Chapter 43: Chapter 43: An Origin Lifespan of 200 Years?

The handsome young man was the Second Senior Brother of the Martial Arts Hall, Shao Jianbo.

He nodded and said, "No need for formalities. Eat and drink as you please. We’re all family here!"

Jiang Che first toasted his Master and Senior Brother Shao before burying his head in his food.

’Are you kidding me? These dishes looked expensive. After spending one hundred silver, I had to eat enough to get my money’s worth.’

Jiang Che started with a shrimp dish. The meat was firm and springy. The simple boiled preparation left no trace of fishiness, making it incredibly fresh and sweet. It was cooked to perfection—not tough or dry. After eating it, he felt a faint warmth spread through his belly.

He then tried a dish of some unknown steamed fish. The head and tail had been removed, leaving only the middle section, which was skinned and deboned. A light touch from his chopsticks was enough to separate a piece. As he ate it, he found it was also exquisitely fresh and tender. The warmth in his belly intensified.

Jiang Che was rather shocked.

The Qi Blood-replenishing effect of these dishes was even stronger than Low-Grade Exotic Beast Meat! Not only that, but the flavor was also incomparable to what one would find in an ordinary restaurant. This meal had been prepared with great care and at a great expense.

He had heard that such fish and shrimp were called Treasure Fish and Treasure Shrimp and were extremely rare.

Of course, their price was also exorbitant. He never expected the Shao Mansion to serve them at a banquet!

"All of these dishes replenish Qi Blood. If you like them, Junior Brother Jiang, I can have the kitchen prepare a portion for you to take home."

Shao Jianbo, who was drinking with their Master, said this casually after catching a glimpse of Jiang Che’s expression.

"Ah, I couldn’t possibly!" Jiang Che hastily refused.

The food was indeed excellent, but Jiang Che wasn’t so thick-skinned as to eat his fill and take some home too.

"Why are you being so polite with me? Do you have any idea how much food the kitchen prepares? They make more than we can eat, and we end up throwing a lot of it away on any given day!

"If you’re feeling awkward, I’ll just have someone deliver it straight to your house. There, it’s decided! You’re not allowed to defy your Senior Brother’s word!"

His tone was part command and part jest, leaving one with no idea how to refuse.

Jiang Che found it hard to refuse any longer.

"Then thank you, Senior Brother!"

Luo Kun was downing one cup after another. Seemingly drunk, he squinted at Jiang Che and suddenly said:

"Jiang Che, you rascal, why haven’t you brought Ling’er to the Martial Arts Hall to play? Do you two find this old man a nuisance?!"

Jiang Che quickly put down the leg of some unknown bird he was holding and said:

"Master, I forgot about that. It’s my fault, my fault! I’ll bring Ling’er to the Martial Arts Hall tomorrow!"

"Hmph, don’t try to fool me! I know you all look down on me for being old!" Luo Kun complained, his face flushed.

Jiang Che didn’t know how to respond. He had never seen his Master act like this.

He was no longer stern or stone-faced. Instead, he was like any other drunken old man, using the liquor as an excuse to start rambling.

For some reason, Jiang Che found this version of his Master much more approachable.

And so, Luo Kun began to speak, as if to himself.

"When my daughter was Ling’er’s age, she was so well-behaved. She’d cling to me every day, calling ’Daddy, Daddy.’

"Sometimes I’d be training and wouldn’t have time to play with her, so I’d buy her a tanghulu."

Speaking of his daughter, the smile on his face deepened.

"Sigh... but time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, she was married. She used to come back often, but ever since my wife passed away, she hasn’t been home in a long time."

His tone grew somber.

"And that husband of hers is a good-for-nothing!

"Every time my daughter comes home, she just cries and asks me for money. She never says what’s wrong... I can only worry myself sick."

He grew angrier the more he spoke.

"Sigh... For now, with the Martial Arts Hall and my other businesses, I can give my daughter whatever she asks for. But what will she do when I’m gone?"

As he spoke, his eyes began to well with tears.

Jiang Che didn’t know how to react. He glanced at Shao Jianbo, who handled the situation with practiced ease. He patted his Master’s back, quickly handed him a handkerchief that seemed to appear from nowhere, and then offered a cup of hot tea. Clearly, he was very familiar with this routine.

"Master, you’re still hale and hearty. Why say such unlucky things? Besides, you still have us disciples! If you need anything, all you have to do is say the word!"

Luo Kun suddenly grabbed Shao Jianbo’s hand and said:

"Jianbo, do you know? You are the disciple with the best chance of breaking through to Force Integration. I have always hoped to send you to the Cangyun Sect, but why are you so reluctant to go?"

"Master, you make it sound as if I can break through just because I want to. What if I fail?"

"Besides, I’m perfectly happy spending my days eating, drinking, and having fun. What’s not to like about this life? Why on earth would I have to go to the Cangyun Sect? Don’t you agree?"

Shao Jianbo said with a playful grin.

"You... you..." Luo Kun pointed at Shao Jianbo, furious at his lack of ambition.

"Sigh! Don’t you know? The Cangyun Sect is a place of Cultivation! If you become a Cultivated True Master, your Origin Lifespan can reach two hundred years!"

"How many years can you keep up this life of pleasure? Countless people wish they could enter a Sect and are denied the chance. You’re being a fool!"

When Jiang Che heard Luo Kun’s words, he was so shocked that he didn’t even notice the piece of meat that fell from his chopsticks onto the table.

’Cultivation?!’

’That stuff actually exists in this world?’

’Become a Cultivated True Master and your Origin Lifespan can reach two hundred years?’

’Is that for real?!’

Seeing Jiang Che’s reaction, Shao Jianbo quickly laughed and said, "Master’s drunk, he’s just spouting nonsense, haha."

"I’m not drunk!" Luo Kun roared.

"As long as you reach Force Integration, I can recommend you! It’s only Force Integration, what’s there to be afraid of?!

"It’s not like we don’t have Vein-Protecting Pills. If you fail, you just try again. With your Talent, you’re bound to succeed eventually!"

Shao Jianbo’s expression turned serious. "Master, I know the Cangyun Sect is incredible, but I have my own reasons. Please, don’t force me."

Luo Kun’s eyes suddenly cleared, and he no longer seemed drunk. He stared at Shao Jianbo for a long moment before sighing.

"Fine, fine. So be it."

Then, he began to sullenly down one cup of wine after another.

After a few more drinks, he slumped onto the table and began to snore. This time, he seemed to be truly drunk.

"Haha, our Master is drunk and spouting nonsense. Junior Brother, don’t take it to heart."

Shao Jianbo said with a laugh.

"Yeah, I never thought Master could joke like that," Jiang Che replied with a smile of his own.

By unspoken agreement, neither of them brought up what had just happened.

"I’m going to take Master to rest. Junior Brother Jiang, you take your time and eat."

"Alright. Take care, Senior Brother Shao."

Shao Jianbo helped Luo Kun up and left the main hall.

After settling his Master in a side room, Shao Jianbo quietly slipped out and closed the door.

He didn’t return to the main hall, but went to the shore of a quiet lake instead.

It was a small, man-made lake with a pavilion built in its center.

A small, swan-shaped boat was moored at the shore. His younger sister found it too childish and would never ride in it, but Shao Jianbo was quite fond of it. Whenever the pressure became too much and he had no other outlet, he would come here. He would sit in the small boat, letting it drift freely across the lake, and pretend he was adrift on the open sea, possessing infinite freedom.

At this moment, however, he just sat dazedly on the shore, his eyes fixed on the lake’s surface, his thoughts a mystery.

After a long while, he let out a heavy sigh.

In the eyes of outsiders, the Shao Mansion’s prestige was limitless. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

But he knew that undercurrents were surging in Lin Yuan City.

Openly opposing the Shao Mansion was the Zhao Family, another of the Five Great Noble Families.

And that wasn’t to mention the other powers secretly working against them in the shadows.

The Shao Family’s businesses, such as their Escort Agency, Pharmacy, and Rice Shop, had all been secretly sabotaged by these people.

On top of that, the old patriarch in the imperial court was nearing the age of retirement.

When that happened, the Shao Family would become a juicy piece of meat, ready to be devoured at any moment!