Stealing Heavenly Secrets

After selling off all those items, each of them could pocket a small fortune.

The wind from the northwest, blowing for tens of millions of years, had finally carved out a thick Loess Plateau.

Thousands of years ago, the Loess Plateau was still covered in lush vegetation.

On the plains, rivers and lakes intertwined, ditches crisscrossed, and water and grass flourished, nurturing countless gifted individuals.

But the heavens have their storms, and the earth its shifts.

As the essence of heaven and earth waned and the climate changed, this once fertile highland gradually became barren and desolate.

The great rivers, once abundant like celestial waterways, dried up. Their waters shrank, silt increased, turning the water yellow, and eventually giving rise to the Yellow River.

On the edge of the Yellow River lay a historic city, Tongguan City.

Outside the city was the Xu family, who had lived at the foot of Yaowang Mountain for generations, passing down medicine as their trade—a well-respected local clan.

The current patriarch of the Xu family, besides mastering medical theory, was also a renowned archaeologist.

Now past seventy, Old Patriarch Xu had retired from Jiaotong University and returned to his hometown to serve as a clinic physician.

Jing'an Hall was the name of the Xu family medical clinic, passed down for centuries.

Old Man Xu had three sons, two daughters, and four grandchildren—a house full of children and grandchildren.

His eldest son, Xu Jian, over fifty, had inherited the family's medical skills and was now the head of Jing'an Hall.

His second son, Xu Jisheng, had been sociable since childhood, dove into business as an adult, and traded in medicinal herbs. Now just forty, he had already amassed a fortune of hundreds of millions.

His third son, Xu Jiping, grew up by Old Man Xu's side, deeply influenced by archaeology, obsessed with studying ancient civilizations, and became a PhD in archaeology from Jiaotong at a young age. Restless by nature, he refused to work in a research institute and, relying on his father's connections, spent his days drifting through major excavation sites.

His two daughters had long married, both to prominent local figures.

Old Man Xu sat in his clinic daily, enjoying the joys of family life.

Add to that the company of Xu Jian's son and daughter, who brought endless delight to his later years.

In the scorching summer, yang energy rose, all evils retreated, and the common folk rarely fell ill.

Few patients came to Jing'an Hall.

Feeling a sudden unease, Old Man Xu went home early.

As he entered the courtyard, he saw his eldest granddaughter, Xu Miaomiao, about to head out on her electric scooter. He asked, "Miaomiao, how long has it been since your third uncle came back?"

Xu Miaomiao replied, "Grandfather, third uncle always comes back every three to five months. This time, he's only been gone a month—still early."

Seeing Xu Miaomiao about to leave, Old Man Xu said, "These past two days, my heart has been pounding nonstop. When you go out to play, be extra careful."

Hearing this, Xu Miaomiao immediately stopped her scooter and came to his side. "Grandfather, is something wrong with your heart? I'll go call Father to check on you."

Old Man Xu shook his head. "My body's fine. I called your third uncle several times earlier, but he didn't pick up."

Xu Miaomiao laughed. "Maybe third uncle's busy and can't be bothered with you."

Old Man Xu's face suddenly turned grim, as if sensing something, and he quickly said, "Miaomiao, go call your father back for me."

Xu Miaomiao looked puzzled. "Grandfather, Father went to the capital for a meeting—he won't be back anytime soon. If you can't find third uncle, maybe my aunt knows where he went."

Old Man Xu frowned. "Just call your father and tell him to come back quickly. My heart hasn't raced like this in years. Last time was when your grandmother passed—it pounded for no reason."

Xu Miaomiao was startled. "Grandfather, are you worried something happened to third uncle?"

Old Man Xu seemed uncomfortable. "Wait until your father gets back to talk."

Then he went straight into the house.

After sitting on the sofa, Old Man Xu called his second son, Xu Jisheng, who was doing business in the provincial capital, and told him to come back immediately.

A day later, at the Xu family's old residence.

Old Man Xu led his eldest and second sons to the ancestral hall.

Xu Jian and Xu Jisheng, following behind their father, watched him with concern.

Once inside the hall, Old Man Xu walked to the altar table where the ancestral tablets were placed, lit three sticks of incense, and bowed to his ancestors.

Then he said to Xu Jian, "Eldest, go close the door."

"Father, what's going on? You suddenly called me and Second Brother back—has Third Brother caused trouble again?" Xu Jian asked after shutting the ancestral hall door.

Xu Jisheng added, "Father, you should push Third Brother to get married. Once he's married, he'll settle down. He's never home all year, and we don't know what he's up to out there. If this keeps up, one day he'll bring you a disaster and ruin your lifelong reputation."

"Sigh! I might as well tell you the truth now. Third Brother has been wandering outside all these years because of my influence." Old Man Xu let out a long sigh.

"Your influence? Father, what do you mean?" Both Xu Jian and Xu Jisheng stared at their old father in shock.

In front of them, Old Man Xu opened a hidden compartment in the wall behind the ancestral tablets and took out a rosewood box, slightly larger than a sixteen-page book.

Placing the rosewood box on the table, a trace of reminiscence flickered in Old Man Xu's eyes. "It's because of this that I'm worried something happened to Third Brother."

Xu Jisheng asked, "Father, what's inside the box?"

Old Man Xu pulled a strangely shaped key from his pocket, unlocked the box, and took out a thread-bound ancient book.

"This is the Longevity Sutra."

Eldest brother Xu Jian and second brother Xu Jisheng stepped closer, eyeing the "Longevity Sutra" in Old Man Xu's hands, and asked, "What does this book have to do with Third Brother?"

Then, Old Man Xu explained, "Don't underestimate this book. What's recorded here is a true Cultivation Method. Once mastered, it can let a person live five hundred years."

At those words, Xu Jian and Xu Jisheng were instantly stunned.

Afterward, Old Man Xu began recounting the book's origins.

This "Longevity Sutra" was something he'd discovered during his youth while excavating a Han Dynasty Tomb. Later, studying the age of the skeletal remains in the tomb, they were shocked to find that the bones had belonged to someone who'd lived at least five hundred years.

Driven by greed, he and the then-director of the research institute conspired to embezzle a scroll compiled from a Jade Scroll unearthed from the tomb. He copied its contents—the very "Longevity Sutra" now in his hands—while the director took the original Jade Scroll away.

Through their manipulations, they even destroyed the excavation records for that Jade Scroll. To prevent anyone from sensing the true value of that tomb, they swapped out the five-hundred-year-old skeleton and burned it to ashes.

But later, their research revealed that the "Longevity Sutra" was utterly unworkable. The cultivation method recorded in the text required a living being to first perceive its own Wheel of Life before any practice could begin.

His Old Leader might have cracked the method for cultivating the "Longevity Sutra," but after years of study, Old Man Xu concluded that the scroll was missing its opening chapter, which was why they couldn't get started.

Then, his third son, Xu Jiping, stumbled upon Old Man Xu's research by chance. It instantly ignited his dream of immortality. He resolutely chose archaeology as his major. After graduation, he tirelessly traveled to excavation sites across the country, all to find the opening chapter of the "Longevity Sutra." He even didn't hesitate to collaborate with grave robbers everywhere in his search.

Through Old Man Xu's explanation, Xu Jian and Xu Jisheng both stared at the "Longevity Sutra" in his hands, eyes gleaming. Immortality—there really was a Longevity Method in this world. Their own dreams of eternal life were kindled in that moment.

Seeing his sons' reactions, Old Man Xu warned them solemnly, "Right now, Third Brother is missing, his fate unknown. I'm telling you about the 'Longevity Sutra' not so you can inherit it now. This scripture lacks its opening chapter and can't be cultivated. What you need to do is focus on finding Third Brother. I'm worried he might have discovered something and that's why he lost contact with us."

Second brother Xu Jisheng thumped his chest, promising with confidence, "Dad, don't worry. Big Brother and I will do everything to bring Third Brother back."

First brother Xu Jian, thinking more deeply than his younger sibling, asked, "Dad, that Old Leader who shared this scripture with you back then—is he still alive? Did his descendants inherit the scripture?"

Old Man Xu shook his head. "The Old Leader passed away twenty years ago. As for whether his descendants inherited the scripture, I don't know. I've had almost no contact with his family's younger generation."

Xu Jian said, "Dad, you'd better give me the information on your Old Leader. I'll look into it. This kind of thing must be kept absolutely secret—no one else can know that our Xu family holds the 'Longevity Sutra.'"

Hearing this, Xu Jisheng's eyes flashed with a hint of ruthlessness. "Dad, Big Brother's right. This is a matter of life and death. Once our family steps onto the Path of Cultivation, outsiders must never know our secrets. If necessary, I can make sure your Old Leader's whole family shuts up for good. We also need to retrieve the original scripture and keep it in our own hands."

Old Man Xu hesitated. "Don't act rashly on the scripture for now. I'll first ask around about the Old Leader's family situation. For now, focus all your efforts on finding Third Brother. Before he left this time, he told me he was going to check out Anyi. But he didn't say exactly where in Anyi."

Xu Jian asked, "Anyi in Hedong?"

Old Man Xu nodded. "That's the place."

Xu Jian said, "I have two friends practicing medicine in Anyi. Maybe I can ask them to help track down Third Brother's whereabouts."

Xu Jisheng shook his head. "Brother, I don't think we should ask anyone about Third Brother's location. The fewer people who know about this, the better. After all, Third Brother went there for archaeology—his movements are bound to be discreet. It might be safer for the two of us to go ourselves."

Xu Jian replied, "Dad doesn't even know the exact place. How are we supposed to find him just by going there?"

Xu Jisheng said, "Dad might not know, but Third Brother must have left clues at home. Let's check his place first to see if he left behind something like a map."

Xu Jian's eyes lit up. "Third Brother is an archaeology expert. He definitely has a habit of marking the exact locations of tombs. Maybe there's a map at home."