Longevity: Starting as a menial servant in the Green Wood Sect

Zhou Tong's sinister eyes swept back and forth across Gu An's face, like two cold, venomous snakes crawling across it.

The stench of blood in the air seemed even stronger, making it hard to breathe.

Gu An knelt on the ground, his body trembling like a leaf, and he even deliberately made his teeth make an annoying "clucking" sound.

He dared not use any spiritual power, relying entirely on his physical instincts to portray a cowardly little man who feared death.

"Didn't you see it?"

Zhou Tong sneered, his voice devoid of emotion. "I know Fatty Ma. He's incredibly greedy and extremely cautious. That ledger is his lifeline; it must have been on him when he died. Since you, this 'rat,' were the first to reach for it, it's not yours to begin with, is it?"

Before he finished speaking, Zhou Tong's spiritual pressure suddenly surged.

"Snap!"

The few pebbles beneath Gu An instantly shattered into dust.

He felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer in the chest, and a mouthful of blood surged up into his throat, almost spitting it out.

But he had to hold back the blood. If he spat it out and revealed his foundation at the fourth level of Qi Refining, then he would truly be finished.

"My lord, you are wise!"

Gu An lay prone on the ground, his voice shrill and distorted with extreme fear, "I...I really didn't take the account books! Those damned things...I wouldn't understand them even if I took them! But...but..."

At this point, Gu An's voice abruptly stopped, like a chicken with its neck being choked, his eyes flickering, looking like he wanted to say something but dared not.

"But what?"

Zhou Tong's eyes flickered slightly, and he forcefully suppressed the murderous intent that was about to erupt.

He was a smart man, but also a greedy one.

Killing a rogue cultivator is easy, but if you can squeeze some other benefits out of him...

"If you dare to utter even the slightest lie, those heads you just saw will be your fate."

Gu An swallowed a mouthful of bloody saliva, carefully raised his head, and said in an extremely low and lewd voice, "Although...although I haven't seen the account books, when I used to run errands for Manager Ma...I heard him mention when he was drunk that he...has a special channel for selling smuggled goods in the black market."

"smuggled goods?"

Zhou Tong squinted, and the two iron walnuts in his hand stopped spinning.

"Yes...yes."

Seemingly desperate to save his life, Gu An blurted out, "Manager Ma often sends me to deliver things to a shop on the black market. Sometimes it's pills, sometimes... some materials of unknown origin. Each time, even without cash, they give me a receipt. I'm thinking... these days are the settlement days, and they... they probably still have a large sum of money owed to Manager Ma..."

This was a lie that Gu An spun in the blink of an eye.

Nine parts true, one part false.

Manager Ma was indeed corrupt and had connections in the black market.

But Gu An never delivered the goods.

But it is not important.

Importantly, the words "final payment" precisely struck Zhou Tong's weak spot.

What are ledgers?

It's evidence of a crime, it's trouble.

But the "final payment" is real spirit stones!

Although Zhou Tong is the "butcher" of the Enforcement Hall, he is also a cultivator and lacks the resources to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Manager Ma, that fat pig, amassed so much wealth before he died. If we could take over all of his underground channels…

The murderous intent in Zhou Tong's eyes faded at a visible speed, replaced by a greedy green light.

But he didn't believe it immediately. Instead, he moved swiftly and appeared in front of Gu An in an instant.

A withered hand, like an eagle's claw, gripped Gu An's shoulder without warning.

"hiss!"

Gu An gasped.

This is not a pretense; it is real pain.

Zhou Tong's fingers were like iron hooks, deeply embedded in his flesh, and his fingertips carried an extremely cold aura that rushed straight to his heart along his meridians.

"You're smart, but also greedy."

Zhou Tong leaned down, his sinister face almost touching Gu An's. "You want to use this information to trade your worthless life?"

"I...I just want to live..."

Gu An said in a trembling voice.

"You can live if you want."

Zhou Tong's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Since you know that route and have delivered goods there before, then this familiar face can still be used. Go and get that final payment back for me."

Gu An was secretly delighted, but his face showed difficulty: "This... sir, although I have been there, the outside world is in chaos, and it's a black market... my skills are too meager..."

"Stop wasting your breath on me."

Zhou Tong did not give Gu An a chance to bargain.

Suddenly, his five fingers gripping Gu An's shoulder tightened, and a jet-black spiritual energy, carrying a strong corrosive aura, instantly entered Gu An's body.

This spiritual power was extremely domineering. It did not linger in the meridians, but instead, like a venomous insect burrowing into the heart, rushed straight towards Gu An's heart. Finally, it transformed into a black rune the size of a thumb, which clung tightly to the wall of his ventricle.

"Ugh—!"

Gu An let out a piercing scream, curled up into a ball, and cold sweat poured down his face.

The feeling of having his heart squeezed in someone's hand almost suffocated him.

"This is the Heart-Shattering Yin Sha Seal."

Zhou Tong released his grip, stood up, and looked down at Gu An, who was rolling around in the mud. He then slowly took out a silk handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped his hands.

"Three hours. I'll only give you three hours."

"If you don't return with spirit stones within three hours, or if you dare to have any wicked thoughts... this mark will activate. At that time, your heart will explode into minced meat like those rotten persimmons with a 'pop'."

Gu An lay on the ground, panting heavily, his face as pale as paper.

He could clearly feel that with each heartbeat, it passed through that cold rune.

It was a feeling of being on the verge of death, as if a sword were hanging over your head at any moment.

But deep within his lowered eyes, there was little fear, but rather a cold, icy pool of extreme calm.

The bet was won.

Although he was under a restriction and only had three hours, he successfully escaped from that seemingly fatal trap and gained a legitimate opportunity to leave the camp and enter the black market.

As for this "Heart-Shattering Yin Sha Seal"...

Gu An looked inward at himself, staring at the black rune attached to his heart.

This is indeed a technique used by someone at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining level; ordinary methods simply cannot reach it.

However, he cultivates the "Life Forest Wood Technique" and has "Living Wood Poison" absorbed from Shen Wan in his body.

Fight poison with poison, and neutralize evil with evil.

Given some time, it might be possible to wear it down, or...

Suppressed for now.

"Thank you so much for your mercy, sir! I'll go right away! I'll go right away!"

Gu An struggled to his feet and kowtowed three times to Zhou Tong. His grateful expression made it seem as if Zhou Tong had not given him a death warrant, but rather rewarded him with a Foundation Establishment Pill.

"Take this."

Zhou Tong casually tossed out a black iron token. "This is a temporary entry and exit pass. Remember, don't even think about running away. Within a fifty-mile radius of Broken Soul Valley, I can make you wish you were dead with just a thought."

Gu An picked up the token as if it were a priceless treasure, stuffed it into his pocket, and after thanking him profusely once again, he stumbled and ran towards the camp exit with a hunched back.

Watching Gu An's departing figure, one of the enforcement disciples hesitated and asked, "Uncle-Master, that kid's so glib. What if he runs off with the money...?"

"run?"

Zhou Tong scoffed, his eyes full of disdain. "A useless rogue cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining, struck by my Heart-Shattering Seal, wouldn't dare to run even if he had ten lives. Besides, even if he really dies in the black market, I won't suffer any loss. He's just an ant used to scout ahead."

……

After leaving the logistics camp and entering the dense forest path leading to the black market, the humble and timid expression on Gu An's face vanished instantly.

Instead, he wore a gloomy and cold expression.

He reached up and pressed his hand to his chest, feeling the cold, stinging pain emanating from there.

"Butcher Zhou... I'll remember this debt."

Gu An muttered a curse under his breath.

He didn't rush on his way, but instead found a secluded tree hollow and quickly sat down cross-legged.

"call……"

Taking a deep breath, Gu An mobilized the dark green Yi Wood True Qi in his dantian and carefully probed towards his heart.

The moment it came into contact with the "Heart-Shattering Yin Sha Seal", a violent rebound force suddenly bounced it off.

"snort!"

Gu An groaned, and a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth.

This mark not only has positioning and explosive functions, but also extremely repels external spiritual energy.

If one were to forcibly break through, their heart would likely be shattered by the battlefield before the mark could even be removed.

"Impressive technique. No wonder you're at the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining."

Gu An was not discouraged; instead, he calmed down.

Since a forced solution is impossible, the only option is to "deceive the heavens and cross the sea".

He took out a bottle of "Detoxifying Powder" that he had prepared earlier from his storage bag, and then searched through the knowledge base on the jade slip that Shen Wan had given him for a while.

"This is it."

A glint of light flashed in Gu An's eyes.

He bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood essence, and formed hand seals to unleash a minor technique from the Blood Soul Pact—"Blood Spirit Envelope."

Using its own essence and blood, mixed with the vitality of the Wood element, it slowly wove a thin "blood cocoon" around the black rune.

This blood cocoon cannot remove the mark, but it can isolate Zhou Tong from some of his senses. In critical moments, it can even shield his heart from a fatal explosion, giving him a few breaths to escape.

A few breaths is enough for Gu An now.

After doing all this, the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn had passed.

Gu An wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, stood up, put on the musty and blood-smelling gray cloak again, donned the tattered straw hat, and sped towards the black market.