Never Mock the Poverty of the Middle-Aged

Ren Shanshi was usually a man of few words, but when the topic turned to martial arts, he became an endless torrent of chatter.

Ren Qing responded absentmindedly while tossing the timber for coffin-making into the cave dwelling at the bottom of the well. Coffin Disassembly required a specific coffin, so he needed to make another one.

But with the Black Rat Dao Child around, coffin-making could be completely streamlined, requiring none of his effort.

"Ow."

Ren Shanshi noticed that dusk was drawing near, the setting sun already staining the clouds crimson.

"I got so caught up talking that I lost track of time. We didn't even have lunch at the Chen family earlier."

He dusted himself off. "Ah Qing, I'll go buy a mountain chicken at the street corner. We'll stew up a pot when I get back, warm a flask of wine, and the two of us father and son can wash away the bad luck."

Ren Qing watched Ren Shanshi hurry excitedly out the door, but his attention remained on the evening glow.

"The evening glow is also radiant light. It should be usable for cultivating the Vapor-Feeding Immortal Art, right?"

Ren Qing walked to the center of the backyard, focused his mind to connect with the Imperial Court Scroll, then opened his mouth and inhaled.

The glow at the horizon was drawn toward him, slowly entering his body.

The Imperial Court Scroll did not suffer any further mishaps. The glow upon its surface immediately gained a little more color, as though someone were truly painting upon rice paper, the hues softly spreading outward.

"If I feed on vapor once in the morning and once at night, it won't take long for the Vapor-Feeding Immortal Art to be fully colored."

Ren Qing concentrated on feeding on vapor. Before he knew it, Ren Shanshi had returned to the backyard. A lavish spread of dishes had been laid out on the small table in the kitchen, while the faint fragrance of wine lingered in the rafters.

Though no one sat across from Ren Shanshi, affected by Ren Qing's divine sense, he kept raising and emptying cups.

Ren Qing had already attained the Leakless Body. Along with feeding on vapor morning and night, ordinary grains and meat brought far more harm than benefit. Ren Shanshi, on the other hand, needed to eat more to replenish his qi and blood for martial arts training.

"Ah Qing, I'm turning in early today. Tomorrow morning, I still have to go to the martial arts hall and practice stance work with my fellow disciples. Maybe the instructor can give me some pointers too."

Ren Qing studied Ren Shanshi from the corner of his eye. Though his cheap old man looked sturdy enough, he was nearing forty after all. Combined with the strenuous labor of running a coffin shop year-round, more than half his qi and blood had already declined. It would likely be difficult for the Iron Body Art to advance any further.

He had originally planned to learn the alchemy of this world before refining a few batches of pills to replenish Ren Shanshi's qi and blood. But now, a thought suddenly surfaced.

"Why not try it?"

Whoosh.

Ren Qing breathed out a wisp of evening glow, which silently merged into the center of Ren Shanshi's back.

The evening glow wound through his blood vessels, eventually vanishing into his heart.

Ren Qing activated his divine sense and carefully observed for a moment. Only after confirming that the glow would not harm Ren Shanshi did he gradually allow it to circulate through his entire body with his blood.

"Huh?"

Ren Shanshi stopped moving as an inexplicable heat rose within him. "Why did it suddenly get warmer in this damned weather? Honestly..."

He loosened the collar of his padded jacket, a thin sheen of sweat appearing on his face.

"Ah Qing, I'm going to sleep first."

"Mm. Bring back two live fish from the market for me tomorrow morning."

"Got it."

Ren Qing watched his cheap old man's retreating figure, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. His understanding of the Vapor-Feeding Immortal Art had deepened another layer.

This wisp of evening glow was not enough to extend one's lifespan, but it could bolster Ren Shanshi's qi and blood. It would presumably let him make twice the progress with half the effort in martial arts—at the very least, he should be comparable to a man in his prime.

"Looks like it's time to never mock the poverty of the middle-aged."

Ren Qing withdrew his gaze and continued facing the evening glow, calmly feeding on vapor.

Not until night fell and scattered stars crept across the sky did he stop.

He still stood in the center of the backyard, only now with his eyes closed as he connected to the Imperial Court Scroll and waited for the morning glow, unwilling to waste even an instant of cultivation.

The night wind swept past, rolling up the leftover snow on the ground. In the distance came the sound of a night watchman's bronze gong.

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

With two steamed buns tucked into his clothes, Ren Shanshi called out to his son and hurried toward the north of the city.

The moment he arrived at the entrance of the Black River Martial Arts Hall, he heard wave after wave of shouts from within.

He made his way familiarly through the corridors. Seventy or eighty people had already gathered in the training yard, most of them half-grown boys standing in stances bare-chested in the cold wind.

When Ren Shanshi appeared, the activity in the yard noticeably paused, dozens of gazes sweeping toward him in unison.

"Ahem."

Ren Shanshi's old face reddened as he forced himself to stand at the edge of the crowd.

The Black River Martial Arts Hall's standards for accepting disciples were indeed low, but who had ever seen a man in his thirties or forties come to join the fun? Besides, anyone with eyes could tell he bore no trace of martial arts training.

Quite a few people even recognized Ren Shanshi. He was the carpenter who had recently been running errands all over the martial arts hall.

Before long, the whispers turned into laughter, especially when they saw Ren Shanshi nearly fall over while holding his stance.

Meanwhile, by the second-floor window of a neighboring residence—

Li Yao sat in a wooden chair. In just a few days, she had become gaunt beyond recognition, her joints protruding sharply. Yet a faint trace of divine sense flickered indistinctly between her brows.

"Wu Chu, I'll have to enter seclusion this afternoon. Whether I live or die will depend on Heaven's will."

The guard standing behind her hastily said, "Miss, the Fuyang Chamber of Commerce is assigning nearby escorts, but it will take some time. A fortunate person like you will surely be blessed by Heaven."

Li Yao cut in, "Among those who've recently joined Black River, are there any worth paying attention to?"

After pondering for a moment, Wu Chu said, "Old Li's third son from the east side—his external martial arts have progressed remarkably fast. Then there's Liu Er from the south of the city. He has thick calluses on two fingers; he used to make a living by thieving and pilfering, but for some reason he now wants to learn martial arts..."

"Forget it."

Li Yao waved a hand, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the edge of the windowsill. "As long as they joined the hall these past few days, find an opportunity to show them some goodwill. There's no need to be too deliberate about it."

Even she found the whole thing somewhat absurd. She did not know why she had bought a martial arts hall.

She had merely caught a distant glimpse of an immortal's trace and sensed a wisp of external martial arts aura, yet she had gone to such lengths over such futile efforts. Sigh... how could an immortal possibly appear in a martial arts hall?

It was like the Three Incense Lady enthroned in a temple—could she possibly be buying and selling chickens and ducks in a marketplace?

But... what if?

Li Yao's gaze swept across the training ground, and when it landed on Ren Shanshi in the corner, she froze slightly.

"What about him?"

Wu Chu looked in the direction Li Yao pointed and said dismissively, "The owner of that little coffin shop. Coming to learn martial arts at his age—he's purely here for amusement."

Before he could finish speaking, a commotion suddenly erupted across the training ground.

Ren Shanshi stood rooted in a horse stance, wisps of white vapor unexpectedly rising from all around him.

Then his chest rose and fell slightly, producing muffled thuds, as though a war drum were hidden beneath his flesh.

The surrounding crowd turned to look. It grew so quiet that even the fall of a needle could be heard.

"This is..." Li Yao leaned forward slightly.

Wu Chu clicked his tongue. "Who would've thought he had this up his sleeve? His martial realm isn't high, but he already understands the way of stance training. That scene of his qi and blood surging just now shows that he has quite the talent for external martial arts. Truly, one cannot judge a person by their appearance."

Li Yao frowned tightly, a self-mocking smile hanging at the corner of her lips. Martial artists were martial artists in the end.

Ren Shanshi looked utterly ordinary, but what if... what if he had something to do with that immortal?

Li Yao, Li Yao—just to protect yourself, you've already become this detached from reality.

Yet whenever she thought of the true visage of the second immortal revealed by the thangka, she could not help but tremble with fear.

That was an existence far beyond the Three Incense Lady. It was worth trying to seize every possible chance.

"Wu Chu."

The guard hurriedly bowed his head and listened as Li Yao whispered several instructions into his ear.

"Remember, only form a bond of goodwill. Do not stir up trouble."

Li Yao let out a breath, her fingertips turning white from the force she exerted.

"Miss, there's one more matter."

"Speak."

"Yesterday, two constables at the yamen choked to death. Today, another froze to death."

Li Yao remained silent for a long while before painfully forcing out five words.

"The great calamity is coming."