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

Chapter 185 Six years at most, the master's method!

Xie An rubbed the teacup and listened quietly to Wei Haoran and Zhao Qing'er expressing their dissatisfaction with the King of Huainan.

It was only because of their strong family backgrounds that they dared to criticize the King of Huainan. If it were the children of ordinary court officials, they would probably not dare to say a single word about the King of Huainan.

Even so, these were all said behind closed doors. Wei Haoran and Zhao Qing'er were angry young men, but they were not stupid. Speaking to Xie An in person meant that they no longer treated him as an outsider.

Xie An felt puzzled after hearing this.

When the Prince of Huainan entered the capital, the dukes and ministers knelt and kowtowed, the Crown Prince performed four bows, and even the elderly Prince Bao had to bow his hands.

Aren’t you afraid of causing dissatisfaction among Emperor Jingtai?

According to Xie An's experience, such a king of the opposite sex would usually die miserably even if he held great power.

Perhaps the King of Huainan was obsessed with power and became arrogant.

Either the King of Huainan did it on purpose and had a bigger trump card or intention.

Xie An preferred the latter.

After Wei Haoran and the others criticized the King of Huainan, they turned their attention to the Crown Prince Li Hao and continued to criticize...

"Director Xie, you haven't seen Li Hao's condescending expression. He's already showing off his power as soon as he arrives, making it seem like this Demon Suppression Bureau is his private organization."

"If Senior Brother Chen hadn't stopped me last night, I, Zhao Qing'er, would never have accepted this punishment."

"Only on the first day here can you act so arrogantly? How are we going to get through the rest of our lives?"

In order to prevent the two from continuing to criticize each other, Xie An poured them a cup of tea and said, "Have a sip of tea to moisten your throats and calm your anger."

Chen Tie reminded him at the right time: "These words can be said in private, but if others hear them, it will have a bad impact. This is generally the case in the officialdom. The higher the rank, the more powerful the person. This place belongs to Nanzhou, so be careful with your words."

Wei Haoran was probably the more cautious one, after all, his father couldn't defeat the King of Huainan, so he stopped talking. But Zhao Qing'er didn't hide her anger towards the King of Huainan at all, spouting a few more words until her mouth was dry before she stopped.

The family background is strong enough and not false at all.

Xie An did not get involved in their attacks. After the two of them stopped, he asked, "Deputy Director Chen, where is Li Hao now?"

Chen Tie frowned. "He was quite diligent. After scolding us, he took Zhu Kun, Liu Qian and others to survey the terrain of Dayin Mountain. He said it was to prevent monsters from coming down the mountain."

So positive?

If the inspector was so strict with himself, then it seemed reasonable to punish his subordinates for laziness and slackness.

But Xie An felt that things were not that simple.

The King of Huainan once sent Li Xiaoting to try to reach an agreement with the Corpse Refining Hall.

However, Li Xiaoting was killed by Xie An, and the Corpse Refining Hall was wiped out by the Princess with Xie An's help. The King of Huainan also sent the Crown Prince here, perhaps not just to check and balance the Princess, but perhaps he has other motives.

As soon as the prince arrived, he immediately went to the foot of Dayin Mountain to survey...

Five old demons?

These three words suddenly appeared in Xie An's mind.

Could it be that Li Hao came here this time to collude with the Five Old Demons, as the eldest princess said?

But isn't this too obvious?

I'm afraid it's not that simple.

Xie An had a rough outline in his mind, so he asked Chen Tie, "Who is the deputy general manager from Nanzhou?"

Chen Tiedao said, "It turns out that Zhou Xuan, a seventh-level martial artist and sergeant from the Southern Province Demon Suppression Division, also accompanied Li Hao to survey the terrain. However, I used the excuse that they were unfamiliar with the terrain and asked a few Demon Suppression Guards under Liu Chun to lead the way. This would also help us understand Li Hao's movements."

Xie An thought to himself that Chen Tie was very careful and nodded, "Deputy Director Chen is very careful. Now that Li Hao has spoken, we can just pretend to do it in front of others. Just don't violate the rules and regulations of the Demon Suppression Division."

Wei Haoran and Zhao Qing'er were both talking behind closed doors, so Xie An couldn't help but express his opinion.

Moreover, Xie An had always felt that Zhao Qing'er and the others were not lazy, but rather efficient and efficient. It was just that their behavior was a bit unrestrained and casual, giving people the illusion of laziness.

However, Xie An prefers this leisurely state. If everyone in the Demon Suppression Division is serious, what's the difference between them and robots?
It's too boring.

Everyone felt relieved after hearing Xie An speak like this.

Wei Haoran couldn't help but praise him, "General Manager Xie is indeed considerate. We are supposed to be serious about our work, so what's the point if we always act pretentiously? Only Li Hao knows how to act pretentiously."

Zhao Qing'er also gave Xie An his approval, "Exactly. We work hard, so can't we be more relaxed and free in private? If we act so reserved, what's the point of living? It's good for General Manager Xie to be like this."

Xie An said calmly, "Just don't give Li Hao any excuse or leverage to criticize you, and don't take the rest too seriously. The Demon Suppression Division relies on merit. If Li Hao continues to act excessively, I will go and plead with the Princess and make the decision for everyone."

Wei Haoran slammed his hands on the table excitedly, "I recognize you, Chief Xie."

Although Zhao Qing'er did not express her opinion like Wei Haoran, she also respected this boss very much in her heart.

Chen Tie narrowed his eyes slightly. "Since we are so united, we are not afraid of Li Hao's tricks. Logically speaking, Zhou Xuan is only a deputy director general. He has just arrived and should come to visit Director Xie..."

"Zhou Xuan has Li Hao as his backer, so he naturally doesn't take me, the general manager, seriously. It's just some empty formalities, no need to worry about it." Xie An waved his hand with an indifferent look on his face.

As the atmosphere became harmonious, everyone chatted, drank tea, leaned on the railings and admired the snow, returning to their usual leisurely pace.

Although the Demon Suppression Division was a serious government agency, handling important matters, the presence of these young men from prominent families made the atmosphere more relaxed and comfortable, with occasional cheerful laughter.

Xie An liked this kind of atmosphere very much.

After some casual chatting, Xie An asked about Huang Silang.

Zhao Qing'er said speechlessly, "Huang Silang is still receiving treatment and hasn't woken up yet...but his condition is improving, so he should be able to recover soon."

Wei Haoran added, "The torture was a bit too harsh before..."

Xie An: “…”

After some casual chatting, Xie An left the seventh floor and headed towards the library.

Xie An didn't take it too seriously when Li Hao punished Zhao Qing'er and the other two to intimidate him. There was the eldest princess at home, so as long as Li Hao didn't go too far, it would be fine.

If he goes too far and disrupts the factional balance of the Qingwu Demon Town, the eldest princess will come to subdue him.

Moreover, Xie An felt that Li Hao might not be so stupid, otherwise he would not be worthy of being the crown prince.

The keeper in charge of the library was an elegant middle-aged man. When he saw Xie An, he smiled and bowed to him.

"We are honored to welcome you, Lord General."

The person in charge of the national library was called the "Case Keeper." If he held other concurrent positions, he would be a high-ranking official. The Qingwu Town Demon Department, however, was merely a small local government office. The "Case Keeper" in charge of the library was a minor official. Upon seeing the arrival of a fifth-rank official, he was naturally overjoyed and quickly bowed.

Xie An raised his right hand slightly, "No need to be polite, I just came to take a look."

The middle-aged man hurriedly stepped aside to lead the way, constantly reminding Xie An to be careful with his step. "The library has two floors, with a total of 2,000 books. Most of them record the case notes of the Demon Suppression Bureau in the past, as well as some martial arts manuscripts, classics, history, and various miscellaneous notes and essays. If you want to browse any category, I can guide you."

"I'll just take a look."

Xie An's original intention was to find a sword technique that would continue the tradition of the Chongshan Blade. After all, at his current level, the Chongshan Blade was no longer sufficient. He needed a sword technique of a higher level to unleash his full potential.

In addition, as he was about to break through to the eighth level of martial arts, Xie An also wanted to find a way to temper his internal strength.

In the past, Xie An had relied on the potential energy of his health-preserving exercises to break through the layers of internal energy martial arts. However, since entering the seventh level of internal energy, he had clearly felt that the breakthrough had become more difficult. Relying on potential energy alone was not enough, and the attack was also relatively rough.

After connecting the nodes of Tiger Qigong, Xie An felt that his control over the hot and cold energies was not precise enough. To break through to the eighth level of martial arts, it would be better to find a method to control the internal energy.

Furthermore, it would be even better if he could find a martial art related to acupuncture to practice. To this day, Xie An still misses the long round acupuncture technique in his merit book.

When Xie An was reading the classics, the keeper always followed him within five steps, but did not get too close to avoid disturbing him. If Xie An needed help, the keeper would remind him in time.

Xie An saw it but didn't take it too seriously.

For a fifth-rank general, this treatment is nothing.

After flipping through several books on swordsmanship, Xie An was not very satisfied with the swordsmanship, even though it was much better than Chongshan's.

It is true that having many skills is always a blessing.

If possible, you should try to choose some good martial arts. If you practice a bunch of mediocre martial arts, not only will you waste time, but the end result will be a bunch of garbage.

As Xie An entered the Nineteenth Stage of Mingyu, he naturally hoped that the swordsmanship he had spent so much effort cultivating would match his own strength. The treasure keeper, seeing Xie An's thoughts, reminded him, "The martial arts here are only at the level of a fourth-level martial artist. Fifth-level martial artists are rare. If you need better martial arts, you need to go to the Nanyang Prefecture Office. Or you can exchange them for merit."

Xie An had no choice but to give up.

If a sword technique doesn't match your strength, it's better not to practice it. The same goes for internal energy techniques.

"Are there any martial arts techniques like acupuncture?"

"Never seen it before."

Xie An continued to browse for a while, then said goodbye and left.

Even in the Demon Suppression Division, good martial arts are rare.

But this wasn't the Demon Suppression Division's fault. It was mainly because Xie An's strength improved rapidly. The Qingwu Demon Suppression Division was only a fifth-grade organization, so the level of its martial arts collection was naturally not very high.

This leads to a disconnect.

If you are in the prefecture, or even the state, there should be martial arts that match the eighth and ninth level warriors.

It seems that in order to find the right swordsmanship and internal strength methods, one has to rely on meritorious service.

But the small merits of the Demon Suppression Division are not so easy to earn...

On the way back to Xie Mansion, Xie An always felt that something was following him.

Every time I looked back, I saw nothing.

"Why do I always feel like something is following me? And that thing is quite smart, and it's very far away from me. It's beyond the reach of my five senses."

When Xie An passed by a blacksmith shop, he deliberately stopped and pretended to bargain with the blacksmith, while at the same time opening his five senses to observe everything around him.

Nothing was seen approaching.

But when Xie An left the blacksmith shop and walked forward, that feeling came back.

Is the other party so smart?

As Xie An was walking, he passed by an alley. Suddenly, he turned into a side alley and hid behind an ancient locust tree to watch.

really……

A white fox followed him into the alley, looked around but didn't see anyone, and grinned in annoyance, thinking that humans were really cunning.

So it's you, little guy.

Xie An understood and continued walking forward, pretending not to notice the white fox. But he was muttering in his heart:
Shouldn't this white fox's focus be on Baozhi?
Why did he leave Baozhi alone and focus on himself?
What is there for me to worry about...

Xie An soon figured out the reason: Jianzi?
Thinking of this, Xie An squeezed the mirror in his arms and strode towards Xie's house.

……

When they returned to Xie's house, He Chunli and Han Li had already returned. Everyone gathered in the kitchen, preparing dinner and chattering.

"Miss Yuhe recently bought a large amount of precious medicinal herbs, crushed them, boiled them, and used them as fertilizer for the broken tree stump in the courtyard. This is too extravagant."

"That tree stump eats better than we do. I wonder what it is."

"We can't afford to eat at home."

Just then, ten silver notes worth one hundred taels appeared in front of everyone.

"Chunlan, this is one thousand taels. Take it to supplement the family income."

This shocked several people.

The price is one thousand taels!

Even if he is a fifth-rank general, he wouldn't be so extravagant, right?

Xie An, however, forced the banknotes onto Chunlan and said, "In order to buy medicinal herbs a while ago, everyone tightened their belts and scraped together money. Now that conditions are better, we naturally cannot let you down."

Xie An did not eat with them. Instead, he asked Chunlan to prepare an extra light dinner, put it on a tray, and had Xie An take it to the backyard.

Su Yuqing continued to live her usual leisurely life, practicing calligraphy, painting, raising fish, and tending flowers and plants. There was also a new red bird in the courtyard. Xie An couldn't tell what kind it was, but he thought it was very magical.

Xie An placed the dishes on the eight-immortals table and invited Su Yuqing to come and eat.

During the break of the meal, Xie An talked about the story of Li Hao and Zhou Xuan.

Although Xie An felt that the eldest princess might know everything that was happening outside, he still mentioned it.

Su Yuqing finished her meal quietly, put down her chopsticks, and gently wiped the corner of her mouth with a cloth. "The Prince of Huainan is finally getting restless. Six years at most will be the last window for the Prince of Huainan to rebel. He can either seize this last opportunity to rebel, or if he misses this opportunity, he will have no choice but to lie low forever, waiting for his father to reduce his power."

Since the matter was of great importance, Xie An did not ask any further questions.

Xie An didn't want to get too involved in such a big thing.

Then, Su Yuqing asked, "Can you go to the library to choose martial arts and internal energy techniques?"

"I went there..." Xie An did not hide anything and told all the problems he encountered.

Su Yuqing nodded slightly. "It's great that you think this way. Internal energy is the most core method for martial artists to cultivate internal energy. It's time to choose a good internal energy method."

"Is there anything special about this internal energy method?" Xie An now knew some of the ways to use internal energy.

Internal strength is the same as the strength of ordinary people.

Cultivating internal strength simply means you possess strength. Constant exercise builds muscle and increases strength, but the use of that strength is crude.

The internal strength method solves the problem of the operation and use of internal strength.

For Xie An now, it is extremely urgent to obtain a superior internal energy method.

Su Yuqing narrated, "Internal energy techniques encompass a wide range of fields, and their effectiveness varies. However, even the top-tier internal energy techniques are not suitable for everyone. Everyone's physique and internal energy characteristics are different. Finding an internal energy technique that suits you is extremely important."

Xie An listened attentively, feeling that he had not read enough and did not fully understand the martial arts. He secretly thought that he would learn more about martial arts in the future.

If you are in Daqian, you must have a deep understanding of martial arts.

For example, at this moment, Xie An doesn't quite understand the characteristics of his internal strength, and he doesn't know which internal strength method is most suitable.

Of course, martial arts training is not easy, and most people need the guidance of a famous teacher to avoid detours. However, Xie An did not have a famous teacher in this area...it was too difficult for him to practice on his own.

"Some people's internal energy is fierce, some is soft, some is long-lasting. Some is fiery, some is cold... each is different. Your internal energy is vigorous and long-lasting, like a mighty river. In fact, it is more in line with my Great River Sword Technique. It's a pity that you practice swordsmanship." Su Yuqing stood up and walked to the long table beside her, picked up an ancient book and handed it to Xie An, "This is the internal energy method I chose for you, take a look."

The internal energy method specially selected by the eldest princess must be a good thing.

Xie An did not reach out to take it immediately, but instead bowed and thanked, "Thank you for your kindness, Princess. This gift is truly too precious..."

Snapped.

Su Yuqing forcefully slapped the ancient book onto the back of Xie An's hand and said, "Just take it if I tell you to."

Realizing Su Yuqing's firm attitude, Xie An knew it was difficult to refuse, but he was very surprised in his heart.

Not right.

The eldest princess is a little too nice to herself.

Not in line with common sense.

Xie An shook his head, said thank you and took the ancient book.

On the cover of the ancient book was written a row of powerful characters:

Water drop internal energy method.

At first glance at the name, it seems just so-so...like an ordinary internal energy method.

Su Yuqing seemed to see Xie An's hesitation and chuckled softly, "Don't underestimate this internal energy method. Although a drop of water is tiny, if it is accumulated over many years, regardless of the cold or heat, it can wear away a stone. Thousands of water drops converge to form a stream, which then flows endlessly and becomes a river. If you practice to the limit, you can transform your internal energy into streams, and eventually achieve... a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, forming a vast ocean. It was with this internal energy method that I unlocked the secrets of the human body and became a martial arts master."

(End of this chapter)