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

Madam Li left.

Only fine snowflakes fluttered down from the sky, accumulating on Xie An's shoulders. A few playful snowflakes even landed on Xie An's face, startling him from his daze and causing his closed lips to slightly part in an arc.

Because Xie An, with his extraordinary senses, heard the joyful laughter of Madam Li's family in front of him.

"Mother, you're amazing. From now on, we'll listen to you in everything at home. What do you think, Father?"

"... Okay."

"Don't flatter me. We must thank Old Xie for his kindness and generosity. Hurry back. Since we missed the Little New Year, we should prepare well for the Great New Year."

"..."

Listening to those words, Xie An felt a rare sense of relaxation and gratification.

Meanwhile, from the house behind, came the ecstatic laughter of He Chunli and Han Li. Xie An turned back and saw Han Li holding the redemption papers and the contract of indenture, standing on a stool, waving them almost frantically, while shouting at Xie An outside the door.

"Master, I'm free!"

"Han Li, hurry, go to the kitchen and get something to eat. Master has been running around for us these past few days and hasn't had time to eat a hot meal."

"Yes, yes, yes, I was so happy that I forgot myself. That's not right... Master is now a Grand Incense Master, how can he eat simple meals like us? Let's go to Feiyun Tower, my treat."

"Yes, yes, Feiyun Tower. But it has to be my treat."

"No way, it has to be me."

Seeing his two disciples arguing over who should pay, Xie An came out with a smile and said, "Don't argue, just eat a few bites here."

With the master's authority, and his personal request, the two disciples naturally didn't dare to object, so they excitedly ran to the kitchen to rummage for ingredients. Finding that there weren't many decent ingredients, Han Li immediately offered some silver and hurried out the door.

Watching his disciples busying about, Xie An vaguely felt a sense of home.

"Master, it's cold outside."

Yu He smiled and stepped forward to take Xie An's arm, leading Xie An into the living room to sit down, and even made tea for Xie An, then went behind Xie An.

"Master's disciples have gone out to buy ingredients. It will take another hour or two before we can eat. Let me massage your back, Master."

Massaging the back, kneading the back.

Superb technique. In no time, Xie An felt incredibly comfortable all over.

He really didn't know where Yu He learned this massage technique from. The skill was far better than those gold medal technicians from the previous life. And her looks were naturally even better.

After enjoying it for a while, Xie An felt that he couldn't be so decadent.

Massage this thing... is really addictive.

"Yu He, I'm tired. I need to rest for a while."

Yu He immediately stopped, helped Xie An into the small bedroom inside. She even took the initiative to make the bed for Xie An, and asked if he needed a bed warmer...

Xie An's heart skipped a beat slightly, marveling at how thoughtful the service was, but he still cruelly refused.

Yu He didn't show any disappointment on her face. Her emotions were as calm as ever. After instructing Xie An a few words, she went out.

As the door closed, Xie An felt completely relaxed.

Perhaps it was because Xie An was a transmigrator, he inevitably felt that he couldn't fully integrate with the people and things around him. He always liked to occasionally find an independent space to stay in, only then did he feel that this was a world that completely belonged to him.

Xie An reviewed the experiences of the past few days in his mind:

Returning to Crow Bridge Town, where he had lived for thirty years, could be considered returning to his hometown.

Learning that his two disciples were filial, he helped them redeem themselves.

Madam Li's knot was also gone, and she could live a healthy old age.

Although these seemed to be trivial matters, after doing them... Xie An felt very comfortable in his heart.

"These few days have delayed my martial arts practice, which is the most important thing and must not be slackened."

Don't think that he was sought after and revered when he returned to Crow Bridge Town, seemingly returning home in glory. But Xie An knew clearly in his heart that he was still very weak. And martial arts was the foundation for him to gain a foothold in this world.

If he didn't have enough strength, he would be nothing in this chaotic world.

He must not become arrogant and complacent, and stop making progress, because of some achievements.

Xie An had a clear understanding of these things.

Eliminating distracting thoughts, Xie An began to practice the Health Cultivation Technique.

Since Yu He was outside, and Xie An wasn't so trusting of this woman after all, he didn't practice the Five Animal Frolics, but sat cross-legged on the bed, adjusting his breath and cultivating the Fetal Breath Technique.

[Current Longevity Destiny: Level 1!]

[Five Animal Frolics: Cultivating Inner Qi (54/100)]

[Fetal Breath Technique: Divine Light Appears (12/1000)]

[Remaining Years: 35 Years]

Soon, Xie An felt a stream of heat emerging from the lower abdomen, as thick as a thumb. As Xie An circulated it, this stream of heat began to spread out, turning into fine hot spots, flowing throughout the limbs and bones.

Before long, Xie An felt heat rising from his muscles and bones all over his body, and his face also turned flushed.

Immediately, after those scattered hot spots flowed throughout the body, they returned to the lower abdomen with Xie An's circulation, gathering into a thumb-thick stream.

Huff!

Only then did Xie An take a deep breath and slowly open his eyes.

"This can be considered completing a fetal breath cycle, right!?"

In his previous life, Xie An had read some health books on traditional Chinese medicine, which mentioned things like sinking qi into the dantian and circulating the cycle. But in his previous life... those belonged to metaphysics.

In this world, it has become practical.

However, Xie An still didn't feel any dantian in his body, let alone any true qi. But after working hard on the Health Cultivation Technique for two years, relying on the progress of the Fetal Breath Technique, he managed to make the hot stream travel throughout his body and circulate repeatedly.

Xie An felt that this was the circulation of the cycle mentioned in the Fetal Breath Technique.

Although this cycle was very rudimentary, watching the hot stream disperse, gather, and circulate back and forth... a pseudo-cycle was still a cycle.

It took Xie An a full two years to achieve this step, which was extremely difficult.

Fortunately, Xie An was steady in nature and not eager for quick success.

He felt happy with every bit of progress he made and felt that the effort he put in was worth it.

"According to the description of Divine Light Appears, it is necessary to practice until there is not a trace of distracting thoughts arising, the pulse does not feel beating, the fetal breath stops, settles in the void, and forms a state of entering minor samadhi. When stillness reaches its extreme, activity arises, suddenly feeling the body's vitality gathering towards the lower dantian, showing a ball of heat, contained in the Crimson Palace. This is the qi of the Crimson Palace,"

Although no one was guiding Xie An, Xie An keenly realized that... cultivating this qi of the Crimson Palace would be very important. Perhaps it would be the time when the Health Cultivation Technique would completely transform.

And the Qi sensation and this qi of the Crimson Palace should be closely related.

It's just that Xie An hasn't figured out the relationship between them yet.

"Tang Qingyun invited me to Tang Family Fort for the New Year, and there are only four days left until the end of the year. At that time, Old Master Tang will probably ask to test my Qi sensation. Time is short, I have to practice the Health Cultivation Technique more to refine my Qi sensation."

Xie An had seen through many things at this age and had long ceased to be obsessed with this or that.

But... he didn't want to die of old age!

He was afraid of death!

On the matter of death, Xie An was serious. He had to fight for what he should fight for, without any ambiguity.

Now Xie An had obtained the Immortal Treasure, and the Bright Jade Skill was the key to opening the Immortal Treasure. Xie An would definitely go all out.

Therefore, Xie An took the matter of Tang Family Fort very seriously.

"Let the hot stream circulate a few more cycles..."

Xie An calmed down and continued to circulate the Fetal Breath Technique.

Time passed little by little, until he was awakened by a knock on the door.

Accompanied by a very pleasant voice.

"Master, dinner is ready."

Only then did Xie An stop adjusting his breath, get off the ground, and push the door out of the living room.

On the old Eight Immortals table in the living room was a table of delicacies, roasted chicken, roasted goose, lamb chops, pork knuckles... The strong aroma greatly stimulated Xie An's taste buds.

Han Li and He Chunli had already served Xie An's rice and scooped soup, and then stood by the table, waiting for Xie An to come over.

"Don't all stand there, sit down and eat together. Yu He, you sit down too."

Xie An waved his hand and sat down to eat.

Yu He was initially too embarrassed, feeling that it didn't conform to etiquette. After being glared at fiercely by Xie An, she obediently sat down to eat with them. Perhaps it was because Yu He's appearance was too outstanding, coupled with her extraordinary heroic spirit, that the two disciples didn't dare to look her in the eye, avoiding Yu He every time they spoke.

However, the two disciples were very excited about redeeming themselves successfully. In addition, they had spent these few days with Xie An, and the sense of unfamiliarity was long gone. The atmosphere was very harmonious.

But Xie An keenly noticed that although the dishes were rich and there was a lot of meat, the two disciples only ate vegetarian dishes and soup, leaving most of the meat for Xie An.

Although they had completed their apprenticeship, their conditions were not good, and they couldn't afford meat every meal. At this moment, they were clearly having a rare feast, but they had this detail, which really made Xie An nod in approval.

Xie An didn't eat much, and soon put down his chopsticks and asked, "By the way, why haven't I seen Shopkeeper Chen Yuan these past few days?"

When he returned to Crow Bridge Town, Xie An had specially prepared a gift for Chen Yuan. On the one hand, it was to visit an old friend, and also to thank Chen Yuan for lending him half of the Five Animal Frolics in the beginning, which opened Xie An's path to health cultivation. In addition, taking care of Chen Yuan would also provide more support for the two disciples in the future.

Han Li and He Chunli saw that Xie An was full, and only then did they feel relieved to pick up the lamb chops and meat to eat.

Han Li chewed on a chicken leg, mumbling, "Shopkeeper Chen asked for leave a while ago to help at the ancestral hall."

Xie An was stunned, "Ancestral hall?"

He Chunli added, "Master, you forgot, the Chen family is a large clan in Crow Bridge Town, second only to the Li family. A while ago, a corner of the town's ancestral hall collapsed for no reason, and Chen Lei and Li Li had been organizing the town's villagers to raise money and contribute to rebuild the ancestral hall."

Although Shopkeeper Chen doesn't have a great reputation, it's still pretty good to be a shopkeeper in this town. His name will be engraved on the merit stele in the ancestral hall. Naturally, he has to contribute his efforts."

Having said that, He Chunli revealed a very envious expression, and Han Li on the side was also extremely envious.

Xie An also felt emotional in his heart.

In his previous life, Xie An was born in the countryside. At that time, the village emphasized generational names. When naming, in addition to the formal name, there was also a nickname that included the generation marker. After the ancestors passed away, when erecting the tombstone, they would choose good names for the descendants according to their generation.

For example, Xie An was the only son at the time, with three older sisters, but according to the rules, women were not included on the ancestral tombstone. However, Xie An had three male cousins, all with the 'You' generation marker.

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Therefore, when his great-grandfather passed away, his grandfather engraved on the tombstone:

"Great-grandchildren:

Talent and prosperity."

Xie An was the youngest, so it was 'Wang' (prosperity). Adding the generation marker 'You' and the prefix of the surname, it formed Xie An's name.

It can be seen that in his previous life, great emphasis was placed on ancestral heritage and the continuation of the family line. Ancestral hall culture is considered the root of a person; returning to one's roots is the meaning of this.

Later, with urbanization… the large-scale movement of people, the decline of rural areas, this heritage was broken.

Now in this era, more importance is attached to ancestral halls and the inheritance of ancestors.

Although Xie An was sold off as a child and doesn't know his origins, he has lived in Blackbridge Town for more than thirty years. How could he not have feelings for this land?

Especially at Xie An's age, he pays more attention to returning to his roots.

He has no parents or children here… and can't even enter the ancestral hall.

Although he has the destiny of longevity, it hasn't been realized yet. Moreover, longevity is not immortality…

Just as Xie An was in a daze, there was a burst of hurried knocking on the door outside the pawnshop.

"I'll go open the door."

Han Li hurriedly gnawed down the last bite of chicken leg and ran to open the door.

It was Chen He, Chen Lei, and Li Hongming, the most respected local elder in Blackbridge Town.

Xie An had lived in Blackbridge Town for thirty years and naturally recognized Chen Lei and Li Hongming. Especially Li Hongming, who was a highly respected elder. In fact, Li Ru's branch had split off from Li Hongming's line.

Since records began in Blackbridge Town, four major surnames came here to settle, and over the following dozen generations, the generational names of the Li family's recent five generations were: Long, Yun, Xia, Shi, Hong.

Li Hongming is the only surviving elder of the Hong generation.

This shows his high status.

According to Great Qian custom, there are no official positions below the county level. The order of the major towns is mostly maintained by local gentry. For many years, no major internal conflicts have occurred in Blackbridge Town, and the neighbors are considered harmonious, which is inseparable from Li Hongming's contribution.

Xie An went out to greet them, "Elder Li, Guild Master Chen."

Even Xie An, an old man in his fifties, is considered a junior in front of Li Hongming…

The etiquette of respecting the old and loving the young is still necessary.

"So, Benefactor Xie is also here, that's great." Although Li Hongming is old, he knows Xie An's identity and still cupped his fist in greeting.

"The wind and snow are heavy outside, come in and have a cup of hot tea before we talk. Yuhe, serve tea."

The three entered the hall, and Yuhe brewed tea for everyone. Xie An also specially moved the brazier next to Li Hongming.

Li Hongming glanced at Xie An gratefully, nodded slightly, and immediately felt that this Benefactor Xie knew etiquette very well and was approachable. After some polite greetings, he said, "Chen Lei, you are a martial artist, you speak."

Chen Lei suddenly stood up, with an apologetic expression, and cupped his fist in greeting, "Benefactor Xie is probably familiar with Chen Yuan. Some time ago, our Blackbridge Town was rebuilding the ancestral hall, and those with money contributed money, and those without money contributed labor. Chen Yuan is enthusiastic and not only contributed money but also volunteered to personally help with the work at the ancestral hall. I thought that the Chen family is a large clan in the town and should take the lead, and Chen Yuan's actions were good. But… last night, my third brother, Chen He, was supposed to stay at the ancestral hall to keep watch, but a martial arts apprentice in the middle of the night was injured during practice, so my third brother went back to get medicine, and Chen Yuan took over the watch at the ancestral hall.

Unexpectedly, when we went to the ancestral hall to work this morning, we couldn't find Chen Yuan. I immediately felt that something was wrong. So I asked people to look for him, and just now… we found Chen Yuan in the back mountain of the ancestral hall… He was already dead. The manner of death was very tragic and strange."

Xie An, who was drinking tea, was so shocked that his hand trembled.

Chen Yuan… is actually dead?

This is Xie An's old partner who has worked with him in the pawnshop for twenty or thirty years. Chen Yuan even gave him the Five Animal Frolics back then…

For many years, Blackbridge Town has not had any particularly strange death events.

After all, this place is relatively remote, and there are few outsiders all year round. The folk customs are simple and the order is well-maintained. Unlike Water Lantern Town, which is close to the canal wharf, there are many foreigners and the population is complex. It is not uncommon for someone to die.

"Alas, it's all my fault! I didn't take good care of my family. Chen Yuan was a good shopkeeper, diligent and conscientious for decades, and very good to the villagers, but unexpectedly he suffered an unexpected disaster." Chen Lei lowered his head, very self-reproachful, with some meaning of being sorry to Xie An.

Chen He then said, "Benefactor Xie, after this matter was known to the villagers, it caused a lot of commotion and panic. Elder Li and my elder brother came over immediately after learning about it, intending to notify Li Ru…"

Bang.

Xie An put down his teacup, "Han Li, go to the Li residence and explain the situation. Elder Li, please lead the way, I'll go take a look."

If it was an unimportant person in the town who died, Xie An wouldn't want to meddle in other people's business. He was still thinking about going back to the black market to cultivate his health after finishing this reunion dinner with his disciple, to prepare for going to the Tang Family Fortress on New Year's Day.

But Chen Yuan is not just anyone, but an old partner of several decades, who has always been good to him. Now that he has suffered an unexpected disaster, Xie An naturally has to go and see what's going on.

"Thank you for your trouble, Benefactor Xie!"

Li Hongming stood up and cupped his fist in a long bow, feeling extremely grateful in his heart. Now the most discussed person in the town is Xie An of the Li family's pawnshop. As the great benefactor of the Tiger Wolf Gate, people think that he is the most remarkable figure in the town.

Li Hongming thought that if Xie An went to suppress the situation, he would be able to appease the panicked villagers, and the matter of repairing the ancestral hall would not be interrupted, or could continue.

You must know that after Chen Yuan's death, the villagers were panicked and did not dare to continue repairing the ancestral hall. There were all kinds of sayings.

And for local gentry like Li Hongming and Chen Lei, they deeply know the importance of the ancestral hall.

If the ancestral hall cannot be repaired, not only will their reputation be criticized after their death, but after a hundred years… when they go down to see their ancestors, they will not be able to explain, and they will inevitably be scolded and beaten by their ancestors…

The ancestral hall in Blackbridge Town is called Black Ancestral Hall.

It has been passed down for two hundred years, and has been repaired and expanded several times. Every year during festivals, the villagers use bamboo baskets to carry offerings, paste red paper, and go to the ancestral hall to worship their ancestors, on the one hand to ask the ancestors to bless them, and on the other hand to show their filial piety.

Worshiping temples and respecting ancestors are the most important customs for the villagers in this era, and people attach more importance to ancestors than temples. After all, the Bodhisattva sitting in the temple is so ethereal, and the ancestors… have bloodlines and represent where they come from, so naturally they cannot be compared.

Black Ancestral Hall is not far from the Li family's pawnshop, about three miles away, backed by Blackbridge Ridge. Blackbridge Ridge is not high, winding southeast for twenty miles, which is Great Yin Mountain.

Xie An led the crowd to the entrance of Black Ancestral Hall in a while.

Although it was a snowy day, a large group of villagers gathered here. If it weren't for a group of apprentices from the Chen family's martial arts hall blocking them, the villagers would have rushed into the ancestral hall long ago.

Even so, the apprentices were squeezed back by the villagers, and they didn't dare to really attack the villagers, so they could only shout loudly.

"Don't squeeze, don't squeeze."

"Everyone, don't worry, Elder Li and Guild Master Chen are already thinking of a way and will definitely investigate clearly."

Some villagers shouted:

"Chen Yuan died too tragically, as if his blood was sucked dry by something. Like a mummy. Maybe he offended the ancestors. I said that the ancestral hall collapsed in the first place because the ancestors were angry and should not have repaired the ancestral hall."

"This ancestral hall cannot be repaired."

"…"

At this time, Chen He's voice came from behind the crowd.

"Let everyone pass, let everyone pass. Elder Li and Guild Master Chen are here."

Hua la.

Hearing these two names, the crowd actively opened a passage.

But some people still said to Li Hongming, "Elder Li, this ancestral hall cannot be repaired."

"Yes, please consider it carefully, Elder Li."

Peng.

Li Hongming threw his dragon head crutch heavily on the ground and shouted, "What are you panicking about? Didn't you see that Benefactor Xie is here? With Benefactor Xie suppressing the situation, what is there to be afraid of?"

This was indeed effective.

The villagers who have lived here for many years, although they don't have much knowledge, and most of them don't even know a few big characters, they know the prestigious name of the Tiger Wolf Gate…

The restless crowd immediately quieted down, and everyone looked at Xie An with fiery eyes, as if Xie An had suddenly become the pillar of the entire town.

Xie An didn't say anything either, and quickly entered the ancestral hall.

The ancestral hall was piled with bluestone bricks, as well as tiles, stones, and precious wood. No wonder someone needs to keep watch at night, just to prevent them from being stolen.

"Benefactor Xie, Chen Yuan's body is in the mountain behind the ancestral hall. Follow me." Chen Lei led Xie An out of the ancestral hall through the back door, and after walking dozens of meters, they saw Chen Yuan's body.

The body's blood had been sucked dry, the skin was dry and stuck to the bones, the skin on the face was tightly attached to the skull, very hideous, and the skin color had also turned black. It would not be an exaggeration to say it was a mummy.

No wonder the villagers were so scared…

Xie An was not flustered, squatted down and carefully checked, and suddenly felt a familiar feeling.

Wei Dian's aura back then… was very similar to this!