After selling off all those things, each of them would be able to pocket a small fortune.
The wind from the northwest
had blown for tens of millions of years before finally shaping the vast and heavy Loess Plateau.
Thousands of years ago, the Loess Plateau was still covered in lush vegetation.
Across the wilderness, rivers and lakes crisscrossed, channels ran in every direction, and abundant water and grass nourished countless outstanding people.
The weather was unpredictable, and the earth was subject to the changes of Kun.
As the essence of Heaven and Earth dissipated and the climate changed, this once-fertile plateau gradually became barren and desolate.
The great river, once abundant with water and resembling the Heavenly River, eventually dried up as well. Its water decreased while its sediment increased, turning the water yellow and ultimately transforming it into the Yellow River.
On the banks of the Yellow River stood Tongguan City, a historic city.
Outside the city was the Xu Family, which had lived beneath Yaowang Mountain for generations. Medicine had been their family tradition, and they were a highly respected clan in the area.
The current patriarch of the Xu Family was not only skilled in medicine but also a renowned archaeologist.
Now over seventy, Old Patriarch Xu had retired from Jiaotong University and returned to his hometown, where he had once again become a physician practicing in the family clinic.
Jing'an Hall was the name of the Xu Family's clinic, which had been passed down for several hundred years.
Old Man Xu had three sons, two daughters, and four grandchildren. His family was truly blessed with children and grandchildren.
His eldest son, Xu Jian, was over fifty. Having inherited the Xu Family's traditional medical skills, he was now the head of Jing'an Hall.
His second son, Xu Jisheng, had been good at socializing since childhood. After growing up, he entered the business world and began trading medicinal herbs. Though he had only just turned forty, he had already accumulated a fortune worth hundreds of millions.
His third son, Xu Jiping, had grown up by Old Man Xu's side and been deeply influenced by archaeology. Obsessed with studying ancient civilizations, he had become an archaeology doctorate from Jiaotong University at a young age. Naturally active and unwilling to work in a research institute, he now relied on Old Man Xu's connections to spend all year drifting among major archaeological sites.
His two daughters had also married long ago, both of them becoming the wives of prominent local figures.
Old Man Xu spent his days practicing medicine and enjoying the happiness of family life.
With Xu Jian's two children also doting on him, his later years were filled with even more endless joy.
The summer sun blazed, the yang energy surged, and all evil spirits retreated. Few ordinary people fell ill.
There were hardly any patients in Jing'an Hall.
Feeling inexplicably uneasy, Old Man Xu went home early.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw his eldest granddaughter, Xu Miaomiao, preparing to ride her electric scooter out. Old Man Xu asked, "Miaomiao, how long has it been since your third uncle came home?"
Xu Miaomiao replied, "Grandpa, doesn't Third Uncle always stay away for three to five months at a time? He's only been gone a little over a month this time. There's still a long way to go."
Seeing that Xu Miaomiao was about to leave, Old Man Xu said, "These past two days, my heart has been pounding restlessly. Be extra careful when you go out to play."
Xu Miaomiao immediately stopped her electric scooter and came over to ask Old Man Xu, "Grandpa, is something wrong with your heart? I'll go call Dad back and have him examine you."
Old Man Xu shook his head. "There's nothing wrong with my health. I called your third uncle several times earlier, but he didn't answer."
Xu Miaomiao smiled. "Maybe Third Uncle is busy and doesn't have time to answer you."
Old Man Xu's expression suddenly became extremely grim, as though he had sensed something. He hurriedly said, "Miaomiao, go get your father and bring him back."
Xu Miaomiao asked in confusion, "Grandpa, Dad went to the capital for a meeting. He definitely won't be able to come back right away. Since you can't reach Third Uncle, perhaps my aunt knows where he went."
Old Man Xu frowned. "Call your father anyway and tell him to come back as soon as possible. My heart hasn't beaten this fast in many years. The last time was when your grandmother passed away. My heart began pounding for no reason then, too."
Xu Miaomiao was startled as well. "Grandpa, are you worried that something happened to Third Uncle?"
Old Man Xu seemed somewhat uncomfortable. "We'll talk after your father returns."
Then he went straight back inside.
After sitting down on the sofa, Old Man Xu called his second son, Xu Jisheng, who was doing business in the provincial capital, and told him to return immediately.
A day later, at the Xu Family's ancestral residence.
Old Man Xu brought his eldest and second sons to the ancestral hall.
Following behind their father, Xu Jian and Xu Jisheng both looked at the old man with concern.
After entering the ancestral hall, Old Man Xu walked to the altar where the ancestral tablets were enshrined, lit three sticks of incense, and bowed to his ancestors.
Then he said to Xu Jian, "Eldest, go close the door."
"Dad, what exactly happened? You suddenly called Second Brother and me back. Did Third Brother cause trouble outside again?" Xu Jian asked after closing the ancestral hall's doors.
Xu Jisheng also said, "Dad, you really should urge Third Brother to get married. Once he does, he'll settle down. He's away from home all year, and none of us knows what he's doing out there. If this continues, who knows when he'll cause some huge disaster and make you lose face for the rest of your life?"
"Sigh. Since things have come to this, I'll tell you the truth. Your third brother has been wandering around outside all these years because of my influence." Old Man Xu let out a long sigh.
"Because of your influence? Dad, what exactly is going on?" Xu Jian and Xu Jisheng stared at their father in astonishment.
In front of his two sons, 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.
After placing the Rosewood Box on the table, a trace of reminiscence flashed through Old Man Xu's eyes. He said, "It's because of this that I'm worried something happened to your third brother."
Xu Jisheng asked, "Dad, what's inside the box?"
Old Man Xu took a strangely shaped key from his pocket, opened the box, and took out a thread-bound ancient book.
"It's this Longevity Sutra."
Xu Jian and Xu Jisheng stepped forward and stared at the Longevity Sutra in Old Man Xu's hands. "What does this book have to do with Third Brother?"
Old Man Xu then explained, "Don't underestimate this book. It contains a genuine Cultivation Method. Once mastered, it can allow a person to live for five hundred years."
As soon as he said this, Xu Jian and Xu Jisheng were instantly stunned.
Old Man Xu then began explaining the book's origins.
He had discovered this Longevity Sutra when he was young, during the archaeological excavation of a Han Dynasty Tomb.
Later, after studying the age of the bones in the tomb, they were shocked to discover that the skeleton had lived for at least five hundred years before death.
Driven by greed, he and the director of the research institute at the time secretly appropriated a book unearthed from the tomb, one compiled using Jade Scrolls.
He copied down its contents, creating the Longevity Sutra now in his hands, while the director took away the original Jade Scroll.
Moreover, through their maneuvering, they destroyed the excavation records of the Jade Scroll.
To prevent anyone else from discovering the true value of the tomb, they even switched out the skeleton that had lived for five hundred years.
They burned that five-hundred-year-old skeleton to ashes.
However, they later discovered that the Longevity Sutra could not be cultivated at all.
The cultivation method recorded in the Scriptures began with a living being sensing its own Wheel of Life. Only then could cultivation begin.
He did not know whether his former superior had managed to decipher the cultivation method of the Longevity Sutra.
But after years of research, Old Man Xu discovered that the Longevity Sutra was probably missing its opening chapter, which was why they had been unable to enter the path.
Later, his third son, Xu Jiping, happened to see Old Man Xu's research.
His dream of longevity was instantly ignited.
He resolutely chose archaeology as his major.
After graduating, he traveled between archaeological sites across the country, all for the sake of finding the opening chapter of the Longevity Sutra.
He had even gone so far as to cooperate with tomb robbers in various places to search for the opening chapter of the Longevity Sutra.
After Old Man Xu finished explaining,
Xu Jian and Xu Jisheng both stared at the Longevity Sutra in Old Man Xu's hands with glowing eyes.
Longevity—there really was a method to attain longevity in this world.
The brothers' dreams of immortality were also ignited at that moment.
Seeing their reactions, Old Man Xu solemnly warned them, "Your third brother's whereabouts are currently unknown, and his life or death is uncertain. I'm telling you about the Longevity Sutra not so that you can inherit it right now. This book is missing its opening chapter and cannot be cultivated at all. What you need to do now is search with all your strength for your third brother's whereabouts. I'm worried that he discovered something, which caused him to lose contact with the family."
Xu Jisheng thumped his chest and confidently promised, "Dad, don't worry. Eldest Brother and I will do everything we can to bring Third Brother back."
Xu Jian, however, thought further than his younger brother and asked, "Dad, is the leader who shared this Scripture with you back then still alive? Did his descendants inherit the Scripture?"
Old Man Xu shook his head. "My former superior has been dead for twenty years. 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, tell me your former superior's information first. I'll investigate. Something like this must be kept absolutely secret. We can't let anyone else know that our Xu Family has the Longevity Sutra."
Hearing this, a ruthless glint flashed through Xu Jisheng's eyes. He said, "Dad, Eldest Brother is right. This concerns our lives and fortunes. Once someone from our family embarks on the Path of Cultivation, we absolutely can't let outsiders know our circumstances. If necessary, I can silence your former superior's entire family. We must also seize the original Cultivation Method and keep it in our own family's hands."
Old Man Xu hesitated. "Don't act rashly regarding the Cultivation Method for now. I'll first ask someone to find out about the current situation of my former superior's family. For now, you should focus on finding your third brother. Before leaving this time, he told me he was going to look around Anyi. But he didn't say exactly where in Anyi he was going."
Xu Jian asked, "Is it Anyi in Hedong?"
Old Man Xu nodded. "That's the place."
Xu Jian said, "I have two friends practicing medicine in Anyi. Perhaps I can ask them to help inquire about Third Brother's whereabouts."
Xu Jisheng shook his head. "Brother, I'm afraid we can't ask others about Third Brother's whereabouts. The fewer people who know about this, the better. Third Brother went there for archaeology, so his movements are certainly well concealed. It might be safer for the two of us to go there personally."
Xu Jian said, "Dad doesn't even know the specific location. Do you think we'll be able to find him just by going there?"
Xu Jisheng replied, "Dad may not know, but Third Brother must have left clues at home. Let's first go to Third Brother's place and see whether he left behind something like a map."
Xu Jian's eyes lit up. "Third Brother is an archaeology expert. He surely had the habit of marking the exact locations of ancient tombs. There might be a map at home."