Notes on Longevity

Chapter 166 Evergreen in Springtime, Blossoming Even After a Hundred Years Without Fruit

The end of the wooden house was right in front of him; Dao Yisheng was just one step away from crossing it.

At that moment, he heard a voice from behind him, a voice trembling slightly and seemingly choked with sobs, coming from the green-clad woman.

He was also momentarily stunned.

He knew that perhaps it was because of his inappropriate words and rudeness that Green Robe was so reluctant to see him. But this was only what he thought.

He didn't understand Green Robe's experiences over the past few centuries in her search for a tree, nor did he understand all her thoughts.

The woman, gentle as water, always held back her longing and yearning. Even if love resided in her heart, she rarely revealed it. Though that person and that tree had long forgotten her, that longing and love remained. If she weren't so short-lived, how could the pressure of centuries of yearning have led to that night of silent weeping before him? If she could still live, she would surely reunite with Dao Yi in a momentous and earth-shattering display, leaving the world in its dust.

But now, he is about to leave.

She wanted to call his name, but those three words seemed like mountains reaching the sky and as wide as the deep sea, pressing down on her lips. In the end, she could only say, "Young master, are you leaving already?"

Dao Yisheng looked embarrassed. He didn't know why he suddenly felt a pang of sadness. He didn't know where this sadness came from, but he felt it seemed to come from the bottom of his heart.

He stopped in his tracks, turned around with a melancholy air to look at the green-clad figure who had appeared, and finally bowed apologetically, saying, "I'm sorry for rudeness, Mr. Yi. I really dare not bother you any longer. I'll be leaving now."

Before Dao Yisheng could finish uttering his last word, the woman in green appeared before him in an instant. Her eyes were filled with tears as she looked at Dao Yisheng, who was looking surprised and about to turn away.

However, Green Robe gave him no chance at all, and instead hugged him tightly. She buried her head in Dao Yisheng's broad chest.

At this moment, Dao Yisheng felt his blood surging and his breathing becoming rapid, as if something inside his body was fighting against him.

Green Robe felt the frantic beating of Dao Yisheng's heart and the warmth emanating from his body. All her longing and desire to see him, yet being unable to recognize him, and all the emotions and pain she had endured, transformed into endless tears and pitiful cries at this moment.

The sound was deafening, yet I felt pity for the person who saw it.

The mournful cries of the woman in green echoed throughout the universe, startling Dao Yisheng and disturbing his peace of mind. He looked down at the woman in green in his arms with tenderness in his eyes. He didn't know what he was thinking, but he wanted to reach out a hand and try to soothe her emotions.

He didn't know why Green Robe had suddenly changed like this, when she had been avoiding him not long ago.

Just as he was about to raise his hand, the green-clad woman's crying abruptly stopped, replaced by continuous sobs and choked words:
“I was born and raised in Jiangnan. When I first gained my spiritual awareness, I didn’t understand the myriad emotions of the human world and always liked to wander around Jiangnan. Then one day, a heavy snow fell in Jiangnan, where it was spring all year round, and I was trapped on a mountain on my way to another Jiangnan. At that time, I thought I was going to die, but then I met my grandmother.”

“She pulled me out of the snow and took me to where she lived. It was the top of the mountain, where there was a courtyard full of flowers and plants, and in the middle of the courtyard stood a very old tree, which Grandma called Evergreen.”

"Because it is evergreen in spring and blooms even if it bears no fruit for a hundred years."

"I often climb the tree and use my still-unformed body and petals to feel the mountain breeze blowing through the courtyard and the leaves rustling. After I have a human body, I will often sit on its branches, look at the full moon in the sky and tell it about my experiences in the human world." "Everyone says that Jiangnan is good, and travelers should only grow old in Jiangnan."

"If you happen to arrive in Jiangnan in spring, be sure to stay with spring."

"Then one night, as usual, I sat on its branch and told stories of the world. I talked about the many customs and beautiful scenery of the world, but I longed for the world beyond Jiangnan. That night I felt lost, but also very happy. Because there were some things I didn't know how to tell my grandmother, so I could only tell it to it."

"We talked very late that day, and I was very tired. I even fell asleep. When I woke up the next day, the tree in the courtyard was gone."

"Later, Grandma said that he had passed away, gone to the human world, and left Jiangnan."

Green-clad stopped speaking. Her face, buried in Dao Yisheng's arms, was covered in tears. The sobs and choked sounds gradually faded as she spoke, and her voice gradually fell away, replaced by a long sigh.

She had kept these words in her heart for a long time, and had never spoken them so freely as she had today.

Although the "Welcoming Spring" had once comforted her, it could not understand Green Robe's thoughts.

Today, she spoke these words because that person was right in front of her. She hoped that he could remember something from her words, but she also didn't want him to actually remember. For a dying person, leaving memories for someone who doesn't know how many more years they can live is undoubtedly painful. So, she spoke, but she also left many things behind.

The sycamore tree in the mountain courtyard, the grandmother's words about leaving the Jiangnan region, and the longing she held for gazing in a certain direction for the three hundred years before her departure.

So, whether it's longing or remembrance, what she really wants is for him to remember her, to remember everything that happened, and for her to cry in his arms once, even if things don't go perfectly, she'll still be content.

Dao Yisheng listened to her words and fell into deep thought.

He didn't know Green Robe's past, nor did he understand why she was crying and cuddling him like this. Perhaps it was because they were both different beings, but he finally raised his hand, touched Green Robe's head, and asked, "Is this why you left Jiangnan and wandered among humans?"

"Although I don't know why, Taihua used to often tell me stories about the human world before I took on this form, and he talked most about life and death."

He said, "Life is short, a hundred years is a lifetime. Separation and death are common occurrences. Only by experiencing these things can one be considered complete, and only by experiencing these things can one truly live a life."

"Humans have seven emotions and six desires, and five senses that can cause them grief. We demons can only attain the Great Dao by going from being unable to distinguish between the five grains and human relationships, to experiencing countless separations and reunions, and grieving over spring and autumn."

“I remember on the way to Yu’an, Taihua said to me, ‘You don’t know happiness until you’ve experienced poverty, and you’re still naive until you’ve experienced human affairs.’ I never really understood that saying, but today you seem to have enlightened me.”

"Just like your grandmother used to say, 'It remains evergreen throughout the spring, and even if it bears no fruit for a hundred years, it will still bloom.'"

(End of this chapter)