Longevity Martial Arts: Obtain Golden Affixes at the Start

Hong Lang strolled around for a while longer, then remembered that Li Tao'er especially loved sweets, so he bought her a bag.

He paused as he passed the shoe shop.

The image of his master's wife's exquisite, snow-white feet came to mind, and he picked out a pair of cloth shoes to give to her.

With his hands full of things, Hong Lang was about to head back when he suddenly noticed several old paintings hanging on a street stall.

He had a great fondness for ink paintings in his previous life, so he stopped and watched for a while.

One of the paintings, "Pine and Crane for Longevity," caught my eye.

The painting technique is not particularly exquisite, but the pine branches are vigorous and the cranes are in a serene posture, which is quite interesting.

The stall owner was a thin old man, squatting under the wall basking in the sun. Seeing Hong Lang staring at the painting, he hurriedly said, "Sir, you have a good eye. This painting is the work of an old painter from the previous dynasty. Five taels of silver, no bargaining."

Hong Lang did not bargain.

Paying for your hobby is worthwhile.

He suddenly thought of Shuo Lingyi. It was rare to find someone with the same interests in this world. He must visit her with this painting when he has time.

He had originally wanted to buy something for Tanya, but he wasn't sure what she liked, so he gave up on that idea.

After packing everything away, Hong Lang rode his horse to the Tang residence.

Tang Chen's eyes lit up as soon as he saw Hong Lang.

"My little darling, I haven't seen you for days!"

Hong Lang was overwhelmed by her enthusiasm. He shoved the shoes into her hands and turned to leave, but Tang Chen was not about to let him go.

Two hours later.

Tang Chen lay on the bed, one arm limply draped over the edge, his fingers slightly curled, as if he didn't even have the strength to lift it.

The air still held a lingering warmth.

She wiggled her pink toes, and on her snow-white ankles, there was a faint red mark, like a mark left from something holding her for too long.

Hong Lang left the Tang residence with unsteady steps.

"Luckily, I have [Dragon Spirit and Tiger Might]... otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to handle it."

……

The next day, Hong Lang changed into his official robes, rode his horse Hongzao, and went to the county government office to take his duty.

Along the way, he was still thinking to himself that since he was new to the place and had gotten in through Cao Jin's connections, there would inevitably be some people who would be dissatisfied, and some might even try to make things difficult for him.

He was already prepared. If anyone dared to cause trouble, he would take the opportunity to establish his authority and let the people in the government know that he, Hong Lang, was not a pushover.

To his surprise, when he entered the county government office, the yamen runners and constables all stood up and greeted him with clasped hands.

Good morning, Clerk Hong!

"Officer Hong is here!"

There was no harassment, no sarcasm, and everyone spoke with great respect. Even the usually unruly head constable Niu looked at him with polite eyes.

It seems that it was either because of Chief Clerk Song, or because of his Marrow Cleansing Realm cultivation.

In this world where martial arts reign supreme, strength is the best passport.

Hong Lang smiled and returned their greetings with a cupped hand. Suddenly, he saw a familiar face – the same clerk who had threatened Qin Jiuzhen with a whip when collecting taxes. That bastard had even embezzled one tael of silver from him.

However, he probably doesn't remember Hong Lang at all, but Hong Lang remembers him very well.

Perhaps because he was in a higher position, Hong Lang had absolutely no desire to take revenge on him.

Such a minor character is not worth his time or effort.

His current concerns are about the Yellow Heaven Sect and the impending war.

As soon as Hong Lang reached the front of the office, a dark-faced man strode up to him.

The man was burly, with a square face and a憨厚 (honest and simple) smile. When he spoke, his voice was loud and clear: "Hong Yashi! We're practically brothers in martial arts!"

Hong Lang was taken aback and carefully examined the other person, but he didn't recognize him.

The man quickly clasped his hands in greeting and introduced himself: "My name is Qiao Yuan. I also trained at Cangfeng Martial Arts School a few years ago, before Brother Hong arrived."

Hong Lang then realized who it was and returned the greeting with a smile: "So it's Senior Brother Qiao, my apologies for not recognizing you."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Qiao Yuan became incredibly enthusiastic, insisting on taking him to learn the ropes, saying that he was familiar with the government offices and that he could ask for help in the future.

"I'll take you to see Magistrate Luo first. He's the head of our county, and since you're here, he should at least give you his approval."

Hong Lang thought it made sense, so he followed Qiao Yuan to the signing room behind the main hall.

"Lord Luo, your subordinate Qiao Yuan requests an audience."

"Come in."

The room was simply furnished, with several stacks of official documents piled on the desk.

Two middle-aged men sat in chairs, seemingly discussing something.

The man on the right, around forty years old and with a thin face, sat in the main seat. He looked at the two of them and nodded slightly.

This must be Magistrate Luo Heng.

The man on the left is broad-shouldered and burly, with high cheekbones. Hong Lang had seen him when paying taxes; he was County Lieutenant Wang.

"Officer Hong, these are Magistrate Luo Heng and County Lieutenant Wang Ye. Come and pay your respects." Qiao Yuan introduced them with a smile.

Hong Lang immediately clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "I am Hong Lang, greetings to Magistrate Luo and County Commandant Wang."

Luo Heng looked him up and down, then stroked his beard: "I've already heard from Clerk Song that you are indeed a handsome man."

"You flatter me, sir," Hong Lang said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Wang Ye simply nodded in response.

"Great! With this, our county government now has four martial artists at the Marrow Cleansing Realm, making us much stronger." Luo Heng's tone was filled with satisfaction.

He then added, "The government office is not like the martial arts world; it has many rules, but as long as you follow the rules, no one will make things difficult for you."

Luo Heng gave a few more instructions, and Hong Lang and Qiao Yuan, seeing that the two seemed to have official business to discuss, tactfully took their leave.

At noon, Qiao Yuan grabbed Hong Lang and started walking outside without saying a word.

"Come on, your senior brother will treat you to Feiyue Tower. Their mutton is absolutely amazing!"

Unable to refuse, Hong Lang went with him.

The two drank one cup after another, chatting about the martial arts school, and found themselves getting along very well.

"What a pity for Master's wife! If she had been born into a prominent family, she might have even reached the threshold of the Qi Gathering Realm!"

When Tang Chen was mentioned, Qiao Yuan's words were full of regret.

Hong Lang couldn't help but wonder what Qiao Yuan's reaction would be if he knew about the relationship between Tang Chen and himself.

After a few more drinks, Hong Lang casually asked, "Senior Brother Qiao, I'm new here and have some questions for you. How much do you know about the Yellow Heaven Sect?"

Upon hearing this, Qiao Yuan paused with his chopsticks. He looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "Hong, why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"I'm just curious." Hong Lang also lowered his voice. "I heard people mention it on the way to the county government office. They said this sect has quite a bit of influence."

Qiao Yuan wiped his mouth: "This Yellow Heaven Cult is a bunch of lunatics! They worship a god called something like 'Eternal Mother,' and they hold some kind of sacrifice every now and then."

Don't think it's as simple as burning incense and kowtowing; they use human sacrifice! They bind living warriors, cut them open, and take out their hearts and livers, claiming it's an offering to their gods.

The cruelty of the methods was so extreme that just hearing about them sent chills down my spine.

This method is quite similar to the way Ah Bao died. Could Ah Bao's death be related to the Yellow Heaven Cult?

Hong Lang frowned deeply: "Don't the local governments care?"

"Manage?" Qiao Yuan gave a wry smile. "You think nobody wants to manage it? The problem is, who dares to?"

He leaned closer: "A few years ago, a constable from the neighboring county raided a Huangtian Sect hideout and killed more than a dozen people. Guess what happened next?"

That night, his entire family of eleven, including the servants, had their throats slit and their heads piled up in the courtyard. Two blood-written characters were left at the scene: "Huang Tian" (黄天).

"From then on," Qiao Yuan sighed, "local governments avoided or pushed away the matter of the Yellow Heaven Sect whenever possible. It wasn't that they didn't want to get involved, but that they simply couldn't afford to."

This group operates in secrecy; you have no idea how powerful they are or who's behind them. Offend them, and there's only one word: death.

Hong Lang felt a chill run down his spine; the Yellow Heaven Sect was incredibly powerful!

He continued, "Don't the people up there care?"