I am dying of old age, and I have awakened to the character of longevity.

"How is Xie An's condition?"

"His stroke is no longer a major concern; he just needs to take his medicine on time. However, he is old, and I fear he won't last more than a few days."

… …

After the voices gradually faded away, Xie An, lying on the sickbed, laboriously opened his eyes, his parched lips moving slightly, letting out a long sigh.

"I've been in this world for thirty years, and now I'm finally going to die of old age?"

He was originally a miserable office worker on Blue Star, burdened with mortgage and car loans, forced to accept his evil boss's endless overtime demands. That day, after working overtime late into the night, he suddenly suffered from cerebral hypoxia and fainted. When he woke up, he had become a pawnshop assistant in Wuqiao Town, Great Qian Dynasty.

The Great Qian Dynasty was plagued by corrupt officials, powerful clans carving up territories, rampant bandits, and even evil spirits and demons causing chaos. The lives of ordinary people were as cheap as grass.

Xie An was unlucky; his transmigration didn't come with a golden finger.

But through his wit and diligence, he gradually rose to the position of appraiser master at the Li Family Pawnshop.

The so-called appraiser is responsible for inspecting and pricing items, deciding whether to accept them for pawn. It's a skilled job, with better pay than ordinary assistants, making for a decent life.

However, a month ago, he inexplicably suffered a stroke, causing his fifty-year-old body to deteriorate rapidly. Now, his internal organs are failing, and he's burning out like a lamp.

In this chaotic world, fifty is considered a ripe old age. But Xie An, as a transmigrator, was unwilling to be so mediocre and short-lived. He once had dreams…

Initially, he wanted to roam the world with fine clothes and a sword, in his middle age, he wanted to protect his wife, children, and a warm bed, and in his old age, he wanted longevity.

After searching bitterly for half his life without success, he only discovered that he was just an ordinary person after all.

His past fantasies had all become reflections in a mirror, a fleeting dream.

Looking back on his life.

He had accomplished nothing, gained nothing, and loved nothing.

It was truly a meaningless existence.

"Master, it's time to take your medicine."

A knock on the door interrupted Xie An's thoughts.

Judging from the voice, it was his apprentice, He Chunli, bringing the medicine.

The pawnshop business relies on the unique skills of the appraiser master. It's common practice in the industry for masters to take on apprentices to prevent the skills from being lost.

Xie An laboriously climbed out of bed, wrapped himself in a thick cotton coat, and, enduring the aching and dizzying sensation in his body, hobbled towards the door with his dragon-head cane.

"Where's Zhang Bing?"

The sallow-faced He Chunli replied shyly: "Brother Zhang is busy attending to the customers."

He lived in the backyard of the Li Family Pawnshop, less than a hundred steps away. Could he really be so busy that he couldn't even visit his dying master for half a month?

Xie An didn't call him out on it, took the medicine pot, and went back into the room.

He struggled to drink the nauseating medicinal soup, but his body showed no signs of improvement.

"It seems I'm really burning out…"

He looked at the shriveled, wrinkled back of his hand and began to consider his final affairs.

"I should buy a good coffin and a good burial plot. This is all there is to this life. Well, if life rapes you, just close your eyes and enjoy it…"

Just then, a white Daoist talisman suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[Detecting host… ]

"A cheat?"

Xie An, whose heart had long been as still as water, became agitated for once.

Soon, a complete panel appeared before his eyes.

[Host: Xie An]

[Current Obtainable Fate: Longevity.]

[Obtain?]

It really is a golden finger.

"Longevity…"

Xie An was dumbfounded, filled with disbelief.

One second he was saying that life had raped him, and the next second he got a longevity fate…

Just in the nick of time.

Although he didn't have much time left, maybe he could still struggle for a while?

"Obtain!"

As Xie An activated his thoughts, a white stream of light suddenly released from the talisman and flew into Xie An's body.

Buzz!

Xie An clearly felt a warm current rolling through his body, flowing through his limbs and bones.

His originally shriveled, weak, and sickly body suddenly seemed to have been injected with a powerful hormone, becoming vigorous and full of energy.

His turbid vision also became much clearer, as if he had suddenly become several years younger.

Although this feeling quickly faded, it was definitely not an illusion, but something that had actually happened.

[Obtained successfully.]

[Current Longevity Fate Level: Level 1.]

[Effect: Doubles the efficiency of practicing health cultivation techniques. Persisting in health cultivation will surely prolong life, and with accumulated effort, one may achieve eternal life!]

[Current Health Cultivation Technique: None]

"Eternal life…"

The appearance of these four words made Xie An's scalp tingle with excitement, and his eyes burned.

Looking at the wrinkled face in the bronze mirror, looking at the full head of white hair, tears could no longer be held back and poured out.

The longevity he had been searching for bitterly for half his life… finally saw hope just as he was about to die of old age!

Others only cultivate health to maintain their health.

But he, having integrated the Longevity Fate, will surely prolong his life by practicing health cultivation techniques, and with accumulated effort, he may achieve eternal life!

This is very abnormal.

Having transmigrated for thirty years, Xie An knew very well that there were martial arts masters in this world who could live up to one hundred and fifty years. There were also some powerful cultivators whose lifespan could reach two or three hundred years…

For ordinary mortals, fifty years old is like a flickering candle in the wind.

But for cultivators, fifty years old is the prime of their lives.

This is very exciting.

Although martial arts emphasizes innate talent and guidance from a famous teacher, as long as one has a long enough lifespan and slowly explores, even with poor talent, one may not necessarily be unable to become a generation of martial arts grandmaster.

There is also a good thing about being fifty years old, and that is that one has shed the impetuousness of youth, and one's mentality is very stable.

One can endure loneliness, tolerate slow development, and not be eager to stand out and show off.

This avoids the risk of being too prominent and dying prematurely due to being brave and combative.

Although the golden finger came late, there is also a good thing about coming late.

"There is a saying in Great Qian that 'the poor study literature, the rich practice martial arts'. It is not easy for ordinary people to learn martial arts. They either join the army and trade their lives for resources, or spend a lot of money to learn martial arts in a martial arts hall. In addition, they need to spend a lot of money to buy medicinal supplements and secret manuals.

Even a martial arts secret manual of unknown authenticity on the market costs at least ten taels of silver. This is not an expense that ordinary people can afford.

In comparison, health cultivation techniques are much cheaper."

"That's right, Shopkeeper Chen of the pawnshop has a health cultivation technique. I'll go ask him for it."

With the Longevity Fate, practicing cheap health cultivation techniques can prolong life, so what is there to fear from a mere stroke?

… …

Noon.

The Li Family Pawnshop was full of customers.

As soon as Xie An entered the shop with his dragon-head cane, the assistants greeted him one after another, calling him "Master Xie".

Although the Li Family Pawnshop was a small pawnshop in Wuqiao Town, the position of appraiser master was very important, and even Shopkeeper Chen Yuan treated Xie An with great respect.

However, everyone's greetings were clearly not as enthusiastic as before, with a bit more perfunctory and neglectful flavor.

Obviously, everyone knew that Xie An didn't have many days left to live.

Xie An was already used to this kind of scene, and directly found Shopkeeper Chen Yuan, who was lying on the counter playing with crickets, "Old Chen, I remember you have a health cultivation technique. Can I take a look at it?"

Chen Yuan immediately raised his head, looking at Xie An with great surprise, "Old Xie, don't tell me that you, who are even a cycle older than me, want to practice martial arts."