Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

Song Changsheng and the others’ expressions changed slightly. They immediately stood up, drew their Magical Artifacts, and warily watched the direction the voice had come from.

Not far from them, standing beside a boulder of Cyan Gang Rock, was a tall, elderly man dressed in a worn, gray, fish-patterned robe.

He looked to be past sixty, with a long, graying beard that clearly hadn’t been tended to in a long time. His hair was disheveled, his bronze skin was rough and covered in wrinkles, and his large-knuckled hand clutched a bright yellow-orange Wine Gourd.

There wasn’t the slightest fluctuation of Spiritual Qi from his body. His aura was faint and unsteady, making him look just like a slovenly old drunk.

But Song Changsheng and the others didn’t dare to let their guard down for a moment.

Although they had been resting, their Divine Sense was constantly extended. No disturbance within a radius of several hundred yards could have escaped their notice.

Yet this old man seemed to have appeared out of thin air, silently approaching to within a hundred yards of them. For Foundation Establishment Cultivators, this was an extremely dangerous distance; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was right on top of them.

And if he hadn’t deliberately revealed his presence by speaking, he could have gotten even closer.

This person was definitely not as harmless as he appeared. The only reason they couldn’t detect his Cultivation was that their own was too weak.

He was very likely a Purple Mansion Great Cultivator, or perhaps even stronger!

However, what set them slightly at ease was that he didn’t seem to have any malicious intent.

Song Changsheng and the others exchanged a glance. Finally, Zhuang Yuechan spoke up respectfully, "This junior, Zhuang Yuechan, is from Luoxia City and studies under the Great City Lord. Might I ask for your esteemed name, Elder?"

The old man chuckled upon hearing this. "So, you’re a prized disciple of the Great City Lord. This old man is called Drunkard. I just happened to be passing through and was drawn by the smell of this roast meat."

Song Changsheng’s brow twitched. ’Just happened to be passing through?’

’Who’s he trying to fool?’

This Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range was deep within the Hundred Thousand Mountains. It was desolate, remote, and fraught with danger. Aside from people like them with a clear objective, very few would ever venture here.

Besides, how could there be such a coincidence in the world? They had just arrived, and this person "happened to pass by" right after. ’He’s probably been watching us for some time, hasn’t he?’

"Changsheng, I’ve never heard the name Drunkard before," Zhuang Yuechan transmitted mentally. "If he’s telling the truth, he’s probably not from the Daqi Cultivation World."

There were fewer than a hundred Purple Mansion Cultivators in the Daqi Cultivation World. Zhuang Yuechan didn’t know every single one of them personally, but she knew all their titles, and "Drunkard" was not among them.

"A name is just a title, and he might not be telling the truth anyway. But from what I can see, he doesn’t seem to have any ill intent. Let’s figure out his purpose first."

Song Changsheng wasn’t naive enough to believe that a dignified Purple Mansion Great Cultivator would show up just for a bite of roast meat. He definitely wanted something else.

Zhuang Yuechan understood. She asked the old man respectfully, "May I ask what business brings Elder Drunkard here? Is there anything we juniors can do to be of service?"

Hearing this, the old man just waved his hand dismissively. He then plopped down unceremoniously next to the Cyan Gang Rock. "This old man just wants to satisfy a craving, that’s all. I have no other business here."

With that, as if afraid they would refuse, he shook the Wine Gourd in his hand. "Don’t worry, I won’t eat for free. I’ll trade you some wine for it. This wine of mine is no ordinary thing, you know. Plenty of people beg me for it, and I don’t give them a drop."

Zhuang Yuechan and Song Changsheng looked at each other. Song Changsheng then formed a sword-finger, sliced off a large piece of the glistening, golden-brown tiger meat, wrapped it in a silk cloth, and slowly walked toward the old man.

His pace was neither fast nor slow, but his nerves were stretched to their absolute limit. At the slightest unusual move from the old man, he would throw the Red Refining Bead hidden in his sleeve.

But from beginning to end, the old man did nothing but stare at the roast meat in his hands, even making audible gulping sounds from time to time.

"Please, enjoy, Elder." Song Changsheng cautiously placed the roast meat in front of the old man and spoke respectfully.

The Drunkard nodded with a grin.

Just as Song Changsheng was about to retreat, he suddenly felt a large, powerful hand grab his arm.

Song Changsheng’s expression shifted slightly. ’How did he move? I didn’t sense a thing.’

Seeing this, Zhuang Yuechan and Xu Yunhe, who were not far away, felt their hearts leap into their throats. They were ready to go all out and fight at a moment’s notice.

"Do you have any other instructions, Elder Drunkard?" Song Changsheng forced himself to remain calm. He knew panicking was useless, and there was no point in even thinking about resisting. The old man’s power was far greater than Dongtian Xie’s; he was probably on par with Zhan Tianxia. It was best not to show off his petty little tricks.

The old man said with a grin, "Like I said, I won’t eat for free."

With that, he waved his hand, and three exquisite wine cups appeared on the ground. He uncorked his Wine Gourd and carefully poured the liquid into them.

The liquid was as thick as honey, a beautiful amber color, yet it had no scent at all, as if he were pouring plain water.

The old man seemed to treasure it greatly, pouring only a small amount, not even half-filling each tiny cup.

"Thank you for your gift, Elder."

Song Changsheng bowed deeply, then carried the three cups back to Zhuang Yuechan’s side, handing one to her and one to Xu Yunhe. But as they held the cups, none of them dared to bring one to their lips. After all, none of them knew what was in the cups or what consequences drinking it might bring.

The old man, however, paid them no more mind. He reached out a grimy hand, crudely tore off a sizzling tiger leg dripping with fat, opened his mouth, and began to devour it with gusto.