Longevity and Immortal Cultivation: Starting from Controlling Your Own Essence

"not young anymore."

Zhang Yao restrained his smile and said with emotion, "I'm already over seventy."

"I look younger because my martial arts are better."

"High martial arts?"

Zhou Tong was stunned for a moment before reacting suddenly, her voice trembling slightly:

"That's right... my parents have said that Uncle Zhang is a once-in-a-hundred-year-old martial artist. He became a master in his twenties, and there is a high probability that he will become a master in the future!"

"So... you are already a martial arts master?"

At this moment, she believed 90% of Zhang Yao's identity.

The other party can reveal his privacy straight away, so there is absolutely no need to deceive him. After all, the family has been ruined, and there is nothing to lie to.

"Yes, I have been a master many years ago."

Zhang Yao nodded, with a hint of sob on his face:

"Back then, when I left Changping City, I was only in my twenties."

"I didn't expect to return to my hometown after fifty years. Back then, you were a little girl learning to speak, but now your son is so old."

The young man at the side secretly tugged on Zhou Tong's sleeve, and she reacted abruptly, and quickly invited Zhang Yao in.

Taking advantage of this gap, the young man dismissed the group of teenagers and let them go home before following Zhang Yao and Zhou Tong to the backyard.

The backyard of the martial arts hall is also a lot of deserted, many doors, windows, tables and chairs are very dilapidated.

"Uncle Zhang, this is my son Zhao Ling."

After several people were seated, Zhou Tong introduced to Zhang Yao with some embarrassment, and the young Zhao Ling also got up and saluted quickly.

For him, everything that happened suddenly made him a little dizzy, so far he has not been able to react.

I actually had an extra uncle out of thin air, who is also a legendary martial arts master!

"Jinding Martial Arts Hall, how did it become like this?"

Zhang Yao and the two exchanged a few words, and then asked about the situation of Jinding Martial Arts.

"Why……"

The expressions of Zhou Tong and Zhao Ling suddenly darkened.

"Uncle Zhang, you don't know something."

Zhou Tong took a deep breath, with a trace of sadness on his face, and began to speak slowly.

Many years ago, after Zhang Yao left, following Meng Zongwei's achievement of the Golden Tripod Kung Fu, the martial arts school continued to operate smoothly.

After many years passed smoothly, Meng Zongwei accepted a personal disciple, married Zhou Tong as his wife, and inherited the foundation of Jinding Martial Arts.

After many years of marriage, the two finally gave birth to an only son, Zhao Ling. They were extremely happy, and the family lived happily.

It's a pity that the good times don't last long:

More than ten years ago, the turmoil caused by King Pingliang's southward march led to the collapse of Jiangdu's order, and a large number of warriors fled. The chaotic situation also affected Changping City, causing bloody storms all over the city.

Zhao Ling's father, although he was also a martial artist with perfect Jinding Kung Fu, died in the chaos.

Since then, there are only orphans and widows left in Jinding Martial Arts Academy, and their reputation has plummeted. Zhou Tong makes a living by cooking for others and doing laundry, dragging Zhou Ling to grow up.

"Why……"

Just listening to the tearful narration, Zhang Yao can imagine the hardships of those years.

Zhou Tong was able to survive and raise Zhao Ling, thanks to the establishment of the new dynasty, which ended the troubled times. The government used criminal codes and harsh laws to vigorously rectify the chaos among the people.

Otherwise, in the troubled times, orphans and widows alone would have been wiped out, not to mention keeping the family business of Jinding Martial Arts, it would be difficult to even survive.

During those difficult years, many people paid a lot of money to buy the land of Jinding Martial Art Museum, but they were all rejected by Zhou Tong because she didn't want to sell her home.

After a few more years, Zhao Ling's life became better after he grew up.

Now, Zhao Ling is relying on the gold-lettered signboard that has lasted for nearly a hundred years to teach some nearby children and teenagers. Although his income is not much, he can barely maintain the airs of the martial arts school and the lives of the two of them.

"It's really hard for you."

After Zhang Yao listened, he sighed, with complicated emotions:

"It's also my fault that I left and didn't come back for many years, otherwise you wouldn't have lived so hard."

"Why did Uncle Zhang say that?"

Zhou Tong shook his head and said:

"Father and mother told me that when you left Changping, you also had your own reasons."

"Besides, it must be very hard for you to go out alone. It is God's blessing that our mother and I are safe until now."

Zhang Yao was silent for a while, didn't say much, changed the subject, and asked Zhao Ling:

"I just heard from Niang that part of the "Jinding Gong" has been lost?"

"right."

A trace of bitterness appeared on Zhao Ling's face:

"At the beginning, my father was killed, the property of the martial arts hall was robbed, and even the original cheat book was taken away."

"Fortunately, my father taught me since I was a child, and my mother still remembers part of it, which barely allowed me to cultivate to a great level, but there is no hope of improving..."

Zhang Yao nodded slightly, and said:

"I will stay in Changping for a month, and you will follow me during this time."

"How much you can learn depends on your own ability."

When Zhao Ling heard this, a hint of surprise surged in his heart, and he quickly got up and said gratefully:

"Thank you uncle!"

Being able to learn from a martial arts master is something he never dared to dream of.

But Zhou Tong, who was on the side, couldn't help asking after hearing Zhang Yao's words:

"Uncle, do you want to leave?"

"I thought that when you came back to Changping when you were old, you were planning to retire here..."

"No."

Zhang Yao smiled and shook his head, saying:

"I still have my own business to do, so it's impossible to stay in Changping forever."

"To know that the descendants of the senior brother and senior sister are still safe, and that the Jinding Martial Arts Hall is still there, I am already satisfied."

The three continued to chat for a while, and Zhang Yao asked about the situation of Zhang Yannian, Xiao Yao and others.

Unsurprisingly, neither Zhou Tong nor Zhao Ling knew.

According to Zhou Tong, she only saw Zhang Yannian when she was a child, and then it seemed that some accident happened, and Zhang Yannian never came again.

As for Xiao Yao, she could see her during the festivals when she was a child, but she moved away from Changping with her family in a certain year, and lost contact long ago.

"Fifty years... Things have changed and people have changed."

Zhang Yao could only sigh in his heart.

He looked at Zhao Ling, and said in a gentle voice, "Take me to see your grandpa's and grandma's graves, so that I can burn incense too."

"OK."

Zhao Ling quickly agreed, and Zhou Tong on the side also asked to go with him.

A while later, the group of three bought some incense watches and paper money, and went to the cemetery outside Changping City.

Here, he saw the tomb where Meng Zongwei and Zhou Hongxiu were buried together. It was very close to Master Zhou An's, but it was not so grand.

After he kowtowed to Zhou An and offered incense, he burned some paper money, went to the grave where the two were buried together, and placed incense.

"Eldest brother, Senior Sister Hongxiu, I'm back..."