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

Chapter 113: Finally meeting Old Master Tang! (Subscribe)

Through the window, Xie An saw Yuhe walking in small steps on the snow to report.

After his five senses were further strengthened, Xie An could see Yuhe's eyelashes flickering when she blinked, and the extremely fine snow particles on her eyelashes.

Even... I saw the lines on Yuhe's delicate facial skin and the crystal-clear and soft sweat hairs.

When Yuhe stopped under the eaves and looked at Xie An, Xie An actually saw his own reflection in Yuhe's eyes.

It's about seven or eight meters apart.

Great!

Amazing!
Xie An kept exclaiming in his heart, "It's amazing!"

Thirty meters was the core range of his current aura and the peak range of his vision. At this distance, Xie An felt like he had opened a God's perspective.

This feeling is too mysterious and magical...

Seeing Xie An staring at her blankly, Yu He felt a little shy and waved to him, "Master..."

Xie An finally came to his senses, "I see. I'll change my clothes and come right over. By the way, have you prepared all the New Year's goods and wedding money I asked you to prepare?"

Yu He said with a smile, "I have prepared them all. One for each of your two disciples, one for Madam Li, one for Chen He. One for Liang Zhi, Wang Xiang, Zhou Xing, Zhang Lin, and Lin Yun from the black market. I have prepared them all."

"Okay, after I change my clothes and give everyone some New Year's goods, we'll go to Tangjiabao."

"How about I come in and help the master change his clothes?"

"Need not."

"Then I will go and boil some water for you, Master."

"No, I'll just use cold water."

"Oh!" Yuhe showed an imperceptible disappointment on her face when she saw Xie An's refusal to serve her.

Xie An hurriedly used a bucket to fetch a large bucket of cold water from the well, raised it above his head, and poured the cold water over his body.

Wow…

The ice-cold well water flowed down Xie An's streamlined muscles, emitting misty water vapor. The hazy water vapor further highlighted the wheat-colored luster on Xie An's tight skin.

Every time the muscles contract, there seems to be an explosive force hidden.

Although the well water was freezing cold, as Xie An cultivated the Crimson Palace Qi, he could feel the heat flowing in his chest with just a little adjustment. The hot spots spread throughout his body like fireworks, heating up his muscles and bones.

The water didn't feel cold at all.

Comfortable!

After washing his body, Xie An changed into a dark red cotton and linen Tang suit.

There was no such thing as Tang suit in the Daqian Dynasty, but there were similar styles of clothes: chest-length shirt and skirt, Tang round-necked robe, and cross-collared skirt.

Then accessorize it with a thin leather belt, hang a jade pendant, and wear a hairpin.

It is decent yet elegant, refined yet restrained, and very suitable for middle-aged people. Many young people are also fond of this outfit.

Yuhe combed Xie An's hair, put it into a bun, and inserted a jade hairpin. Then she looked at Xie An in the bronze mirror and laughed, "Why do I see that the master is getting younger and younger? There are obviously fewer white hairs."

Xie An was happy to hear this, but pretended not to care. "Yes, who is the person from Tangjiabao?"

"Lu Changshui."

Xie An was stunned for a moment, then immediately remembered.

It was Lu Changshui that he met when he first went to the gate of Tangjiabao. At that time, Lu Changshui was still an examiner, helping Xie An to deliver some special products of Wuqiao Town to Tang Qingfeng.

Although they had only met once, Xie An was deeply impressed. Even though Xie An was now the incense master, he naturally did not want to lose his manners, so he immediately went out in the wind and snow.

Sure enough, I saw a very luxurious and majestic parallel carriage.

The so-called parallel carriage is a large carriage pulled by two horses.

The size of the carriage alone was a circle larger than Xie An's own carriage, and the wood, carvings, and curtains on the carriage were much more exquisite.

Parallel carriages have never been seen in the six towns within a radius of this area.

Ordinary people are not qualified to sit there.

The Daqian Book of Rites clearly stipulates the rules for carriages:
The emperor's carriage must be pulled by six horses.

The number of horses for officials of different ranks, such as princes, ministers, and senior officials, decreased in turn: five horses, four horses, three horses, and two horses respectively. This system not only reflects the hierarchy of Daqian society, but also reflects the degree of nobility of different positions.

This is what is called "The emperor rides six horses, princes ride five, ministers ride four, officials ride three, scholars ride two, and common people ride one."

Even when the county magistrate traveled, he would travel in a carriage.

Old Master Tang could actually drive two horses... This really shocked Xie An.

Lu Changshui, wearing a cotton jacket, stood beside the carriage, standing straight and respectful.

"Brother Lu, thank you for coming here." Xie An hurried forward and bowed.

What surprised Xie An was that Lu Changshui actually bowed to him. "At the request of Brother Tang Qingfeng, I have invited Master Xie to Tangjiabao to celebrate the New Year. Brother Tang wanted to come in person, but was busy with trivial matters, so he asked me to convey my apologies to Master Xie."

"No, no, Master Tang Qingfeng thinks too highly of me." Xie An greeted him politely on the surface, but he was extremely shocked in his heart.

In fact, having Lu Changshui come was enough. It was normal for Tang Qingfeng not to come, but he actually expressed his apology... Even if it was just a few polite words, it surprised Xie An.

Lu Changshui said, "Master Xie, please don't think that Brother Tang is being polite. These two chariots were specially authorized by His Majesty when Old Master Tang killed three thousand pirates. There are only two such chariots in the entire Qingwu County."

No wonder Old Master Tang can use a parallel carriage, so that's why...

Xie An had lived in this world for thirty years, and this was the first time he had ever seen a parallel carriage. Unexpectedly, he could even ride one to Tangjiabao... This treatment was simply incredible.

Many villagers had gathered around, and it was obviously the first time they saw the luxurious carriage, and they started talking about it.

"It's snowing hard outside. Please come in for tea, Brother Lu. I'm going to deliver some New Year's gifts to an old friend and then I'll go to the county town with Brother Lu. Will it delay us?"

"Thank you, Master, for your consideration for old friends and your deep loyalty to your friends. Why would you delay? I'll go downstairs and wait in the house."

"Yuhe, treat Brother Lu well."

After leaving the third courtyard, Xie An carried a lot of bags and went to Li's pawnshop to visit his two disciples, and gave them some New Year's goods and some wedding money.

In this world, there is also the concept of lucky money, but it is not called red envelopes, but called happy money. During the Spring Festival, the elders will give some happy money to the younger generations.

This year, Xie An was going to Tangjiabao to celebrate the New Year, so naturally he couldn't stay up with his two disciples, so he gave them wedding money in advance.

The two disciples were naturally overjoyed, and they took the initiative to tell Xie An that they had gone to the county town to complete the redemption procedures and were now free.

"Work hard, and I'll come back to visit you during the New Year."

After bidding farewell to his two disciples, Xie An went to the Li Mansion to visit Madam Li and presented her with some New Year's gifts. This move made the entire Li Mansion flattered. Li Ru and Li Shaoyun were even more respectful, as if they were ordinary people meeting a high official.

Compared to the day of the Little New Year, they are now more in awe of Xie An.

It's simple, it's just because they knew... Li Hongming and Chen Lei decided to add a big family name to Wu Temple - Xie.

After the news spread, the whole Wuqiao Town was in an uproar.

From then on, in addition to the two remaining major surnames of Li and Chen, there was also a new surname of Xie. Everyone knew that Xie An had become a figure who could be ranked alongside local sages such as Chen Lei and Li Hongming.

Who is disrespectful?

Who dares to disrespect?
After bidding farewell to the Li residence, Xie An went to give Chen He a gift, then went back to the black market to distribute wedding money to everyone before returning to the third courtyard in Wuqiao Town. He and Yuhe boarded a carriage, which was driven away by Lu Changshui.

架！
As the sound of horse hooves rang out, the carriage galloped forward, breaking through the wind and snow.

Only passers-by on both sides were left watching.

"Parallel carriages! This is the first time I've seen one in my life. Thank you, Xiangzhu, for your kindness."

"That's right! A carriage has arrived in person at Master Xie Xiang's gate, waiting for him. I guess he's about to go into the city to celebrate the New Year. I'm really envious. I wish I could ride in a carriage someday."

"You've never even ridden in a carriage, and you want to ride in a carriage?"

"I... just thought about it, no."

"Then why don't you want to ride in the Emperor's Six Chariots?"

"That's obviously impossible."

"You know that too. Is it possible to ride in parallel?"

"Talking to you is so boring..."

Just then, Li Hongming and Chen Lei came over with gifts. They wanted to visit Xie An, but they didn't expect... they just saw Xie An get on a carriage and drive away.

Chen Lei was greatly stimulated. "Parallel carriages! If I remember correctly, there are only two parallel carriages in the entire Qingwu County. One is in Tangjiabao, and the other is in the hands of the captain of the guard station. Mr. Li..."

Li Hongming sighed, "I didn't expect that Old Master Tang didn't come, but sent his own carriage to pick him up. This honor is rare in Qingwu County. Thank you, Xiangzhu... This is going to soar to the sky."

……

Because parallel carts were so rare, they were considered legendary to the villagers, and many people came to the roadside to watch. It felt a bit like a ten-mile farewell.

It was only after we left Wuqiao Town that the surroundings became quiet.

The snow is getting heavier and heavier.

The carriage was exceptionally warm and spacious, with a table on which were some fruits and snacks.

Despite its size, the carriage is surprisingly stable thanks to some kind of shock-absorbing device. There's not much shaking, and even when there is, it's very gentle, not harsh at all. It's a very comfortable ride.

But Xie An's heart could not soften.

He was very clear that this trip to Tangjiabao would have a huge impact on him.

It may be a journey that changes your destiny.

How can my heart be calm?
As the carriage drew closer to the county town, Xie An's heartbeat quickened. He opened the curtains at the side window and looked out, seeing the snow covering the ground and the fields empty.

Tonight is New Year's Eve. Even poor farmers have finished their work early and gone home to reunite with their families.

However, Xie An saw a farmer wearing a straw raincoat sitting on the snow by the roadside smoking a pipe, and he was half lying down, blocking the carriage.

Lu Changshui grabbed the horse's reins and asked it to slow down, shouting, "Hey, old man, make way, make way." However, the old man was unmoved and looked very lazy.

Xie An was greatly surprised when he saw this. At this speed, the car could not stop.

At this moment, the old man in the straw raincoat suddenly turned around and exhaled a puff of smoke in the direction of the carriage.

It was clearly just an ordinary puff of dry tobacco, but when it was blown out of his mouth it turned into a gust of wind, which blew up the curtains of the carriage, and the horses were startled and cried out.

Then, Xie An saw under the straw raincoat was a middle-aged man's tough face and a pair of deep eyes, staring at him closely.

Just by looking at each other, Xie An felt like he was seen through.

Xie An immediately became alert, thinking he had encountered bandits. However, at this moment, the old man smiled faintly, then stood up, shouldered his hoe and walked away, humming a folk song.

"How blind! It's so dangerous."

Lu Changshui was still in shock and kept muttering to himself before he urged the horse forward.

Xie An always felt that this farmer was very unusual and behaved strangely. He couldn't help but stick his head out of the side window and look back. He saw the farmer wearing a straw raincoat, walking in the snow, humming a mountain song that was clear and melodious, and very nice to hear.

"Master, are you okay?"

"fine."

Not long after, when the carriage passed the river bridge, it unexpectedly encountered a fisherman standing at the bow of a sampan, rowing with an oar in his hand. He was also wearing a straw raincoat and humming a song.

This folk song is different from the one sung by the farmers, but the melody is the same.

Xie An opened the side window to look, and immediately saw the fisherman stirring up a wave of water with his oars. Although he was dozens of meters away, the water was actually rushing towards the carriage like a sharp arrow, breaking through the carriage curtains.

Xie An and the fisherman looked at each other.

Why... is it a similar feeling?
"What are you doing? Can't you see this is Old Master Tang's carriage?" Lu Changshui feigned an aggressive attitude. The fisherman ignored him, rowing the sampan slowly away, leaving only the clear and melodious folk songs echoing around them.

The carriage crossed the river bridge and continued to move forward, but Xie An became restless.

It's all so unusual.

Are there many bandits in the snowy mountains?
But he doesn't look like a bandit. It seems like he just wants to... take a look at me?
Finally, the carriage arrived at the gate of the county town.

The county town was nothing like the countryside. There was a constant stream of people entering the city, and even on New Year's Eve, many vendors still set up stalls at the city gate to do business, making it very prosperous.

Ding-ding-ding-ding!

Among them was a blacksmith's shop that particularly caught the eye. The harsh sound of metal clashing seemed to be directed at Xie An, making it particularly irritating to the ears.

The blacksmith was a bearded man with his upper body bare. The muscles in his arms were strong and powerful, and he swung the hammer as if it were a piece of cake.

When the carriage passed by the blacksmith's shop, the blacksmith suddenly raised his hammer high and smashed it hard on the anvil, making an unprecedented piercing sound. It also sent a strong wind sweeping towards the carriage, suddenly lifting the carriage curtain.

Then, the blacksmith turned around and glanced at Xie An, and the two men's eyes met.

Come again...

Just as Xie An was on guard, the blacksmith had already turned around and continued to hammer away at the iron, ignoring the outside world and humming a folk song.

For the third time...

The carriage continued forward and entered the city gate.

Xie An could no longer remain calm and asked Lu Changshui outside the car, "Brother Lu, do you know who this blacksmith is?"

"How should I know? Strange things happen at the end of the year, so don't worry about it, Mr. Xie. This is Old Master Tang's carriage, and no one in Qingwu County dares to do anything to harm it. Hold on tight, we'll be at Tangjiabao soon."

Even Lu Changshui didn’t know... Xie An didn’t ask any more questions.

After entering the city, things went much smoother. Passing through the bustling streets, they frequently attracted countless onlookers.

Carpooling is scarce not only in the countryside but also in county towns.

Xie An half-opened the curtain of the side window and looked at the pairs of fiery eyes looking at him from the crowd, feeling a mixture of emotions in his heart.

The last time he came to the county town, he was still a small court official who had to pay money to bribe the guards to enter the city, and had to tread on thin ice while holding a chamber pot. Now he has set foot in this prosperous county town again, but he has ridden in a parallel carriage, which makes everyone envious.

Over a year has passed, and things and people have really changed.

After walking for several miles, we arrived at the gate of Tangjiabao.

There is a special area at the entrance for parking sedan chairs and carriages, which is now full of them.

Countless nobles and wealthy men dressed in luxurious brocade robes came in and out of the gate of Tangjiabao, carrying gifts in their hands... Needless to say, they were all giving gifts to Tangjiabao.

Suddenly, there was a noise.

It was actually four sedan bearers carrying a luxurious sedan chair that came over, and it happened to be the same carriage that Xie An was riding in.

A rude sedan bearer said, "Get out of the way! Can't you see this is the county magistrate's sedan chair?"

The County Magistrate...

He was the chief official of Qingwu County. Aside from the captains of the garrisons, the county magistrate held the highest rank. However, the captains were not responsible for internal affairs, but only for training troops and guarding the borders. Therefore, the county magistrate's influence was more direct.

Lu Changshui weighed the pros and cons for a moment and decided to give way, then drove the carriage to the side.

At this moment, a strong voice sounded, "No need, let's make way first."

"master……"

"Give Way!"

"Yes."

The sedan bearers did not dare to disobey and carried the sedan to make way for the carriage.

Xie An, who was sitting in the carriage, heard that the county magistrate had taken the initiative to give way, so he opened the side window to take a look. He happened to see the county magistrate in the sedan chair opposite also opened the side window and they exchanged a glance.

Xie An felt that the county magistrate was very young, probably in his thirties, with an imposing bearing and quite extraordinary.

As for the magistrate's name, Xie An knew it.

The text is clear.

He was a successful candidate in both civil and military examinations during the Jingtai reign, and later passed the civil and military examinations. He was demoted to Qingwu County as the magistrate. This was definitely a high-ranking position for Qingwu County.

He only needs a few years of gilding himself and he will surely be promoted.

What Xie An never expected was that such a Jinshi would actually give way to a parallel carriage.

What surprised Xie An even more was that Wen Zaiqing actually nodded and smiled at him.

So respectful to the wise?

Xie An also nodded in return.

drive.

Lu Changshui slapped the horse's back with the reins and drove the carriage into the gate of Tangjiabao first.

After getting off the carriage, Lu Changshui led Xie An to an independent courtyard to rest. During this journey, Xie An saw what a truly wealthy family was like.

Countless wealthy businessmen, dignitaries and nobles came to pay their respects.

They lined up to pay their respects to Old Master Tang.

I guess most of the dignitaries in Qingwu County have come.

This is the Chinese New Year!

Entering the courtyard, Lu Changshui was even more busy entertaining, fearing that he would neglect Xie An. He kept emphasizing that the two elder brothers Tang Qingfeng and Tang Qingyun were busy receiving guests, and asked Xie An to wait.

It was not until dusk that Xie An clearly heard the noisy and bustling sounds outside disappear, and guessed that the dignitaries who came to pay their respects had left.

After all, it’s time for the New Year’s Eve dinner at night.

The nobles were all sensible and needed to leave time for Old Master Tang to reunite with his family and not disturb him any further. Moreover, they also needed to go home to reunite with their families.

"Thank you, brother. Sorry, I'm late."

A familiar voice came, and it was Tang Qingfeng who came in exhausted. When he saw Xie An, he was particularly enthusiastic, "It's not that I intentionally neglected you, but my adoptive father specifically instructed that I need to spend a lot of time to receive Brother Xie."

Xie An was shocked by this generous gift and quickly stood up and bowed, "Master Tang, you are so polite. I am sorry to bother you with my presence."

After some pleasantries, Tang Qingfeng said, "Brother Xie, if you've rested well, please follow me. My foster father is already waiting for you in the main hall."

"it is good."

Xie An took a carefully prepared gift box and followed Tang Qingfeng out, while Yuhe stayed in the yard tactfully.

After passing through layers of courtyards and winding corridors, we arrived at the central courtyard of Tangjiabao.

Tang Qingyun was waiting at the door early and greeted Xie An with a bow.

After some pleasantries, Tang Qingfeng extended his hand and pointed to the courtyard gate, "Brother Xie, please come in. My adoptive father is waiting inside."

Xie An took two steps, stepped over the threshold, and found that Tang Qingfeng had not followed him, so he turned around and said, "Master Tang, aren't you coming?"

Tang Qingfeng smiled and said, "My godfather has something important to arrange today, so it's not convenient for me to go in."

What's the big deal? Even Tang Qingfeng, the adopted son, and Tang Qingyun, the biological son, are not able to go in?
Xie An walked in with curiosity.

The courtyard is very large, with ponds, rockery, pavilions and attics, which are magnificent.

What attracted Xie An most was that there was a large artificial lake inside. There was a pavilion beside the lake, and a white-haired old man was sitting beside the pavilion, fishing.

There were three people standing next to the old man.

It was the farmer, fisherman, and blacksmith that Xie An had met before...

Suddenly, Xie An understood something.

As long as Zhengyang survives, the blue sky will exist. How dare the bandits cross the blue sky...

Is this the old man fishing?

(End of this chapter)