3. Miraculous Effect

After working himself to the bone for an entire day, the progress of the Five-Animal Exercises had only increased by a pitiful one percent. Yet, Xie An felt an unprecedented surge of joy: the Longevity Trait was truly effective! For a man who had long been teetering on the edge of the gates of hell, this was undoubtedly his only lifeline. From now on, as long as he pushed himself to the limit, his progress would grow. Reaching perfection would surely bring a breakthrough, and who knew what greater surprises might await once he finished mastering the basics? Having been ruthlessly lashed by two lifetimes of hardship, Xie An no longer harbored delusions of being a child of destiny or some monstrous genius. However, this golden finger offered him a tangible, reachable hope. As long as he remained diligent—even if the progress was slow—so long as he persevered, why worry about having no future?

"So hungry..." He rubbed his shriveled stomach; the midday meal had long since been digested, leaving him ravenous once more. Ever since his stroke, Xie An’s organs had been failing, leading to a rapid loss of appetite. He hadn't even been able to stomach fatty, greasy foods. Never before had he felt such a fierce, starving sensation. They say hunger is the most agonizing feeling, but at this moment, Xie An clearly felt that being hungry and wanting to eat was, in itself, a blessing.

Xie An called He Chunli from outside the door and asked him to bring dinner. He also instructed He Chunli to keep a closer eye on Zhang Bing; that man was of sinister character and needed to be guarded against. After eating his fill, Xie An dared not sleep. He could clearly feel that he was still in a state of extreme weakness due to his failing organs, and he was terrified that if he closed his eyes, he might never wake up. It is said that as people age, they become more open-minded, but from Xie An’s own experience, this was simply not true. The older one gets, the more reluctant they are to let go, and the more they fear death. For the past month, he had lived in constant terror of dying, fearing that one day he would close his eyes and be gone. When a person is young and knows their life is long, they can sleep soundly, knowing they will wake up. But once a person is old and struck by illness, they feel the terror of death at close range, truly fearing that if they close their eyes one day, they will not wake up. "It’s still early; I’ll practice for a few more hours." Xie An was afraid of death. He practiced bitterly until the early hours of the morning, until he was so exhausted he could barely open his eyes, before finally drifting into a deep sleep.

The next day, Xie An opened his eyes. "Thank goodness..." After a quick wash and breakfast, he returned to his room to practice the Five-Animal Exercises.

In the days that followed, Xie An felt a sense of immense relief every time he opened his eyes. He lived each day as if it were his last. Apart from taking his medicine on time, he gritted his teeth and practiced his craft. The intensity of his training was truly appalling. Although Xie An knew that the Longevity Trait allowed the Five-Animal Exercises to extend his life, the problem was that his life was already at the point of exhaustion, rapidly fading away. One side was increasing, while the other was decreasing—he was in a race against death. If he weren't diligent enough and the gains couldn't offset the decay, he might still perish despite having a cheat code. He was currently in the most dangerous stage and truly dared not stop for even a moment.

Evening arrived seven days later. After finishing his day’s practice, Xie An finally noticed something unusual: a stream of heat remained persistently in his lower abdomen. This was a sensation he had never experienced before. Previously, every time he finished the exercises, a warm current would indeed flow through his body, but it would dissipate as time passed, much like the body heat one feels after intense exercise before returning to normal. But this time it was different. It was already a cold autumn; the nights were deep with heavy dew and biting winds, yet Xie An clearly felt his body was not as cold as before. The warm current stayed in his lower abdomen, continuously generating heat. The persistent numbness in his limbs and the aching in his waist and back had seen lasting, significant improvement.

The panel before his eyes displayed: [Five-Animal Exercises: Beginner (10/100)]. Xie An let out a long sigh of relief. "Although the progress is only one-tenth, my body has clearly improved significantly. I should have temporarily passed the stage of racing against death. At least I don't have to worry about closing my eyes every night and not waking up." He had been crushed by the fear of death for over a month; only an old man facing death who had experienced such terror firsthand could understand what a blessing it was to be rid of that feeling. "Tonight, I can finally have a peaceful sleep." Since his stroke, this was the first time Xie An had slept well.

The next day, Xie An didn't open his eyes until the sun was high. The bright sunlight filtered through the thin paper windows, falling on his face, warm and comforting. He could even hear the chirping of sparrows outside.

Xie An touched the warm hot-water bottle in his bedding and, for the first time, a relaxed smile appeared on his face. The customs of this world were much like the ancient times of his previous life. Some elderly people, fearing the cold, would wrap a copper pot filled with hot water in a cloth bag and place it in their bedding to keep warm, commonly known as a "soup warmer." Although Xie An’s body had improved significantly, he was old, and this year’s autumn was particularly cold, so he still couldn't do without the warmer.

Wuqiao Town was a town under Qingwu County of Nanyang Prefecture, located on the southeastern border of the Great Qian Dynasty. The eight-hundred-mile Great Yin Mountains to the east blocked the warm currents from the East Sea, causing the region to be exceptionally cold. Whenever late autumn arrived, there would be frost and frozen rivers, and occasionally snow. The villagers had to dig cellars to store food for the winter. Even so, people still froze to death every winter. During the autumn and winter, food was scarce, and bandits hiding in the mountains would descend to raid villages to survive. To endure the autumn and winter, the common people not only had to face natural disasters but also guard against mountain bandits; survival was truly difficult. Fortunately, there were bailiffs stationed in Wuqiao Town, as well as a martial arts school with a master. Life for the townspeople was much safer than for those in the surrounding villages. The Li estate was a prominent household in town and employed martial artists as guards, so ordinary bandits dared not easily target the Li family’s assets. This was why Xie An had remained at the Li Family Pawnshop. Without martial arts to rely on, leaving a wealthy household in these chaotic, war-torn times made it truly difficult to survive.

"If practicing health exercises for seven days has such miraculous effects, long-term persistence will surely greatly improve my constitution and strength. It is not impossible that I could learn martial arts. If I can master a good martial art, I will truly have the capital to secure my place in this chaotic world." Xie An rolled off the bed and began his new day of training.

Just after lunch, Master Li sent a young maid to check on Xie An. Xie An recognized this maid; her name was Chunlan. She was the head maid by Mistress Li’s side and held a position of some status in the Li household. "Master Xie, the master said that you have been taking medicine, yet your health hasn't improved. If this continues, it’s not a solution..." Xie An understood immediately. For over a month, the Li family had been paying for his medicine, and the expenses were not small. Since they saw no improvement, they didn't want to spend this wasted money anymore. Although this medicine money wasn't much for the Li family, Xie An was, after all, just a servant. In this world, it was not uncommon for servants to be skilled workers; their treatment might not be bad, but a servant remained a servant. Xie An had long since grown accustomed to this chaotic world and felt no cynicism. "Then what does Master Li intend to do?"