't control himself for a while.

Before, when his realm was not enough, Xie An felt that these things were still far away from him and did not feel deeply.

Now, as the Qi sensation appeared, Xie An felt that the things described in the formula were getting closer and closer to him, and he was fascinated by them:

The Qi of the Crimson Palace wraps the primordial spirit, like being pregnant in the womb, adapting to any shape…

The ancestral aperture beats, driving the whole body to beat, like frying beans… …Sweet dew is produced in the mouth!

In the midst of stillness, you suddenly see a bright moon… …This is Divine Light Appears.

These descriptions are unpredictable and fascinating.

No wonder the denominator of the progress bar reached an astonishing 1000, these wonders alone are exciting.

"I don't know how long it will take me to see these wonders one by one.

And it seems… …that Qi sensation is the foundation for moving towards these wonders."

Xie An was stunned for a long time before he recovered.

"Don't worry, take your time.

I have the Longevity Destiny, it will all come true."

Xie An estimated that someone like Meng Hu would spend twenty years cultivating the Fetal Respiration Technique to refine internal breathing. For ordinary people, the difficulty of cultivating a sense of Qi would be even greater. Thirty years? Forty years?

To cultivate Divine Light Manifestation... sixty years, seventy years? It might be impossible to cultivate it even until death.

However, Xie An, who possessed the Mandate of Longevity, was not in a hurry.

It was only a matter of time.

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It just required being able to endure loneliness and boredom, to withstand the torment.

Moreover, as the Cultivation of Life Technique progressed step by step, Xie An increasingly felt that this Mandate of Longevity was remarkable. It could actually bring the ordinary Fetal Respiration Technique and Five Animal Frolics to this level!

If he were to obtain the Jade Bright Technique... how incredible would that be?

During this time, Xie An also looked through other Cultivation of Life Techniques, such as the Eight Brocades, and found that the effects were similar to the Five Animal Frolics, and even not as good as the Fetal Respiration Technique. He felt that there was no need to cultivate them.

As for higher-level breathing methods, guiding techniques, meditation techniques... Xie An had not yet had the opportunity to touch the original versions.

Qingwu County was still too small. Only the Tang Family Fortress specialized in Cultivation of Life Techniques. Only the elementary Cultivation of Life Techniques were leaked out for ordinary people to use for health preservation.

Intermediate Cultivation of Life Techniques probably only existed in the Tang Family Fortress.

As for the more advanced Tai Chi and Muscle Change Sutra, perhaps... even the Tang Family Fortress might not have them.

However, it didn't matter to Xie An. What he was most looking forward to at the moment was the Jade Bright Technique.

Knock knock knock.

A series of knocks interrupted Xie An's thoughts.

He put on his clothes and went to open the door, seeing Lin Yun and Zhang Lin dressed in formal attire, standing in the snow. Their slightly reddened faces wore smiles.

"Brother Lin, Brother Zhang. It's cold outside, quickly come in and sit."

Lin Yun waved his hand with a smile, "There's no need to go in. We just received news that your appointment letter and identity plaques have arrived. Elder Tang personally went to the hall to distribute the plaques. We should go over there."

Zhang Lin added, "Actually, the news came down yesterday. Grand Supervisor Lin saw that you were in closed-door cultivation, so he didn't disturb you."

Xie An felt a warmth in his heart and cupped his fist, saying: "Alright, let's go over."

The three of them rode away from the Black Market and headed straight for Shuideng Town.

In fact, Shuideng Town was not far from the Black Market, only five or six li away. Moreover, the Black Market was also five or six li away from Wuqiao Town, located in the middle of the two towns. The surrounding four towns were also about the same distance from the Black Market, showing that Wei Dian had conducted on-site surveys when choosing the location.

The three of them had breakfast at Granny Wang's shop as usual, and then went to the hall.

Compared to going to the hall in the past, this time everyone was much more spirited and confident. Especially Zhang Lin, his back was straight, his face full of smiles, as if he was the hall master himself.

In fact, Zhang Lin had already corrected his attitude. When Xie An was still the Second Supervisor, he had firmly decided to follow Xie An. Now that Xie An was appointed as the hall master, he naturally felt honored.

As for Lin Yun, after a few days of adjustment, he had also adapted to this change in identity.

The former little brother was going to be the big brother. He wasn't used to it at first, but now it was better. He knew very well that this was the best outcome.

Entering the hall, they arrived at the living room in the central courtyard.

Here, Xie An saw several acquaintances standing.

One was Chen Qing, and the other was the strong man Xie An encountered in the four-in-two competition who was very close to the Pure Flesh Realm, named Wang Liuhe.

Another was a young man in his early twenties named Xu Bin. He had been knocked down by Hong Lie when Hong Lie entered the top four. Later, Hong Lie was killed by Xie An, so he had the opportunity to re-examine and get one of the top four spots.

Fang Baiyu and Tang Qingyun were sitting in the two positions on the left and right of the chief seat, and Wang Ziwu was standing beside Fang Baiyu.

"Xie An, you've finally arrived."

The originally somewhat restrained scene was instantly broken by Xie An's arrival. It was Tang Qingyun who actually took the initiative to leave his seat, came forward to pat Xie An's shoulder, looking very affectionate and familiar. This was a treatment that the other three didn't even dare to think about.

Xie An did not forget to greet politely, "Elder Tang, Hall Master Fang."

Tang Qingyun naturally had a face full of smiles, while Fang Baiyu had a fake smile on his face, his eyes very cold.

Xie An saw it all, but didn't care.

After some small talk, Tang Qingyun returned to his seat, took out a scroll, and went straight to the point, "According to the original agreement, the top four can become the new hall masters of Baiyu Hall."

Whoosh.

Tang Qingyun opened the scroll and recited it aloud, "Xie An, a native of Wuqiao Town, is fifty-one years old, vigorous and strong, and a late bloomer. He manages the Blood Ridge Black Market with prudence and steadiness, working diligently, doubling the Black Market's business in one year, and making great contributions. On the examination stage, he shocked the heroes with his saber, promoting the prestige of our Tiger Wolf Gate, and setting an example for our sect. From today onwards, he will take office as the Blood Ridge Hall Master, overseeing the affairs of the Black Market. His monthly salary will be doubled, his medicinal supplements will be doubled, and if there is a need, he can directly enter the Tiger Wolf Gate headquarters and personally report to the sect master."

Xie An cupped his fist and listened, feeling that this appointment letter... how did it write out the sense of sight of the imperial court appointing officials?

He knew that the Tiger Wolf Gate was learning the establishment of the imperial court in every way, but he didn't expect that even this was learned in place.

It seems that the two sect masters have quite a strong official addiction...

Although Xie An felt a little awkward, it sounded... quite good.

Moreover, the appointment letter clearly stated that Xie An could directly enter the headquarters and personally report to the sect master. This meant that the headquarters attached great importance to the Blood Ridge Hall Master, and already had a bit of an intention to bypass Fang Baiyu.

"Xie An will definitely manage the Black Market with care." Xie An couldn't help but say some polite words, and then stepped forward to take the appointment letter, expressing his gratitude to Tang Qingyun.

Tang Qingyun's face was full of smiles, "From now on, you will live in Wei Dian's former villa in the hall. I will tell you the specific details later."

Xie An expressed his gratitude again, and by the way, said to Fang Baiyu in a lukewarm manner, "Thank you, Hall Master Fang, for your cultivation!"

These words, when they reached Fang Baiyu's ears, became sarcasm, but he didn't show it, still posing as a leader high above, "Yes. It's a good thing to be grateful. Just do your job well in the future."

Xie An didn't say any more, but sneered in his heart. It was all just polite talk.

Xie An would not forget that Wei Dian's poisoning was caused by Fang Baiyu.

Fang Baiyu had not cultivated him at all. Before, he even let Zhu Hu suppress the Blood Ridge Black Market and bully Liang Zhi and Zhang Lin. If Xie An hadn't chosen to take action decisively at that time, who knew what kind of disaster Fang Baiyu would have caused.

Xie An remembered all of this.

Next, Tang Qingyun announced Chen Qing's appointment letter, in charge of the water transportation affairs of Shuideng Wharf.

This area was also a popular business.

According to the official establishment of the Great Qian Dynasty, there were no official servants below the county seat. The villages and towns all relied on local elders and gentry to manage order and clarify disputes. Only when bandits ran rampant would the county government send a constable to each town to manage order.

For example, Li He of Wuqiao Town was in this situation.

The scale of Shuideng Town was already very large, especially the wharf, where water transportation was becoming more and more developed. However, the yamen did not have a relevant establishment, so they entrusted the Tiger Wolf Gate to manage it on their behalf. Similar to the Fish Gang and the Wood Gang.

It can be said that in the six towns around, besides the Blood Ridge Black Market, Shuideng Wharf was the most popular.

Tang Qingyun handed this business to Chen Qing, also out of consideration for Chen Qinglang's face.

However, what surprised Xie An was that Chen Qing, as the sect master's son, did not have high expectations, but was willing to take on this job. He had a good attitude, and it was not known if he had been stimulated by something.

In fact, what Xie An didn't know was that Chen Qing was willing to put down his airs to do this kind of work because he was influenced by Xie An. Compared to Xie An's behavior, Chen Qing finally understood his father's painstaking efforts to let him experience more, so he was willing to take it on, and was not discouraged or depressed because he had not won the top spot.

Later, Wang Liuhe took charge of several casinos, which was originally Zhang Hengshui's job.

Xu Bin was responsible for training cavalry and assisting in defending against the bandits of Dayin Mountain. This was really dirty, tiring, and dangerous... but Xu Bin didn't seem to care about these things, but happily accepted it.

After the appointments were completed, the four hall masters met with the hall master and Elder Tang, and then left separately.

Hall Masters Wang Liuhe and Xu Bin were led by Wang Ziwu to receive uniforms, sabers, medicinal supplements, and so on.

Chen Qing and Xie An were personally led by Tang Qingyun and Tong Shan.

Chen Qing's villa was next to Xie An's.

After sending Chen Qing away, Tang Qingyun brought Xie An to Wei Dian's former villa.

When he walked to the entrance of the courtyard, Xie An was shocked by the scene in front of him.

A red cloth was hung on the door, and there were two red lanterns. The plaque was also replaced with a new one, with three large characters written on it: Ping An Yuan (Peace Garden).

The handwriting was vigorous and powerful, the brushwork was like dragons and snakes, the strength penetrated the plaque, and it was grand and majestic.

Tang Qingyun said: "This is a plaque written by Chen Qinglang himself for you."

Xie An was quite shocked, "Good handwriting, good plaque. The three characters Ping An Yuan... I like them very much. I will go to thank him in person another day."

Peace...

Xie An really liked it.

Just then, a series of da da da footsteps came from the courtyard.

Just listening to the sound, one knew that it was a woman, and the pace was light, and the sound was very rhythmic. She should be a very cultivated woman.

Xie An followed the sound and saw a woman in a pink silk dress walking out, with a beautiful appearance, skin like creamy jade, a hairpin in her updo, a slender figure, and a very elegant temperament, with a few heroic spirits in her gentleness.

At first glance, she was not a woman from an ordinary family. She was more elegant than the courtesans Xie An had seen on the pleasure boats.

The woman stepped forward, bowed slightly to Xie An, and said in a gentle voice, "Yuhe, greetings, Master."