Looking out at the endless sea, Owen suddenly asked in a daze: "From now on well be living here, do you know where this place is?"

  Ah-Dai shook his head and said, "I dont know." He had been very quiet for some time. When Owen rode with him, he just sat on the horseback in a daze. A whole day would pass, and although his body was sore all over, he never complained unless Owen asked him something. Otherwise, he rarely spoke up on his own initiative. Owen also found that Ah-Dai was much more subdued than when they first met. He naturally understood why this was so. However, he had never asked Ah-Dai about it. He believed that after a while, Ah-Dai would definitely get used to life here.

  Shi Tang Town is one of the dozens of small towns along the coast where the Xibo people live. Many of the Xibos here are immigrants from the Hua Sheng Empire, so there are many people with black hair and eyes like Ah Dai. Coming here, Ah Dai no longer stands out as much as he did in the Tian Jin Empire, which is also one of the few places where Ah Dai can feel a little better.

  On this journey, Owen was extremely considerate of Ah-Dai. To enable Ah-Dai to endure the long ride on horseback, he specially bought a thick and soft cushion. Although Ah-Dais response was always a shake of his head, almost every day Owen would ask him with concern: "Are you tired? Are you hungry?" etc. Ah-Dai had already become less silent than when they first left the Mystic Forest, but between him and Owen there still existed a deep-seated estrangement.

  Owen and Ah Diao entered the Shitang Town, as it was daytime, the strong laborers in the village were either out to sea fishing or working at the Xipo tribes shipyard. The village was left with only some elderly people, women and children. On the small roads in the town, you could occasionally see a few women sitting together washing clothes, while the simply dressed children were playing with each other.

  To avoid scaring the villagers and arousing hostility, Owen hid his broadsword in a group of reefs by the sea before entering the village, changed into ordinary civilian clothes, and sold his horse. However, despite this, their two unfamiliar faces still aroused suspicion from the locals. A man in his fifties, who looked like a local guard, walked up to them and asked suspiciously, "Youre not from around here, what brings you here?" The language of the Suo Domain Federation was different from that of Tianjin, and even within the Suo Domain Federation, the accents of the six major ethnic groups had their own characteristics. If one wasnt extremely familiar with them, it would be difficult to distinguish between them. On the road, Owen taught Ah-Dai some strange-sounding languages every day, patiently explaining them to him. Due to his slow brain, Ah-Dai only learned a few simple phrases. It wasnt until now that Ah-Dai realized that what Owen had been teaching him was actually the local dialect. He managed to barely understand the other mans words.

  Owens face wore a smile as he spoke in the purest Sibboleth of the Zorvathian Federation: "Hello, I was born here, its just that I left home for a very long time and never came back."

  Upon hearing a language similar to his own, the other partys expression visibly relaxed, and he said: "Are you from this town? I dont seem to recall you."

  Owen looked up and down at his opponent a few times, then suddenly exclaimed in surprise: "Ah! Are you Shi Er brothers?"

  Xier was stunned and said: "How did you know Im Xier? Who are you exactly? I dont remember anything."

  "Shir, its really you! Im Owen! Havent seen you in almost fifty years, have you forgotten about the time we peed together and got into a fight? We even got beaten up back then!"

  Xier stared at Owen in shock, and after a long time, he said: "You, you really are Big Brother Owen, but, how can you be so young?"

  Owen rolled up his right sleeve, revealing a pale arm with a dark purple crescent-shaped scar on it. "Look at this," he said. "This is still from when I saved you and was scratched by the anchor of the ship. Dont you remember?"

  Ah-Dai stood by, staring blankly at Owen and Shiel, as they spoke quickly, and he could only barely make out a few words.

  Xier grabbed Owens arm, took a closer look and said: "Ah! Youre really Owen, if it wasnt for you back then, I would have died at sea. But brother, how are you still so young?! I remember, you seem to be two years older than me, right? Im 56 this year, you were born in February of the 93rd year of the Sacred Calendar, which means you should be 58 already! Cant tell at all, really cant tell at all!"

  Owen smiled and said, "Actually, its nothing. Maybe because Ive been living in the mountains for a long time, absorbing the spiritual energy of nature, so I look a bit smaller. Shir, is our ancestral house still there?"

  Xier nodded and said, "Its still there. Come on, Ill take you to see it. Ive taken over my fathers position and have been the town mayor for over a decade. Given our past relationship, no one dares to touch your familys ancestral home. However, its become somewhat dilapidated. If you want to live in it, youll need to renovate it. Big brother, are you leaving again after this visit?"

  Owen shook his head and sighed, "Ah, Im not leaving. After struggling for half my life outside, its time to return to my roots. Ah, right, brother, this is a distant nephew of mine, also the only relative I have left now. Well settle down here, maybe Ill live out the rest of my days here."

  Xier Lang laughed loudly and said, "Big brother, I was just worried that no one would accompany me usually. From now on, we two brothers can keep each other company. Come, Ill take you to see the ancestral house. When my few kids come back, let them help you renovate it, and we can be neighbors again."

  Under Shis enthusiastic lead, Ah-Dai and Owen arrived at a small courtyard on the east side of Shitou Town by the sea. The small courtyard was some distance away from the residential areas of other residents in Shitou Town. Seeing the small courtyard in front of him, Owens eyes turned red, after all, this was where he had spent his childhood.

  Xier patted Owens shoulder and said, "Whats wrong, thinking of your uncle and aunt again? Ah, that big tsunami really killed a lot of people back then!"

  Owen glanced at Xier and said, "Its been so many years, whats the use?" He took out a few gold coins from his pocket and stuffed them into Xiers hand, saying, "Brother, its been so many years since I came back, everything is unfamiliar, and I still need to trouble you to help me find someone to repair this broken house!"

  Xier hastily pushed back and said: "Big brother, what are you doing? Isnt this being too polite? Youve finally come back, Im helping you is a matter of course. Dont worry, in the town, Im still considered a number one person, when my sons who went out to work come back, let them get some oilcloth and lumber for you, fix it up, one days work should be enough. Dont give me money, otherwise, Ill get angry."

  Owen said, "How can that be? Its already a big favor to ask for your help. How can I let you pay out of pocket too? Take it, take it quickly, otherwise, I wont come back to live here." The two quarreled for half a day, and in the end, Shirley couldnt get the better of Owen, so she took the money.

  Xier said: "Big brother, you go back to the house first and take a look. Ill make arrangements for you. Today at noon, come to my house for lunch. We must drink a few more cups together. I have some old wine from previous years at home, haha." As he spoke, Xier turned his head and walked towards the town.

  Watching Shiers gradually disappearing back, Owen said to Ah Dai: "Next time you see him, you call him Uncle Shier, and call me uncle, got it? This is where we live from now on."

  "Ah-Dai nodded and asked: "Uncle, when will you start teaching me martial arts?"

  Owen smiled slightly and said, "In a hurry? I know you want to go back and see your teacher as soon as possible, but learning kung fu isnt something that can be done in one or two days. We have to lay everything out properly before we start, right? Come on, let me take you inside and take a look. Its been over 40 years since Ive been back."

  Ah-Dai understood what Xier and Owen were talking about earlier and asked in confusion, "Uncle, are you really 58 years old?"

  Owen looked at him and said gently, "Yes! Im 58 years old. The reason why my appearance is so young is mainly because the practice of Qigong has the effect of slowing down aging, so it looks like Im only around 40 years old. When we settle down, Uncle will teach you this skill."

  Pushing open the unlocked gate, a musty smell wafted out, and Owen furrowed his brow as he pulled Ah-Dai inside. A courtyard of about thirty or forty square meters came into view, with nothing around it except two tile-roofed houses with closed doors. There were many spider webs in the corners of the walls, and since this place was near the sea, it was all saline soil, so there wasnt any moss; otherwise, it would have been even harder to clean up.

  Two days later, with Shirleys enthusiastic help, Owens ancestral house was renovated and some new furniture was purchased. With Shirley, the mayor, supporting them, the people here gradually accepted Owen and Ah-Dai.

  ADais mood relaxed a lot, compared to the wooden house in the Mystic Forest, this place is more like home. Everyone was very kind to him. He met Shi Ers three sons, his eldest son looked about the same age as Owen. When Shi Er told them that Owen was older than himself, his family had an expression of disbelief. Shi Ers three sons were all married, with a granddaughter two years younger than ADai, and two grandsons aged seven and three.

  In the evening, Owen saw off Shi Ers family and stood in the yard, taking a deep breath of the slightly salty sea breeze, saying: "Ah Dai, come here."

  Ah-Dai had just finished washing the bowls and chopsticks when Owen called him. He wiped his hands dry and walked over, "Uncle."

  Ouwen turned around, looked at Ah Diao and said seriously: "I know you hate me for forcing you to leave your teacher, but from tonight on, I will start teaching you all my lifes skills. I hope you can learn diligently, if you want to see your teacher again, only after mastering all my kung fu can you leave, do you understand?"

  ADai nodded and said in a low voice, "I understand." He agreed verbally, but his heart had already flown to the Mystic Forest, unaware of whether Teacher Goris had returned or not.

  Owen said, "From today on, you must not practice the magic that Goris taught you before. It will distract you. Magic is very rare in this town, and those fire spells of yours are not allowed to be used in front of people, do you understand?"

  Ah-Dai lifted his head and stared at Owen, saying firmly: "No, I must continue to practice magic. The teacher taught me magic, I cannot forget it."

  Owen was taken aback, this was the first time Ah-Dai dared to refute his words, he didnt get angry because of this, and said in a gentle tone: "Child, you must understand that magic and martial arts cannot be learned at the same time. A persons life experience is limited, its already not easy for one profession to reach the peak, let alone studying both, your teacher Goris wont blame you."

  The silly and stubborn girl shook her head and said: "No, that wont do either. I must practice magic. I can avoid using it in front of people, but I have to practice every day."

  Owen thought for a moment, then said: "Alright, since you insist, Ill allow you to practice magic for one hour every night, but at other times, youre not allowed to let magic affect your martial arts training. Can you do that? If not, you must give up on magic."

  "Ah, I, Ill definitely be able to do it."

  "Alright, today Ill teach you the most basic method of cultivating Qi. The name of the Qi I cultivate is called Shengsheng Jue, which means life and life without exhaustion. It mainly enhances ones own life force intensity and converts it into a sacred Qi. You can say its the most orthodox and highest-level Qi cultivation method on the continent, and also the best way to nourish your body, thats why I look so young. When Shengsheng Jue is circulating in the body, its what your teacher Goris calls true Qi, and when the energy is released for attacking, its called fighting Qi. Since youve eaten the Rebirth Fruit, your cultivation will be twice as effective. Lets go back to the house, Ill teach you the incantation."

  Back in the room, Owen said seriously: "The general outline of Shengsheng Jue has only four words, that is, what I told you before, Shengsheng Buxi. Only the true energy of Shengsheng Buxi can make you always have the ability to emit Dou Qi." At first, it was because of the Shengsheng Buxis true energy in Shengsheng Jue that Owen supported and scared away Mie and others. "The first mantra you need to remember is: Qi follows thought movement, Qi is born from the heart, refining essence into Qi, Shengsheng Buxi. The first layer of cultivation is also the foundation of Shengsheng Jue, which is the foundation-building stage. Alright, lets start."

  Owen made Ah-Dai sit cross-legged on the bed, while he himself sat behind Ah-Dai, his right palm pressed against Ah-Dais back. "Close your eyes, recite the incantation silently, and use your heart to sense the direction of the warm airflow. Remember this direction. Alright, lets begin."