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

The next morning, before Mikimura was fully awake, the Yi family courtyard was already bustling with activity.

The oxcart was parked at the door, the old ox swishing its tail, white steam billowing from its nostrils, and two layers of old straw mats were laid on the cart.

Jiang Yuexin ran out of the house with her bundle in her arms, then ran back inside.

"Grandpa, should we take this earthenware jar with us?"

"No, it's already chipped, I don't want it."

"Where's this old quilt?"

"No, what's the point of bringing these tattered blankets?"

"Where's the stool?"

"You're not even bringing it. Can't you see it's missing a leg?"

"Yuexin, we're moving, not moving junk. Grandpa has a job, so we'll buy everything new when we go to town."

Jiang Yuexin was speechless and could only stuff the broken stool into the corner of the oxcart.

Yang Hui packed up even more neatly. She didn't have much stuff: two old quilts, a wooden box, a few faded clothes, and a medicine bag—that was all her belongings.

Before getting into the car, she stood at her own door for a long time.

The walls of that little house were peeling, the door was crooked, and half of the kitchen chimney was missing.

She used to curse the dilapidated house, the poor village, and the blindness of God, but when it came time to leave, she found herself somewhat reluctant to go.

Jiang Yuexin went over to help her.

"Aunt Yang, let's go."

Yang Hui snapped out of her daze, raised her hand to wipe her eyes, and still stubbornly said, "Who's reluctant to part with it? I just got some wind in my eyes. This shabby village, even the dogs wouldn't want to go."

The oxcart slowly left the village.

The wheels rolled over the dirt road, crunching and creaking, leaving behind a string of sounds from bygone days.

Yi Yang sat at the back of the car, a broken fan resting on his knees, his back still hunched.

A few early risers peeked out from the village entrance, their expressions a mixture of envy and unspoken sourness.

"Old man Yi has finally made it. Even a job at the Sky Patrol Division, like a gatekeeper, is better than ours."

"That girl Yuexin is going to be very lucky in the future."

Upon arriving in Yunwen Town, the oxcart turned into the back street of the patrol warehouse.

The residence assigned to Yi Yang by the Sky Patrol Division was a secluded courtyard on the west side of the backyard. The gate was made of camphor wood; although old, it was sturdy, and a faint woody fragrance wafted out when it was pushed open.

The courtyard was paved with blue bricks, with a well platform in the middle and a stone cover over the wellhead. There were two main rooms on the east side and a side room on the west side, with the kitchen connected to a small woodshed.

Jiang Yuexin stood at the courtyard gate, her eyes shining brightly.

"Grandpa, is this really for us to live in?"

Yi Yang put down his bundle.

"Too small?"

"Not at all!"

The little girl ran into the yard, touched the well platform, then the door frame, and finally stood at the entrance of the main house, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

"This door is really thick; if it's bolted at night, no one can get in."

Yang Hui got off the cart, holding onto the edge, and walked around half the yard, becoming more and more satisfied with what she saw.

"The courtyard is spacious, the well is nearby, the kitchen is draft-free, and the walls are high."

She patted the camphor wood door until her palms ached.

"Great! Reassuring! A hundred times better than that shabby fence in Sanmu Village. At night, I won't have to put the kitchen knife under my pillow anymore."

After settling into his home, Yi Yang changed into the black and red official robes of the Sky Patrol Division, hung a sword at his waist, and went out.

Jiang Yuexin asked from the doorway, "Grandpa, are you coming back for lunch?"

"Whether the government provides meals or not."

Yang Hui shouted from the kitchen: "Don't be silly on your first day on the job. Don't use Sanmu Village's nonsense to annoy people when they ask you questions."

Yi Yang walked out with his hands behind his back.

"I'm an old man who knows how to handle people."

Yang Hui scoffed: "You know how to behave? Even dogs can climb trees."

The morning classes had just ended, and I was inspecting the inner courtyard of the warehouse.

The smells of sweat, medicinal oil, and the metallic tang of weapons mingled together on the training ground, sweltering and assaulting one's face.

Instead of going to the Imperial Archives, Yi Yang walked along the path next to the notice board toward the Hall of Contribution. He was not in a hurry to go to his own secluded Imperial Archives.

For him, joining the Sky Patrol Division to obtain elixirs that couldn't be bought elsewhere was the real priority.

The files in the archives aren't going to run away; it's not too late to look at them later.

Many patrolmen on the road saw him, and their eyes all drifted toward the number thirty-four token, which belonged to an old man with gray hair, wearing the uniform of a patrol officer, with a knife hanging at his waist.

This scene is too jarring.

Someone muttered in a low voice.

"Is this the new patrol captain of the museum?"

"Sixty years old, right? To be a patrol chief at that age, you must have some powerful connections."

"Go through the back door, of course. What power does the Imperial Library have? They're just there to look after documents."

"Being a patrol chief is a dead-end job with no future."

"Don't laugh, they still get their monthly salary and their share of medicinal herbs. We work ourselves to the bone, and we might not even be as well off as them."

The sour smell drifted in on the morning breeze, making one's teeth ache.

Yi Yang heard it clearly, but he didn't even lift his eyelids.

Young people like him, after practicing with a knife for two years, love to show off the blade, as if afraid others won't know he can cut grass.

You'll only understand when you've actually seen a dead person.

Only when the sword is sheathed can a person live longer.

The Hall of Contribution is located on the east side of the inner courtyard. It consists of three large rooms in a row, with a bronze plaque hanging at the entrance.

Two guards stood in front of the hall. Upon seeing the Yiyang token, they clasped their hands and let him pass.

It's more lively inside than outside.

Behind the counter were wooden shelves, in which porcelain bottles, jade boxes, and medicine packets were placed.

A redemption chart was hanging on the wall.

Qi Xue Wan, Shui Yuan Dan, Zhuang Jin San, Xiao Yi Jin Dan, Tuo Gu Dan...

Yi Yang glanced at it and clicked his tongue inwardly.

expensive.

That's really expensive.

It's so expensive that you'd want to dig Yang Shuqing out of the ravine and plunder it again.

Behind the counter sat a middle-aged man with a short beard, dressed in an official robe even more ornate than Yi Yang's, and was looking at a book in his hands.

Seeing Yi Yang staring at the official robes, the clerk beside him whispered, "That's the Hall Master of the Contribution Hall, Du, a candidate for the position. He's also a candidate for the Chief Inspector, a master of the third level of Qi and Blood, one level higher than the Patrol Captain. He's responsible for overseeing the exchange of pills, weapons, and the calculation of merits."

Yi Yang nodded, having learned the other party's identity.

Du Houbu only glanced at Yi Yang once, then looked at the number 34 token and the white hair before looking away. Clearly, Yi Yang could not attract his attention.

The clerk led Yi Yang to the counter and asked, "What would you like to exchange, sir?"

"A pill for the triple treatment of Qi and Blood."

The clerk slid his finger across the booklet, searching as he explained: "Pills for the Qi and Blood Realm are called 'Common Pills' in our department. Common Pills are divided into six grades, corresponding to the six levels of Qi and Blood. Common Pills are made by ordinary alchemists, and the materials are mostly several-year-old medicinal herbs from the mountains, with a maximum age of no more than ten years."

Seeing that Yi Yang was listening attentively, he added a few more words, wanting to show off his knowledge, since the other party, although old, was still a patrol captain: "Above the mortal pills, there are true pills and precious pills. Those are not things that ordinary Qi and Blood martial artists can touch. The materials need spiritual herbs, the flesh and blood of exotic beasts, and some even involve the techniques of the Inner Qi Realm."

At this point, the minor official lowered his voice.

"I've heard that some of the pills can prolong life; one pill can make an old tree sprout new leaves."

Yi Yang tapped his fingers on the counter.

To prolong life.

This function is very important to him, since the longer one lives, the stronger the cultivation blessing becomes.

If there truly were a longevity elixir, it wouldn't be a pill; it would be an external amplifier.

But it's too early to think about that now.

You have to eat your food one bite at a time, and you have to build up your bones inch by inch.

"What's the price of a third-grade mortal pill?"

The clerk opened the price list.

"Minor Yi Jin Dan, starting at thirty-five taels each. Higher quality ones are forty-five taels, and some are even fifty taels."

The silver in Yi Yang's arms suddenly became thin and weak.

Having fought so many battles and looted quite a bit, there wasn't much left to use for moving, buying medicine, daily expenses, plus the money left for Jiang Yuexin and Yang Hui.

The saying "the poor study literature, the rich study martial arts" is no joke. A martial artist's wallet is always as if it has been gnawed by rats.

"Take two of the thirty-five-tael coins."

The minor official looked up at him.

"Are you sure, sir? The Lesser Tendon-Changing Pill is quite potent. It's best to take it with a medicinal bath over several days to allow it to dissipate properly, otherwise it can easily damage your tendons and meridians."

Yi Yang took out silver notes and loose silver from his pocket: "This old man of mine cherishes his life the most."

The clerk collected the money, counted it, and took out two porcelain bottles.

"A total of seventy taels. Please keep this safe, sir. It is a tribute to the Hall and cannot be returned after leaving. If the bottle is broken after leaving the cabinet, we will not accept the payment."

Yi Yang took the porcelain bottle and put it into his inner pocket.

Seventy taels are gone.

The feeling of money flowing away is more painful than drinking bitter medicine in the summer.

But as long as it can be converted into progress, then it's not a loss.

He left the Hall of Contribution, stood under the eaves, smelling the medicinal fragrance emanating from the porcelain bottle, and had already made arrangements in his mind.

Two small Yi Jin Dan pills, do not be greedy. Take them with a blood-strengthening medicinal bath and refine them over a month.

The fourth level of Yi Wood Nourishing Life Skill.

If all goes well, the fourth level of Qi and Blood Bone Forging Realm is within reach.

By then, in Yunwen Town, apart from the corrupt Inspector Fang Yue, there was no one who could openly suppress him.

Of course, what's in the light is just the light; the world is full of hidden dangers. Don't think you're the main character and act recklessly, ignoring everything.

Yi Yang didn't start using his special ability until he was sixty, not to be sent to his death by his superiors.

He rolled up his sleeves and walked towards the museum.

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

On the other side of Yunwen Town.

Inside the Yi family mansion, the atmosphere was oppressive and suffocating. Yi Xun sat in his study, looking much older than he had a few days ago.

There was a silver note on the table.

One hundred taels.

Liu Fu stood outside the door, neither daring to go in nor to retreat.

Yi Zhanzhi pushed open the door and came in, wearing a new martial arts uniform, with the scabbard of his sword at his waist polished to a shine.

"Grandpa, have you gathered all the money?"

Yi Xun looked up at him, a look of weariness in his eyes, and sighed, "I'll take this house."

Yi Zhanzhi was stunned for a moment.

"A house?"

"It's just a temporary hold." Yi Xun pushed the silver note over, pressing his fingertip on the note. "Take this hundred taels, plus the five hundred taels you raised before, to prepare the apprenticeship gift."

After saying this, Yi Xun felt a tightness in his chest.

The house, shops, and connections he inherited from his parents were his dignity and his roots.

Now, for the sake of his grandson's future, he's even mortgaging his house.

Does it hurt?

pain.

But what can we do if we don't bet?

The doors of Lei Yun Martial Arts School will not be opened even an inch for the poor.

Yi Zhanzhi picked up the silver note, his eyes burning with desire, overcoming any hesitation.

"Don't worry, Grandpa."

He tucked the banknotes into his pocket, his back ramrod straight.

"Once I become the master's last disciple, the Yi family will no longer be just a small, wealthy household in town."

"I want to go into the county town, into the inner city."

"At that time, I can also deliver invitations to the doors of the Zhang, Wang, and Li families."

Upon hearing this, Yi Xun's spirits lifted.

"Excellent! This is truly the prodigy of the Yi family!"

Yi Zhanzhi raised his chin, his words sharp with youthful vigor.

"As for that old bastard Yi Yang, it's fine if he doesn't know what's good for him."

"What's the difference between guarding that meager plot of land in Sanmu Village and guarding the weeds beside the ancestral graves?"

"People strive for higher positions, but he insists on squatting in the mud and pretending to be noble."

"Even if he's wearing the uniform of the Sky Patrol Bureau, he's still just an old man who looks at files. When it comes to martial arts, it still comes down to fists."

When Yi Xun heard the words "the clothes of the Sky Patrol Division," his face twitched. After yesterday, he asked a friend to inquire about the Sky Patrol Division and found out that there really was someone named Yi Yang. He was depressed all night and made up his mind to mortgage his house so that his grandson could become his apprentice.

But the second half of Yi Zhanzhi's sentence today made him feel much better.

Yes, although Yi Yang became an official, he had no team, no real power, and was also old.

An official robe cannot conceal his lack of talent for martial arts.

Yi Xun slammed his fist on the table and said, "Zhanzhi, remember this: whether the Yi family can turn things around depends entirely on you."

Yi Zhanzhi gripped the knife hilt.

"Grandpa, I won't lose."

The wind swept past the courtyard wall outside the window, swirling up a few dry leaves.

Looking at his grandson's straight back, Yi Xun suppressed the unease in his heart.

Unbeknownst to him, in the same town, outside the Hall of Contribution of the Heavenly Patrol Division, Yi Yang, with two small Yi Jin Pills tucked in his arms, was slowly walking towards the Hall of Treasures. His strength was about to increase rapidly.