Brushing Past Death

Wang Xuan put down the yellowed Body Arts Secret Manual and picked up a golden bamboo slip from the Pre-Qin period.

It was only eight centimeters long and very heavy, not like bamboo at all, but warm and smooth like jade. Qing Mu had given it to him when he joined the Exploration Organization.

According to Zhao Qinghan, over the past decades and centuries, only four golden bamboo slips had been unearthed in Old Earth. Two of them had been fiercely contested by various parties and were now dispersed.

Wang Xuan estimated that a complete golden bamboo slip should consist of dozens of pieces. Gathering them all would be incredibly difficult.

He looked at the carvings on it. A creature with a human head and a snake's body was depicted lifelike, but its meaning was hard to decipher. The current sample size was too small, making it impossible to understand.

He set the bamboo slip aside. On the path of Old Arts, he needed to accumulate knowledge slowly; there was no need to fixate on Pre-Qin curiosities from the start.

In the early morning, Wang Xuan went to practice the Daoist practitioner's Root Method. He only had two days left before he had to go to work, and he cherished the current peaceful life.

When he returned, covered in sweat, he saw the Golden Body Secret Manual on his desk again and couldn't help but walk over.

After careful observation and identification, he was certain that the yellowed scripture was an ancient artifact, not artificially aged. However, the records within the book were incredibly misleading.

In the end, he couldn't resist. After washing up, he switched to a special phone card and contacted Qing Mu from the Exploration Organization through a secure line to ask for advice.

Upon hearing Wang Xuan's general description, Qing Mu burst into laughter. "Ancient people all had a quirk of exaggerating things. 'Hundreds of years,' 'thousands of years' – it's all fluff, just to highlight how extraordinary this Body Art is. Take it with a grain of salt. Wait a moment, I remember now. The Golden Body Art seems to be quite famous. It first appeared in the Northern Song Dynasty. I don't remember the specific details very clearly."

Wang Xuan was somewhat impressed. Qing Mu even knew some of the origins of this scripture. Those who succeeded in practicing Old Arts were indeed extraordinary.

"You can practice this Body Art, but remember not to be superstitious about it. Not to mention the later stages, just cultivating the first seven or eight layers would take hundreds of years. Who are they trying to fool? If it were true as the scripture described, where did the original author go? He was from the Northern Song Dynasty. If he had mastered all thirteen layers, wouldn't he have lived until now? Yet, later generations apparently discovered his tomb."

After hanging up the phone, Wang Xuan's mood was complex.

Originally, he had some unrealistic thoughts. If the Golden Body Art had even a few credible points, perhaps there was a new world at the end of the Old Arts path!

However, Qing Mu's words made him realize how unreliable the ancients were.

"Original author of the Golden Body Art, I've got my eye on you. And Zhou Mingxuan, I've got my eye on you too!"

Not long after, Wang Xuan went out. His classmate from New Star was about to cross the Star River tomorrow, and Professor Lin would be returning on the same spaceship.

Before they parted, he naturally had to visit Professor Lin again to see him off in advance. He wouldn't be able to get close to the spaceship tomorrow.

Professor Lin's hair was gray, and he was slightly plump, but his complexion was quite good, with a ruddy face and a hearty laugh.

"Don't you complain. Ancient people were sometimes like this, prone to exaggeration. But this Golden Body Art is indeed not simple. Legend has it that once mastered, one becomes impervious to blades and spears. Its creator was named Zhou Yun Kong, a legendary figure. His flesh and skin were many times stronger than the best armor. He lived to be over 150 years old and eventually died of old age in Shushan. During the Ming Dynasty, tomb robbers plundered his grave, allowing the Secret Manual of the Golden Body Art he left behind to see the light of day again. This person was quite formidable; he's even recorded in unofficial histories."

Wang Xuan was speechless. How could a person who lived over 150 years have developed a Body Art that supposedly required thousands or tens of thousands of years to master?

He sighed, realizing that there were quite a few great swindlers among the ancients.

However, Zhou Yun Kong being plundered by tomb robbers was indeed a bit tragic.

Wang Xuan greatly admired Professor Lin. He was truly learned and knowledgeable, having dug up the background of the Golden Body Art's creator, knowing even more than Qing Mu.

"You absolutely must not underestimate the Golden Body Art. The fact that it allowed Zhou Yun Kong to live over 150 years speaks volumes. Furthermore, it's rumored that when the tomb robbers exhumed him, his body had not completely decomposed and was surprisingly harder than iron or stone. Even iron swords couldn't cut it, and this was two or three hundred years after his death."

Wang Xuan's heart stirred, filled with anticipation!

In this era, a single firearm could eliminate a master in the Old Arts field. If he could master the Golden Body Art, his life would become incredibly resilient.

"Zhou Yun Kong, Zhou Mingxuan... they both have the surname Zhou. Could the former be an ancestor of the Zhou family?"

But soon, Wang Xuan shook his head. It was unlikely to be such a coincidence. Besides, if it were an heirloom, Zhou Mingxuan wouldn't have given it away.

"Judging by the paper, this Secret Manual is only about two hundred years old. It was likely re-copied by later generations. After studying it, I believe it's a genuine scripture."

Professor Lin, unable to engage in practical combat anymore, had shifted his focus to theoretical research and the study of various Old Arts and ancient methods. He had a sharp eye and made accurate judgments.

Wang Xuan sighed, "The Secret Manual today has deeply affected me. If it exaggerates so much, are other Old Arts scriptures also like this?"

This was the fundamental reason he had sought Professor Lin's advice. The Secret Manual given by Zhou Mingxuan had unsettled Wang Xuan.

Were the legends of Old Arts still credible? For example, the Daoist practitioners of the Pre-Qin era – were the methods and paths they left behind also infinitely exaggerated?

Professor Lin shook his head. "It's not as severe as you imagine. Exaggerations like the Golden Body Art are isolated cases. Only a very small number of scriptures are like this, mainly related to the historical environment of the time. For example, during that era, even official military reports were exaggerated. A battle that resulted in only a few hundred beheadings and captures would be written as tens of thousands of enemies annihilated, with bodies strewn across the battlefield. If the officials were like this, imagine how the folk and unofficial histories would be."

Wang Xuan was speechless. It felt like one needed to understand a lot to practice Old Arts. Besides consulting the Daoist Canon, did one also need to read more history?

Professor Lin added, "The strength of Pre-Qin Daoist practitioners, etc., was determined after examinations by some life science research institutes on New Star."

Zaibatsu and research institutions had unearthed a few bodies of Pre-Qin Daoist practitioners in Old Earth. They had been analyzed and tested, and the conclusions were credible.

"Therefore, don't doubt the brilliance of Old Arts in ancient times. To walk this path, confidence is crucial."

Wang Xuan immediately became serious. "I was too focused on the superficial. I fell into a lower state. I originally joined the Old Arts experimental class out of interest, and later I wanted to keep exploring."

In the field of Old Arts, he had never been superstitious. Initially, he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors, but ultimately, he wanted to verify this path with his own experience.

Professor Lin felt a touch of emotion. "In this era of brilliant technological civilization, those who practice Old Arts constantly feel immense pressure."

Wang Xuan nodded, but his conviction grew stronger. If, at the end of the road, Old Arts had no further path, then he hoped to make his own contribution!

In the evening, Wang Xuan studied Body Arts and comprehended Root Method in his residence. Finally, he went downstairs to the wooded area outside the residential complex and began Qi Gathering and internal nourishment under the moonlight.

He emptied his mind, his heart becoming incredibly clear. The soft, white moonlight filled his soul. At this moment, he was transparent inside and out, with extremely heightened senses.

Suddenly, Wang Xuan felt a tightening and swelling in his forehead, as if it were about to be pierced by a sharp object. He felt a chill run down his spine and his heart filled with dread. Instinctively, he shifted his body, moving at high speed purely on instinct.

Ch!

A soft sound, and he felt his temple heat up. A terrifying stream of air whizzed past his ear, severing some strands of hair that gave off a burnt smell.

Whoosh!

The next moment, Wang Xuan moved like an agile leopard, disappearing into the dense woods of the residential complex.

This was an old complex. The trees planted in days past had grown into towering giants over decades, exceptionally lush, instantly concealing Wang Xuan's figure.

Now, Wang Xuan's eyes were as sharp as two swords. He coldly stared in a certain direction from within the woods, his heart pounding violently.

Just moments ago, he had been shot at!

Death had been a finger's breadth away. If he hadn't shifted his body in advance, his head would have been pierced, an instant death!

At that moment, he felt the terrifying air current fluctuations from the passing bullet, a strong wind by his ear that grazed his temple, and many strands of hair fell.

Who? Who dared to fire a gun in a residential area, acting with such impunity, beyond the imagination of normal people!

Old Earth had always had strict controls on firearms. For ordinary citizens, there was never a worry of being inexplicably shot; public safety had always been excellent.

But now, Wang Xuan had personally experienced a life-or-death crisis, encountering such an extremely serious and malicious incident. Someone wanted to kill him, without any scruples, and had acted within a residential area. It was truly outrageous!

The opponent's gun was equipped with a silencer, so no one else was alerted. Wang Xuan searched for the enemy in the silence.

He didn't rush out. He didn't know how many people were lurking in the shadows, or how many guns there were. He suddenly took off his jacket and threw it out of the woods with a flick of his wrist.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In an instant, he heard three soft sounds. The falling jacket instantly showed three bullet holes. The sniper's skill was astonishing, their reaction speed incredibly fast, and their marksmanship terrifyingly accurate.

Wang Xuan's expression turned cold. There were at least three skilled gunmen just outside the complex's fence, waiting for an opportunity to shoot him.

He had even pinpointed the locations of the three gunmen.

But he didn't go out. Instead, he melted deeper into the woods, hiding behind a tree.

Because he didn't know if there were others hidden, he didn't want to become a target for anyone under the moonlight.

At this moment, the first thing that came to his mind was—Golden Body Art.

If he could master this Body Art, he would definitely not care if there were others hidden. He would counterattack directly and hunt the enemies under the stars and moon.

Wang Xuan remained calm, not acting rashly.

He switched to a special SIM card and contacted Qing Mu, briefly and quickly explaining the situation.

"You did the right thing. Without firearms, find cover and hide. Professionals will handle this shortly. I'm coming over too, and I'll bring you some equipment."

After hanging up, Qing Mu's face turned extremely cold. Even he felt that those people were acting with such impunity. This was a major city on Old Earth, and such a malicious shooting incident had actually occurred.

If it were during an exploration in the wilderness, and certain large organizations or Zaibatsu encountered each other, they might fight fiercely over treasures. But there was one thing they had to abide by: they absolutely could not open fire in a city, nor could they involve ordinary citizens.

Otherwise, the entire society would descend into chaos.

This was a tacit understanding, even more so a customary rule. All organizations and institutions adhered to it, and few dared to cause trouble.

Otherwise, the state would teach those organizations and institutions how to behave. Although Old Earth had declined, certain bottom lines had always remained.

Wang Xuan climbed a large tree, quietly pondering. Who wanted to kill him?

He encountered this just after leaving campus.

He thought about recent people and events, reviewing everyone and every faction connected to him, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Firstly, he had joined an Exploration Organization and acted at Qingcheng Mountain yesterday. He didn't know if he had left any clues that might have provoked someone's killing intent.

The factions involved included the Zhou Family, Ling Family, and Wu Family. The individuals involved included Jin Chuan from the Exploration Organization.

Wang Xuan also listed Wu Yin, whom he had met for the first time last night, among the individuals.

Beyond these people and factions, he traced his thoughts further back. Zhou Yun had had a conflict with him before.

And Zhou Yun's father, Zhou Mingxuan, was an even more formidable figure.

Furthermore, looking even further back, Wang Xuan thought of those who wanted to keep him on Old Earth and prevent him from going to New Star. Although this incident might not be related, he still reviewed it.

Wang Xuan's killing intent surged as he speculated and deduced. Which of these people and factions dared to defy universal condemnation and open fire in a city's residential area to kill him?

Who was so ruthless, so unscrupulous, to deliver a fatal blow and eliminate him?!

If he died, would someone silently erase all traces, without alerting the outside world or causing any ripples? The person and faction who acted seemed to have very strong backing!

Thanks to: Long Name Not Good, Just Okay, Tiny Dust of Tianfu.

Thank you to the two Alliance Leaders above for their support.

I also thank all fellow readers who collected and voted.