Chapter 2: Su Wen

**Chapter 2: Su Wen**

"In ancient times, people lived for over a hundred years, yet their movements remained vigorous." Ye Fan closed the *Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon*, feeling a profound longing for the ancient era described in the "Su Wen" chapter.

There are no detailed or precise written records about the ancient era, making it a period shrouded in endless mystery for people today, inviting boundless contemplation.

A gentle breeze stirred, causing a few phoenix trees in the courtyard to sway softly, their lush branches rustling. Fresh air wafted in through the window.

Ye Fan enjoyed reading books about "curiosities." Brewing a cup of light green tea, he continued to pore over the ancient text in his hands.

"Ordinary people could live over a hundred years without showing signs of aging. What a mysterious ancient history this was..."

As a modern person, he naturally didn't believe the claims about the lifespan of ancient people mentioned in the "Su Wen" chapter. His curiosity lay in why the "ancient era" that ancient people yearned for was subtly mentioned in so many old texts, as if an ancient civilization, shrouded in endless mist, had vanished into the river of history.

Could there truly be an unknown ancient history? After a brief moment of contemplation, he continued reading.

The *Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon* is a treasure-grade ancient text, written thousands of years ago and considered one of China's three great strange books. While not every part of the book can be taken literally, its overall value is undeniably immense.

"By grasping heaven and earth, mastering yin and yang, breathing in and out vital energy, steadfastly guarding the spirit, and unifying the muscles and flesh, one can achieve a lifespan comparable to heaven and earth, with no end. This is the path to life."

The "Su Wen" chapter repeatedly referred to an ancient era where people could understand cosmic changes, refine their vital energy, and achieve immortality. Modern people would find this impossible to believe.

Unconsciously, the red sun gradually sank in the west, and the evening glow cast a faint crimson hue over the lawn and phoenix trees outside the window.

Ye Fan put down the *Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon*, preparing to attend an important class reunion.

It had been three years since he left university. Ye Fan had stayed in this city after graduation, and looking back, the simple and pure student days were long gone.

Three years was neither a long nor a short time, yet former classmates were now scattered far and wide, each pursuing their own distinct life path.

The pleasant ring of his phone interrupted his thoughts. It was Lin Jia, a classmate—a very shrewd and beautiful woman who had moved to an adjacent city after graduation and, with her exceptional abilities, had been promoted to department manager a year ago.

As soon as he pressed the answer button, he heard Lin Jia's playful teasing. She had displayed excellent social skills in college, easily building rapport with people.

"What, you missed me?" Ye Fan retorted playfully.

A pleasant laugh came from the other end. "I'm not sure about the reunion location. Let's go together later."

After agreeing on a meeting point, Ye Fan drove out. He had pursued Lin Jia in college, but had been gently told they weren't a good match.

Lin Jia was a very beautiful and captivating woman, but her shrewdness and rationality surpassed her beauty. She clearly knew what she wanted and how to achieve it; one could say she was very pragmatic.

With ten minutes to spare before their agreed time, Ye Fan found a parking spot in front of the Parkson Mall, then got out and waited for Lin Jia by the roadside.

The entire city was bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, with many buildings covered in a faint golden light. Traffic flowed incessantly on the roads, and pedestrians streamed by.

Seven or eight minutes later, a Toyota pulled up to the curb. A beautiful and refined face appeared, and Lin Jia opened the car door and walked over.

Ye Fan walked towards her, smiling. "Oh, you have a private pick-up service now?"

"Don't mock me. I don't have a private driver. That's Liu Yunzhi, our classmate."

Although they had occasionally kept in touch over the three years since graduation, they had only met once, two years ago. Lin Jia was as youthful and vibrant as ever. Dressed casually in tight jeans and a purple T-shirt, her slender, graceful figure was accentuated, appearing even more shapely and charming.

"It's been over two years, how have you been?" Lin Jia's shoulder-length hair was dark, smooth, and lustrous. She had a pair of phoenix eyes, subtly upturned beneath long lashes, which naturally lent her a unique allure, making her captivating and charming.

"I'm good." Ye Fan smiled and teased, "Lin Jia, with your natural beauty, it's a shame you didn't go into the entertainment industry."

"Are you asking for a beating?" Lin Jia's smile was captivating. Her phoenix eyes slanted mischievously, her gaze sparkling, and her red lips were very sensual, exuding charm.

Just then, the window of the Toyota parked by the roadside rolled down, revealing a familiar face in the driver's seat: their former classmate Liu Yunzhi.

Like Ye Fan, he had stayed in the city after graduation. Thanks to the patronage of a well-connected relative, he had opened a small company and was considered someone who had achieved some success among their classmates.

Although they lived in the same city, he had almost no contact with Ye Fan, primarily due to a conflict they had in college.

Liu Yunzhi didn't get out of the car, simply smiled faintly, and said, "Long time no see."

"Indeed. Let's get together sometime." Seeing that the other person didn't even get out of the car, Ye Fan merely offered a casual greeting.

"Did you come by taxi?"

Ye Fan couldn't be bothered to dwell on such overt disdain and simply responded indifferently.

Lin Jia, being a very shrewd and clever woman, naturally sensed the atmosphere. She smiled at Ye Fan and said, "I rushed here this time and called a few old classmates who stayed in the city. Let's ride with Liu Yunzhi."

Before Ye Fan could say anything, Liu Yunzhi preemptively spoke with a hint of apology, "I'm really sorry, but I've already arranged to pick up two other classmates just up ahead at the intersection. It seems there won't be enough room."

"No problem, you go ahead, I'll be right there." Ye Fan finished, then turned to Lin Jia with a smile, "Are you coming with me, or..."

As Lin Jia hesitated slightly, Liu Yunzhi urged, "Beautiful Lin, you should still ride with me first, otherwise I'm afraid I'll be drowned by people's gossip."

After standing by the roadside for a few minutes, Lin Jia apologized to Ye Fan, but under Liu Yunzhi's urging, she ultimately got into the Toyota.

As the car window rolled up, Ye Fan vaguely heard Liu Yunzhi's slightly disdainful whisper: "It's rush hour now; you'd be lucky to get a taxi!" Then, the Toyota sped away.

In the past, Ye Fan had been quite a prominent figure on campus, but today, being assumed to have come by taxi, he naturally appeared somewhat down on his luck compared to Liu Yunzhi.

He simply ignored people like Liu Yunzhi, but Lin Jia's actions did surprise him a little.

However, everyone has their own way of dealing with the world. People live in reality, after all, and naturally cannot avoid being pragmatic, self-respecting, vain, and so on. Ye Fan wasn't particularly bothered by it.

The red sun had already dipped below the horizon, and the sky, as if stained with blood, gradually darkened. The entire city seemed to don a thick, hazy cloak as nightfall approached.

At that very moment, nine enormous dragon corpses, pulling a gigantic bronze coffin, lay across the dark and icy expanse of the universe. This astonishing sight seemed eternally frozen in place!

Several astronauts inside the International Space Station had already transmitted this world-shaking information back to Earth and were awaiting further instructions.