Rapid Progress

Chunlan looked at Xie An lying on the bed, unable to bear seeing him like this.

"Master Xie, you know the eldest young master is studying at the Martial Arts Hall in the county town, preparing for the Martial Examination. Practicing martial arts costs a great deal... So Master Li's meaning is that we should save wherever possible. From now on, you'll have to spend your own silver on medicine. What do you think?"

"Fine. I'll buy the medicine myself from now on."

Xie An did not argue, nor could he.

In this world, practicing martial arts was a bottomless pit of expenses.

A single dose of high-quality medicinal supplement could easily cost ten or even dozens of taels of silver, and it had to be taken regularly.

Some superior pills cost more than fifty or even a hundred taels apiece.

Even a wealthy local household like the Li Household could barely bear such expenses.

It was easy to imagine how difficult it was for ordinary people to practice martial arts.

Seeing Xie An agree at once, Chunlan felt even more heartsick. "Master Xie is such an understanding man... It's just..."

Xie An saw that Chunlan had something difficult to say and feared there was worse news to come. "Miss Chunlan, speak plainly. This old man can take it."

"Ah."

Chunlan sighed and lowered her head. "Master Li said... if your health doesn't improve soon, he'll have to find another Appraisal Master to take charge of the shop."

Upon hearing this, Xie An's heart sank.

Although he had been mentally prepared, when he truly faced it, he still felt an indescribable desolation and distress.

Judging from the improvement over the past seven days, Xie An could clearly feel his body recovering rapidly, while his strength was growing as well.

In another two or three days, he would surely recover to the condition he had been in before his stroke. By then, he would naturally be able to work normally.

But the Li Household seemed unable to wait...

Finding someone to replace him meant losing his job in old age. It also meant Xie An could no longer continue living in the small rear courtyard room of the pawnshop.

Not only would he lose his income, he would also have to rent a place outside and purchase all kinds of daily necessities... Added together, it would be no small expense.

For Xie An, who had only fifty taels in savings, it was unquestionably adding frost to snow.

Xie An had also considered that this might be a good opportunity to buy his freedom. The master of the household would certainly let a sickly man like him leave. But Xie An understood even more clearly that what he needed most now was a stable environment in which to grow. Once his strength became formidable and he became a martial artist of some standing, buying his freedom would be much easier. Not only would it be easier to make a living, but how could the Li Household dare to stop him? Why should he care about their attitude?

Seeing the distress on Xie An's face, Chunlan said reluctantly, "Master Li wasn't originally in such a hurry. Recently, your disciple has often gone to the Li Household to give gifts to the eldest son-in-law, and he's also shown off his skill in appraising objects. Master Li listened to his son-in-law, so... he was only willing to give you three months of leave. This was still the result of Madam Li pleading for you. Otherwise, Master Li might have driven you out immediately."

Generally speaking, recovering from a stroke took at least a year or half a year. Three months was clearly far too little...

All of this... was because of Zhang Bing!

Xie An narrowed his eyes slightly. "Fine. Then three months it is. During that time, I'll buy my own medicine. If my body still can't work when the time is up, I'll move out myself."

Chunlan hesitated several times before finally taking out a few pieces of broken silver and stuffing them into Xie An's hand. "Take these two taels of silver. Use them to buy medicine, or... to prepare for your funeral. You decide. Oh, right—Zhang Bing has been acting with bad intentions lately. Be careful."

After leaving those words behind, Chunlan walked away without looking back.

She did not even give Xie An a chance to refuse.

Watching her retreating figure, Xie An's heart grew warm.

He and Chunlan had no particular friendship. It was merely that five years ago, Chunlan had made a mistake and been scolded by Master Li and punished by being made to kneel for three days. Xie An had happened to pass by, seen that she was faint with hunger, and given her the flatbread in his hand.

Five years had passed since then. He had never expected Chunlan to still remember it.

After accepting the broken silver, Xie An began making calculations.

"Three months... That's more than enough."

In fact, even if Xie An went back to work now, his body could hold up.

After recuperating for another three months... he would undoubtedly be in much better shape.

As for paying for his own medicine...

That was completely unnecessary.

Xie An no longer needed to take medicine.

"My disciple... you were too impatient."

Even without this cheat, Xie An was confident that as long as he displayed his consummate skill before Master Li and passed that skill on to one of his disciples, he could designate his own successor.

Xie An had studied the consummate art of appraising objects for thirty years, and he was confident that there were few opponents to be found throughout Qingwu County. Naturally, he could not take this skill into his grave. The reason he had delayed teaching it was that he wanted to see human nature revealed when he was gravely ill and near death—to see which disciple would be willing to care for him until the end.

What was more, now that he had a golden finger, Xie An's horizons and outlook had begun to change.

"Since Master Li has given me three months, I'll make full use of them. As for Zhang Bing... let the bullets fly for a while."

Xie An's days became peaceful again. He rarely went out, spending most of his time hiding in his room and practicing the Five Animal Play. Aside from He Chunli delivering his three daily meals, only the shopkeeper, Chen Yuan, occasionally came by to chat.

As for Zhang Bing, he still had not stepped into the rear courtyard to visit Xie An. Instead, Xie An occasionally heard Zhang Bing's voice barking orders in the pawnshop, growing louder and louder.

As the intensity of his training increased, so did his appetite. He could not manage without some meat, so Xie An would privately give He Chunli some broken silver and have him secretly buy meat and other food.

Each time, He Chunli bought enough for two portions. They cooked it on the old stove in the room and ate it stir-fried, while Xie An occasionally taught this disciple some knowledge about appraising objects.

He Chunli was an apprentice clerk who normally could hardly eat meat even once a month. Now that he was enjoying his master's good fortune, he was naturally grateful from the bottom of his heart. Thinking that Xie An would soon be gone, he served and accompanied him with even greater devotion.

What he did not know was that this master had far greater ambitions.

In the blink of an eye, a month passed.

It was still dark at dawn when Xie An rose early, wearing only a thin undershirt as he practiced the Five Animal Play in his room. At times he pounced like a fierce tiger; at times he stretched his neck and looked back like a giraffe. As his hands and feet swung, they crackled with a series of sharp pops.

Even while performing such strenuous exercises, Xie An's breathing remained steady, his movements coordinated and precise beyond compare.

This was a sign that his stance training had reached the level of mastery.

By now, he had long since said goodbye to the hot-water bottle. His withered skin had filled out considerably, many of the wrinkles on his body had faded, and several strands of black hair had appeared amid his completely white hair.

Huff, huff, huff.

After completing a set of the Five Animal Play, Xie An clearly felt heat spread through his muscles and bones. The warm current lingering in his lower abdomen had grown several times stronger than it had been half a month ago. Even in late autumn, he no longer felt cold wearing only a thin undershirt.

After finishing his practice, Xie An moved his hands and feet and immediately felt vigorous and full of life. The soreness, numbness, and fatigue of old age were gone. His limbs and bones were filled with solid strength, and with a casual swing of his arms, he already possessed a hundred or two hundred jin of force.

He walked over to the stone lock nearby and rubbed his fists.

"This stone lock I got weighs two hundred jin. Let's give it a try..."

He spread his legs and gripped the handle of the stone lock.

Both feet planted firmly on the ground, force rose from the earth and traveled to his waist. He then swung his waist, transmitting the strength into his arms, and heaved upward with all his might.

"Crack!"

The two-hundred-jin stone lock was suddenly lifted over Xie An's head.

Although it took some effort, he held it rock-steady.

The minimum requirements for the Chen Martial Arts School to accept an apprentice were twofold: the ability to lift a hundred jin and an age under twenty.

Xie An was already over fifty. He had never taken medicine and had never received guidance from a renowned master, yet he could lift two hundred jin. Even if he encountered a grown, strong man, he would no longer be at a disadvantage in the slightest.

After setting down the stone lock, Xie An let out a long breath and looked at the panel before him.

Five Animal Play: Initial Glimpse (67/100)

Remaining Years: Four Years

As his progress increased, the number of remaining years appeared for the first time.

It meant that under normal circumstances, he could live for at least another four years.

Although that was a very short time, compared to his condition a little over a month ago, when he had been on the verge of dying from old age, it was a fundamental improvement.

The terror brought by dying of old age slowly faded. The heart that had been taut all this time gradually relaxed as well, leaving him suffused with indescribable comfort.

"Although the Health Cultivation Technique can't compare to ordinary martial arts meant for killing, it still belongs to the realm of martial arts. It has also greatly increased my strength and speed... If I keep at it, I may not be incapable of fighting."

"However, my progress has clearly slowed down a great deal these past few days. If I could find suitable medicinal supplements, I would definitely achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Having lived in this world for thirty years, Xie An knew very well that relying on martial arts training alone had limited effects. He had to combine it with the corresponding medicinal supplements to achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Thinking of this, Xie An took a brocade pouch from beneath his pillow and went out with all his savings.

This money was Xie An's lifeline. He had previously been unwilling to invest in medicinal supplements because he had been considering his funeral arrangements.

But now...

Why should he consider his funeral?

Investing in himself was the most profitable choice.