Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

Early morning, outside of the house, the sound of firecrackers thundered through the air. In Lin Zheyu’s courtyard, his fists pounded against the wooden stake with heavy thuds. After practicing fist techniques for several hours, his understanding of fist momentum had deepened further.

Walking through the streets, one could see that everyone was worshipping the gods as firecrackers crackled in all directions. In Great Wei, the gods were as numerous as cattle and sheep. On this day of Little New Year, people were either worshipping deities or preparing to do so.

Every household burned paper offerings and lit incense with reverence, praying that the coming year would be a little better and that the wars might finally cease. Few smiles could be seen on the adults’ faces; only worry and hardship.

Business was poor, bandits ran rampant outside the city, and crops could not be planted since they were always stolen away. Even Lin Zheyu himself was struggling as his income continually declined.

At his peak, he had earned around 2000 wen a day, but now, even counting everything together with the monthly wage from the Feihong Gang, it barely exceeded 1000 wen. It had been cut almost in half.

Unlike the hardships of the common folk, the esteemed families still lived in luxury, their halls filled with music and merriment. The clear and melodious voices of songstresses rose, accompanied by the sound of instruments.

Within the Songning[1] Garden of the Xing Family, music and dancing thrived, untouched by the ravages of war. The dancing girls wore revealing attire—a sheer veil of pink gauze without a single stitch beneath, their figures faintly visible and exceedingly alluring.

It was the Little New Year, and the younger generation of the Xing Family had gathered in the Songning Garden to enjoy dances and music, chatting and making merry, showing no signs of economic decline. Xing Jinglong and Xing Penghai, the two brothers, were also present. Along with them were sons and daughters of the Xing Family’s collateral branches and allied relatives.

”Wonderful, truly wonderful!” The young master sitting across from Xing Jinglong clapped his hands lightly in praise. The dancing girls invited today were graceful and enchanting, their movements dazzling and ethereal. It was a sight most pleasing to the eye.

”Brother, if you like them, I’ll have the servants arrange a few for you later. Wouldn’t it be delightful to let them stay overnight?” Xing Jinglong continued with a laugh, ”Remember to leave one for me as well. I’d like to have a taste, haha.”

Xing Jinglong and Xing Jing’an were true brothers, 13 years apart in age. Xing Penghai, however, was the son of Xing Jinglong’s third uncle, making him their cousin.

Although the two were blood brothers, their appearances were vastly different. Xing Jing’an looked delicate and well-proportioned, carrying a touch of refined handsomeness. Xing Jinglong, on the other hand, was tall, fat, and burly, with a somewhat lewd and vicious appearance.

”It’s not our turn. These dancing girls are already claimed. How could we get to choose?” said Xing Jing’an with a shrug and a smile.

”True. Every year, the direct descendants get first pick, and only then is it our turn,” said Xing Jinglong regretfully.

”There’s no shortage of pretty girls. Once the banquet ends, why don’t we head to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion? I’ve already reserved a big private room,” said Xing Penghai with a grin.

”Brother[2] Penghai, how’s the progress on your side?” asked Xing Jing’an, as Xing Penghai was a few years older than him and his brother.

”Those bandits are all shrewd fellows; they’re not easy to persuade. Besides, Lion Valley is filled with dangers. Its natural terrain makes it easy to hide in and difficult to locate. After all this time, I’ve only managed to subdue a small group of fewer than fifty. Their leader isn’t bad, though; he’s reached the peak of the Organ Forging Realm,” said Xing Penghai casually while his eyes were still fixed on the dancing girls.

”Same here. Every family is on guard now, making it hard to sway anyone,” said Xing Jing’an.

”Isn’t Uncle worried that such blatant actions will be noticed by the City Lord? His strength is terrifying. If we get discovered, then...” said Xing Jinglong with concern.

”What’s there to fear? The City Lord doesn’t meddle in such matters. As long as we don’t cause too big a stir and disrupt Songyi City’s order, it’ll be fine. Besides, we’re only recruiting the bandits outside the city into the City Guard. That both pacifies the bandit threat and strengthens Songyi City. It’s a great deed,” said Xing Penghai, chuckling indifferently.

He turned his head toward Xing Jinglong and asked, ”That boy I told you to watch, is there any movement from him lately? His comprehension and natural talent are quite good. If we can subdue and control him, and then raise him with secret medicines to stimulate his potential, in less than half a year, we could produce a Blood Qi Realm expert.”

The Xing Family possessed an ancestral secret medicine recipe capable of awakening the latent potential of gifted martial artists, allowing their strength to soar in a short time. However, the formula demanded an extremely high level of innate potential, effective only for geniuses with extraordinary comprehension and natural talent. For ordinary people, it produced little to no effect.

Regardless of whether it succeeded or not, using it drastically reduced the martial artist’s lifespan to five years. Thus, the Xing Family would select geniuses from the outside, control them with drugs, then use the secret medicine to enhance their strength and turn them into enforcers for the family.

The medicine was extremely expensive, and with only five years of life left afterward, it was hardly cost-effective. Only in times of war would they resort to using this medicine to strengthen talented martial artists, preparing them for the looming crisis.

”I already have people watching him, but the fellow is slippery and rarely goes out. It’s difficult to make a move in the city with so many eyes around,” Xing Jinglong replied. ”As soon as he leaves the city, the Wuding Gang will report to me. Then I’ll take men outside the walls to capture him.”

”Mm, this can’t be rushed. Acting within the city would stir up too many troubles, provoking backlash from the other families,” said Xing Jing’an as he nodded in agreement, and their gazes drifted back to the dancing girls.

The dancers invited today were indeed strikingly beautiful. Even these men, long accustomed to beauty, couldn’t help but steal extra glances.

***

Crossing the street, Lin Zheyu arrived at the Jade Pill Teahouse. In his free time, he liked to spend his leisure hours at the teahouse or the Hundred Flowers Pavilion to refine his mood. Since the Feihong Gang didn’t have too many affairs, most minor matters were handled easily by the underlings.

Even so, Lin Zheyu and Jia Yanyong’s group couldn’t wander off freely, since they had to be ready to deal with emergencies at any moment. As people from other cities flooded into Songyi City, troublemakers became more frequent, though they handled them with ease.

On this Little New Year’s Day, the teahouse was bustling with families who had come together. Jia Yanyong and his companions were there too, only the three of them, lounging together and laughing with a roguish air.

All three were fond of the stories from Legend of the Condor Heroes, and since Lin Zheyu often drank tea here, this place gradually became their stronghold. From time to time, they would linger here to drink, gamble, and gossip.

”It’s Little New Year today. Why aren’t you helping at home? What are you doing here?” asked Lin Zheyu as he walked over and sat down with them.

”Sigh. It’s boring staying at home. The wife and parents nag about this and that, you know? It’s aggravating,” said Jia Yanyong impatiently.

The other two nodded in agreement. These fellows were never the family-minded sort; they were always loitering outside. Lin Zheyu couldn’t help feeling sorry for their wives, but he said nothing.

”Yesterday, Young Master Xu called you over. Was it for something good?” asked Xie Jiang curiously.

”Just to drink a little wine. I met Young Master Chen and Young Master Ren, too,” replied Lin Zheyu.

”That’s it?”

”That’s it. What more were you expecting?”

Lin Zheyu shot him a glance. He had no intention of telling them that Xu Qinyi wanted to introduce him to a young lady. If he did, the whole Feihong Gang would know by tomorrow.

He took a sip of tea and shifted the topic. ”Do you know what level of strength the City Lord has?”

He had asked Leader Xu about it before, but Leader Xu had not given him an answer. Later, he secretly inquired with others, but few knew much about the City Lord. The City Lord had always been extremely low-key. Many common folk in the city only knew of the officials at the constable’s office and were unaware that Songyi City even had a City Lord.

”The City Lord? Why are you asking that?” asked Jia Yanyong in confusion. In his opinion, the City Lord barely had any presence.

”I’m not sure. I only know the City Lord’s name is Chen Qingfeng, and he was appointed by the Great Wei imperial court. He’s been in Songyi City for over ten years but has little presence. A City Lord serves a twenty-year term. In a few more years, he’ll be reassigned and replaced by another,” explained Xie Jiang.

”You’ve been in Songyi City for so long. Have you ever seen him in action?” asked Lin Zheyu.

When he returned home that day, he had searched through the memories of the former owner’s body, but his impression of Jiunan City’s City Lord was extremely vague. His predecessor had been wholly devoted to studying, his memories filled mostly with countless volumes of sage classics.

”No.” Jia Yanyong and Xie Jiang both shook their heads.

”I do know some rumors. But you mustn’t spread them,” said Ning Hui, glancing around cautiously. Seeing no one eavesdropping, he lowered his voice and continued. His secretive demeanor instantly piqued the others’ curiosity. ”Especially you, Xie Jiang. Swear first that you won’t repeat this. Otherwise, you can’t listen.” Ning Hui eyed Xie Jiang with deep mistrust.

Xie Jiang stared at Ning Hui speechlessly, muttering curses under his breath. But in the end, he swore a venomous oath, albeit reluctantly, since he too was very curious.

”Over a decade ago, Songyi City had five major esteemed families. Now, only three remain. Do you know why?” said Ning Hui mysteriously.

”Wasn’t it said that a sudden plague struck, wiping out two families entirely?” asked Jia Yanyong.

He had been young back then, but he vaguely remembered that many had died. One night, without warning, two of the five great families of Songyi City perished in silence. Even nearby farmers and many townsfolk died quietly that same night.

The authorities later investigated and soon gave an explanation. The reason they gave was that a virulent epidemic had broken out in the city.

”That was only the official story. I heard it was actually the City Lord who personally acted and erased those two families in a single night!” whispered Ning Hui in a hushed voice.

”What the hell, seriously?” said Jia Yanyong in shock.

”Where did you even hear this rumor? How come I’ve never heard of it?” asked Xie Jiang with doubt and disbelief. ”And what grave crime could they have committed to be erased in silence, not a single one left alive?”

Jia Yanyong voiced his doubts as well. ”Those two families vanished overnight, without a sound, every last one of them dead. If it was the City Lord’s doing, then how terrifying must his strength be?”

Lin Zheyu found himself thinking the same thing. To wipe out two entire families without a trace, including martial artists of the Blood Qi Realm, was almost unimaginable.

”I have proof to back it up. Come closer. Don’t let anyone else overhear. My father was once a manager in the Bai household a few years before the incident. He was later expelled for making a mistake, but he knew the Bai Family very well. According to my father, the Bai Family may have been involved in treason!” Ning Hui lowered his voice to a near whisper, speaking with exaggerated seriousness.

”Holy shit!” Jia Yanyong blurted out, only to have Ning Hui immediately cover his mouth, glaring as if to say, ”If you dare repeat this, I’ll beat you to death.”

”Is that for real?” asked Xie Jiang, who was stunned as well.

”It’s true. Why would I lie to you? You remember the great famine over a decade ago, don’t you? During that famine, there was a children’s rhyme circulating in Songyi City. Something like, ’The Yellow Heaven is dead, the Azure Heaven shall rise, the year of... something or other.’

”Those who spread the rhyme were all arrested and executed. My father, by chance, discovered that the Bai Family was secretly worshipping another deity, called the Supreme Celestial Emperor of Ten Thousand Daos, the Sovereign of the Golden Palace.

”That is a divine title reserved only for the Founding Ancestor of the imperial dynasty! So I suspect they were secretly plotting rebellion. When the City Lord discovered it, he erased them overnight,” whispered Ning Hui.

Hearing this rumor, the group was shaken speechless. Seeing the others’ stunned expressions, Ning Hui looked smug and triumphant.

”You brat, you didn’t just make up a story to trick us, did you?” asked Xie Jiang, who recovered from his shock but still found it hard to believe.

Even if those two esteemed families had truly plotted rebellion, the City Lord’s strength was simply too terrifying. What kind of power would it take to silently wipe out two entire families, each with Blood Qi Realm experts, in just one night?

”It’s true. Why would I bother lying to you about something like this?” said Ning Hui seriously.

”I’ve heard that title of the Supreme Celestial Emperor of Ten Thousand Daos, Sovereign of the Golden Palace, before, back when I lived as a refugee. Many simply called him the Celestial Emperor, molding clay idols to worship and praying just to survive another day,” said Lin Zheyu.

Among the refugees, countless strange deities were being worshipped. But the faith in the Celestial Emperor was the most widespread, as if someone had deliberately spread it in secret. At the time, Lin Zheyu hadn’t paid it much mind. People facing despair often clung to some vague deity, praying for a miracle.

He had even secretly prayed to the gods of his past life[3] such as Jesus, the Bodhisattva, the Buddha, and the Abrahamic God. But it had been completely useless. He likely would have died long ago if not for Ren Qingying of the Ren Family distributing porridge, and him desperately managing to grab a bowl.

1. 松 (sōng) means pine tree, a symbol of longevity, steadfastness, and resilience in Chinese culture. 宁 (níng) means peace, tranquility, serenity. Together, 松宁 can be understood as ’Pine Tranquility’ or ’Peace Among the Pines.’ ☜

2. The brother used here in the raw is 哥(gē) which means older brother. ☜

3. Referring to the life before he was transported to this world. ☜