Longevity Begins With The Birth Of A Daughter At An Old Age

Chapter 19: Neighbors

"Lan Fellow Daoist, long time no see!"

Xu Mu stopped in his tracks and smiled, bowing his hand in greeting.

The beautiful woman in front of him, dressed in a blue robe, was named Lan Shijin. She used to be his neighbor.

To be honest, Xu Mu wasn't very familiar with her. Just by looking at the robe she was wearing, he could tell that they were from different backgrounds.

The main reason he knew her was because his wife, Ye Yingying, had a good relationship with her.

When Ye Yingying was pregnant, Lan Shijin somehow heard about it and kindly came to teach her methods to ensure a safe pregnancy.

Perhaps it was because there were very few people in this neighborhood who had children.

But no matter the reason, Xu Mu could exchange a few words with her from time to time.

"From the looks of it, you're doing well in the shantytown. You've gotten younger!" Lan Shijin looked him up and down, a perfectly timed smile appearing on her lips. She continued, "How is Yingying?"

"My cultivation has fortunately made some breakthroughs, Fellow Daoist Lan overpraises me! As for Yingying, she's doing well. She has gained quite a bit of weight recently!" Xu Mu laughed.

"That's good! And the child?" Lan Shijin asked eagerly.

"She's already born, a girl!"

"A girl~" Lan Shijin's voice dragged on a bit, a hint of disappointment flashed in her beautiful eyes, but then she smiled and said, "A girl is good! Congratulations! Unfortunately, I don't have time to go see her."

Lan Shijin sounded a bit regretful.

"In the future, there will be plenty of time. Fellow Daoist Lan, as long as you come, you're always welcome!" Xu Mu said.

"Alright! I'll definitely come when I have time! I have something to attend to, so I'll take my leave!"

"Fellow Daoist Lan, feel free to go!"

"Goodbye!"

Lan Shijin bid farewell like a proper lady, then turned and left.

Xu Mu then stepped into the medicine shop.

Little did he know, after Lan Shijin had walked a distance, she seemed to remember something and suddenly turned back.

...

Inside the medicine shop.

"Welcome, welcome, this Fellow Daoist... Xu Dan Shi? It's been quite a while since I last saw you! I thought you..."

As he tidied up the counter and hummed a tune, the shopkeeper Tu heard footsteps and thought a customer had arrived. He looked up and was surprised to see Xu Mu, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

"My luck is good, it's not that easy for me to die!" Xu Mu laughed.

He took out a bottle of elixir from his storage bag and placed it on the counter, smiling as he said, "Can you tell me the price of this bottle of elixir?"

"What? Did you happen to find someone's elixir?" Tu, the shopkeeper, said as he pulled out the bottle stopper and glanced inside.

"It's a Gathering Qi Pill! Your luck is pretty good, they're all top-grade!" Tu poured out a pill and carefully examined it, then smiled.

"Do you want to buy them?"

"Of course! I'll take as many as you have!" Tu sneered.

After all, he was a shopkeeper. Could he not afford a few bottles of Gathering Qi Pills?

And based on his understanding of Xu Mu, it was already good if he had two bottles.

The only thing he was curious about was where Xu Mu got them from.

As for Xu Mu refining them himself, he didn't believe it.

If Xu Mu had that ability, he wouldn't have been driven to the shantytown.

"What's the price?"

"The price? For just two bottles of elixir, why talk about the price? I'll give you the original price, twenty-four low-grade spirit stones per bottle. How about that?" Tu said confidently.

He knew Xu Mu's situation and didn't want to make an extra two low-grade spirit stones from him.

"That's what you said! No backing out!" Xu Mu warned.

"Backing out is for cowards!"

Tu patted his chest and guaranteed.

Xu Mu smirked and began to take out bottles of pills.

First bottle, second bottle, it was fine. When it came to the third bottle, the shopkeeper couldn't hold back anymore. It wasn't that he couldn't afford to lose these spirit stones, but he was shocked by how Xu Mu had so many Qi Gathering Pills.

He opened each bottle one by one to make sure Xu Mu wasn't tricking him with empty bottles.

By the time Xu Mu took out ten bottles, the shopkeeper started to panic.

"I hope you didn't rob that medicine shop. Let me tell you, there have been many Foundation Building stage families settling in our market recently. Don't cause trouble!"

The shopkeeper was worried that Xu Mu, in his desperation, would target those Foundation Building families. No matter if it was stealing, robbing, or cheating, it wouldn't end well for anyone who provoked them.

"You can relax! I made all of these myself!" Xu Mu took out all twenty bottles and said with a smile.

During this period, he had made over thirty bottles in total. He and Ye Yingying had consumed over ten bottles, leaving only these twenty bottles to exchange for spirit stones.

"You made them yourself?"

The shopkeeper was taken aback and sneered, "Don't joke with me. With your alchemy skills, it would be impressive if you could make a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill!"

The shopkeeper didn't believe it at all.

It had only been half a year since they last met, and even with Xu Mu's talent, he couldn't have reached this level even if he refined Qi Gathering Pills day and night. Moreover, with Xu Mu's financial resources, he couldn't afford to do it multiple times.

"Whether you believe it or not, the pills are here. Will you take them or not?" Xu Mu shrugged.

"Did you really make them?"

The shopkeeper still didn't believe it.

The difference was just too great.

"Do I have a reason to lie to you? Besides, with my strength, where could I rob so many pills?" Xu Mu helplessly said.

He knew this situation would arise.

"Well, I guess so!"

The shopkeeper finally believed a little.

He looked Xu Mu up and down and noticed that he looked much younger than before.

"You've made a breakthrough in your cultivation?"

"Yeah."

"No wonder!"

The shopkeeper suddenly realized, or rather, he could somewhat understand.

"Quickly calculate the price!"

"Alright! According to ninety percent, the total is..." The shopkeeper moved the abacus and quickly calculated it, then looked up and said, "Rounded up, it's a total of four hundred and forty low-grade spirit stones!"

"No, you said it would be the original price! Why did it become ninety percent?"

"Because, you're my grandpa! Grandpa Xu Mu! Is that okay?"

A person can't just give up spirit stones for the sake of face, right?

Speaking of which, Xu Mu and his father's generation, although it was a disadvantage to be called grandpa, it wasn't that bad.

"..."

Alright!

I'll count you as ruthless!

Xu Mu had nothing to say.

"Did you really make these pills?"

When settling the bill, the shopkeeper still had some doubts.

A few hundred low-grade spirit stones were nothing, but if he offended that family, his small business wouldn't be able to withstand it.

"Relax, I value my life more than you do! I have a wife and children, while you're all alone!"

"What's wrong with being alone? I can enjoy music and wine every day, and have a new lover every night. As for you, you can only do it once!" The shopkeeper said proudly.

"That's not necessarily!" Xu Mu instinctively retorted.

"What? You still want to take concubines? Can your physique handle it?"

"..."

Damn it!

Who do you think you're looking down on?

I am...

"I don't have time for idle talk. My wife is waiting at home! Quickly exchange the spirit stones for fifty portions of Qi Gathering Pills and one hundred bottles of Body Purification Pills!"

"One hundred bottles of Body Purification Pills? Are you crazy?"

The shopkeeper looked at Xu Mu as if he were insane.

Even if his cultivation level was high, one Body Purification Pill could only last for a day. One hundred bottles would be enough for three years, even if it was for inventory, there was no need to store so much.

Besides, don't you know how to refine Body Purification Pills yourself?

You have so much money to burn, spend it yourself!

"Don't ask so many questions, just give them to me. What? You have spirit stones, why aren't you making a profit?"

"I just don't want you to lose money! Don't blame me if your wife runs away when the time comes!"

"I'm telling you, can't you say something nice? You're cursing me here, not at all like your old man!" Xu Mu complained.

But he also knew that the other party meant well, just had a foul mouth.

"I'm just reminding you kindly! If you insist on buying, it's up to you! But once you leave the store, there will be no returns!"

"Got it, got it!"

Seeing that Xu Mu was getting impatient, the shopkeeper turned and went into the back room, taking out all the Body Purification Pills in storage, and also calling out the lazy assistant to help watch the store.

Rarely making a big deal, he had to go to the brothel to reward himself.

With more and more people moving in from out of town recently, the brothel had also gained a lot of fresh blood and new songs. He had been wanting to go and listen for a long time.

After the transaction was completed, Xu Mu left the medicine shop and headed to the market to replenish some daily necessities before returning home.

With one hundred bottles of Body Purification Pills and the Luck value he had accumulated recently, he planned to raise his Thunder Sword Technique to the perfect level.

Strengthen his physique and educate the young ones properly.

But as soon as he left the house, he was stopped by someone.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, please wait!"

A person in a green robe, the dignified and noble Lan Shijin, walked towards him gracefully.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, is there something you need?" Xu Mu was somewhat puzzled.

Didn't the other person say there was something? Why did they suddenly come back?

"Fellow Daoist Xu, may I have a word with you?" Lan Shijin made a polite gesture.

"Of course!"

Xu Mu nodded in agreement.

He had a good relationship with the other person's wife, and their reputation over the years had been good. Xu Mu wasn't worried that the other person would harm him.

Led by Lan Shijin, the two entered a nearby teahouse.

Lan Shijin took out a spirit stone and ordered two cups of spiritual tea.

Clear water, green tea, fragrant mist!

"Fellow Daoist Lan, feel free to speak. No need to be so polite!" Xu Mu accepted the cup of spiritual tea handed to him by Lan Shijin and gently placed it on the table, opening his mouth.

"Since Fellow Daoist Xu said so, then I won't beat around the bush!"

Holding the teacup, her jade-like fingers delicate and graceful, her red lips slightly opened as she took a sip, exuding an elegant aura in every move.

"I want to ask about the living conditions in the slums. I want to move there with my daughter, Yue Ning, for a while!"

"Move to the slums? Fellow Daoist Lan isn't joking with me, right?" Xu Mu's face showed shock and disbelief.

Apart from anything else, just based on the robe the other person was wearing, they wouldn't have fallen to the point of living in the slums.

And there's also the other person's husband, who is at the ninth level of Qi Refining, about to build...

Wait a moment!

He suddenly remembered that the gray-robed old cultivator who led them to the Chi family to cause trouble seemed to be Lan Shijin's husband.

In other words, the other party is now a widow!!

No, even if her husband died, with their family background, they wouldn't have to live in the slums.

He had originally planned to go to the dental clinic in the market later to see if there were any vacant houses, as he had already paid the deposit to move back to the market.

Why is the other party coming to him instead?

Could it be that they couldn't find a house to rent?

Xu Mu speculated inwardly.

Lan Shijin smiled bitterly and shook her head.

"I'm not joking with Fellow Daoist Xu. Here's what happened..."

Lan Shijin briefly explained the cause and effect, and Xu Mu suddenly understood.

It turned out that it wasn't that the other party didn't have enough money, but that several new families had been expanding their territory in the market, and Lan Shijin's previous residence happened to be within the area designated by the other party.

If her husband were still alive, they could negotiate, but now that her husband had died, they had also offended the Chi family.

They were lucky that no one was secretly sabotaging them, but they didn't dare to negotiate with others.

Originally, she had planned to find another place to live in the market, but now there were basically no vacant houses in the market.

The major families themselves had nowhere to live and were desperately driving people out of the market. Where could she find a place?

When she went to the pharmacy to sell pills earlier, she saw that Xu Mu was in good spirits and realized that the slums might not be as bad as she had imagined. So she thought about making do for a few months and then leaving the Baishi market with her daughter on an airship in the spring.

Her husband had died, and she had offended the Chi family, so she had no choice but to leave here.

She sought out Xu Mu to inquire about the situation in the slums and, if possible, move there for a few months.

"I can't guarantee that, but I've been living there for a few months and haven't encountered any major troubles!" Xu Mu said.

At that time, he was targeted because he was too weak. Given Lan Shijin's situation, no one should dare to provoke her.

"If Fellow Daoist Lan wants to move there, there happens to be a vacant house next to mine. You can go take a look!"

"Really? That's great!"

With Xu Mu as her neighbor, she could feel more at ease and quickly adapt to the surroundings, avoiding many troubles.

Anyway, she wouldn't be staying for long. Once the airship service was available, she would leave with her daughter as soon as possible.

"I don't know if I can trouble Fellow Daoist Xu to take me there to have a look?"

"That's not a problem!"

Originally, Xu Mu had planned to go to the market to buy things, but because of Lan Shijin, he had to postpone it to the next day.

Renting the house went smoothly. Xu Mu took Lan Shijin to find the landlord, looked at the house, and signed the contract and paid six months' rent on the same day.

Xu Mu could only say, "What a rich person!"

People in the slums usually pay rent monthly, and some even try to delay it for another month. It was unique for Lan Shijin to pay six months' rent at once.

When she came to see the house, Lan Shijin also took the opportunity to see Ye Yingying, making Ye Yingying very happy.

Although Ye Yingying never complained, being alone at home and taking care of the child every day was definitely not enjoyable for a teenage girl.

If this were in his previous life, she would have long developed depression.

This was also the reason why Xu Mu was willing to help Lan Shijin proactively.

With her around, his wife would at least have someone to talk to and wouldn't be too bored.

As for himself, he either cultivated or refined pills every day, and he didn't have much time to spend with his wife and daughter.

After the house was settled, Lan Shijin and her daughter did not immediately move in. They had to finish things over there, which would probably take five or six days.

The next day, Xu Mu replenished his daily necessities in the market and headed towards a nearby bookstore.

His first-tier Fire Control Technique had reached its peak, so he wanted to buy the cultivation method for the second-tier Fire Control Technique and start practicing. He was now in the mid-stage of Qi Refining and could start practicing second-tier spells.

As for the spell compendium he had bought before, it did contain many second-tier spells, and even some third-tier spells.

But considering the price of two low-grade spirit stones, you could tell how dry its content was!

Xu Mu now only accumulated ten points of Luck value per day, so he had to be frugal. He wanted to buy a detailed and well-annotated spell cultivation manual that would allow him to progress faster and save a lot of Luck value in the early stages.

After entering the bookstore, he quickly found the manual he wanted. However, when he saw something else in the bookstore, he suddenly felt that the manual in his hand was not as appealing.

(End of this chapter)