Elderly Martial Saint: Sixty Times the Cultivation Speed ​​at the Start

I had a rare, comfortable lunch.

The pheasant soup was glistening with oil, and the salted radish tasted better than usual. Even the dish of wild vegetables with garlic had been given the air of a restaurant cold dish by Jiang Yuexin.

After the meal, Jiang Yuexin took the bowls and chopsticks to the well to wash them.

Yang Hui rolled up her sleeves and insisted on taking over half the work, while still being sarcastic.

"Yuexin, your hands are so soft, don't soak them in cold water all the time. When you get married, your in-laws will think you're working like an ox every day because of your rough hands."

Jiang Yuexin blushed and retorted, "Aunt Yang, you're talking nonsense again."

"I'm talking nonsense?" Yang Hui rinsed the bowl in the water, her voice so loud it could scare away sparrows on the wall. "Auntie is teaching you how to manage a household in advance. If you marry a useless man, make him cook for himself. Don't spoil him."

After washing the dishes, Jiang Yuexin felt sleepy and started yawning.

Upon seeing her appearance, Yi Yang waved his hand, telling Jiang Yuexin to go take a nap.

After tidying up the kitchen, Yang Hui wiped her hands and walked out.

As she reached the courtyard gate, she turned back to look at Yi Yang.

"Uncle Yi, Yuexin looks much better these past few days, and you seem more energetic too. That's good."

After she finished speaking, she left in a hurry.

The courtyard quieted down.

The locust leaves rustled in the hot wind, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, falling to the ground and breaking into dazzling golden spots.

Yi Yang lay on the rattan chair and rested for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.

The effects of the medicine haven't completely dissipated in my chest and abdomen yet; that medicinal bath this morning was very nourishing.

Yi Yang got up, stretched his shoulders and back, and his joints cracked slightly.

A rough porcelain bowl sat beside the rattan chair, half-filled with warm water.

He took two sips, walked to the old locust tree, spread his feet apart, and loosely embraced his arms, preparing to continue standing in the Yi Wood Longevity Stake.

We can't rest now. Yang Er is still here, and Yang Da is still here. It's not time for us to rest yet, especially since he's already had enough rest in the past sixty years.

Just as Yi Yang had calmed his breathing, footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.

Before I could even knock, someone outside called out.

"Is Grandpa Yi home?"

Judging from the voice, it was Zhou Liang, the head hunter of the village.

Upon hearing that it was him, Yi Yang stopped his stance, picked up his tattered fan, and sat back down in his rattan chair.

"The door's unlocked, come in."

The courtyard gate was pushed open.

Zhou Liang carried a hunting bow on his back, a short knife hanging at his waist, grass clippings on his trouser legs, and sweat on his forehead. He exuded a ruggedness carried by the mountain winds.

He entered the room intending to speak, but his eyes fell on Yi Yang, and he stopped in his tracks.

"Old man."

Zhou Liang squinted and looked around halfway up and down.

"That's not right."

Yi Yang waved his fan and said nonchalantly, "What's wrong with that? My head is still on my neck."

Zhou Liang took two steps closer and looked around him, becoming more and more puzzled.

"Your face... is much rosier than before. Your back is straighter too. Did you secretly eat some treasure?"

Yi Yang tapped his fan on his knee.

"I stole your treasure? Go look in my rice jar. Even a mouse would have to give up half a grain of rice before it could go in."

Zhou Liang did not believe it.

He lowered his voice and leaned closer mysteriously.

"Old man, we've been friends for a while, haven't we? If you really have a secret to turning back the clock, give me a piece of your mind."

Yi Yang glanced at him and scoffed, "Why do you want to become young again?"

Zhou Liang coughed twice, his stubble twitching. "It's not about turning back the clock, it's mainly about... regaining my virility."

Yi Yang nearly choked on his water and said rudely, "If you're here to talk about this, then get lost right now."

Zhou Liang chuckled twice.

"Don't rush to scold me. My husband has been looking at me like I'm a used bow on sale lately, complaining that I'm useless. If you have a remedy, I'll trade two mountain rabbits for it."

Yi Yang raised his hand and pointed to the courtyard gate.

"If you keep talking nonsense, you won't even get a rabbit hair into my house."

Zhou Liang finished laughing and composed himself.

He took the hunting bow off his shoulder and leaned against the wall. "Old man, I'm not here to fool around."

Seeing his expression, Yi Yang slowed down his fan movements.

"Something happened?"

Zhou Liang nodded, his expression somewhat serious, and said, "A giant snake has been causing trouble on Qingmu Mountain recently."

Yi Yang stroked the fan handle with his fingers, without saying a word.

Zhou Liang wiped away his sweat, his brow furrowed and his face tense. "In the neighboring Blackwater Village, a hunter's dog died. He went up the mountain to look for the dog, but now he's disappeared along with it."

"Recently, some people have seen long, wide paths carved out of the grass in the mountain gullies. They weren't made by people walking on them, nor by wild boars."

Zhou Liang's throat moved as he said this.

Hunters make their living in the mountains; they've seen wild animals and dead people, but some things they actually encounter can still send chills down their spines.

"Traces have also been found in our Miki Village area."

"On the eastern slope of Qingmu Mountain, a large patch of bark was scraped off, and there were drag marks on the ground with scales still visible in the wet mud. That thing was at least as thick as a large bowl."

Upon hearing Zhou Liang's words, Yi Yang recalled what had happened last year.

I found that broken purple wood on the eastern slope of Qingmu Mountain.

When he first found that piece of purple wood, there were drag marks next to it, and it smelled fishy.

It now appears that the snake either hibernated in winter and accidentally bumped into the purple wood, or broke the tree trunk while coiling around it.

Now that the summer heat has arrived, it has awakened and begun to forage for food.

Whether it's a person, a dog, or a pig, in that creature's eyes, they're all just meat.

Zhou Liang continued, "Grandpa, don't go up the mountain to chop firewood lately. If you don't have enough firewood, I'll bring you two bundles. Don't overexert yourself."

Yi Yang looked up and asked, "And what about you?"

Zhou Liang gave a bitter smile, his tone tinged with bitterness. "I don't dare go deep into the mountains anymore. The hunters in the village have discussed it and decided to just stay at the foot of the mountain for the next few days, and catch fewer rabbits. Life is more important. No matter how tempting the money is, if you don't live to take it, it's all for nothing."

He paused, then cursed again.

"These days are fucking tough. The government's demanding taxes, the landlords' demanding rent, the gangs' demanding protection money, and now this serpent has appeared out of nowhere. It's so hard for ordinary people to even breathe!"

Yi Yang asked, "What did the village chief say?"

"I heard that the village chief just asked Yang Er to write a letter to his brother."

Zhou Liang curled his lip. "Yang Da works in the county and has people under him. I heard he's made a name for himself in martial arts. If he's willing to come back and bring a few constables up the mountain, he can probably solve the problem."

Yi Yang didn't say anything.

Yang Da's return may be a relief to the villagers, perhaps to rid them of the snake.

This might not be a good thing for his little courtyard.

Yang Er was thinking about the purple wood.

Sun Mazi has gone missing.

With all these things piled up, someone like Yang Da, who had been through the ups and downs of the county government, would definitely have a nose sharper than a village dog.

Seeing that Yi Yang remained silent, Zhou Liang assumed he was worried about making a living from firewood, so he waved his hand and said, "Grandpa, don't force yourself. You're old, and Yuexin is still young. Those things on the mountain aren't like Sun Mazi, you can't scare them away with a few curses."

Yi Yang looked at him and pretended to be scared, saying, "I'm not stupid enough to feed myself to snakes."

Zhou Liang breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Yi Yang's words.

"That's fine then. I was just worried that you'd be slow to get the news and would still be carrying your basket into the mountains as usual."

Yi Yang used a broken fan to shoo them away. "Alright, I've reminded you. Go back now, don't try to mooch chicken soup from me, there's none left in the pot."

Zhou Liang, thick-skinned as ever, peeked into the kitchen.

"Really, there's nothing left?"

"The pots and pans have all been washed."

"Tsk, I'm late."

Zhou Liang slung his hunting bow over his shoulder and prepared to leave. As he reached the door, he turned back and added a sentence.

"If you hear chickens or ducks squawking at night, don't go out to see what's going on; protect Yuexin first."

"Um."

Zhou Liang then left.

After the courtyard gate closed, Yi Yang sat for a long time, pondering to himself:

"The giant snake has awakened. Yang Er wrote a letter, and Yang Da might reply. Trouble is truly piling up one after another."

Yi Yang touched his forearm. After the skin tempering, his skin and flesh were tougher, and his strength had also increased.

But we don't know if it's enough to deal with that thing up in the mountain.

That snake could eat dogs, could kill hunters, had a body as thick as a large bowl, was quite venomous, and was also very strong.

If it were to come down the mountain, Jiang Yuexin, Yang Hui, and the entire Sanmu Village would have to sleep with their eyes open at night.

Not to mention Yang Da, the head constable of the county yamen, who has connections with officials, men, and knives.

He's much more difficult to deal with than Yang Er.

Yi Yang suppressed his distracting thoughts.

Being anxious is useless, and being afraid is useless. In chaotic times, fear is the least valuable thing; even a dog wouldn't bother with it if you threw it on the ground. Only strength can give you a peaceful night's sleep.

He stood up and went back to the locust tree.

Reposition the Yi Wood Longevity Pillar, straighten your back, and gently hug your arms while pressing your breath into your lower abdomen.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

In the evening, I took another medicinal bath to replenish my qi and blood, and insisted on practicing one more time.

That night, Jiang Yuexin asked him why he was practicing even more diligently.

Yi Yang only replied with one sentence: "Old bones rust, they need more grinding."

Jiang Yuexin held the bowl and nodded earnestly.

"Then I'll cook for you more often from now on."

Looking at her still childish face, Yi Yang stopped teasing her.

Some things don't need to be said.

....................................

Five days have passed.

The atmosphere in Miki Village has changed.

In the past, people would carry baskets into the mountains before dawn, but now the village entrance is deserted, and hunters only dare to wander around the fields.

Occasionally, pheasants would dart about at the foot of the mountain, and village dogs would bark a few times before quickly tucking their tails between their legs and scurrying back to their burrows.

The words "big snake" are like damp grass covering a stove fire; though no flame is visible, the smoke still irritates everyone.

Yi Yang hasn't had a moment's rest these past five days. He practices standing meditation four times a day and is also using the blood-activating and qi-dispersing medicinal bath sparingly.

The progress on the panel is increasing rapidly.

It was early morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten.

Yi Yang stood in the courtyard and put away his stance.

An old steed in its stall may still aspire to gallop a thousand miles.

[Yi Wood Health Preservation Exercise Level 2: (1200/3000)]

One thousand and two.

At this rate, I should be able to achieve the second level of Qi and Blood in a few more days.

Meat Training Realm.

By then, with strong muscles and increased strength, as long as they don't go into the city, they won't have to worry too much about the surrounding villages and towns.

But right now, it's not quite ready yet. Yi Yang picked up the warm water and had just taken a sip when the village entrance suddenly became lively.

Shortly after, the courtyard gate was pushed open.

She rushed in like a gust of wind, her apron askew.

"Uncle Yi!"

She leaned against the door frame, panting, her eyes flashing with an eerie light.

"People from the county town have arrived!"

Yi Yang put down the bowl.

"Who?"

"Officer!"

Yang Hui gestured with her hand, her voice rising loudly. "A constable named Wang Yue came riding a tall horse, followed by three henchmen, all carrying knives! The whole village went to the village entrance to see what was going on. The horse's mane was so shiny!"

Jiang Yuexin also ran out of the house, still half asleep.

"Aunt Yang, are you really here to catch snakes?"

"They said they were helping the village get rid of a giant snake."

Yang Hui pursed her lips as she said this. "But I noticed Yang Er standing by someone's horse, acting all intimate like they were born of the same mother, it was really off-putting."

Yi Yang tapped the rim of the bowl twice with his fingers.

Wang Yue, a constable.

He brought three subordinates with him.

If it weren't for Yang Da, things wouldn't have gotten out of control.