Wife Acting Strange-Pine Crane Longevity Technique

Several people outside the door were somewhat surprised to see that a woman had opened it.

A few breaths later, one burly man said with a lewd grin, "Well, well, Young Sister-in-law came personally to open the door and receive guests!"

The other burly men immediately burst into hearty laughter.

Their gazes landed brazenly on Li Xiaolan. Zhang Wu's eyes were even slightly red, as though he wanted to "devour" Li Xiaolan on the spot!

Yet Li Xiaolan's gaze remained calm. She took a firestarter from her waist and blew it alight, then turned and walked into the room. "Since you've come, then come inside and have a talk!"

Their eyes lit up. Zhang Wu took the lead, and they shoved Lin Xuankong aside before striding into the house.

"Husband, go fetch me a jar of water from the back kitchen!

Master Zhang Wu, come sit down. I have something to say to you." Li Xiaolan walked to the table, lit the oil lamp with the firestarter, and sat upright on the bench.

The Black Tiger Gang men swaggered over. Zhang Wu dropped his backside onto the seat opposite Li Xiaolan. "Young Sister-in-law, do you have some intimate words to tell me? Why not go upstairs, so the two of us can talk slowly!"

Hearing Li Xiaolan call him Husband and seeing this scene before him, Lin Xuankong could not help feeling a hundred emotions well up in his heart.

Especially when he saw her calm eyes before the oil lamp, Lin Xuankong was quite surprised. This young lady was acting very strangely. Was she putting on a brave face?

And why had she asked him to fetch water from the back kitchen?

Several thoughts flashed through his mind as he tottered toward the back kitchen.

After entering the kitchen, he looked at the sharp knife beside the chopping block. A savage glint suddenly appeared in his eyes. He stepped over, hid the knife in his sleeve, then picked up a jar of water before turning toward the outer room.

But the instant he stepped into the outer room, the sight before him left him standing there in a daze.

Beside the wooden table, before the oil lamp—

Only Li Xiaolan remained, still seated there.

The Black Tiger Gang men had somehow already left the house. The burly man at the rear was even "thoughtfully" bending down to close the door.

And at the moment he shut it, his gaze toward Li Xiaolan was filled with deep fear.

Was he getting old? Were his eyes failing him?

Lin Xuankong could not help raising a hand to rub his eyes, but the wooden door slammed shut with a bang at that moment!

Something was wrong!

Very wrong!

Lin Xuankong quickened his pace and staggered to the wooden door. He peered outside through the crack.

Zhang Wu and the others were silently hurrying into the distance. They looked as though their backsides were on fire. Where was even a trace of the arrogance they had shown when they arrived?

Lin Xuankong turned around and returned to the table. "W-what exactly happened?"

Li Xiaolan removed her black veil, revealing that flawless face. She took the water jar from Lin Xuankong, poured him a cup of water, and said, "They came to buy flatbread. I told them you hadn't made any flatbread for several days, so they left!"

Lin Xuankong was speechless. Only a ghost would believe that mouth of hers.

Frowning, he said, "After taking the medicine, I'm actually much better. I could have made them some flatbread!"

Li Xiaolan, who had been about to drink, could not help trembling slightly at his words. Then she shot him a sidelong glance with her limpid eyes.

She had already been stunningly beautiful, and beneath the oil lamp she gained an additional hazy allure. When she cast that glance, a hundred charms bloomed at once. Lin Xuankong felt his heartbeat quicken by several beats.

Li Xiaolan set down her cup, her brows lifting slightly. "Given our relationship now, there's no need to hide it from you!"

She pointed at an iron ball beneath the oil lamp. "This iron ball was originally Zhang Wu's blade. I squeezed it twice, and it became like this! After Zhang Wu saw it, he decided he had come to the wrong place and took his men away!"

"What?" Lin Xuankong looked over in surprise.

His old eyes were dim, and he had not noticed earlier that there was an iron ball beneath the lamp.

Lin Xuankong reached out and grabbed at it, only to discover that the iron ball was quite heavy. With his old arm, he could not even lift it with one hand.

Looking closely beneath the oil lamp, he saw dozens of crisscrossing grooves on the iron ball. They really did resemble finger marks!

She had squeezed a Steel Blade into an iron ball with her bare hands, then scared off the Black Tiger Gang leader who had run rampant through Wutong Alley for years. This had actually been done by the delicate young lady before him?

Lin Xuankong looked at Li Xiaolan's fair, slender hands.

He suddenly felt fortunate—fortunate that, two days ago, he had not done anything to this young lady in order to save his life. Otherwise, if she had become unhappy and squeezed him with that little hand of hers, the consequences would have been too dreadful to contemplate!

My wife was actually a hidden martial arts expert!

With that kind of strength, wouldn't she become the big boss of a hall in any gang she joined?

Lin Xuankong suddenly felt his mouth go dry.

He poured himself a cup of water and took two sips to calm himself before looking at Li Xiaolan. "W-Wife—Miss Li, how did you come to cultivate martial arts too? What level of Mortal Breakthrough are you at?"

He had originally wanted to call her Wife, but when the word reached his lips, his tongue somehow tied itself in knots, and he failed to say the final word.

Li Xiaolan said, "I followed Eldest Young Lady for more than ten years. Whenever she cultivated martial arts, I was beside her, so I cultivated along with her! As for my realm, I can't beat Madam Ma of the Huang Family. Otherwise, she would not have forced me to... Forget it. There's no point in talking about it!"

She glanced outside. "It's getting late. Your health is poor, so go rest early! Tomorrow morning, I'll go to Old Physician Hua's place and get you some more medicine!"

"Wait!" Now that he knew the wife before him knew martial arts, how could Lin Xuankong let such an opportunity slip away?

Li Xiaolan furrowed her brows. "What is it?"

With a serious expression, Lin Xuankong said, "I want to cultivate martial arts too. I hope you can teach me some techniques. As for compensation—"

Li Xiaolan glanced at him. "There's no need to mention compensation between us!

"As for cultivating martial arts, at your age... Martial arts cultivation places tremendous emphasis on qi and blood. It is best to begin during childhood, laying a solid foundation before one can achieve anything!

"Furthermore, once cultivators pass forty, their qi and blood begin to decline. Even maintaining their realm requires them to pay all kinds of prices. Starting cultivation at your age, it is absolutely impossible for you to make any progress."

Lin Xuankong said, "I know, but I want to try!"

Seeing the determination on his face, Li Xiaolan frowned and pondered for a while. "The martial art I cultivate is rather fierce and forceful. It isn't suitable for you!"

"However, while I was at Eldest Young Lady's side, I once looked through the Pine Crane Longevity Technique she had collected.

"The Pine Crane Longevity Technique is a martial arts technique that nourishes one's foundation and can also raise one's realm. It seems fairly suitable for you! It's just..."

Pine Crane Longevity Technique—just hearing the name, it sounded suited to someone like me, whose days were numbered!

Lin Xuankong asked, "It's just what?"

Li Xiaolan said, "Eldest Young Lady and her family members all practiced this technique for a time, but later they stopped because it is extremely difficult to reach Entry Level with it.

"The manual says that reaching Entry Level can extend one's lifespan by three years. But the Huang Family members cultivated it for three or four years, using all kinds of expensive medicines along the way, yet none of them reached Entry Level.

"Moreover, increasing one's lifespan is an ethereal matter. No one could verify it, so they all basically gave up on continuing their cultivation!"

Reaching Entry Level could extend one's life by three years.

Then at higher realms, wouldn't it be five years, eight years, even decades?

This technique was incredibly powerful! It was definitely much stronger than any technique he could learn at a martial arts school after earning enough money!

The Huang Family members had failed even with expensive medicines, which showed that this technique was truly difficult to cultivate. But he had a fiftyfold cultivation-speed bonus. Perhaps he could succeed!

Lin Xuankong said, "Do you remember the technique?"

Li Xiaolan smiled. "Since I looked through it once, of course I remember it. And I practiced it for some time as well!"

Lin Xuankong no longer hesitated. "Then I'll be troubling you. If you aren't sleepy, why not explain it to me now!"

Seeing his sincere expression and blazing eyes, Li Xiaolan could not help sighing softly.

"At your age, and choosing such a difficult technique to cultivate... Forget it. Since you want to learn, I'll demonstrate it for you once tonight!"

A moment later—

Li Xiaolan slowly began demonstrating while giving a detailed explanation of the mental technique and breathing method.

Lin Xuankong widened his eyes, watching Li Xiaolan's every movement and listening carefully to her explanations.

Li Xiaolan was about the same height as Lin Xuankong, quite tall and slender, with captivating curves. Though it was clearly a martial cultivation technique, when she demonstrated it, it looked remarkably like an exquisite dance performed by a beauty!

But with his life hanging in the balance, how could Lin Xuankong pay attention to any of that?

From beginning to end, not even the faintest ripple stirred in his heart. He focused solely on engraving every sentence of her explanation and every movement into his memory!

Half an hour passed.

Li Mulan exhaled softly and withdrew her movements. "How much did you remember?"

Lin Xuankong recalled it. "I remembered the mental technique and breathing method. As for the movements, I remembered sixty to seventy percent!"

Li Xiaolan nodded slightly. "Those movements aren't important for now. Before reaching Entry Level, this technique mainly cultivates the mental technique and breathing method.

"You need to practice this mental technique and breathing method twice every day for it to nourish your body. But you must not practice too much, or it will drain your mind and qi and blood. Especially at your age, remember not to exceed twice!

"Besides, martial arts cultivation is not something accomplished in a day.

"Especially a longevity technique like this. It is unbearably dull, and progress is painfully slow. If you want to give up one day, that would be normal! Don't force yourself, lest you suffer qi deviation and injure your body!"

After saying that, she rose and walked upstairs, quietly thinking to herself:

This Pine Crane Longevity Technique had extremely high requirements for one's martial aptitude. Even with precious medicines to assist, it took years to reach Entry Level.

The entire Huang Family had once had dozens of people cultivate it wholeheartedly for three or four years, but none achieved anything. Only Eldest Young Lady and I reached Entry Level.

Eldest Young Lady praised me as having talent found once in ten thousand, and I was also at the age most suited for martial cultivation. Even so, I cultivated for a long time before reaching Entry Level.

Lin Xuankong was already fifty-nine. His qi and blood had long declined into a pitiful state.

Moreover, his family was poor, and he had no opportunity to take precious medicines. For him to reach Entry Level would surely be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Someone like him would probably see no results without more than ten years of cultivation. But could he still live for more than ten years?

Still, although he and I have not become husband and wife in truth, we do have the name of husband and wife. Since he wants to practice so badly, I'll let him. At least he'll have something to cling to before he dies of old age!

Thinking this, she sighed softly and went upstairs.

Lin Xuankong, meanwhile, turned his attention inward.

"Pine Crane Longevity Technique: Not Entry Level 0/3000"

After he memorized the mental technique and breathing method of the Pine Crane Longevity Technique, this line of information had appeared in his mind.

The moment he focused on the information, the four golden-purple words [Old and Vigorous] suddenly emitted light. Immediately afterward, the Pine Crane Longevity Technique information began to flicker.

In an instant, the information changed. "Pine Crane Longevity Technique: Not Entry Level 0/60"

Three thousand and sixty—exactly a fiftyfold difference!

Lin Xuankong's expression shifted. His Destiny of being Old and Vigorous really did seem capable of increasing his cultivation speed fiftyfold!

He just did not know how many times he would need to cultivate, or how many days it would take, to complete those sixty proficiency points!

He rose and walked to his wooden bed. With some difficulty, he sat cross-legged upon it and began cultivating according to the mental technique and breathing method.

Very quickly, he felt the qi and blood in his body gradually become more active. Guided by the mental technique, it began circulating slowly through his internal organs and limbs!

It really was a true martial arts technique!

Lin Xuankong rejoiced inwardly, but he did not dare let himself become too distracted. He quickly suppressed his delight and cultivated even more earnestly.

Bang, bang~~~~~ Close your doors and windows; guard against thieves and burglars.

Nearly an hour later, the watchman's clapper sounded from somewhere far down the street.

Lin Xuankong slowly opened his eyes from cultivation and felt warmth suffusing his entire body.

He set aside the clothing draped over him, only to discover that he, who had become extremely sensitive to cold due to old age, barely felt any chill in the spring cold.

He raised his hand and saw that his arm was steady. That awful, faint trembling sensation he had been unable to control before was gone.

He moved his legs and stood from the bedside, only to discover that getting up no longer required as much effort as before!

Joy appeared on Lin Xuankong's face. After merely circulating the mental technique twice, it had already produced such results.

Overjoyed—

He focused his attention and looked at the information in his mind.

He did not know how much the proficiency had risen after two cycles of the Pine Crane Longevity Technique's mental technique. For someone with little lifespan remaining like him, that was simply too crucial!