Secret of Longevity: Never Meddle in Other People's Business

The next day, Chen Xun cupped his fist in farewell to Ning Si. They were returning to the Blacksmith Shop; this was their true home in Pan Ning City.

A few days later, Chen Xun smiled and pushed open the door. The room was covered in dust, choking him badly.

He turned towards that empty spot and softly said, "Sun Lao, we're back."

"Moo moo~" Big Black Ox called out twice as well.

"Old Ox, get to work. Clean this place up."

"Moo!"

One man and one ox got busy, scrubbing and cleaning every corner. The entire Blacksmith Shop became brand new, spotless and orderly.

The neighbors passing by were startled to see the Blacksmith Shop's doors open. Someone shouted, "Has Brother Chen Xun returned? I'm your Auntie Li."

"Auntie Li, it's me."

A booming shout came from the Blacksmith Shop in reply. Auntie Li was overjoyed and hurried off, spreading word to all the neighbors that Brother Chen Xun had returned.

Chen Xun had been gone for more than ten years, yet he had actually returned. He was an exceptional blacksmith—some townsfolk still used ironware he had forged, and it had yet to break.

The neighbors swarmed over, both familiar faces and strangers. They all told him how terrible the nearby Blacksmith Shops were, how expensive their prices had become. It still had to be him.

"Yi, Brother Chen Xun, how come you haven't changed at all? You even seem quite a bit younger."

Auntie Li looked Chen Xun up and down, clicking her tongue in amazement. She herself had aged far more than she could count since then.

"Hehe, I went off to take a master and study medicine. I learned the art of preserving one's health."

Chen Xun explained, looking at Auntie Li. "Most importantly, you have to stay optimistic. The longer you live, the younger you become."

"Brother Chen Xun, really?"

"Of course. Just crawl under your old man's blankets and you'll find out."

"Hahaha..."

The surrounding neighbors burst into laughter. Auntie Li's face turned scarlet as she spat, "No decency at all." Then she hurried away.

"Alright, everyone, come back tomorrow. I need to make some preparations too."

"Alright, Brother Chen Xun. May your reopening bring you great fortune."

"That's right. We'll definitely come support you."

The neighbors were incredibly enthusiastic. Chen Xun cupped his fist with a smile, his mindset now completely different from before.

When the bosses of the Blacksmith Shops on nearby streets heard that Chen Xun had returned, they all began cursing loudly. Damn it, lower the prices! Lower them for me!

However, Chen Xun's Blacksmith Shop only opened for half a day each day, and he stopped taking orders afterward. He was too busy; as long as he could make a living, that was enough.

They were currently tinkering with medicinal herbs in the backyard. Even after herbs were uprooted, the Essence of All Things could still increase their age. It was incredibly miraculous.

"Old Ox, I've discovered a very fundamental problem."

Chen Xun spoke seriously. He had contemplated this issue for a long time.

"Moo?" Big Black Ox was puzzled.

"Don't you think we've hit something of a bottleneck at Qi Condensation Stage 2? Absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth always feels off, and we have to slowly grind it out with time."

"Moo."

"Do you think that as long as we have enough time, we can keep increasing our cultivation? That we can always grind our way upward?"

"Moo."

"Hehe, Old Ox, you really are naïve."

Chen Xun smiled faintly. "Spiritual roots are talent. We might be able to grind our way through the Qi Condensation Stage, but the Foundation Establishment Realm may not be so certain."

"Moo?"

"Without the aid of external objects—that is, fortuitous opportunities—we might get stuck at a realm and be unable to break through for our entire lives. That is talent. It can't be ground out through time."

"Moo? Moo!"

Big Black Ox cried out in alarm. The more it thought about it, the more sense it made.

Chen Xun recalled those world-changing great figures from his previous life. Some things could not be caught up to with time alone. No matter how long ordinary people lived, at most they could accumulate knowledge, experience, and the like.

Yet they might never reach the heights of those geniuses. That was talent, and that was the cruel reality.

And most unfortunately, Chen Xun and Big Black Ox were precisely such ordinary immortals. They stared deeply into each other's eyes before suddenly embracing.

Behind that affectionate hug, both wore sly grins. "So you're trash too."

"But we still need to be careful. Look, we didn't do anything in the mountain range, yet we still offended people all the same."

Chen Xun said solemnly. This matter was riddled with doubts. "If something feels wrong, don't be curious. Just like us now—stay out of it."

"Moo moo!"

Big Black Ox looked at Chen Xun with worship in its eyes. Back when they had still been in the village, the villagers had asked Old Man Li for his Secret of Longevity. He had said, "I've never meddled in other people's business."

It had not understood back then, but now it had experienced it firsthand. Big Black Ox was stirred to the core—this was all hard-earned experience.

"Follow Brother Xun, and won't everything be arranged crystal clear?"

"Moo!"

Big Black Ox was completely convinced. Chen Xun truly was a genius.

"Same as before—even if Ningyun Mountain Range has Ten Thousand Year Spiritual Herbs, we're not going. Don't risk your life fighting for fortuitous opportunities. Keep your mindset steady."

"Moo moo~~" Big Black Ox rubbed against Chen Xun.

Chen Xun smiled faintly and patted its head. "We have the Essence of All Things. We can just slowly increase our strength. We don't need to go seek revenge on anyone, so don't let it ruin our happy days."

Big Black Ox Nodded Gravely. After cultivating the Qi Condensation Art, its mindset had indeed become somewhat restless.

"Old Ox, don't put the cart before the horse. Even if cultivation reaches the highest realm—living forever, never dying, extinguishing heaven and earth with a single thought—you still have to live your days."

Chen Xun had long noticed that Big Black Ox was becoming restless. "The journey we experience is what matters most, not that bullshit realm. At worst, if our luck is bad, we croak. Who's afraid of who?"

"Moo moo moo moo!!"

Big Black Ox nodded like a chick pecking at rice. It understood, it understood.

"Maybe some mighty expert will take a dislike to us and wipe us out with one wave of a hand. If we die together, we can keep being together in the next life too."

Chen Xun said this with carefree abandon. That was simply his mindset: when people died, their eggs faced the sky. Besides, he had gotten immortality for free anyway.

Big Black Ox felt as though it had received sudden enlightenment. It hurriedly ran to Chen Xun's side. Maybe a mighty expert would arrive the Next Moment—it had to die together with Chen Xun.

"Hahaha..." Chen Xun laughed loudly, repeatedly pushing Big Black Ox away, but it kept squeezing back over.

Half a year later, an earth-shaking boom from Ningyun Mountain Range shattered Pan Ning City's tranquility. Countless cultivators stood tall in the skies, visible even from within the city, like a UFO.

"Wocao, Old Ox, come out and look at the flying people."

Chen Xun hurriedly shouted. He grabbed a handful of melon seeds from the table, carried out a small stool, and sat down.

"Moo moo!" Big Black Ox came bouncing out, munching on melon seeds as its ox eyes looked up at the distant sky. It really was awesome.

The streets were filled with people. All the neighbors poured out to see the immortals, while some even knelt on the ground and kept praying for blessings.

Chen Xun and Big Black Ox had far better eyesight than these ordinary people, naturally equipped with the function of telescopes.

"Old Ox, what do you think? Are they fighting?"

Chen Xun sat on his stool, leisurely cracking melon seeds. "Why are they all standing together? Shouldn't they set up some kind of formation?"

"Moo?" Big Black Ox could not make sense of the situation either. It lay on the ground and continued eating melon seeds.

A streak of rainbow light flashed across the heavens, and violent explosions rang through the skies. Countless townsfolk were frightened into prostrating themselves on the ground, muttering who knew what.

"Seriously awesome. They must be at least in the Foundation Establishment Realm, right?"

Chen Xun exclaimed. The more he ate, the tastier the melon seeds became. "Old Ox, tell me, when we can fly in the future, will that be called an ox soaring to the heavens?"

"Moo moo!" Big Black Ox flew into a rage. It now understood what that phrase meant—Chen Xun was making fun of it.

It immediately snatched Chen Xun's melon seeds. Chen Xun hurriedly pried open its mouth and snatched them back.

The battle in the distant sky suddenly intensified. All kinds of rainbow-hued spells flashed continuously, and cultivators even fell from the sky. It was immensely thrilling.

Chen Xun and Big Black Ox could not help clapping. This was far more enjoyable than watching street performers.

"My heavens, every one of them is like a humanoid weapon."

Chen Xun's mouth hung wide open. This had truly broadened his horizons. "No matter how skilled a mortal martial artist is, once those laser-like spells come flying over, who could possibly withstand that?"

"Moo!" Big Black Ox also opened its mouth wide and chimed in. This was far too outrageous.

Countless townsfolk in the city looked on with awe. This was the power of immortals—the ultimate height mortals could never reach.

The battle between immortals came quickly and went quickly. All kinds of escaping lights appeared in the sky, and after fighting for half a day, they gradually vanished.

"It's over already? I still haven't seen enough. Sigh."

"Moo~~"

Chen Xun and Big Black Ox still wanted more. They could have watched for at least a month—this was far more exciting than television dramas.

"Old Ox, get to work."

"Moo!"

Life still had to go on. This spell battle had nothing to do with them anyway, though Chen Xun had begun to imagine that if they entered the Cultivation World someday, watching others fight with spells every day would be quite nice too.