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

Chapter 158 Still in love!

At the gate of Tangjiabao, three children around ten years old gathered under a big camphor tree, chasing each other.

A girl in a red dress was holding a wooden sword, a boy in white was holding a wooden sword, and another boy, who was obviously much stronger, was holding a huge wooden hammer.

Whether it was a wooden sword, a wooden knife, or a wooden hammer... they were all made very crudely, crooked and broken, with only a rough outline and barely discernible shape.

Even so, the three children had a lot of fun and were very involved when wielding their weapons.

"Demon Subduing Sword Technique, take my sword!" The boy in white chased the little girl in red and swung his sword, but the little girl blocked it with a wooden sword.

"Your Demon-Subduing Sword Technique was blocked by my Heavy Mountain Knife, haha. Xiaotong, you lost. You lost the qualification to compete for the leader of the martial arts world. Back off!" The little girl exclaimed that it was a close call, and then she smiled broadly.

The young man in white, Xiaotong, lowered his head, sheathed his sword, and retreated, his face filled with grief. "What a shame! I missed the chance to become the leader of the martial arts world by just a tiny bit. Little Hongtang got a good deal."

It turns out that the little girl in red holding a knife is Xiao Hongtang...

Xiao Hongtang is now eleven years old. He has grown taller and no longer has the chubby baby fat on his face, but he still looks childish and has a more heroic air.

Xiao Hongtang raised his wooden sword and pointed it at the boy who was clearly a head taller than him. "Aliang, my Heavy Mountain Blade has already defeated Xiaotong's Demon-Subduing Sword Technique. Do you still dare to compete with me for the title of Wulin Alliance Leader?"

The big boy named Aliang squeezed the big hammer in his hand and said, "Of course, the leader of the martial arts world must be me."

Xiao Hongtang looked embarrassed.

Judging from their size, she felt she couldn't beat Aliang. However, Xiao Hongtang didn't give up. She approached Aliang, stood on tiptoe, and whispered in his ear, "Aliang, if you voluntarily admit defeat, I'll treat you to Auntie Wang's steamed buns."

Ah Liang was shocked. He patted his rumbling stomach, and the sweet and delicious meat buns from Aunt Wang's bun shop came to his mind. Then he began to compare, choose, and weigh the two between the delicious food and the leader of the martial arts world.

Seeing that he was interested, Xiao Hongtang continued to persuade him, "The term of the leader is two years. I'm the leader this time, so it's your turn next. What's the difference between sitting here earlier or later, right?"

Ah Liang nodded repeatedly, "Then you have to treat me to Auntie Wang's steamed buns twice."

Xiao Hongtang said, "Then you have to act more realistically. Don't let Xiaotong see through it, otherwise I won't be worthy of the title of Wulin Alliance Leader."

Ah Liang patted his chest and assured, "I'm good at this kind of thing."

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you two whispering about? Competing for the leader of the martial arts world is such a serious matter, you can't cheat." Xiaotong came over and pulled the two apart.

Ah Liang stated righteously, "Becoming the leader of the martial arts world is my dream. How could I cheat? Xiaotong, you underestimate me."

Xiaotong was very impressed, "That's good. Let's get started."

Xiao Hongtang chopped with a knife, and Aliang tried to block it with a hammer, but the hammer missed and he fell to the ground, with the wooden sword placed on his neck.

"Zhongshan Dao is indeed powerful. I give up." Aliang gave up as promised.

Xiao Tong, who was standing by, was stunned: When did Xiao Hongtang become so strong?
Xiao Hongtang put away the knife and stood on a stone block nearby. "From now on, I am the leader of the martial arts world. Why don't you meet the leader?"

Ah Liang was quite calm, "Leader."

Xiaotong was very unwilling and had some doubts in his heart, but seeing that Aliang had accepted it, he had no choice but to accept it, "Leader."

Little Red Sugar waved his hand generously, "Xiaotong, go back and get a better wooden sword, and Aliang, go get a bigger wooden axe. Two days later at sunset, we'll hold a heroes' meeting at the old place, and I'll take you to rid the people of this evil."

When Xiaotong heard the phrase "eliminating harm for the people," her eyes lit up. "Leader, where are we going to eliminate harm?"

Little Red Sugar put one hand on her waist, the other hand tightly gripping the wooden sword. "I've heard that a cat went missing from Mr. Li's house nearby. They say it was eaten by a mad dog. Let's go find that mad dog and execute it right there and then to uphold justice."

"Okay!" Xiaotong slapped her thigh excitedly. "Alliance leader, it's right. I'll join the Heroes' Meeting."

Ah Liang also sharpened his axe: "I will join in too."

"Zhu Xiaotong! I told you to go get two kilograms of soy sauce, and you come here to hold a heroic meeting. I'll break your legs!" A woman's angry shout was heard, and then a woman with a thick waist like a bucket was seen rushing over angrily with a bamboo whip in her hand.

The three "heroes" immediately scattered.

"Huang Aliang, don't run away, you little brat. I was wondering why I didn't see you in school. It turns out you skipped classes to attend some hero meeting here. You can't even skip school. What kind of hero are you? You're worse than a bear. Go back and stand in the corner as punishment!" A butcher in an apron strode over, grabbed Huang Aliang's ear, and scolded him as he walked.

Xiao Hongtang hid in the corner early on, and watched his left and right arms being taken away crying. He wanted to rescue them, but was powerless and felt very sorry.

Just then, she felt a shadow approaching from behind, covering her own shadow.

Chilly.

She turned around suddenly and saw Tang Lin rushing towards her angrily with a feather duster in her hand. "It's you again, instigating some heroic gathering! Xiaotong and Aliang's mother have complained to me many times. You still refuse to change your ways, I'll give you a good beating."

Xiao Hongtang did not run away. Instead, she gritted her teeth, lay on the stone pier, with her butt facing up, and accepted Tang Lin's repeated beatings.

Don't underestimate this feather duster. Tang Lin hit the boy very hard and his buttocks turned red very quickly.

Tangjiabao was already famous, and Xiao Hongtang was also a well-known child bully in the area. When Tang Linshi taught Xiao Hongtang a lesson in the street, she immediately attracted countless onlookers.

Among them was Xie An who had just arrived.

I haven't seen Xiao Hongtang for four years. I didn't expect that Xiao Hongtang has grown up so much. And he has become rebellious too?

Although he felt sorry for Xiao Hongtang, he was not her biological grandfather. It was not his place to interfere with the mother's teaching. He planned to wait until Tang Linshi finished teaching her and then go to coax Xiao Hongtang with a gift.

More and more people gathered around.

Zhu Xiaotong's mother and Huang Aliang's father, who had not walked far just now, saw Tang Lin's heavy-handed attack from afar, so they returned with their own children to persuade their ancestor.

"Mrs. Tang, forget it. It's normal for children to like to play."

"That's right. It's not Little Red Sugar's fault. Our children are also at fault."

Tang Linshi didn't stop, instead hitting her even harder. "Don't stop me! Little Hongtang was quite well behaved during the first two years of school, but she's become more and more unruly these past few years. She often skips classes and even instigates others to sneak out of the city. She's so lawless at such a young age, what will happen to her when she grows up?"

clap clap.

Tang Lin repeatedly slapped Xiao Hongtang's buttocks vigorously, while shouting, "Tell me, why did you skip class? Why did you instigate everyone to become the leader of the martial arts world? And why did you hold a heroes' meeting? If you don't explain yourself today, you won't get away with it."

Little Red Sugar gritted her teeth, endured the pain, and refused to speak.

"Stubborn, huh?"

Tang Lin snatched Xiao Hongtang's cloth bag and dumped out a pile of maps from it. She was filled with anger and said, "You actually tore off the pages of the book the teacher gave you and drew maps on them. You, you..."

Tang Lin was so angry that she picked up the map and tore it to pieces.

"Mom, please don't tear it!" Xiao Hongtang didn't care about her red and swollen butt and rushed over to grab the map. As a result, she was slapped hard by Tang Lin.

This was the first time that Xiao Hongtang was beaten. A red palm print was left on her pink little face, and half of her face felt heavy.

Because the commotion at the gate was so loud, Tang Qingyun and Tang Qingfeng rushed out, and even Old Master Tang came out. After the three learned the whole story, they did not try to stop Tang Linshi.

Tang Qingfeng felt that the matter was very serious, so he walked over and yelled at Xiao Hongtang, "Tell me. Why did you do this!?"

It was the first time that Little Hongtang heard Tang Qingfeng yell at her like that. She was frightened and burst into tears.

Although Xie An felt distressed, he also felt that this was a serious matter and that he really needed to be taught a lesson.

Not to mention the feudal chaos of Daqian, even in previous lives, children skipping classes was a big deal. Parents beating and scolding them was perfectly normal.

However, Xie An still hoped that Xiao Hongtang would speak out sooner, otherwise he would continue to be beaten.

Countless people stared at Xiao Hongtang. Her thin body looked so fragile in the wind. She squatted on the ground silently, picked up the torn map on the ground, and tried to piece it together.

She cried and sobbed, "I haven't seen my grandpa for four years. I miss riding on his shoulders to go to school, and I miss him taking me to eat all kinds of delicious food."

I heard that my little grandfather disappeared in Dayin Mountain. My great grandfather has been looking for him several times but to no avail. I decided to go find him myself... That's why I asked my best friends Aliang and Xiaotong for help. We convened a heroes' meeting and first killed a mad dog to boost our courage..."

She became more and more excited as she spoke, and finally she was gasping for breath. "I knew that the knife that my grandfather had was a heavy mountain knife, so I carved a knife out of wood, also called a heavy mountain knife. I overheard the conversation between my great grandfather and my father, and they said that my grandfather might have died in Dayin Mountain.

I don't believe it. I just want to see Little Grandpa. I want to find Little Grandpa, so I drew a lot of maps. Woo woo woo..."

At the end of the story, Little Red Tang held a pile of torn map scraps and fell to the ground, crying loudly, "Little Red Tang wants to find Little Grandpa, Little Red Tang doesn't want Little Grandpa to die, Little Red Tang misses Little Grandpa... Woo woo!"

The crowd was originally pointing fingers at Xiao Hongtang, calling her a bad boy. But after hearing Xiao Hongtang's words, everyone fell silent. Their attitudes completely changed.

Tang Lin's eyes were red. She squatted down and looked at the scraps of paper scattered all over the floor. Her heart ached as if a knife was stabbing her. She reached out to touch Xiao Hongtang's red and swollen face. "I didn't expect my Xiao Hongtang to be so sensible. I'm sorry for you. I'll help you pick up the scraps of paper and put them back together."

Little Red Sugar raised her head, tears welling up in her eyes, "Mom, don't you blame me for skipping class?"

Tang Lin wiped the corners of her eyes gently, "Don't blame me. I blame my mother for not asking clearly at the beginning and beating you without knowing the truth. Little Red Sugar did a good job."

Then, Tang Lin took Little Red Tang into her arms and said, "My good child, Little Red Tang is a good child."

"Come, grandpa will help you pick up the pieces and then put them together." Tang Zhengyang also walked over at this time, squatted down to pick up the scraps of paper, and then pieced them together piece by piece.

Tang Qingyun and Tang Qingfeng also came over to help.

"Dad, come and help Little Red Sugar too."

"Uncle, come and help our little Hongtang." The whole family gathered around Little Hongtang and helped put the map together.

Little Red Sugar burst into laughter.

Soon, Aliang and Xiaotong also rushed over.

"Alliance leader, let me help you."

"Alliance leader, I'm here to help you too."

Little Red Sugar wiped away her tears, completely forgetting the pain on her face and butt. She gave instructions with a playful look, "Hehe, put the map together, and I, the leader, will lead you to explore Dayin Mountain..."

Before she could finish her words, Xiao Hongtang felt a long, narrow shadow covering her, and it kept approaching her. She instinctively looked up and saw a young man in a green, waist-cinching brocade robe slowly approaching.

The brocade robe wasn't luxurious, but it was spotless. His long hair swayed in the breeze, and the afterglow cast a shadow on his handsome yet familiar face. The young man was also carrying cakes, sugar figurines, and candied haws.

The man was very young, but Xiao Hongtang recognized him immediately. She immediately threw away the scraps of paper in her hand and ran towards the young man, shouting, "Little Grandpa!"

She wiped her tears as she ran, her thin body running towards the sunset. Finally, she threw herself into the young man's arms, her hands tightly hooked around his neck.

The young man had the gift in his hand and couldn't free his hands, so he picked up the little red candy with his wrist.

Xie Anke had seen it all, and her eyes had unconsciously become red. She must have been so heartbroken when she saw Tang Lin tear up the map she had spent so much effort on.

However, Xie An waited until his eyes were no longer red before leaving the crowd, because he didn't want to bring his sadness to Xiao Hongtang.

"Little Grandpa, where have you been?"

"Grandpa got lost in Dayin Mountain. He walked and walked for four years before he finally found his way out."

"You are so stupid that you can't even tell east from west."

Xie An was speechless for a while after being told this by Xiao Hongtang. He glanced at the scraps of paper scattered on the ground and said, "This is the map without Xiao Hongtang. How about Xiao Hongtang put the maps together and give them to Grandpa later? Then Grandpa won't get lost."

Little Red Sugar was delighted. "Okay. Let me tell you, this map I drew wasn't just random. I consulted a teacher and drew it according to a certain scale. If you take the map, you won't get lost."

Xie An was so moved by Xiao Hongtang's words that his childishness was rekindled. "Xiao Hongtang is amazing! He can even draw a map. I have to keep it well in the future."

"Little Grandpa, put me down first."

Xie An put Xiao Hongtang down, and Xiao Hongtang ran over and stuffed all the paper scraps into her schoolbag. "Aliang and Xiaotong, listen up. Our Hero Club is disbanded. From now on, everyone should study hard."

Xiaotong felt very disappointed.

Ah Liang's focus was different, "What about the buns?"

Little Red Sugar patted her schoolbag: "There are plenty of buns for you."

Aliang was overjoyed.

The two little kids left one after another, each holding their adult's hand, and walked away into the sunset.

Xie An handed the little sugar man and candied haws to Xiao Hongtang, then pinched Xiao Hongtang's cheeks, and finally handed the cakes to Tang Linshi, "Mrs. Tang, these are cakes for you."

Tang Lin happily accepted it, then pulled the extremely reluctant Xiao Hongtang away, "Let's go back first, and let mother apply medicine on you. Your little grandfather and your great grandfather have something to say."

Little Hongtang blinked her bright little eyes at Xie An, then skipped away.

Xie An walked up to Tang Zhengyang and bowed, saying, "Brother."

Tang Zhengyang held Xie An's hand tightly, tears streaming down his face. "Okay, it's good that you're back. Let's go inside and talk, brothers."

Tang Zhengyang eagerly took Xie An's hand and walked into the house. He said to Tang Qingfeng, "Ask the chef to prepare a sumptuous lunch. And take out the aged wine that I have stored in the wine cellar."

……

The family had lunch together.

Tang Qingfeng and Tang Qingyun, Tang Lin and Xiao Hongtang, and Xie An and Old Master Tang.

Just like before, nothing strange.

Tang Linshi was still very virtuous, always taking the initiative to serve tea and water to everyone, and only sat down to eat after entertaining them. However, Xiao Hongtang insisted on sitting on Xie An's lap to eat.

Tang Lin scolded her: "You thought it was four years ago? You've grown taller. How can your little grandfather eat if you sit on his lap?"

Xiao Hongtang snorted and turned her head away, ignoring Tang Linshi.

Xie An smiled and said, "It's okay. I'm tall. It won't affect me."

Little Red Sugar smiled and said, "Grandpa still spoils me."

Then Xiao Hongtang gave Tang Linshi a slightly smug look, as if to say: Mom, learn from me...

Tang Lin was speechless and glared at Xiao Hongtang fiercely. Seeing that Xiao Hongtang pretended not to see, Tang Lin gave up. Deep down, Tang Lin was not angry with Xiao Hongtang. Seeing that there was another little grandfather who doted on his daughter so much, she was very happy.

During the meal, Xiao Hongtang kept asking Xie An what he had done in the past four years, and Xie An had no choice but to lie... saying that he was lost and fighting monsters, etc.

Xie An couldn't bear to tell an eleven-year-old girl about the miserable and evil side of the Corpse Refining Hall.

Even though it was a lie, Little Red Sugar still listened with great interest, and asked from time to time why this monster was so weak?
This forced Xie An to make up one lie after another...

After dinner, Tang Lin took Xiao Hongtang away on the pretext that she needed to finish her homework.

Without outsiders around, everyone spoke more directly.

Tang Qingfeng said, "During the four years you were away, your adoptive father went up the mountain seven times to look for you, running around seeking help. And your two disciples also came to Tangjiabao for help many times..."

Xie An looked at Tang Zhengyang and felt that this elder brother had aged considerably. His temples were already gray, and his face was wrinkled much deeper. He must have been working very hard for his affairs.

Thinking of this, Xie An was deeply moved.

When he first came to this world, he was a refugee who was sold at a low price and had no relatives. In his time of hardship, he was able to receive such care from his two disciples and have an elder brother who was so concerned about him.

It's really heartwarming.

Xie An bowed and said, "Thank you for your concern, big brother."

Tang Zhengyang said, "Brothers, there's no need for such awkward words. I'm just asking for help. You've been suffering in Dayin Mountain for four years. What happened during those four years?"

Facing his elder brother Tang Zhengyang, Xie An felt that apart from the fact that he had a long life, there was nothing else to hide.

Xie An recounted the entire incident in detail.

After listening to Xie An's story, everyone present couldn't help but gasp.

Even though Tang Qingfeng and Tang Qingyun were both powerful martial artists, they couldn't help but marvel at Xie An's experience.

Only Old Master Tang remained relatively calm. He realized the seriousness of the situation and dismissed Tang Qingyun and Tang Qingfeng. Then he turned to Xie An and said, "Fifth brother, you said that the high priest Jin Hai'er was killed by the eldest princess. But Li Changchun is still alive?"

Xie An said, "Yes. Jin Haier's aunt is Jin Xiaotang, the former queen and leader of the Changsheng Sect. The high priest and Li Changchun spent a hundred years collecting eight thousand strands of corpse qi just to nourish this immortal queen. Unfortunately, she ran away. Her whereabouts are still unknown."

hiss.

Even Tang Zhengyang, a centenarian, was shaken after hearing this.

After all, Li Changchun is Tang Zhengyang's mentor.

After a long moment of daze, Tang Zhengyang finally came to his senses. "The world is truly full of wonders. Reaching the nineteenth level of Mingyu Gong can truly rejuvenate and prolong one's life. Unfortunately, I've been stuck at the sixth level for many years, and now my deadline is approaching..."

A long sigh expressed Tang Zhengyang's helplessness in his life.

Tang Zhengyang is a martial artist with a maximum lifespan of 150 years.

He is now over 140 years old and has less than ten years left.

Breaking through to become a martial arts master would naturally allow one to reach a 300-year birthday, but this step was too difficult.

The entire Nanzhou, with a population of tens of millions, had only two known martial arts masters, one of whom was a princess from the capital. The only native Nanzhou martial arts master was He Nanfeng.

It's easy to see how difficult it is to break the Grandmaster level.

Xie An couldn't help but sigh, "Brother, is it necessary to break the Four Seasons Wall to increase my lifespan?"

Tang Zhengyang said, "Yes. A martial artist's lifespan of 150 years is the upper limit. In reality, most martial artists don't live that long, and at most, they're almost dead at 110 or 120 years old. After all, martial artists' practice also injures themselves and damages their bodies. It's difficult to reach the theoretical upper limit. I've only been able to approach this 150-year limit by practicing Mingyu Gong for years to nourish my body and smooth out the damage. If I can break through the Four Seasons Wall, I can add a few dozen more years to my lifespan. If not, I probably only have the last six or seven years left."

Xie An was silent.

He had a long life and hadn't encountered any Four Seasons Wall. Even if he wanted to help Brother Tang, he didn't know where to start.

Suddenly, Tang Zhengyang looked up at Xie An and said with a smile, "Fifth brother, you look much younger. How far have you reached in practicing Mingyu Gong?"

(End of this chapter)