Chapter 10: To achieve longevity, keep your feet on the ground
Outside the servants' quarters.
Luo Fang paced back and forth, waiting anxiously.
"How strange. With Bi's current martial arts skills, even in a real fight, he should have a sure thing to win the position of guard."
Why am I so uneasy and anxious? Is it because of that thieving brat Li Xian who suddenly appeared?
He pinched his chin, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Oh, I was overthinking it."
"Once my nephew becomes a bodyguard, my uncle and I will be even more secure in our positions. Hehe, as long as we don't provoke my wife's friends in the martial arts world, we'll live a very comfortable life."
Thinking of this, a smile appeared on his face. After a moment, footsteps sounded, and someone walked towards them.
But it stopped a few feet away, hidden behind the artificial hill, and didn't come any closer.
Luo Fang called out, "Nephew? Is that you?"
"Uncle Luo."
Bi Hao's voice rang out.
"Good nephew, why are you hiding? Hurry up and tell Uncle Luo how you won!"
"What form does this guard selection competition take? And... have you gained the favor of the powerful?"
Luo Fang followed the sound, but before he could see Bi Hao, all the questions in his mind had already been voiced.
"The move competition... is... is in the form of a ring match." Bi Hao avoided the main point, his heart filled with unease.
"Wonderful!"
Luo Fang clapped his hands and laughed loudly, "The arena format is your strength. I was worried that if it were a contest of endurance or strength, your martial arts skills wouldn't be fully utilized."
"I've seen your Three Talents Fist Technique; it's extremely solid. Hahaha, Commander Pang, do you have any words of praise for it?"
“My nephew Bi Hao is truly qualified to be a guard!”
At this point, they finally met Bi Hao, who was covered in blood and looked utterly disheveled.
I was stunned for a moment.
"Nephew Bi, you...you..."
"Uncle Luo, that Li Xian is too cunning. He risked his life to tear off my scalp."
Bi Hao's expression was strange, his eyes darting around, and he spoke weakly.
"I knew it! Those lowly bastards, faced with a chance to turn their lives around, will definitely fight tooth and nail for it." Luo Fang laughed heartily, unconcerned. "It was a bit of a mess, but winning is good, winning is good..."
"We didn't win." Bi Hao's voice was as faint as a mosquito's wing.
"No..." Luo Fang's expression froze, incredulous. "Nothing?"
Bi Hao went all out, closed his eyes, and said truthfully, "Uncle Luo, actually I... I didn't win, it was that Li Xian who won."
"You didn't win!?"
Luo Fang took three steps closer, his eyes filled with murderous intent. The warmth of the past was completely gone.
“Say it again. Good nephew, don’t joke like that. This is no joke.”
"Uncle Luo, we really...we didn't win."
The moment he finished speaking, a slap landed on his face.
His ears immediately started ringing.
Before he could react, he was kicked in the abdomen and sent flying a good distance.
Without uttering a word, Luo Fang slapped Bi Hao twenty times in a row, swelling his cheeks and knocking out several teeth.
"Useless piece of trash!"
"You drank my precious soup, and you're telling me you didn't win!"
"Can't even beat a menial servant."
"I really want to kill you, you little bastard. How could your mother give birth to such a piece of trash?"
...
"Li Xian, do you live in Louping Lane, Qingning County?"
Pang Longxing walked ahead, recalling information about Li Xian.
"Yes." Li Xian nodded, taking light steps so as not to make any extra noise.
Pang Long nodded slightly and said:
"You have passed the guard recruitment test. From now on, you will no longer be a menial servant, but a regular guard of Yihe Manor."
"But there is one thing I need to remind you of. Although we guards have better pay and benefits than the servants, we are still, in the end, the lady's servants."
"One must be loyal to one's duties and not be arrogant or domineering. Is that even possible?"
Li Xiandao said, "Of course I can do it."
But in his heart he thought that the rules were good, but people's hearts are complicated, and very few people could actually do the simple rule of "not being arrogant and domineering".
"You must be hungry after the fight. Let me take you to the vegetarian restaurant in the manor first, and I'll slowly explain the rules to you."
Pang Long spoke in a gentle tone.
He showed great interest in the frail Li Xian.
If he wasn't mistaken, in the arena competition just now, Li Xian deliberately concealed his true strength to make his opponent underestimate him, and then won decisively at the last moment.
At first, they even fooled him, thinking he was just a handyman with nothing but brute strength.
After walking for about a mile, we arrived at a pavilion.
The plaque reads: "Shizhailou".
This building was specifically provided for guards, so many guards passed by in the surrounding area.
"The Giant Man".
...
The guards greeted him respectfully, and Pang Long nodded slightly.
After taking his seat, Pang Long gently waved his hand and said, "Bring two servings of Class D food."
"Mr. Pang, are you also eating 'Class D' meals'?" the cook asked.
“Of course.” Pang Long nodded.
Before long, two dishes of food were served on the table.
Li Xian's mouth watered at the sight of the three dishes and one soup, one meat dish and two vegetable dishes.
The meat dish is "braised pork chunks in oil," each piece about two fingers thick, and there are three pieces in total.
And it wasn't lean meat, but rather streaky pork with alternating layers of fat and lean meat. The surface was glistening with oil.
Ordinary menial laborers would never be able to afford a decent meal in their entire lives.
The two vegetarian dishes were boiled bean sprouts and stir-fried radish with shredded greens. The presentation was so-so, but they were generously seasoned with oil and salt, giving them a glossy sheen.
That takes a lot of strength!
It can hardly be considered a delicacy.
But in this world, it's already a rare treat to be able to eat a meal like this.
"Eat up, this is a normal meal for the nursing staff."
"A bodyguard... to put it simply, a bodyguard is someone who helps the lady look after the house. If you don't have some martial arts skills, you can't protect the house."
"So, once you join the guards, you won't have to do any chores or trivial matters. But you still need to practice martial arts. Martial artists can't be careless when it comes to food."
Pang Long took out wooden chopsticks and poured the rice, meat, and vegetables into the soup.
After stirring, slurp it down the side of the bowl, eating the soup, rice, vegetables, and meat all at once.
In just a few breaths, he had eaten half of it.
Instead of eating, Li Xian asked, "Practicing martial arts?"
Pang Long didn't answer, but instead gulped down his food in one go. This way of eating was truly unique; he ate as if he were drinking water.
The food was devoured with a touch of refinement. The bowl was emptied completely, leaving it spotless and requiring no further rinsing.
Then he replied:
“Every newcomer is interested in martial arts.”
"I have no obligation to answer your questions about martial arts. But since you are new here, I will allow you to ask me three related questions."
Pang Long added, "Ask anything related to martial arts."
Li Xian's eyes lit up. This Commander Pang Long was different from Luo Fang and the others.
At least for now, it seems very different, very rule-bound.
"Three questions?"
Since Pang Long said to ask whatever he wanted, Li Xian thought there was no need to be too reserved and asked, "Can practicing martial arts increase lifespan and make people live forever?"
Li Xian has just arrived in this world and is currently in dire straits. How could he dare to seek immortality?
The purpose of asking this question is to quickly understand the outline of martial arts.
Pang Long was taken aback and looked at Li Xian with surprise. He wondered why such a question would come from the mouth of a servant.
"This kid is really interesting. As a menial servant, he was never well-fed or clothed. But after becoming a guard, his first question was about whether martial arts could grant immortality?"
Pang Long said, "Of course."
Instead of offering a detailed explanation, he observed Li Xian's expression. Seeing no fervor or excitement on his face, he realized that Li Xian was not overly ambitious.
It was pure curiosity.
After a moment's consideration, Li Xian asked, "Is there a way within ten miles?"
Pang Long's gaze was complicated. This time, he neither said "yes" nor "no," but replied, "It's harder than ascending to heaven."
"You have one last question left."
After asking his two questions, Li Xian had a general understanding of the martial arts world.
Extraordinary, mysterious... and that Mrs. Zhuang was the one who had grasped the essence of this art.
For the last question, Li Xian let her imagination run wild. She recalled the many stories and novels she had read in her past life.
They all share a common characteristic: they increase their strength by absorbing some kind of energy from the air.
Or it could be vital energy, fighting spirit, or spiritual energy...
Could it be that this world is also like this? Is there a similar substance in the air that can be used to strengthen martial artists through breathing?
So he asked, "Is martial arts about sensing and utilizing some invisible force in the air?"
"Ahem." Pang Long looked Li Xian up and down with a puzzled expression. "I don't know where you got this idea from."
"But I can give you a clear answer. Your idea... is too far-fetched. Air is just air, what mysterious power does it have?"
As he spoke, he almost burst out laughing.
This kid is really interesting; his ideas are quite different and rather unconventional.
Li Xian pondered, "Without spiritual energy and primordial energy, where would extraordinary power and longevity come from?"
I was extremely curious.
I'm reminded of the [essence] that was brewed in the village a while ago.
Is this item related to the supernatural?
Unfortunately, that level is too far away for him for the time being.
Fortunately, I've escaped being a menial laborer, and life will be even better from now on!
One must take things one step at a time!
(End of this chapter)
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