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

Chapter 159 Brothers drink together, trust each other deeply!
Faced with Tang Zhengyang's inquiry, Xie An was reluctant to reveal his own solar terms.

Brother Tang spent a hundred years but still couldn't break through the Four Seasons Wall and was stuck at the sixth level of Mingyu Gong.

It took me seven or eight years to reach the eighteenth level.

It's not fair and too cruel to Brother Tang.

But the world is inherently unfair and cruel, and these things will not change just because of Xie An's compassion.

After weighing the pros and cons, Xie An decided to speak out.

Compared to being heartless, deception is more hurtful.

Xie An bowed solemnly, "Thanks to my elder brother's care, I have reached the eighteenth solar term of Mingyu Gong, Frost Descent."

Swish!
Even with Old Master Tang's century-long experience, he couldn't help but stand up suddenly after hearing this. He looked at Xie An in disbelief, and the pupils in his sunken eye sockets suddenly became extremely bright.

Then, Old Master Tang firmly grasped Xie An's shoulders, and was filled with excitement. "In just seven years, Fifth Brother has actually reached the eighteenth level of Frost Descent from zero. He is truly a genius! Hahaha, as the eldest brother, I was right in choosing him."

On such a happy occasion, how could there be no wine? "

Old Master Tang suddenly laughed and brought over an unopened jar of liquor from the side. He removed the lotus leaf and kraft paper that sealed it, poured a large bowl for Xie An, and then poured a bowl for himself.

Old Master Tang picked up two large bowls of wine, handed one to Xie An, and said with a bold smile, "Come, congratulate your fifth brother."

Xie An took the wine bowl and said solemnly: "Cheers, big brother."

"It's so refreshing. This is how life should be. Three more bowls, please."

Tang Zhengyang was so excited that he seemed as if he was the one who had reached the eighteenth level of Mingyu. He laughed heartily and drank three bowls of liquor in succession with Xie An.

The weather in summer is still very hot, and drinking strong liquor makes the stomach feel as hot as fire. After the alcohol takes effect, it stimulates the brain and brings out a heroic and magnificent pleasure.

When he drank the fourth bowl, Xie An felt much more heroic.

The transparent wine flowed down from the corners of their mouths, passed through their necks, soaked their clothes, and flowed into their hearts, turning into the relationship between brothers... sharing hardships and heroism.

After drinking four large bowls of liquor, Tang Zhengyang slammed the bowls on the table and laughed heartily: "It feels so good. It feels so good! Hahahaha..."

Xie An was infected and laughed too.

He could feel that Tang Zhengyang was really happy about his achievements.

This is a very rare bond.

Xie An, having lived two lives, knew one thing clearly: many of his relatives and friends did indeed sympathize with him and did not want him to have a bad life. They even hoped he would have a good life. But they certainly did not want him to have a better life than them.

Only if someone truly regards you as important as himself will he hope that you live better than him.

Brother Tang is obviously one of them.

Xie An cherished this very much in his heart.

After a round of drinking, Tang Zhengyang's heroic spirit remained undiminished. "Fifth brother, can you please demonstrate to me the process of your Mingyu Gong's progress in advancement?"

"Brother, what are you talking about? My Mingyu Gong was given to me by you. Now that I'm lucky enough to be ahead, I should share it all." Xie An stood up and bowed, carefully taking care of his brother's emotions. "Before I show you, I have some special circumstances that I need to explain to you."

Tang Zhengyang said with a heroic smile, "There's no need to be so formal between us, brothers. Just say whatever you want to say."

Xie An said, "I've discussed with you many times before the difficulties of the Four Seasons Wall of Mingyu Gong. However, during my practice of Mingyu Gong, I didn't encounter the Four Seasons Wall and broke through it directly."

Tang Zhengyang was shocked after hearing this and could not believe that such a thing could happen.

Haven’t encountered the Four Seasons Wall?
How can this be?

My mentor, Li Changchun, paid a huge price to break through the barrier and enter autumn. Later, in order to enter winter, he even pretended to be dead and hibernated, nourished by the Yin water of the earth veins, and it took him a hundred years to complete the feat of entering winter.

Even when Old Master Tang and his senior brother buried Li Changchun's body, they didn't know that Enshi was doing this to welcome winter.

And his mentor did not tell Tang Zhengyang the method of breaking the barrier in summer and autumn.

Tang Zhengyang had no choice but to become sworn brothers with three other brothers and try to find a way to break the wall.

This time, upon hearing that Xie An had broken through the eighteenth stage of Mingyu Gong, Tang Zhengyang thought that Xie An had found a way to break through the barrier, and that he could learn from Xie An's experience and break through the barrier himself.

As a result, Xie An said this.

This inevitably made Tang Zhengyang have an idea: Did Xie An intentionally conceal the key information of the Four Seasons Wall, or did he not want Tang Zhengyang to break the wall successfully?

But Tang Zhengyang clearly saw that Xie An's eyes were clear, and he didn't seem to be lying. And Xie An didn't need to lie.

"Then did Fifth Brother encounter any other anomalies during his cultivation? Logically speaking... the Four Seasons Wall is real."

Xie An knew that building a brotherly bond was not easy; it took years of mutual understanding and trust to develop. However, it was easy to destroy trust; sometimes, a few words could create a rift.

Old Master Tang cherished Xie An, and Xie An naturally cherished his elder brother and did not want to create any rift between them.

Xie An bowed and said, "There is indeed something strange. Brother, do you know what corpse qi is?"

Old Master Tang said, "I know. Corpse refiners can refine corpse qi. Didn't the high priest of the Corpse Refining Hall in Dayin Mountain spend a hundred years to refine eight thousand tons of corpse qi, which he used to nourish the Immortal Queen of the previous dynasty? You told me about it, and I know a little about it. Corpse qi is also called immortal qi, which can be used to prolong life. However, only masters of the martial arts master level know how to use it. Ordinary martial artists cannot use immortal qi."

I wish I knew it, brother...

Xie An breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I don't know how it happened, but I can actually absorb this immortal energy. It speeds up the progress of Mingyu Gong. The reason why the princess asked me to cooperate with her was related to this."

Tang Zhengyang was greatly shocked. "You can absorb the immortal energy! But I see that your martial arts cultivation level is not even at the martial arts master level..."

As far as I know, only martial arts masters who have unlocked the secrets of the human body can absorb immortal energy, strengthen their bodies, compensate for physical exhaustion, and increase their lifespan."

Tang Zhengyang was silent for a long time, then asked, "How much immortal energy have you absorbed?"

Xie An confessed, "Maybe I'm lucky. I've basically absorbed the eight thousand times of immortality energy refined by the high priest. I was trapped underground for four years, actually digesting and absorbing the eight thousand times of immortality energy. Thanks to this, I was able to cultivate the Mingyu Gong to the eighteenth level."

Except for the longevity character, Xie An did not hide any other information.

I just don't want Brother Tang to think too much, and I don't want to affect our brotherly relationship.

Tang Zhengyang was stunned for a long time. "It seems that my fifth brother is born with extraordinary talent. I have heard that some people have special fates and can possess various magical abilities."

Xie An didn't expect Tang Zhengyang to be so knowledgeable. "Fate?"

Tang Zhengyang said, "Yes. I've heard my master mention it before. Some ancient books record the term spiritual roots. It says that people with good spiritual roots can achieve twice the result with half the effort in cultivating health, and their progress will be rapid. In the secular world, this spiritual root is probably the same as destiny. Fifth brother should belong to this category."

Xie An breathed a sigh of relief.

That's fine.

Big brother won't think about hiding anything.

Without waiting for Xie An to ask more, Tang Zhengyang explained, "There are four Four Seasons Walls: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. This must be the case. Otherwise, Fifth Brother's progress wouldn't be so fast."

Then, Tang Zhengyang patted Xie An's shoulder heavily and said, "Fifth brother, you are truly a man of great luck. Even Master Li Changchun spent a hundred years just to enter winter. Fifth brother, you have been brave and diligent along the way, and your future is limitless. You don't need to worry too much, I believe in you."

"Thank you for your trust, big brother. I will perform the Mingyu Gong right now. I will deliberately slow down the speed, especially when breaking the wall, big brother, please watch carefully."

Xie An left his seat and went to the central courtyard with Tang Zhengyang, then walked under the ancient locust tree.

Tang Zhengyang was standing next to him, and he stretched out his hand, signaling Xie An to start.

call!
Xie An took a deep breath and then began to practice Mingyu Gong.

The heat in the body begins to move, dispersing throughout the limbs and bones. After a full cycle, it begins to rise:
Xie An quickly advanced through the first six solar terms: Beginning of Spring, Rain Water, Waking of Insects, Spring Equinox, Tomb-Sweeping Day, and Grain Rain. He knew very well that Old Master Tang had already reached the sixth solar term, and there was nothing much to show for that part.

It was not until Grain Rain that Xie An slowed down.

Then, Xie An's body suddenly tensed up and his aura surged.

beginning of summer.

Successfully entering summer, breaking through the wall of four seasons.

In fact, the ascension was as smooth as silk, without any stagnation or twists. It was as if there really was no Four Seasons Wall...

"Brother, can you see it clearly?" While practicing his skills, Xie An was able to distract himself and talk to Tang Zhengyang.

Tang Zhengyang's eyes became very bright, as if he saw every detail of Xie An. He couldn't help but said excitedly: "Well done, beautifully done. I'm watching, Fifth Brother, you continue."

"Yes."

Xie An nodded and continued to activate the Mingyu Gong, constantly leaping and improving his energy level.

Grain in Ear, Grain in Ear, Summer Solstice, Lesser Heat, Greater Heat.

In just a dozen or so breaths, he reached the twelfth level of Mingyu Gong.

At this moment, Xie An's body had undergone a transformation. Heat billowed from head to toe, like a pot of boiling water, and energy surged. However, the energy did not escape.

The microcosm is boiling.

"Look, big brother, I'm about to enter autumn."

Tang Zhengyang stared at Xie An, "Okay!"

hum!
Xie An's muscles and bones trembled, and his aura rose again.

Fall.

After the beginning of autumn, Xie An continued to practice the Mingyu Gong, and the heat trapped in his body began to radiate outwards. It was as if his boiling microcosm had begun to burn.

The heat in the body rises steadily.

Beginning of Autumn, End of Heat, White Dew, Autumnal Equinox, Cold Dew.

At this moment, an extremely hot air was covering the area within three meters around Xie An. Even a powerful martial artist like Tang Zhengyang could not get within three meters of Xie An.

Tang Zhengyang's eyes became brighter than ever, and his body began to tremble with excitement. "Fifth brother, please continue."

"it is good."

Xie An pinched his fingers and the Mingyu Gong reached another level.

Frost!

Boom!

His muscles and bones hummed, and his whole body emitted a crackling sound like frying beans. Xie An's skin became somewhat transparent, truly like ice and jade. His appearance became younger again.

It was as if a vast vitality erupted in Xie An's body. The heat within three meters outside his body spontaneously circulated, forming a vortex that slowly attracted the surrounding sand and gravel.

"Brother, this is my current limit. At the Frost Descent level, I have immense strength and lightning speed. My body can be as heavy as a mountain or as light as a swift. My combat power is extremely powerful. Please watch, brother."

After saying that, Xie An raised his right index finger and slowly pressed it on the ground.

The moment the fingers touched the ground, there was a sudden loud "boom" sound, and the marble tiles within a radius of five or six meters shattered, and the entire ground sank more than one meter.

The next moment, Xie An rushed to the ancient locust tree next to him, reached the top of the tree in one step, and stood on a branch as thick as a chopstick, as steady as Mount Tai.

After a short pause, Xie An finally finished his work and appeared before Old Master Tang. He bowed modestly and said, "This is the power of the Eighteen Frosts of Mingyu Gong."

Tang Zhengyang was stunned for a long time before he recovered. "It's really amazing. The last time I saw such a miracle was a hundred years ago when I saw it on Master. I didn't expect that my fifth brother would spend seven years to do it. It's really incredible."

Xie An said: "Thank you for teaching me the skills. This is the only way I can have this opportunity."

Tang Zhengyang sighed deeply, "Fifth brother, it is because of your great fortune and hard work that you have achieved such success. Now, as your eldest brother, I have to thank you. Watching you break through the barriers and rise step by step, as your eldest brother, I have also gained some insights. You will need to retreat for a period of time, perhaps in the summer."

Hearing this, Xie An felt emotional.

Old Master Tang is indeed the God of Qingwu County. He is extremely talented. I have gained enlightenment after just one look.

Xie An was very happy and said, "I look forward to seeing you in the summer soon. If you need me, I will let you drive me."

Tang Zhengyang laughed heartily, took Xie An's hand and went into the pavilion to make tea. "You're too kind. Comprehension of the exercises is one's own business. Fifth brother has helped me so much. I have seen everything that should be demonstrated. Whether I can break through next depends entirely on my own talent and understanding."

Xie An sat beside him, accompanying Tang Zhengyang in brewing tea. "When do you plan to go into seclusion, big brother?"

Tang Zhengyang said, "My retreat this time will take at least a year and a half, maybe even longer. If it fails, I guess my life will be over. There are some family matters that need to be arranged. Also, my eldest brother will need my fifth brother to help take care of the family during his retreat."

Xie An readily agreed, "This is my responsibility. Even if you don't mention it, I will do the same."

Tang Zhengyang thanked him and said, "Fifth brother, I naturally trust you. With your current Mingyu Gong, you can barely be compared to an eighth-level martial artist. Even I, your eldest brother, am no match for you. However, Qingwu County is no longer what it used to be. The King of Huainan's men have arrived, and the garrisons and the Demon Suppression House have been upgraded. Experts from all walks of life have flocked here. Becoming an eighth-level martial artist is not a safe bet. So, fifth brother, how long do you think it will take until winter arrives and you can reach the nineteenth level of Mingyu Gong?"

Xie An said, "I'm afraid it will take a year or two."

This is the truth.

After Mingyugong entered the Frost Descent period, its progress slowed significantly. Xie An conservatively estimated that it would take half a year. Furthermore, there couldn't be any barriers to entering winter, otherwise...

Tang Zhengyang said, "If that's the case, Fifth Brother needs to diligently cultivate his martial arts. Chaos in Qingwu County could come very soon. The more strength you have, the more ability you have to protect yourself."

Speaking of this, Xie An smiled bitterly and said, "To become a martial arts master, you need an internal energy pill. This thing is hard to buy. I had the chance to get an internal energy pill a few years ago, but Meng Hu was reluctant to give it to me. Now that Meng Hu has sold Baiyutang to the Giant Whale Gang... the matter of internal energy pills is even more difficult."

"You come with me."

Tang Zhengyang brought Xie An into the hall, then took out a red brocade box and handed it to Xie An, "There are five internal strength pills in it. Take them."

Xie An was shocked, "This is too valuable."

Xie An had a long-lived personality, so he naturally had no shortage of resources in health-preserving exercises.

But when it comes to martial arts training... Xie An is nothing special and still needs resources.

Tang Zhengyang stuffed the brocade box into Xie An's hands and said, "You have helped me so much. If you don't accept these internal energy pills, you are not recognizing me as your big brother."

Xie An accepted it with a smile, "Thank you, big brother."

With the Nei Jin Pill, Xie An's martial arts skills can also be improved, so he is naturally very happy.

Too many skills don't overwhelm the body.

In troubled times, who would complain about not having enough skills to save their lives?

The two returned to the pavilion and talked about the past, feeling very happy. Finally, Xie An changed the subject and said, "I have something else I want to ask you, big brother."

"You said."

Xie An took out the letter of appointment for the fifth-grade chief of the Demon Suppression Division from his pocket and handed it to Tang Zhengyang. "This is a gift from the eldest princess. Big brother, do you think I can be the chief of the Qingwu Demon Suppression Division?"

(End of this chapter)