Notes on Longevity

Chapter 129 Arriving in Yu'an for the First Time Causes Trouble; The Flower Fairy is Green-Clad

The sunset is infinitely good, just near dusk.

As dusk fell, Yu'an City was bustling with life. People strolled in groups through the streets and alleys, browsing the unusual items sold at roadside stalls or gathering at brothels to discuss refined matters. Some shops, seeing customers arrive, quickly had lanterns hung up.

The city was bustling with activity.

Outside the city, Dao Yisheng and Taihua stood not far from the city gate.

Taihua stood sideways, watching the people coming and going, entering and leaving the city, a smile on his face. Passersby would also look at Taihua as they passed by, but instead of smiling, they would look at him with furrowed brows, doubts, confusion, and curiosity.

No, to be precise, it should be looking at the big gourd he was carrying on his back.

They were very surprised. Where in the world could there be such a big gourd? Besides, wouldn't it be tiring to carry such a gourd?
Taihua didn't care about their gazes, still smiling slightly, completely unconcerned. Mainly because he'd seen enough of those looks already.

Wherever he went, people who saw his gourd always looked at him with the same gaze.

Dao Yisheng, however, was different. His gaze was fixed on the two characters written on the plaque above the city gate: Yu'an.

"Didn't you say it was a small town?" His gaze lingered on the city plaque for a while, then moved down from the plaque. The magnificent and imposing city gate left Dao Yisheng speechless.

“Yes, this used to be a small town.” Taihua smiled at Daoyisheng upon hearing this. He patted Daoyisheng on the shoulder, said, “Let’s go,” and then walked straight into the city gate without paying any attention to him.

Once inside the city, Taihua walked steadily down the road, completely unconcerned about the stares directed at him. Daoyisheng, on the other hand, curiously wandered back and forth between the various stalls.

He picked up a green, round sachet from a small stall and smelled it.

"The fragrance is fresh and delicate, yet it has a rich and profound quality. Is it a magnolia?"

He looked at the stall owner and asked.

“Young master, you have excellent taste. This is indeed a magnolia.” The stall owner was a middle-aged woman, somewhat plump. She smiled at Dao Yisheng and continued, “The fragrance of this magnolia changes all the time. It’s faint at midday, but it becomes stronger in the evening and early morning. I see that you are handsome and have an extraordinary bearing. This magnolia is a perfect match for you.”

The woman's praise swayed him, and he picked up the sachet to leave. Seeing this, the woman immediately came out, smiling at him, and said, "Oh, young master, you haven't paid yet."

"Money?" Dao Yisheng was stunned for a moment, then touched his body and realized that he hadn't brought any money with him when he came down the mountain.

So he turned around and looked at Taihua, only to find that he was not there.

The woman's heart tightened when she saw him looking around suspiciously, thinking he was about to run away. Taking advantage of his inattention, she snatched the sachet from him and glared at him fiercely, cursing, "You're a strange person! You're taking a sachet without paying and trying to run away. If you don't have money, don't touch it! You look like a human being, how can you do such a thing?"

Dao Yisheng stared at the woman in astonishment, feeling utterly bewildered. When had he said he was going to run away? When had he said he wouldn't pay? He simply didn't have the money; Taihua did. He just wanted to see where Taihua was so he could come and pay.

The woman's shout attracted passersby and stall owners from the surrounding area. They gathered around the two, making clicking noises and echoing each other's opinions:

"This young man seems like a good guy, how could something like this happen?"

"Exactly, if you don't have money, don't touch other people's things!"

"Exactly, they take the money and then run away without paying."

More and more people gathered around, and the talking became incessant.

Dao Yisheng had never seen anything like it before. He was rooted to the spot by the words of the crowd, unable to move. He looked around at them helplessly, watching them point and whisper about him.

Taihua, who was walking at the front, also heard the noise. He turned around and looked in the direction of the crowd, frowning as he wondered what had happened.

He glanced around and then turned back, completely unaware that Dao Yisheng was no longer beside him. He looked around, searching for any open restaurants or similar establishments.

He hadn't eaten all day and was very hungry.

Finally, he walked to a small noodle stall and looked at the paper pasted on the pillar. It read: Plain noodles 4 coins, buckwheat noodles 7 coins, beef noodles 12 coins.
As he looked at the contents of the paper, the stall owner, who was resting nearby because there were few people around, immediately came over with a smile.

"Master, what would you like to eat?" The stall owner was a middle-aged man with a full beard. He was also surprised when he saw Taihua's gourd.

Taihua didn't answer him directly, but instead looked at the noodle price and said, "Do you want to eat noodles?"

The stall owner frowned upon hearing this, looking around and behind him, only to find no one there. Was he talking to me?
Taihua saw that no one answered him, but he didn't think much of it. Looking at the types of noodles, he asked again, "Would you like braised noodles?"

The stall owner frowned. There were only the two of them at the stall, but it was clear from his words that he wasn't talking to him. However, to avoid embarrassment, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "The braised noodles are chewy and springy, and the broth is made by simmering lamb bones and meat for a long time. You might not be suited for this, Taoist priest. How about I make you a bowl of plain noodles? I won't charge you."

Taihua gave a puzzled "hmm," then looked at the stall owner: "It's nothing, I wasn't talking to you."

Upon hearing this, the stall owner's heart suddenly pounded wildly. He was filled with fear: If they weren't talking to me, then who were they talking to? It's just the two of us!

He suddenly remembered that Taoist priests could exorcise ghosts and capture demons. Could it be that he was talking to a ghost? Thinking this, he turned terrified and quickly backed away, almost losing his balance and tripping.

Taihua looked at him in confusion, thinking to himself: I didn't do anything. What is he afraid of?
But he soon realized that something was wrong.

Why was Dao Yisheng so quiet all the way? Not saying a word? Given his personality, he was bound to speak. Coupled with the stall owner's reaction, he suddenly remembered something.

He hurriedly turned around and looked, and sure enough, Dao Yisheng was not by his side.

Where did he go? Clearly, a crowd suddenly gathered somewhere. It must be because of him.

When he realized what was happening, he thought to himself, "Oh no!" and immediately ran back.

But when he reached the spot where the crowd had been, they had already dispersed. He only heard them saying, "What's wrong with that guy? Is he crazy?"

"He looks like it to me too! He's not crazy, so why did he start crying after I said a few words to him?"

Hearing their words, Taihua felt a pang of anxiety and walked over.

The woman selling sachets was in a very bad mood. She hadn't sold many sachets all day and had run into a "madman." What bad luck!

"This humble Taoist priest, Taihua, greets you." Taihua arrived at the sachet stall and bowed to the woman and another man who was talking to her.

Upon seeing Taihua, the two immediately changed their tune. The woman smiled and asked, "Taoist priest, are you here to buy sachets too?"

Taihua responded with an "Oh," and said, "I just overheard you two talking about encountering a madman."

Before Taihua could finish speaking, the woman's expression changed again. She looked at him with disdain, her voice high-pitched and sarcastic, "Yes. That man is a madman. Taoist priest, I think he's possessed by a demon. Go and exorcise him quickly. Otherwise, how are we common people supposed to live if there's a demon in Yu'an City?"

The woman discerned the relationship between Taihua and Daoyisheng from Taihua's words and deliberately spoke in this manner.

Taihua frowned upon hearing this, but still asked politely, "Do you know where he ran off to?"

"How would I know?" The woman was clearly impatient. "If you want to buy a sachet, buy it now. Otherwise, go and subdue that mad demon."

The woman's impatience made Taihua sigh helplessly. He didn't say anything more. He simply put the gourd he was carrying on the ground, lifted the shaft, and a rich aroma of wine instantly wafted out. The woman and man were puzzled by Taihua's actions, wondering what he was doing. The next moment, they immediately regretted what they had just said.

The moment the aroma of the wine wafted out, a wisp of white smoke, about the length of an index finger, rose up and flew in the direction he had just returned from, before turning into an alleyway.

Seeing this, Taihua put the gourd lid back on, grabbed the long cloth on the gourd, and chased after it.

The woman stared at the scene in disbelief, then walked out of the stall in terror. Watching Taihua's retreating figure disappear into the alley, she slapped her thigh hard and cried out in regret, "What kind of mess is this?"

Seeing this, the man quickly comforted him: "It's not your fault. Blame that crazy guy from earlier!"

"What do you know? If I offend such a Taoist priest and he goes to the Wei family to complain, I'll be doomed." The woman stamped her feet in regret.

As night fell, the sea of ​​flowers on the outskirts of the city swayed in the spring breeze.

The wooden houses surrounded by a sea of ​​flowers also lit up at this moment, illuminating the forsythia and winter jasmine planted at the front.

Soon a woman came out.

She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, petite and cute, and was the girl named Green Robe whom Dao Yisheng and the others had met that afternoon.

She frowned as she walked out of the wooden house, crossed the lawn in front of it, and came to the forsythia bushes. She looked at the largest and best-growing bush and asked, "Has someone been here again today?"

Upon hearing this, Na Hua nodded and spoke in a soft female voice, "Two men came by. But they just stood here for a while and left without doing anything."

"Didn't do anything?" The woman in green frowned. "Just stood there for a while and then left? Didn't even go inside?"

"No. One of them was quite polite," Na Hua said with a smile.

The woman in green continued, "What is politeness?"

It replied, "Originally, only one person wanted to go in, but another person stopped them. They said that if the door was closed, it meant the person wasn't home, so we shouldn't disturb them."

The woman in green smiled. "She is indeed quite polite."

She thought for a moment and then said, "I've lived this long, and this is truly the first time I've met someone like this."

“In the past, people would go into any house they saw, regardless of whether there was anyone inside.”

"Yes, I was curious too. How could there be such a person in this world?" Although the flower did not have a physical form, one could clearly sense a sense of relief in its tone.

The woman in green suddenly hummed in agreement, as if she had remembered something. She continued to ask, "Was one of those two wearing a Taoist robe and carrying a gourd on his back?"

"Yes, that gourd is huge. I've been with Sister Linglong for so many years, and this is the first time I've ever seen such a big gourd." It said with curiosity, but suddenly sensed something was wrong. "Did Sister meet them?"

"We met them," the woman in green said with a smile. "They are indeed very special."

It's unbelievable that a Taoist and a demon would travel together, and their relationship seems to be quite close.

He recalled how Dao Yisheng slapped one of the men when he pointed at Taihua.

I didn't pay much attention to his appearance at the time, but now that I think about it, he was actually quite handsome. I just don't know what kind of monster he was.
"Sister Linglong, what are you thinking about?" Na Hua looked at the green-clad woman who was lost in her memories and smiling inexplicably.

"Huh?" The woman in green snapped out of her daze and said, "It's nothing. I was just planning to bring you some fertilizer, but they accidentally rescued someone instead."

"Are you alright? Did the Taoist priest find you?" Na Hua asked nervously upon hearing this.

"Found."

"what!"

"But it's alright, he didn't do anything. He just left." The woman in green smiled.

"Huh?" Na Hua asked, puzzled, "He found you but didn't attack you. Why? Aren't Taoist priests supposed to capture demons when they encounter them?"

The woman in green lightly tapped the flower with annoyance, and the flower said coquettishly and aggrievedly, "Sister, what are you doing?"

The woman in green chuckled. "You really want me to be captured? Besides, I'm a flower spirit, not a demon."

"Don't they all see it the same?" Na Hua said, feeling very wronged.

"It's the same, but he seems different too." The woman in green couldn't figure it out.

"What do you mean? How is he different? Aren't they both Taoist priests?" Hua asked several questions in a row, her mind filled with confusion.

"Have you ever seen a Taoist priest who befriends a demon?" Greenery asked.

"Huh? A Taoist priest who makes friends with demons?" The flower was even more confused. It thought that the green-clothed man must have lost his mind to say such a thing.

“Yes. That Taoist priest was accompanied by a demon. But I can’t tell what kind of demon it is.” The man in green straightened up and looked up at the sky.

"Huh? That person is a demon? Sister can't even tell what kind of demon he is. Does that mean he has a thousand years of cultivation?" Na Hua exclaimed in surprise.

"It seems so. The aura I sensed from him was similar to ours, but his was heavier. I suppose it was something like flowers, grass, or trees."

"Sister, something's not right with you," Na Hua said, looking at the green-clad woman who was speaking somewhat awkwardly.

"What are you thinking about, you little rascal?" Green-clad heard this and understood the meaning behind its words.

“I saw what that person looked like, he was quite handsome. Sister, I think you still need to find a powerful person... no... a powerful demon to protect you, otherwise those Taoists in Yu'an City will turn against you sooner or later. Our cultivation is not strong enough right now, so we won't be able to help you then.”

"Don't worry. I will definitely protect you." The woman in green said confidently.

"But sister, you're not that great either."

"Is your petals itchy again?" Upon hearing this, the green-clad creature squatted down, grinning mischievously as it stared at the plant. Then, it slowly reached out and scratched the petals and stem of the plant.

"No sister! Sister, spare me!" It was being tickled by the green-clad creature so much that it was almost unable to breathe.

Its laughter echoed through the sea of ​​flowers.

"Sister, he's really good-looking."

"Find a fight!"

(End of this chapter)