21. The Young Master, Scholar of Martial Arts

Hoo!

Xie An exhaled a long breath, which transformed into a vast mist of white vapor that shot out a foot in front of him. He wore a look of immense satisfaction and summoned his status panel.

【Current Longevity Trait: Level 1!】
【Five-Animal Frolics: Internal Organ Strengthening (1/100)】
【Fetal Breathing Technique: Three-Form Method (90/100)】
【Remaining Lifespan: 26 Years】

"The Five-Animal Frolics and the Fetal Breathing Technique have made significant progress, but the effect of increasing my lifespan has clearly slowed down quite a bit..."

When he first started practicing the Five-Animal Frolics, the life-extending effects were very obvious. There were even prompts like "Complete practice to extend life by XX years," but those had since vanished. Xie An interpreted this as the difficulty of extending one's life increasing as one progressed.

This aligned with the logic that the older one gets, the closer one moves toward death. Even with the Longevity Trait, defying heaven to extend one's life was no easy task. Still, holding twenty-six years of remaining life in his hands, Xie An was no longer so panicked. As long as he worked hard, he could slowly increase his longevity.

"A Level 1 Longevity Trait... does that mean there is a Level 2?"
"I wonder what kind of miraculous effects a Level 2 Longevity Trait might have."

After more than half a year of arduous training, Xie An’s mind had become increasingly steady and confident, and he was filled with anticipation for the future.

"Let me try the stone lock..."

Xie An walked over to the five-hundred-pound stone lock, gripped the handle with his right hand, and dropped into a horse stance. With a sudden burst of strength, he easily hoisted the five-hundred-pound weight above his head. He did it with little effort, even spinning and swinging it around.

"Conditions at home are limited; I don't have many professional stone locks or other training equipment. A rough estimate is that my one-armed lifting capacity is approaching six hundred pounds. Lifting over a thousand pounds with both arms shouldn't be a problem."

Six hundred pounds with one hand—not even considering the comparison to ordinary people, this was already quite monstrous for a warrior at the Copper Skin Realm, the first barrier of martial arts! Moreover, what Xie An was gaining was not just raw strength, but also speed and stamina. He possessed precise control over his limbs; with this foundation, even if he hadn't formally practiced martial arts, he already possessed considerable combat power.

Xie An felt that with his current self, even if he encountered a warrior who had just entered the Copper Skin Realm, he could easily defeat them through sheer force. For an old man who didn't practice martial arts to reach this level simply by relying on health-cultivation techniques was absurd.

The only regret was that Xie An hadn't started formal martial arts training yet. It wasn't that he didn't want to; it was primarily a lack of funds. Every bit of silver he had was barely enough to purchase his unique medicinal formulas, let alone the costs of martial arts training. Buying a manual cost over a dozen taels of silver just to get started. Following that, one needed to purchase various medicinal supplements, each prescription costing over a dozen taels, and they had to be taken regularly. Then there was the cost of seeking a master to teach him... it was simply beyond what Xie An could afford at this stage.

"What I lack... is still money!" Xie An sighed.

*Knock, knock, knock.*

A hurried knocking sounded at the door. Xie An put down the stone lock, put on his clothes, and went to open the door to find He Chunli standing there, face glowing with excitement. "Master, the master of the Li household is hosting New Year's Eve dinner tonight. He told us all to come over."

Xie An was curious. "In previous years, the master only rewarded us with a few smashed copper coins and told the kitchen to add a few bowls of meat. What's different this year?"

He Chunli replied, "I heard the eldest young master passed the county exam, the prefecture exam, and the academy exam in succession. He earned the title of 'Martial Scholar' in one go. Master Li is overjoyed this year. He said he’s going to give us servants a raise in our New Year's money."

Xie An clicked his tongue in secret. The eldest young master of the Li household certainly had some talent. The imperial examinations of the Great Qian Dynasty were similar to the ancient times of his previous life, with the difference that the Great Qian valued martial arts; the imperial examinations covered both literature and martial arts, with perhaps even more emphasis on the latter.

Take the civil service exams, for instance: an ordinary person who passed the county exam gained the status of a 'child scholar,' and society would acknowledge them as a man of letters. Those who passed the county exam became eligible for the prefecture exam, and passing that followed by the academy exam granted the title of 'scholar' and the opportunity to study at the Imperial Academy. A scholar was the most basic academic rank—they were exempt from grain taxes and did not have to kneel before officials. Becoming a scholar granted eligibility for the provincial exam, and those who passed became 'elevated men.' This was a major achievement, definitely a way to bring honor to one's ancestors; generally, one could become an eighth-rank official, and with the right connections, a seventh-rank position was well within reach. One could also continue to take the metropolitan exam to strive for the rank of 'presented scholar.'

The path for the martial examinations was the same. In a small place like Wuqiao Town, producing a Martial Scholar was truly an honor. If the young master passed the provincial exam and pulled a few strings, he could be a county magistrate while still young. No wonder the master of the Li house was so excited.

Thinking of this, Xie An couldn't help but sigh. Society valued the young. If he were thirty years younger, he could also participate in the martial examinations. Wouldn't getting the title of Martial Scholar be easy? Give himself a few more years, and becoming an elevated man wouldn't be a problem either. How nice it would be to be a county magistrate!

The civil exams had no age restrictions, but the martial exams did. An eighteen-year-old Martial Scholar had a bright future ahead of him. But a fifty-year-old Martial Scholar... in the eyes of the Great Qian royalty, he was meaningless. It wasn't worth investing in him. If he didn't have many years left to live, how could he charge into the battlefield? How could he contribute to the country? Since society looked down on the elderly, Xie An could only choose to drift into the world of martial arts sects...

Damn this world, it was so unfriendly to the old.

Xie An didn't let He Chunli see his inner thoughts, and he wore a smile. "The young master becoming a scholar is a great thing. I'll change my clothes and go. By the way, where is Han Li?"

Three months ago, Xie An's other apprentice, Han Li, had returned to work at the pawnshop. Han Li didn't have a great background, but he was quick, handled matters appropriately, and was clever. Having him and He Chunli in the pawnshop saved Xie An a great deal of time.

"Master, are you calling me?"

A sturdy young man, about one meter seventy in height, poked his head out from the back door of the pawnshop and trotted over, face full of smiles. "Oh, Master, your spirit is getting better and better; it feels like you're being rejuvenated."

Compared to He Chunli's dull honesty, Han Li’s mind was much more flexible. In truth, he was better suited to take over the shop. However, Xie An felt more affection for He Chunli, perhaps because he had served him so diligently while he was ill.

Xie An smiled. "It's almost dark. Go count the pawn tickets and items. Let's close up early and head to the Li house for the New Year's Eve dinner."

"You got it. Little He, let's go, time to work." Han Li pulled He Chunli away to get to work.

...

At dusk, Xie An closed the pawnshop and took his two apprentices out, heading toward the Li residence. Bright red lanterns hung from the shopfronts on both sides of the streets in Wuqiao Town. Shopkeepers and clerks had already pasted up spring couplets and set off firecrackers, looking forward to a bountiful harvest and good luck in the coming year. Some mischievous children were tossing firecrackers at each other in the street, chasing and running, creating a lively atmosphere. Even though it was a small town, it was full of festive New Year spirit.

Han Li draped an arm over He Chunli’s shoulder, pointed at two children throwing firecrackers ahead, and laughed loudly. "Little He, remember? When we first became apprentices, we used to throw firecrackers like that too. You were beaten by me until you were begging for mercy on the ground."

He Chunli snorted. "That was only because you stuffed a fake firecracker into my pants to scare me. Otherwise, there’s no way I would have admitted defeat."

"Hahaha... how about we go buy some firecrackers and have another go?"

*Ahem.*

Xie An spoke up appropriately. "Eat first. We can talk about playing with firecrackers later."

Han Li stuck out his tongue. "Since Master said so, I'll let you off for now. Consider yourself lucky."

He Chunli said, "As long as you don't play dirty, who's afraid of whom?"

"Good, that's exactly what I wanted to hear."

When they arrived at the Li residence, it was adorned with red lanterns and colorful cloth, with red carpets everywhere. Four large tables were set up for the banquet in the main hall. The three of them were servants, so naturally, they sat at the very end. The food on their table wasn't as good as that of the masters, and even their tables and stools were a head shorter, displaying the clear distinction between master and servant. Even so, for the three of them, this was a rare and lavish feast.

Chen Yuan was not of servant status, so he naturally sat at the table with the masters. And while Lady Chunlan was a head maid, she still had to sit at Xie An’s table. In this world, the hierarchy was strict, and it was reflected in every detail.

Han Li and He Chunli didn't think much of it and just buried their heads in eating. Xie An, however, was thinking: I must take advantage of this New Year festival to mention the matter of redeeming my status to Master Li.