Cultivation System: Stronger with Age Chapter 5: After Revision - 4 You Embroider and I Sell Cakes, Fatal Crisis

Days flew by swiftly, with over ten more having elapsed.

This morning, upon completing his Cultivation, Lin Xuankong headed to the kitchen. He loaded two willow baskets with sorghum cakes, draped a spotless white cloth that Lii Xiaolan had washed over them, and with a minor crouch, easily hoisted the near hundred-pound burden onto his shoulders.

[Pine Crane Longevity Technique: Not at Entry Level 58/60]

[Transcendent Qi Blood: 118/100,000]

In these past ten-plus days, his Pine Skill advancement had risen consistently. He had already formed the second strand of Transcendent Qi Blood long ago, and his physique grew ever stronger from its nurturing effects.

Three or four nights prior, under the cover of darkness, he had tried out his speed on the streets. He dashed a hundred steps in just over three breaths—practically matching one hundred meters in ten seconds. Such burst strength now neared the hundred-meter record from his former life!

Thanks to his overflowing Qi Blood, his stamina greatly exceeded that of regular folks. Hawking his wares while bearing a hundred-pound load, he trekked for over two hours without the slightest weariness!

Most shocking of all, this superhuman body belonged to a fifty-nine-year-old elder...

The mysteries of the Pine Crane Longevity Technique and the miracle of "Vigorous in Old Age" manifested brilliantly through him!

Yet, not every update brought joy.

Over the last couple of days, his power gains had slowed to a crawl. Clearly, his frame had hit the ceiling for mortal limits. To advance further, he needed to form the third strand of Transcendent Qi Blood and shatter that barrier!

Moreover, these recent evenings saw him struck by strange spells of stupor, blanking out for a few breaths at a time. Even in sleep, bouts of intense chest constriction hit occasionally. It felt like his body harbored a grave flaw, ready to erupt into crisis anytime... His Life Plate showed just three days of Lifespan remaining!

From the fifty-fold Cultivation Speed and Life Plate revelations, Lin Xuankong understood that despite his ox-like vigor now, sudden death awaited when Lifespan expired. Sure, his body brimmed with strength, but years of toil and ailments had left scars not fully erased!

Still, Lin Xuankong stayed calm. Through days of diligent Cultivation and Pine Skill progress, fresh understandings of the Pine Crane Longevity Technique's Heart Method had dawned on him.

He felt certain that by tomorrow, Entry Level lay within easy reach. That breakthrough would heal his body's latent wounds, surge his power markedly, and add roughly three years to his Lifespan!

Brushing off concerns, he hefted his load to peddle sorghum cakes for coin as always. Abruptly, Lii Xiaolan's voice rang out from behind: "I’ve embroidered a dozen more handkerchiefs these past two days. Take them to Wang’s Clothing Shop!"

Lin Xuankong sighed in mild exasperation.

He accepted the embroidered handkerchiefs. Lii Xiaolan then drew another from her sleeve and offered it over. "This handkerchief is one of the better-embroidered ones from the batch. It’s for you!"

A surge of warmth filled Lin Xuankong’s heart. He took the handkerchief tenderly, then spoke gravely, "Such a fine embroidered handkerchief... I don’t have anything suitable to give you in return... How about I give you a sorghum cake?"

In the instant she received the sorghum cake, the Young Lady's delicate face twisted in complete confusion, looking thoroughly flustered.

Lin Xuankong swung open the wooden door and strode lightly onto the dirt path.

「Almost an hour later,」

Having crossed multiple streets and offloaded over half his sorghum cakes, a fourteen-or-fifteen-year-old lad with a basket drew near. The boy eyed the handkerchief at Lin Xuankong’s waist and grinned.

"Uncle Lin, Young Aunty has embroidered more pretty handkerchiefs, huh? Tsk tsk, Young Aunty’s embroidered handkerchiefs earn more money than your sorghum cakes! I don’t know how Uncle Lin got so lucky to marry such a good Young Aunty!"

Lin Xuankong stretched out a hand to tousle the boy’s unkempt hair. "What ‘Young Aunty’? Aunty is Aunty, and a young married woman is a young married woman!"

This lad was Li Xiaohu, son of neighbor Li Dahu. He frequently hawked fruits such as melons and peaches along the streets.

Whenever fruits went unsold, he'd carry a handful over to the Lin Family. He even managed to snag a meal there from time to time. Gradually, a solid bond grew between the two households.

Plus, Li Dahu and Li Xiaohu stood apart from the other neighbors—they never spread rumors about Lin Xuankong or ridiculed him for taking a young bride, claiming he'd soon meet his end.

Little Hu glanced around cautiously, then leaned in close and murmured, "Elder Lin, I've got something to share. Yesterday, as you hawked sorghum cakes on the street, I spotted Ma Xiong and his thugs tailing you in secret for quite a while. No clue what they're up to!"

Lin Xuankong's eyebrows knitted together at the news. Ma Xiong belonged to the Black Tiger Gang, rumored to be nearing the Transcendence Realm with formidable strength as Boss Zhang Wu's trusted aide.

A sharp chill flickered in Lin Xuankong's gaze. He scanned the surroundings before pulling out a few sorghum cakes from his willow basket. "Keep what you just told me under wraps—don't breathe a word to anyone else!"

Little Hu snatched up the sorghum cakes and bobbed his head eagerly. "Rest easy, Elder Lin—my mouth's zipped tight. Just watch your back!"

Lin Xuankong mulled it over briefly, then ditched his regular path home. Instead, he picked a crowded street teeming with people and hurried along.

「...」

Up on the second floor of Hongyun Tavern, dozens of Black Tiger Gang thugs reveled noisily in drink and food. By the window table, Zhang Wu eyed the throngs streaming down Qingshui Street as Ma Xiong dutifully filled his wine cup. "Fifth Brother, relax—it's merely taking down a sixty-year-old geezer!"

Zhang Wu gave a nod. "Handle it neat and tidy, no traces left. Not a whisper of this must leak out! Oh, and how's it going with Wang’s Clothing Shop—the one dealing in colored threads and handkerchiefs?"

Ma Xiong flashed a sly smile. "That Wang Po from the shop's a sly fox—you know her tricks well. These last twenty-plus days, with Miss Lin popping in for colored threads a few times, Wang Po's gotten real chummy with her. She's nailed down every one of the Young Lady's tastes!"

"Soon as Old Lin's out of the picture, with Wang Po working her schemes behind the scenes, snagging that stunning Young Lady will be effortless for you, Fifth Brother!"

Zhang Wu tossed back his cup in a single swig. "Excellent work! Once we wrench Qingshui Street away from those Yin Talisman Sect vermin, Ma Xiong, you'll rule Qingshui Street as boss!"

Ma Xiong promptly clasped his hands together. "Grateful, Fifth Brother! That gorgeous Young Lady won't slip through your fingers."

Zhang Wu broke into a grin.