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

Chapter 36 Tang Qingfeng's Reply

Xie An didn't have much money left.

It was all the five taels that Madam Li gave me before she left.

I had just spent fifty coins on a meal, leaving me with just over four ounces. I couldn't afford any nice gifts, so I found a specialty shop and bought some smoked meat, Panax notoginseng, and other local delicacies from Wuqiao Town. I then wrapped them in mulberry paper.

The total cost was two taels of silver.

Although it is not expensive, it is still decent.

This time, I went to visit Tang Qingfeng because, on the one hand, I really wanted to get a glimpse of the unique skills of Tang Family Fort. On the other hand, I was also really grateful to Tang Qingfeng for teaching me.

After asking passers-by about the location of Tangjiabao, Xie An led his horse there.

For ordinary people, riding horses in the city is a taboo. Although Qingwu County did not explicitly prohibit people from riding horses in the city, everyone tacitly accepted this unspoken rule.

Only some wealthy and famous families, or officials from government guards, would ride horses in the city.

After passing through the crisscrossing bluestone streets, we finally arrived at the gate of Tangjiabao.

Xie An was truly shocked by the scene before him.

The buildings of Tangjiabao were comparable to the Qiao Family Compound in his past life, with walls towering and as solid as a mountain. Outside the gates was a large square, now filled with people, young men who had come to participate in the recruitment, and some middle-aged men who had also come because of its reputation.

There was a long table at the door, with an examiner sitting beside it, and several sword-wielding guards beside him, all of whom were quite powerful.

The crowd lined up at the square table to register, then practiced health-preserving exercises, or had the examiner feel their pulse and bones to test their talents and physiques. It was very lively.

Xie An tied his horse to the trunk of a camphor tree by the roadside, then lined up with the gifts and moved forward one by one.

After more than half an hour, when it was finally Xie An's turn, the examiner frowned when he saw Xie An's white hair and slightly old face.

Most of those who came to participate in the recruitment were young men under the age of eighteen, and the oldest was only thirty years old.

Why is there a fifty-year-old man here?

In fact, Xie An's appearance is not much different from that of a forty-year-old man, except that his head full of white hair is too eye-catching.

However, the examiner still spoke politely, "Old man, we at Tangjiabao are only recruiting talents under the age of thirty. You should...go home early."

As soon as these words were spoken, they immediately attracted a commotion from the crowd around.

Xie An didn't pay much attention to it. He handed the gift wrapped in mulberry paper to the examiner with both hands and explained his purpose, which was to express his gratitude to Tang Qingfeng for his teaching.

After hearing Xie An's sincere words, the crowd around who were making a fuss quieted down.

Everyone thinks Xie An is an old man who is grateful to the director.

The examiner also gave Xie An a look of admiration. He knew that the Tang family had traveled extensively to promote their health-preserving skills, but no one had ever come to their door to express their gratitude, as this old man had done.

If I tell Tang Qingfeng myself, Tang Qingfeng will definitely feel relieved and think that I, as an examiner, am capable of doing the job. Maybe I can even make a good impression on him.

Thinking of this, the examiner's attitude improved a lot. "Please wait a moment, old man. I will go and inform Brother Tang right away."

Xie An nodded in agreement and stood there waiting.

Not long after, the examiner returned, no longer holding the gift, but smiling broadly at Xie An, "Brother Tang said he understood the old man's intentions. Old Master Tang is not feeling well right now, and Brother Tang is busy attending to him and can't be away. So he asked me to come and express his gratitude on his behalf."

After saying this, the examiner bowed to Xie An and expressed his gratitude on behalf of Tang Qingfeng.

Then, the examiner added, "My surname is Lu, and my courtesy name is Changshui. If you, old man, also wish to seek opportunities, please demonstrate a set of health-preserving boxing. If you perform well, I can report the situation to Brother Tang, and I may be able to make an exception and accept you."

Xie An saw that this Lu Changshui probably thought that he had some relationship with Tang Qingfeng, so he took the initiative to show goodwill to him, so he put on an act.

It's just a way of giving face.

No one else made an exception, except you, Xie An, because you gave a gift. What would everyone think of this?
If Xie An really did this, it would make things difficult for Lu Changshui. It would also make things difficult for Tang Qingfeng and leave a bad impression on him.

Besides, Xie An had already said that he was here to express his gratitude to Tang Qingfeng, so he should have been more sincere. Adding his own agenda would have had a very negative effect.

Thinking of this, Xie An hurriedly returned the greeting and bowed, "Thank you, Brother Lu, but you misunderstood. I am here to express my gratitude to Master Tang Qingfeng for his teaching. I hope that Old Master Tang will recover soon. I will take my leave." Lu Changshui sensed the sincerity of Xie An's words, and in his heart he looked up to the old man and bowed, saying, "Goodbye, old man."

Xie An left.

Xie An was somewhat disappointed that Tang Qingfeng didn't come to see him, but he could understand it. After all, Tang Qingfeng was the adopted son of Old Master Tang, and now that Old Master Tang was critically ill, he naturally had no time to care about him.

After all, he was just an insignificant outsider who couldn't even be considered a friend of Tang Qingfeng.

As long as the gift is delivered, the thought is conveyed.

That's enough.

In order to avoid danger when leaving the city late at night, Xie An did not stay in the city. He left the city early and rode his horse along the official road towards Wuqiao Town.

Although Xie An now possesses the strength to crush warriors who have just entered the Bronze Skin Realm and is considered a top-notch expert in Wuqiao Town, he is not good enough in Qingwu County.

Xie An still feels a bit scared after the last time he was robbed by the Giant Whale Gang.

Fortunately, no one followed me this time.

In addition, Xie An had previously traveled to Qingwu County with Chen He many times and had learned to ride a horse. Although his riding skills were not very good, he had no problem making the journey.

When Xie An reached the place where he had been attacked last time, he found that there was no one around, so he stopped and went to the roadside to check the pit where the bodies were buried last time.

The pit was hidden and there were no signs of it being dug.

It seems that the Giant Whale Gang did not find Li Wei's body.

To ensure that everything was foolproof, Xie An deliberately ran a few miles away to look at the ravine where Wang Wu's body was thrown. He saw that the body had been eaten by wild beasts until only bones were left.

Only then did Xie An feel relieved, returned to the roadside, and rode on his way.

It was already dusk when we returned to Wuqiao Town.

Xie An first went to find Chen He to return the horse, and then returned to the hut in the backyard of the pawnshop.

As soon as he entered the door, he saw Han Li and He Chunli standing respectfully on both sides. The way they looked at Xie An was filled with joy and awe, but also a bit of strangeness, as well as a hint of loss and alienation.

Xie An sat down at the chief seat, opened his teacup, poured himself a cup of tea and drank it all in one gulp. "What's going on?"

He Chunli stammered and was speechless, but Han Li said, "Manager Chen came here just now and told us about Master's redemption..."

Xie An understood.

Han Li and He Chunli were both eighteen or nineteen years old, not young anymore. Like himself, they were both servants in the Li Mansion. They felt they were from the same social class as Xie An, so they naturally became close to him.

Now that he knew that Xie An had redeemed himself and become a good citizen, he suddenly widened the gap between himself and them and leaped into a higher class.

It is inevitable to feel unfamiliar and even have a strong sense of gap.

After all, redeeming one's freedom... was every slave's greatest dream. It was just that they lacked the ability to do so.

Xie An saw it, but offered no comfort.

After all, everyone's life is different. Even if they are brothers who grew up in the same family and started from the same beginning, some will do well and some will not in the end.

Even parents can't help with these things.

What’s more, they are master and disciple?

Xie An encouraged him, "Master, you have been serving as a court attendant for thirty years. It is time for you to go out for a walk. Besides, only when I am gone will you have a chance to make your mark."

After hearing this, the two of them finally felt much happier and looked at Xie An with anticipation.

They knew that being a court master was a technical job. Now that Xie An was gone, the Li family would definitely ask Xie An for his opinion on who would be the next court master.

Xie An's recommendation basically determines who will be the next court master.

(End of this chapter)