Chapter 127

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Chapter 127: Into Old Age

The night was gradually growing darker.

In the busy market during the day, it’s quiet now with not many people around.

In the execution ground, there stood a wooden stake, and Qiao Mu’s head was stuck on top of it.

When he died, his eyes were still wide open. Even in death, his eyes remained unclosed, with a proud and imposing look that was hard to confront.

With a cool breeze passing by, his hair fluttered in the wind, occasionally covering his face, but the fierce look in his eyes didn’t diminish.

And there stood Qiao Mu at the corner of the street, looking at his own head in the faint moonlight.

"I truly died with great grandeur."

"There’s no need to retrieve a head like mine anymore," Qiao Mu thought in his heart.

His headless corpse had already been collected by the officials, leaving only this head for display. In truth, there was no need for a proper burial.

He glanced around with a sidelong look, and under a shelter, several soldiers were guarding and chatting, obviously keeping watch over Qiao Mu’s head to prevent any accidents.

"So, why not let Qiao Zhong’s head stay a little longer?"

Qiao Mu didn’t mind, as he wasn’t bothered by his own body. He could fight alongside his ashes any time. What’s another head?

Just as he was about to turn and leave, he came face to face with patrolling soldiers. They exchanged glances and quickly walked up to him.

"Old man, it’s so late. How did you end up here? Why don’t you go home and rest?"

"Well…" Qiao Mu glanced around, thinking for a moment about what to say.

Before the words could leave his mouth, the soldiers could already tell that Qiao Mu was hesitating. They frowned and said,

"Can’t find your way home, huh? Where do you live? How come no one is looking after you and letting you wander outside so late?"

"My home… is on the east side of the city?" Qiao Mu’s eyes darted around as he hesitated.

The two soldiers exchanged another glance, both showing a bit of helplessness.

"This is the west side of town, the market is over there. You went the wrong way."

"It’s late at night, so be careful on the road." After a casual reminder, the soldier turned and left.

They didn’t question the old man, Qiao Mu, in detail… It seemed they didn’t find the elderly man appearing at the market suspicious.

"Am I already a harmless old man? So I’m not suspicious?" Qiao Mu unconsciously touched the wrinkles on his face, feeling a bit complicated.

Now he is already very old, at the ripe age of ninety.

His skin sagged, wrinkles appeared on his face, and his hair has turned completely white.

Seventy years of life is already rare, and now Qiao Mu, at the age of ninety, is considered a rare old man in this Imperial Capital.

"Am I already in my old age?"

When Qiao Mu was sixty years old, due to the benefits of the Long Life Fist, he didn’t feel any weakness in his vitality, and there was no difference from when he was young and strong.

As for the now of ninety years old…

"When people get old, they become useless," Qiao Mu sighed. He activated his inner strength, bending his knees and lightly stepping on the tips of his toes.

Zoom!

His figure instantly disappeared from where he was, turning into a quick blur that raced across the street.

A night watchman carrying a lantern patrolled the street. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew towards him, almost extinguishing his lantern, but he didn’t notice anything unusual.

In the darkness of the Imperial Capital, he displayed his light-footed skills, running and leaping effortlessly.

Using his light-footed skills all the way, no one noticed his figure for a moment.

At the same time, his consciousness delved into his mind, where the Long Life Lock floated and sank with a faint presence. A stream of information emerged from it.

This Death Assessment: S (Immortal Bell Keeper)

Lifespan consumption: 30 years

Remaining revival attempts this week: 4 out of 5

Current age: 90 years old

Skills:

Long Life Fist (intermediate level, complete training)

Ripple Stacking Wave Strength (third level: Triple Wave)

Martial Saint Spiritual Technique (intermediate level)

Pure Yang Wuji Skill (third level, complete training)

Xumi Mountain King Sutra (fifth level)

Military Spear Skill (complete training)

Shadow Transformation Sword Technique (mastered)

Iron Crotch Skill (mastered)

Golden Bell Shield Iron Cloth Shirt Skill (mastered)

Shadow Step (advanced level)

The Angelic Spirit Destruction Technique (Complete)

Skill of Transforming Flesh (Intermediate Level)

………

Starting from the pursuit of Saintess Wu Qingxin, the accumulated achievements and reputation along the way, with Qiao Sen’s stories interspersed in between, all became his nourishment, ultimately culminating in a beheading at the market gate of the Imperial Capital, marking the end of Qiao Zhong’s life.

The memory of thirty years of diligent martial arts practice suddenly flowed through his mind like a dream.

The accumulated S-level evaluations along this journey aged Qiao Mu by thirty years in an instant, twice as much as the previous A-level evaluation, catapulting him to the age of ninety.

Not only did the increased evaluation mean a longer time span, but it also implied greater efficiency in utilizing time.

With a simple glance, Qiao Mu realized that he had achieved at least an intermediate level or higher in almost every martial art he had practiced.

Especially the simpler and earliest practiced Military Spear Skill had reached a perfect level.

Furthermore, while Qiao Mu was immersed in his thirty years of martial arts experience, he suddenly heard a crisp sound of breaking in his mind.

Right in the center of his mind, the Ouroboros Long Life Lock, with five chains swinging at the bottom, saw one chain shatter and turn into flashes of golden light; disappearing completely.

A stream of information flowed into Qiao Mu’s mind.

"After the first chain broke, from now on, the time of aging after each death will be doubled compared to before? Is this the breakthrough brought by the S-level Death Assessment?"

This thought flashed through Qiao Mu’s mind.

At this point, he vaguely understood that the cultivation techniques he practiced after each death were not random; they tended to have different focuses based on his thoughts.

Just like… when chasing after Saintess Wu Qingxin, someone once said that the Etching Bones Li Fire martial artist couldn’t resist with force but could only rely on lightness skills to evade. Hard skills wouldn’t work.

Therefore, during these thirty years, Qiao Mu’s memory of martial arts practices clearly leaned more towards lightness skills.

The lightness skill of the thief, Shadow Step, was clearly only practiced after Heyang City, but now it suddenly advanced by leaps and bounds, reaching a high level all at once.

What made Qiao Mu feel even more absurd was that behind all these martial arts, there was a line of small characters, with "the Art of Lovemaking" written on top (intermediate level).

Can you practice the Art of Lovemaking? Is it a martial art skill? Wait, when did I practice the Art of Lovemaking?

Qiao Mu was shocked.

As his attention focused, a few familiar names slowly appeared in the section of "the Art of Lovemaking".

"Asshole Pointing Hand", "The Art of Recognizing Fragrances", "Hard Hitting Stick", "Yellow Dragon Probing Cloud Hand"….

At the same time, related memories started to emerge in his mind.

In his memories, Qiao Mu diligently studied the secrets of the Art of Lovemaking, practicing in the scorching summers and freezing winters. As the saying goes, with deep effort, a iron rod can be ground into a needle. After years of studying, Qiao Mu had achieved a certain level of mastery in the Art of Lovemaking…