Divine Treasure, Essence of Longevity (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Divine Treasury.

Essence of Longevity.

If these two terms were to leak out, they would be enough to stir up a bloody storm throughout the martial arts world of the Great Flame New Kingdom.

On the path of martial arts, Bright Force is easy to attain, but Dark Force is hard to seek.

Above that are the Transformation Force masters, of which there are no more than a hundred in the entire Seven Provinces of Jiangnan.

As for the Divine Intent grandmasters above them, they are already invisible to ordinary people.

As for the legendary Profound-Penetrating grandmasters, they are figures standing at the very end of the martial arts path, capable of turning breath into swords, possessing blood energy like dragons, and acting as a one-man army.

Yet even for such powerful individuals, their lifespans do not exceed two hundred years.

If there truly were some Essence of Longevity capable of allowing a person to break through this natural chasm of lifespan, then never mind the masters and grandmasters; even those old monsters hiding deep in the mountains, indifferent to worldly affairs, would likely emerge once again.

And the Xuanshang Ancient Dynasty is precisely the ancient dynasty legendary for having once grasped such a secret.

The Xuanshang Dynasty existed over three thousand years ago; official historical records are sparse, while unofficial legends are as numerous as ox hair, most of them absurd and unfounded.

But once things, whether true or false, become entangled with power and longevity, they become exceptionally dangerous to handle.

The Folklore and Antiquities Investigation Division thus came into being.

They track down demons and anomalies, control ancient relics, and handle things that ordinary people should neither know about nor come into contact with.

This time, the headquarters of the Shenghai National Martial Arts Hall issued a direct, ironclad order.

Any cultural relics related to the Xuanshang ancient tomb, regardless of grade, must be intercepted.

Any personnel who have come into contact with related items, regardless of status, must be placed under control.

The Soaring Snake Counter-Scale is the highest priority of all.

Even now, without having seen the actual object, and not knowing its authenticity, it is still enough to warrant serious attention.

"Section Chief Lin, still not off work this late? Is it still about today's case?"

The door was pushed open, and a young man wearing a navy blue Zhongshan suit walked in carrying a cup of hot tea, placing it by Lin Xiu's side.

"Thanks, Little Zhou."

Lin Xiu picked up the teacup and took a sip, but his gaze did not move from the documents.

"Tomorrow, we will go and investigate Liu Mang's interpersonal relationships again, with a focus on checking Guo Ziming."

In the blink of an eye, the day arrived for the start of the semester at Xikou County Public Middle School.

Early that morning, Fang Shuwen got up early to wash, changed into his blue-green school uniform, and came out to the outer room.

Old Fang had already set out the meal: two eggs, a piece of beef, and the pickled vegetables had been replaced with stir-fried dishes—it was even more sumptuous than during the New Year.

Fang Shuwen sat down at the table and picked up his chopsticks.

Old Fang sat opposite him, with only a bowl of thin porridge in front of him as usual.

While breaking off pieces of a steamed bun and putting them into his mouth, he stole glances at Fang Shuwen.

The blue-green school uniform looked very sharp, and on his son, it really gave him the appearance of a scholar.

If he were to tuck a fountain pen into his breast pocket, he would truly look like a government official.

It was a pity that fountain pens were too expensive, costing five or six yuan each.

He still had to pay tuition this semester, so there was no money to buy one for the time being.

"Shuwen, Dad heard that if you don't pass the assessment this time..."

Old Fang stopped halfway through his sentence, swallowed his words, and lowered his head to drink his porridge.

He didn't dare to continue.

Little Fang would definitely pass the exam; there was absolutely no way there would be an accident.

"Dad, don't worry, there definitely won't be a problem."

Fang Shuwen pushed one of the eggs in front of Old Fang.

"You eat it, you eat it."

Old Fang hurriedly pushed the egg back, waving his hands repeatedly:

"Dad doesn't like eating eggs. You need to use your brain for the exam, so eat more."

Fang Shuwen didn't respond.

He tapped an egg against the corner of the table, peeled it in a few quick motions, and placed it into Old Fang's bowl.

"Here, just eat it."

Old Fang was instantly moved to the point of a mess.

The father and son finished their breakfast quickly and stepped out into the courtyard.

"Oh, isn't this Little Fang? How about it, are you confident about your exam today?"

Mother Wang's voice drifted over, carrying a hint of haughty pride.

Following the sound, they saw Mother Wang and Cuicui, who was wearing a school uniform, standing not far from the veranda.

Cuicui stood there looking lovely, a smile overflowing on her oval-shaped face.

Seeing the gaze of Old Fang and his son, Mother Wang looked even more smug.

"See this? A fountain pen, Golden Star Brand, five whole silver dollars!"

She took out a brand-new fountain pen and shook it in the morning light.

"Cuicui is testing for the elite class this time; she can't do without a decent pen. We can't have people laughing at us, don't you agree?"

After finishing her boastful display, she suppressed the ache in her heart and continued to ask:

"Oh, that's right, Old Fang, did you buy a fountain pen for Little Fang? If you didn't, it's no big deal—Cuicui still has an old one. Why not borrow it for Little Fang to use?"

Old Fang became instantly embarrassed, his square, honest face flushing red.

A fountain pen that cost five silver dollars—what could he possibly use to buy one?

He hadn't even scraped together the tuition for Little Fang's semester or the money for his new uniform yet.

Last night, he had tossed and turned for half the night, still facing a gap of three silver dollars.

He couldn't say these things, and he was even less willing to say them in front of Little Fang.

Just at this moment, a flurry of footsteps approached.

"Old Fang, thank goodness you haven't left yet. I almost missed you."

Chen Zhong walked over with a smile, holding a slender velvet box in his hand.

"Little Fang, I heard from Old Sun that you have your entrance assessment today. That's a good thing. Even though the masters of our Zhao Estate have moved to Shenghai, they still keep the youngsters of our estate in mind."

"This, I heard, was sent specifically by the master from Shenghai when he heard Little Fang was starting school."

He handed the velvet box to Fang Shuwen and opened the lid. Inside lay a jet-black, gleaming fountain pen, with a delicate cloud pattern engraved around the cap.

"This—this is actually a Parker fountain pen! In the shops outside, it costs at least fifteen silver dollars!"

Mother Wang's eyes went wide as she watched from the side.

When she went to buy this Golden Star Brand pen for Cuicui two days ago, she had seen Parker fountain pens in the store.

Just like this one, both in craftsmanship and feel, it was far superior to the Golden Star Brand.

After all, Parker pens were foreign goods.

"Fifteen dollars!"

Hearing this, Old Fang shuddered.

His hands began to tremble, and he didn't dare to reach out and take the box.

At the same time, he was moved beyond words.

The master must know of Little Fang's hard work and know that his son would surely succeed in the future; otherwise, why would he send such an expensive pen?

Thinking this, Old Fang felt as if he were floating. He looked at Steward Chen, his voice trembling as he asked.

"Steward Chen, this... this is too valuable. Little Fang is just a student, using such a fine pen..."

Chen Zhong waved his hand, his gaze landing on Fang Shuwen.

"Little Fang, the master also said that the key to the courtyard next door is yours. You may use the weapons and training equipment in the storeroom at any time."

Hearing this, Fang Shuwen understood immediately.

No wonder Steward Chen had sent him such a valuable pen today.

It turned out that the traces he left behind in the martial arts arena had been discovered by Steward Chen.

He had likely deduced his strength as well.

"Many thanks to Uncle Chen, and many thanks to the master."

Fang Shuwen took the velvet box, his tone neither servile nor overbearing.

"I accept the key, and I will certainly cherish the weapons and training equipment."

Chen Zhong nodded with satisfaction.

It was always easier to talk to a smart person; there was no need to spell everything out, as both sides understood each other perfectly.

He reached into his robe and pulled out a brass key with the character "Martial" engraved in seal script on the handle, handing it to Fang Shuwen.

After offering a few more words of encouragement, he took his leave.