Tiger Wolf Gate

Anyone else?

Why hadn't I noticed them just now?

Xie An's heart jolted. He instinctively tightened his grip on the dagger hidden in his sleeve and slowly turned around to look.

The newcomer was a man in his forties dressed in a dark-red martial outfit. A broad saber hung at his waist, and he strode over with the bearing of a dragon and the steps of a tiger. Even from more than a dozen meters away, Xie An could feel the powerful aura emanating from him. At a glance, he was clearly no easy opponent.

Xie An was familiar with those clothes... They were much like the saber-wielding men patrolling the Blood Ridge Black Market, though these were more refined.

Xie An judged that this man was probably some sort of patrol guard captain at the Black Market.

"What guidance can you offer, sir?"

The man in his forties walked over to the bodies of Zhang Wei and Lu Wei. After briefly inspecting them, he kicked the corpses twice with obvious disdain. "I hate nothing more than scum who rob merchants near the Black Market. They ruin my Black Market's reputation and make people afraid to come here to trade. Well done, old brother."

With that, the man stopped three meters in front of Xie An and gave a slight cupping of his hands. "My name is Zhang Lin, and I'm a guard steward of the Blood Ridge Black Market. Recently, the Hall Master issued a death order demanding that we stamp out the robbing around here. I can see that old brother's martial skills are exquisite. Would you be interested in joining me to accomplish something great?"

Xie An understood.

Zhang Lin was trying to recruit him.

"What force stands behind you?"

"The Tiger Wolf Gate."

Upon hearing those three words, Xie An's heart gave a heavy thump.

Having lived in Wuqiao Town for thirty years, Xie An had naturally heard of the Tiger Wolf Gate's great renown.

It was a major gang spanning dozens of towns, one that had already transcended the category of criminal gangs. It was a genuine martial sect, and one of the two great martial sects in Qingwu County.

Though there was only a single character's difference between a gang and a sect, the difference between them was as vast as heaven and earth.

Gangs were usually groups hastily formed by unruly men who banded together for a common interest and stirred up trouble. They might rob for wealth, seek revenge, or do any number of other things. Most were not tolerated by the authorities.

Sects were different. They emphasized the transmission of arts within the school, the inheritance between masters and disciples, and the observance and continuation of proper etiquette. They themselves promoted martial learning. They were proper, orthodox houses of prestige, recognized by the authorities. Some powerful sects had even produced countless disciples who entered the imperial court as officials, their influence deeply rooted and intricately entwined. They played a pivotal role in maintaining local stability.

Some even more powerful martial sects were known as religious orders. Those were colossal existences. Even court ministers and nobles had to show them respect and bow before them.

There were also transcendent religious orders. It was said that even the emperor himself had to go burn incense and pay homage to them...

Xie An had never imagined that the power behind the Blood Ridge Black Market... was actually Qingwu County's renowned Tiger Wolf Gate.

Although this sect had been established only thirty years ago, it had rapidly secured its footing in Qingwu County. It stood as an equal opposite the other great sect, the Heavenly Saber Society, with neither side able to overpower the other.

It was said that whenever a new county magistrate took office, he had to visit the two great sects.

For a martial sect to develop to such a degree was truly astonishing.

If Xie An had been thirty years younger, he might have had the chance to pursue the Martial Examination or compete for entry into another religious order. Those were the proper paths. But now he was already fifty, and the ordinary avenues for advancement had basically been cut off.

Joining a martial sect might be a viable path. After all, some newly established martial sects were desperate for worthy talent and were not so particular about age.

However, Xie An was still unfamiliar with Zhang Lin before him. Besides, this was a desolate wilderness, so he had better play it safe.

"Thank you for the generous invitation, Brother Zhang, but I'm already old. I'm afraid I may not have the strength for it."

Zhang Lin did not press him. He took out a wooden token about the size of a baby's palm and tossed it to Xie An. "Next time you bring this token here, you won't need to pay an entrance fee or stall fee. If you ever change your mind, the gates of my Tiger Wolf Gate will always be open to you, old brother."

Xie An accepted the wooden token, thanked him, and hurried away.

"Chief, he's just an old white-haired man. Is it really necessary to recruit him so earnestly?"

After Xie An left, a saber-wielding man walked over to Zhang Lin, puzzled.

Zhang Lin said, "Zhou Xing, where were your eyes looking? That old man just drew a One-stone Bow, opened it with one finger, and fired two arrows in succession. By a rough estimate, his one-handed lifting strength is already close to four hundred jin. That's strength on par with a Guan-level Martial Artist! Besides, the way that old man flicked the two villains to death was as smooth as flowing clouds and running water, completed in one seamless motion. Can you do that?"

The saber-wielding man Zhou Xing immediately lowered his head, ashamed of his inferiority.

Zhang Lin waved his large hand. "That old man is no simple character. My Tiger Wolf Gate is in urgent need of capable men right now. If he comes to the Black Market in the future, make things as convenient for him as possible and show him proper courtesy."

Zhou Xing said, "I'll remember, sir."

By the time Xie An returned to his little house, it was already a quarter past the hour of Yin.

"This trip to the Black Market yielded quite a harvest. Not only have I memorized the second half of Five Animal Play, I also obtained the complete Fetal Breathing Technique and a heavy bow. Best of all... a chamber pot."

"I also pulled out Lu Wei, that thorn in my side. At last, I can live a few comfortable days in peace. In troubled times, one still needs strength..."

After taking a quick bath, Xie An collapsed onto the bed and went to sleep.

The next day, Xie An rose early to inspect the pawnshop. Seeing that He Chunli was managing the business smoothly, he slipped back to the little house in the rear courtyard. He began by practicing archery.

Archery placed great emphasis on accuracy.

For ordinary people, getting started was difficult.

But Xie An had perfected his stance training long ago. He stood firmly, and his breathing was even. With the support of Five Animal Play, his hands and feet were steadier still, while his five senses had also improved tremendously. Practicing archery felt like having divine aid.

After several hours of intensive, repetitive training, he found the feel of it. He could not claim to hit the bull's-eye with every arrow within a hundred meters, but he could still manage accuracy around the fifth or sixth ring.

Xie An had no intention of becoming a master archer. He only wanted to use the bow for self-defense. There was no need to rush.

Putting away the bow and arrows, Xie An locked the door from inside, opened the Fetal Breathing Technique, and began reading it word by word.

It was also a beginner-level health-nourishing technique, but its contents differed greatly from Five Animal Play.

"One who attains fetal breathing can cease exhaling and inhaling through the nose and mouth, as if within the womb..."

After reading through it, Xie An finally gained a detailed understanding of the Fetal Breathing Technique:

Ordinary people breathed through their lungs. By practicing the Fetal Breathing Technique, however, one could gradually cause the lungs to cease functioning and instead breathe through the skin, navel, and dantian.

Once the Fetal Breathing Technique reached a certain level, one could transform external breathing into Internal Breathing, entering the state of fetal breathing, falling asleep naturally, and refining internal qi on one's own.

"Falling asleep naturally and refining internal qi on its own... Doesn't that mean I can cultivate the Fetal Breathing Technique even while sleeping?"

Xie An displayed intense interest.

Five Animal Play was good, but it could not be practiced during sleep.

The Fetal Breathing Technique, however, could cultivate itself while one slept, perfectly making up for Five Animal Play's shortcoming.

Five Animal Play by day, fetal breathing in sleep. How could I fail to become a martial artist?

There was another sentence in the book that greatly intrigued Xie An: "If a person can return to the breathing state of infancy, they can live forever."

It happened to align perfectly with what the medicine of his previous life had said—that fertilized eggs possessed the ability to divide without limit and were immortal.

Of course, that was a cell, whereas now he was a living, breathing human being...

Could they really be the same...

"Five Animal Play refines the body externally, while the Fetal Breathing Technique refines the breath internally. Practicing both together will surely produce a much better life-extending effect."

Xie An calmed his agitated emotions, sat cross-legged, and began practicing according to the Fetal Breathing Technique's formula.

"According to the book, the Fetal Breathing Technique is divided into a beginner stage—the Three Styles Method; an intermediate stage—the Yin-Yang Union; and an advanced stage—Divine Light Manifestation."

"The first style of the Three Styles Method is the Dantian-Tailbone Style. When exhaling, imagine the Tailbone Gate growing hot. When inhaling, imagine the dantian pressing against Mingmen or the Tailbone Gate..."

The words were simple, but actually carrying them out was astonishingly difficult.

The dantian?

Xie An did not even know where the dantian was. He did not know where Mingmen was either...

How was he supposed to imagine "the dantian pressing against Mingmen"?

Fortunately, Xie An was not in a hurry. After failing again and again, he simply followed the book and started over each time.

From early morning until dusk—

**Ding!**

The data panel before his eyes had changed.

Successfully recorded the Fetal Breathing Technique.

Fetal Breathing Technique: Three Styles Method (1/100)