Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

It was as if heaven and earth had fallen silent, with only Song Qingxing’s cold words echoing through the air.

CLICK.

The long sword, glinting with a cold light, slid into its sheath. The rampant Sword Qi in the surroundings instantly dissipated into nothing.

”If you’re going to kill them, just kill them. Why make it so disgusting?” Song Qingxi’s face paled slightly as she looked at the severed limbs and shredded flesh littering the ground. The scene was no different from a slaughterhouse.

Although this wasn’t the first time she had witnessed such a bloody scene, Song Qingxi still couldn’t quite get used to it. She couldn’t help but shoot a resentful glance at Song Qingxing, who stood tall against the wind.

Though kind-hearted by nature, she wasn’t the type to be a bleeding-heart saint. These men had been utterly vicious criminals with an immeasurable amount of blood on their hands; they more than deserved to die.

What angered her, however, was that Song Qingxing could have killed them easily, yet he had chosen a much bloodier method. In her eyes, this was an extremely dangerous sign.

When they first descended the mountain, the two had wandered through mountains, rivers, and wild forests. Any Demon Beast they encountered, regardless of its rank, Song Qingxing would kill without exception, and his methods were always cruel and bloody.

Even though she felt a little uncomfortable about him killing these Demon Beasts, which had yet to develop Spiritual Wisdom, she never said much to interfere.

That was until they met their first group of adventurers with ill intentions. Song Qingxing tortured them to death, and the cruelty of his methods made him seem like a stranger to her, filling her with a trace of worry and fear.

There is a world of difference between killing a living being and torturing one to death; the two concepts are completely different.

She couldn’t help but recall the lesson Song Changsheng had imparted to her before they left: ”I won’t stand in the way of you two going down the mountain to train. No matter how well a flower grows in a greenhouse, it will ultimately perish in a storm. That is why I support you going out to gain experience.

However, with Qingxing’s temperament, you will inevitably be drawn into killing after you leave. You are kind by nature and never kill indiscriminately, so I’m not worried about you.

But Qingxing is different. He has a solitary personality and is indifferent to everything. Stained by too much bloodshed, he could become even more extreme. If he isn’t restrained, he might one day walk down the wrong path.

Qingxing is a sharp sword, its edge fully exposed. Therefore, I hope you can be the sheath that constrains this sharp sword. Don’t let him release the vicious tiger from within his heart...”

At the time, Song Qingxi had dismissed his words, but after descending the mountain, she understood just how farsighted Song Changsheng was. Song Qingxing was indeed bloodthirsty and cruel, less like a Righteous Cultivator and more like someone from the Evil Dao. This was an extremely dangerous sign.

Therefore, after the incident with the adventurers, Song Qingxi began to interfere with Song Qingxing’s actions. First, she forbade him from killing indiscriminately. Second, she forbade him from torturing living things.

It’s true that the favored have nothing to fear. If anyone else had said such things to Song Qingxing, the grass on their grave would already be ten feet high. But coming from her, it was different.

Over the past month, although Song Qingxing hadn’t changed completely, he had followed her requests and exercised great restraint. Otherwise, not one of these five men would have been left with an intact corpse today.

Seeming to sense the change in Song Qingxi’s tone, Song Qingxing thought for a moment before explaining, ”They more than deserved to die.”

”But with your strength, you could have killed them with a single strike, couldn’t you? Why resort to a method like death by a thousand cuts?” Song Qingxi’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. How could she not know that these men deserved to die? It was just that the method was wrong.

Song Qingxing glanced at the severed limbs and shredded flesh on the ground, then at Song Qingxi’s unhappy expression, and finally nodded. ”I understand.”

Hearing his words, a bright smile returned to Song Qingxi’s face. The two of them cleaned up the battlefield a little, then headed for Liuyun Marketplace. The journey had only just begun!

...

「Inside the family’s general store in Luoxia City.」

When Song Luhuai left, he replaced a large batch of the old-timers stationed here, leaving behind only a few people, such as the shop’s Steward, Song Xiantu; the chief Tributor, Sunx Chuanming; and Song Qingluo.

Their replacements were all carefully selected by the family and got the hang of the store’s affairs quickly, ensuring that normal operations were not affected.

In addition to these clerks, Song Luyao also planned to establish a branch of the family’s Wind Language Hall in Luoxia City—an intelligence station, in other words. It would be responsible for monitoring any and all movements in Luoxia City and waiting for an opportunity to infiltrate.

Besides Song Changsheng and Song Luhuai, no one else knew about this matter; it was a top-secret family affair.

Song Changsheng had met the secret agents. They all had unremarkable appearances and wouldn’t be noticed in a crowd.

For his own small, private reasons, and also to test the abilities of these spies, Song Changsheng, in his capacity as the Young Clan Leader, gave them their first mission: ”Gather information on the One-armed Swordsman of Bian Province.”

He wanted to know if the person Zhu Yiqun had once mentioned was Xu Yunhe, the man who had explored the grotto with them back then.

As it turned out, the spies personally trained by Song Luyao were top-notch professionals. Within three days, the identity of the One-armed Swordsman was confirmed. Just as he had thought, it was Xu Yunhe!

Not only had he broken through to the Foundation Establishment realm with a crippled body, but he had also comprehended Sword Intent—something Sword Cultivators dreamed of. He roamed the Hundred Thousand Mountains with his sword, slaying numerous Demon Beasts, and many adventurers had crossed his path.

Song Changsheng was overjoyed to hear this. He truly hadn’t been wrong about Xu Yunhe.

’The four survivors from back then have all broken through to the Foundation Establishment realm now. If word of this got out, no one would probably believe it, would they?’ Song Changsheng thought to himself.

It was indeed a rare occurrence, but upon closer inspection, one would discover that it was also, in a way, inevitable.