You Embroider, I Sell Flatbread: A Deadly Crisis

Time flew by, and another dozen-odd days passed.

One morning, after Lin Xuankong finished cultivating, he entered the back kitchen.

He filled two wicker baskets with sorghum flatbread, covered them with the white cloth Li Xiaolan had washed clean, then bent slightly and effortlessly hoisted the nearly hundred-pound load onto his shoulders.

[Pine Crane Longevity Technique: Not Yet Entry Level 58/60]

[Mortal Transformation Vitality: 118/100000]

Over these past dozen days, the progress of his Pine Crane Technique had steadily increased. He had long since cultivated a second strand of Mortal Transformation Vitality, and his flesh and blood had grown stronger and stronger under its nourishment.

Three or four days ago, in the dead of night, he had tested himself by the roadside. Over a distance of a hundred paces, he could sprint to the end in just over three breaths—roughly the equivalent of running one hundred meters in ten seconds. Such explosive power was already exceedingly close to the world record from his previous life.

With his vitality brimming, his endurance far surpassed that of ordinary people as well. Carrying a hundred-pound load, he could shout his wares all the way and walk for over two hours without feeling the slightest fatigue!

Most astonishing of all, the one possessing such a body was a fifty-nine-year-old old man.

The profundity of the Pine Crane Longevity Technique and the wondrousness of [Old and Vigorous] were displayed upon him to the fullest!

Of course, not everything made him happy!

Over the last two days, he had discovered that the growth of his strength had become extremely slow.

Clearly, his body had now touched the limit of an ordinary human body. To continue improving, he would have to cultivate a third strand of Mortal Transformation Vitality and break through the bottleneck!

Besides,

At dusk these past few days, he would occasionally fall into an inexplicable daze and suddenly lose awareness for several breaths.

When sleeping, he would also occasionally feel an extreme tightness in his chest.

It was as if something in his body was wrong, as though a major problem could erupt at any moment. And his Destiny showed that he had only three days of lifespan remaining!

From the matter of his fiftyfold cultivation speed and Destiny,

Lin Xuankong knew that even though he was now strong as an ox, when the day came for his lifespan to run out, he would likely truly die suddenly for no apparent reason. After all, a strong body did not mean that all the hidden injuries caused by years of toil and illness had vanished!

However, Lin Xuankong was not overly worried. Through these many days of cultivation, as his Pine Crane Technique progressed, he had gained many new insights into the mental method of the Pine Crane Longevity Technique.

He was extremely certain that after tomorrow, there was a great chance he would reach the Entry Level, thereby healing the hidden injuries in his body, greatly increasing his strength, and extending his life by around three years!

Setting aside the worry in his heart,

He picked up his load and was about to head out to sell flatbread as usual when Li Xiaolan's voice suddenly sounded behind him. "I embroidered another dozen or so handkerchiefs these past two days. Take them to Wang's Ready-to-Wear Shop!"

Why did the Young Lady always like coming up behind me? Lin Xuankong felt rather helpless!

After accepting the embroidered handkerchiefs, Li Xiaolan took another handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it to him. "This one is among the better embroidered ones. It's for you!"

Warmth rose in Lin Xuankong's heart. He gently accepted the handkerchief, then said with a serious expression, "Such a lovely embroidered handkerchief, and I have nothing to give in return. How about I give you a flatbread?"

The next moment, the Young Lady holding the flatbread had a face full of astonishment, looking rather disordered.

Lin Xuankong pushed open the wooden door and walked briskly onto the dirt road outside.

Nearly an hour later,

After passing through several streets and selling over half his flatbread, a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old youth carrying a basket came over from the roadside.

The youth glanced at the handkerchief tucked at Lin Xuankong's waist and said with a grin,

"Uncle Lin, Little Aunt embroidered another pretty handkerchief? Tsk, tsk. Little Aunt makes more from her embroidered handkerchiefs than you do selling flatbread. Who knows what kind of fortune Uncle Lin has, to have married such a wonderful Little Aunt!"

Lin Xuankong raised a hand and rubbed the youth's messy hair. "What Little Aunt? An aunt is an aunt, and a little aunt is a little aunt!"

This youth was Li Xiaohu, the son of Li Dahu, a neighbor from the street. He often hawked fruits such as melons, plums, and peaches along the street.

When he could not sell all his fruit, he would bring a few pieces to the Lin Family. He would also occasionally mooch a meal there. Over time, the two families had grown quite close.

Moreover, Li Dahu and Li Xiaohu had never been like the other neighbors. They never gossiped about Lin Xuankong or mocked him for not having long left to live after marrying a young wife!

Little Tiger looked around, then suddenly leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Uncle Lin, let me tell you something. Yesterday, when you were selling flatbread along the streets, I saw Ma Xiong and the others secretly following you for a long time. I don't know what they're up to!"

Hearing this, Lin Xuankong could not help frowning. Ma Xiong was a member of the Black Tiger Gang. It was said that he was already close to the Mortal Transformation Realm and possessed considerable strength; he was Zhang Wu's right-hand man.

He had secretly followed him? Members of the Black Tiger Gang usually spent their days eating, drinking, and making merry. Why would they follow him for no reason at all!

Was it at Zhang Wu's orders?

Although he loathed the overbearing Zhang Wu and his ilk, he had never shown it. Besides, after Zhang Wu had been intimidated by Xiaolan last time, he should not have had the nerve to covet her again!

No, that's not right!

Zhang Wu could not deal with Xiaolan, but in his eyes, Lin Xuankong was a decrepit old man.

Someone like him could be killed easily. As long as he was killed without anyone noticing, Xiaolan would become a widow, and Zhang Wu would have his chance. That was very likely the reason!

Hissss... It wasn't thieves breaking in that one feared, but thieves keeping their eyes on you!

A chill suddenly flashed through Lin Xuankong's eyes. He looked around, then took several flatbreads from the wicker basket. "Don't tell anyone what you told me today!"

Little Tiger accepted the flatbreads and nodded vigorously. "Don't worry, Uncle Lin. My mouth is sealed tight. But Uncle Lin, you must be careful!"

Lin Xuankong pondered in secret for a moment. Rather than taking his usual route home, he deliberately chose a street crowded with pedestrians and hurried along it.

At Hongyun Restaurant, on the second floor, dozens of Black Tiger Gang members were raising cups and draining glasses, drinking to their hearts' content.

At a table by the window, Zhang Wu stared at the crowds coming and going on Qingshui Street. Ma Xiong respectfully poured him a cup of wine. "Rest assured, Brother Wu. We're only dealing with a little old man nearly sixty!"

Zhang Wu nodded. "It must be clean and leave no loose ends. Not the slightest hint of it can get out! Also, how are things progressing at Wang's Ready-to-Wear Shop, the place that sells colored thread and handkerchiefs?"

Ma Xiong smiled. "Granny Wang from the clothing shop is an old hand. Don't you know her methods? Over these twenty-odd days, since the Lin Family Young Lady has gone there to buy colored thread several times, Granny Wang has long since become familiar with her and thoroughly learned her likes and dislikes!

Once Old Man Lin dies, with Granny Wang offering advice and using her methods, Brother Wu will have no trouble at all taking that beautiful Young Lady!"

Zhang Wu drained the wine in his cup in one gulp. "Well done! Once we take Qingshui Street from those fools of the Yin Talisman Sect, Ma Xiong, you'll be the boss of Qingshui Street!"

Ma Xiong immediately cupped his hands. "Thank you, Brother Wu! That beautiful Young Lady definitely won't be able to escape your grasp."

Zhang Wu broke into a grin. The Lin Family Young Lady's beauty truly made one's heart itch, but he was not patiently plotting against her merely for her looks.

If he could get his hands on such a powerful Young Lady, how could he remain merely a leader in the Black Tiger Gang!

As for Lin Xuankong, that useless old man with neither strength nor backing—what right did he have to possess such a Young Lady?