Old and Vigorous

The moon hung over the willow tips.

In Xia Country, Great Marsh Prefecture, inside an old Wooden Building,

Lin Xuankong lay on his side on a wooden bed when he suddenly curled up and began coughing violently. "Cough, cough, cough!" Only after coughing more than a dozen times did he barely catch his breath.

"As a webnovel author, I'd finally written a novel with a hundred thousand average subscriptions. Was I wrong to get so excited that I stayed up all night and released ten chapters in one go?"

"But after closing my eyes and opening them again, how had I transmigrated into a foolish, backward feudal era, already gravely ill and with only a few days left to live?!"

No sooner had the thought surfaced than the chill of early spring swept in. His throat itched, and another violent fit of coughing seized him.

Seeing that sleep was impossible tonight, Lin Xuankong laboriously climbed up and sat by the bed, wrapped in his clothes.

Three days after transmigrating here, he had already absorbed part of the previous owner's memories. The man had shared his name, his relatives had all died, and he had made a living selling flatbread.

The previous owner had originally been in decent health, but after catching a cold, his body had worsened by the day. Then, after greedily drinking a few cups of wine, he had simply died.

With a sigh, Lin Xuankong looked toward the wooden cabinet beside the bed. A large red double-happiness character was pasted there, its vivid scarlet paper looking utterly out of place against the old, peeling cabinet.

Footsteps suddenly sounded outside the wooden house.

Before long, a young woman in green entered, carrying a bowl of medicinal soup.

The dim light of the oil lamp fell over her. She was about sixteen, tall and slender, with captivating curves and a face so beautiful it seemed without the slightest flaw.

She glanced at him. "Drink this medicine. Once you finish it, your cough will ease a little."

Lin Xuankong was somewhat surprised. "There's only enough money left at home to buy sorghum flour. Where did you get the silver for medicine?"

She frowned. "I served as a maidservant in the Huang Family for over ten years. I secretly saved a little loose silver as dowry money."

Hearing this, Lin Xuankong fell silent.

This woman was named Li Xiaolan. She had originally been the personal maidservant of the Huang Family's Eldest Young Lady in the west of the city.

After growing up, she had blossomed into an exceptionally lovely beauty, catching Master Huang's eye. He had intended to take her as a concubine. Yet the Huang Family Matriarch had a powerful background and was fiercely jealous, refusing to allow it no matter what. Left with no choice, Master Huang had listened to his wife and driven Li Xiaolan from Huang Mansion. Who would have thought that the vicious-hearted matriarch would still not be satisfied, forcing her to marry the impoverished, down-and-out, fifty-nine-year-old previous owner!

The marriage had taken place three days ago.

A Sister Li had fallen from the heavens, so naturally the previous owner had been overjoyed. On the day of the wedding, he had even taken out his coffin money and treated all the neighbors to a grand feast!

Who could have imagined that the previous owner was old and frail, still not recovered from his cold, and had greedily drunk a few cups too many? After the neighbors dispersed, before he could even consummate the marriage, he died. Then Lin Xuankong transmigrated over.

With the previous owner's fate as a warning, Lin Xuankong had not dared do anything with Li Xiaolan these past two days. This decrepit body was simply too weak. He feared that before anything even happened, he would kick the bucket first! He wondered whether he would have a chance to nurse his body back into better shape. Though old, I still burn with youthful fire—a pear tree pressing down upon a begonia?

Still, Li Xiaolan's character was beyond reproach.

To buy medicine for him, she had even used the dowry money she had secretly hidden away. She had quietly brewed the medicine for him too. With that, he felt somewhat embarrassed about making a move on her!

"Th-thank you!" He had wanted to say, "Thank you, Wife," but when the words reached his lips, Lin Xuankong was too embarrassed to say them.

"You and I... there's no need to be polite." A faint resentment and worry lay in Li Xiaolan's eyes, though she forced a smile onto her face.

She brought the bowl to her lips, blew on it, and took a sip. "It's not too hot anymore. Drink the medicine."

Taking the bowl, Lin Xuankong felt somewhat wary.

He carefully inspected the medicinal soup, then secretly shook his head. For the past two days, he had been bedridden, finding even getting out of bed difficult. This young lady had been the one bustling about, caring for him before and after.

Although she had always maintained a certain distance while interacting with him, he could tell that she was kind-hearted. Besides, she had taken a sip of the medicinal soup herself.

"Gulp." After pinching his nose and taking a mouthful, Lin Xuankong rested for a moment.

Once the medicinal soup entered his stomach, a warm current slowly spread through him, making all four limbs and every bone feel more comfortable.

No stomach pain.

No dizziness.

He really had been overly cautious!

With a flick of his hand, he drank the remaining half-bowl of medicine.

Not long afterward,

The dryness and itchiness in his throat indeed faded considerably, and even his weak body seemed to gain a little strength.

Seeing his complexion improve, the worry in Li Xiaolan's eyes lessened somewhat. She took the bowl and left the room, heading upstairs. Though they had been married for three days, aside from when she cared for Lin Xuankong, they slept separately—one upstairs and one downstairs.

At that moment, however, Lin Xuankong, sitting by the bed, fell into a daze.

After the medicinal soup took effect, a voice suddenly rang in his ear. "Blood and qi have reached five points. First Destiny talent unlocked." Immediately afterward, several lines of violet-gold characters appeared in his mind.

Lin Xuankong: Remaining lifespan: 32 days

Destiny: [Old and Vigorous]

First Destiny Talent: [Old and Cunning] Cultivation speed increases according to age. Current age: 59. Cultivation speed increased fiftyfold.

Blood and Qi: 5/100000

Sensing those lines of text, Lin Xuankong's expression shifted.

As a webnovel author in his previous life, he had naturally read plenty of webnovels. In those novels, cheat abilities were practically an essential accessory for transmigrators.

It seemed he had triggered this cheat ability because he drank medicinal soup that replenished blood and qi!

But if this cheat ability was real, then his current situation was extremely dangerous. He only had thirty-two days of lifespan left?

Frowning, he carefully examined his body. Judging by how his legs went weak when he walked, his hands trembled when he held a bowl, he urinated frequently, and getting out of bed took great effort, the lifespan displayed by this cheat ability was very likely real!

No, absolutely not.

Since he had been given another life, had fortuitously married a beauty even wealthy masters coveted, and had gained a cheat ability, he absolutely could not simply resign himself to fate!

I have to save myself!

Lin Xuankong frowned slightly and began pondering carefully.

If the cheat ability was real, then his first Destiny talent increased cultivation speed fiftyfold. That was absurdly powerful!

According to the previous owner's memories, Great Marsh Prefecture belonged to the Great Xia Dynasty. The Great Xia Dynasty revered martial arts above all else. Officials, powerful families, and descendants of great Lineages all delighted in martial cultivation. Those martial experts were extraordinarily formidable, capable of slaying demons and monsters; killing ordinary people was as easy as squeezing chicks to death!

The Huang Family where Li Xiaolan had once lived possessed a martial arts inheritance.

Master Huang had already been a Mortal Transformation Layer Six expert many years ago. That was why he could become wealthy enough to rival a region, call the prefectural governor his brother in Great Marsh Prefecture, and hold such extraordinary status. The Huang Family Matriarch also came from a great martial arts family, and it was said that her martial realm was even stronger.

Otherwise, Master Huang would not have feared his wife so much!

Furthermore, the government offices, martial academies, and gangs of Great Marsh Prefecture all had martial experts stationed within them!

Martial arts flourished so greatly in Great Marsh Prefecture.

If he had a chance to cultivate martial arts, along with a talent that increased cultivation speed fiftyfold, he could definitely restore this body to health.

Of course, his body was decrepit, so he absolutely could not cultivate fierce, forceful martial arts. If it caused his blood and qi to be depleted, he might not even survive the full thirty-two days. He had to find a martial art that could nourish his body!

The problem was that, according to his memories, even the cheapest martial academy in Great Marsh Prefecture required fifty taels of silver before one could begin cultivating martial arts!

Fifty taels of silver was equivalent to twenty-some years of income for an ordinary household. How could he earn that in just a few days?

If he relied on selling flatbread, then even if he sold tens of thousands of flatbreads, he still would not save up fifty taels of silver!

As he frowned in thought, a sudden BANG! BANG! BANG! sounded from the outer door, followed by a man's rough voice. "Old Lin, open up! I want to buy some flatbread!"

It was nearly the second watch already. Why would anyone come to buy flatbread at this hour?

Lin Xuankong stood up and trembled as he walked toward the outer room. He quietly approached the crack in the door and peered outside.

Several burly men were loitering outside. The man pounding on the door had a dark complexion, stood eight feet tall, wore a black short jacket with a front opening, and had a Hundred Refinements Steel Saber hanging from his waist. Under the moonlight, the saber gleamed with a sinister, icy light!

After only one glance, Lin Xuankong's heart sank.

The previous owner had walked the streets and alleys selling flatbread, and he had seen this dark, burly man long ago!

When it came to the people least to be provoked in the western district of Great Marsh Prefecture, aside from the martial arts Huang Family and the government, there were naturally the landlords and wealthy gentry. Yet those landlords and wealthy gentry would never dare offend one particular force: the Black Tiger Gang!

Rumor had it that the Black Tiger Gang's leader had already entered Mortal Transformation Layer Five, not much weaker than Master Huang. The Hall Masters beneath him were all immensely powerful martial experts as well! This dark, burly man was named Zhang Wu, a Late Mortal Transformation Layer One martial artist. Because of his considerable strength, he had become one of the Black Tiger Gang's leaders. This Wutong Alley was one of his territories.

A Black Tiger Gang big shot like Zhang Wu usually ate fine fish and meat. Why would he possibly come here to buy flatbread?

"Old Lin, are you dead? Open the door! I want to buy some flatbread!"

A lewd grin on his face, Zhang Wu pounded on the door several more times. He was immensely strong, and the doorframe shook from his blows. A few more hits, and the door would likely be smashed apart.

At this moment, many people on the street outside had been awakened by the noise. People poked their heads out from the windows of quite a few neighboring Wooden Buildings to watch.

But upon seeing that it was Zhang Wu knocking on the door, the neighbors' faces immediately changed. They pulled their heads back in, not even daring to watch the excitement!

Zhang Wu was a powerful Mortal Transformation Layer One martial artist and a Black Tiger Gang leader. Among the hundreds of households and more than two thousand people in Wutong Alley, not one did not fear him!

"Brother Wu, Old Lin isn't really dead, is he? If so, his newlywed wife will be in for a hard time. We ought to lend her a hand!"

"Right, right, right! Lin Family Young Sister-in-law, hurry and open the door. Don't be afraid. Brother Wu will take good care of you!"

"If you don't open the door, we'll force our way in!"

"Lin Family Young Sister-in-law, don't worry. Brother Wu is formidable—he'll definitely take such good care of you that you'll be utterly comfortable! Hahahaha!"

The several burly men with faces full of flesh behind Zhang Wu had clearly drunk quite a bit. Swaying one after another, they laughed wantonly, obviously certain they had Lin Xuankong and his wife at their mercy!

Watching their shameless, unrestrained behavior through the crack in the door, Lin Xuankong could not help clenching his teeth. These bastards had indeed come knocking in the middle of the night because of his beautiful young lady! Perhaps someone had seen her when she went to buy medicine for him?

At that moment, a low whisper suddenly came from behind him. "Open the door. This wooden door can't stop them!"

Hearing the voice, Lin Xuankong frowned. He turned around, pulled Li Xiaolan aside, and said in a low voice, "Why did you come over? These men are obviously here for you!"

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Hurry and leave through the back door. I'm a poor man on the verge of death; they won't do anything to me. If they can't find you, they'll probably leave!"

Hearing him say this, the faint resentment in Li Xiaolan's eyes faded somewhat.

She shook her head slightly. "If I hide today, they'll come again tomorrow. If I hide tomorrow, they'll come again later. You can't hide forever!"

"Then we'll leave Great Marsh Prefecture!" Lin Xuankong said decisively.

Li Xiaolan frowned. "Demons and monsters appear constantly outside Great Marsh Prefecture. Do you think it's so easy to leave?"

After saying that, she drew out a veil of black gauze from her sleeve, covered her face, stepped to the wooden door, and pulled the bolt. With a creak, the wooden door slowly opened!

Moonlight from outside immediately spilled in, falling across Lin Xuankong's tightly furrowed face and upon Li Xiaolan in her green clothes.

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