Rapid Progress

Chunlan looked at Xie An, who was lying on the bed, feeling a pang of sympathy.

"Master Xie, as you know, the young master is studying at the county's martial arts academy, preparing for the imperial martial arts examination. The expenses for practicing martial arts are substantial... so, Master Li's intention is to save wherever possible. You'll have to buy the medicine yourself from now on. Do you think that's feasible?"

"Yes, I'll buy my own medicine from now on."

Xie An didn't argue, and he couldn't.

Practicing martial arts in this era was like a bottomless pit for expenses.

A single high-quality medicinal auxiliary ingredient could cost ten or dozens of taels of silver, and it had to be taken frequently.

There were also some top-tier elixirs, each costing dozens or even hundreds of taels.

Even a prominent family like the Li Manor found it hard to sustain.

One could imagine how difficult it was for ordinary people to practice martial arts.

Seeing Xie An agree immediately, Chunlan felt even more heartbroken. "Master Xie is so understanding... it's just that..."

Xie An could tell Chunlan had something difficult to say, likely even worse news. "Miss Chunlan, please speak your mind. This old man can handle it."

Sigh.

Chunlan sighed, lowered her head, and said, "Master Li said... if your physical condition doesn't show further improvement, he will find another Appraisal Master to oversee the shop."

Hearing this, Xie An's heart sank.

Although he had been mentally prepared, facing it directly still brought an indescribable sense of desolation and discomfort.

Based on the improvements over the past seven days, Xie An could clearly feel his body recovering rapidly, and his strength was also increasing.

In another two or three days, he would surely recover to his state before the stroke. At that time, he could work normally.

But the Li Manor seemed unable to wait...

Finding someone to replace him meant unemployment in his old age, and it also meant Xie An would no longer be able to live in the small courtyard house behind the pawnshop.

Not only would he lose his income, but he would also need to rent a place outside and purchase various daily necessities... All of this added up to a considerable expense.

For Xie An, who only had fifty taels in savings, it was undoubtedly adding insult to injury.

Xie An had also considered that this was a good opportunity to buy his freedom. The Li Manor would surely let him go, given his illness. But Xie An knew better; what he needed most now was a stable environment for recovery. Once he became powerful and a renowned martial artist, buying his freedom would be much easier. Not only would it be easier to make a living, but the Li Manor would also not dare to stop him. Why would he care about the Li Manor's attitude?

Seeing Xie An's distressed expression, Chunlan couldn't bear it and said, "Actually, Master Li wasn't this anxious. Recently, your disciple has been frequently visiting the Li Manor to give gifts to your son-in-law and has been showcasing his appraisal skills. Master Li heard what his son-in-law said, so... he's only willing to give you three months of leave. This is still the result of Madam Li fighting for you; otherwise, Master Li would probably have kicked you out immediately."

Generally speaking, recovering from a stroke takes at least a year or more. Three months was clearly too short...

All of this... Zhang Bing!

Xie An narrowed his eyes slightly. "Alright. Three months it is. During this time, I'll buy my own medicine. If my body is still unable to work by then, I'll move out on my own."

Chunlan hesitated several times, then took out a few pieces of silver and stuffed them into Xie An's hand. "Take this two taels of silver. Use it for medicine, or... prepare for the worst. It's up to you. Oh, and Zhang Bing has been developing ill intentions lately, so be careful."

With that, Chunlan left without looking back.

She didn't even give Xie An a chance to refuse.

Looking at her retreating figure, Xie An felt a warmth in his heart.

He didn't have much of a relationship with Chunlan. It was just that once, when Chunlan made a mistake and was punished by Master Li to kneel for three days, Xie An happened to pass by. Seeing her so weak from hunger, he gave her the flatbread he was holding.

It had been five years, and he hadn't expected Chunlan to still remember.

Accepting the silver pieces, Xie An began to ponder.

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

In fact, Xie An's body could already handle working now.

Another three months of recovery would undoubtedly be much better.

As for paying for his own medicine...

That was completely unnecessary.

Xie An no longer needed to take medicine.

"My disciple... you were too hasty."

Even without this cheat, Xie An was confident that if he displayed his unique appraisal skills in front of Master Li and passed them on to a disciple... he could designate his successor.

Xie An had spent thirty years honing his appraisal skills and was confident that few in Qingwu County could match him. Naturally, he wouldn't take such a unique skill to his grave. The reason he had delayed teaching it was that he wanted to see human nature unfold when he was critically ill and dying, to see which disciple would be willing to care for him in his old age and see him off.

Moreover, with the golden finger now, Xie An's perspective and vision had begun to change.

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

Xie An's life returned to its quiet routine. He rarely went out, spending most of his time hidden in his room practicing the Five Animal Play. Besides He Chunli, who delivered his meals daily, only the shopkeeper Chen Yuan occasionally visited to chat.

As for Zhang Bing, he still hadn't come to the backyard to visit Xie An. However, Xie An occasionally heard Zhang Bing's commanding voice growing louder in the pawnshop.

As the intensity of his training increased, so did his appetite. He couldn't sustain himself without some meat. Xie An would privately give He Chunli some silver pieces, asking him to secretly buy some meat and eat.

He always bought double portions, cooked and stir-fried them on the old stove in the room, and ate them together with He Chunli. Occasionally, he would also impart some knowledge about appraisal to this disciple.

He Chunli, as an apprentice, rarely got to eat meat in a month. Now that he was enjoying the benefits under his master, he was naturally grateful, thinking that Master Xie was nearing his end and serving him with even more dedication.

Little did he know that this master had even greater ambitions.

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

At the crack of dawn, before the sky had even brightened, Xie An was already up. Dressed in thin undergarments, he practiced the Five Animal Play in his room. Sometimes he moved like a pouncing tiger, other times like a giraffe stretching its neck and looking back, his limbs flailing with "crackling" sounds.

Even with such strenuous exercise, Xie An's breathing was steady, his movements coordinated and incredibly precise.

This was a sign of mastery in his standing meditation.

By now, he had long since done away with the need for a hot water bottle. His shriveled skin had become much plumper, the wrinkles on his body had faded considerably, and a few strands of black hair had even grown amongst his completely white hair.

Huuuuh.

After finishing a set of the Five Animal Play, Xie An clearly felt his muscles and bones heating up. The warm current lingering in his lower abdomen had grown several times stronger than it was half a month ago. Even in the late autumn season, he didn't feel cold wearing just his thin undergarments.

After finishing his practice, Xie An moved his limbs and felt invigorated, like a dragon and a tiger. The soreness and fatigue of old age were gone, replaced by a solid sense of strength filling his entire body. With a casual swing of his arms, he could now exert one to two hundred jin of force.

He walked over to the stone lock nearby, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"This stone lock I acquired weighs two hundred jin. Let me try..."

He planted his feet, gripped the handles of the stone lock.

His feet pressed into the ground, channeling the earth's energy up to his waist, then twisting his waist to transfer the power to his arms, and with a mighty heave, he lifted it.

"Crack!"

The two-hundred-jin stone lock was suddenly lifted overhead by Xie An.

Although it took some effort, he held it steady.

There were two minimum requirements for apprentices at the Chen Martial Arts School: the ability to lift one hundred jin, and an age not exceeding 20.

Xie An was already over fifty, had taken no medicine, and had no famous master guiding him, yet he could lift two hundred jin. He was no longer intimidated even by adult strongmen.

Setting down the stone lock, Xie An let out a big sigh of relief and looked at the panel before him.

[Five Animal Play: Initial Mastery (67/100)]
[Remaining Years: Four Years]

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

This meant that under normal circumstances, he could live for at least four more years.

Although it was a short time, it was a fundamental improvement compared to his condition of nearing death just over a month ago.

The fear of dying of old age was slowly receding. The heart that had been constantly tense finally began to relax. An indescribable sense of comfort washed over him.

"Although the Health Cultivation Technique isn't comparable to typical offensive martial arts, it still falls within the scope of martial arts. Moreover, it has greatly increased my strength, speed... If I continue to persist, I might even develop combat ability."

"However, my progress has significantly slowed down in the past few days. If I could find suitable medicinal aids, it would definitely double my results with half the effort."

Having lived in this world for thirty years, Xie An knew very well that relying solely on martial arts practice had limited effects. Corresponding medicinal aids were necessary to achieve twice the results with half the effort.

With this thought, Xie An took out a brocade pouch from under his pillow and left with his life's savings.

This money was Xie An's lifeline. He had been reluctant to invest in medicinal aids before, as he had been saving with his eventual demise in mind.

But now...

Why worry about the end of his life?

Investing in himself was the most profitable course of action.