Too Old for the Grave, and Only Now My Cheat Arrived?

Great Qin.

Li Prefecture, Chi City.

Blackstone Martial Hall, rear kitchen.

The rich aroma of meat drifted through the kitchen.

The enticing scent made the boys waiting in line swallow repeatedly, their eyes fixed eagerly on the chunks of meat in the pot.

In this era, when ordinary people could barely fill their stomachs, meat was an exceptionally precious thing.

Even more so for martial artists like them, who had only just begun training. One meal of meat could genuinely strengthen their vitality and blood, equal to several days of grueling cultivation.

Blackstone Martial Hall was considered a first-rate martial hall in Chi City, yet it only provided meat twice a week.

Even so, countless people fought tooth and nail to enter—not merely for the meat, but for their dreams of becoming martial artists.

Becoming a martial artist meant no longer having to worry about food and clothing. A whole family could escape hardship because of it, and one might even have the chance to enter the ranks of the powerful and wealthy, completely changing one's fate.

However, not everyone could become a martial artist.

Martial arts was a profession that relied heavily on talent.

Those without talent could devote their entire lives to it and still never cross that threshold.

Especially when it came to age!

If one had not become a martial artist before turning twenty, there would be no possibility for the rest of one's life.

"All right, line up and come get your portions."

The old man at the stove waved a hand.

The youths hurried forward. Each received one ladleful, no more and no less.

Before long, the large pot of meat was nearly empty.

At that moment, a tall youth with a somewhat mature face—no, he should have been called a young man—walked up to the old man.

"Elder Lu."

The young man lowered his head respectfully and held out his small bowl.

Lu Fan nodded, scooped up the last of the meat in the pot, and placed it all in the young man's bowl.

Seeing that there was far more meat than usual in his bowl, the young man looked up in confusion. "Elder Lu, isn't this... too much?"

"Eat, Wang Shi."

There was a hint of regret in Lu Fan's eyes. "Starting tomorrow, you won't have a quota anymore."

Wang Shi froze, staring blankly at Lu Fan. "Huh? Um... Elder Lu, is there some mistake?"

The boys and girls in the room seemed to realize something and turned sympathetic looks toward him.

"Wang Shi, you'll be twenty next week."

Lu Fan sighed softly and said nothing more.

Wang Shi's body stiffened abruptly, his face turning ashen.

"I... I understand."

He set down his bowl.

"Elder Lu, you should keep this meat and build up your strength. I... I'm not feeling well, so I'll head back first."

With that, he turned and left without looking at the bowl of meat again.

He had failed to become a martial artist after all these years. With only one week left, what could possibly change?

Watching Wang Shi's departing figure, no one in the room spoke. Their young faces were all solemn.

Because Wang Shi's today would very likely be their tomorrow.

The others soon scattered in twos and threes, hurrying off to train. Cultivation was more effective after eating meat.

Only after everyone had left did Lu Fan turn back to look at the bowl of meat Wang Shi had left behind. A trace of bitterness appeared on his aged face.

He saw his own reflection in Wang Shi.

A beast of burden would remain a beast of burden wherever he went.

Sixty years ago, he had transmigrated into this world. Like Wang Shi, he had once been filled with passion and dreamed of becoming a martial artist to change his fate.

Yet without a system or a cheat, he had ultimately remained one of the people at the bottom.

He had no talent for martial arts and no Lineage to rely on. Forget becoming a martial artist—even keeping himself fed had been extremely difficult.

Had he not happened to save Zhang Yao, the master of Blackstone Martial Hall, more than thirty years ago, the grass on his grave would likely have grown several yards tall by now.

Back then, Zhang Yao had wanted to repay the debt of saving his life. After opening the martial hall in Chi City, he recruited Lu Fan and made him a cook.

In an era when even ordinary people struggled to feed themselves, being a cook was considered a fairly lucrative job.

By skimming off just a little food, he could fill his stomach. He could even occasionally taste the precious meat.

After more than thirty years, Lu Fan had accepted his fate.

After all, compared to those refugees, he could at least still eat.

There was nothing wrong with living out the rest of his life safely and peacefully.

"What a pity."

Lu Fan glanced at the meat in the bowl and shook his head.

"This bowl of meat is useless to me anyway."

He was already sixty years old. His body was too frail to handle nourishment. Even if he ate the meat, it would only satisfy his craving; he could not absorb the vitality and blood within it at all.

The moment that thought arose, several lines of text suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[The age of sixty has arrived. Functions unlocked.]

[Years Furnace: One day of cultivation equals three years of cultivation for others.]

[Natural Flow: Exceptional comprehension. No bottlenecks will be encountered.]

[Spring from Withered Wood: Any item that replenishes vitality and blood will produce a hundredfold effect.]

Lu Fan's hand tightened around the bowl.

It had come.

It had finally come!

Sixty years ago, when he had transmigrated into this world, he had been full of ambition, determined to become a martial artist and live a different life.

Fifty years ago, when he had failed for the first time to draw qi into his body, he had understood his own mediocrity.

Forty years ago, when hunger had made him collapse in the street, he had realized dreams could not fill his stomach.

Thirty years in the rear kitchen had long taught him to compromise with life.

Yet now, when he was already half in the grave, his cheat had arrived.

According to the system's description, anything that replenished vitality and blood could produce a hundredfold effect. That meant this bowl of meat was the finest tonic for him.

A powerful urge surged through his heart, only to be forcibly suppressed.

Someone who had spent thirty years in the rear kitchen was best at controlling the heat. Emotions were no different.

He had waited sixty years already, so there was no need to rush over this brief moment.

An ordinary man was innocent, but possessing a treasure invited disaster.

If this system was real, then absolutely no second person could learn of it.

Testing it only after returning to his own room would be the safest course.

For the rest of the day, until the martial hall closed, Lu Fan did not think about the system again.

As usual, he tidied the kitchen, wiped down the stove, and returned every utensil to its place. His movements were no different from any other day.

After the last student left, Lu Fan locked the rear courtyard gate and was about to depart.

A fragrant breeze rushed toward him, and a graceful figure appeared before him.

She was a girl of sixteen or seventeen, tall and slender, with delicate features. Her glossy black hair was tied into a neat ponytail, while her white martial arts uniform added a touch of heroic spirit to her appearance.

Lu Fan naturally recognized her.

Qin Yaxin, the eldest daughter of the Qin Household of Chi City.

Every time the martial hall closed, this girl would make a special trip to bid him farewell.

At first, Lu Fan had thought it was merely a coincidence. But after it happened so many times, he could not help becoming suspicious.

Had this eldest miss listened to too many storytellers and mistaken him for some hidden master?

The truth, however, was that he was merely an ordinary old man working in the rear kitchen.

"Elder Lu." Qin Yaxin respectfully handed him an invitation. "My Household will be holding a banquet in a few days. If you are free, I hope you'll honor us with your presence."

Lu Fan accepted the invitation. Decades of experience allowed him to understand at once.

"Congratulations, Miss Qin. You've entered Bright Force."

Qin Yaxin smiled, a fleeting gleam flashing through her eyes.

"As expected, nothing can be hidden from Elder Lu."

She tucked the invitation into Lu Fan's hand without further explanation, merely repeating, "I hope Elder Lu will honor us with your presence," before turning and leaving.

Lu Fan watched her figure disappear at the mouth of the alley. Then his gaze fell upon the invitation in his hand, which still carried a faint fragrance.

Had he not awakened his cheat, he would never have attended even if he accepted the invitation.

Ordinary people who meddled in the affairs of martial artists would not have enough lives to spare.

But now, the meaning of this invitation was entirely different.

The Qin Household was one of Chi City's three great Lineages, and its residence had quite a few martial artists as Attendants.

Naturally, martial artists from all walks of life would attend the banquet of the Qin Household's eldest daughter.

This was nothing less than an excellent opportunity to learn about the world of martial artists.

After locking the main gate, Lu Fan turned and headed toward his residence.

Along the way, many ragged, dirt-smudged people were curled up at street corners and in alleys.

They were refugees who had fled here.

The world was becoming more and more chaotic.

The more so it was, the more important strength became.

Lu Fan could not help quickening his pace toward home.