Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

But that wasn’t why Song Changsheng lost his composure. The reason he couldn’t tear his eyes away was that Zhuang Yuechan wasn’t wearing her veil today, revealing the stunningly beautiful face beneath.

Time flew by. It had been nearly ten years since the two first met in the Liuyun Marketplace, yet this was the first time Song Changsheng had ever seen Zhuang Yuechan’s true face.

It wasn’t that he had never seen beautiful women before. Both Xia Qingxue and Xia Wanyun were rare, peerless beauties.

Zhuang Yuechan didn’t possess Xia Qingxue’s cold and aloof temperament, nor did she have Xia Wanyun’s captivating allure. She was like a lotus emerging from the water, giving off a fresh and unworldly feeling. She had a powerful appeal that made one unable to resist stealing another glance.

Of course, his was purely an appreciation for her beauty, unmixed with any impure thoughts.

Even so, Zhuang Yuechan found his gaze hard to bear. Yet, for some unknown reason, she didn’t say anything to remind him or try to divert his attention.

She just lowered her eyelids and stared at the floor beneath her feet, as if a peerless Heart Method was carved upon it.

Song Changsheng didn’t know the purpose of her visit, and he couldn’t very well speak before she did. He could only watch her in silence. ’A beauty is right in front of me; it’d be a waste not to look. It’s not like I’m some "perfect gentleman," after all.’

The two of them sat there in silence, and the atmosphere grew somewhat awkward.

After a long while, it was Zhuang Yuechan who could no longer bear the silence. She cleared her throat to break the tension, then looked at Song Changsheng and said softly, "My senior brother told me everything that happened in the cavern. We were lucky to have you this time. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Hearing this, Song Changsheng subconsciously rubbed his nose. His reasons for staying behind hadn’t been so pure. Although he considered himself a follower of the Righteous Dao and acted according to his conscience, he knew he wasn’t the type to fight a Purple Mansion Cultivator to the death just to "exorcise demons and defend the Dao."

The reason he had stayed to help Yinn Shang and the others that day was simply to eliminate the threat of Dongtian Xie. After all, if what he had done back then got out, it would have had a terrible impact on both his own reputation and that of the Song Clan.

Saving Yinn Shang and the others was just a convenient byproduct. If it had been anyone else, he might have slipped away long ago. Facing a Purple Mansion Cultivator, running away wasn’t shameful—not running was what was stupid.

Of course, Song Changsheng intended to take these complicated motives to his grave. Hearing Zhuang Yuechan’s words, he replied humbly, "I just got lucky and managed to break Dongtian Xie’s Secret Technique. The main force that confronted him head-on was still Brother Yin, Brother Niu, and the others. If it were just me, I’m afraid I would have died at his hands long ago."

"In a life-and-death battle, there’s no such thing as luck." Zhuang Yuechan shook her head slightly, then looked into Song Changsheng’s eyes and said in a low voice, "I came looking for you today, Fellow Daoist, because several of my elders heard what happened and would like to meet you to thank you in person. I wonder if you are available?"

For some reason, Zhuang Yuechan’s heart was pounding with nervousness.

Hearing the word "elders," however, Song Changsheng misunderstood. He shot to his feet excitedly and said, "The Great City Lord summons me? How could this junior possibly refuse?"

The moment he said this, Zhuang Yuechan knew he had misunderstood. She quickly waved her hands and said, "My Master is still in a meeting with the other Masters. The ones who want to see you are a few other elders..."

Hearing this, Song Changsheng’s excitement immediately cooled. He guessed that the elders Zhuang Yuechan mentioned were probably the other two City Lords.

He could feel that Zhan Tianxia was prejudiced against him, so he wasn’t keen on meeting him. It never led to anything good.

He had met the Third City Lord once and gotten an unapproachable vibe from her. On top of that, he still hadn’t delivered the message that Elder Xiao had asked him to pass on to his grandfather. The two of them seemed close, and if she were to ask about it, he wouldn’t be able to explain himself.

Therefore, the thought of dealing with those two made him a little apprehensive.

But he couldn’t refuse her good intentions. He could only reply, "Since they are your elders, Fellow Daoist, they are naturally my elders as well. When an elder summons, how could a junior not obey? Please lead the way, Fellow Daoist."

Zhuang Yuechan’s cheeks flushed slightly. She nodded and said, "Then please follow me, Fellow Daoist."

Song Changsheng followed Zhuang Yuechan toward a bamboo forest when suddenly, a flute hanging at her waist caught his attention.

’That looks like the Magical Artifact Elder Xiao asked me to refine. Why does Fellow Daoist Zhuang have it?’ A trace of doubt flashed through Song Changsheng’s mind. ’Come to think of it, that was my very first creation after becoming a Tier Two Refiner. I can’t believe I’m seeing it again after all these years.’

’Right, Elder Xiao is from Luoxia City. This item isn’t very useful to her, so it’s perfectly normal for her to bestow it upon a junior.’

At this thought, Song Changsheng’s steps suddenly faltered, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. ’The elder Zhuang Yuechan mentioned... it couldn’t be Elder Xiao, could it?’

Connecting these dots, Song Changsheng instantly grew apprehensive. After all, he had accepted a favor from her but had yet to complete the task he’d promised.

"Fellow Daoist Song?" Noticing that his footsteps had stopped, Zhuang Yuechan turned her head in confusion.

"It’s nothing, I just remembered something," Song Changsheng said, waving his hands dismissively. Then, his heart filled with trepidation, he followed her.

Their destination was a four-cornered pavilion in the center of the bamboo forest. In the middle of the pavilion was a stone table where a man and a woman were playing a game of Go.

Next to the pavilion was a pond filled with blooming pink lotuses. A woman with a graceful figure stood on the bank, her almond-shaped eyes quietly watching the koi fish swimming beneath the lotus leaves.

When he saw the woman by the pond, Song Changsheng’s heart sank completely.

’Just my luck,’ Song Changsheng thought with a wry smile, but he still dutifully followed Zhuang Yuechan forward to pay his respects.

"Seniors, this is the Fellow Daoist Song I mentioned to you," Zhuang Yuechan said as she first approached the pavilion to introduce him to the two Cultivators.

"Junior Song Changsheng greets you, Seniors." Song Changsheng stepped forward and bowed, his gaze respectfully lowered.

"So you’re that kid from the Song Clan? Not yet thirty, Late-stage Foundation Establishment, a Yin Yang Dao Foundation, practicing both Array and Artifact Cultivation, a physique comparable to a Spiritual Artifact, and I hear you’ve even comprehended Sword Intent.

"It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a well-rounded young man. Truly, the new generation surpasses the old. Your grandfather was a far cry from you."

The man in white robes said with great interest, looking Song Changsheng up and down.

"You flatter me, Elder Bai. This junior is just a jack of all trades," Song Changsheng replied calmly with a cupped-fist salute. ’Over the years, my background has been thoroughly investigated. With his status, it’s not strange for him to know all this.’

The man in white robes smiled upon hearing this. "You know who I am?"

"Few in the Southwest are unfamiliar with your story, Elder." Song Changsheng smiled faintly. ’Blood Robe Asura, Bai Zhengchun. His name alone is enough to stop a child from crying at night.’

"Heh, an interesting kid. Then how about you guess who she is," Bai Zhengchun said with a chuckle, gesturing to the woman in the red dress playing against him.

The woman, hearing this, also turned to look at him with a gentle smile.

Without a second thought, Song Changsheng cupped his hands and said, "You must be Elder Shen."

"Did Chan’Er tell you?" Shen Qingxiu asked, a gentle smile gracing her face as she placed a stone on the Go board.

"This junior guessed."

’Another dangerous one,’ Song Changsheng thought with a wry smile. ’This one was given the title "Jade-faced Rakshasa" back when she was in the Foundation Establishment Stage. It was later rumored she perished while trying to break through to the Purple Mansion Stage. She disappeared without a trace for decades and has only recently reappeared.’

"Good child, have a seat," Shen Qingxiu said softly, pointing to a stool beside the stone table.

Song Changsheng glanced at Elder Xiao in the distance. Seeing that she wasn’t paying attention to them, he gave up on the idea of going over to greet her and obediently sat down. His mind, however, was racing, trying to figure out why these powerful figures wanted to see him.

He refused to believe it was as simple as them wanting to thank him.

After all, the Great City Lord and Zhan Tianxia were Yinn Shang’s masters. If even Zhan Tianxia hadn’t summoned him, why would these elders overstep their bounds?

Moreover, all three of them were here. He didn’t think he was important enough to warrant that. ’There must be another reason for this that I don’t know about...’

...