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

The third floor of Fumanlou Restaurant, the top-tier private room.

When Yi Yang pushed open the door, Zhao Gang was already sitting in the guest seat, holding a teacup in his hand, chatting animatedly with the person in the host seat.

"Lord Sun's calligraphy last time was wonderful! I'm just a rough man and don't understand the nuances of brushstrokes, but the spirit and charm... wow, which scholar in Yunwen Town could write something like that?"

When Zhao Gang said this, his expression was so sincere that Yi Yang almost believed him.

The man sitting in the main seat was in his early forties, of medium build, with fair skin and three short, neatly trimmed wisps of beard.

He wore a plain-colored long robe, with no sword at his waist, but a piece of warm, lustrous jade hanging upside down. The collar was embroidered with subtle patterns, a true scholar's demeanor.

Sun Xing is one of the three deputy patrol officers of the Yunwen Town branch of the Sky Patrol Division, possessing the fourth level of Qi and Blood.

Unlike Qian Hu, a burly and strong warrior, Sun Xing took a more refined approach. He enjoyed writing and painting, and his desk was always filled with knives and inkstones. People in the Sky Patrol Division nicknamed him "Scholar Sun".

Of course, nicknames aside, none of those who could sit in the position of deputy inspector general were pushovers.

Yi Yang bowed as he entered, cupping his hands in greeting: "Lord Sun, I apologize for disturbing you."

Sun Xing stood up with a smile on his face. His smile was far more sophisticated than Tang Hao's, neither overly enthusiastic nor pretentious, just the right amount of warmth.

"Please sit down, Mr. Yi, there's no need to be so polite."

Sun Xing personally pulled out a chair for him.

Yi Yang glanced around the private room. The dishes on the table were even more exquisite than those at Tang Hao's meal. Instead of heavy meat dishes, there were several delicate desserts, steamed fish, and cold bamboo shoot salad, accompanied by two jugs of fine wine.

A guqin (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument) was propped up in the corner.

A woman in her early twenties sat gracefully beside the zither, with delicate features, wearing a plain silk dress, and only a white jade hairpin in her hair.

She wasn't one of those heavily made-up girls from brothels; she was a respectable courtesan, the kind who sold her art but not her body. Her fingers rested on the strings, and she plucked them twice, producing a melodious sound that echoed throughout the private room.

Yi Yang glanced at Zhao Gang, who nodded slightly at him, the meaning of which was clear—this girl was hired by me to please Sun Xing.

Goodness, Zhao Gang, this rough and unrefined man, is surprisingly skilled at threading a needle.

The three of them took their seats.

After a round of drinks, the music flowed like water, and the atmosphere warmed up.

Sun Xing poured wine for Yi Yang, his posture very humble. He touched the rim of Yi Yang's bowl with his own, the two bowls making a soft sound, and the wine rippled slightly.

"The old man has been staying at the museum for some time; he must have felt wronged."

Yi Yang waved his hand: "I'm not wronged. It's an easy job, just what I'm used to."

Sun Xing smiled, his gaze lingering on Yi Yang's face for a moment. His gaze was gentle but not unfocused, and it held a hint of scrutiny.

"Sun Hao is my distant nephew."

He spoke casually, but Yi Yang understood a few things. No wonder that kid could loaf around the archives every day without anyone bothering him. With this powerful figure protecting him, who would dare to touch him?

"After the chaos last night, I sent him home early." Sun Xing put down his wine bowl, his tone flat, almost like he was talking about the weather.

"You see, it's only natural for uncles and elders to protect their younger relatives."

Yi Yang nodded in agreement.

Sun Xing didn't continue the topic. Instead, he listened to a piece of music and commented on the fingering with Zhao Gang, saying things like "the harmonics aren't ethereal enough" and "the pressed notes could be a bit deeper."

Zhao Gang listened with wide eyes, but his mouth cooperated perfectly, nodding vigorously and saying "Yes, yes" whenever he didn't understand something.

Yi Yang listened quietly while munching on salted duck, knowing that the main dishes hadn't been served yet.

After another two cups of tea's time, Sun Xing waved his hand, signaling the waiter to leave.

The piano music stopped, and the private room fell silent.

Zhao Gang's back also tensed slightly.

Sun Xing poured himself a bowl of wine, but didn't drink it. He placed two fingers on the rim of the bowl and twirled them around.

"Old man, I know everything that happened last night."

Yi Yang paused for a moment as he chewed the duck meat.

Sun Xing's gaze was so calm that no one could find fault with him. He didn't lower his voice or look around, but what he said made the hairs on Yi Yang's back stand on end.

"Tang Hao, Fu Man Lou."

Five words, each one hitting the nail on the head.

Yi Yang held his chopsticks as steady as a rock, chewed the duck meat in his mouth twice and swallowed it, then picked up a bamboo shoot and put it in his mouth slowly and deliberately.

Zhao Gang's eyes darted back and forth between the two men, his hand resting under the table, on the hilt of his knife.

Sun Xing saw Zhao Gang's little trick and laughed.

"Brother Zhao, don't be nervous. This is a treat, not a trial."

He picked up his wine bowl, took a sip, and then continued, "Last night was chaotic, and most of the officers in the Sky Patrol Division were busy killing bandits and plugging breaches. Who had time to care about a dead man? The conclusion from the division is out—Tang Hao, the candidate for Chief Inspector, unfortunately died in the line of duty last night when the cult bandits attacked the town."

He died in the line of duty.

Yi Yang's lips twitched. To say that someone who died in a brothel or restaurant could be called a martyr was truly impressive. The literary skills of the Great Yu Empire were indeed profound.

Sun Xing continued, "The traces on the third floor of Fumanlou have been cleaned up and done very well. The broken wood and window grilles on the door frame have been removed and replaced with new ones. The girls and waiters in the building have all been paid hush money, and the manager doesn't dare to say a word."

He paused for a moment and looked at Yi Yang.

"I had people clean it up."

After these words were spoken, the private room fell silent for three breaths.

Yi Yang put down his chopsticks, placed his hands on his knees, and rubbed the rough texture of the fabric along the seams of his trousers with his thumbs.

Why did Lord Sun help the old man clean up the mess?

Sun Xing tilted his head, his posture displaying a certain scholarly nonchalance.

"When Tang Hao was alive, he was an eyesore to many people. His connections with certain people in the company were not only displeasing to me, but also to another deputy chief manager."

At this point, Sun Xing poured himself another bowl of wine and said, "Besides, you're efficient and decisive, leaving no loose ends or clues. I admire people like you."

Zhao Gang quietly loosened his grip on the knife handle, picked up the bowl, and gulped down a mouthful of wine to hide his earlier nervousness.

Sun Xing brought the rim of the bowl to his lips, but didn't drink; his voice drifted over through the wine.

"Old man, I'll get straight to the point."

"The position of the Palace Guardian has been vacant since last night."

These words nearly made Zhao Gang choke on his drink.

Lord of the Guard Hall.

The Sky Patrol Division has several halls and pavilions under its jurisdiction. The hall masters are not on the same level as the patrol captains. The head of the Yiyang Patrol Archives is a sinecure in charge of paper slips. The head of the Guard Hall is in charge of the daily defense scheduling and patrol deployment of the division, and has more than a dozen patrol captains and hundreds of patrolmen under his command.

That is the most powerful of all.

Some of the acting inspectors, even after being promoted, couldn't secure an actual position as palace master and could only hold the honorary title. When a position in the garrison became vacant, the people vying for it would, if not fight tooth and nail, at least get their hands red with envy.

Sun Xing presented the piece of meat to Yi Yang, being almost too generous.

Yi Yang didn't rush to reply.

Zhao Gang secretly kicked his shin under the table, as if to say something!

Yi Yang moved her foot slightly, ignoring him.

"Lord Sun overestimates me. The old man is passable at flipping through papers in the Imperial Archives, but I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to handle a job like guarding the palace."

Sun Xing shook his head: "Old man, you're too modest."

He tapped two fingers on the table twice, at a moderate pace.

"However, this position is not given for nothing. You have to earn the respect of others. This Sky Patrol Division is not a place where I can make a decision on my own. Appointments like the Palace Master still require the approval of important figures in the county."

"The Yunlin City Sky Patrol Division will hold its quarterly assessment on the ninth day of next month. The patrol captains and the alternate patrol commanders will participate together. It is said that there will be some changes, but it is not clear yet. However, it will definitely be a martial arts competition plus a practical assessment."

Sun Xing's gaze fixed on Yi Yang, and his scrutiny was finally undisguised: "Old man, all you need to do is get into the top five in the assessment and show your Qi and Blood level three cultivation. I'll handle the job of the Guardian Hall Master."

Qi and Blood Triple.

Yi Yang was chewing on bamboo shoots while his mind was racing with calculations.

Sun Xing positioned his strength at the third level of Qi and Blood. In Sun Xing's view, the move that killed Tang Hao was a successful sneak attack. Killing someone at the third level relied on surprise rather than a direct crushing victory.

That makes sense. A sixty-year-old man who was disqualified from martial arts by the martial arts school back then, even if he secretly practiced and achieved some success later, reaching the third level was already his ceiling.

Which normal person would think of the fifth level?

Yi Yang put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.

"Lord Sun flatters me. But if this old man may say something unpleasant—why?"

Sun Xing raised an eyebrow.

Yi Yang smiled, a smile tinged with candor: "Good jobs don't fall from the sky, and even if they did, they wouldn't land on the head of an old man like me who's at the bottom of the rankings. Lord Sun's ability to handle the aftermath so flawlessly shows he has no shortage of capable people under his command. Why give the position of garrison commander to someone who's practically on their deathbed?"

Zhao Gang secretly glared at him—what the hell are you pretending to be so noble and virtuous at a time like this?

Sun Xing wasn't annoyed. He drank the wine in his bowl, then turned it upside down on the table, making a crisp sound.

"Because I need someone who doesn't belong to either side."

These words changed the atmosphere in the private room.

Sun Xing leaned back in his chair, his tone shifting from polite to pragmatic.

"After the Nine Evil Cults were wiped out, Yunlin County seemed to be at peace. But what was really going on? The lid was lifted, and everything underneath came to the surface."

He held up three fingers.

"After the strongholds and territories of the three major gangs—the Red Tiger Gang, the Black Knife Gang, and the Sanyuan Society—were vacated, the three of them fought over them like mad dogs."

Put away one finger.

"The three major families in the inner city—Zhang, Wang, and Li—have long controlled high-end resources through the county government and their respective sects. The Sky Patrol Division has made a great contribution in suppressing the sect this time, and Director Qi Shujian has extended his reach into the inner city. The three families will not sit idly by. The power struggle behind the scenes is more dangerous than the open fighting."

I put one away.

"What about inside the Sky Patrol Bureau? Many people died last night. Who will take over their manpower and networks? Qian Hu wants to hog everything, but I won't let him have his way."

Sun Xing pulled all three fingers back and clenched his fist.

"At times like these, I need a usable knife by my side."

He stared at Yi Yang.

"Old man, you have no connections, no factions, no entanglements, you're as clean as a blank sheet of paper. If you take my place as the guard of the palace, no outsider can find fault with you—an old patrolman who rose through the ranks based on his performance in the assessments, no one can gossip about him."

Having said all that, the chessboard was revealed.

Yi Yang picked up the wine bowl and took a sip.

When the old man put down the bowl, a troubled look appeared on his face.

"Lord Sun, this old man is sixty years old."

He patted his knee, and his joints cracked twice.

"The decline of qi and blood is inevitable. Even if you can still fight for a few more years now, what about after that? Three years? Five years? By then, your fists won't be strong anymore, and sitting on the Palace Master's chair will be too hot."

Yi Yang shook his head, his tone filled with regret and helplessness.

"I appreciate your kind offer, but I'm afraid it might delay Lord Sun's business."

Sun Xing remained silent for a moment.

He picked up the wine jug and filled Yi Yang's cup with a slow, deliberate motion.

"What you say makes sense. Then we won't force you."

His tone was calm, without disappointment or anger.

Zhao Gang was so anxious that his eyes almost popped out of his head. He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, but Yi Yang's glare silenced him, so he could only gulp down the wine in silence.

The music started again in the private room. Sometime later, the courtesan returned, her slender fingers plucking the strings, the melody gentle and lingering.

Sun Xing brought up calligraphy and the zither again, without mentioning the garrison hall once more.

When the wine was half-finished, Yi Yang took his leave.

Sun Xing escorted Yi Yang to the door of the private room, and as he bowed and said goodbye, he held Yi Yang's hand for a couple of breaths.

"Old man, the door is always open."

Yi Yang nodded with a smile and bent down to go downstairs.

Zhao Gang chased after him, grabbed his sleeve at the corner of the stairs, and lowered his voice, making it sound distorted.

"Old man, are you crazy? The Lord of the Garrison Hall! That's a position that countless people dream of! You're just going to turn it down like that?"

Yi Yang pulled his sleeve out of Zhao Gang's hand and patted off the wrinkles.

"If it's postponed, it's postponed. What's the rush?"

Zhao Gang stomped his feet in anger, feeling truly sorry for his friend who was much older than him.

Yi Yang didn't explain further and slowly walked downstairs.

Private rooms on the third floor.

Sun Xing sat back in the main seat, drinking the remaining wine alone, his gaze fixed on the night outside the window.

The music stopped, and the courtesan withdrew, carrying her instrument.

The attendant waiting outside peeked in halfway: "My lord, they've both left."

Sun Xing hummed in agreement, his fingers twirling along the rim of the bowl.

"What a pity."

He said it was a pity, but his brows were relaxed.

The attendant asked, "Sir, should we continue the pursuit?"

Sun Xing shook his head, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"No need. He's just an elderly man in his sixties with three levels of Qi and blood deficiency."

He picked up the bowl and poured the last of the wine into his mouth: "Even if we recruit him today, how many years can we use him? Three years? Five years? I was planning to recruit him and wait until his health deteriorated and he couldn't take it anymore before replacing him with one of our own. That way, we wouldn't lose out no matter how you look at it."

Sun Xing put down his wine bowl and said casually, "But if I refused, I refused. It's no big deal."