Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

As he spoke, he produced a piece of Jade from his sleeve as if by magic and pressed it into the burly man’s hand.

Upon seeing the Jade, the wariness in the burly man’s eyes instantly melted into effusive warmth.

“Please, come in, come in! My humble home is a bit cramped, so please excuse the mess. Please, excuse the mess.” The burly man quickly stepped aside, ushering the group through the door…

Outside Daliu Village, a figure in a white robe emerged from behind a willow tree. He glanced at the village, now completely shrouded in darkness, and frowned slightly. ‘They’re just fledglings, after all,’ he thought. ‘Their vigilance is a little low. It seems this trial won’t go so smoothly.’

‘What is his goal, exactly? And what’s so special about this place?’

After circling the village, Song Qingqian had found nothing. His brow furrowed tightly.

Just as he was pondering this, he suddenly detected an extremely faint fluctuation of Spiritual Power.

The next moment, a glint of silver light tore through the air, stabbing straight for Song Qingqian’s face.

“How dare you!”

Song Qingqian’s eyes flashed with anger. With a flick of his sleeve, he swept the silver light away. His hands then flew through a series of seals, sending a torrent of Spiritual Force raining down in the direction of the Spiritual Power fluctuation.

“HISS…”

A muffled grunt sounded, and a pitch-black figure transformed into an Escape Light, fleeing into the distance.

‘Interesting. Luring the tiger from its mountain?’ A playful smile touched Song Qingqian’s lips. The opponent’s methods were far too crude. He wouldn’t have fallen for such a simple trick, and neither would anyone else of any competence.

‘Perhaps… I should play along?’ Song Qingqian glanced back in the direction of Song Qingyun’s group, then gave chase to the fleeing figure…

Thanks to the piece of Jade, Song Qingyun’s group of three experienced the simple and earnest hospitality of the local villagers firsthand.

Unfortunately, they had little interest in the food and wine of the Mortal Realm. They made a few polite excuses and went to the room the burly man had prepared for them.

“See? I told you there was nothing wrong with this village,” Song Qingyuan said to Song Qingyun as he opened the tightly shut window.

“It’s still better not to be careless,” Song Qingyun replied coolly. He then sat down cross-legged, circulated his Heart Method, and began to regulate his breathing.

“Tch.” Song Qingyuan secretly rolled his eyes. He then took two Spirit Fruits from his Storage Bag, handed one to Song Qinghong, and leaned against the window to eat his.

Song Qingyun was merely regulating his breath. Though his eyes were closed, he was perfectly aware of everything happening around him, and he couldn’t help but feel a little puzzled.

‘Ever since we set out, I’ve sensed a vague hostility from Song Qingyuan. At first, I thought I was imagining it, but after spending the last few days together, I’m certain he has a problem with me. I just have no idea where it came from.’

‘Still, I have no intention of digging into it. Song Qingyuan and I barely know each other; we were only thrown together for this trial. What he thinks of me doesn’t really matter.’

‘I just hope his attitude doesn’t affect the trial.’

‘This trial is of the utmost importance to me.’

‘Because of who I am, I cannot afford to fail!’

BOOM—

A clap of thunder exploded across the sky. Sparse raindrops began to fall, quickly intensifying into a torrential downpour. The rainwater mixed with a Yin Cold Power emanating from the ground, creating a thick white fog that enveloped the entire village, so dense you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.

The temperature in the room began to plummet.

Song Qingyun’s eyes snapped open. His right hand quietly slipped into his wide left sleeve.

“Hey, where’d this fog come from? Hiss… it’s getting cold. No wonder that guy was so pale. This village is built right on top of a Cold Vein. It’s a miracle they’ve managed to survive this long,” Song Qingyuan muttered.

“Something’s wrong. I think something is getting closer,” Song Qinghong added, drawing her Magical Sword and getting to her feet.

“Watch out!”

Song Qingyun suddenly roared, his left hand shooting out to yank Song Qingyuan away from the window. With his right hand, he thrust his Soft Sword out into the night. A dull thud echoed, followed by the sound of something heavy falling to the ground.

Glancing at the bloodstain on the Tip of the Sword, Song Qingyun said gravely, “There’s something wrong with this blood.”

Song Qinghong and Song Qingyuan looked and saw that the blood was a dark, murky red, not the color of fresh blood at all.

ROAR—

A roar ripped through the air. The wooden wall behind Song Qinghong exploded inward as a tall figure lunged at her.

Song Qinghong’s reaction was lightning-fast. She leaned forward sharply and, with a backhanded thrust of her sword, ran the figure’s throat clean through.

“It’s him.”

Song Qingyuan cried out in alarm.

The figure was none other than the burly man who had welcomed them—the owner of the house.

His face was even paler than when they’d first met, and his eyes glowed with a sickening green light, a truly terrifying sight.

His neck had been run through, but the blood that trickled out was the same dark red color.

“What is going on?”

The faces of all three turned grim. Song Qingyun stepped forward to examine the body. “He’s been dead for a long time,” he said, his expression dark. “There’s extensive lividity on his chest, and the skin under his arms is showing early signs of decay.”

“But… he seemed perfectly normal when we spoke with him earlier,” Song Qingyuan stammered.

“This isn’t the time to worry about that! We need to fight our way out!”

Song Qingyun flicked his Soft Sword. The once-flexible blade instantly went rigid. “I’ll clear the way,” he said without looking back. “Stay close.”

With that, he swung his sword. A brilliant wave of Sword Qi shattered the earthen wall before him, and Song Qingyun charged headfirst into the dense fog.

Unsettling roars echoed from all around them in the thick fog. Every so often, villagers would ambush them, all in the same state as the burly man.

There were many villagers, but they were mere mortals and posed little threat to Song Qingyun’s group. They quickly fought their way to the village entrance.

Only when they reached the entrance did they discover that the entire Daliu Village was enveloped in a translucent Barrier. Standing beneath the great willow tree was a short, grey-robed old man, watching them with cold eyes.

“Who are you?!” Song Qingyun demanded, shielding the other two behind him, sword at the ready.

“You’re asking me? I’d like to ask you who you are! Who set up this Barrier and ruined my plan!”

Hearing Song Qingyun’s question, the old man flew into a rage, his wrinkled face contorting with anger.

Now it was Song Qingyun’s turn to be stunned. They had assumed the Barrier was this old man’s doing, but it turned out he was a “victim” as well.

“This man is radiating a powerful, malevolent aura. Could he be the one we’re looking for?”

“It’s highly likely,” Song Qingyun replied in a low voice. “But there must be someone else hiding here. Until they show themselves, we shouldn’t make any rash moves. We don’t want a third party to reap the rewards of our fight.”

“Song? Were you sent by the Chen Clan?”

Suddenly, the short old man saw through their identities.

Song Qingyun followed his gaze and saw that the Jade Pendant on Song Qingyuan’s waist had given them away.

He frowned almost imperceptibly, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. He glared at the old man and said sharply, “So you’re the Evil Demon the Chen Clan spoke of, the one who slaughtered this village. Are you responsible for turning the people of Daliu Village into these… things?”

“Hmph! So what if you’re from the Song Clan? I, Silkworm Soul, will kill anyone who dares to meddle in my affairs!”

Silkworm Soul snorted coldly and produced a sinister White Banner. He slammed the base of its pole onto the ground, and an invisible force rippled outward.

Vague figures began to emerge from the dense fog, slowly closing in on Song Qingyun and his companions.

Staring at the pale, lifeless faces, Song Qingyuan suddenly cried out, “Didn’t we already kill them? How are they back?”

Song Qinghong gripped her Magical Sword tightly. “They were already dead to begin with,” she said grimly.

“They’re in a state similar to Corpse Ghosts now. Conventional attacks won’t work on them. We have to destroy their Physical Bodies completely!”

With that, Song Qingyun shot forward like an arrow released from its bow…