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

Chapter 15 Tang Family Castle

Wuqiao Town is about fifty miles away from Qingwu County.

After leaving Wuqiao Town, a ten-mile, winding path leads to the official road that leads directly to the county seat. Generally speaking, the road is easy to travel, and you won't encounter any bandits during the day.

But at night, it’s hard to say.

Especially in late autumn, when the weather is cold and food is scarce, this is the time when bandits are most active.

Chen He was obviously well aware of all this, and he sped up the carriage all the way. At 4:00 PM, he arrived at the gate of the county town.

Looking at the towering city walls, soldiers patrolling back and forth could be vaguely seen. At the city gate, a team of armored soldiers stood guard, deterring anyone from making any rash moves.

There was a constant stream of merchants and common people entering and leaving the city gate, queuing up with their travel permits.

Qingwu County was located on the border of Daqian County, and a thousand-household garrison was established, with strict inspections of people entering and leaving the city. Even locals needed a pass with an official seal to enter or leave.

Xie An had no household registration, so naturally he could not get a travel permit. In the past, when he came to the county town, he had to use the travel permit from the Li Mansion to indicate that he was on official business for the pawnshop before he could enter.

Now that I follow Chen He, it is much more convenient. I just need to say that I am Chen He's follower.

"Master, this is a pass."

Chen He handed over the travel permit with both hands. After reading it, the guard glanced at Xie An behind Chen He and glared at him. "Where's his?"

Chen He slipped some small change to the guard without leaving any trace, and said with a smile, "This is my groom, helping me carry things. Please give him some convenience, sir."

The guard took the money and his serious expression relaxed a lot. He nodded and said, "Go in. The curfew starts at 11:00 am and ends at 1:00 am the next day. Don't miss the time to leave the city."

"Thank you for the reminder, General."

Chen He bowed to express his gratitude, then hurriedly pulled the carriage into the city.

The cities of Daqian were generally under curfew. Only on important holidays, such as the Chinese New Year, would the curfew be lifted for seven days, with the excuse of sharing joy and celebration with the people.

Entering the county town, you'll see bluestone roads everywhere, shops on both sides bustling with people and carriages. The surrounding buildings, stacked one after another, are magnificent and imposing, giving off a sense of grandeur.

Although Xie An had been to the county town many times, it had been several years since he last came to the county, and now he was here again. There was still a sense of country folk coming to the city.

Living in a place like this is quite interesting.

When he had the ability and made money, he would buy a large house with four courtyards in the city, find a few beautiful maids, and become a master.

Although I am a little older, I still have to have dreams.

Xie An thought so in his heart.

"Thank you, brother. The newly opened antique market is at the end of Hualiu Lane in the east of the city. I need to go exchange some herbs first. How about we meet there in an hour?"

"Row."

The two parted ways on Central Street. Chen He went to the medicinal materials market, while Xie An easily found several large pawnshops and took the chamber pot to pawn it.

The pawnshop in the county town was indeed much more impressive, and Master Chaofeng had sharp eyes and good skills, so he could tell at a glance that the chamber pot was a good item.

After comparing the three pawnshops, Xie An still felt unsatisfied, so he went directly to the largest Yong'an Pawnshop in the county to inquire about the price.

Sure enough, the larger the pawnshop, the more it cares about its reputation, and there are fewer cases of price-cutting and cheating people.

An old, white-bearded court attendant offered the highest price. "It's indeed a royal item from a hundred years ago. If it's pawned alive, it's 220 taels, with 3% interest. If it's pawned dead, it's 250 taels."

Xie An felt that this old court official was a man of discernment, and spoke with great conviction, so he said, "Death pawn."

A dead pawn is a one-time deal and cannot be redeemed.

Xie Anke never thought about redeeming a Shenma chamber pot...

The old man with a white beard took out five large silver ingots and handed them to Xie An. "If you need anything like this in the future, feel free to come find me. My last name is Liu, and my given name is Ji."

Xie An said he understood, then wrapped the silver ingot in the cloth bag he brought with him and turned to leave the pawnshop.

With the huge sum of 250 taels of silver in his pocket, he walked on the street with his back straighter.

It is said that people's self-confidence comes from their strength.

Money is also a kind of power.

When your pockets are full, you naturally have to have a good meal.

Xie An found an affordable restaurant and ordered a bowl of braised beef and a spicy lamb head, which he then ate with white rice. His hunger from the day was largely gone, and his stomach was greatly satisfied.

During the meal, I heard the discussions of the diners next door.

"Have you heard? Mr. Tang of Tang Family Fort is dying. He wants to find a talented disciple to inherit his unique skill, 'Six Elephants Power'. Unfortunately, he hasn't found the right person yet."

"That's a shame. Mr. Tang is one of the few in Qingwu County who has become a martial artist through his cultivation. I don't want to die without anyone to inherit his unique skills."

"It's no one's fault. The world is in chaos these days, and those with talent are all practicing martial arts. Who would still practice health-preserving exercises?"

"That's right. Practicing martial arts for three to five years will yield tremendous results. But without thirty to fifty years of accumulation, practicing health-preserving exercises won't even yield a single iota. Only a fool would practice health-preserving exercises."

"..."

Only fools practice health-preserving exercises...

Xie An was shocked when he heard this, and suddenly remembered... Tang Qingfeng, who introduced him to health-preserving exercises, was from Tangjiabao.

Tang Qingfeng had said at the beginning that if he could cultivate the sense of Qi, he could go to Tangjiabao to find him, and perhaps he would have a chance to get an opportunity.

Could this opportunity be Mr. Tang’s unique skill...Six-element Power?

Although Xie An knew very little about Tangjiabao, he had heard from the diners that Mr. Tang had earned the title of martial arts master through his health-preserving exercises. This alone was enough to give him a glimpse into Mr. Tang's extraordinary talent.

Moreover... can one become a martial artist by practicing health-preserving exercises?

This was something Xie An had never thought of before.

Xie An had always wanted to practice martial arts, believing it was the right path. The only reason he had put it off until now was simply because he couldn't afford the martial arts manuals.

If practicing health-preserving exercises can also make one a martial artist proficient in killing, doesn't that mean that one is on the right path?
However, these fancy health-preserving exercises, apart from increasing physical strength, do not involve any killing techniques.

How did Mr. Tang do it?
Xie An vaguely felt that he had touched a brand new door, but there were still many things missing.

"Unfortunately, I haven't been able to cultivate my aura, so I can't go to Tangjiabao. Even if I went, I wouldn't be taken seriously..."

Xie An felt a little disappointed. Seeing that the time he had agreed to meet Chen He was approaching, he paid the bill and went out, hurriedly rushing to meet Chen He.

As soon as I reached the end of Hualiu Lane, I saw Chen He pulling a carriage and waiting anxiously by the roadside.

"Thank you, brother. You're really making me anxious. If it's any later, the antique market will be closed. Let's go and find some bargains."

The newly opened antique market is quite large, with all kinds of items available, over a hundred stalls and constant shouting.

Chen He dragged Xie An along, walking around between the stalls.

"Hurry up and take a look, is there anything good?"

"Don't worry. I'm watching."

After browsing through it, Xie An shook his head.

Chen He was very disappointed. "Not a single leak?"

Xie An explained with a wry smile, "It's not that easy to find a bargain. Antiques aren't priced clearly, so prices fluctuate wildly. If there's no guaranteed price difference, you'll end up broke, or even wasted. The items here have all been handled before, so there's not much profit to be made. If you really want to find a bargain, you'll have to buy first-hand goods from tomb robbers. That's the only way to make a profit."

Chen He suddenly realized that if they delayed a little, it would be almost curfew time. The two had no choice but to rush out of the city.

If they were out of curfew, they would have to stay in the city. They were both trying to make a living, one running a pawnshop and the other a medicine shop. If they didn't go home for a day, the owner would be angry.

It was already dusk when we left the county town.

It was already night when we were halfway through our journey. There was no one on either side of the official road, only the shadows of trees and the cries of crows.

"We've wasted time. It's not safe to walk at night. We have to go back quickly." Chen He used a bamboo whip to hit the horse's butt hard, urging the horse to hurry on.

When passing a corner, three masked men holding large broadswords suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Hey, Lulu!"

Chen He quickly reined in his horse, his face filled with fear. "Three gentlemen, what are you doing?"

A tall man standing in the middle of the three people showed a sinister look, "Old man, you took out 250 taels of silver from Yong'an Pawnshop, you are very rich. I'm short of money recently, so I like big fat sheep like you."

(End of this chapter)