Zheng Kingdom, Qingfeng Prefecture.
Qingmu County.
Li Manor.
The night was deep.
At the third watch of the night, Wei Tu, following his internal biological clock, rubbed his drowsy eyes, turned over on the heated earthen bed, and got up. Feeling his way through the darkness, he threw on an outer robe and stepped outside to the stable. He lit a lantern and began preparing the horse feed.
The scent of hay and beans mixed with the sound of eggs cracking as they were accidentally bumped. The young black horse in the stable snorted happily and nudged Wei Tu's rough cotton short-sleeved tunic.
"When will this job of feeding horses ever end? I used to be a modern man…"
"It's tough to get ahead."
Wei Tu sat on a blue stone outside the stable, reached to his waist, and pulled out a tobacco pipe. He packed some dried tobacco leaves into the brass pipe bowl, lit it with fire paper, and took a few puffs.
As two streams of thick smoke escaped from his nostrils, he leaned comfortably against the mud wall, his eyes half-closed.
Back in the modern world, his family had strict rules, so he never touched tobacco or alcohol, let alone the old-fashioned tobacco pipes that the older generation smoked.
But now, he liked smoking.
No other reason—
It relieved exhaustion.
After a smoke, most of his fatigue would dissipate.
After waiting for a while, Wei Tu saw that the black horse had finished eating. He tapped the pipe against the sole of his soft satin shoes, shaking off the ashes, then dusted off his pants and prepared to wash up before going back to sleep.
A horse that isn't fed at night won't grow strong.
The horses in Li Manor had to be fed at the third watch, so he couldn't sleep too deeply before that.
If he ruined a good horse, he would surely suffer punishment from Master Li.
Wei Tu drew up a bucket of cool, sweet water from the well, took a few gulps to fill his stomach, then lifted the bucket and poured it over his bare upper body, enjoying the refreshing chill that seeped into his bones.
Soon, streaks of grime were rubbed off his body and fell to the ground.
"I've aged this much? I'm only seventeen, but I look like a man in his thirties."
As he squatted down to wash his legs, he caught sight of his reflection in the wooden basin filled with muddy water. By the light of the stable lantern, he could clearly see his current appearance.
A dark complexion, forehead creased with wrinkles no teenager should have, and strands of white at his temples—he looked much older than his years.
Only through his clear, sharp black eyes could one barely tell he was still a youth.
However—
At that moment—
His reflection in the basin shifted, and his appearance aged further. The youthful weariness transformed completely into that of a wrinkled, white-haired elder.
Seeing this—
Wei Tu stumbled back a few steps, startled. After a long pause, he touched his face, lifted his damp hair from his shoulders, and, upon seeing it was still black, finally let out a breath of relief.
"Did I see that wrong?"
Suspicious, Wei Tu scooped another basin of clean water and looked into it again.
The reflection was identical to his current face.
But after a few breaths—just like before—his face changed once more.
The elderly figure, so similar to himself yet aged beyond measure, reappeared.
This time, Wei Tu didn't recoil in fear. Instead, he carefully examined the "unusual" sight in the water.
A few moments later—
The water rippled.
Between the brows of the elderly reflection, a radiant golden-purple light emerged, shining brightly.
At the same time, Wei Tu's own forehead began to shimmer with golden light.
A golden seal, engraved with the words "Late Bloomer," suddenly appeared in his mind.
"The 'Late Bloomer' destiny?"
Wei Tu was momentarily stunned.
In his previous life, he had enjoyed reading Xianxia and supernatural novels since childhood.
He knew that in traditional culture, destinies determined one's life—whether rich or poor, noble or lowly.
And now, the destiny that had appeared in his mind was golden-purple in color—undoubtedly one of the legendary supreme destinies.
Unfortunately, it was "Late Bloomer."
Given his current impoverished circumstances, this destiny didn't seem like it would help much.
As if sensing Wei Tu's thoughts, the golden seal shone even brighter, and two lines of text appeared in his mind, floating before him.
"Destiny: Late Bloomer."
"Attribute: Unyielding perseverance, bound for success."
"Unyielding perseverance… bound for success…"
Wei Tu's mouth twitched.
"Bound for success" sounded way too vague. And if he was only going to "bloom late" when he was seventy or eighty, what use was that?
By then, all his teeth would have fallen out. Even if he became famous and wealthy, he wouldn't even be able to eat a proper meal.
Let alone enjoy the pleasures of life.
Absolutely useless.
"Since there's a destiny, then… could the legends about immortals also be true? Immortality, roaming the seas at dawn, traveling to distant mountains by dusk..."
A surge of excitement rose in Wei Tu's heart.
If this world truly had a path to immortality, then his "Late Bloomer" destiny wouldn't be a mere consolation prize—it would be a priceless treasure.
"Qingfeng Prefecture doesn't have immortals who openly recruit disciples, but there are warriors who take in students and teach martial arts…"
"These martial artists rely on their youthful blood and courage, fighting recklessly. But once they grow old, the hidden injuries pile up, and most of them die suddenly. Few make it to sixty…"
"However, martial arts isn't just about combat. Some techniques focus on longevity and health preservation."
"Those who train in health-preserving arts instead of reckless combat often live well into their seventies or eighties. The records even mention a certain Master Miao Ying who lived to over a hundred by practicing such techniques."
At that thought, Wei Tu made up his mind—he would first find an opportunity to learn health-preserving techniques, then seek out an immortal's cave and request to become a disciple.
With the "Late Bloomer" destiny backing him, as long as he persisted in training, those longevity techniques would eventually show their true worth.
A longer lifespan—
Would increase his chances of finding the immortal path.
As for combat-oriented martial arts, in this era of peace, they weren't particularly useful. Of course, if the opportunity arose, Wei Tu wouldn't mind learning them.
Previously, he had never practiced martial arts. Besides the obvious reason—martial training being a pursuit for the wealthy—he had three other concerns.
First, martial arts were extremely difficult. Without the right physical foundation, progress would be slow and uncertain.
Health-preserving techniques, on the other hand, were easy to learn and had a low entry barrier.
Second, martial strength was limited. A skilled martial artist who could take on ten men was already considered a regional legend.
Those who could fight a hundred, let alone a thousand, were practically myths.
Third, martial artists risked their lives constantly. Most were mercenaries, wanderers, or outlaws who rarely met a good end.
The warriors of Qingfeng Prefecture were mostly bladesmen—men who wielded the Hengshan Sabers forged in Hengshan Town. Farmers by day, bandits by night.
"Tomorrow, I should visit my second aunt. She's a concubine of Master Huang, and the Huang household employs martial instructors as guards. They might have some health-preserving manuals…"
Returning to his bed, Wei Tu suppressed the excitement of discovering his "golden finger" and, after tossing and turning for a while, finally succumbed to exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep.
Morning.
The sky was still dim.
Wei Tu got up to feed the horses, then grabbed a broom to sweep the courtyard of the Li Manor.
Just before the household woke, he went to the kitchen to help the cook start the fire and prepare breakfast.
Feeding the horses and assisting with chores in the courtyard—these were his daily duties.
In the fifteenth year of Qing'an, six years ago, his father, Wei Bao, sold him to the Li Manor as a servant. He became a tenant slave.
Fortunately, after years of hard work, he learned horse-rearing skills from Old Liu, the stablemaster. With that, he managed to climb from a mere tenant slave to the manor's new stablemaster.
As for Old Liu, he had passed away last year.
Tenant slaves and stablemasters might both be servants, but there was a world of difference between them.
Tenant slaves worked themselves to the bone, had no wages, and were treated as expendable.
Stablemasters, on the other hand, were skilled laborers. They received a monthly wage and dined with the household.
Of course, the food was still different.
The master's family ate meat, while Wei Tu had to settle for broth with bits of fat floating in it.