Notes on Longevity

Chapter 126 Mist Rises Over Lonely Green Mountain, the Mountain God's Path from the Past

As dusk approached, the dark yellow sun gilded the clouds on the horizon with a dark golden edge.

Beneath the clouds, another peak of Duqingshan.

Beneath the dense foliage of the ancient tree, beneath its aged face, Ping An, waking from a deep sleep, slowly opened her drowsy eyes.

"Child, are you awake?" The tree-faced creature smiled, its eyes looking down at Peace, who was leaning against it.

Ping An was startled by the sound, and her drowsy state vanished instantly.

He stood up, turned around and retreated repeatedly, bowed his head and made the Meridian Ritual Hand Seal towards the tree face, bowed deeply and said apologetically, "Mountain God, Ping An did not mean to. It's just that I couldn't sleep last night."

After meeting Zhou Ziping last night, Ping An closed his eyes to rest, but he couldn't fall asleep. Instead, he kept thinking about a few questions and wanted to ask the mountain god in front of him.

"It's alright, it's alright." The mountain god's aged laughter echoed in his ears, calming his mind.

“I know what you do. Before you ask me any questions, would you like to hear a story?” he began.

Ping An was taken aback. "You... know why I'm here?"

He laughed loudly, “I have said that apart from immortals and the fairyland, there is nothing in this world that I do not know.”

He said, and peace remembers.

He bowed respectfully to the tree-like face and said, "Peace be with you."

"Good! Good! Good!" After saying "good" several times, His laughter stopped abruptly. He showed a sad expression on His tree face. "Don't be offended. I have been alone for three thousand years and have hardly anyone to talk to. If it weren't for Zhou Yanliu's courage, I would really have nothing to say."

"But what I told him were all things I had seen and heard, and I didn't mention myself."

“I see that you are a pure and innocent child, and since we are both practitioners of Taoism, I will tell you my story. Listen carefully. The answers you seek are all in here.”

Upon hearing this, Ping An bowed respectfully.

He smiled and said, "Sit down."

Peace and tranquility prevail.

His breathing was light, heavy, and long. With a sigh, he began to speak: "My name is Dao Yisheng, and I was created from a thousand-year-old tree demon."

-

"It's almost dark, why hasn't Ping An come back yet? I wonder if he's eaten." In the mud courtyard, Xiao Changgong sat on a bench in front of the table with his back to the house, staring idly at the gate of the mud courtyard and the gradually darkening sky.

"Perhaps Master Ping'an was having such a good time chatting with the mountain god that he forgot about the time?" Yang Shouren, sword in hand, wandered around the mud courtyard. He answered when he heard Xiao Changgong's voice.

"They've been chatting for so long, I wonder what they're talking about. I guess the mountain god is telling Ping An a story."

As Xiao Changgong spoke, he suddenly remembered that he had been captured by a mountain god and told stories, which the god claimed were about the great principles of the Dao.

However, Xiao Changgong just felt that he had been alone for too long and couldn't find anyone to talk to, so he deliberately made up an excuse.

Although he eventually learned a few secret techniques from the mountain god, he still believed it to be true.

"A story?" She Li came over from the kitchen carrying food, and looked at Xiao Changgong curiously, asking, "What story?"

“Yes, Young Master Xiao. I heard you mention it on the mountain today; you also know a mountain god.” Yang Shouren looked at Xiao Changgong expectantly.

After all, he was just a mortal, and he was naturally curious about these tales of gods and immortals. Now that he had met someone who knew about them, he naturally wanted to ask them in detail.

"There's nothing to say." Faced with their curiosity, Xiao Changgong kept waving his hand and refused to speak.

Seeing this, the two didn't ask any more questions.

After placing the dishes on the table, She Li turned and walked towards the kitchen. Seeing that the food was almost ready, Yang Shouren put his sword on the stool and followed She Li to the kitchen to help.

Xiao Changgong, on the other hand, was frowning, looking melancholy as he pondered something.

The Way of the Great Dao?

He remembered that after he gained sentience, he often heard the old demon in their mountain say that there was a mountain god in the mountain.

That mountain god possessed extraordinary magical powers, even capable of altering celestial phenomena.

He was filled with longing when he heard this, always thinking about seeing what the mountain god they spoke of looked like. However, after more than two hundred years of arduous cultivation, and even when he was able to transform into a human, he still had never seen Him, until one night when he returned to the mountain from the foot of the mountain.

"Holy crap, you fox spirit! Help!" Xiao Changgong, holding a string of candied hawthorns, ran frantically through the dense jungle, his expression one of extreme terror.

Behind him, a huge figure swayed slowly, its eyes fixed on Xiao Changgong's fleeing figure with a mocking gaze.

This is a giant ape, entirely reddish in color, with long fur. Its prominent jaw makes its mouth and nose appear very large, and its upper face also appears rather sunken. But its two enormous purple eyes look like beautiful stars in the sky.

Xiao Changgong ran forward, and as he passed a thicket of bushes, he transformed into a tiny red fox, no bigger than a palm, and hid inside. He also hid the candied hawthorn skewer. He had worked hard to get it from the foot of the mountain.

The giant ape did not stop when it reached the bushes, but continued walking forward.

He watched Him leave through the gaps in the bushes with a terrified look on his face, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

However, he did not choose to go out now, but instead closed his eyes and quickly adjusted his breathing.

When he was being chased by that giant ape, he felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest.

After catching his breath, he slowly peeked out through the gap, looking in the direction the giant ape had left. Then, he cautiously turned back to look at the path he had come from. Once he was sure there was no trace of it, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He pulled his head back, leaned against a small wooden trunk, and then took out a shrunken candied hawthorn from his fox fur and started munching on it with his fox mouth.

He wondered to himself, "What's the background of this giant ape? Has it always lived in the mountains? Why haven't I heard any other demons mention it?"
Moreover, judging from his height, he must have been at least seven or eight zhang tall. Fortunately, he was very tall, and there were many low trees and shrubs in the jungle, which allowed him to escape his purple eyes.

"Sigh, what bad luck." He sighed, munching on a candied hawthorn and complaining, "I don't know what that damn monkey is up to. It's been watching me ever since I came up the mountain? What did I do to offend it? No way! I've never even seen it before! Is it crazy?"

"Weren't you the one who's been looking for me?" a voice suddenly rang in his ear.

"I'm looking for you? What do you want?" Xiao Changgong answered subconsciously while munching on a candied hawthorn. But he quickly realized what was going on. Who was speaking?
His fox face stiffened, and an extremely frightening thought suddenly rose in his mind. He tremblingly turned his fox head and looked in terror toward the source of the sound.

There sat a monkey, about the size of his eyes, leisurely on a tree trunk. Its purple eyes were captivating, and a smile played on its protruding mouth. Wasn't this the giant ape that had been chasing him shrunk down?
"Holy fox spirit!"

Xiao Changgong's terrified voice echoed through the dense jungle. Even some demons who had returned to their original forms and were asleep were startled awake by his shout, their bodies trembling.

"Bang!" Along with his voice came a loud bang.

A huge figure burst out of the bushes where Xiao Changgong was hiding, and at the same time, Xiao Changgong, who had transformed back into human form, was also lifted and spun out of the bushes. He stretched out his body and let out a terrifying ape roar.

This sound was earth-shattering, and the mountains and forests trembled.

All the demons and animals that had already fallen asleep fled in terror, running rapidly in the opposite direction from where the sound came from.

They've never run this fast before.

He swayed his enormous body, twisted his head, and then slowly raised one hand, moving it gently to his eyes.

The disoriented Xiao Changgong was grabbed by the collar by the giant ape, looking like an ant being held on someone's fingertips.

The giant ape looked at the lifeless Xiao Changgong and shook him with two fingers that were holding him up. Xiao Changgong did not resist at all, just like a puppet on a string.

He breathed on Xiao Changgong through his nose.

A powerful gust of wind rushed towards him, and only then did Xiao Changgong realize what was happening. He stared in shock at the giant ape's purple eyes.

His face was filled with terror as he struggled frantically. He inadvertently realized he was far from the ground, and his fear of heights caused him to lose his composure again. He kept muttering, "Damn fox spirit, you grandson of a bitch, your father's good grandfather!"

After saying that, he fainted.

He looked at the crowd gathered outside the mud courtyard, a sharp pain piercing his heart as he thought about this painful past. If only he had known it would turn out this way, why had he even bothered to seek Him in the first place! But without Him, he wouldn't be who he is today.

As he was thinking this, She Li and Yang Shouren also came out of the kitchen carrying food.

They looked at Xiao Changgong staring blankly out the door and asked in confusion, "What are you looking at? Why are there so many people outside all of a sudden? What are they looking at?"

She Li followed Xiao Changgong's gaze and saw that everyone was looking at the same thing, muttering something under their breath. Moreover, the direction they were looking in seemed to be the mountain where Ping An had gone to see the mountain god.

She Li frowned, feeling puzzled.

Not only did he feel this way, but Yang Shouren also sensed that something was amiss. Just as he was about to walk towards the door, a loud shout suddenly rang out from outside:
"Look, it's green! It's green!"

The sound surprised him greatly and woke Xiao Changgong, who was deep in thought. He frowned and looked outside.

Then many voices rang out simultaneously:

"It's really green!"

"What's going on?"

"What is the mountain god doing?"

"How would I know!"

"Look, it looks like it's getting foggy."

These sounds rose and fell, creating a very chaotic cacophony.

When the three people in the courtyard heard the words "mountain god," they suddenly became uneasy and rushed out of the mud courtyard, passing through the gathered villagers. When they looked towards the mountain peak, they stood there dumbfounded, as if they had lost their souls.

On another mountain in Duqingshan, bathed in the dim glow of the setting sun, green buds began to sprout anew from the mountaintop, on the branches of trees that had shed all their leaves in autumn. These buds, once sprouted, grew wildly and almost frantically. In the blink of an eye, a single tree had completed the transition from autumn to spring.

Starting from the mountaintop, this life spread wildly and rapidly downwards, as if spring had suddenly arrived.

The entire mountain forest transformed from its original desolate and lifeless state to flourishing with lush foliage, like withered trees coming back to life and turning green in just six breaths.

Everyone was amazed by what they saw, including She Li, Xiao Changgong, and Yang Shouren.

Their astonishment was beyond words; they could only stare in shock at the scene before them.

The green forests looked vibrant and full of life, standing out starkly from the rest of the desolate forests.

Just then, after the greenery had covered the entire mountain forest, white mist began to rise from the foot of the mountain, spreading upwards and gradually covering the newly emerging life.

"Ping An?" She Li looked at the white mist and suddenly snapped out of his reverie. He shouted out uncontrollably, only then remembering that Ping An was still in the mountains.

This shout also woke Xiao Changgong and Yang Shouren, who were horrified to remember that Ping An was still on the mountain.

This sound not only woke them up, but also attracted the attention of more than a hundred households in Zhoujia Village.

Everyone frowned and looked at them. Someone said, "Keep your voices down. It's getting dark. Don't disturb the mountain god."

But they don't care about any of that.

After they came to their senses, they ran towards the mountain.

The villagers were terrified at the sight, and disregarding everything else, someone shouted, "Quick! Quick! Stop them!"

Upon hearing the commotion, the villagers swarmed forward and blocked their path.

In the parched fields, She Li, Xiao Changgong, and Yang Shouren were surrounded by all the villagers. A tear rolled down She Li's cheek as he looked at the densely packed crowd of villagers. They were young and old, all staring at them as if facing a formidable enemy.

They knew that disturbing the mountain god could mean their deaths, so they considered anyone who disrespected the mountain god their mortal enemy. Even if their current actions offended the mountain god, they believed that once the mountain god learned the reason, he might forgive them.

"Give it! Let it go!"

Suddenly, a hurried, tense voice came from outside the crowd. The voice sounded like Zhou Yanliu's.

Suddenly, a black cat appeared above them and pounced on She Li and the others. The moment it landed, it transformed back into the boy's appearance.

He stared intently at the three of them, his eyes filled with ferocity. Upon seeing this, Yang Shouren and Xiao Changgong immediately stood in front of She Li. One of them drew his sword and pointed it at the boy, while the other frowned and turned to She Li, saying sternly, "You go first. Leave this to us. Safety is the most important thing!"

As Xiao Changgong finished speaking, She Li conjured his own sword out of thin air. Just as he was about to throw his sword into the air, preparing to fly away on it, Zhou Yanliu pulled Zhou Ziping through the crowd and stood before them.

"Grandpa Zhou?" Yang Shouren sheathed his sword and looked at the grandfather and grandson.

"My three young masters, what are you doing?" Zhou Ziping knelt before them, looking utterly dejected, and cried out, "I kindly invited you to be my guests, why did you have to provoke the mountain god? Aren't you trying to harm me?"

Seeing this, the other villagers quickly came to Zhou Ziping's side, helped him up, and then glared at the three men. "Black-faced man, arrest them. When the mountain fog clears tomorrow, take them to the mountain god and let him deal with them."

Upon hearing this, Black Face also made a move to attack. He knew he couldn't beat them, but the Mountain God had saved his life, and even if he were to die, he couldn't let them run amok.

Seeing this, Xiao Changgong understood what they were up to, so he dropped the pretense. He muttered something, and when he stopped, he stared intently at the dark-faced man and whispered, "Dharma Form Heaven and Earth!"

As the voice faded, Xiao Changgong revealed his true form, transforming into a normal-sized fox. But in that instant, his body emitted a powerful red glow. The villagers, seeing this, exclaimed in shock, "It's a fox demon!"

Upon seeing Xiao Changgong's true form, they all instinctively backed away. Zhou Yanliu glared at it and pulled his grandfather back.

Upon hearing the name "Dharma Form Heaven and Earth," the dark-faced man instinctively took two steps back.

A fox's howl rang out, and a dazzling red light shot through the villagers' eyes, blinding them as they shielded their eyes with their hands. Only the dark-faced man stared blankly as Xiao Changgong grew larger and larger until the red light faded.

As the red light faded, the villagers lowered their hands, and everyone stared in horror at Xiao Changgong, who stood dozens of feet tall, like a human.

"Roar!"

Xiao Changgong roared at the villagers on the ground, the loud sound causing them to cover their ears and wince in pain. Even the dark-faced man was too frightened to move by Xiao Changgong's current appearance, but an image surfaced deep in his mind: the same red body, the same enormous form, and that same roar.
Is this really Xiao Changgong's true form? Yang Shouren stared wide-eyed at him, standing beneath him, watching Xiao Changgong's enlarged form in astonishment, unconsciously swallowing hard.

She Li looked at Xiao Chang Gong with some surprise. In all the years he had known She Li, this was the first time he had seen him use the Dharma Body of Heaven and Earth.

"go!"

After roaring, Xiao Changgong lowered his head and spoke to the two of them.

The two snapped out of their daze at Xiao Changgong's shout and followed him toward the mountain.

The villagers surrounding them, seeing this, parted in fear and let them leave. Someone cried out, "A catastrophe! We've disturbed the mountain god; no one will survive!"

Upon hearing this, the villagers all collapsed onto the field, crying and shouting.

Hearing this, She Li and Yang Shouren turned around and looked at them. He hesitated in his heart, wondering if this was the right thing to do.

But in the end, he turned back and continued walking towards the mountain, thinking, "Once Ping An is rescued, I'll have Xiao Changgong rush back and invite the ancestor over!"

Zhou Ziping slumped to the ground, suddenly filled with regret. He regretted telling Ping An about the mountain god. If he hadn't told him, things wouldn't have turned out this way!

Just as She Li and the others were running towards the mountain, and just as the villagers were crying, a huge clap of thunder suddenly rang out in the sky, accompanied by countless bolts of lightning that streaked across the sky and then disappeared into the clouds in an instant.

"The mountain god is angry! The mountain god is angry! It's all over!"

The cries of the villagers rose and fell.

As the thunder roared, Xiao Changgong suddenly stopped his massive body, staring ahead in terror.

When She Li and Yang Shouren saw Xiao Changgong stop, they curiously followed his gaze and looked ahead. When they saw what it was, they both froze on the spot, their eyes wide with horror as it rushed towards them.

It was a tree trunk, a tree trunk with green branches and leaves.

It hurtled towards them from the mountaintop, and before they could react, the trunk split into three, falling towards the foreheads of Xiao Changgong, She Li, and Yang Shouren respectively.

Three branches gently touched their foreheads, and a cool sensation instantly spread throughout their bodies.

Upon realizing this, Xiao Changgong immediately reverted to his human form and stood in the field. Meanwhile, She Li and Yang Shouren collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

He glanced at the two people lying on the ground, and suddenly felt dizzy. Soon he too collapsed and couldn't get up.

The villagers, who were weeping, were terrified upon seeing this. Suddenly, someone shouted, "Run! The mountain god is going to massacre the village!"

As soon as the sound rang out, chaos erupted in the field, and everyone ran in one direction.

Upon hearing this, Black Face turned around and grabbed Zhou Ziping and Zhou Yanliu, ready to run away.

"Zhou Yanliu".

Someone called him; the voice was gentle, old, deep, and powerful. He remembered the voice—it belonged to the mountain god!
He stopped and turned around to look behind him.

The mountain god's shout also stopped the fleeing villagers.

They whispered:

"Wait a minute! The mountain god's voice doesn't sound angry at all!"

"Yeah, that doesn't sound like it to me either."

"What's the matter?"

"Take these people back and let them rest well." The mountain god's voice rang out again: "After they wake up, tell them that Ping An and I have something to say to them, and that they don't need to worry or be nervous."

"Grandpa Mountain God, you're not angry!" Zhou Yanliu was completely confused after hearing His words, so he shouted loudly in that direction.

"Why would I be angry?" He said, then suddenly smiled.

Zhou Yanliu asked, "Then what did you just do?"

He smiled and said, "I just saw they wanted to go up the mountain, and I didn't want to be disturbed, so I let them sleep for a while."

"Alright, don't worry, how could I hurt you? What happened before was indeed my fault, but rest assured, it won't happen again."

Dao Yisheng used a loop of tree trunk from his body to make a mirror, and then used magic to make it into a mirror. He and Ping An sat facing each other and watched everything that happened in the mirror.

As Dao Yisheng finished speaking, Ping An watched as the boy named Zhou Yanliu and the boy who was actually a black cat walked towards She Li and the others. Only then did he raise his head to look at him and say apologetically, "Ping An's friends have offended you. I apologize to you."

"No need to apologize, it's normal. I've done similar things before." Dao Yisheng's tree-like face suddenly drooped, as if he were a little sad.

"You did that too?" Ping An asked, somewhat incredulously. He found it hard to believe that a mountain god with three thousand years of cultivation and the power to protect a region would act so impulsively.

"I have lived for over three thousand years, but I was young once too," Dao Yisheng said with a smile after hearing Ping An's thoughts.

Ping An suddenly felt a little embarrassed. For the first time, he scratched his head somewhat awkwardly and laughed, "I feel like I don't need to say anything to you, you already know everything."

Dao Yisheng was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then he smiled and said, "I understand, I understand, I won't eavesdrop anymore."

Ping An smiled, and Dao Yisheng also spoke up: "That was more than two thousand years ago, when I had just attained human form. It was also at that time that I met someone I can never forget."

As His voice rang out, the fog that had risen from the foot of the mountain reached the summit and enveloped them; as His voice faded, a grove of trees near the lake vaguely appeared in the mist.

A man in a blue robe was squatting by the lake, looking down at the calm, clear water. Suddenly he smiled, and the person in the lake smiled back.

(End of this chapter)