Notes on Longevity

Chapter 122 A crisscross of withered trees, a red fox laughing as it chases a black cat.

The next morning, smoke rose from every household in Zhoujia Village. It was early autumn, and the wheat and rice in the fields had long been harvested, so the villagers were now in their off-season. People gathered in pairs or small groups in their courtyards, discussing next year's weather and whether the harvest would be plentiful.

Some people also gather together to discuss marriage with young men and women of marriageable age.

Zhoujia Village has about a hundred households. From the mountain, the mud-brick courtyards are situated between the fields on both sides. The houses are arranged in a staggered yet orderly manner, interwoven with each other.

In Zhoujia Village, near the fields on the left, the slightly yellowed wooden door of a house was opened from the inside.

The moment the door opened, a black cat rushed out. It stood still, turned its head, looked at the boy who stepped out of the door, and meowed. Then it immediately ran away and headed up the mountain. Clearly, this black cat was Blackface.

The boy was none other than Liu'er, whom he had seen peacefully the previous night.

Liu'er's surname is Zhou, and his full name is Zhou Yanliu. He is seventeen years old this year.

He closed the door, looking somewhat dejected, and walked towards the mountains, as if he had something on his mind.

The autumn breeze in the early morning is refreshing, but it's a bit chilly, especially in the mountains.

Yang Shouren was awakened by the autumn wind. He clutched his sword, shivering in a daze.

Meanwhile, Xiao Changgong, whose posture remained unchanged throughout the night, still maintained the appearance of the red fox.

She Li, on the other hand, suddenly felt a heaviness in his calves, as if something was pressing down on them. When he opened his eyes, he saw a scene he couldn't avoid at all.

Whether it was the harsh autumn wind in the early morning or something else, the moment She Li opened her eyes, she saw the red fox suddenly tremble, open its eyes abruptly, and instantly transform from a fox into a human.

Xiao Changgong was tall in his human form, and when he transformed back, his legs, which had been resting on She Li's calves, were now pressed against She Li's lower abdomen.

She Li felt a sudden bloating and pain in her lower abdomen after being pressed against. My Qi Hai point...
"Xiao Changgong, you're asking for it!"

Xiao Changgong, who had just woken up, was unaware of what had happened. He only saw She Li, with a ferocious face and a terrifying expression, rushing towards him.

She Li pinned Xiao Chang Gong down and gave him a brutal beating.

Still half-asleep, Yang Shouren opened his eyes upon hearing the sound, and the first thing he saw was She Li swinging her fist at Xiao Changgong.

He looked at the scene before him and smiled slightly. It wasn't for any other reason than that ever since he met the two of them at the graveyard, Xiao Changgong had either been getting beaten up or on his way to be beaten up. One beating every day, without fail.

Watching the two playfully fighting, he turned to check if Ping An was awake. He figured she must be, given how loud their fighting was.

Ping An woke up, but she couldn't see anyone else, not even her box.

He suddenly perked up, immediately stood up, looked at where Ping An had been standing, frowned, turned to the two who were playing around, and said, "Master Ping An is gone."

A chilly autumn wind blew past the three of them.

She Li and Xiao Changgong, who had been playfully fighting, stopped what they were doing upon hearing this, staring blankly at Yang Shouren before looking in Ping An's direction. Sure enough, it was empty.

The path up the mountain was difficult to walk on, with withered trees crisscrossing the ground. The exposed tree roots were intertwined and connected, making the path bumpy and difficult to traverse.

Zhou Yanliu stopped, slightly out of breath. He looked back at the village at the foot of the mountain and suddenly felt that the village was quite different from before; it had changed a lot and become more beautiful.

The fields used to be full of crops, and looking down from the mountain, all you could see was the idyllic sight of wheat swaying in the wind. But now, they have an indescribable beauty, like the blank spaces in a painting.

Blackface, running in the lead, stopped when it saw no movement behind it and barked at Zhou Yanliu, as if urging him to hurry up the mountain. Zhou Yanliu turned around at the sound, scratched his head, and smiled at Blackface: "Don't rush me, I'm almost there."

After saying that, he followed the dark-faced man up the mountain.

"Safety!"

The three of them ran around in the mountains, anxiously calling out Ping An's name, but received no response.

"Master Ping An." Yang Shouren looked around nervously, trying to find Ping An in all directions.

The mountains were connected, and She Li looked up at the mountain opposite. He seemed to have discovered something.

The opposite mountain was also covered with dead trees, but at the top of the mountain, there was a green tree that stood out.

Ping An, carrying a chest on his back, wearing a Taoist robe, and holding a whisk, walked towards Him.

Last night, Ping An obtained the location of the mountain god from the old man. After watching them leave, he rested briefly and then headed towards the opposite mountain at midnight.

The path on this mountain is much more difficult to traverse than the one on that mountain, especially at night.

Ping An traveled through the dark mountains. He had intended to use fire magic to summon a fireball, but then he thought it was inappropriate and had no choice but to proceed in the dark.

As dawn broke, he finally reached the mountaintop. Looking at the evergreen tree that was not far away, he took a deep breath, regulated his breathing, and walked towards it.

Blackface, annoyed that Zhou Yanliu was walking too slowly, ran quickly up the mountain road and soon reached the place from the previous night.

It watched as She Li and the other two stood together, its six eyes fixed on the conspicuous green tree on the opposite hilltop.

"Most of the trees in these mountains are withered, so why is that one still green? Do you think Ping An might have gone somewhere?" Xiao Changgong asked curiously, looking at the green spot in the distance.

"Most of the trees in these mountains are sycamores, tulip trees and soapberries, but I don't know what kind of tree that is, it still hasn't shed its leaves."

Yang Shouren looked around at the trees around him and said.

Logically speaking, most trees are planted in the same category as much as possible, and trees that are out of place with them are not chosen.

She Li felt uneasy as he listened to Xiao Changgong's words, unsure of where Ping An had gone.

The black-faced man's footsteps were very light, like snowflakes falling to the ground, making no sound. But even the lightest footsteps could not escape the fox's ears.

As Xiao Changgong wondered if Ping An had really gone to the opposite mountain, the dark-faced footsteps caught his attention. He turned to look at him and patted She Li on the shoulder, "Look, there's a cat here."

She Li and Yang Shouren both looked in that direction upon hearing the sound.

Suddenly feeling a bit scared as the three men stared at him, especially at She Li and Xiao Chang Gong, the man with the dark face felt a sense of unease.

“There’s something wrong with this cat.” She Li stared at it fiercely.

"What's the problem?" Xiao Changgong looked at She Li with confusion, but when he saw the black face's yellow eyes and white pupils, his brows furrowed. Suddenly, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he swept past She Li, transforming into a red fox and pouncing on the black face, "Cat demon."

Blackface was already somewhat frightened, and when it saw Xiao Changgong transform into a fox and pounce on it, its heart pounded wildly, as if it were about to explode. All the fur on its body stood on end with a scream.

(End of this chapter)