"Huh?"
With his heightened senses, Xie An had been aware of the tall youth following him for some time.
Moreover, this youth wasn't deliberately concealing his presence; rather, he was remarkably innocent and lively, buying a sugar figurine at one stall, then candied hawthorns, and then a cloth doll.
Compared to normal youths, this tall teenager possessed an extraordinary childlike innocence and playfulness.
Although this world was full of strange people and unusual events, Xie An was still wary in his heart, but on the surface, he pretended to be nonchalant.
Crossing the bustling bluestone street, Xie An was about to turn into the alley leading to the Demon Suppression Bureau.
But suddenly, he saw that tall youth appearing ahead, sitting beside an old well by the roadside, with a sugar figurine in one hand and candied hawthorns in the other, smiling at Xie An.
His smile was clearly so innocent, yet it made Xie An feel a chill run down his spine.
Logically speaking, Xie An's current strength wasn't weak.
Having reached the Great Achievement stage of the Blood Rushing Realm, coupled with the enhancement of the Health Cultivation Technique and the Heavy Mountain Blade, even a martial artist at the first level of Inner Strength might not necessarily be able to withstand him.
Even when facing Wen Zaiqing and Chen Qinglang, Xie An hadn't felt this kind of chill down his spine.
This tall youth was too strange.
Xie An suddenly recalled what Su Yuqing had said before…
Could it be?
Thinking of this, Xie An immediately scanned his surroundings:
Fortunately, this was the county town, and because of the Water Lantern Town incident, Wen Zaiqing had strengthened the town's defenses, with soldiers and yamen runners patrolling everywhere.
Xie An didn't say anything, gripped the sword paper in his arms, and hurried on his way towards the Demon Suppression Bureau.
…
"Chief, did we not perform well? Did the adults from the Nanyang Prefecture Division reprimand you?"
"Chief, if we didn't do something well enough, point it out, and we'll correct it, okay? Don't ignore us."
In the hall of the Demon Suppression Bureau, two Demon Suppression Guards wearing uniforms and broadswords surrounded Liu Chun, who was sitting on a grandmaster's chair, saying all sorts of nice things.
One massaged his legs, and the other pounded his back, being exceptionally attentive.
While enjoying the service of his subordinates, Liu Chun scolded in an old-fashioned tone, "So, you know you didn't perform well! Oh well, you did your best, but… the superiors are still not very satisfied.
I feel…"
Halfway through his words, Liu Chun suddenly paused, whetting the appetites of his two subordinates.
"Chief, what do you feel?"
Liu Chun said, "I feel… the superiors are inquiring about the Corpse Refining Hall's news through other people.
This further highlights our incompetence.
Liu Chun fiercely knocked him on the head, "Ordinary? When the adults received this person, I had to retreat three times, without even the qualification to listen in.
You show me how you're so ordinary!"
The two subordinates immediately drooped their heads, not daring to say more.
Just then, a sound of footsteps came from outside the door, and a Demon Suppression Guard said, "Chief, he's here again."
A tiger-headed, brainy subordinate indignantly said, "Chief, if you dislike him, I'll go scold him and vent some anger for you…"
Thump!
Unsurprisingly, the tiger-headed, brainy Demon Suppression Guard's head was fiercely knocked.
"Why don't you go scold your mother, I think your mother is even more displeased, how could she give birth to such a thing like you.
Get out, all of you."
Liu Chun pushed away the two useless subordinates, then got up to greet him, squeezing out a smile, "Brother Xie, you've come."
Xie An cupped his hands, "Captain Liu, is your master in?"
"She's waiting for you inside.
I'll take Brother Xie there now."
Liu Chun squeezed out a smile that was even uglier than crying, and very enthusiastically led Xie An.
This stunned the two Demon Suppression Guards.
The tiger-headed, brainy Demon Suppression Guard said, "Brother Bin, Chief… is he crying or smiling?"
Another youth, called Brother Bin, said, "Xiao Hu, don't you have any eyesight?
He's definitely smiling.
It's just that the Chief's lips aren't developing normally, so his smile looks a bit like crying."
Xiao Hu said, "Then what does the Chief look like when he cries?"
Brother Bin glared at him, "You want to make the Chief cry… Xiao Hu, you don't want to mess around, do you?"
…
Returning to that courtyard again, Xie An saw that Su Yuqing was still wearing the scholar's robe, as usual disguised as a man.
She sat very quietly in the gazebo, brewing tea.
She even placed two teacups.
Even the written agreement personally passed down by the Taiyi Dao leader was placed neatly on the table.
Did this woman know he would return?
Xie An didn't mince words, cupped his hands to Su Yuqing, then sat opposite her, and before he could even speak, Su Yuqing filled a cup of tea for Xie An and said softly.
"You left your scroll behind."
Taking the scroll meant that Xie An agreed to cooperate.
But Xie An wasn't in a hurry to take the scroll.
Su Yuqing said, "A gentleman is sincere; you can speak your mind without hesitation."
Xie An said, "Chief Su previously said that the Corpse Refining Hall's High Priest is a corpse refiner, and is fighting with me for the power of undeath…"
Before he could finish speaking, Su Yuqing seemed to know what Xie An was thinking and said bluntly, "You should have cultivated some kind of secret technique that allows you to absorb the power of undeath.
The Corpse Refining Hall's power of undeath… can all be given to you.
However… although the power of undeath is a good thing, it has great side effects.
After all, it comes from corpses, refined by corpse refiners.
If you absorb too much, it's easy to break down your own body, even to the point of becoming possessed.
If that happens, this concubine will have no choice but to intervene and stop you."
Xie An didn't expect this woman to agree so readily.
She indeed had a gentlemanly and open-minded demeanor.
Xie An no longer said much, took the scroll with both hands, "When does Chief Su plan to set off for the branch?"
Having personally witnessed Chen Qinglang and Wen Zaiqing's encounters at the Cuiwei Residence, Xie An now felt very insecure staying at the branch.
After all, he had killed the Li family's young master's two bronze corpses and one silver corpse.
If Young Master Li found out and came to his door… the consequences would be unimaginable.
But it didn't matter.
He couldn't beat them.
But he could find a substitute.
Moreover, the person in front of him was a top-tier substitute.
Not to mention the Prince of Huainan's son, even if the Prince of Huainan himself came… in front of the Eldest Princess, he might not be enough.
After all, it was troublesome for a woman to travel, with various items needing to be sorted and packed.
Xie An had even prepared to stay in the county town for a night.
Unexpectedly…
Su Yuqing said, "The carriage is ready."
Good, good, good…
Sure enough, straightforward!
…
A carriage slowly left from the back door of the Demon Suppression Bureau.
Liu Chun, along with Xiao Hu and Brother Bin, were driving the carriage.
Xie An and Su Yuqing were sitting in the carriage.
The furnishings in the carriage weren't luxurious, but they were very practical.
The seat was covered with soft leather, and there was a small table.
Su Yuqing, wearing the scholar's robe, sat behind the small table, holding an ancient book in her right hand, propping her chin with her left hand, and reading the book leisurely.
Xie An sat on the side, seeing a ray of sunset shining through the side window, reflecting on Su Yuqing's face, adding a bit of serenity and tranquility.
It was as if no matter how noisy and chaotic the outside world was, she could find her own peace.
The carriage was once quiet, and as the carriage left the town, the two of them chatted casually, and gradually became more natural.
Xie An gently spoke about the strange youth.
Su Yuqing still had a cold and indifferent appearance, "He is Li Changchun."
Sure enough… he was being targeted by Li Changchun.
It seemed that Su Yuqing wasn't lying when she said she had helped him twice before.
Too dangerous!
This woman had come just in time.
However… Li Changchun was at least a hundred years old.
He never expected that he could actually rejuvenate into a tall youth?
Rejuvenation… truly mysterious!
Xie An had only heard about it before, but now he had seen it with his own eyes.
In an instant, Xie An's heart rate quickened slightly.
When he mastered the Bright Jade Skill… wouldn't he be able to do the same?
Although Xie An's current appearance didn't look old, and was similar to a mature man in his thirties.
But if there was a chance to become a seventeen or eighteen-year-old… who wouldn't want to?
Carefully recalling the appearance of that tall youth in his mind, Xie An began to imagine what it would be like when he mastered the Bright Jade Skill in the future…
Just then, Su Yuqing glanced at Xie An, "Want to rejuvenate?"
Xie An didn't hide it and nodded.
Su Yuqing suddenly asked, "Do you think I'm old?"
Xie An shook his head, telling the truth, "Not old, like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl."
It was said that women liked others to say they were young, but Su Yuqing didn't seem to be happy about this, "A Martial Arts Grandmaster has a lifespan of three hundred years at most.
If they can go further… they can reach a lifespan of four hundred years.
This is the limit of lifespan!
Although many sects in the Great Qian are researching longevity techniques, longevity techniques are not mature and are risky.
Therefore, most martial artists in the Great Qian are not very interested in longevity techniques and mainly focus on martial arts."
Xie An deeply agreed.
If longevity techniques became a mature system, I'm afraid the martial artists would rush to cultivate longevity techniques.
Even if they possessed heaven-defying power and wielded great authority… it couldn't compare to the allure of longevity.
Compared to Su Yuqing's understanding of this world, Xie An was naturally a newbie, so he took the opportunity to chat, "The previous dynasty's royal family worshiped the Longevity Church as the state religion, which is related to the emperor's pursuit of longevity techniques, right?"
Su Yuqing "Mm"ed, "The emperor compared himself to the Son of Heaven, ranked as the supreme ruler, but he couldn't resist the great power of time and would eventually turn into yellow earth.
Seeking longevity techniques is the emperor's only pursuit."
Xie An was quite touched. In his previous life, spanning five thousand years of history, how many emperors sought immortality and enlightenment?
“Once they sit on the Dragon Throne, they don't want to die, wanting to forever hold onto this supreme power. Perhaps only the pursuit of longevity can tirelessly motivate an emperor.”
Seemingly surprised that Xie An, a commoner from a remote area, possessed such insight, Su Yuqing's eyes lit up as she looked at Xie An, showing more interest in conversation, "Emperor Tianbao of the previous dynasty was a wise and ambitious ruler, single-handedly creating the Tianbao era. His martial arts cultivation reached the pinnacle of perfection, extending the dynasty for three hundred years.
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If he hadn't indulged in the art of longevity in his later years, neglecting state affairs, and been unwilling to pass the throne to his descendants, and ultimately suffered backlash from the art of longevity, causing his strength to decline greatly... I fear Tianbao would not have perished, and my father would not have had the opportunity to establish the Jingtai dynasty.”
Xie An seized the opportunity to absorb this knowledge and information that he wouldn't normally have access to, asking, “Does the Longevity Sect have significant achievements in the art of longevity?”
Su Yuqing became somewhat interested, putting down the book in her hand, changing her sitting posture, “That's natural. There are countless sects in the world, but not many major sects specialize in longevity and health cultivation. The Longevity Sect is one of the best.
Xu Kangfu, the grand eunuch who wrote the 'Bright Jade Skill,' was a member of the Longevity Sect. The Longevity Sect has other techniques of the same level, but the greatest achievement of the Longevity Sect is not the 'Bright Jade Skill.’”
Xie An immediately felt that communicating with such a knowledgeable figure was too convenient for obtaining information, “Then where is it?”
Su Yuqing pursed her lips.
Xie An understood.
He poured tea and offered it.
“Chief Su, have a sip of tea to moisten your throat.”
Su Yuqing was not polite, took the porcelain cup, sipped the hot tea, and continued, “The two great secret techniques of the Longevity Sect are corpse refining and soul refining.
You already know about corpse refining, which involves using living people as experimental subjects to refine corpses. The vital energy within a living person is refined into a wisp of undying energy, which is used to nourish the living corpse. After martial arts grandmasters absorb it, it can increase their lifespan.
Soul refining is even more cruel. It involves extracting a person's spirit and refining it into a wisp of resentment power, which martial arts grandmaster-level experts can absorb to strengthen their own souls and increase the lifespan of their souls. It is said... if the soul continuously absorbs resentment to grow to its limit, it can detach from its own body, seize another's body, and live another life.”
Xie An clicked his tongue inwardly.
Although Xie An didn't approve of the Longevity Sect's two secret techniques, he had to admit that the Longevity Sect did have some skills.
Su Yuqing frowned, seemingly disgusted by these actions, “Whether it's corpse refining or soul refining, it requires a large number of lives to be harmed. The ten massacres of Nanyang and the tens of thousands of deaths in Qingwu County... were all taken by the Longevity Sect to be used as experimental subjects.
The Longevity Sect is a heinous cult, intolerable to people like us.”
Xie An expressed his firm stance, “This evil art provokes the wrath of heaven and the resentment of men, and everyone should punish it. Emperor Tianbao knew this, but still honored the Longevity Sect as the state religion. It can be seen that he was obsessed with pursuing the art of longevity and went astray.”
Su Yuqing agreed, “Yes. The Tianbao dynasty began to decline after the Longevity Sect entered the capital. Although this gave Jingtai the opportunity to establish the country, I... would rather Emperor Tianbao not have harmed the people in this way.”
Xie An was slightly moved, feeling that this princess didn't seem to care too much about the constraints of feudal hierarchy.
As if Su Yuqing's emotions were stirred, she said to herself, “Fortunately, although my father has been昏聩in minor matters over the past hundred years, he is not confused in major matters. He can be considered diligent and thrifty. The Daoist sect he respects is not an evil cult, and also has the heart to help the world and have compassion for the people.”
Xie An: “……”
To directly say that Emperor Jingtai is昏聩in minor matters… Perhaps there are not many people in the entire Daqian who would dare to say that.
Those who dare to say this about Emperor Jingtai either have something wrong with their brains, or they are truly big shots.
But Xie An felt… Su Yuqing was the latter.
However, the amount of information Xie An obtained was also huge:
The Longevity Sect's art of longevity was immature, and Emperor Tianbao didn't want to die, so he got anxious… and then messed up, lost himself, and the empire was also gone… The Longevity Sect was subsequently listed as a cult by the new dynasty and purged.
The reason for the demise of the Tianbao dynasty, which lasted for three hundred years, was just two words: longevity.
After knowing this, Xie An deeply realized how powerful his cheat was.
The longevity that led to the demise of a dynasty, he already had…
It is said that there is no harm without comparison. If Emperor Tianbao knew about his cheat, he would probably crawl out of his grave and fight him…
Longevity…
However, Su Yuqing's next words made Xie An worry again.
“In fact, Emperor Tianbao thought too much. The Daqian civilization has continued for five thousand years. Many martial arts grandmasters have diligently studied the art of longevity, all of which illustrate one thing—four hundred years is the limit lifespan that the human body can reach. In five thousand years, history has no record of exceeding four hundred years of lifespan. Even if Emperor Tianbao tried his best, he could not break the four-hundred-year limit.”
The limit lifespan the human body can withstand?
Xie An's heart skipped a beat, “Why is that?”
Su Yuqing said, “Cultivating martial arts is a process of opening the human body's secret treasures. Inner Strength martial artists can cultivate Inner Strength, with a maximum lifespan of one hundred and fifty years. Martial arts grandmasters can open the human body's secret treasures, with a maximum lifespan of three hundred years. When the human body's potential and secret treasures are exhausted, it can only withstand a lifespan of four hundred years.”
Xie An understood in his heart.
The human body's secret treasures are somewhat similar to the biotechnology of his previous life. For example, the number of times cells undergo mitosis, the shortening time of telomeres at the ends of genes… These determine the upper limit of the human body's lifespan.
It is determined by nature and is difficult to break.
Thinking of this, Xie An couldn't help but worry about whether his longevity fate… could break this limit.
The road ahead is still very long.
The more information he heard, knowing that the rise and fall of a dynasty was only due to the word “longevity,” Xie An's understanding of longevity became more profound, knowing the weight of these two words.
Xie An asked, “Chief Su, don't you want to pursue the art of longevity?”
Su Yuqing smiled, “Longevity is good, but there is no way to go. However, a lifespan of three hundred years is enough for me to do many things, to see many people, and to travel to many places. I may not be able to seek great freedom in the world.”
Xie An was suddenly touched, looking up at the quiet woman in front of him, a ray of sunset shining on her face, bright and picturesque.
Is there really great freedom in the world?
Xie An asked, “If… there really is an art of longevity in this world that breaks the four-hundred-year limit?”
Su Yuqing suddenly became silent.
She had asked herself this question countless times, and she had also asked countless others.
She had even sought it countless times.
After a while, Su Yuqing raised her head, looked at the sunset outside the window, and murmured, “According to historical records, in the past five thousand years of Daqian, no one has opened the road to longevity. If someone can open the road to longevity in the future, it will be a monumental feat that will completely rewrite the civilization pattern of Daqian.”
After saying that, Su Yuqing suddenly turned her head to look at Xie An, “The so-called great freedom is just a forced realization when one knows that life is limited. If one can have longevity, then… only longevity is great freedom.”
Only longevity… is great freedom!
Xie An repeated this sentence in his heart.
Suddenly, he had a kind of inexplicable grand feeling about longevity.
In the five thousand years of Daqian, no one has broken the four-hundred-year lifespan limit… So, could he be the exception?
Chatting with a martial arts grandmaster is very beneficial.
“Thank you for your guidance, Chief Su.”
… …
The journey was smooth.
Li Changchun did not appear again, perhaps realizing that there was something unusual in the carriage.
After getting off the carriage, Xie An took the initiative to welcome Su Yuqing to settle down in the central courtyard. Because Yuhe was not there, Xie An personally cleaned up the entire backyard for Su Yuqing to live in.
In addition, he arranged for Liu Chun and the others to live in the adjacent courtyard.
After everything was arranged properly, Xie An breathed a sigh of relief.
With this powerful backer here, there is no need to worry anymore.
Xie An naturally knew that Su Yuqing had a complete plan for coming here, but since she didn't take the initiative to speak, Xie An didn't ask too much.
There is no need to rush if the backer does not run away…
… …
Cuiwei Residence.
“Qingyu, how is the collection of white deer blood essence going?”
“It was almost collected, but Fifth was killed. As a result, all the white deer blood essence collected by Fifth is gone.”
“Damn thief, ruining my plan. Has it been investigated who did it?”
“I just asked and found out. It was Xie An, the leader of Baiyutang. Recently, Baiyutang has strengthened its defenses, and my people can't infiltrate it. That's why I only found out today.”
The black mole youth stomped on the table:
“How dare a mere ant ruin my important affairs, this young master cannot tolerate him!?”
“Young master, calm down. Although the cavalry battalion of Baiyutang was slaughtered by Fifth, Baiyutang still has two hundred disciples stationed there all year round. It's not easy for us to rush in openly.”
“Then wait! I don't believe Xie An won't go out!”
