“Martial arts?” Lan Qi listened, then shook his head, “Martial arts aren’t so easy to learn, ordinary martial arts only shorten a person’s lifespan. To find techniques that don’t reduce lifespan, you’d have to join a major sect. And here in our Qiyuan Lordship, there are no major sects.”
Cultivating martial arts shortens lifespan? Lan Xiaobu was stunned, it was the first time he’d heard such a thing.
But he quickly understood, to the people of this place, truly complete martial arts techniques were the stuff of legends, inaccessible to ordinary folk, which made sense. So the martial arts techniques that circulated were passed from one to another, losing key details along the way. Practising such incomplete martial arts could indeed lead to death.
“The technique I’m offering is the most top-tier kind, even more powerful than the legends. If you master it, wiping out a great empire like Dakang would be a trivial matter. This kind of technique will only increase your lifespan, not reduce it,” Lan Xiaobu said.
Lan Qi’s mouth hung half-open, and after a long pause, he muttered, “An immortal technique?”
“You know about immortal techniques?” Lan Xiaobu was puzzled, Lan Qi didn’t know martial arts but knew about immortal arts.
Lan Qi let out a breath, “It’s said that the backers of the great empires are immortal sects, and our Qiyuan Lordship’s state preceptor is rumoured to come from a distant immortal sect. Techniques that increase lifespan are all immortal techniques, the higher you cultivate, the longer you live. But joining an immortal sect isn’t easy.”
After saying this, Lan Qi seemed to realise something and asked in astonishment, “Big Brother Xiaobu, how do you have an immortal technique?”
Lan Xiaobu couldn’t be bothered to make up a story, “Just tell me if you’ll learn it or not.”
“Of course I’ll learn,” Lan Qi replied without hesitation, not learning an immortal technique would make him a fool.
He sensed Lan Xiaobu carried a big secret, something had been off since he woke up. Retrieving the Lan family’s belongings, then effortlessly killing Steward Li without batting an eye. But what did it matter? As long as he was still Big Brother Xiaobu, that was enough.
“Let’s go to the training room, I’ll teach you,” Lan Xiaobu said and started walking. He had a lot to do, after teaching Lan Qi, he needed to quickly boost his own strength. More importantly, he had to speed up Su Cen’s progress.
Though Lan Xiaobu knew deep down that stepping into the Fourth Transformation Sage level was imminent, until he fully crossed that threshold, he’d still push to enhance his and Su Cen’s strength. Boosting his own was for self-preservation, boosting Su Cen’s was to prepare to take her out of this realm.
An hour later, Lan Qi opened his eyes, looking at Lan Xiaobu in disbelief, “Big Brother Xiaobu, I heard it takes at least three years to sense qi in martial arts cultivation, and that’s with heaps of rare resources. Why did I feel a powerful flow of energy in less than an hour? Not only that, I can clearly feel my strength growing…”
“You said yourself that immortal techniques are extraordinary, what I taught you is an immortal technique, the most powerful kind. After I’m gone, you’ll at least be able to protect yourself. Otherwise, I fear you won’t last long,” Lan Xiaobu said.
Lan Qi could complete a full cycle and absorb the thin spiritual energy in just an hour, showing his exceptional talent. It was likely that immortal sects didn’t recruit in a place like this, or Lan Qi might have had a shot at joining one.
“Ah…” Lan Qi let out a startled sound, but before he could ask more, Qi Nie’s voice came from outside, “Young Master Bu, Sister Su Cen’s awake.”
Su Cen? Lan Qi was taken aback, turning to Lan Xiaobu with eyes full of questions.
Lan Xiaobu opened the door and saw Su Cen standing there. She’d bathed and changed into clean clothes, aside from a scar on her face, the numb look in her eyes was gone.
“Young Master, you’re really better?” Seeing Lan Xiaobu, Su Cen’s eyes lit up with joy, after her mother and master passed, the young master before her was her only family.
“Yes, I’m fine now. Don’t call me Young Master, call me Xiaobu, long, long ago, that’s what you used to call me,” Lan Xiaobu stepped in front of Su Cen, casually taking her hand.
Su Cen’s face flushed, she lowered her head and murmured an agreement. She thought Lan Xiaobu meant “long, long ago” from when he was bedridden.
Qi Nie tactfully started to slip away, but Lan Qi exclaimed, “Big Brother Xiaobu, you really brought Su Cen back? Su Cen is…”
“Young Master, something big’s happened,” Lan Qing rushed over, his face paling when he saw Su Cen standing there, then seeming to piece something together, his expression grew even whiter.
“What’s happened?” Lan Qi stood up excitedly, Su Cen’s return meant Big Brother Xiaobu’s most cherished person was safe.
Lan Qing stammered, “Tie Ran’s been killed, less than thirty miles from Tianyuan City…”
Lan Qing wasn’t a fool, this newly awakened young master was ruthless in his decisiveness, he’d cleaned up Steward Li’s body himself. That single cut, perfectly placed to drain all of Steward Li’s blood.
Now seeing Su Cen here, followed by news of Tie Ran’s death, it was as obvious as lice on a bald head, Tie Ran had clearly been killed by the young master.
Tie Ran’s death had mobilised the entire Tianyuan City garrison. If they traced it back to the young master, not only he, but the whole Lan family wouldn’t escape. At that moment, Lan Qing finally understood why the young master had him stock up on supplies and stay put for a while.
Lan Xiaobu said calmly, “Someone else’s death isn’t our concern, Lan Qing, you’re in charge of the household, anyone acts out of line, you handle it. If there’s anything you can’t resolve, report to me. Do well, and in the future, Young Master Lan Qi will teach you martial arts.”
“Yes, thank you, Young Master Bu,” Lan Qing bowed, sorting out his priorities in an instant. This couldn’t leak, or his life would be forfeit too. Besides, he was a Lan family servant, it was only right to follow the young master’s orders.
Recalling how Lan Xiaobu had killed Steward Li, Lan Qi also realised Tie Ran’s death was his doing, he quickly said, “Big Brother Xiaobu, Tie Ran’s death will definitely lead them to us, especially since Lan Qing and Tie Ran had a run-in before.”
Lan Xiaobu smiled faintly, “Don’t worry, they won’t trace it here anytime soon, by the time they do, we’ll have the strength to protect ourselves. Right now, your priority is to build up your own power.”
Compared to Lan Qi, Lan Xiaobu understood the situation better.
The conflict between Lan Qing and Tie Ran would be hushed up by the county office, they’d never let it come to light. If it did, they’d be implicated too. Crucially, the county knew Tie Ran’s death had nothing to do with Lan Xiaobu’s household. Tie Ran was killed dozens of miles from Tianyuan City in a remote spot, alongside a Core Condensation expert, if the Lan family had that kind of power, they wouldn’t be a declining minor clan in Tianyuan City.
Who’d drag an unrelated matter into their own mess and add to their guilt?
But if Tie Ran’s backers insisted on investigating, they’d eventually reach the Lan family. That’d take a month or two at least, nothing to fret over.
…
Just as Lan Xiaobu predicted, though Tie Ran’s death caused a massive stir in the Qiyuan Lordship, it didn’t touch Lan Xiaobu. Given the location and the fact that Tie Ran’s group had lost nearly all their valuables, it pointed to highway bandits, strong ones at that. An ordinary person taking on a Core Condensation realm? That’s a death wish.
The only oddity was that seven people were missing from Tie Ran’s party.
Lan Xiaobu had anticipated this, so after killing Tie Ran’s group, he’d moved seven bodies to another secluded spot. If it hadn’t been getting dark and time running short, he’d have hidden more. Otherwise, just taking Su Cen would’ve led them straight to the Lan family faster.
The Qiyuan Lordship had deployed troops, scattering across the region in a near carpet-search.
But none of that concerned Lan Xiaobu, he was busy teaching Su Cen to cultivate.
He didn’t know what technique Su Cen had practised in her past life, but in this one, he planned to have her follow his Longevity Art. With him guiding her, Su Cen’s progress wouldn’t be slow. If her cultivation rose and she still couldn’t awaken her memories, he’d take a trip to the Yin Underworld.
“Young Master, maybe I…” Su Cen was flustered, mainly because Lan Xiaobu’s attitude towards her was nothing like a master to a servant.
She was just a maid, since when did she have the right to cultivate martial arts in the young master’s training room?
Lan Xiaobu sighed, gently stroking Su Cen’s hair, “Su Cen, don’t call me Young Master, I know it’s sudden, but in my heart, I’ve long seen you as my wife. When you’re ready one day, we’ll marry here, then cultivate together until we can leave this place for a wider universe.”
“Ah…” Su Cen was startled by his words, she was only a maid. If the old master hadn’t saved her, she and her mother would’ve starved on the streets.
Her mother always told her they owed everything to the master, and if he passed, with the young master’s muddled mind, she had to care for him, never letting him go hungry or suffer.
She’d kept her mother’s words in her heart, but intentions were one thing, reality another. She’d tried to make something nice for the young master, but Steward Li was too cruel, beating her each time and starving her for days.
Until one day, Steward Li finally sold her to the slave market…
