Notes on Longevity

Chapter 159 Life's affairs are but a fleeting dream, how many autumns can one truly endure?
As the sun rose high and spring was in full bloom, Dao Yisheng's blurry eyes were fixed on the woman in green. She was sighing and looking at the sea of ​​flowers in front of her with a melancholy gaze.

He didn't know why the woman in green seemed so sorrowful after telling the story, but he responded, "And then? What happened after Sun Changyue said those words?"

The woman in green turned her head away, her melancholy expression accompanied by a gentle breeze that ruffled her long, black hair. The spring sun shone through the gaps in her hair, illuminating Dao Yisheng's face. She smiled bitterly and said, "I actually heard this story from my grandmother, but every time she told it, she would fall silent for a long time, sometimes for days on end. So I don't know what happened after that."

Dao Yisheng felt a little strange upon hearing this, but soon he seemed to understand why from the words spoken by the woman in green. After all, during the thousand years he had lived, there was a period when he often heard Taihua tell stories about the human world, and some things he had experienced but was unwilling to admit would be replaced by "others." Naturally, he understood why the grandmother in the woman in green always stopped at a certain place.

So he asked, "By the way, I've been hearing you talk about your grandmother a lot. Do you know what kind of demon she is?"

Green-clad frowned and thought for a moment. In her memory, her grandmother had never shown her her true form, nor did she know what her grandmother was made of. She only knew that her grandmother had always appeared as a dwarf with an old appearance.

The man in green sighed and shook his head at Dao Yisheng, saying, "I don't know."

Dao Yisheng gave a puzzled "hmm," clearly finding the green-clad woman's answer unbelievable. Even if she didn't know that the person in her grandmother's story was herself, surely she knew something about her grandmother?

However, Green Robe explained to him, "I have a restless nature. Although I got a little better after being saved by my grandmother, I still like to travel around. But my grandmother also told me, 'If you can't find a place to go, just go back up the mountain.' Since then, I go down the mountain to play during the day and go back at night. Sometimes I can't get back, but I'm busy with cultivation, so I've neglected these things."

Dao Yisheng felt embarrassed upon hearing this. They had lived together for hundreds of years, yet he didn't even know who had saved him. "Hmm? You were saved by your grandmother?"

Dao Yisheng suddenly realized what was happening, looking at the woman in green with a surprised tone and a puzzled expression.

Upon hearing this, Green Robe frowned, only then remembering that she had only told Taihua about being rescued.

So she smiled awkwardly and said, "Yes, as I just said, I have a free spirit and love to travel, but when I went from the misty Jiangnan region to the vibrant Jiangnan region, I happened to encounter a heavy snowfall and almost froze to death."

"Jiangnan? You used to be in Jiangnan too?" Faced with Dao Yisheng's question, Green Robe realized that she had never told him anything about herself. Perhaps in her heart, she always thought that he remembered everything.

Suppressing the sorrow and grief in her heart, Green-Clad Woman smiled faintly at Dao Yisheng and said, "Yes, I was born and raised in Jiangnan."

Dao Yisheng seemed lost. He lowered his head and eyes, and said softly, "I was born and raised in Jiangnan, but I forgot many things after leaving Jiangnan. If I hadn't met Taihua, I wouldn't know where I would be now." Faced with Dao Yisheng's sudden sorrow, Green Robe took a deep breath, then helped Dao Yisheng up and carefully examined him.

He was taken aback by the green-clad woman's actions and quickly asked, "Miss Green, what are you doing?"

The woman in green smiled and then said, "Alright, if you don't remember, you don't remember. Besides, we fairies can live so long in the mortal world, why would we remember some things so clearly? And look, so many people in this world want to attain immortality or join the ranks of immortals. If living isn't for happiness, then what's the point of living to a hundred? So, forget those things you don't remember, look at what's in front of you, think about what's behind you, the road ahead is still long, why dwell on it?"

Dao Yisheng was speechless at the sudden words from the woman in green. He wanted to say something, but forgot. He just felt that what she said made a lot of sense. If living is not for happiness, but for dwelling on the past, then living to a hundred years old really has no meaning.

While Green Robe's words seemed directed at Dao Yisheng, they were more of a self-consolation. With only a few months left to live, what was the point of dwelling on that old sycamore tree, especially now that he was standing before her? If she continued to obsess over the past, what had she been searching for all these years?
She didn't know, she was in a daze, so she could only say this in an attempt to forget something.

"Alright," Green Robe said, looking at Dao Yisheng's dazed expression and remembering what Taihua had said earlier, she smiled and asked Dao Yisheng, "Did Daoist Taihua say what he was bringing you to Yu'an for?"

Dao Yisheng pondered for a moment, then replied, "He said he was traveling, but he tricked me from between the two mountains to Yu'an, and I have no idea what he wants to do."

Dao Yisheng was furious when he thought about how Taihua had tricked him from the beautiful and scenic place between the two mountains to Yu'an.

"Wandering?" The woman in green looked at Dao Yisheng with some confusion. "The two mountains are a thousand miles away from Yu'an. If it's wandering, why must you come to Yu'an?"

Green Robe was muttering something to herself when she heard Dao Yisheng complain, "How would I know? Anyway, when he comes back, I'm definitely going to make him take me back to have some fun, otherwise I'll have to play a lot of tricks on him."

Upon hearing this, the man in green seemed to realize something. He remembered Taihua once saying, "Heavenly principles, destiny, and laws are all uncertain; everything is both knowable and unknowable; the world is impermanent."

Could it be that Master Taihua knew everything that happened today, which is why he brought Dao Yisheng to Yu'an?
Thinking of this, she recalled that Taihua had defeated the old Taoist priest in one move, which meant that Taihua's skill was far superior to the old Taoist priest's. Moreover, she remembered that the old Taoist priest had a technique that could predict the future. Perhaps Taihua also knew such a technique. If so, did he also know about her and Daoyi's past?
Thinking of this, she panicked. She suddenly remembered that Taihua could have killed the old Taoist priest, but he let him go. Did this mean her fate was already sealed? Was she just waiting for them to appear?
But it all seemed different. She remembered Taihua saying they knew each other, and that the old Taoist priest wasn't originally like that. She frowned slightly, suppressing the inexplicable sadness in her heart and the powerless sigh at so-called fate, and said, "Perhaps, Taoist Priest Taihua is also doing this for your own good."

(End of this chapter)