Notes on Longevity

Chapter 164 Dao Yisheng sat peacefully in his dream, and a woman carrying a lantern slowly approached.

Dao Yisheng had a dream, a very long dream, so long that he seemed to forget the length of time and the brevity of life. He only remembered that he had become a tree on a mountain, staring at a certain direction in the human world, as if waiting for someone to return.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but finally, after the snow covered his verdant body in winter, causing it to droop slightly, after the spring breeze brushed his face and lifted his treetops to sway gently, after the scorching sun burned his trunk, he still stood tall, and finally, in the desolate autumn when all the trees were withered and yellow, he waited for that person.

It was a misty evening after dusk.

He saw a woman dressed in white, carrying a rotating lantern. The lantern's screen was painted with patterns, but the mountain mist made it impossible for him to see the patterns or the woman's features. He could only watch her quietly as she slowly walked towards him.

The mountain mist was quiet, and the lights were far away. He saw the woman come to his tree trunk, holding a lantern in one hand and touching his tree trunk with the other.

The rough bark and age-marked cracks made him feel no warmth in the woman's hands; on the contrary, the coldness of his own tree trunk made her pull her hand away.

However, the woman's action did not seem to be due to the cold. Her trembling hand, which she pulled back, was stained with blood, which was sticky, warm, and hot tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes.

She said, "Do you remember me? I've come to see you again."

Upon hearing this, Ke Daoyi was somewhat surprised. He kept questioning himself in his heart, "Do I know you?"

But the woman said, "I thought I would die after that day, but I survived."

Dao Yisheng fell silent. As he listened to the woman's words, he once again asked himself, "Do I know her?"

But he never received an answer. He could only hear the woman still murmuring to herself: "After that day, I went to look for you, but you were always walking with a Taoist priest. I am a demon, so I dared not get close. I could only watch from afar as you and that Taoist priest walked on the bustling, noisy streets of the human world."

Hearing this, his doubts grew stronger. He kept replaying everything she had said in his mind, but still found no answer.

"Actually, you and that Taoist priest separated for a while that day, so I took advantage of that gap to try to get closer to you, but you were always one step ahead of me."

"That step was so close. If you had slowed down a little more, I could have grabbed you. But the sea of ​​people was vast and crowded. In the end, we were separated in the sea of ​​people. That day, we were just one step away, just one step away."

She spoke in a choked voice, tears streaming down her face. She leaned against the tree trunk that Dao Yisheng was standing on, her head bowed as she wept. But Dao Yisheng could not see her face clearly; he could only hear her voice and sobs echoing in the mountains and forests.

Night fell quietly amidst the woman's sobs and Dao Yisheng's silent contemplation. The moon hung above the tree and the man, silently watching them like a spectator of life.

After an unknown amount of time, a thick fog rose up in the mountains and forests, starting from the mountaintop and slowly spreading towards the foot of the mountain, heading towards them.

The woman, who had long since lost the strength to cry, sat quietly against the tree trunk of Daoyisheng, staring at the lantern that was constantly spinning in front of her, as if she were recalling something.

The mountain mist gradually descended, but she was unaware of it. Suddenly, an autumn wind blew, rustling the dense leaves of Daoyi's tree and gently brushing against her tear-streaked face.

She knew.

She stood up, picked up the lantern, and turned to look at Dao Yisheng, who was still deep in thought. She reached out her bloody hand again to touch his tall, broad trunk, but the chill once again spread throughout her body.

She sighed, turned and walked forward without looking back. Perhaps the mountain fog behind her was coming too fast, and in order to avoid it, she hurried away before it spread across the entire mountain. Finally, she quickened her pace and started running.

The trees were intertwined, their branches and leaves lush and verdant. The woman's long hair swayed beneath her shoulders as she ran lightly, her white dress fluttering in the wind. Even the lantern she held steadily in her hand swayed back and forth, its rotating screen seeming to express the deep reluctance in her heart.

At this moment, Dao Yisheng could no longer restrain himself as he watched her disappear into the woods. Before the mountain mist enveloped him, he transformed into a human and chased after the woman.

But the mountain fog rolled in swiftly, eventually trapping him within its mist. Panicked, he lost his bearings. He ran through the dense forest amidst the fog, unable to find his way. He tried to call out, but found himself unable to make a sound. He tried to use magic to dispel the fog, but standing there, staring at his unresponsive hands, he couldn't cast a spell.

why?
What's wrong with me?
Why can't I use magic?
Who is she?
Does she know me?
His eyes were vacant as he lowered his head, then looked up at the moon, which was obscured by mountain mists and unseen, and silently roared in his heart.

And the moon seemed to hear the roar in his heart, and responded to him.

The night was deep, and the full moon shone brightly, dispelling the mountain mist for Dao Yisheng and illuminating his path as he chased after her.

Finally, the mountain mist swirled, and a mountain path illuminated by the full moon appeared on one side of him. He looked toward it with teary eyes.

In the distance, the figure of a woman running and the flickering lights came into his view.

The path opened up, and he ran towards the woman again. He wanted to know the answer; he wanted to know who she was.

However, for some reason, he could never catch up with the woman. Just as she had said in front of her tree trunk, the distance between them was only one step.

But why is this step so far away?

It's so close, so just a step away, so close yet why does it seem so unattainable?

He didn't know.
The mountain mist also stopped at this moment. It stood still, looking at the two people who were so close yet so far away. They seemed to be thinking about something, just like the full moon in the sky, which was also puzzled.

The mountain path was steep, with intertwined tree roots, making the descent difficult. Fortunately, the woman's intention did not seem to be to descend the mountain, but rather to run towards a cliff.

The moon was gradually setting in the west, and the sun, which was about to rise, was beginning to appear in the east, its pale light just beginning to show. The woman slowed her pace, as did Dao Yisheng. At this moment, they were truly only a step apart.
Dao Yisheng walked behind her. He wanted to ask something, but he didn't know where to begin.

On the edge of the cliff, a woman stood holding a lantern, gazing towards the direction where the sun was rising, while Dao Yisheng watched her quietly.

Suddenly, the intense sunlight rose and shone on the woman's slowly turning body. She smiled at Dao Yisheng, but she was very sad. Her lips were pale, her eyes were downcast, and her eyes were filled with tears.

Seeing her like this, Dao Yisheng couldn't help but ask with concern, "Miss, are you alright?"

The woman tilted her head and smiled, gazing at the bottomless cliff. Then she turned to look at Dao Yisheng, her pale lips parting slightly in a gentle smile: "I'm fine, but you've been chasing me all this way, young master. I wonder why."

Dao Yisheng was at a loss for words, and only managed to say, "May I ask your name, young lady?"

Upon hearing this, the woman chuckled, yet also felt a deep sadness. She parted her white lips slightly, her voice choked with sobs, and said, "Why must you be troubled, young master? Life is long; just forget me."

As soon as the woman finished speaking, she turned around, leaped into the air, and headed towards the bottom of the cliff.

Dao Yi was terrified and rushed over to pull the woman up, but suddenly felt as if his body was out of control, as if an invisible hand from the sky was pulling him up. He and the woman fell in opposite directions.

"you're awake?"

When Dao Yisheng woke up from his dream, the first thing he saw was the anxious voice of the woman in green asking questions, and her pretty face with her brows furrowed.

(End of this chapter)