Longevity Martial Arts: Obtain Golden Affixes at the Start

"Chief Cao, why don't you come inside?" Hong Lang asked, clasping his hands in greeting.

The last time I met Cao Jin was when I moved house; he and Zhou Tong came to give me a congratulatory gift.

Cao Jin leaned closer and said in a deep voice, "Brother Hong, there's something I need to tell you. Du Lao Er's son, Du Lei, will be back soon."

"Du Lei?"

"Yes." Cao Jin lowered his voice, "A few months ago, Du Lei was chosen by an elder of the Taixu Sect and became his personal disciple. He will definitely come back to visit Du Lao Er at the end of the year. Now that Du Lao Er is dead at our hands, although we did it cleanly, if Du Lei comes back to investigate..."

"Let's go inside and talk."

Hong Lang invited Cao Jin into the house, and a servant immediately served the two of them a cup of tea.

Qin Jiuzhen replaced all the servants who had been there before, since they were people hired by the four major families and might have been their spies.

I feel more at ease using the people I hire myself.

"What is his cultivation level now?" Hong Lang took a sip of tea.

"He has been personally instructed by an elder of the Taixu Sect, and it is highly likely that he has already entered the Marrow Cleansing Realm... or even higher."

Cao Jin also took a sip of hot tea: "We killed Du Lao Er, so it's inevitable that he'll find out something about this..."

Hong Lang thought to himself, "Good heavens, after beating the old one, the young one comes along. If I kill Du Lei too, will his master be the one to show up next?"

When the elders of the Taixu Sect arrive, I'm afraid my cultivation level is so low that I wouldn't even be able to withstand a single finger from them.

The Huangtian Sect issue hasn't been resolved yet, and now the Taixu Sect has appeared!

"I have to go to the county town to report for duty early tomorrow morning. It will take me at least three to five days, and at most ten days, to return. If Du Lei comes back, keep an eye on his movements and try to avoid him."

"You're going to the county seat?" Cao Jin was taken aback.

Without Hong Lang, a martial artist at the Marrow Cleansing Realm, if Du Lei went berserk, how could the three of them possibly stop him?

"The prefect specifically requested me to go. I'll figure out a way to deal with him after I return from the prefectural city."

Cao Jin was silent for a moment, then nodded: "That's the only way. Be careful on your journey."

The two chatted for a few more minutes before Cao Jin got up to take his leave.

Hong Lang pondered for a moment, then got up and went to Pu Xi's room.

Pu Xi was sitting by the window watching the snow.

"Miss Pu, there's something I'd like to ask you." Hong Lang got straight to the point.

"explain."

"How much do you know about the Taixu Sect?"

Pu Xi raised an eyebrow: "Why are you suddenly asking this?"

Hong Lang briefly recounted how he killed Du Lao Er and how Du Lei might return to seek revenge.

"The Taixu Sect is one of the four sects, eight schools, and nineteen clans. It is a first-class sect in the world, and a Martial Saint is in charge of it."

The Martial Saint.

Hong Lang's heart sank.

The three basic realms of martial arts are: Blood Refining, Marrow Cleansing, and Meridian Opening, followed by Qi Gathering, True Qi Condensation, Qi Transformation, and Profound Breakthrough.

Only by breaking through these seven realms can one become a Martial Saint.

The difference between marrow cleansing and martial sainthood is like comparing the length of a loach in Hengjiang County to that of a water snake in Tianmu Lake.

"Then... what is the typical cultivation level of the elders of the Taixu Sect?"

"Even the weakest one is at the Transformation Realm," Pu Xi glanced at him and said indifferently, "Anyway, he's not someone you can afford to mess with right now."

Hong Lang gave a wry smile: "I naturally don't want to provoke them, but if Du Lei insists on investigating the cause of Du Lao Er's death, I'm afraid I can't avoid it."

Seeing Hong Lang's expression, Pu Xi laughed heartily, seemingly delighted to see him suffer a setback.

"Would a sect like the Taixu Sect make such a fuss over the private affairs of a disciple?" Hong Lang continued to ask.

Pu Xi thought for a moment: "That depends on Du Lei's importance in his master's heart. If he is just an ordinary disciple, Taixu Sect will not offend the imperial court for his sake. But if that elder values ​​him highly... Moreover, you are just a county magistrate after all. If you were a prefect, backed by the imperial court, Taixu Sect would definitely not have the guts to kill you."

Want to be a prefect?

That means you need to be at least at the Qi Gathering Realm!

The key is having connections with the prefect; otherwise, even if you manage to conquer a prefecture, you'll be treated as a rebel and wiped out.

A name that is not correct will not be proper for one's words.

Hong Lang said no more and went out the door.

Pu Xi looked up at the swirling snow outside the window, lost in thought.

……

The next morning, the snow had stopped, and the world was a pristine white.

Hong Lang, carrying his bundle, and Mo Qiushui, each leading their own horse, met at the entrance of the county government office.

Mo Qiushui wore a white robe today, her whole being as cold and aloof as frost, blending perfectly with the snowy scenery.

The two mounted their horses and rode through the snow.

Heading north, by evening the outline of Tianmu City finally came into view.

As soon as the two entered the city, they saw a familiar face: Zhou Liang.

Behind him were two martial artists at the Meridian Opening Realm, one named Ning Cheng and the other named Gong Jie.

Zhou Liang spotted Hong Lang and Mo Qiushui from afar and spurred his horse to greet them: "County Commandant Hong and County Magistrate Mo, you must be tired from your journey."

Their conversation was warm and friendly, as if they were old friends.

Hong Lang returned the greeting with clasped hands and smiled, saying, "Hong Lang of Hengjiang greets Magistrate Zhou!"

He sneered inwardly. Both of his brothers-in-law had died at his hands; they were probably thinking about how to kill him.

Zhou Liang smiled and nodded, then led the two into the city.

……

Inside the main hall of the county government office.

After everyone finished reporting on the situation in their respective counties, Mo Wentian announced loudly, "This is everyone's first year in office. I'm offering one hundred Blood Essence Pills as a prize. Let's have a competition and see who can snatch this prize."

One hundred Blood Essence Pills were divided into three grades: the first grade had fifty pills, the second grade had thirty pills, and the third grade had twenty pills.

A commotion immediately broke out in the hall.

One hundred Blood Essence Pills are equivalent to half a year's tax revenue for a county; such a generous gesture is quite remarkable.

Hong Lang glanced at Zhou Liang out of the corner of his eye and noticed that the guy's eyes kept drifting in his direction, like a snake hiding in the grass.

This guy is probably plotting how to kill me...

The group rode their horses out of the city and arrived at a vast snowfield.

The world was a vast expanse of white, with distant mountains watching over the land like giant beasts.

Hong Lang rode up to Mo Wentian, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your Excellency, I... am of low strength and will not participate in this competition."

Even though Hong Lang was thick-skinned enough, he felt his cheeks burning after saying those words.

Everyone burst into laughter.

I didn't expect you to be so self-aware. Most of the people here are martial artists at the Meridian Opening Realm. You, a martial artist at the Lesser Completion of the Marrow Cleansing Realm, are no match for me at all.

Mo Qiushui's face was also extremely ugly.

The deputy of the magistrate of Hengjiang County admitted defeat in front of his colleagues from sixteen counties. If word got out, it would mean that all of Mo Qiushui's subordinates were spineless.

Mo Wentian gave Hong Lang a half-smile: "Withdrawing isn't out of the question, but that depends on how sincere you are!"

Sincerity?

Hong Lang was completely baffled. He thought to himself, "Please don't make things difficult for me." He clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Please enlighten me, Your Excellency."

Mo Wentian raised his chin, his gaze falling on Hong Lang's wolfskin coat: "Your wolfskin coat is quite nice, shiny and smooth, it's obviously made of high-quality wolfskin. If you're willing to give it to me, I'll allow you to leave."