I am about to die of old age, and I have awakened the character of longevity.

Chapter 94: Have you developed a sense of energy?!
Lin Yun's words made Xie An feel embarrassed.

In fact, before this, Xie An was thinking about a question: how to tell these things to Lin Yun.

After all, Xie An was a second-in-command, a subordinate of Lin Yun. Suddenly, he was vying for the position of Incense Master, and he showed strength far exceeding Lin Yun's. This would make Lin Yun feel somewhat uncomfortable, and he might even suspect that Xie An had other intentions.

Xie An has always been cautious, fearing that he would hurt Lin Yun or create a rift between them.

However, the exam was about to start tomorrow and time was running out, so Xie An had no choice but to reveal all this tonight.

Now it seems that Xie An realized that he had overthought.

Lin Yun was very generous and magnanimous. He immediately adjusted his mindset and put himself in the right position.

"Brother Lin..."

Before Xie An could even open his mouth, Lin Yun patted Xie An on the shoulder and tried to persuade him, "You don't need to worry about me. I'm happier than anyone else that you can stand up. What's more, the Blood Ridge Black Market will grow bigger and bigger in the future, and it takes more than just an ordinary person to hold the position of Incense Master. Even if I were lucky enough to become Incense Master, I wouldn't be able to hold the position. I feel more at ease with you around."

Hahaha, my Blood Ridge lineage has welcomed a late bloomer, Brother Xie. Great, great, great!"

Lin Yun was so excited that he seemed to have aged several years, and he kept praising Xie An for his promising future. After a long while, he realized that it was getting late, so he told Xie An to go to bed early and rush to the hall to take the exam early tomorrow morning.

Zhang Lin and the other two also congratulated and praised him, and left on the pretext of not disturbing Xie An's rest.

Only after seeing everyone off did Xie An breathe a sigh of relief.

The stone that was pressing on my heart fell away.

The series of events that have happened recently made Xie An sigh with emotion.

According to Xie An's original intention, it was nothing more than feeling that the current chaotic world was not friendly to the elderly and there was no way for them to make a name for themselves. That's why he chose to join the Tiger and Wolf Sect, looking for a place to develop peacefully and practice martial arts.

All along, Xie An just wanted to develop steadily, didn't want to cause trouble, and had no obsession with standing out too much.

But later... by chance he got a magic treasure, and also met Wei Dian who was poisoned by the corpse poison pill, and he taught him everything he knew... From then on, he passed the initial stage of martial arts, and now stepped into the realm of refined flesh, and was considered a top-notch master in Baiyu Hall.

The battle at Chen Mansion resulted in the defeat of the four great incense masters of Baiyu Hall, who were now faced with tests and the promotion of new people.

As soon as Wei Dian left, Lin Yun risked his life to go on stage...

And Xie An just before the test, he broke through the realm of flesh and blood...

One thing after another led to Xie An's decision to go on stage and wield the sword.

Although it was different from the original plan, it undoubtedly gave Xie An an opportunity to be promoted to the incense master.

The transition from a deacon to an incense master is an opportunity that many warriors cannot wait for in ten years.

Now, it is placed in front of Xie An.

It would be unrealistic to say that I don’t feel excited and expectant.

"Since the situation forces me to be the incense master, then I will do it!"

Xie An gathered his thoughts and closed the gate.

He entered the kitchen, moved the water tank, dug out the blue bricks and stones underneath, took out the red square fairy treasure box from a secret compartment, and stroked it carefully in his hand.

Every time Xie An held this magic box in his hand, he felt a strong sense of security.

"It just so happens that Tang Qingyun is coming tomorrow. I'll go find him and tell him that I've already cultivated a sense of Qi... If I have the chance to inherit the Tang Family Fort and cultivate the Mingyu Gong, I can open this immortal treasure and see what's inside."

Compared to this incense master, what Xie An is most looking forward to is the fairy treasure.

This is what Li Changchun of the Changsheng Sect, the state religion of the previous dynasty, has gained in his life.

It must be extraordinary.

"However, I always feel that this immortal treasure was obtained too easily, which is a bit disturbing..."

……

The next day.

The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Surprisingly, the snow stopped.

But it's also colder.

They say it’s not cold when it snows, but when it melts. This is absolutely true.

As Xie An climbed out of bed, he felt a biting cold air coming in through the cracks in the window, and he couldn't help shivering. He practiced fetal breathing for a while, and a warm current appeared in his lower abdomen, dispelling the coldness from his body.

Although today was an important day, Xie An didn't get too excited. He wore his inner lining as usual and went to the courtyard to practice the Five Animal Exercises, practiced the Fetal Breathing Technique, and then practiced the Fuyang Blade Technique and the Chongshan Blade Technique.

After finishing all this, he began to wash, put on the deacon's uniform, tied his belt, and hung the jade pendant on the belt. In fact, there was a buckle on the belt that could be used to hang a waist sword, but Xie An's waist sword was too heavy. If he hung it on the belt, even his pants would be pulled off, which was extremely unpresentable.

I can only carry it on my back instead.

This doesn't seem strange, as many swordsmen and swordsmen do this.

Only after he was dressed neatly did Xie An push open the gate.

"Boss, I've been waiting for you to come out." Wang Xiang stood outside the door in the snow early, rubbing his hands and breathing out.

Zhang Lin and Liang Zhi were also waiting nearby. When they saw Xie An, they came up to greet him.

Everyone knew that Xie An was going to the hall to take the test today, which was related to the future of the entire Xueling black market, so naturally they treated Xie An as a treasure.

Xie An knew it well, and said without hesitation, "Let's go. Let's go."

"Okay, I'll go get the horse."

Wang Xiang had the lowest position and was very self-aware. Without waiting for anyone to speak, he quickly went to the stable and brought four good horses.

drive!
The four of them mounted their horses and galloped across the snow. Their swift hooves kicked up a cloud of snow as they rushed out of the canyon and headed straight for Shui Deng Town.

When we arrived at Water Lantern Town, the sky was just getting bright.

However, after the snow stopped, the entire Water Lantern Town immediately returned to its former prosperity.

The flower boats parked at the Water Lantern Pier turned on their lights again after a night of charm, and many beautifully dressed girls got off the boats, creating a unique scene.

The streets were lined with peddlers and stall owners, each shouting and hawking their wares.

"Freshly baked tofu pudding, so sweet and delicious. Drinking a bowl while passing by will make you feel refreshed."

"Freshly baked beef buns, two cents each."

Gulu.

Wang Xiang's stomach growled.

Zhang Lin heard this and said with a smile, "Brother Wang Xiang, please bear with me for a while. Up ahead is Wang Po's shop, a ten-year-old establishment. I'll treat you today, and all you can eat is enough. Consider it a token of my gratitude to you."

After walking a few hundred meters, the four men dismounted, tied the reins of the horses under an ancient locust tree on the side of the road, and entered Wang Po's shop.

"Mrs. Wang, bring me four trays of meat buns, four bowls of soy milk, and eight fried dough sticks..." Zhang Lin found a seat as soon as he entered and started ordering drinks in a familiar manner. He was obviously a regular here.

A middle-aged woman in an apron came up to take notes, greeted him with a smile, "Master Zhang, you are a rare guest here. I remember it all. Wait a moment, it will be served to you right away." Taking advantage of this break, Xie An looked around.

This breakfast shop was quite large, with over twenty wooden tables, and by now, about 70 to 80 percent of them were occupied by customers. Many of them called her "Wang Po" with familiarity. Some of them even carried swords, clearly martial artists with a background in martial arts.

This doesn't seem very common.

"Po Wang, why are there so many wanderers here today?"

As Grandma Wang served the buns, she said, "I heard that the Baiyu Hall is testing the four incense masters today. This is a rare and significant event in Shuideng Town. Many people are here to watch, and some... I heard they are deacons from other halls of the Baiyu Hall, who have come here specifically to participate in the test."

It turned out to be the case.

Xie An had a plan in mind. While eating breakfast, he opened his five senses and took notice of the surrounding jianghu. Many of them were quite powerful, and some of them were talking carelessly.

"I've been a deacon at the county hall for five years. Although I'm very capable, I just haven't had the chance to be promoted to incense master. This opportunity is rare, and I must get into the top four. I want to be an incense master and win the honor for my ancestors."

"You can't stand being a deacon for only five years? I've been a deacon for eight. Damn it, the least valuable thing in the Tiger and Wolf Sect is the deacon, and there are a lot of them. It's so fucking boring. Once I take down the incense master this time, I'll be a step up. Let's see who dares to order me around."

"I've been a deacon for twelve years and haven't said a word. What are you all yelling about? Let me be frank. I came to Shuideng Town with only one goal."

As soon as these words were spoken, people around looked over.

"What goal?"

The man who had been a deacon for twelve years successfully attracted a lot of people's attention. He immediately slammed the table in a proud manner, "First place! We've taken over the Blood Ridge Black Market. I heard that the Blood Ridge Black Market will expand in the future and transform into a commercial center. The position of the incense master is more important than the leader of the White Feather Hall. It must be mine."

"Ah, you? You came out on top? Where do you get that confidence from?"

"What's wrong with me? Twelve years of keeping a low profile as a deacon isn't enough, is it?"

"You're too out of touch with the news. Let me tell you straight away. Elder Tang, who recently took the imperial examination, urgently promoted a deacon named Chen Qing. The top candidate is either Hong Lie or Chen Qing."

"Who is Chen Qing? Why haven't I heard of him before? Are you exaggerating?"

"According to gossip, Chen Qing... is Chen Qinglang's son."

As soon as these words were spoken, the people around them gasped and fell silent.

The guy who had been a deacon for twelve years no longer dared to speak harshly. Instead, he suffered a huge blow and became dispirited.

Xie An was shocked when he heard this.

Tiger and Wolf Sect...Meng Hu...Chen Qinglang...

That’s right, Chen Qinglang is the other leader of the Tiger and Wolf Sect.

That is definitely the biggest boss among the big bosses.

Xie An never expected that this Blood Ridge black market... would actually attract the attention of the sect leader. He even personally sent his son to take the exam.

Things are getting bigger.

However, Xie An, who was eating buns with his head down, found something wrong.

Even if someone said that Chen Qing was taking the exam, there should have been silence for a moment before things got lively again. Why has no one spoken?

This is very abnormal.

At this moment, Xie An heard a familiar voice coming from behind him.

"Xiaoqing, feel free to order whatever you like. Today, your uncle is treating you. Consider it a gift to you."

Eh?
Isn’t this Tang Qingyun’s voice?

Xie An immediately turned around and saw Tang Qingyun, wearing a green robe, leading a handsome young man in his early twenties into Wang Po's bun shop.

No wonder the deacons who came to take the exam didn't dare to speak...

The real boss is here.

They may not know Chen Qing, but they definitely know Tang Qingyun.

Unfortunately, there is no room in the shop.

Tang Qingyun glanced around and felt very embarrassed.

Immediately, a sensible deacon stood up and moved his seat, "Elder Tang, please take my seat."

Tang Qingyun smiled and declined: "When you are out and about, there is no need to follow so many rules. Just eat and drink well. I will buy some food and we can eat on the street."

As soon as these words were spoken, they immediately attracted the admiration of countless people.

At this moment, Xie An raised his hand and said to Tang Qingyun, "Elder Tang, you are here."

Eh?
When Tang Qingyun saw Xie An, his eyes brightened up a lot, and he felt a sense of familiarity. He led Chen Qing to Xie An's side and said, "If you don't mind..."

"How dare you mind? Elder Tang, please take a seat." Xie An quickly gave Wang Xiang a look, and the latter immediately stood up and brushed the dust off the stool with his sleeve. Liang Zhi also quickly stood up, making room for his seat and brushing the dust off with his sleeve.

"Don't be so unfamiliar, sit down. I'll just add two stools." Tang Qingyun still declined and asked Wang Po to find two stools so that they could squeeze together and sit down.

Xie An was very impressed by this subtle action, so he invited Wang Xiang and Liang Zhi to sit down and have breakfast together.

The deacons around him were not happy and glared at Xie An. They wondered who this old guy was and why Elder Tang was giving him such respect.
But they only dare to think about it and not express it.

During breakfast, Tang Qingyun casually chatted with Xie An about family matters. "Although I rarely go to Xueling, I've heard about you. You made great contributions during the suppression of the Plum Blossom Monster at the Chen Mansion, and Wei Dian even made you the second deacon. Are you here to take the exam this time?"

Xie An said: "Yes. Thanks to Elder Tang's help, I was able to stand firm in Blood Ridge."

Ha ha.

Tang Qingyun smiled and said, "You've done well on your own. But... meeting me is truly fate. This world is full of prejudice against the elderly, and only we, the Tang Family, understand the power of late bloomers and health-preserving exercises. So, do you have a goal in mind for this test?"

Xie An looked at Chen Qing, who was eating a bun beside him, and said, "Master Wei has been very kind to me. I don't want his hard work to fall into the hands of others, so I want to fight for it."

This matter will be revealed sooner or later.

Since Tang Qingyun asked, Xie An felt that he couldn't hide it. Otherwise, when the results came out, Tang Qingyun would think that he had deliberately concealed it from him, which would create some resentment.

Going on stage to examine the manuscript is an open matter, there is no need to be evasive.

As soon as these words came out, Chen Qing and Tang Qingyun looked up at Xie An at the same time, very surprised. Especially Chen Qing, his eyes were somewhat disdainful, probably thinking that Xie An was overestimating himself.

Tang Qingyun showed no emotion at all, and chuckled softly, "Great. A man from the Tiger and Wolf Sect should be ambitious. Have you broken through the second level?"

Xie An said, "Thanks to Master Wei Xiang's care, I have broken through the second level. Moreover... I have also developed a sense of Qi through my health-preserving exercises, which has given me some more confidence."

The first half of the sentence is not important; the second half is the message that Xie An actively expressed.

brush!
Tang Qingyun suddenly stood up in shock, losing his composure in a rare moment, "Have you developed a sense of Qi?"

----

ps: Three updates and 11,000 yuan each, please give me your monthly vote.

(End of this chapter)