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

Someone else?

Why didn't I notice just now?

Xie An's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but grip the dagger in his sleeve, slowly turning to look.

He saw a man in his forties wearing dark red fitted clothing, a large broadsword at his waist, walking with vigorous strides.

Even from a dozen meters away, Xie An could feel the powerful aura emanating from this person; he could tell at a glance that he wouldn't be easy to deal with.

This clothing looks familiar to Xie An… similar to the sword-wielding men patrolling the Blood Ridge Black Market, but more refined.

Xie An judged that this person should be a patrol guard captain or someone of that rank in the Black Market.

"May I ask what you want?"

The man in his forties walked to the corpses of Zhang Wei and Lu Wei, briefly examined them, and then kicked the bodies twice with great disdain, "I hate those bastards who rob merchants near the Black Market the most; they ruin the reputation of my Black Market, making people afraid to come here to do business.

Old brother, you did well killing them."

Having said that, the man in his forties walked to a spot three meters away from Xie An and stopped, cupping his fist slightly, "I am Zhang Lin, a guard executive of the Blood Ridge Black Market.

Recently, the Sect Leader issued a strict order, demanding the eradication of the robbery trend in the vicinity.

I see that old brother's martial arts are superb, I wonder if you are willing to work together for a greater cause."

Xie An understood.

This Zhang Lin was trying to recruit him.

"Who is behind you?"

"The Tiger Wolf Sect."

Upon hearing these three words, Xie An's heart skipped a beat.

Having lived in Blackwater Town for thirty years, Xie An had naturally heard of the Tiger Wolf Sect's great name.

A large gang spanning dozens of towns, it had already surpassed the scope of a mere gang and was a genuine Jianghu sect.

It was also one of the two major Jianghu sects in Qingwu County.

Although there was only a one-word difference between a gang and a sect, there was a world of difference between them.

Gangs are mostly temporary groups formed by ordinary people for a common interest, joining forces to do things, either robbing for money, seeking revenge, or other things, often not tolerated by the government.

Sects, on the other hand, focus on teaching skills, passing them down from master to disciple, emphasizing etiquette and continuation, and inherently promoting martial arts.

They are genuine reputable organizations, not only recognized by the government, but even some powerful sects cultivate countless disciples who enter the court as officials, with deeply entrenched power that plays a pivotal role in local stability.

There are also some powerful martial arts sects called clans, which are behemoth-level existences.

Even the current dynasty's grand scholars, princes, and nobles must respectfully worship them.

There are even some extraordinary clans that are said to be worshiped by the emperor himself…

Xie An never expected that the backing of the Blood Ridge Black Market… would actually be the famous Tiger Wolf Sect of Qingwu County.

Although this sect had only been established for thirty years, it had quickly gained a foothold in Qingwu County, standing against the other major sect, the Heaven's Blade Society, in equal measure.

It is said that every new County Magistrate who takes office must pay a visit to the two major sects.

For a Jianghu sect to develop to this extent is truly remarkable.

If Xie An were thirty years younger, he might still have a chance to take the martial arts examination or participate in the selection of other sects.

These are the proper paths.

But now that he is fifty years old, the usual avenues for advancement have basically been cut off.

Joining a Jianghu sect might be a viable path.

After all, some newly established Jianghu sects are eager for talent and don't have so many age restrictions.

However, Xie An thought that he was not familiar with this Zhang Lin, and this place was a wilderness, so it was better to play it safe.

If you ever change your mind, the gates of my Tiger Wolf Sect are always open to you."

Xie An accepted the wooden token, thanked him, and hurriedly left.

"Boss, he's just an old man with white hair, is it necessary to win him over like this?"

After Xie An left, a sword-wielding man walked to Zhang Lin's side, quite puzzled.

Zhang Lin said, "Zhou Xing, where are your eyes looking?

The old man just drew a one-stone bow, opened the bow with one finger, and fired two arrows in succession.

Roughly calculated, this person's single-handed lifting strength is already close to four hundred pounds, which is already comparable to the strength of a martial artist who has entered the level!

Besides, the old man's technique of killing two thugs with a flick is smooth and seamless, can you do it?"

The sword-wielding man, Zhou Xing, immediately lowered his head, ashamed of himself.

Zhang Lin waved his hand, "This old man is not simple.

Right now, my Tiger Wolf Sect is in need of manpower, so if he comes to the Black Market in the future, you need to be accommodating and courteous."

Zhou Xing said, "Your subordinate has remembered."

…

When Xie An returned to the small house, it was already one quarter past Yin time (3:15 AM).

"This trip to the Black Market was quite fruitful.

Not to mention that I have memorized the second half of the Five Animal Frolics, I also obtained the complete Embryonic Breathing Technique and a heavy bow.

The most gratifying thing is… the chamber pot."

"I also uprooted Lu Wei, a thorn in my side, and now I can finally have a few days of comfortable life.

In this chaotic world, you still need to have strength…"

After taking a quick bath, Xie An went to bed.

The next day, Xie An got up early to inspect the pawnshop.

Seeing He Chunli managing the business smoothly, he sneaked back to the small house in the backyard to practice archery first.

Archery, this thing, emphasizes accuracy.

It is not easy for ordinary people to get started.

But Xie An had already achieved great success in stance training, standing steadily and breathing evenly.

With the blessing of the Five Animal Frolics, his hands and feet were even more stable, and his five senses were greatly improved, making practicing archery divinely assisted.

After several hours of repeated training, he found the feeling.

Not to say that every arrow hits the bullseye within a hundred meters, but he still has the accuracy of hitting the five or six rings.

Xie An didn't plan to become an archery master, only seeking to protect himself with the bow.

He can take his time.

Putting away the bow and arrows, Xie An locked the door, opened the Embryonic Breathing Technique, and began to read it word by word.

It is also a primary health cultivation technique, but the content is very different from the Five Animal Frolics.

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"Those who obtain embryonic breathing can breathe without using the nose and mouth, as if they are in the womb…"

After reading it through, Xie An finally had a detailed understanding of the Embryonic Breathing Technique:

Ordinary people breathe through their lungs, but practicing the Embryonic Breathing Technique can gradually stop the function of the lungs and breathe through the skin, navel, and Dantian.

When the Embryonic Breathing Technique reaches a certain level, external breathing can be transformed into internal breathing, that is, entering the embryonic breathing state, falling asleep spontaneously, and refining internal energy spontaneously.

"Falling asleep spontaneously, refining internal energy spontaneously… doesn't that mean that you can cultivate the Embryonic Breathing Technique even while sleeping?"

Xie An showed a strong interest.

The Five Animal Frolics are good, but you can't practice them while sleeping.

The Embryonic Breathing Technique, however, can be cultivated spontaneously while sleeping, which just makes up for the lack of the Five Animal Frolics.

Five Animal Frolics during the day, Embryonic Breathing at night.

Why worry about not becoming a martial artist?

In addition, a sentence in the book aroused Xie An's great interest: "If a person can return to the breathing state of infancy, he can live forever."

It happens to coincide with what medicine said in his previous life—a fertilized egg has unlimited division ability and is eternal.

It's just that that's a cell, and now it's a living person…

Can it really be the same…

"The Five Animal Frolics externally refine the body, and the Embryonic Breathing Technique internally refines the breath.

Practicing both together, the life-extending effect will definitely be much better."

Xie An calmed his excited emotions, sat cross-legged, and began to practice according to the Embryonic Breathing Technique's mental method.

"According to the book, the Embryonic Breathing Technique is divided into the primary stage (three-style method), the intermediate stage (yin and yang interaction), and the advanced stage (divine light appears)."

"The first style of the three-style method, the Danlu style.

When exhaling, imagine the tailbone heating up; when inhaling, imagine the Dantian touching the Mingmen or the tailbone…"

Although the words are simple, the difficulty of actually doing it is surprisingly great.

Dantian?

Xie An doesn't even know which place is the Dantian.

He also doesn't know which is the Mingmen…

What can he use to imagine "Dantian touching the Mingmen?"

Fortunately, Xie An is not in a hurry, failing time after time and starting over again according to the book.

From morning until dusk—

Ding!

The data panel in front of him changed.

[Successfully recorded the Embryonic Breathing Technique.]

[Embryonic Breathing Technique: Three-Style Method (1/100)]