Li Shun slowly opened his eyes, sensing the youthful body that seemed to brim with boundless vitality.
“It’s not just a simple increase in lifespan…”
His thoughts flowed, sweeping through every part of his body.
Within his chest, his heart pounded like a muffled war drum, powerful and resonant. Through his limbs and bones surged a terrifying, inexhaustible brute strength, as if it could never be spent. His entire being felt like a dormant volcano, ready to erupt with unimaginable force at any moment.
“Though I’m still sixteen, this body’s ‘vitality’ is clearly stronger than yesterday’s!”
“The more lifespan I borrow, the denser my life qi becomes. And the denser my life qi, the greater the potential this fleshly body can unleash…”
At this moment, Li Shun finally understood what Fang Xun had meant.
“The reason my second borrowing of lifespan doubled the first… aside from familiarity, the key factor is likely the stark contrast between the withered, dying body before the rewind and this reborn, youthful one. That intense clash between life and death…”
Li Shun’s thoughts turned as he summarized his experience.
That morning, he repeated his actions and made another trip to the county office.
Once again, he falsely reported his lifespan extension, claiming he had gained fifty-five years.
His goal was to test whether Fang Xun could discern the true amount of lifespan he had borrowed.
After hearing this, Fang Xun’s expression remained just as calm as the day before, showing no signs of suspicion.
He simply repeated the same words:
“When I first cultivated the Longevity Method, I borrowed one hundred and twenty years of lifespan, shaking my entire sect!”
Li Shun then feigned confusion and probed further,
“Sir, is there truly a way to measure how much lifespan one borrows? Otherwise, wouldn’t people just lie to gain attention?”
Fang Xun chuckled softly.
“Tui Zhi, you’re still too naive. Ordinary people cannot perceive the amount of Life Qi one possesses, but those with profound cultivation can tell at a glance. Even if they can’t determine the exact number of years, they won’t be far off.”
“As for someone like my master… his insight is like a blazing torch, seeing through all things. Lie in front of him?”
“Heh…”
Li Shun appropriately revealed a look of realization mixed with shame.
“So that’s how it is. My knowledge truly is shallow.”
Yet inwardly, his heart tightened.
For the remainder of the day, Li Shun continued comprehending the Twelvefold Longevity Methods.
However, as he cultivated, a lingering concern repeatedly surfaced in his mind.
“Those with high cultivation can perceive the amount of borrowed lifespan…”
“Borrowing one hundred and thirty years, though impressive, still falls within reason. At most, I’ll be labeled a genius.”
“But if I go further… it may attract unwanted attention. And if the secret of Fangcun is exposed…”
This thought lasted only a moment before Li Shun forcefully crushed it.
A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
“The future is yet to come. How can I abandon a hundred years of lifespan within reach because of fleeting worries? Besides, I still have Fangcun as my trump card!”
Casting aside all distractions, Li Shun reaffirmed his resolve to borrow more lifespan.
The Third Reflection.
What occurred on this day would become reality, fixed and unchangeable.
With the lingering, burning desire for longevity still coursing through him, Li Shun once again activated the Cycle of Twelvefold Longevity Methods.
His mind rose, soaring straight toward the heavens.
This was already his third time entering the scene of the world’s Life Qi circulation in such a short span. The magnificent and resplendent sight before him felt both familiar and strange.
“I have come today to borrow lifespan.”
Li Shun’s mind was clear and tranquil, free of all distracting thoughts.
He spoke to the vast heavens and earth.
His voice seemed light as a feather, yet carried an unyielding firmness that could not be denied.
It reverberated like tangible thunder, echoing endlessly, causing even the eternal flow of Life Qi in this world to pause for a fleeting instant.
Then, in a hazy moment, Li Shun saw a radiant stream of qi, tinged with purple within its azure glow, descend from the heavens and pour into his body.
…
At the same time.
In the Imperial Capital.
Deep underground, within a vast and boundless space of unfathomable aura, lay a mysterious domain.
Twelve colossal golden giants stood silently within it, each one so immense it seemed capable of holding up heaven and earth itself. Like ancient deities, they towered in stillness. Their bodies bore no carved facial features, their visages indistinguishable, yet they radiated a terrifying pressure that seemed able to suppress all things.
Beyond these twelve golden figures, faintly visible, stretched an endless army.
The soldiers stood in solemn formation, clad in armor and gripping their weapons.
Each bore a different face, their expressions vivid and lifelike, as though they had been frozen in time while still alive.
Yet their entire bodies shimmered with a metallic silver sheen.
Golden generals, silver soldiers. Their formation had existed in this space for an unknown span of time.
All remained utterly silent.
But on this day, at the very instant that streak of purple-tinged azure light descended from the heavens.
For reasons unknown, A faint tremor rippled simultaneously through all twelve golden giants and the million silver soldiers.
It was so subtle it was almost imperceptible.
In the next instant, it vanished, as if it had never happened at all.
And the underground space once again fell into absolute stillness.
…
“Two hundred years of borrowed lifespan!”
Li Shun felt the boundless vitality surging within his rejuvenated body, yet his brows furrowed slightly.
“Not a year more, not a year less. Exactly two hundred years. I had thought I might be able to borrow even more.”
The image of that purple-tinged azure radiance descending from the sky surfaced once again in his mind.
A sudden realization flashed through his thoughts.
“So the reason I could only borrow two hundred years is because that is my upper limit. A fixed decree of heaven and earth, something that cannot be altered.”
“As for that streak of purple-azure qi…”
Li Shun had always felt it carried some kind of extraordinary property. Yet no matter how thoroughly he examined himself, he could not discern its function.
In the end, he could only set it aside for now.
“The Great Qian Dynasty has stood for five hundred seventy-two years, yet the Qian Emperor has still not fallen.”
“And there are also figures recorded in the Record of Emperor's Exegesis, such as Gu Zhizhong and Jiang Ta’a. Their lifespans certainly exceed two hundred years.”
“So borrowing two hundred years is merely my personal limit.”
To regain youth and gain two hundred years of life out of nothing… even with Li Shun’s composure, he could not completely suppress the surge of excitement within him.
Taking a deep breath, he steadied his mind before heading toward the county office.
As before, Li Shun claimed that he had only borrowed fifty-five years of lifespan.
Fang Xun showed no suspicion.
As usual, he reminisced briefly about his former glory, then fell into a short silence.
Suddenly, Fang Xun’s brows lifted slightly. He seemed to notice that Li Shun was harboring some thoughts, as though he wished to speak but hesitated.
“Tui Zhi, do you have something to say?” Fang Xun asked.
Li Shun hurriedly bowed.
“Sir is truly perceptive. Since Tui Zhi has received imperial favor and been granted the rank of Gongshi, according to Great Qian law, I am to return to my hometown soon. However…”
He hesitated for a moment, sneaking a glance at Fang Xun’s expression before finally steeling himself.
Gritting his teeth, he spoke.
“Tui Zhi humbly requests, may I be allowed to remain by your side in service? I was but a lowly laborer. Without your care and protection, I would never have attained what I have today…”
His words were filled with genuine emotion.
“Oh?”
A faint smile of satisfaction appeared at the corner of Fang Xun’s lips. He nodded slightly.
“If that is the case, then remain by my side. You may assist me in tending to that stalk of Lengshan Lord.”
Li Shun was overjoyed.
“Many thanks for your grace, My Lord! Tui Zhi will devote himself utterly, even unto death!”
At that very moment, the constable Wu Kuang suddenly barged in.
“Sir, we’ve found traces of that boy—”
But the moment his eyes fell upon Li Shun, his words abruptly stopped.
The smile on Fang Xun’s face vanished at once.