Myriad Immortals

The old man was the steward of the Zhang family. His politeness towards Zhong Xuan was purely out of habit. In truth, he didn't have much respect for Zhong Xuan, a poor scholar who couldn't even pass the county-level imperial examination.

Enter through the side door.

Zhong Xuan followed the old steward of the Zhang family and arrived at a three-story building in the courtyard with ease.

This is the library of the Zhang family mansion.

After leading Zhong Xuan inside, the old butler did not leave, but stood quietly to the side.

The price of paper in Qingguo was so high.

For an average farmer, buying an introductory textbook would require saving every penny; a library of this size would be worth a hundred taels of gold.

Since the Zhang family built their library, not only have great scholars visited, but even the county magistrate has come in person.

It can be said that this library is the face of the Zhang family patriarch.

If anything goes wrong, even an old man like him who has served the family for decades will be held accountable by Master Zhang.

It's not uncommon for scholars to steal books.

"Mr. Chung, please."

The steward of the Zhang residence brought out writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

Qingzhou Purple Hair.

The penholder is made of tortoiseshell, and even on a slightly cool autumn day, it feels pleasantly warm to hold.

This pen alone is worth eighty taels of silver, enough to feed a family in Xiahe Village for ten years.

Zhong Xuan could only use such precious items when he came to the Zhang residence to copy books.

"It is said that when the patriarch of the Zhang family was young, he traveled to other states and was guided by a master who taught him superior martial arts. In his middle age, he returned to Baisha County and made his fortune by escorting goods. He then gradually expanded his family business, and now most of the restaurants and rice shops in the city are owned by the Zhang family."

of course.

All of the above are just the Zhang family's attempts to embellish their own image.

If you live long enough, you will witness the birth of a legend.

Actually.

The Zhang family patriarch made his fortune through shady dealings and smuggling salt during the years of great floods and chaos. After his business grew, he laundered his money. This was no secret during the turmoil twenty years ago. As time passed, those in Baisha City who knew about this old story gradually died of illness or old age.

Only an old man like Zhong Xuan, who has lived long enough, would remember this.

Zhong Xuan wrote from noon until evening.

In the past, he probably would have been blinded and his wrists would have been numb.

However, because of the improvement in his physical constitution, he did not feel tired at all after copying books for three hours.

But he still pretended to be unwell, carefully placed the Qingzhou Purple Brush on the table, and bowed to the old steward behind him who was yawning, saying, "Steward Zhang, a total of five thousand words have been copied today."

"Hard."

The steward of the Zhang family smiled slightly.

Zhong Xuan finished writing, and he could go back to rest earlier without having to stay in the library.

Then.

The Zhang family steward led Zhong Xuan to the accounting office.

The rule set by the Zhang family patriarch was one coin for every hundred characters, a price that was considered very high in Baisha County.

Zhong Xuan took fifty coins from the accountant.

If he were to support a family, he would naturally be struggling to make ends meet, but he was all alone, so although he was not wealthy, he did not have to go hungry, and even had some savings.

Zhong Xuan did not leave the Zhang residence immediately.

Instead, they turned a corner and arrived at a small courtyard on the outskirts of the Zhang residence.

"Hey, Brother Zhong, what brings you here?"

The person who pushed open the door was a middle-aged man with a full beard.

His name is Pei Yong.

He is the Zhang family's guardian martial arts master.

The so-called "guardian shrine" naturally meant living in the Zhang family mansion.

Pei Yong had a son who was of school age. He heard that Zhong Xuan was copying books in the mansion, so he went to Zhong Xuan to teach his son to read. Over time, the two got along quite well.

"Brother Pei, I have a favor to ask of you."

Zhong Xuan got straight to the point.

Pei Yong's expression didn't change much. He simply said, "Brother Zhong, just say so. As long as it's within my power, I'm naturally willing to help. But as you know, Brother Zhong, I don't have any great abilities..."

Having lived for so long, Zhong Xuan could certainly understand Pei Yong's meaning.

Seeing that he's teaching his son to read, I can help with small favors, but if it's something more complicated, then there's no point in talking, so I'd better stop as soon as possible.

Zhong Xuan: "Brother Pei, lately I've been feeling sore in my lower back and weak in my legs, and it's been difficult for me to walk to the city. I was wondering if you have any health-preserving exercises here?"

"Cultivation technique..."

Pei Yong frowned slightly, feeling a little displeased.

"Brother Zhong, this health-preserving exercise also requires the nourishment of qi and blood. At your age, I'm afraid..."

He naturally possessed health-preserving techniques, but even the most basic ones would fetch several taels of silver at a martial arts school in the city.

The favor of teaching Zhong Xuan to read... is not enough.

And as he said.

The kind of old immortals who become more monstrous with age only exists in storytellers' tales. Martial arts emphasize that youth is more powerful than strength. Most martial arts schools do not accept students over the age of fourteen. Zhong Xuan was already sixty. For others, they would have reached the age of declining health and would have no use learning from him.

But the conversation was only halfway through.

Then Zhong Xuan took out some loose silver from his sleeve that he had prepared beforehand: "Xiao Hu is a smart child, and he is growing very fast now. Take this silver and buy him some good food to nourish his body."

No need to touch it.

Pei Yongguang estimated that it was at least three ounces just by looking at it.

Looking at the broken silver coins, he swallowed back the words he was about to say.

"Brother Zhong, you're too kind. That brat Hu Zi is truly blessed to have a teacher like you."

Pei Yong laughed heartily:

"I do have a health-preserving exercise here, which is most suitable for Brother Zhong. I'll go get it right away."

A moment later.

Pei Yong returned, carrying with him a book with an old cover—"Eight Pieces of Brocade".

"Thank you, Brother Pei."

Zhong Xuan bowed in thanks, accepted the book, chatted casually for a couple of minutes, and then turned and left.

Such is the fickle nature of human relationships.

In the past, when Pei Yong begged him to teach his son, he would naturally address him as "brother." But today, if he didn't offer money, he might be given the cold shoulder or even kicked out of the house.

After all.

He's an old man with one foot in the grave, and nobody's afraid of him. Nobody will dare to lend him money unless he offers something substantial.

"All the money I've saved over the years is gone."

Zhong Xuan looked at the book in his hand, feeling no pain whatsoever.

......

......

"Close your eyes and sit in meditation, clench your fists and concentrate your mind. Clench your teeth thirty-six times, and hold your hands to the Kunlun point. Resonate like the heavenly drum to the left and right... Repeat this cycle in sequence, the Eight Trigrams are the auspicious cause."

Zhong Xuan was a student who had completed his studies at a young age, so he did not have the problem of learning to read.

"I've heard that some martial arts masters are not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also great masters of Taoism and Buddhism."

The Eight Pieces of Brocade consists of three thousand characters.

It only took half an hour to finish reading it.

"This is the seated Eight Pieces of Brocade. According to the preface in the book, it was created by an old ancestor of a Taoist sect. With this skill, the old ancestor lived for a full sixty years."

In this regard.

Zhong Xuan wouldn't believe a single word of it.

It's highly likely that it was fabricated by the descendants of that ancestor.

You think you can buy immortality with just three taels of silver?

But for Zhong Xuan, it was at least a martial arts technique.

January.

Two months.

After three months of cultivation, Zhong Xuan clearly felt that he was no longer as afraid of the cold as before, and could even easily lift a 100-pound stone roller.