Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

Song Changsheng relied on the concealing properties of his black robe to weave through the crowd, shaking off all the followers he sensed. He then cautiously circled the Marketplace a few more times before finding a hidden spot to remove the robe and return to the Treasure Hunting Pavilion. He was being extremely careful...

Shortly after he returned, in a tavern northwest of the Treasure Hunting Pavilion, a mysterious figure wearing a strangely patterned robe and a silver human-faced mask sat down by a second-floor window.

The window was diagonally across from the Treasure Hunting Pavilion. His arm rested on the windowsill, his eyes, glinting with a cold light, stared quietly out the window, his thoughts a mystery.

A waiter from the tavern came over to the mysterious man and asked enthusiastically, "What can I get for you, sir?"

The mysterious man turned his head. The waiter’s body instantly stiffened, and a bloody hue began to creep over his eyes, but just as quickly, they returned to normal.

"Just a pot of wine," the mysterious man said, his voice hoarse.

"Certainly. Please wait a moment."

The waiter, seemingly unaware of what had just happened, hurried downstairs to fetch the wine.

The mysterious man drank his pot of wine until sunset before leaving. For the rest of the evening, however, the waiter would periodically stand before the windowsill, staring blankly outside.

If one were to look closely at his pupils, one could faintly see wisps of red light—an incredibly bizarre sight...

Song Changsheng waited for three days before receiving another message from Zhu Yiqun. This time, he brought good news: the senior Loose Cultivator who possessed the Heart Protection Pill had agreed to meet him.

However, the location was to be decided by the other party. Likely for safety reasons, the chosen spot was also within the Marketplace—a Spirit Medicine Market with high foot traffic.

As was his custom, he first informed Song Luyuan, then concealed his tracks and made his way to the agreed-upon location: a spirit medicine stall tucked away in a corner.

Other stalls, if not exactly swarmed with people, at least had a few customers browsing. This stall, however, was different. For a long while, no one had come to buy any Spirit Medicine. It was unusually desolate.

As Song Changsheng approached, he instantly understood why. The items at this stall were ridiculously expensive; anyone in their right mind wouldn’t buy from him.

His attention wasn’t on the Spirit Medicines, however. He quietly observed the stall owner sitting cross-legged behind the stall. He was a middle-aged Cultivator with a dignified air, but his face was deathly pale, completely devoid of color.

He wore a faded blue Daoist robe, washed nearly white, and was resting with his eyes closed, exuding a "keep your distance" aura.

Judging by appearances alone, this person certainly didn’t seem to be an Evil Demon.

Song Changsheng discreetly clutched the Talisman Song Luhuai had given him and said in a calm tone, "Senior, by choosing a place like this, don’t you think you’re drawing a bit too much attention?"

The stall owner slowly opened his eyes. Although his complexion was poor, his eyes were bright and piercing, like lanterns in the dead of night, shining brilliantly.

"A crowd can also be a form of cover," the stall owner’s voice was calm and steady, but it couldn’t hide its underlying weakness. "That person’s tracking methods are formidable. I can smell his aura on you. You’ve already been targeted by him."

Song Changsheng was startled by his words and quickly scanned his surroundings from the corner of his eye, but he didn’t notice anything amiss.

"No need to look. This place is crowded and chaotic, and the various Spirit Medicines here create interference. His little pets won’t notice us so quickly," the stall owner said, casually fiddling with the Spirit Medicines in front of him.

"Who is that person?"

The stall owner glanced up at him and replied, "His name is Feng Wuming. He is a highly skilled Gu Master."

"A Gu Master?" Song Changsheng’s pupils dilated. Gu Master was an extremely obscure profession, and one that was universally despised. Their methods of inflicting Gu were impossible to guard against. One moment of carelessness and you could fall prey to them. No one was willing to associate with such dangerous individuals.

"You’d best be careful for a while. Don’t come into contact with strangers. Once you’re implanted with a Gu, even if you don’t die, you’ll be skinned alive," the stall owner said nonchalantly.

Song Changsheng frowned slightly but didn’t lose his composure. He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for the warning, Senior."

"Just some idle chatter." The stall owner gave a slight smile and extended his hand toward Song Changsheng. "You’ve met me as you wished. Where is what I want?"

Song Changsheng took out the stone and, staring into the stall owner’s eyes, asked, "This stone... it doesn’t seem like an object of the Righteous Dao. Would it be convenient for you to tell me what it is, Senior?"

This was an incredibly impolite, even offensive, question to ask, especially considering he was facing a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

He only had the courage to ask because they were in the Marketplace; he wouldn’t have dared to do so outside.

The stall owner glanced at him and said flatly, "This is an Exotic Stone that Feng Wuming nourished with his blood using a Secret Technique. It can attract Poisonous Insects. I need it to lure out the Poisonous Insect inside my body.

"In essence, it is an evil object. It’s normal for you to feel that way."

"Senior, have you never considered that this might be a poisoned lure?"

The stall owner smiled. "Feng Wuming has been searching for me for years. He only knows that I am in Daqi, but not my specific location. So, he intends to use this item to draw me out.

"For the past few years, whenever this item has been auctioned off somewhere, he has deliberately leaked the news. He knows I need this item and that once I hear of it, I won’t be able to give up on it.

"The lure may be poisoned, but I naturally have my own way of dealing with it. You need not trouble yourself over it, little friend."

The stall owner’s words were more or less what Song Changsheng had guessed, which only made him more curious about the man’s identity. So many Treasure Appraisers at the Eight Directions Pavilion couldn’t identify it, yet he knew it in such detail. ’Could it be that he and that Feng Wuming are cut from the same cloth?’

"This contains the Heart Protection Pill. Little friend, it’s time you gave me the item," the stall owner said, taking a Purple Jade Bottle from his robes and placing it before Song Changsheng.

The man had been this cooperative; if Song Changsheng were to push his luck any further, he would truly be overreaching. He quickly handed the stone and the remaining Spirit Stones to the stall owner.

Both parties inspected their goods and confirmed everything was in order. The stall owner then slowly rose to his feet and said, "Little friend, you’ve done me a great favor. I’ll give you a piece of advice: be wary of anyone wearing a silver mask."

After speaking, the stall owner packed up his stall and vanished into the crowd.

"I’ll just have to deal with whatever comes my way," Song Changsheng murmured to himself, looking at the Purple Jade Bottle in his hand.

He had essentially taken on the man’s disaster this time. Being targeted by a Gu Cultivator was indeed a very dangerous matter, but he didn’t regret it. It was simply an equal exchange.

He wasn’t actually worried about the Gu Master. The Primordial Qi he had accumulated for so many years was not just for show.

Song Changsheng also blended into the crowd and disappeared...

Some time after they had both left, an inconspicuous black insect arrived at the spot where they had met. The insect circled the place where the stall owner had been sitting cross-legged a few times before landing.

Feng Wuming strolled over. Sensing the auras of the two individuals, he frowned slightly and said to himself, "The qi-based link is broken. It seems he discovered the backup plan I left behind. A miscalculation.

"It seems I’ll have to start with the other person."

...