Longevity by Grinding Skills-Chapter 35: Shocking News

Xu Yunfan exhaled, and his slightly bulging muscles slowly relaxed.

He lifted his palm and glanced at it. He had just tested his defenses by taking a steel blade with the back of his hand. Apart from a white mark, there was no other injury.

Impervious to blades!

Xu Yunfan glanced at the Attribute Panel that appeared in his vision at his command.

...

Red Rope Copper Body Cloak Hammer 639/5000 (Great Success)

Effects: Vast Qi and Blood, Body-Permeating Power, Iron-Tough Skin, Strengthened Muscles and Bones, High Resistance to Sharp Weapons, Can Withstand Boulders, Superhuman Physical Strength, Hammer Technique Mastery.

...

Among the effects of the Red Rope Copper Body Cloak Hammer, two of them—High Resistance to Sharp Weapons and Iron-Tough Skin—provided him with immense defensive capabilities.

As long as he was careful, ordinary weapons would have a hard time piercing his skin. He wondered how the sharp blades Li Haomiao had mentioned would fare.

He glanced at the guards lying unconscious on the ground. He hadn’t struck too heavily, using only half his strength. Although the guards had suffered muscle and bone injuries, their foundations weren’t harmed. With proper care, there would be no lasting side effects.

’After all, we have no deep-seated grudge.’

Pushing open the storehouse door, he was met with the sight of two rows of bookshelves stretching deep inside, filled with a jumble of books, ledgers, and the like.

Xu Yunfan’s gaze swept over them, and he finally spotted several boxes of various sizes in a corner.

He ripped off a box’s lock and threw open the lid.

Neatly arranged rows of Silver Ingots sat primly in the box. Even for someone like him, who had been bombarded with modern information in his past life, the sight of all this gold and silver still left him in a daze for a moment.

’With this much money, why would I still need to toil away hunting and fishing just to make a living?’

’I’d have to be crazy.’

After opening the remaining boxes, Xu Yunfan raised an eyebrow slightly. He immediately slung the box full of "Yellow Croakers" over his chest and tucked a large box under one arm.

It was heavy, but acceptable—easy, even. The small box of "Yellow Croakers" weighed over a hundred catties, and the box of Silver Ingots weighed at least five hundred.

The most obvious sign of a First Level Great Mastery Martial Master was the ability to lift eight hundred catties with a single hand. For someone like Xu Yunfan, who focused on Horizontal Training and followed a fierce and powerful path, their physical strength would be even greater.

After securing his load, he quickly left the storehouse.

He hurried on without stopping, heading straight for the wall. Just as he was about to climb over and leave, his expression flickered, and he shrank back into a corner.

"That weapon... is it real?"

From the adjacent room, an anxious voice called out urgently, laced with irrepressible frustration.

"Watch your tongue!"

Another, slightly older voice cut in sharply like a blade, rebuking him.

A brief silence followed.

After a long moment, the older voice spoke again, tinged with gravity and worry.

"I don’t know where the leak came from, but the news has gotten out. Uninvited guests have already infiltrated our Hu Mansion to investigate. If this is confirmed to be true, the Hu Family’s century-old foundation will likely be destroyed in one fell swoop!"

"Those people are no better than ravenous wolves and tigers."

"Father, powerful figures are already here spying on us. If we don’t come up with a plan, we won’t be able to protect it! If this drags on, that City Governor Jiang Huaiseng won’t be easy to deal with. Our family only has Uncle, a single Great Success Martial Master. We’re simply not strong enough."

The room fell silent again for a moment before the old voice suddenly spoke, its tone laced with a hint of ruthlessness.

"Tomorrow, spread rumors in the city. Say that the other major families also have related clues. As long as we can divert most of the attention, we can protect ourselves for now. We can make a long-term plan later."

"It might even be dismissed as false. After all... clues about Divine Weapons pop up everywhere every year, but the vast majority are fabricated. Once the rumors spread, many people will naturally assume it’s just another fake."

’A Divine Weapon.’

Xu Yunfan’s heart stirred, and he subconsciously touched the sharp fragment hanging around his neck.

This Divine Weapon fragment, from the shattered Purple Gold Earth-Shaking Hammer, could still easily draw blood with a light scrape against his current Horizontal Body Training, tough as it was.

His mind raced, but he ultimately suppressed his burgeoning thoughts. The most pressing matter was to find a place to stay, then find a Bone Training Martial Art to achieve the Outer Three Harmonies. Otherwise, his Pure Yang Qi Skill would be useless.

’I have several Cultivation Techniques waiting to be practiced. This Divine Weapon has already attracted so many prying eyes. If I get involved rashly, I might not gain any benefits and just end up in a world of trouble.’

’Now that I’ve nabbed so many silver taels, it’s enough for me to live comfortably like a wealthy master until my Martial Arts are perfected. When that time comes, I’ll buy a few maids and learn to live the extravagant life of the old lords.’

’Besides, if these two are important figures in the Hu Family, why are there no guards at the door? Why would they dare discuss the Divine Weapon here?’

’Are they fishing?’

Xu Yunfan hesitated no longer. Taking advantage of the lack of attention, he vaulted the wall and quickly left the Hu Mansion.

"Master, it’s terrible!!"

A series of frantic knocks suddenly rang out, interrupting the discussion between the Hu Family’s head, Hu Hong, and his son, Hu Fei’ang.

Hu Hong’s brows knitted together instantly, his heart tightening.

"Come in."

A pale-faced guard walked into the room, clutching his arm and holding a long saber. "Our... our storehouse was robbed," he said. "Several boxes of gold and silver are missing."

The guard then explained that the Eldest Master had called out from a distance, and most of the brothers on duty at the storehouse had gone to provide support.

Hu Hong didn’t seem to mind that, only asking.

"Is my older brother, Hu Yan, alright?"

"The Eldest Master is fine. After driving off the intruder, he is now tightening security throughout the mansion."

Hearing this, Hu Hong relaxed and said slowly, "What’s lost is lost. You are not to blame for this. Just strengthen the patrols from now on."

Hu Yan was the Hu Family’s only First-Level Martial Artist who had reached Great Mastery of Muscle Training. He had a very high chance of achieving Great Mastery in Bone Training, so they couldn’t afford for anything to happen to him. Although the Hu Family only operated in Beiye City, they were one of the city’s top families, with businesses everywhere. Thanks to their good management, they were the wealthiest of the prominent families in the city.

"How much was lost?"

Hu Hong sat down and asked casually.

The guard said in a low voice, "Steward Hu is still taking inventory. He sent me to report first. The initial estimate is that, between the gold and silver, we’ve lost nearly thirty thousand silver taels."

Hu Hong’s heart sank, and his expression became a sight to behold.

Even though his family was fabulously wealthy with business extending to the State City, a fortune worth thirty thousand silver taels was still the fruit of several years of their operations.

After a long moment, Hu Hong slammed his teacup down and said furiously, "Damn thieves! I’ll make you all pay for this!"

The rest of the journey was uneventful. After climbing the wall into the inn he had booked earlier that evening, Xu Yunfan set the boxes down gently and silently.

After carefully counting his haul, he let out a long breath, his face alight with joy. Tomorrow, he just needed to find a brokerage, buy a residence to settle down in, and then he could focus on his martial arts training and find a way to join a Sect. After that, he would have nothing to worry about.

Since the room was too small, Xu Yunfan forwent his usual Cultivation of the Red Rope Copper Body Cloak Hammer. After washing up, he simply sat cross-legged on the bed, formed the Linn Character Seal with his hands, and silently chanted the Supreme Kindness Heart Spell. His mind gradually entered a state of being both empty and not empty.