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

Chapter 100: Sharing the bright moon thousands of miles apart, toasting you with a glass of wine from afar!

Perhaps because Xie An's attack was so stunning and shocking, the thousands of spectators in the audience forgot to shout and roar, and fell silent.

The scene of more than a thousand people suddenly became silent at this moment... It was suffocating.

Everyone stared with wide eyes at Xie An who was standing upright on the ring, speechless.

This phenomenon was completely within Xie An's expectations.

When people see something wonderful, they often can't help but applaud and praise.

However, if you see something that shatters your worldview, your emotions will be at a higher level and you will often become silent instinctively.

Just like this moment.

Who could have thought that Hong Lie, the former deputy head of Baiyu Hall, a warrior who had just entered the second level of the Jingrou realm... was actually killed by Xie An with just three sword strikes?
From the moment Xie An drew his sword to the moment he killed Hong Lie... it only took three strikes!
Moreover, with every sword strike, Hong Lie was completely unable to fight back.

That would have been fine, but the last blow, in particular, sliced ​​the arena apart, causing it to collapse in half. The force of that blow was so shocking and dazzling that it silenced the spectators.

Clang.

Xie An put away his sword and returned it to its sheath.

Then he bowed slightly to Tang Qingyun on the podium, turned around and walked down the stage.

From beginning to end, Xie An did not show any excessive excitement.

And in fact, this is indeed the case. For Xie An... killing Hong Lie is not something to be happy about.

If it weren't for Wei Dian, Xie An wouldn't even have thought of stepping forward. At worst, he could just move to another place and continue to develop peacefully.

However, in life, we will always encounter various human relationships and ties.

Sometimes, you have to do something.

Xie An had long since let it go and didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Instead, he felt it was a wonderful part of life.

Throughout life, you will meet all kinds of people, all kinds of things, and all kinds of cherished bonds, which are interwoven into a colorful life scene.

When he walked off the stage, thunderous roars were heard from outside the venue.

"Extraordinary bravery, worthy of the title of Incense Master."

"Compared to Hong Lie, the guy who won by dirty tricks, this is a truly heroic act."

"This is the style that a champion should have."

"..."

……

"Hong Lie is dead!? How could the Five Flower Poison Powder be ineffective? Impossible..."

"He even dared to kill Hong Lie. He even dared to kill my people!!"

In the courtyard of Baiyu Hall, Fang Baiyu kept smashing porcelain bottles and other objects on the shelves to vent his anger.

Wang Ziwen was helping to clean up the broken porcelain bottles on the ground, but she didn't say anything to comfort him. Because she knew that no matter how much she said, Fang Baiyu would not listen.

In her heart, Wang Ziwen sighed with emotion and felt very disappointed.

The original Fang Baiyu was not like this.

Calm, wise, fierce, and experienced. He has been sitting firmly in the position of leader for more than ten years without any incident.

It all started with the Chen family's defeat.

From then on, Fang Baiyu seemed to have changed. His ability to sense crisis became dull, and he began to take risks, making all kinds of outrageous moves. Finally, he led to the current situation.

Wang Ziwen understands this perfectly: a barefoot person is often simple-minded, because they have nothing to lose, so they are never afraid of losing. Gaining something is a win. However, for someone who has a lot, if their mindset is immature and their determination is insufficient, they will be particularly afraid of losing, and even the slightest loss will be unbearable.

Continuous losses will distort a person's thinking and make him obsessed.

Most people get into trouble not on the road to gaining, but on the road to losing. Although the little loss does not affect anything, it can make people's mentality explode.

Fang Baiyu is obviously the same.

He had fought his way up from nothing to become the leader of the hall. But now... his life was beginning to falter.

After smashing all the porcelain bottles on the shelf, Fang Baiyu suddenly turned around and stared at Wang Ziwen, shouting angrily: "Ziwen, Xie An killed Hong Lie!!"

Wang Ziwen lowered her head to pick up the broken porcelain pieces. "I know, I saw it. This person is extremely excessive and despicable."

"He's just one of my insignificant subordinates. How could he kill my people? It's clear that he doesn't take me, the hall master, seriously. What's more, Hong Lie had already admitted defeat, but he still tried to kill him? Ziwen, I can't swallow this!"

Wang Ziwen gathered up the broken porcelain pieces and stood up. He bowed to Fang Baiyu and said, "Master, Hong Lie definitely lost at that time. But... Xie An's sword strike was a heavy mountain sword. He had been building up momentum long ago, so it was a residual force... So, Xie An didn't break the rules."

pat.

Fang Baiyu slumped down on the armchair, lost in thought.

The three words "Zhongshan Dao"... deeply stimulated him.

He practiced for half his life but still couldn't master the Heavy Mountain Blade, then Wei Dian mastered it... that was fine. Now even one of Wei Dian's men has mastered it.

What a slap in the face!
What's more, judging from Xie An's performance in the ring, even he, the hall master... had no confidence in defeating Xie An.

Before he knew it, a small deacon in a hall had grown to a point where even he, the hall master, could not control him.

How could Fang Baiyu accept this?!
"Wei Dian, ah Wei Dian, you're gone, but you still created such a monster for me. Just to disgust me, right..." Fang Baiyu slammed the table angrily, full of resentment.

Wang Ziwen said, "Master, I have something to say, but I don't know whether I should say it or not."

"Say!"

Wang Ziwen bowed and said earnestly, "Master, things are different now. Xie An took the test today in front of over a thousand villagers and won first place. He is now the real incense master. Moreover, his title of incense master was approved by Elder Tang and Wolf Sect Master. This is the general trend, and Master cannot disobey. Even..."

Halfway through her words, Wang Ziwen seemed to have something to hide and did not dare to continue.

Fang Baiyu shouted coldly: "Go on."

Wang Ziwen said, "Today, the Hall Master had Hong Lie poison Chen Qing, which has already angered the Wolf Sect Master. To survive, the Hall Master should bring a generous gift and congratulate Xie An on taking on the position of Incense Master. He should establish a good relationship with him...ah!"

A loud slap hit Wang Ziwen hard on the face.

"Let me congratulate Xie An on becoming the incense master? Make friends with him? Are you fucking crazy?! Get out of here!"

Wang Ziwen covered her burning face, bent down and left the room.

……

"It turns out that he is the one who hides the deepest, and is also the biggest winner."

Chen Qing had already woken up and came to the second floor of the hall early, where he saw the final fight on the ring and saw Xie An kill Hong Lie with three sword strikes.

Then, Chen Qing couldn't help but laugh miserably.

"Father often says I'm too young and impulsive, always wanting to be in the spotlight. I used to disagree, arguing that youthful fervor is just blood. Now it seems... I was so naive. The world doesn't distinguish between young and old."

Comparing himself with Xie An, Chen Qing reflected on his many shortcomings.

In the previous arena, Chen Qing was deliberately showing off his swordsmanship, eager to display his best qualities so that people could see them and gain their praise and recognition.

In contrast, Xie An was much calmer.

From the very beginning, he didn't even draw his sword, so no one knew how Xie An used his swordsmanship. He didn't even show his skills, which led to people not knowing his martial arts level.

Finally, at the final... Xie An drew his sword.

With three strikes, Hong Lie was killed. This caution and patience really put him a dozen blocks ahead of himself.

"Cang Feng... I'm still too young. If I were as steady as him, I wouldn't necessarily lose to Hong Lie."

"Forget it, let's go drink Laba porridge first."

After the test, Tang Qingyun invited everyone to drink Laba porridge.

More than sixty deacons and disciples of Baiyu Hall drank porridge together in a lively atmosphere, which meant peace and good fortune in the coming year.

While everyone was drinking porridge, Tang Qingyun announced the results of the test.

Xie An became the incense master of the Xueling Black Market, and the other top four also held their respective positions. However, due to Hong Lie's death, a position remained vacant. Tang Qingyun then set up a separate examination, in which the top eight candidates competed, and the final position was determined by merit.

Xie An was undoubtedly the most eye-catching person in the whole audience, and deacons frequently came up to congratulate him.

Only Fang Baiyu said congratulations very awkwardly, and then ignored Xie An. Xie An didn't care about this and just laughed it off.

When the Laba porridge was almost finished, Xie An found an excuse and left with Lin Yun and others.

When walking out of the hall, Xie An clearly felt that Lin Yun and the others were a little distant in their attitude towards him, and their speech became less fluent, far from being as friendly and casual as before.

Not only did their speaking manner become invisibly more respectful, but they also had to think over every time they spoke, for fear of saying something wrong and making Xie An angry and overthinking something.

Xie An saw it all.

I couldn't help but think of the attitude of my two disciples towards me after I redeemed myself that day...it was the same.

This is inevitable and human nature.

It's like a childhood friend who's always been at your side, calling you "Big Brother," suddenly becoming a billionaire. Even a normal person would become distant and wary. The feeling of closeness would be instantly shattered by the vast disparity in status and wealth, leaving a deep sense of disconnection.

At this time, the bond between friends often becomes very fragile. If childhood friends don't take good care of it, it's easy for them to contact each other less and less. Then, when they meet again after a year or two, they find that they have nothing to talk about and feel like strangers. They may even feel that this connection has become meaningless and adds to the awkwardness.

Xie An, a veteran, naturally understood the ins and outs of this. Far from thinking that this bond was meaningless, he was very clear... that the bond established in times of adversity was purer and stronger.

What is lacking is nothing more than careful maintenance. As for how far it can go in the future, that will be left to time.

"Brother Lin, I'm not full from the Laba porridge just now. How about... let's go to Wang Po's shop to eat some more?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone felt the same way.

Wang Xiang touched his stomach and said, "I'm not full either. There's only one bowl of Laba porridge, and it's cooked in a huge pot. It tastes like chewing wax... With so many big guys here, I feel uncomfortable eating. I might as well treat you."

Liang Zhi kicked his knee and said, "The head deacon and the future incense master are here, so it's not your turn to treat us. Get out of here."

Wang Xiang pretended to bend over and cover his legs, looking like he was in great pain.

Everyone couldn't help laughing when they saw it.

The feeling of alienation just now was suddenly diluted a lot.

Xie An said, "Brother Zhang always treated us to meals before. And Brother Lin also treated us to a big meal. This time I will treat you, and no one is allowed to snatch it from me."

Everyone smiled.

Lin Yun also smelled the familiar taste and said with a smile, "You are about to be promoted to the incense master, so this meal is for you. Going to Wang Po's shop is a bargain for you."

Wang Xiang said, "That's easy. There are several large flower boats at the Loi Lantern Wharf. I heard the girls there are amazing. Many merchants and clerks from the county government go there for entertainment. How about you spend some money today? It'll be a congratulations to you on your appointment."

Xie An was stunned, then looked at the people around him.

Zhou Xing was looking down at the road, Liang Zhi looked around and pretended not to hear, Zhang Lin was looking at the sky, and Lin Yun didn't say anything either.

OK OK.

It turns out everyone wants to go.

It was just Wang Xiang who said it. These guys wanted to go but were too embarrassed to say it, so they just pretended not to hear it.

"Okay, then I'll treat you all to a boat ride and have some fun."

This world was different from the past. Going to brothels was not illegal, but perfectly normal. Even many clerks and officials, as well as young masters from wealthy families, were regular customers.

It can be said that the ancients had traditional ideas, which they were indeed traditional. Girls were not allowed to go out of the main door or the second door.

Let’s talk about openness. People often go to brothels where there are singing and dancing...it is indeed open.

Is this a good phenomenon in troubled times?
……

It was not until dusk that everyone got off the flower boat after eating and drinking their fill, and left with a reluctant heart.

Because they had been drinking, they were arm in arm with each other, calling each other brother. How could there be any sense of strangeness at all?

"The boss is so generous, I like this kind of incense master."

"I like it, too."

"Boss, when are we coming back?"

Everyone surrounded Xie An, calling him "brother".

Xie An's face turned dark.

The interior was nice, the food exquisite, the wine good, and even more so, the beauties were truly eye-catching. Unlike the ones in my previous life where you just walked in, this flower boat was very high-end, and the girls inside were not only beautiful, but also sang and danced, playing all kinds of musical instruments.

Everything is good except expensive.

Of course, due to Xie An's limited funds, he only treated everyone to a drink. If he wanted more, the cost would be outrageous.

Even Xie An, who is about to take over as the incense master, cannot afford it at the moment.

"We'll talk about it later. Let's go back first. The black market will open soon, so don't delay your work."

Back at the Xueling Black Market, everyone resumed business as usual. Xie An returned to the villa, took a comfortable bath, and then took a jar of wine to visit Abao on the top of Xueling Mountain in the north.

As soon as he reached the top of the mountain, Xie An heard someone standing under the tall and majestic pine tree.

It was Lin Yun.

Xie An did not go over to disturb them, but leaned against a tree and watched for a while.

Lin Yun knelt before the grave, uncovered a jar of old wine, and slowly poured it onto the ground, sobbing, "Abao, as your brother, I'm so sorry. After you left, Brother Wei and I were determined to guard this place, because this Blood Ridge is the place you protected with your life. I'm afraid that one day I won't be able to do it, and someone else will occupy this place, disturbing your soul and keeping you from resting in peace."

Today, the heavens opened their eyes. Xie An defended this place and became the incense master. I finally breathed a sigh of relief and dared to come see you.

Ah Bao, drink this glass of wine and you will rest in peace and sleep forever."

After pouring the wine, Lin Yun opened another jar of aged wine, knelt and shifted his knees, then turned and headed towards the direction where Wei Dian had ridden his horse. He suddenly raised the jar of wine and said to the distant mountains and rivers, "Brother Wei, Xie An did it! He defended the Blood Ridge. You can rest assured on your journey. If you can hear me, then drink this jar of wine with me!"

After saying that, Lin Yun raised his head, put the mouth of the wine jar to his mouth, and drank in big gulps.

He let the wine slide down the corner of his mouth, down his neck, soaking his clothes, and dripping onto the snow.

On the silent mountain, the only sounds were the wind and the gurgling sound of the burly man Lin Yun swallowing his wine.

Xie An was filled with emotion after seeing this, so he didn't go over to disturb them. Instead, he opened the seal of the wine jar and held it high in the direction where Wei Dian had left. "Brother Wei, I have the position of Master of the Blood Ridge Incense in my hands and have never let you down. But I know I still owe you a lot."

"Thousands of miles apart, we share the bright moon. I offer you a glass of wine from afar. May you walk on the starlight all the way."

Then, Xie An raised his head and swallowed the entire jar of strong and fiery old wine in big gulps.

----

P.S.: This is the end of the story about Wei Dian. Now comes the really exciting part of the book.
(End of this chapter)