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

Chapter 2 Health Preservation Exercises

"Master, you're already fifty years old. You should take it easy for a few days. Why are you still practicing martial arts? What if you sprain your back?"

A young man in gray, surrounded by the other guys, spoke in a tone that was half concerned and half joking, causing a burst of laughter.

He was Zhang Bing, Xie An's eldest disciple, and had mastered the art of identifying and pricing objects to great proficiency.

While Xie An was recuperating, Zhang Bing handled most of the appraisal work at the pawnshop. During this time, there were no problems and the pawnshop operated smoothly.

Many people were discussing privately that after Old Xie passed away, the position of Master Chaofeng would most likely be taken by Zhang Bing.

Xie An was displeased by Zhang Bing's teasing, but he didn't show any abnormality. He just said to Chen Yuan, "I'm just looking for some health-preserving exercises to invigorate my body."

Seeing Xie An's serious expression, Chen Yuan pulled out an old, black-leather book from his pocket and handed it to Xie An. "Old Xie, I've been practicing this half of the Five Animal Exercises for several years, but it's not very useful. Take it easy, and don't really twist your waist."

Although he was giving a kind reminder, his words revealed regret.

Health-preserving exercises require years of persistent practice to maintain a healthy body. If Xie An had started practicing ten years ago, it might have been helpful, but how many days would he have left now?
Xie An took the health-preserving exercise, said thank you and turned to leave.

As soon as Xie An left, Zhang Bing came to the counter and muttered, "Boss, the master is already this old. If something happens to him because of the health-preserving exercises you gave him, the boss will inevitably be implicated..."

Chen Yuan glanced at Zhang Bing and asked, "Why? Don't you want your master to live a few more years?"

A subtle panic flashed across Zhang Bing's face. "Of course, I hope Master lives a long and healthy life. I'm just worried that he might have sprained something while practicing."

Chen Yuan lowered his head and continued to fight the crickets, muttering, "Then what are you talking about? Go back to work."

"Go here."

Zhang Bing left dejectedly, feeling unhappy.

I had been kind enough to remind the shopkeeper and try to curry his favor, but I didn't expect to be lectured in return.

But thinking about the way Xie An walked just now, he was trembling, and it was obvious that he would not live for many days.

Then I felt relieved.

After I became the master of the court, the shopkeeper no longer dared to order me around like that.

……

When Xie An left the pawnshop, he happened to see Zhang Bing whispering in Chen Yuan's ear with a fawning look on his face.

"No wonder you didn't come to visit me. You were so busy trying to curry favor with the shopkeeper, bypassing me..."

"Do you really think you've learned enough skills to surpass me and become the chief court official?"

After thirty years of traveling, although Xie An had not made much progress in other areas, he had acquired an extraordinary skill in identifying treasures.

He didn't teach this unique skill to his apprentices.

He would never let something like teaching his apprentice to starve to death happen to him.

In fact, Xie An had no choice but to delve into the art of identifying objects.

When he first crossed over, he was already a lowly servant who sold himself to the Li family. He had no money to practice martial arts, so he could only concentrate on learning the art of appraising objects from the old court official.

By the time Xie An had saved enough money, he was already past the age to practice martial arts. Moreover, seeing Xie An's superb skills, the master of the Li Mansion refused to let go of his indenture contract.

"Forget it, the most urgent thing is to increase my lifespan. I don't want to die of old age..."

Returning to the hut in the backyard, Xie An locked the door and sat down to watch the Five Animal Exercises.

The Five Animal Exercises weren't a proper martial arts manual, but rather a traditional medical technique for maintaining health. They could be purchased on the black market outside Wuqiao Town. Xie An, despite being teased, went to Chen Yuan simply to save five taels of silver.

The world in this world is different from the previous life. It is extremely difficult to make money.

The average farmer, after a year of hard work, could only harvest a dozen or so taels of rice. After deducting the cost and labor, it was barely enough to make ends meet.

A pawnshop clerk would earn about four or five taels of silver a year, while an apprentice court official would earn about seven or eight taels, barely enough to make ends meet.

Xie An's salary as a court attendant was higher, about twenty taels a year. It seemed like a lot, but as people age, they have many health problems and need money everywhere. Since there wasn't much left, it was better to save whenever possible.

They say that when you are young you earn money with your life, and when you are old you buy your life with money. This is not an exaggeration at all.

"The ancient immortals practiced Daoyin, stretching their necks like bears and their backs like owls, pulling and twisting their waists and bodies, and moving all their joints, in order to prolong aging. I have a technique called the Five Animals Exercise. One is the tiger, two is the deer, three is the bear, four is the ape, and five is the bird..."

The first sentence of the opening chapter made Xie An's eyes light up.

The ancient immortals...seemed very awesome.

After reading it through, Xie An's expression became much darker.

It is said that many authors like to create a gimmick at the beginning, with a very exaggerated title to lure readers in first, and then start feeding them all kinds of shit... The author of this Five Animal Play is also an expert in creating gimmicks.

He is an immortal at the beginning, but the following content has nothing to do with immortals.

To put it simply, it is to dredge the meridians, harmonize qi and blood, activate the muscles and bones, and lubricate the joints. In other words, it improves physical fitness and enhances disease resistance.

No wonder Shopkeeper Chen said that there wasn’t much effect after practicing for several years.

However, Xie An had no better solution at the moment and could only hope for a long life.

Xie An stood up, moved the dining table away, cleared some space, and began to practice.

The Five Animal Frolics is a form of exercise that combines external movement with internal tranquility, seeking stillness within movement. It features five classic movements: a tiger seeking food, a deer running, a bear shaking its feet, a monkey plucking fruit, and a crane soaring.

When practicing, the imitation is required to be realistic, not only similar in appearance but also in spirit, such as the fierce pounce of a tiger, the stretching of the deer's neck and the looking back, the cleverness and agility of an ape, the deep and steady posture of a bear, and the standing upright with its wings spread.

These movements may seem simple, but it is difficult to imitate them in spirit and form. You need to practice standing meditation first to achieve body coordination.

Xie An was not in a hurry for success, after all, he had survived for thirty years.

He stretched his legs, lowered his shoulders and elbows, tucked his chest in and straightened his back. He imagined himself as a wooden stake, keeping his body coordinated and his lower body motionless.

The movements look simple, similar to the horse stance in the previous life, but in fact the standards are much higher.

After a few moves, Xie An was sweating profusely and the muscles in his hands and feet were twitching.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Xie An collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath, feeling as if his old bones were about to fall apart.

"I thought that only martial arts practitioners needed to learn standing meditation, but I didn't expect that health-preserving exercises were no exception."

If it weren't for this golden finger, Xie An really didn't want to suffer in vain.

Now that there is hope for longevity and immortality, we have to give it a try no matter how hard or tiring it is.

"Come again."

We practiced until noon when there was a knock on the door.

"Master, it's time for lunch."

It was He Chunli who brought lunch again.

Xie An opened the door and couldn't help but look at He Chunli again, "Where's Zhang Bing?"

He Chunli hung his head, "Brother Zhang went to the Li Mansion and said he had something important to report to the Master of the Li Mansion."

Not only did he fail to please the shopkeeper by bypassing himself, but he also went two levels higher to please Mr. Li?

In this world, when one becomes a disciple, one must dress properly, wash hands, kowtow, give a gift of tuition, offer tea to the teacher, and observe filial piety.

Apprentices must provide for their masters in their old age and till the end of their lives.

Once a teacher, always a father. This is not just a saying.

Otherwise, why would a master pass on his skills to his apprentice at the risk of starving himself to death?
Although Xie An was still a slave, it was not uncommon for slaves to work as skilled laborers. When he first accepted three apprentices, although the etiquette was simple, he did have some ceremony of apprenticeship.

Earlier, when Zhang Bing's disciples became his apprentices, they all said that they would take care of Xie An in his old age and see him to the end of his life.

Now that he is about to fall, Zhang Bing is not only indifferent and cold to him, but also eager to replace him.

This undoubtedly touched Xie An's bottom line.

"I understand, go and do your work."

Xie An took the tray and returned to the room.

A bowl of white rice and a bowl of tofu soup.

Although there was no meat, Xie An was already hungry after standing in the stance for a whole morning. He ate his meal in big mouthfuls and continued to practice.

After practicing until dusk, Xie An collapsed to the ground again due to exhaustion.

I could clearly feel a warm current flowing through my lower abdomen, slowly flowing through my limbs and bones, and my back pain also improved slightly.

The next moment, two lines of small words appeared before my eyes:
Current Health-Preserving Exercise: Five Animal Exercises (First Look: 1/100)

[Hint: If you have mastered the basic skills, you can increase your lifespan by six years.]

(End of this chapter)