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

Chapter 133 The rise and fall of dynasties depends on the word immortality

Ok?
Xie An, who had extraordinary five senses, had always noticed the tall young man following him.

Moreover, the boy did not deliberately hide his whereabouts, but was very innocent and lively. Sometimes he bought candy figures at a candy figure stall, sometimes he bought candied haws, and sometimes he bought a rag doll.

Compared to normal teenagers, this tall boy has an extraordinary childlike innocence and playfulness.

Although there are many strange people in this world, Xie An was still a little more vigilant in his heart, but on the surface he pretended to be calm.

After crossing the bustling bluestone street, Xie An was about to turn into the alley leading to the Demon-Suppressing Room.

But suddenly he saw the tall young man appear in front of him at some point, sitting next to an ancient well on the side of the road, holding a candy man in one hand and a candied haws in the other, looking at Xie An with a smile.

His smile was so innocent, but it made Xie An feel a chill down his spine.

Logically speaking, Xie An’s current strength is not bad.

When one reaches the peak of Chongxue Realm, combined with the support of health-preserving exercises and Chongshan Knife, even a martial artist of the first level of internal strength may be able to fight against others.

Even when facing Wen Zaiqing and Chen Qinglang, Xie An didn't feel such a chill down his spine.

This tall boy is so weird.

Xie An suddenly remembered what Su Yuqing had said before...

No way?
Thinking of this, Xie An immediately glanced around:
Fortunately, this is the county town. Because of the incident in Shuideng Town, Wen Zaiqing strengthened the defense of the county town. Patrolling guards and yamen runners can be seen everywhere.

Xie An didn't say anything. He clutched the sword paper in his arms and hurried towards the Demon-Suppressing Room.

……

"Boss, did we behave badly? Did we get you scolded by the officials from Nanyang Prefecture?"

"Boss, if there's anything we don't do well, you can point it out and we'll fix it. Don't ignore us."

In the hall of the Demon Suppression Room, two uniformed Demon Suppression Guards, armed with broadswords, surrounded Liu Chun, seated in a royal chair, offering him all the kind words he could. One massaged his legs, the other patted his back, their enthusiasm exceeding.

While enjoying his men's service, Liu Chun scolded them in a condescending tone, "You know you're not performing well! Forget it, you've tried your best, but... the superiors are still not satisfied. I feel..."

Liu Chun suddenly paused in the middle of his words, which whetted the appetite of his two subordinates.

"Boss, how do you feel?"

Liu Chun said, "I feel like... the higher-ups are asking other people for information about the Corpse Refining Hall. This only makes us seem even more incompetent. If this continues, we'll be worthless. Let's all get back to farming."

One of the men said, "Is that the guy who just walked out of here? He looks ordinary."

Snapped!
Liu Chun knocked him hard on the forehead. "Ordinary? When the Lord meets with this person, I have to retreat three steps away. I don't even have the qualifications to be an observer. How can you be so ordinary and show me how to be so ordinary?"

The two men immediately hung their heads and dared not say anything more.

At this moment, footsteps were heard outside the door, and a demon-suppressing guard said, "Boss, he's here again."

A burly subordinate angrily said, "Boss, if you are unhappy with him, I will go and scold him to help you vent your anger..."

Boom!
As expected, the burly Demon Suppression Guard was hit hard on the head.

"Why don't you go and scold your mother? I think she's still upset about giving birth to a thing like you. Get out of here." Liu Chun pushed the two useless brothers away, then stood up and went out the door, forcing a smile on his face, "Thank you, brother, for coming."

Xie An bowed and said, "Captain Liu, is your master here?"

"I'm waiting for you inside. I'll take Brother Xie there right away." Liu Chun forced a smile that was uglier than crying, and eagerly led Xie An.

This made the two demon-suppressing guards dumbfounded.

The burly-looking demon-suppressing guard said, "Brother Bin, Boss...are you crying or laughing?"

Another young man, called Brother Bin, said, "Xiao Hu, don't you have any insight? He must be smiling. It's just that the boss's lips are not developed properly, so when he smiles, it looks a bit like crying."

Xiaohu said, "What does that guy look like when he cries?"

Brother Bin glared at him and said, "You want to make the boss cry... Xiaohu, you don't want to be in this business anymore, right?"

……

When Xie An returned to the courtyard, he saw Su Yuqing still wearing her teacher's robe, dressed as a man as usual, sitting quietly in the pavilion, brewing tea.

There were even two teacups.

Even the letter of covenant personally handed down by the leader of Taiyi Sect was neatly placed on the table.

Did this woman know she would come back?

Xie An was not vague and bowed to Su Yuqing, then sat down opposite him. Before he could speak, Su Yuqing filled Xie An's cup of tea and spoke softly.

"Your scroll has fallen."

Taking the scroll meant that Xie An agreed to cooperate.

Xie An was not in a hurry to take the scroll.

Su Yuqing said, "A gentleman is sincere, so you can speak frankly."

Xie An said: "General Su said before that the chief priest of the Corpse Refining Hall is a corpse refiner, and he is competing with me for the Undying Qi..."

Before he could finish his words, Su Yuqing seemed to know what Xie An was thinking and said bluntly, "You should have practiced some secret method to absorb the immortal energy. The immortal energy of the Corpse Refining Hall... can all be given to you. However... although the immortal energy is a good thing, it has great side effects.

After all, it comes from corpses, refined by corpse refiners. If you absorb too much, you could easily destroy yourself, or even go astray. If that happens, I will have no choice but to intervene and stop you.

Xie An had not expected the woman to agree so readily. She truly had the air of a gentleman with an open mind.

Xie An said no more and took the scroll with both hands. "When does General Su plan to leave for the hall?"

Having witnessed what happened to Chen Qinglang and Wen Zaiqing in Cuiweiju, Xie An now feels very insecure staying in the hall.

After all, he had killed two bronze corpses and one silver corpse of Master Li.

If Master Li knew about this and came knocking on my door... the consequences would be unimaginable.

but it does not matter.

I can't beat him.

But you can find a substitute.

What's more, the person in front of him is an all-knowing person.

Not to mention the son of King Huainan, even if King Huainan himself came... he might not be influential enough in front of the eldest princess.

After all, it was troublesome for a woman to travel, as she had to organize and pack all kinds of belongings. Xie An even made preparations to stay overnight in the county town.

In no mood……

Su Yuqing said, "The carriage is ready."

OK OK...

It’s really cool!

……

A carriage slowly left from the back door of the Demon-Suppressing Room.

The ones driving the horses were Liu Chun, Xiaohu and Brother Bin.

Xie An and Su Yuqing were sitting in the carriage.

The furnishings in the carriage weren't luxurious, but they were practical. The seats were covered in soft leather, and there was a small desk. Su Yuqing, dressed in a long gown, sat behind the desk, holding an ancient book in her right hand and resting her chin on her left, reading leisurely.

Xie An was sitting on the side, and saw a ray of sunset shining through the side window, which reflected on Su Yuqing's face, adding a bit of tranquility and grace.

It seemed that no matter how noisy the outside world was, she could always find peace and quiet in herself.

There was silence in the carriage for a while, but as the carriage left the city, the two of them chatted with each other occasionally, and gradually became natural.

Xie An gently talked about the strange boy.

Su Yuqing still looked cold and indifferent. "He is Li Changchun."

Sure enough... Li Changchun had his eyes on him.

It seems that Su Yuqing's claim that he had helped him twice before was not false.

Too dangerous!

This woman arrived just in time.

But... Li Changchun is at least over a hundred years old. Who would have thought that he could actually rejuvenate and become a tall young man?
Rejuvenation...it's really mysterious!
Xie An had only heard of it before, but now he saw it with his own eyes.

In an instant, Xie An's heartbeat quickened a little.

When I master the Mingyu Gong... won't I be able to do the same?

Although Xie An doesn't look old now, he looks like a mature man in his thirties.

But if there is a chance to become a 17 or 18-year-old... who wouldn't want to?
After carefully recalling the appearance of the tall young man in his mind, Xie An began to imagine what Mingyu would look like when his skills were fully developed in the future.

At that moment, Su Yuqing glanced at Xie An and asked, "Want to regain your youth?"

Xie An did not hide his feelings and nodded. Su Yuqing suddenly asked, "Do you think I'm old?"

Xie An shook his head and told the truth, "Not old, just like a girl of seventeen or eighteen."

It's said that women like to be told they're young, but Su Yuqing didn't seem pleased by this. "A martial arts master can live for a maximum of three hundred years. If they can reach a higher level... they can live for four hundred years. That's the limit of lifespan!"
Although many sects in Daqian have studied the art of longevity, it is not mature and carries great risks. Therefore, most martial artists in Daqian have little interest in it and focus on practicing martial arts.

Xie An deeply agreed with this.

If the art of longevity becomes a mature system, I'm afraid all martial artists will rush to practice it.

Even if one holds immense power and authority... one cannot resist the allure of immortality.

Compared to Su Yuqing's understanding of this world, Xie An was naturally a newbie, so he took the opportunity to chat, "The royal family of the previous dynasty regarded the Changsheng Sect as the state religion, which must be related to the emperor's pursuit of the art of immortality."

Su Yuqing hummed, "The emperor compares himself to the Son of Heaven, holding the highest position among the nine-five supreme rulers, but he cannot withstand the mighty force of time and will eventually turn to dust. Seeking the art of immortality is the emperor's only pursuit."

Xie An was quite touched. In the past five thousand years of history, how many emperors had sought immortality?
"Once seated on the throne, one no longer wishes to die, wishing to hold onto this supreme power forever. Perhaps only immortality can keep the emperor working tirelessly."

Su Yuqing seemed to have not expected that Xie An, a commoner from a remote village, would have such knowledge. Her eyes brightened as she looked at Xie An, and she was more interested in talking. "The previous Tianbao Emperor was a wise and capable emperor who created the Tianbao Dynasty. His martial arts skills reached the pinnacle, and his reign lasted for three hundred years.

If he hadn't been obsessed with the art of immortality in his later years, neglecting state affairs and being reluctant to pass the throne to his descendants, and ultimately suffering the backlash of the art of immortality, causing his strength to decline significantly... I'm afraid the Tianbao Dynasty wouldn't have perished, and my father wouldn't have had the chance to establish the Jingtai Dynasty."

Xie An took the opportunity to absorb this knowledge and information that he could not normally access and asked, "Has the Changsheng Sect made great achievements in the art of longevity?"

Su Yuqing became slightly interested, so she put down the scroll in her hand and changed her sitting position. "Of course, there are countless sects in the world. But there are not many major sects that specialize in longevity and health preservation. The Changsheng Sect is the leader among them.

The eunuch Xu Kangfu, who originally wrote the Mingyu Gong, was a member of the Changsheng Sect. There are other techniques of the same level within the Changsheng Sect. However, the Changsheng Sect's greatest achievement is not the Mingyu Gong.

Xie An suddenly felt that it would be very convenient to communicate with such a knowledgeable and experienced person to obtain information. "Where is it?"

Su Yuqing pursed her lips.

Xie An understood.

Pour tea and serve.

"Director Su, have some tea to moisten your throat."

Su Yuqing was not polite. After taking the porcelain cup and taking a sip of hot tea, she continued, "The two major secret techniques of the Changsheng Sect are corpse refining and soul refining.

You already know about corpse refining. It involves using living people as test subjects, transforming them into corpses. The life force energy within a living person is refined into a wisp of immortal energy, which is then nourished by a living corpse. Once absorbed by a martial arts master, it can extend the body's lifespan.

Soul Refining, however, is even more brutal. It involves extracting a person's spirit and refining it into a strand of resentful spirit power. This is then absorbed by powerful martial arts masters, strengthening their own spirit and increasing its lifespan. It's said that if a spirit continuously absorbs resentful spirits and reaches its limit, it can escape its own body, possess another, and live another life.

Xie An was secretly shocked.

Although Xie An strongly disapproved of the two secret techniques of the Changsheng Sect, he had to admit that the Changsheng Sect was indeed quite capable.

Su Yuqing frowned, seeming to be disgusted by these actions. "Whether it's refining corpses or refining souls, it requires the killing of a large number of people. The Nanyang Ten Massacres and the tens of thousands of people who died in Qingwu County... were all plundered by the Changsheng Cult and used as experimental subjects.

The Changsheng Sect is an unforgivable evil cult that we cannot tolerate."

Xie An declared fiercely, "This evil magic has incurred the wrath of Heaven and the resentment of the people, and everyone has the right to punish it. Emperor Tianbao knew all this, yet he still made the Changsheng Sect the state religion. It's clear that he has gone astray in his pursuit of the immortality technique."

Su Yuqing agreed. "Yes. The Tianbao Dynasty began to be in chaos after the Changsheng Sect entered the capital. Although this gave Jingtai the opportunity to establish his own country, I... would rather the Tianbao Emperor not bring such disaster to the people."

Xie An was slightly moved, feeling that the eldest princess didn't seem to care much about the constraints of feudal hierarchy.

Su Yuqing seemed to be deeply moved by this, and she continued, "Fortunately, although my father has made many foolish mistakes in small matters over the past century, he is not confused in major matters. He has been diligent in governing the country and has been frugal and self-disciplined. The Taoism he reveres is not some evil cult, but rather a heart that supports the world and sympathizes with the people."

Xie An: “…”

Frankly speaking, Emperor Jingtai was often foolish in small matters... Looking at the entire Daqian, I'm afraid there are not many people like him, right?

Anyone who dares to say this about Emperor Jingtai is either mentally ill or a really big shot.

But Xie An felt...Su Yuqing was the latter.

However, the amount of information Xie An received was also enormous:
The immortality technique of the Changsheng Sect was immature, and Emperor Tianbao didn't want to die, so he got anxious... Then he messed up, and he lost himself, and the empire too... The Changsheng Sect was subsequently listed as a cult by the Xin Dynasty and was liquidated.

The Tianbao Dynasty, which lasted for three hundred years, was destroyed due to two words: immortality.

After knowing this, Xie An deeply realized how powerful his plug-in was.

The immortality that led to the downfall of a dynasty, I already have...

They say there is no harm without comparison. If Emperor Tianbao knew about my cheat, he would crawl out of his grave to fight me...

Immortality...

However, Su Yuqing's next words made Xie An worried again.

"Actually, Emperor Tianbao is overthinking it. Daqian has a five-thousand-year-old civilization. Countless martial arts masters have diligently studied the secrets of longevity, all of which point to one thing: four hundred years is the maximum lifespan a human body can reach. For five thousand years, historical records have not recorded anyone living longer than four hundred years. Even if Emperor Tianbao tried his best, he couldn't break the four-hundred-year limit."

What is the maximum lifespan that the human body can endure?
Xie An shuddered, "Why is this?"

Su Yuqing said, "Martial arts training is a process of unlocking the hidden treasures of the human body. An internal energy master can cultivate internal energy and live up to 150 years. A martial arts master can unlock the hidden treasures of the human body and live up to 300 years. And once the human body's potential and hidden treasures are fully explored, it can only endure a lifespan of 400 years."

Xie An understood.

The human body's secrets are somewhat similar to biotechnology from past lives. For example, the number of cell divisions and the shortening time of telomeres at the ends of genes determine the upper limit of a person's lifespan.

It is determined by nature and difficult to break.

Thinking of this, Xie An couldn't help but worry about his longevity...whether he could break this limit.

The road ahead is still long.

The more information he heard, the more he realized that the rise and fall of a dynasty was nothing but "eternal life". Xie An's understanding of eternal life became deeper, and he realized the weight of these two words.

Xie An asked, "Doesn't General Su want to pursue the art of immortality?"

Su Yuqing smiled and said, "Although immortality is good, there is no way to go. However, three hundred years of life is enough for me to do many things, meet many people, and travel to many places. I may not be able to achieve great freedom in the world."

Xie An was suddenly touched and looked up at the quiet woman in front of him. A ray of sunset shone on her face, bright and beautiful like a painting.

Is there really freedom in the world?
Xie An asked, "What if... there really is a technique for immortality in this world that can break the four-hundred-year limit?"

Su Yuqing suddenly became silent.

She had asked herself this question countless times and had asked countless others as well.

In fact, I have sought it countless times.

After a moment, Su Yuqing raised her head, looked at the setting sun outside the side window, and murmured, "Historical records show that in the past five thousand years of Daqian, no one has opened up the path to immortality. If someone can open up the path to immortality in the future, it will surely be a feat that will be remembered for thousands of years. It will completely rewrite the pattern of Daqian civilization."

After saying this, Su Yuqing suddenly turned around and looked at Xie An. "The so-called great freedom is nothing more than a forced awakening when one knows that one's lifespan is limited. If immortality is possible, then... only immortality can bring great freedom."

Only by living forever... can one be truly free!

Xie An repeated these words in his mind.

Suddenly, I had an inexplicable sense of grandeur about immortality.

In the past five thousand years of Daqian, no one has broken the four-hundred-year lifespan limit... So, could I be the exception?
Chatting with the martial arts master is very beneficial.

"Thank you, General Su, for your guidance."

……

Smooth ride.

Li Changchun did not reappear. Perhaps he realized something was wrong in the carriage.

After getting off the carriage, Xie An took the initiative to welcome Su Yuqing to the central courtyard to stay. Because Yuhe was not there, Xie An took the initiative to clean up the entire backyard and made it available for Su Yuqing to move in.

In addition, Liu Chun and his friends were arranged to stay in the courtyard next door.

After everything was arranged, Xie An breathed a sigh of relief.

With this all-knowing agent here, there is no need to worry anymore.

Xie An naturally knew that Su Yuqing came here with a comprehensive plan, but she did not speak on her own initiative, so Xie An did not ask much.

There is no need to worry if Tongtiandairen doesn't run away...

……

Cuiweiju.

"Qingyu, how's the collection of White Deer Blood going?"

"We were almost done collecting them all, but then Number Five was killed. As a result, all the White Deer Blood that Number Five had collected was gone."

"Damn thieves, they ruined my plan. Can you investigate who did this?"

"I just found out. It's Xie An, the head of Baiyu Hall. Baiyu Hall has tightened its security recently, so my people can't infiltrate. That's why I only found out today."

The boy with the mole crushed the table with one foot:
"How dare a mere ant ruin my plans? How can I tolerate him?"

"Sir, calm down. Although the Baiyutang cavalry battalion was massacred by Number Five, there are still two hundred Baiyutang disciples stationed there all year round. We can't just charge in openly."

"Then wait! I don't believe Xie An won't go out!"

(End of this chapter)