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

Inside the stronghold.

Although the outer perimeter resembles a large mountain stronghold, the interior is not a bandit's den of thatched huts. Instead, there are rows of closely arranged brick and tile buildings, built against the mountainside, grand and imposing, exquisitely constructed, and uniquely styled.

In the very center, a double-towered Buddhist temple, tens of meters high, was erected.

Within the temple, the dharma bodies of the two sect leaders are enshrined, with incense burning day and night, symbolizing prosperity and the enduring strength of the Tiger Wolf Gate.

Compared to the boisterous activity of countless disciples practicing martial arts outside the stronghold, the inside of the stronghold is much quieter. Many disciples coming and going walk quickly and quietly, afraid of making loud noises that might disturb others, behaving very properly.

Inside a courtyard with a sign that reads "Azure Wolf Residence," a middle-aged man wearing a gray cotton-padded jacket knelt on the snowy ground, constantly kowtowing towards the main hall's entrance.

"Sect Leader Chen, I implore you to help Qing'er one more time. This child lost his mother at a young age and has no one to care for him. Now, he is fortunate to be valued by Sect Leader Chen and is serving at the Tiger Wolf Gate for the first time. Why not do it all at once? Why even have him participate in any assessment? What if he gets injured, or someone pushes him out? Sect Leader Chen, you would lose face too..."

Ah.

A sigh came from the hall, followed by a robust and upright middle-aged man walking out, wearing a gray brocade robe, a purple-gold crown, and cloud-patterned boots, his demeanor as lofty and exceptional as a pine and crane, making people afraid to look directly at him.

One of the two great sect leaders of the Tiger Wolf Gate, Chen Qinglang.

"The Tiger Wolf Gate does not belong to Chen Qinglang alone. Everything must follow the rules. I have already built the stage for Xiao Qing. If Xiao Qing has the ability, he can naturally win the top spot. If he is incompetent, then no one can help him."

Bang.

The middle-aged man continued to kowtow on the ground, "I beg Sect Leader Chen to give Xiao Qing a certain future. I have no other hope, I only want Xiao Qing to gain a foothold in the Tiger Wolf Gate and live a stable life."

Chen Qinglang stared deeply at the man, and sighed, "Brother, why must you do this?"

"You are the child's father! Although Qing'er was born to a concubine, his mother always served you diligently before her death, never neglecting you. Please, Sect Leader Chen, for the sake of the child's mother, give the child a future!" The man kowtowed again on the ground, sobbing.

A flash of anger flickered in Chen Qinglang's eyes, but as if he thought of something, the anger disappeared, and finally turned into a helpless sigh.

He stepped forward, helped the man up, and gently brushed away the snowflakes from the man's forehead and cotton-padded jacket, "Brother, if I were an ordinary commoner, I would have agreed to your request before you even made it. But... I am the sect leader of the Tiger Wolf Gate. I manage the order of thousands of people, thousands of mouths waiting to be fed, and if I am not careful, it will fall apart.

Many people think that I, Chen Qinglang, live a carefree life, with wealth and glory, and can determine the life and death of others with a single word. But who knows... the difficulty I have surviving in the gap between the county government and the garrison. Every time I go to the county government, every time I go to the garrison... I worry that they will regard me as a bandit and gangster, and directly ambush and kill me.

Who knows how many people in the Tiger Wolf Gate secretly want to stab me in the back. As soon as I do anything that violates the rules, I will immediately be attacked and never recover."

The middle-aged man suddenly raised his head, looking incredulously at the top figure in Qingwu County.

Chen Qinglang continued, "Do you think I don't care about my own son? Do you think I don't want my son to live well? To stand firm? It's not that I don't have a way.

If he was willing to be a昏庸sect leader, not considering the consequences, then naturally it wouldn't matter.

But Chen Qinglang had a heart to do well for the Tiger Wolf Gate deep down.

Just then, a voice as loud as a great bell resounded throughout the mountain.

— Chen Qinglang, are you tired of living!?

Even though they were far apart, Chen Qinglang felt the force of the sound. He couldn't help but shake all over.

"Internal energy released... at least a Grand Martial Master... This is... Crap, why is this old man here?"

Chen Qinglang seemed to have guessed the identity of the person who came, immediately humbled himself, and rushed towards the entrance of the stronghold, greatly worried. He only hoped that those ignorant subordinates hadn't provoked this old man, otherwise, the Tiger Wolf Gate would be flattened.

When Chen Qinglang arrived at the entrance of the stronghold, he saw the scene around him... and was so frightened that he gasped.

He saw dozens of men holding bright broadswords, surrounding Old Master Tang, each with a fierce look, saying things like "Kill this old man."

Truly, a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger!

Even Chen Qinglang, the sect leader, was almost scared to pee.

He shouted anxiously from afar.

"Stop, all of you stop!"

The swordsmen heard the voice and turned their heads to look, surprised to find their sect leader rushing over madly. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and one of the leading men, holding a knife, pointed at Old Master Tang, with a bit of a boastful tone, "Wolf Sect Leader, this old man was rude and said he wanted you to carry a sedan chair to welcome him into the gate. It's simply outrageous, I couldn't bear to watch..."

Slap!

Before the man could finish speaking, Chen Qinglang slapped him hard on the face, "If you can't speak, shut your mouth."

The man covered his red and swollen face, feeling very wronged, and stubbornly muttered, "But this old man was really disrespectful to Wolf Sect Leader, I was doing it for your own good..."

"Still talking?!" Chen Qinglang turned his head sharply and glared at the man, his eyes spitting fire. He wished he could kick the man to death...

For my own good?

You almost killed me.

Sensing the ferocity in Chen Qinglang's eyes, the man finally dared not speak. Because he felt... if he said one more word, the sect leader would come over and fight him.

The surrounding group of men had similar ideas, and some wanted to speak. But after seeing what happened to the leading man, they wisely chose to shut up, put away their knives, and retreated a few steps.

Then, in the shocked eyes of all the disciples... Chen Qinglang quickly rushed to Old Master Tang, like a son seeing his own father, bowed and cupped his hands in a grand salute.

"Old Master, why didn't you say anything when you came? I could have had someone carry you in a sedan chair from the Tang Family Fort. How could I let you come all the way here?"

Tang Zhengyang leaned on his dragon-headed cane and snorted coldly, "Heh heh, you are getting more and more prestigious. I'm just an old geezer... I wouldn't dare to trouble you. I was just thinking that I haven't seen Chen Qinglang for a long time, so I came to ask for a cup of tea, but I was stopped and someone even said they wanted to kill me... Alas, I'm old and useless. No one takes me seriously anymore."

Hiss!

Chen Qinglang felt his scalp tingle.

How could he not feel the old man's dissatisfaction with him?

Immediately, Chen Qinglang straightened his body, glared fiercely at the surrounding disciples, and said fiercely, "You are really blind. I and Meng Hu both learned martial arts from Old Master Tang back then, and we have to call Old Master Tang teacher. When Old Master Tang was shaking Qingwu, you were still in your mother's womb. All of you, come over and apologize, and then go down and receive thirty strokes of the board each."

The disciples then realized, and were shocked and frightened.

The sect leader's teacher?

"Old Master Tang, I was wrong."

"Old Master, I was blind, please forgive me."

"Old Master, I was also wrong."

"Me too..."

Tang Zhengyang's expression finally improved. Chen Qinglang saw it and breathed a sigh of relief, "Someone, go get a sedan chair, I will personally carry the sedan chair for Old Master."

Tang Zhengyang shook his head and snorted lightly, "No need to pretend here, I was just saying it. You are a sect leader now, so I shouldn't refute your face. Just go inside."

"Everything according to Old Master, please."

Chen Qing, the Wolf, took the initiative to lead the way, while also wiping sweat from his forehead. He thought to himself, 'He hasn't refuted me to my face yet? My face has long been torn off and shattered by you, okay?'

He only dared to think it, but didn't dare to say it.

Upon arriving at "Qinglang Residence," Chen Qing, the Wolf, welcomed Tang Zhengyang to the head seat, personally taking out aged tea to boil water and brew, and also had people bring snacks.

"Old Master's esteemed presence truly brings honor to my Tiger Wolf Gate. I often chat with my elder brother about the times we followed Old Master to cultivate the health preservation exercises, never daring to forget Old Master's kindness in teaching us."

Tang Zhengyang took a sip of tea and went straight to the point, "Alright, spare me these hypocritical pleasantries. I've come to you because I want to discuss something."

"Old Master, please instruct me."

"Your son, Chen Qing, went to participate in the Baiyu Hall's assessment? And it's said that you want to take the Xueling Black Market into your own hands?"

Chen Qing, the Wolf, felt very puzzled and panicked. He quickly gave a candid reply, "To be honest, Chen Qing is the son I had with a concubine. Only later did I learn that the concubine was a spy arranged by the Heavenly Saber Society, but… her kindness to me was also genuine. Later, when the Heavenly Saber Society found out that she had a child for me, they killed her. This time, Chen Qing wanted to take the assessment himself, so I gave him a chance. It's not that I want to take over any Xueling Black Market."

Tang Zhengyang sighed after listening, "The love of parents for their children is a far-reaching plan."

Chen Qing, the Wolf, still didn't know what Old Master Tang meant, so he said, "Old Master Tang, please rest assured. I'm just building a stage for Chen Qing. The final result of the assessment depends entirely on his own ability. I will never interfere."

Tang Zhengyang glared at him, "You're still being so formal with me? Fine, then I'll leave now. I came all this way, and all I hear are pleasantries. It's not very interesting."

Chen Qing, the Wolf, immediately panicked and hurriedly grabbed Old Master Tang, "Old Master, please calm your anger. I'll tell you, I'll tell you everything."

Tang Zhengyang sat down again, "Tell me then."

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Chen Qing, the Wolf, said, "The Hall Master of Baiyu Hall, Fang Baiyu, is ambitious. The Chen Manor incident was due to his selfish desire for immortal treasures, causing the entire Baiyu Hall to suffer heavy losses. I intend to replace him, so I set up the assessment. I intend to have the core assets of Baiyu Hall, the Xueling Black Market, in the hands of… reliable people. In the future, I will turn the Xueling Black Market into a commercial center. As for Baiyu Hall… there's no need for it to exist anymore. Just leave the Xueling Black Market."

Only then was Tang Zhengyang satisfied. He pointed at Chen Qing, the Wolf's forehead, "You still say you haven't made plans for your son?"

"Eh."

Chen Qing, the Wolf, sighed, "Old Master, I'll be frank with you. Chen Qing's martial arts are passable, but he's a bit impatient. To be honest, I'm not very comfortable with handing the Xueling Black Market over to him, but I couldn't resist my brother-in-law's repeated requests. That's why I let him participate in the assessment."

Tang Zhengyang nodded, "Coincidentally, I also have someone participating in this assessment."

Chen Qing, the Wolf's eyes widened, and he immediately understood Old Master's intention.

"Old Master, please tell me the name of this person, and I will risk my face to personally go to Shuideng Town and take care of this person."

"That's not necessary. Since it's an assessment, it should be conducted fairly. If my person wins first place, don't resort to any underhanded means," Tang Zhengyang said, "It's good timing. Let everyone see how the people you and I have chosen perform."

Cold sweat dripped from Chen Qing, the Wolf's forehead, "Even if Qinglang disobeys everyone in the world, he wouldn't dare to disobey Old Master's wishes."

"Mm."

Tang Zhengyang got up and left.

Chen Qing, the Wolf, moved his gaze and followed closely, "If Old Master isn't busy, why don't we go to Shuideng Town together? It would be good for me to see what kind of person could make Old Master take a trip in person?"

Tang Zhengyang said, "Alright."

… …

Shuideng Town.

Baiyu Hall.

It is said that Xie An waited for a moment in the Northwest Courtyard, and then saw Tang Qingfeng and Tang Qingyun return. The two of them didn't say anything to Xie An, just exchanged a few pleasantries, and then told Xie An to go back and prepare well for the assessment. Don't think too much, just focus on showing your strength.

Xie An then returned to Lin Yun's residence.

The time for the assessment was yet to be determined, so the two sat and drank tea, waiting quietly.

Before long, Wang Xiang and Liang Zhi returned with large packages of medicine. Lin Yun happily opened them and checked them one by one. They were mostly gauze, disinfectant, medicine for bruises and sprains, hemostatic medicine, and so on.

After checking again and again, Lin Yun confirmed that nothing was missing, and then breathed a sigh of relief, "Now it's complete. I estimate that the assessment will require many rounds, so it's always good to be prepared."

Xie An saw it in his eyes and felt a warmth in his heart.

Although Xie An felt that these preparations were just in case, he actually felt that Lin Yun was overthinking it.

He dared to come because he had absolute confidence.

But Xie An still appreciated their kindness.

While drinking tea and waiting, Xie An began to think about Tang Qingfeng's words to him before he left - don't think too much, just focus on showing your strength.

Xie An felt that the second half of the sentence was easy to understand, but the first half…

Although Tang Qingyun and Tang Qingfeng didn't say anything explicitly, Xie An analyzed from various signs that he vaguely had a feeling…

At the beginning of Si time (9-11am), Zhang Lin hurried back, panting, "The time and list of participants for the assessment have been posted. There are a total of 64 participants, who will be paired up for duels. After six rounds, the winner will be determined. The competition will not stop midway. If a participant is unable to participate in the next round due to injury, then it will be considered a withdrawal and forfeit."

Lin Yun was very surprised to hear this, "No stop in the middle… round after round, which means that in addition to winning, participants must also pay special attention to avoiding injuries. The difficulty of the assessment has undoubtedly increased a lot. What are the rules on the arena?"

Zhang Lin said, "Life and death assessment, no rules, no restrictions on weapons and methods. It only ends when one side dies, or one side admits defeat."

Lin Yun nodded slightly, "This is not much different from the usual Xiangzhu-level assessment. Xie Brother, no rules, do you know what that means?"

Xie An said, "I know, it means there are no restrictions on sneak attacks and hidden weapon methods. This is nothing. Jianghu battles are not about the process, only the result of victory or defeat. Once I step onto the stage, I will not hold back in any way."

Lin Yun felt relieved after hearing Xie An's attitude, and said, "Good. Then that's it. Let's go to the arena to prepare for the draw."

Zhang Lin also became excited, "We should go early and try to draw a good lot for a good start."

Xie An followed the group out of Baiyu Hall. When he came to the arena at the door again, he was really shocked by the scene here.

The intersection where three streets converged was surrounded by layers of people, truly a scene of ten thousand people in an empty alley.

Having lived in this world for more than thirty years, Xie An had never seen such a lively scene before. Even with his calm mindset, he couldn't help but be infected by such a scene.

Suddenly, Xie An deeply felt why those football and basketball stars in his previous life were so passionate and excited on the field, running and sweating freely. In addition to the sport itself, it was also because the countless enthusiastic spectators outside the field gave the stadium extraordinary significance, making the glory of winning incomparably sacred.

This assessment is also the same.

The high-level members of the Tiger Wolf Gate have put a lot of effort into building this stage.

Whoever can win first place in front of so many villagers, not only will they bring glory to their ancestors, but they will also be able to intimidate the other five towns, including Shuideng Town. Not to mention being a Xiangzhu of the Xueling Black Market, even being the Hall Master of Baiyu Hall would be no problem.

This is a stage to rise rapidly.

It is the ladder to success that Chen Qing, the Wolf, built for his son Chen Qing.

But I don't know, this drama will eventually have unexpected events.

Who is the final winner is still unknown.

This ladder to success… can Chen Qing climb it? Can't I, Xie An, climb it!?

Just as Xie An was stunned, Tang Qingyun's voice came from the side, "Xie An, come over to draw lots."