Longevity Art

Longevity Art

In Yangzhou, Fang Qing waited for the story to unfold.

More precisely, he waited for Shi Long to make his move.

The realm was unstable, bandits and thieves rose everywhere, and everyone feared for their safety. The first things to flourish across the land were martial arts schools and training halls.

In Yangzhou, the most famous martial arts school was the Shi Long Martial Arts Arena, founded by Mountain Pusher Shi Long.

Shi Long's internal and external arts had both reached the level of a first-rate master. Naturally, his training hall attracted many people from Yangzhou. Over the years, many children of wealthy families had spent vast amounts of gold and silver to enter the Shi Long Martial Arts Arena, hoping to secure a chance of survival in the coming chaotic age.

Yet in recent days, Shi Long no longer personally taught disciples. Instead, his students passed on the martial arts. As for Shi Long himself, he lived alone in a small estate on the outskirts of the city, never stepping outside as he spent every day studying the unfathomable Taoist tome—the "Longevity Art."

According to accounts passed down through the generations, the Longevity Art came from Guang Chengzi, the teacher of the ancient Yellow Emperor. Written in Oracle Bone Script, it was profoundly obscure. Since ancient times, many people had obtained the Longevity Art and studied its mysteries, yet no one had ever fully comprehended it or deciphered the entire book.

The book contained a total of 7,400 character forms, but only a little over 3,000 had been deciphered.

It also contained countless annotations, yet those annotations were equally complex. Different people could arrive at completely opposite interpretations of the same sentence. If one cultivated according to the annotations in the book, there was a great chance of suffering a deviation.

Fortunately, the book also contained Seven Diagrams of human figures, seemingly describing a method of cultivation. This gave the Longevity Art some remaining appeal.

However, cultivators who obtained the Longevity Art and practiced according to the Seven Diagrams also suffered deviations, their qi and blood roiling.

Now, the Longevity Art had fallen into Shi Long's hands. He had studied it for three years without gaining anything.

"Many imperial soldiers have arrived in Yangzhou City. Yang Guang must have sent Yu Wenhua Ji to seize the Longevity Art. I must snatch the chestnuts from the fire and obtain it. Then this trip to the Great Tang World will not have been in vain."

Fang Qing sat in his house, considering what came next.

Although he had fished up the Purple Haze Skill, after cultivating for a month, he was absolutely no match for Yu Wenhua Ji.

In this high-martial Great Tang World, Yu Wenhua Ji was no longer an ordinary man. He was the Peerless Genius of the Yuwen Clan and had already mastered the clan's inherited secret art, the Ice Profound Force. Even if Fang Qing cultivated the Purple Haze Skill to great completion, he likely would not be a match for him.

However, Fang Qing was a transmigrator and possessed foreknowledge of certain events in the Great Tang. Thus, he had planned ahead in Yangzhou City, hoping to obtain the Longevity Art.

Now, the time seemed to have come.

Fang Qing spoke to Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, telling them to do something near the south gate. He himself also waited there, watching the people coming and going through the city gate.

If nothing unexpected happened, a fierce battle would break out within the next day or two. Although Shi Long's Cultivation Level was not bad, he would never be Yu Wenhua Ji's match. According to the original course of events, Shi Long would be severely wounded and hand the Longevity Art manual to an Old Scholar.

This Old Scholar was the key to Fang Qing obtaining the Longevity Art.

After all, with Fang Qing's current strength, it was simply impossible for him to go to the Shi Long Martial Arts Arena and seize the Longevity Art. With his rudimentary skills, let alone Yu Wenhua Ji, he was no match even for the martial artists under Yu Wenhua Ji's command.

The purpose of cultivating the Purple Haze Skill was merely to give him slightly greater strength than an ordinary person. That was all.

So, he still had to wait.

Time passed very slowly as he waited.

An afternoon went by.

A day went by.

No one knew what had happened in Yangzhou City that night, but if something major truly had happened, the night was certainly a fitting time for it.

On a dark, windy night, it was time to kill.

Fang Qing wanted badly to go to the Shi Long Martial Arts Arena and see whether anything had happened, whether Yu Wenhua Ji and Shi Long had fought. But he merely entertained the thought before continuing to wait here.

A person had to accurately judge their own strength. Otherwise, going there would only add another body to the mass grave.

When the night had passed, the second day arrived.

Fang Qing continued waiting.

If he wanted to obtain the Longevity Art in the Great Tang World, all he could do was wait.

Then, on the morning of the second day, an Old Scholar around fifty walked toward the city gate.

This scholar wore splendid clothes and looked like a wealthy man, yet his expression was hurried. With his head lowered, he walked quickly, as though he had urgent business—or some major matter that could not be discovered by others.

Fang Qing's eyes lit up.

After waiting for a day, he had finally waited for this man.

This man was one of Shi Long's friends. In the original course of history, it was this very person who helped Shi Long take away the Longevity Art.

It was him!

Fang Qing grew exceptionally excited, but before he made a move, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling had already sidled up to the man.

The moment the three met, a tear appeared in the back of the Old Scholar's clothes.

In that brief instant, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling had lifted the item the Old Scholar was carrying.

"Brother Fang, you really are amazing. You actually calculated that an Old Scholar would pass through the south gate today!"

A look of astonishment appeared on Kou Zhong's face, as though he could hardly believe it.

Yesterday, Brother Fang had asked them to do something: "take" an item from a middle-aged Old Scholar at the south gate. Although he and Xiao Ling had been utterly confused and shocked, they had decided to do it anyway.

Who would have thought that they really would encounter an Old Scholar at the south gate today?

"Brother Fang, this is the thing that was on that Old Scholar."

Xu Ziling took out a book.

Fang Qing hurriedly accepted it and opened it. Sure enough, it was filled with Oracle Bone Script—countless Oracle Bone characters that looked exceptionally mysterious, as though they carried traces of an ancient era.

Besides the Oracle Bone Script, there were also Seven Diagrams at the back.

Each of the Seven Diagrams was different. Some depicted a reclining human figure covered in countless acupoints. Others depicted a walking person, likewise marked with numerous acupoints and meridians.

The names of the acupoints were the same, yet astonishingly, the methods of Qi Circulation through them were completely opposite.

The acupoints were the same, but the methods of Qi Circulation were utterly different.

Moreover, not only were the routes different, the chosen meridians were also vastly different.

An ordinary person who saw such diagrams would not even dare cultivate them, for fear of suffering a deviation.

Yet Fang Qing knew that this was precisely the treasure he had come to the Great Tang World to obtain.

The Longevity Art!

One of the Four Great Strange Books of the Great Tang World, it was said to have been left behind by Guang Chengzi. It was an unparalleled divine art of this world. If one could truly begin cultivating this secret art, it could transform the cultivator's strength in an extremely short time.

This divine art manual was far more miraculous than the Purple Haze Skill.

After all, it was a treasure left behind by Guang Chengzi. Even if the Guang Chengzi of this world was not the legendary Grand Unity Golden Immortal, merely being connected to the name Guang Chengzi revealed how formidable the Longevity Art was.

Fang Qing had finally obtained the Longevity Art!

But there was still one problem: how could he leave Yangzhou City amid heavily stationed troops?

That might have been a problem for others, but it was no problem at all for Fang Qing.

He could return to his own world at any time.

It was time to leave this world and return to his own to cultivate slowly.

Of course, before leaving, Fang Qing still had a few words for Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling.

"Xiao Zhong, Xiao Ling, do your best to memorize the seventh and sixth diagrams, then leave Yangzhou City. This city is no longer suitable for you to remain in."

"Brother Fang, this is..."

Kou Zhong was somewhat surprised. He sensed that something was different.

"Alright. Since Brother Fang says so, Xiao Zhong and I will do it."

Xu Ziling did not ask further. Although he had only known Brother Fang for half a month, Xu Ziling felt that this young nobleman was exceptionally mysterious, as though he could predict the future.

So, since Fang Qing had said it, they would simply do as he instructed.

The two looked at the sixth and seventh diagrams of the Longevity Art and tried their best to memorize them, committing both diagrams to heart.

They were remarkably good at remembering things. After memorizing for half an hour, they had completely committed the two diagrams to memory.

"Brother Fang, we've memorized them!"

Xu Ziling spoke, saying that he had truly memorized the diagrams of the Longevity Art. However, he did not yet know how to use them.

"Brother Fang, are you leaving Yangzhou City too?"

Kou Zhong had also memorized them and asked curiously.

"I am indeed leaving Yangzhou City, but I will not be traveling with you this time. Here are fifty taels of silver. Take them for the road."

Fang Qing nodded, then took out another fifty taels of silver and gave them to Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong.

"Brother Fang..."

Kou Zhong's face was filled with astonishment. He had not expected Brother Fang to give them fifty taels of silver.

That was fifty taels, not a few coins!

Fifty taels of silver was absolutely a huge sum. It was enough for them to buy a great deal of food, even enough to let them feast for quite a while.

They did not dare accept such money!

"Take it. Cultivate those two diagrams properly. I hope that when we meet again, the two of you will already be masters."

Fang Qing smiled. He gave them the fifty taels directly, leaving them no room to refuse.

"Thank you, Brother Fang."

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were deeply moved. Since their parents had died, apart from Sister Zhen, no one had treated them so well.

The two looked deeply at Fang Qing, then left.

"I should leave too. I'm still no match for Yu Wenhua Ji."

Watching Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling leave, Fang Qing shook his head.

This time, he had used Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling to help him "take" the Longevity Art, but he had also compensated them.

Yet no matter how one looked at it, exchanging several dozen taels of silver for the Longevity Art meant that he had profited immensely.

With a thought from Fang Qing, his body vanished.

PS: The first two chapters are transitional. Chapter three returns to Shrouding the Heavens; this Great Tang World's upper realm is set as the Longevity Realm~