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

Chapter 11: Being cheated by this old man
Xie An left the pawnshop through the back door and pretended to be strolling leisurely on the street, but in fact he was keeping an eye on all directions and listening carefully, always on the lookout for anyone following him.

When he arrived at the town entrance, Xie An looked around and found that there was no one. He then took out a piece of black linen, wrapped half of his face below his eyes, and quickly rushed out of the town, disappearing into the endless twilight.

"Going to the black market is dangerous. It's easy to get targeted. You have to be careful."

The black market was located in Heixueling, twenty miles outside Wuqiao Town, adjacent to the 800-mile Dayin Mountain. Wild beasts often roamed the Dayin Mountain, and rumors of herbalists and hunters being eaten by wild beasts occasionally circulated.

Xie An had lived in Wuqiao Town for thirty years, and he knew that in addition to ferocious beasts, there were also bandits living in Dayin Mountain.

The black market was a business that evaded taxation and regulation, and had always been hated by the government. However, being located in a place like Black Blood Ridge made it safer, and the government usually didn't bother to intervene.

The black market opened at night and closed at dawn. It covered five or six towns, including Wuqiao, Bailu, and Shuei Deng. It was a large but chaotic market, often targeted by those who took advantage and suffered unexpected consequences.

Xie An and Chen Yuan had been here several times before. Because they didn't buy anything valuable and didn't show off their wealth, they were not targeted by thieves.

But this time it was different. Xie An had to purchase a lot of things, so he had to be on guard.

But if I say I'm afraid, I'm not...

Xie An's Five Animal Exercises had now entered the third stage: the integration of both spirit and form. Although it was only two points of progress, it had further increased Xie An's strength and physique.

He could lift over 450 kilograms with one hand, and with one punch... he could definitely kill a grown man. Few would rival him below the level of a martial artist.

Wuqiao Town was just a town after all, and there weren't many martial artists there, most of whom were instructors at the Chen Clan Martial Arts School. Xie An wasn't panicking.

It is true that strength gives courage.

Walking twenty miles on the mountain road was effortless for Xie An.

At three quarters past midnight, Xie An arrived at Heixue Ridge.

The entrance was a small canyon. Two men in black clothes carrying broadswords blocked the way. They looked like they were not to be trifled with. When they saw the masked Xie An, they said without further ado, "One coin of silver is the entrance fee. If you want to set up a stall, you need another three coins for the booth."

Xie An acted like an old customer, took out a penny of silver and handed it over, "No stall."

A man carrying a knife took the silver and weighed it. Feeling the weight, he nodded with satisfaction and said, "No fighting or quarreling after you enter."

"clear."

The two men with knives stepped aside to let him pass, and Xie An entered the canyon with ease.

Unlike the pitch-black canyon outside, the canyon was brightly lit, with rows of stalls neatly arranged in an orderly fashion. Men with knives patrolled back and forth, maintaining order.

Whenever those stall owners or customers who were planning to cause trouble saw the man with a knife approaching, they would fall silent and return to friendly negotiations.

However, most of the vendors and buyers had their faces covered, just like Xie An.

Obviously, most of those who dare to do business here are old men, and they act cautiously. Although it is safe inside the canyon, if you go out... you will easily be targeted.

As for who was behind the black market, Xie An didn't know either.

He must be very powerful.

After strolling around, Xie An found two stalls selling martial arts secrets.

One of the fat man’s stalls was doing a booming business.

"I want the Tiger Guard Sword Technique for fifteen taels of silver."

"I want the twelve taels of silver for the lower three sword techniques."

The price of more than ten taels directly scared Xie An away.

It can be seen that this fat man has a very good reputation. Even if the price is a bit higher, customers feel that it is safe and would rather spend more money.

But Xie An only had twenty taels of silver in his pocket...

I can’t afford it.

In desperation, Xie An came to another stall selling martial arts secrets. The stall owner was a forty-year-old man who was sitting on a rock behind the stall smoking a pipe. Seeing that no one was interested in the stall, a look of worry appeared on his face.

Xie An asked tentatively, "Do you have the Five Animal Exercises?"

The old man smoking the pipe immediately put on a smile when he saw that there was a business coming to his door. "Yes. Originally eight taels of silver, but today I'm giving you seven taels cheaper."

Xie An knew that this was the market price, but he still looked overly expensive. "Who still practices health-preserving exercises these days? No one wants them. You're still asking for eight ounces? Others are selling for four ounces, but no one wants them. Look at that fat guy next door. He's taking off selling his martial arts skills."

The old man smoking the dry tobacco felt his soft spot was suddenly hit.

I haven't sold any copies of my copy of the Five Animal Play for two months. If this continues, my family will be broke.

However, the old man smoking the dry tobacco pipe was no idler. He feigned composure and gave Xie An a sidelong glance, "These days, there are still people who like health-preserving exercises. How much are you willing to pay?"

Xie An was sharp-eyed and could tell that the old man was eager to make a move. He said slowly, "I won't hide it from you. I've been practicing the Five Animal Exercises for over ten years, but I lost my handwritten copy at home. I've forgotten some of the contents at the end. That's why I wanted to buy a copy to see what it says. If it's too expensive, forget it."

After saying that, Xie An skillfully performed two moves of the Five Animal Exercises in front of the old man smoking the dry tobacco pipe, with an expression that said, "See, I didn't lie to you."

The old man who smoked dry tobacco had also studied health-preserving exercises. Seeing Xie An's serious attitude, he believed what he said and immediately felt more insecure. "Okay, then four ounces."

Xie An remained silent with a frown on his face.

So easy to talk to?
I feel like I can press it a little more...

Keeping silent can sometimes bring people a huge sense of oppression.

When the old man, smoking the tobacco pipe, was clearly losing his temper, Xie An finally spoke, "Actually, I just didn't remember the last few sentences, so spending four taels on a copy isn't worth it. How about this, you let me look at the back of the Five Animal Play, and it won't affect your continued sales. I'll buy some other martial arts secrets from you. How about that?"

The old man was very disappointed, but he hadn't given up yet. "That depends on how much you buy."

When Xie An saw that there was a chance, he suppressed his excitement and pretended to be indifferent when asking about other secrets.

After some understanding, Xie An roughly understood why this old man smoking dry tobacco had no business.

They are all some common martial arts. Not only are they copied, but there are also omissions.

The most taboo in practicing martial arts is incomplete secret manuals, as it is very easy to go astray.

Who would dare to buy it? However, there was a fetal breathing exercise that caught Xie An's attention. Tang Qingfeng had introduced this health-preserving exercise to him earlier. It was a type of breathing method.

After a lot of arguing, the old man who smoked dry tobacco wanted to sell it for a minimum of eight taels of silver, but Xie An was only willing to pay four taels, and kept emphasizing that no one was willing to spend money on health-preserving exercises these days.

Finally, the old man agreed to sell it for six taels and allowed Xie An to watch the Five Animal Exercises.

"make a deal."

Xie An made a painful expression and reluctantly agreed.

Pay in one hand and deliver in one hand.

Xie An picked up the Five Animal Exercises and started reading them.

The Five Animal Play Chen Yuan had given Xie An was only in the first half, but Xie An had already mastered the entire content. He had reached the end of the spiritual and physical realm, so he rushed to the black market to buy the remaining half.

I didn't expect to meet the old man smoking a pipe, and I bought a copy of the Five Animal Exercises for nothing.

The Five Animal Exercises were short, with half the book containing no more than a thousand characters. Xie An, having already mastered the first half, quickly memorized the second half.

"The Five Animal Exercises that follow encompass two realms: strengthening the five internal organs and guiding Qi with the mind. Tang Qingfeng's "Qi sensation" probably refers to guiding Qi with the mind. As long as I master guiding Qi with the mind, I should be able to develop a sense of Qi. Then, I can go to Tangjiabao in the county town and seek an opportunity."

"If you have a long life, as long as you persist for many years, you will definitely be able to cultivate a sense of Qi."

"Brother, you've been watching for half an hour..." The old man muttered, clearly unhappy. He felt like he'd been cheated...

Xie An finally came to his senses and handed the Five Animal Exercises back to the old man smoking the tobacco pipe. "I'm old, and my memory is not good. Please forgive me, old brother."

The old man who was smoking a pipe grabbed the Five Animal Exercises and sat down to smoke his pipe. The feeling in his heart became even stronger:

I was cheated by this old man.

Xie An saw the sulking old man and knew what he was thinking. However, he didn't offer any comfort and turned away.

Doing business on the black market... isn't it just you cheating me and me cheating you?

Who can be blamed for this...

Xie An opened the prescription given by Tang Qingfeng, walked to the place where medicinal herbs were sold, began to look for herbs, and bargained for various prices.

All other medicinal herbs were gathered, but there was one core herb that stumped Xie An.

Bear heart.

It can be sold on the black market.

But it's too expensive.

Even though this place is close to Dayin Mountain, hunting is popular and hunters often hunt black bears, but a bear heart still costs dozens of taels of silver.

Xie An touched the five taels of silver left in his arms and couldn't help but sigh that he was still too poor...

Although Xie An knew that the unique prescription given by Tang Qingfeng would definitely be effective, but... there was no way to gather all the ingredients at the moment.

Practicing a health-preserving exercise already costs so much, let alone practicing martial arts...

I will make a lot of money in the future!

"We have a good harvest today, let's go back first."

Seeing that it was past midnight, Xie An prepared to return home. As for Xiong Xin, he would have to think of a way later.

Just as Xie An passed by a stall selling miscellaneous items, his eyes suddenly lit up.

The stall owner was a young man with a masked face and shifty eyes. He kept glancing around with a guilty look. On the stall were a chamber pot, a quiver with five arrows, and a heavy bow.

The heavy bow was a bit old, probably a crossbow.

According to Daqian dynasty measurements, a shibow's draw weight was equivalent to two hundred kilograms, making it a heavy bow capable of armor-piercing, with an effective range of an astonishing two hundred meters. Mostly used by the military, private sales were prohibited. But since this was the black market... it was par for the course.

It is impossible for an ordinary person to pull such a heavy bow, but Xie An can do it easily.

Now Xie An was stronger, but not proficient in fighting, so he felt he needed weapons to protect himself. The most effective weapons were swords, spears, and heavy bows.

What attracted Xie An the most was not the heavy bow, but the chamber pot that looked inconspicuous and smelled of urine.

nice one!
It must be a century old. While the carvings are ordinary, the technique is remarkable. It's likely an artifact of a former royal family. If sold, it would be worth at least two hundred taels of silver.

Seeing Xie An stop and look, the young man immediately became happy, "Sir, do you want to buy some antiques?"

Xie An ignored the chamber pot and pretended to play with the heavy bow. "This broken chamber pot is so tattered and stinks. I wouldn't want it even if you gave it to me. This bow is pretty good, but it's a second-hand item and worthless. How much do you plan to sell it for?"

The young man, who was already feeling guilty, felt even more guilty after being scolded by Xie An. "Five taels."

An ordinary bow from Daqian costs about five or six coins. A heavy bow is much more expensive, and a second-hand heavy bow costs five taels.

Xie An showed a look of disdain on his face, "Who can pull such a heavy bow? I bought it just to collect it. It weighs at most two taels."

The young man's soft spot was hit again.

Few people can indeed pull a crossbow.

Unless you are a warrior.

However, warriors have a high status in the surrounding area and look down on second-hand heavy bows.

The young man gritted his teeth and said, "Three taels, no less."

Xie An pretended to feel pain and glanced at the chamber pot on the stall casually, "I'm at a loss for three taels. How about giving me this chamber pot as a gift? Just think of it as peeing for me, an old man."

For Xie An, the bow or not didn't matter; the most important thing was the chamber pot...

I don't know if I can scare this guy.

(End of this chapter)