Notes on Longevity

Chapter 107 Arrival at Yangjia Village, Shouren Returns Home

Twenty miles outside Fuyang City, in Yangjia Village, Yang Shouren and Yang Zifu, along with Ping An, hurried back to the fenced courtyard under the cover of night.

Yang Zifu parked the wheelbarrow in the yard, and Yang Shouren knocked on the door of the house, which was lit up. Ping An stood beside him with a chest on his back.

Soon, an old woman's voice came from inside the house, "Hmm? Zifu, are you back?"

"Mother, Fu-ge and I are back," Yang Shouren replied, and the door opened as he spoke.

The old woman opened the door and looked at Yang Shouren, saying to him with a hint of reproach, "You should have arrived last night according to your pace, why are you only coming back now?"

"Zifu, you're back." After scolding Yang Shouren, the old woman immediately changed her expression, smiling as she watched Yang Zifu, who had just put down his wheelbarrow, walk towards them, completely unaware of Ping An standing to the side.

"Mother, Hanhan and I have brought him here." Yang Zifu came to Yang Shouren's side, looking at the old woman with a smile.

"Him?" The old woman was puzzled, thinking to herself, "Aren't there just the two of you? Who is he?"
"Grandma, I apologize for disturbing you." Upon seeing this, Ping An bowed to the old woman to acknowledge his presence.

Hearing the voice, the old woman looked towards Ping An, finding the name familiar. When she saw Ping An dressed in a Taoist robe, holding a whisk, and carrying a chest on his back, she was taken aback for a moment, but quickly realized who he was and also bowed with clasped hands, saying, "This old woman greets the Taoist Master."

After the old woman finished speaking, she stared at Ping An with great curiosity. She found him somewhat strange; his expression was melancholy, and although his eyes were very clear, there was always an inexplicable depth to them.

"Mother, why are you staring at that Taoist priest?" Yang Shouren said somewhat awkwardly when he saw his mother staring at Ping An.

"Oh, right, Daoist Master, please come in." Yang Shouren's words brought the old woman, who had been staring blankly at him, back to reality. She pushed Yang Shouren aside, making room for Ping An to enter the house.

Ping An looked at the old woman, then at Yang Shouren, and suddenly felt a little lost. He had clearly come here to ask for a favor, but he was now being treated like a guest.

"Please come in, Daoist Master." Yang Shouren saw Ping An's helplessness and smiled as he pulled Ping An into the house.

The house was spacious and looked much like the courtyards of some wealthy people in Fuyang City. The only difference was that one was built with layers of stone bricks, with white walls and black tiles.

The courtyard, constructed of wood, has a rustic appearance and evokes a sense of seclusion when it rains. The interior is equally exquisite, featuring a spacious area with a square table in the center and a wooden chair on each side, suggesting a dining area. A low chair sits beside the entrance, and a few meters away on either side are two rooms concealed by curtains.

"Please sit down, Taoist priest." The old woman walked to the square table, pulled out a wooden chair, and said to Ping An with a smile on her face.

"Daoist Master, give me the box. I'll keep it for you." Yang Shouren, who was standing next to Ping An, also spoke up and took the box from Ping An's back.

He took the chest from Ping An completely, frowning slightly. He thought to himself, "This chest isn't very heavy, but it still has some weight to it. Ping An is very tall, but he looks frail and sickly. Yet he carried this for a whole journey without panting or stopping."

However, he then remembered that this was Qingxuanzi Daoist's disciple, so he stopped thinking about it and placed the box next to the low chair by the door.

"Mother, where is Father?" Yang Shouren looked at the low chair, stood up and asked the old woman who had settled Ping An down to sit.

Hearing this, the old woman sighed and said helplessly, "This evening, a few people came, saying that a grand martial arts event is about to begin in Huangzhou, and they want to invite your father to attend." "A grand martial arts event?" Yang Shouren frowned. "Aren't they looking after my father?"

Yang Shouren suddenly stopped speaking, looking at Ping An sitting there, somewhat embarrassed to say it aloud.

Seeing this, the old woman glanced at Ping An beside her and immediately replied, "That's all ancient history. Since that martial arts alliance leader took over, none of that matters anymore. By the way, who is this Taoist priest?"
Yang Shouren looked at the old woman, frowned and pursed his lips, and after a moment of confusion, said, "Mother, this is Master Ping'an, the disciple of Master Qingxuanzi."

"Master Ping An?" The old woman looked at Ping An with great surprise upon hearing this.

Upon hearing this, Ping An stood up, stepped out of his seat, and bowed to the old woman again, saying, "Grandma, I am Ping An."

"Are you really Master Qingxuanzi's disciple?" The old woman still looked at Ping An in disbelief. Back when Qingxuanzi asked them for help in that dilapidated temple, they had searched almost the entire city but couldn't find him. Yet today, he had come to her home with her son.

"Yes!" Ping An nodded, tears welling up in his eyes as he spoke of his master. "I heard from Young Master Yang that Master is buried in a place in the village. Could you please take me there to see it?"

The old woman was somewhat at a loss after Ping An confirmed "this" again.

Qing Xuanzi had been kind to them, but he often blamed himself for not being able to find Ping An. Now, facing Ping An, who was teary-eyed and pleading, he didn't know what to say.

“Master Ping’an, it’s getting late. I’ll take you there first thing tomorrow morning,” Yang Shouren said, looking at him with a similar sense of self-reproach.

When he first went into the city to look for Ping An, he knocked on the doors of almost every household, but he couldn't find her. He also hardly encountered anyone on the road. Finally, one night, he passed through a place and met a man in black. He learned about Ping An from the man, but by the time he arrived, Ping An had already disappeared.

Upon hearing this, Ping An looked at the dark sky behind Yang Shouren, took a deep breath, and bowed to them, saying, "Thank you, Young Master Yang, thank you, old man."

"You're too kind," the old woman replied helplessly.

"Mom, we haven't eaten yet, we're hungry." Yang Zifu, unaware of what had happened, rubbed his rumbling stomach and said somewhat aggrievedly.

"Mother will go cook, Mother will go cook." The old woman, who was already a little embarrassed, immediately replied upon hearing this. As she spoke, she walked towards the door to prepare some food.

"Daoist Master, please sit down for a while. I'm going to help my mother." Yang Shouren didn't know what to say to Ping An, so he used the excuse of helping with cooking to try to escape temporarily.

"Do you need my help?" Ping An asked sincerely.

"No need, no need. You've traveled so far, please sit down for a while. Brother Fu, you keep the Taoist priest company for a while, I'll go help Mother cook." Yang Shouren waved awkwardly at Ping An, while saying to Yang Zifu beside him.

"Okay." Yang Zifu, though puzzled, readily agreed.

(End of this chapter)