Longevity Begins With Zongmen Handyman

Chapter 52: Gu Hong Comes to Visit

In the evening, Li An finally returned to the Lingfu Store.

As he expected, despite the reconstruction of the market, the ancient well he chose was indeed very hidden, and the storage bag was safe and sound.

In the quiet night, he counted them.

Currently, in terms of spiritual medicine alone, he already had a second-grade Ethereal Light Lotus, a second-grade Purple Soul Grass, and two second-grade Thousand Spirit Vines!

"I only need two more spiritual medicines to complete the ingredients for the Foundation Building Pill!"

He was quite pleased!

This was also the reason why he was willing to give the Foundation Building Pill from the sect to someone else.

"I am currently only at the sixth level of Qi Refining, still several decades away from Foundation Building... Take it slow."

He was not in a hurry.

The only thing he was worried about now was that the Xuanyang Sect might be invaded by the Demon Cult at any time.

After all, the more he thought about it, the more he felt that the Xuanyang Sect might really have fallen into the trap of the Death Horseman.

If the Death Horseman had really infiltrated the Xuanyang Sect, then his intentions would be clear!

He had always prepared for the worst.

"After all, the Xuanyang Sect is deeply rooted. It is impossible for the Demon Cult to silently shake the Xuanyang Sect. So, before taking action, there will definitely be extraordinary movements... Therefore, I will pay attention to the situation of the Demon Cult in the Dali Realm and the news within the sect!"

"Once there is any abnormality, I will immediately escape!"

He made a decision.

"There may not be many peaceful days left. I have to hurry up and cultivate..."

"The Thunderous Palm is not a bad technique..."

He took out a scroll.

It was a high-grade Yellow-ranked technique rewarded by the sect.

This scroll was considered high-grade within the Xuanyang Sect. Only elders could read it on ordinary days. If Li An hadn't killed the Death Horseman, he wouldn't have had the chance to obtain such a thing in his lifetime within the sect.

Li An also had several other techniques of this level, which were not much different from the Thunderous Palm. But the Thunderous Palm had an advantage: it could be used openly after cultivation!

"I will cultivate the 'Thunderous Palm' first, and then the 'Cold Yin Finger'..."

The Cold Yin Finger was another high-grade Yellow-ranked technique he mastered, with attributes completely opposite to the Thunderous Palm.

The Thunderous Palm was fierce and powerful, while the Cold Yin Finger was gentle and treacherous!

The greatest advantage of the Cold Yin Finger was that it could also refine the Cold Yin Poison!

Li An made this choice for a reason. When facing enemies, he would display the fierce and vigorous Thunderous Palm, and the enemy would naturally think that he was following the path of strength. Who would have thought that he could cultivate a completely opposite and poisonous technique?

Of course, the difficulty of cultivating like this would be very high. Ordinary cultivators would probably be mentally exhausted and achieve nothing.

But Li An had extraordinary spiritual power!

Immediately, Li An began to practice the Thunderous Palm.

"The Thunderous Palm has thirteen moves, each palm is as powerful as the next, and the difficulty of cultivation is not small..."

Almost the entire first half of the night passed, and Li An had only become proficient in the palm technique, but he still hadn't grasped the key to exerting force.

Feeling exhausted, he stopped practicing the Thunderous Palm and walked to the wooden barrel, pouring in fifty catties of molten gold liquid.

He stripped naked and stepped into it.

Activating the Iron Tree Technique.

"Hiss—"

Even though his skin and flesh had become as tough as iron, he still grimaced in pain!

The molten gold liquid seeped into his skin, penetrated his flesh, and then reached his bones, causing his bones to feel like they were being pricked by needles.

...

Five years passed in the blink of an eye in the market.

This year, Li An was already fifty-four years old.

He was still at the sixth level of Qi Refining, but after six years of hard cultivation, he had mastered five moves of the Thunderous Palm and three fingers of the Cold Yin Finger.

"Golden Bones" was partially complete.

At the same time, his proficiency in drawing talismans had further improved. He could almost create first-grade high-ranked talismans as he pleased.

"It's a pity that my cultivation is not enough, otherwise, I could try second-grade talismans..."

He couldn't help but feel regretful.

Creating talismans required the coordination of spiritual energy and mental power. Even though he cultivated the Life-Nurturing Immortal Technique, his spiritual energy was much purer than others, but it would still be extremely difficult to create second-grade runes with the spiritual energy of the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

At least he had to wait until the late stage of Qi Refining to give it a try.

"Li Lang,"

Tan Qingxue walked in. After eight years, there were faint wrinkles on her face.

In these years, she had also taken a Youth-Restoring Pill, but the pill could only delay aging. Now that she was nearly sixty years old, the traces of time were difficult to erase.

Once a beautiful and lively girl in the Talisman Hall, she was now a middle-aged woman, still beautiful, but showing signs of decline.

"Qiu Hui Sister sent another letter, urging me to return to the sect."

As she poured a bowl of spiritual rice porridge for Li An and placed it in front of him, a hint of sadness and melancholy appeared in her eyes.

"It's a good thing. You should go back."

Li An picked up the warm porridge and took a sip.

After the establishment of the Xu Qiuhui Foundation Building, she naturally had a say in the sect and it was not difficult to persuade Tan Qingxue to return.

Li An had always been aware of this matter. Initially, considering the future danger of the sect, he had indirectly dissuaded Tan Qingxue.

But Tan Qingxue's heart seemed to become more and more determined, unwilling to stay in Qingyang Fangshi.

So, he did not try to stop her any further.

Tan Qingxue looked at the man who had been with her for decades. After so many years, he still looked so young, with hardly any change in his appearance.

His expression remained as calm as ever, as if he didn't care about anything.

"Li Lang, I'm turning sixty soon. If I don't have children now, I won't have any in this lifetime..."

There seemed to be a pleading look in her eyes as she looked at Li An.

"I'm sorry."

After Li An finished his porridge and put down the bowl, he only said these words.

A touch of sadness and sorrow appeared in Tan Qingxue's eyes. "Do you hate me? Hate me for not saving you in the Spirit Beast Mountain and for leaving you eight years ago?"

"You don't love me either. You love Sister Qiuhui..."

Li An suddenly said, "Qingxue."

He stared into Tan Qingxue's eyes. "I don't hate you."

"I never loved her either."

"Really."

Tan Qingxue also stared into Li An's eyes. After so many years, she suddenly felt that she saw sincerity in Li An's eyes for the first time.

Her heart was filled with complex emotions. After standing there for a long time, she suddenly approached and hugged Li An gently, kissing his forehead.

"Li Lang, I'm leaving."

"I understand, I understand everything now."

"When you reach higher realms on your path to immortality, I hope you will remember that there was once a woman named Qingxue who accompanied you."

After saying that, she turned and left.

The next morning, Li An silently folded the daily clothes for washing for her, along with a brand new high-grade talisman pen, a protective armor, a pair of cloud shoes, and put them all into a bundle.

These three items were carefully selected magical tools he had chosen in the market, costing 1,600 spirit stones.

"After you return, be careful in everything. I will write to you frequently."

Handing the bundle to Tan Qingxue, Li An instructed her.

Tan Qingxue took the bundle and put it into her storage bag. Standing outside the talisman shop, she suddenly smiled and said, "Junior Brother Li, goodbye."

She had put on light makeup this morning and wore the most beautiful dress, just like in the past.

It seemed that she wanted Li An to see her most beautiful self before parting.

She turned and left, disappearing into the crowd.

...

Watching Tan Qingxue's figure disappear into the bustling street, Li An calmly turned around and meticulously cleaned the talisman shop, arranging the talismans he would sell today, as usual.

...

In the following days, he would write two or three letters to Tan Qingxue every month, maintaining frequent contact.

In the letters, he would inquire about the current situation of the sect, and Tan Qingxue would answer in detail.

For now, the sect was still stable.

But Li An's worries grew deeper. Although he practiced the life-preserving and immortal-casting techniques, progress was slow and he couldn't force it. So, he had to diligently practice the Iron Tree Decision, Thunderous Palm, and Cold Yin Finger.

In the blink of an eye, five more years passed.

Li An was already fifty-nine years old, just one step away from the sixty-year-old milestone.

Most of his peers had already settled down and established their careers, while Li An remained alone, seemingly destined to grow old in solitude. Moreover, at his age, having children was a bit late.

But Li An remained steadfast and calm. His cultivation had finally reached the sixth stage of Qi Refining, and he could now break through to the later stage of Qi Refining.

On this day, he was practicing the Cold Yin Finger in his room.

All ten fingers were immersed in the blue medicinal liquid, and the venom seeped into his skin and flesh. Soon, a small basin of poisonous liquid became crystal clear.

"The Cold Yin Finger has reached a minor completion!"

He was quite satisfied.

"Master Li, Master Li... There's someone looking for you outside!"

At this moment, the apprentice he hired to help in the shop knocked on the door.

"Who?" Li An opened the door, puzzled.

"It's a female customer who insists on seeing you."

Li An was suspicious, but at the same time, he instantly grasped a dozen talismans, ready to attack if the timing was not right.

However, when he saw the visitor inside the shop, he was instantly surprised.

The visitor was none other than Gu Hong, whom he had saved more than a decade ago!

"Master Li, it's been many years!"

Gu Hong smiled faintly. She hadn't aged at all, and her aura was even more astonishing...

She had successfully reached Foundation Building!

...

(End of this chapter)