As the sky grew faintly bright, Li Shun once again stepped into the county yamen study.
Fang Xun’s gaze was as sharp as a ruler, measuring Li Shun’s body inch by inch as it brimmed once more with renewed vitality.
“I didn’t expect it. You actually have quite a fine physique,” a trace of surprise flickered in his eyes.
“It is all thanks to your grace, my lord, that I, Tui Zhi, could undergo such a rebirth,” Li Shun bowed deeply, his face filled with gratitude.
Fang Xun did not respond. After a brief silence, he abruptly changed the subject.
“How many years of life did you borrow?”
Li Shun’s thoughts remained perfectly steady, but a hint of unease appeared on his face at just the right moment as he smoothly told a lie:
“This humble one was fortunate enough to extend his life by fifty-five years.”
“Fifty-five years…” Fang Xun’s expression remained unreadable.
“Not particularly long. Merely average, perhaps even below.”
Hearing this, Li Shun revealed a trace of guilt. “This one is dull-witted and has disappointed you, my lord.”
Looking at the obedient Li Shun below, a hint of pride surfaced in Fang Xun’s eyes. “Back when I first cultivated the Longevity Method, I borrowed one hundred and twenty years of life. It caused quite a stir within my sect.”
Seizing the opportunity, Li Shun asked, “May I ask, my lord, what is the key factor behind how much lifespan one can borrow?”
Fang Xun explained unhurriedly, “What we call lifespan is, in truth, the Life Qi bestowed by heaven and earth. How much you can borrow depends on how much weight you carry in the eyes of heaven and earth. In other words…”
“The more you borrow, the greater your potential.”
“Furthermore, the longer your life, the longer you can live. And the longer you live, the more variables and possibilities you will naturally encounter.”
Li Shun showed a look of sudden understanding, which quickly dimmed at the perfect moment. “So that’s how it is… I can only lament my poor fortune, possessing nothing more than mediocre talent.”
Fang Xun looked down at him and said indifferently, “You need not be too disheartened. Countless geniuses in this world die before reaching their peak. No matter how great one’s potential, before it is realized, it is nothing but illusion…”
Before he could finish, Fang Xun suddenly fell silent for no apparent reason.
His expression also darkened slightly.
For a moment, the study was plunged into an eerie silence.
It was Li Shun who broke it.
“My lord, now that I have been promoted to First-rank Merit Rank, should I return to my hometown?”
Fang Xun’s thoughts snapped back, his expression returning to normal as he stared at Li Shun. “According to Great Qian law, that would indeed be the case. However…”
“I have reviewed your household registry. Your registered hometown, Dongshan Town, is one of the Imperial ‘Eight Tomb-Guarding Towns.’ Even if you return with the rank of a meritorious noble, you will still be bound to guard the imperial mausoleum. That place is cold, bleak, and offers no future.”
“Tui Zhi, would you be willing to remain by my side and take up a post instead?”
“Dongshan Town?”
The moment those three words entered his ears, Li Shun’s heart paused slightly. Memories long buried by time surged forth.
When “Li Shun” was young, both his parents were alive, and he had a younger brother and sister.
Though their life could not be called perfect, it had been warm and harmonious.
But when he was fifteen, his parents vanished without a trace.
With the pillar of the family gone, Li Shun struggled to raise his younger siblings for three years. Just as their lives began to improve…
He was forcibly conscripted and brought to Lengshan County.
“I wonder… are the two of them still alive?”
Seeing that Li Shun did not respond immediately and instead seemed lost in thought, Fang Xun added calmly, “I never force others against their will. Whether you stay or leave is entirely up to you.”
Li Shun instantly gathered his thoughts, putting on the appearance of someone jolted awake from a dream. With a deep bow, he said, “To receive My Lord’s protection is a blessing earned over three lifetimes. How could I dare refuse?”
Fang Xun gave a slight nod, clearly satisfied with this tactful response. “Starting tomorrow, I will arrange a position for you within the yamen. Your only important duty will be to look after that Lengshan Lord on my behalf. In your spare time, you may browse the books in this study. In particular, you should read the Great Qian Code.”
“If you wish to serve as an official or clerk in Great Qian, ignorance of the law will not do.”
“Tui Zhi, remember this. You have now shed your old self and been reborn. Everything from the past is gone. What comes next depends entirely on the path you choose.”
Just as Fang Xun was about to add a few more instructions, the study door was suddenly flung open with a loud bang.
Constable Wu Kuang rushed in, his face flushed with excitement. “My Lord, we’ve found that boy’s trac—”
His gaze fell upon Li Shun standing to the side, and he forcibly swallowed the rest of his words.
“Tui Zhi, you may withdraw,” Fang Xun ordered flatly.
Li Shun lowered his head obediently and took his leave.
...
Back at his residence,
“So that’s why Fang Xun agreed so readily to my promotion. He wants me to take care of Lengshan Lord for him. Although tending to Lengshan Lord still drains one’s blood and vitality, it is worlds apart from the backbreaking labor at the lowest level.”
“Moreover, I’ll be able to move about within the county office and even borrow books. All things considered, it’s a fairly good position.”
“Still, it’s just a single Lengshan Lord. Is it really worth assigning someone specifically to tend to it? When the Lengshan Venerable went missing before, he didn’t seem nearly as concerned…”
Li Shun’s gaze drifted beyond the high walls of his courtyard, sensing the unnatural heat lingering in the air.
“Could it be that the sudden anomaly in Lengshan will make it difficult for Lengshan Grass to grow?”
His consciousness swept through his Fangcun space in an instant, and four words surfaced in his mind: “A rare commodity to be hoarded.”
But he quickly shook his head.
“A man is innocent, yet he becomes guilty by possessing treasure. Without the strength to protect myself, taking them out rashly would only invite disaster. Better to keep them for my own use.”
...
For the rest of the day, Li Shun did not go anywhere.
He simply sat in meditation, focusing entirely on comprehending the Cycle of Twelvefold Longevity Method.
Although he could not yet perceive the mysterious flow of heaven and earth’s Life Qi, as those profound passages of scripture slowly passed through his mind, he still felt he had gained a great deal.
As the day drew to a close, Li Shun did not hesitate. He activated the divine ability:
Threefold Self-Reflection.
..
Second Reflection.
Li Shun abruptly opened his eyes.
The vigorous, youthful body from before had completely vanished. In its place was once again the frail, withered body of an old man on the brink of death.
The immense contrast was like being dragged from the clouds straight into the mud.
Li Shun forcibly steadied his mind. Driven by an intense longing for Immortality, he circulated the Twelvefold Longevity Method.
His consciousness soared, rising straight into the heavens.
As he once again borrowed lifespan from above, a sudden realization dawned upon him.
“So the time reset of Threefold Self-Reflection truly resets this entire world…”
“It is not limited to just a single region.”
“I can clearly sense that at this point in time, I am a completely new arrival. There is not the slightest trace left of yesterday’s borrowed Life Qi.”
“To reflect thrice and alter heaven and earth… just what level of cultivation did that stone statue possess? And why did it end up within my Fangcun space?”
A deeper doubt arose within Li Shun’s heart.
A question as vast and unfathomable as an abyss.
But now was not the time to seek answers.
He steadied his thoughts and focused fully on borrowing lifespan.
With the experience from before, the process went far more smoothly this time.
And the result was even more astonishing.
He borrowed a full 'one hundred and thirty years' of lifespan.
Nearly double the previous amount.