Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

Lin Zheyu then made his way to the Jade Pill Teahouse, where business was much quieter than usual. The fighting had eased for over a month, yet people’s lives had not improved before the rebel army began seizing cities again. Under such turmoil, business could hardly prosper.

”Lord Lin, over here!” Xie Jiang called out, waving.

”Just call me Brother Lin. Calling me Lord Lin feels too distant,” said Lin Zheyu with a smile. He had reminded them several times already, yet they still called him Lord Lin. He still wasn’t used to hearing it.

”How could we do that? If we call you Brother Lin, what would the others think? Where would your authority be?” replied Ning Hui.

”Forget it, then. Call me whatever you like,” said Lin Zheyu helplessly.

After having tea, chatting for a while, and eating a few snacks with them at the teahouse, Lin Zheyu left. That evening was the day the black market opened. At the black market, Lin Zheyu sold off the goods he had seized from the bandits, earning 120 taels of silver.

He had originally planned to set up a stall to sell the Ten Thousand Troop Steps technique, but no sooner had he set it up than the black market enforcers stopped him. Techniques at or above the Blood Qi Realm were not permitted for sale in the black market.

Helpless, Lin Zheyu had no choice but to give up. He still had over 1000 taels of silver left, enough to sustain him for some time, so he did not sell the Blood Pills or the pair of gloves. Both items were extremely valuable and might prove useful in the future.

Time passed, three days quickly going by. Inside the courtyard, Lin Zheyu held his saber, practicing the Sixfold Saber technique. His life had returned to a peaceful routine. He had stayed in the city and had not ventured beyond its walls since the last time.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Blades of light flashed as Lin Zheyu moved nimbly within a small area, dodging and shifting positions. The Ten Thousand Troop Steps focused on agility and short-range maneuverability, making it especially suited for use in chaotic group battles.

Once the Ten Thousand Troop Steps was fully integrated into the Golden Goose Technique and combined with the Sixfold Saber, Lin Zheyu would be capable of cutting down ten foes in a single step and leaving no trace, even from a thousand miles away.

After four hours of training, Lin Zheyu stopped to rest and ate his meal. When he was done eating, he changed his clothes and headed straight for the Han residence. Senior Brother Han had returned to Songyi City the previous afternoon. He had sent a calling card yesterday and was visiting today.

”You’ve arrived, Young Master Lin. Please, come inside,” said the Han residence guard respectfully.

”Alright.” Lin Zheyu nodded and followed the guard into the rear courtyard of the Han residence.

Senior Brother Han was bare-chested, practicing the Sixfold Saber technique in the courtyard with his body drenched in sweat. He had cultivated the Sixfold Saber to a level of extraordinary mastery.

Is Senior Brother on the verge of breaking through to the Blood Qi Realm?

Lin Zheyu could sense that the fluctuations of qi and blood within Senior Brother Han were far stronger than before, just a single step away from the Blood Qi Realm.

He did not disturb Han Mo’s training. He sat down by the stone table, eating the pastries brought by a maid, and leisurely admired the scenery of the courtyard. Winter had passed, and spring had arrived. The courtyard was now filled with vibrant blossoms. After waiting for about an hour, Han Mo finally stopped his practice and sheathed his saber.

”Why didn’t you let me know you were here?” said Han Mo with a smile when he noticed Lin Zheyu. He had been fully immersed in his saber technique at a crucial point in his training and hadn’t noticed Lin Zheyu’s arrival.

”No rush. How could I interrupt you when you’re at such a critical point in your training? Senior brother, are you about to break through to the Blood Qi Realm?” asked Lin Zheyu with a smile.

”Almost. I’ve already touched the threshold.” Han Mo laughed, clearly overjoyed. After so many years of training, he was finally about to step into the Blood Qi Realm.

”Senior brother, you could try breaking through with the Golden Goose Technique. I think it’ll be faster than relying on the Sixfold Saber,” Lin Zheyu suggested.

After all, the Golden Goose Technique was a cultivation art that could help one directly reach the fourth transformation of blood qi. Its efficiency was far beyond what the Sixfold Saber could offer.

”No, I’ve tried the Golden Goose Technique before. It’s too difficult for me to grasp,” said Han Mo, shaking his head.

Liang Song had taught him the Golden Goose Technique before, but he had never managed to master it. Instead, he had shown remarkable natural talent with the Sixfold Saber technique, progressing rapidly and now nearing the Blood Qi Realm.

”I happened to find a leg technique manual from some bandits not long ago. It can be cultivated up to the third transformation of blood qi and is much easier to train than the Golden Goose Technique. Would you like to give it a try, Senior Brother?” said Lin Zheyu with a smile.

He took a manual from his robe and handed it over. These days, Lin Zheyu always carried a manual with him whenever he went out, seizing any chance he could to offer it for sale. Selling manuals was far more profitable than raiding bandits. He planned to pitch one to Qiu Gaoxuan once the latter recovered from his illness, though he wasn’t sure whether he lacked a Blood Qi Realm technique or not.

Han Mo accepted the manual and began leafing through it. The more he read, the brighter his eyes became. The Ten Thousand Troop Steps focused on agile movement techniques, and the difficulty of training its early stages was far lower than that of the Golden Goose Technique. Only after reaching the fifth or sixth stage did the difficulty increase dramatically.

”Junior brother, I’ll buy this technique. Name your price!” said Han Mo excitedly.

The difficulty of cultivating this technique was indeed much lower than that of the Golden Goose Technique, and he was fairly confident he could master it.

”Senior brother, you’re being too polite. I picked this technique up from some bandits anyway, so there’s no loss in letting you have a look,” said Lin Zheyu with a smile.

Senior Brother Han Mo had always treated him well, constantly looking out for him and offering a great deal of help in the beginning. As he said, it was just a technique taken from bandits, so there was no harm in letting Han Mo see it.

”That won’t do. If you don’t accept payment, then I won’t take the technique,” said Han Mo, shaking his head. He had his own principles and did not wish to take advantage of his junior brother.

”Fine, fine! 400 taels will be enough,” said Lin Zheyu helplessly.

”There’s no way a Blood Qi Realm technique is that cheap. The ones sold within the army cost at least 500 taels of silver, and you still need enough military merit to buy them,” said Han Mo as he shook his head.

The City Guard also sold Blood Qi Realm techniques internally, but they required military merit. His own merit was insufficient, or he would have bought one long ago. Accumulating military merit was difficult, especially for members of the City Guard.

It was only in the past year, with the appearance of the rebel army and the surge of bandits, that he had been able to accumulate some merit through bandit suppression, though it was still not enough.

”Li Fei, bring 80 taels of gold,” Han Mo ordered.

”That’s too much, far too much. If you insist on paying, then 60 taels of gold will do, or I won’t accept it,” Lin Zheyu interrupted.

”Alright, 60 taels it is.” Han Mo nodded and had a servant bring 60 taels of gold.

A Blood Qi Realm technique might be nothing special to the great families, but to him, it was extremely precious.

”Senior Brother, you can try cultivating it. If there’s anything you don’t understand, I can guide you,” Lin Zheyu said with a smile. ”I was fortunate enough to reach the peak of the Bone Forging Realm not long ago, and I’ve gained some insight into leg techniques.”

”Good... huh? You’ve reached the peak of the Bone Forging Realm?”

Han Mo’s eyes widened in disbelief. His junior brother had only been cultivating for such a short time, and he had already reached the peak of the Bone Forging Realm! It took Han Mo quite a while to digest this news, and his face was full of emotion.

”If Master knew about this, he would be overjoyed,” said Han Mo.

”Indeed. I wonder where Master is now,” replied Lin Zheyu.

He felt immense gratitude toward Liang Song. Without him, Lin Zheyu could never have progressed so smoothly. A Blood Qi Realm technique sold for 800 taels of silver, and without Liang Song, it would have taken him a very long time to save enough to afford a technique of this level.

Moreover, even with the money, it was not guaranteed that he could obtain one. The black market in Songyi City was tightly controlled by the great families, who forbade the sale of any techniques above the Blood Qi Realm.

After chatting for a while, Han Mo could no longer hold back and immediately began cultivating the Ten Thousand Troop Steps. Lin Zheyu guided him from the side. Having already reached the fourth stage of the Ten Thousand Troop Steps himself, instructing his senior brother was effortless.

Time passed. Persuaded by Han Mo’s wife to stay for dinner, Lin Zheyu only left after eating, by which time the sky had already begun to darken. With the new year behind them and war breaking out once more, the streets of Songyi City were quiet and lacked their former liveliness. As he crossed several streets, a servant-dressed attendant appeared ahead of him.

From a distance, the attendant bowed to Lin Zheyu, then approached and said respectfully, ”Young Master Lin, my lord requests your presence.”

”Who is your lord?” asked Lin Zheyu, slightly surprised.

The people he was close to were Xu Qinyi, Ren Qingfeng, and Chen Xihong. Usually, only they or Leader Xu would invite him over. He knew the faces of those they sent, but he had never seen this man before.

”My lord is an elder of the Xing Family, and he wishes to speak with you,” replied the attendant.

”The Xing family... No, I’m not going.” Lin Zheyu rejected him outright. He ignored the attendant and continued walking forward. Ever since Xing Jinglong and his son had died, he had enjoyed a period of peace and did not wish to have any more entanglements with the Xing Family. No one from the Xing Family was any good.

”You’d best not refuse so hastily, Young Master Lin. The elder said that if you don’t come, some of your friends might suffer for it. You may have no relatives in Songyi City, but during your time here, you’ve made quite a few friends, such as Wu Yinghe, Jia Yanyong, and Xie Jiang... people you’re rather close to. You wouldn’t want anything to happen to them, would you?”

The attendant spoke with a bright smile, as though he were discussing something trivial. Hearing those words, Lin Zheyu’s eyes narrowed as he turned a cold, piercing gaze on the attendant.