At the entrance of the Tang family manor, three children, around ten years old, were gathered under a large camphor tree, chasing each other.
One girl, wearing a red dress, held a wooden knife, while a boy in white clutched a wooden sword, and another boy, noticeably sturdier, gripped a large wooden hammer.
Whether it was the wooden knife, the wooden sword, or the wooden hammer… all were very crudely made, misshapen and rough, with only a vague outline, barely discernible in shape.
Despite this, the three children were having a great time, wielding their weapons with great enthusiasm.
“Subduing Demon Swordplay, take this!” The boy in white chased after the little girl in red, slashing out with his sword, only to have it blocked by the little girl's wooden knife.
“Your Subduing Demon Swordplay has been blocked by my Chongshan Blade, haha. Xiaotong, you've lost. You've lost your qualification to compete for the title of Martial Arts Alliance Leader. Step down!” The little girl exclaimed, narrowly avoiding the blow, then grinned, revealing her teeth.
The white-clothed boy named Xiaotong drooped his head, sheathed his sword, and stepped back, his face filled with anguish: “Alas, just a little bit more, and I would have attained the position of Martial Arts Alliance Leader. It seems Xiaohongtang will benefit.”
So, the red-clothed girl wielding the knife was Xiaohongtang…
Xiaohongtang was now eleven years old, having grown taller, the chubby baby fat gone from her face, though her childishness remained, now mixed with a hint of heroic spirit.
Xiaohongtang raised her wooden knife, pointing it at the larger boy, who was clearly a head taller than her, “Ah Liang, my Chongshan Blade has already defeated Xiaotong's Subduing Demon Swordplay. Do you still dare to compete with me for the title of Martial Arts Alliance Leader?”
The boy named Ah Liang squeezed the large hammer in his hand, “Of course, the Martial Arts Alliance Leader, it must be me.”
Xiaohongtang's face showed hesitation.
Judging from their sizes, she felt she couldn't beat Ah Liang, but Xiaohongtang didn't give up. She leaned close to Ah Liang, tiptoed, and whispered in his ear: “Ah Liang, if you voluntarily admit defeat, I'll treat you to Wang Da Niang's steamed buns.”
Ah Liang was greatly shocked, touching his rumbling stomach, the delicious meat buns from Wang Da Niang's bun shop appearing in his mind. Then, he compared, weighed, and considered the delicious food and the Martial Arts Alliance Leader title.
Seeing him waver, Xiaohongtang continued to entice him, “The Alliance Leader is elected every two years. I'll be the Alliance Leader this term, and then it'll be your turn next term. What's the difference between sitting sooner or later, right?”
Ah Liang nodded repeatedly, “Then you have to treat me to Wang Da Niang's steamed buns twice.”
Xiaohongtang said: “Then you have to act more realistically later. Don't let Xiaotong see through it, otherwise my Martial Arts Alliance Leader will be undeserving of the name.”
Ah Liang patted his chest, guaranteeing, “I'm good at this kind of thing.”
“Hey, hey, hey, what are you two whispering about? Competing for the title of Martial Arts Alliance Leader is a serious matter, no cheating allowed.” Xiaotong came over at this time, pulling the two apart.
Ah Liang righteously declared, “Becoming the Martial Arts Alliance Leader is my ideal, how could I cheat? Xiaotong, you underestimate me.”
Xiaotong was very respectful, “That's good. Let's start.”
Xiaohongtang slashed out with her knife, and Ah Liang used his hammer to block, but he missed, and he fell heavily to the ground, then the wooden knife was placed on his neck.
“The Chongshan Blade is indeed powerful, I admit defeat.” Ah Liang admitted defeat as promised.
Xiaotong on the side was dumbfounded: When did Xiaohongtang become so strong?
Xiaohongtang sheathed her knife, then stood on a stone pier, “From now on, I am the Martial Arts Alliance Leader. Aren't you going to pay respects to the Alliance Leader?”
Ah Liang was very steady, “Alliance Leader.”
Xiaotong was very unwilling, and he also had some doubts, but seeing that Ah Liang had admitted defeat, he had no choice but to accept it, “Alliance Leader.”
Xiaohongtang waved her hand generously, “Xiaotong, go back and change to a better wooden sword, Ah Liang, you go and change to a bigger wooden axe. Two days later, at sunset, we'll hold a heroes' meeting at the old place, and I'll take you to eliminate harm for the people.”
As soon as Xiaotong heard “eliminate harm for the people,” his eyes lit up, “Alliance Leader, where are we going to eliminate harm?”
Xiaohongtang put one hand on her hip and clenched the wooden knife in the other, “I've found out that Old Man Li's family nearby lost a cat, saying it was eaten by a rabid dog. Let's find that rabid dog and execute it on the spot, upholding justice.”
“Okay!” Xiaotong excitedly slapped his thigh, “Alliance Leader is right, I'll participate in the heroes' meeting.”
Ah Liang also sharpened his axe: “I'll also participate.”
“Zhu Xiaotong! I told you to buy two pounds of soy sauce, and you ran here to hold some kind of heroes' meeting, didn't you? Watch me break your legs!” A woman's angry roar came, and then a woman with a waist as thick as a bucket rushed over with a bamboo whip, fuming.
The three "heroic good men" immediately scattered like birds and beasts.
“Huang Ah Liang, you little rascal, don't run, no wonder I didn't see you at school, so you skipped class to hold some kind of heroes' meeting here. You even skip school, what kind of hero are you, you're not even as good as a bear, go back and stand in the corner!” There was also a pig butcher wearing an apron who came over, grabbed Huang Ah Liang's ear, and lectured him as he walked.
Xiaohongtang had already hidden in the corner, watching her left and right arms being taken away, wailing, wanting to rescue them, but powerless, greatly regretting it.
Just then, she felt a shadow approaching from behind, covering her own shadow.
The Tang family manor's reputation was already great, and Xiaohongtang was also a famous child king in this area. Tang Linshi teaching Xiaohongtang a lesson in the street immediately attracted countless onlookers.
Among them was Xie An, who had just arrived.
He hadn't seen her for four years, and he didn't expect Xiaohongtang to have grown so much. And she had become rebellious?
Although he felt sorry for Xiaohongtang, he wasn't her real grandfather, and it wasn't appropriate for Xie An to interfere with other people's mothers teaching their children. So he planned to wait for Tang Linshi to finish teaching her a lesson before coaxing Xiaohongtang with a gift.
The crowd gathering around became more and more numerous.
Zhu Xiaotong's mother and Huang Ah Liang's father, who hadn't gone far, saw Tang Linshi hitting hard from afar, so they turned back to persuade her with their children.
“Madam Tang, forget it. It's normal for children to be playful.”
“That's right. It's not all Xiaohongtang's fault. Our children are also at fault.”
Tang Linshi didn't stop, but hit even harder, “Don't stop me, Xiaohongtang was still well-behaved in the first two years when she went to school, but in recent years she has become more and more outrageous. She often skips class and instigates others to sneak out of the city together. She's so lawless at such a young age, what will she be like when she grows up?”
Slap, slap, slap.
Tang Linshi repeatedly and forcefully slapped Xiaohongtang's butt, while loudly questioning, “Tell me, why do you want to skip class? Why do you want to instigate everyone to do some Martial Arts Alliance Leader thing? And hold some kind of heroes' meeting? If you don't explain it clearly today, don't think about getting away with it.”
Xiaohongtang gritted her teeth all along, enduring the pain, stubbornly refusing to speak.
“Stubborn, huh?”
Tang Linshi grabbed Xiaohongtang's cloth bag and poured out a large pile of maps, resentfully, “You actually tore the books given by the teacher page by page and drew maps on them. You, you…”
Tang Linshi couldn't bear it and tore the map to shreds.
“Mom, please don't tear it!” Xiaohongtang didn't care about her swollen butt and went over to grab the map. As a result, Tang Linshi slapped her hard across the face.
This was the first time Xiaohongtang had been hit, leaving a red palm print on her delicate little face, half of her face swelling up.
Because the commotion at the gate was too loud, Tang Qingyun and Tang Qingfeng also came out, even the old master of the Tang family came out. After the three of them learned the whole story, they didn't stop Tang Linshi either.
Tang Qingfeng felt that the matter was very serious, so he walked over and roared at Xiaohongtang, “Speak! Why did you do this!?”
This was the first time Xiaohongtang had been roared at by Tang Qingfeng like this, and she was frightened, and burst into tears.
Although Xie An felt sorry for her, he also felt that this matter was not small and indeed needed to be taught a good lesson.
Not to mention in the chaotic world of the Great Qian, even in his previous life, skipping class was a big deal for children. It was normal for parents to beat and scold them.
However, Xie An still hoped that Xiaohongtang would say it sooner, otherwise she would have to continue being beaten.
Countless people were staring at Xiaohongtang, her thin body appearing so fragile in the wind, silently squatting on the ground, picking up the torn shreds of the map, trying to piece them together.
While shedding tears, she sobbed, “I haven't seen my little grandfather for four years. I miss riding on my little grandfather's shoulders to go to school, I miss my little grandfather taking me to eat all kinds of delicious food.
I heard that my little grandfather disappeared in the Dayin Mountains, and my grandfather went to look for him several times without any results. I wanted to go find him myself… so I asked my best friends Ah Liang and Xiaotong for help, to hold a heroes' meeting, to first kill a rabid dog to embolden ourselves…”
The more she spoke, the more excited she became, and finally she couldn't catch her breath, “I know that my little grandfather practiced the Chongshan Blade, so I carved a wooden knife, also called Chongshan Blade. I overheard my grandfather and father talking, saying that my little grandfather might have died in the Dayin Mountains.
I don't believe it, I just want to see my little grandfather. I want to go find my little grandfather, so I drew many, many maps. Wuwuwu…”
In the end, Xiaohongtang held a pile of torn map scraps, fell to the ground and wailed, “Xiaohongtang wants to go find her little grandfather, Xiaohongtang doesn't want her little grandfather to die, Xiaohongtang misses her little grandfather… Wuwu!”
The surrounding crowd, who had originally been pointing fingers at Xiaohongtang, saying that Xiaohongtang was a bad child, all fell silent after hearing Xiaohongtang's words. Their attitude also changed one hundred and eighty degrees.
Tang Lin's eyes reddened. She squatted down, looking at the scattered pieces of paper on the ground, her heart aching as if stabbed by a knife. She reached out to caress Little Red Bean's swollen face, "I didn't expect my Little Red Bean to be so sensible. It's all Mom's fault. Mom will help you pick up the pieces and put them back together."
Little Red Bean raised her head, her eyes glistening with tears, "Mom, are you not mad at me for skipping class?"
Tang Lin gently wiped the corner of her eyes, "I'm not mad. It's Mom's fault for not asking clearly at the beginning and hitting you without knowing the truth. Little Red Bean did a good job."
Then, Tang Lin embraced Little Red Bean, "My good child, Little Red Bean is a good child."
"Come, Grandpa will also help you pick up the pieces. Then we'll put it together," Tang Zhengyang said as he walked over, squatted down, picked up the scattered pieces of paper, and pieced them together one by one.
Tang Qingyun and Tang Qingfeng also joined in to help.
"Dad will also help Little Red Bean."
"Uncle will also help our Little Red Bean."
The whole family surrounded Little Red Bean, helping to piece together the map.
Little Red Bean burst into laughter through her tears.
Soon, A'liang and Xiao Tong also rushed over.
"Leader, I'm here to help you."
"Leader, I'm also here to help you."
Little Red Bean wiped away her tears, completely forgetting the pain in her face and bottom, and began to direct with an air of precociousness, "Hehe, once the map is pieced together, the leader will take you to explore Da Yin Mountain..."
Before she could finish speaking, Little Red Bean felt a long shadow covering her, and the shadow was constantly approaching her. She instinctively looked up and saw a young man in a cyan waist-tied brocade robe slowly walking towards her.
The brocade robe wasn't luxurious, but it was very clean. His long hair swayed in the breeze, and the afterglow of the setting sun fell on his heroic yet familiar face. The young man was also carrying pastries, sugar figurines, and candied hawthorns in his hand.
This person was very young, but Little Red Bean still recognized him at a glance. She immediately threw away the pieces of paper in her hand and ran towards the young man, shouting, "Little Grandpa!"
She ran while wiping away her tears, her thin body running towards the setting sun. Finally, she threw herself into the young man's arms, her hands tightly hooking around his neck.
The young man was holding gifts and didn't have free hands, so he used his wrist to lift Little Red Bean up.
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Xie An had seen everything just now, and his eyes couldn't help but turn red. Especially when he saw Tang Lin tear up the map she had painstakingly created, how sad she must have been.
However, Xie An waited until his eyes weren't so red before walking out of the crowd. He didn't want to bring sad emotions to Little Red Bean.
"Little Grandpa, where have you been?"
"Grandpa got lost in Da Yin Mountain. I walked and walked, and it took me four years to get out."
"You're so silly, you can't even tell the difference between east, west, north, and south."
Xie An was speechless by Little Red Bean's words. He glanced at the scattered pieces of paper and said, "Isn't that because there's no Little Red Bean's map? How about Little Red Bean put the map back together and give it to Grandpa later, so Grandpa won't get lost."
Little Red Bean was overjoyed, "Okay. Let me tell you, my map is not just randomly drawn. I asked the teacher and drew it according to a certain ratio. If you take the map, you definitely won't get lost."
Xie An's childlike innocence was also inspired by Little Red Bean's words, "Little Red Bean is amazing, you can even draw maps. I have to keep it safe in the future."
"Little Grandpa, put me down first."
Xie An put Little Red Bean down. Little Red Bean ran over and stuffed all the scraps of paper into her schoolbag, "A'liang, Xiao Tong, listen up. Our Heroes Association is hereby disbanded. Everyone should study hard in the future."
Xiao Tong was very disappointed.
A'liang's focus was different, "What about the buns?"
Little Red Bean patted her schoolbag, "There won't be less for you."
A'liang was overjoyed.
The two little brats left one after another, each holding their own adults' hands, leaving in the setting sun.
Xie An handed the sugar figurine and candied hawthorns to Little Red Bean, then pinched Little Red Bean's cheek, and finally handed the pastries to Tang Lin, "Madam Tang, these are the pastries I brought for you."
Tang Lin happily accepted them, then pulled the reluctant Little Red Bean away, "Let's go back first, Mom will apply medicine for you. Your little grandpa and your great-grandfather have something to say."
Little Red Bean winked her bright eyes at Xie An, then hopped away.
Xie An walked to Tang Zhengyang and cupped his fist, "Big Brother."
Tang Zhengyang grasped Xie An's hand, tears streaming down his face, "Good, it's good that you're back. Come, let's go inside and talk."
Tang Zhengyang warmly pulled Xie An's hand into the door and said to Tang Qingfeng, "Have the cook prepare a sumptuous lunch. And bring out the vintage wine I have treasured in the wine cellar."
...
Lunch was eaten together by the whole family.
Tang Qingfeng and Tang Qingyun, Tang Lin and Little Red Bean, and Xie An and Old Master Tang.
As in the past, there was nothing unfamiliar.
Tang Lin was still very virtuous, taking the initiative to serve tea and water for everyone, and only sat down to eat after taking good care of everyone. And Little Red Bean insisted on sitting on Xie An's lap to eat.
Tang Lin scolded her, "Do you still think it's four years ago? You've grown taller. Sitting on your little grandpa's lap, how can your little grandpa eat?"
Little Red Bean snorted and turned her head away, ignoring Tang Lin.
Xie An smiled, "It's okay. I'm tall. It doesn't affect it."
Little Red Bean smiled and said, "Little Grandpa still dotes on me."
Then Little Red Bean gave Tang Lin a slightly smug look, as if saying: Mom, you should learn from this...
Tang Lin was speechless and glared at Little Red Bean. Seeing that Little Red Bean pretended not to see it, Tang Lin gave up. In her heart, Tang Lin was not angry with Little Red Bean. Seeing that a little grandpa doted on her daughter so much, she was very gratified.
During the meal, Little Red Bean kept asking Xie An what he had done in the past four years. Xie An had no choice but to lie... saying that he got lost, fought monsters, and so on.
Xie An couldn't bear to tell an eleven-year-old girl about the tragic and evil side of the Refining Corpse Hall.
Even though it was a lie, Little Red Bean still listened with great interest, and occasionally asked why this monster was so easily defeated?
Xie An had no choice but to fabricate one lie after another...
After the meal, Tang Lin took Little Red Bean away under the pretext that Little Red Bean needed to catch up on her homework.
Without outsiders, everyone spoke much more directly.
Tang Qingfeng said, "In the four years you were gone, adoptive father went up the mountain seven times to look for you, and ran around seeking help everywhere. And your two disciples also came to Tang Family Fort many times to seek help..."
Xie An looked at Tang Zhengyang, feeling that this big brother had aged a lot. His temples were already turning white, and the wrinkles on his face were much deeper. He must have been worried about his affairs.
Thinking of this, Xie An was very moved.
At the beginning of his transmigration into this world, he was a refugee who was sold cheaply and had no relatives. In times of trouble, he could receive such concern from his two disciples, and such concern from his big brother.
It was really heartwarming.
Xie An cupped his fist and said, "Thank you, Big Brother, for your concern."
Tang Zhengyang said, "Between brothers, there's no need to say such polite words. I just ran around seeking help. You stayed in Da Yin Mountain for four years, you're the one who suffered. What happened in these four years?"
Facing his big brother Tang Zhengyang, Xie An felt that there was nothing to hide except for the Longevity Physique.
Xie An told the story in detail.
After listening to Xie An's story, everyone present couldn't help but gasp.
Even Tang Qingfeng and Tang Qingyun themselves were martial artists with considerable strength, they couldn't help but marvel at Xie An's experience.
Only Old Master Tang was relatively calm. He realized the seriousness of the problem, dismissed Tang Qingyun and Tang Qingfeng, and then said to Xie An, "Fifth Brother, you said that High Priest Jin Hai'er was killed by the Eldest Princess. But Li Changchun is still alive?"
Xie An said, "Yes. Jin Hai'er's aunt is Jin Xiaotang, the former dynasty's empress and the leader of the Longevity Sect. The High Priest and Li Changchun spent a hundred years collecting eight thousand strands of corpse energy to nourish this Immortal Queen. Unfortunately, she ran away. Her whereabouts are still unknown."
Hiss.
Even Tang Zhengyang, this centenarian, was no longer calm after hearing this.
Li Changchun was Tang Zhengyang's teacher after all.
After being stunned for a long time, Tang Zhengyang recovered, "The vast world is really full of wonders. Reaching the nineteenth level of the Bright Jade Skill can really rejuvenate and prolong life. It's a pity that I've been stuck at the sixth level for many years, and my limit is coming soon..."
A long sigh exhausted Tang Zhengyang's life's helplessness.
Tang Zhengyang was a martial artist with a lifespan limit of one hundred and fifty years.
Now he was over one hundred and forty years old, with less than ten years left.
Breaking through to the Martial Dao Grandmaster could naturally reach three hundred years of life, but this step was too difficult.
In the entire Nanzhou, there were tens of millions of people. Only two Martial Dao Grandmasters were known, one of whom, the Eldest Princess, came from the capital. The only Martial Dao Grandmaster native to Nanzhou was He Nanfeng.
The difficulty of breaking through to Grandmaster can be seen.
Xie An couldn't help but feel a burst of emotion, "Big Brother, is it necessary to break through the Four Seasons Barrier to increase lifespan?"
Tang Zhengyang said, "Yes. A martial artist's lifespan of one hundred and fifty years is the upper limit. In fact, most martial artists don't live that long, at most one hundred and ten or twenty before they die of old age. After all, martial artists practice martial arts, which also hurts themselves and damages their bodies. It's difficult to reach the theoretical upper limit. I also rely on practicing the Bright Jade Skill all year round to nourish my body and smooth out the damage, so that I can approach this one hundred and fifty-year upper limit. If I can break through the Four Seasons Barrier, I can increase my lifespan by several decades. If I can't, I probably have only six or seven years left."
Xie An was silent.
He had a Longevity Physique and had not encountered any Four Seasons Barrier. Even if he wanted to help Big Brother Tang, he didn't know where to start.
Suddenly, Tang Zhengyang looked up at Xie An and smiled, "Fifth Brother, you look much younger. What level have you reached in the Bright Jade Skill?"
