Notes on Longevity

Chapter 168 The world is vast and the sea is boundless; ten days' worth of clothes mark our parting.

"I want to go out for a walk by myself," Dao Yisheng said, and the woman in green lowered her head in silent sorrow.

When she heard Dao Yisheng say those words, she understood the implication behind them, so she asked, "What about Master Taihua? He told me before that he would come back to find you and asked you to wait for him here."

Dao Yisheng remained silent upon hearing this. After a moment of deep thought, he looked at the woman in green and said, "Though I am a demon, I still yearn for the Great Dao. Although Taihua treats me well, how can I grow if I am always under his wing? If I were to encounter a situation like today again, and he were not by my side, what would I do? There are three thousand Great Daos, but there are far more than three thousand. Under his protection, I might be able to attain the Great Dao, but what would my character be like then? Would it still be the same as it is today? What use would such a Great Dao be?"

Dao Yisheng's words left Green Robe speechless for a moment, for she had never thought of such things. In the hundreds of years that had passed, traveling south, north, west, and east, only one thing had been on her mind: to find Dao Yisheng. But now that she had finally found him, before they could even acknowledge each other, he was leaving again, and she herself did not have much time left.

She didn't know what to say, or how to try to persuade him to stay, even if it meant having him accompany her through her final days, before she turned to dust, so she could leave without saying goodbye. But she couldn't think of any reason to make him stay.

"So when are you leaving?" Left with no other choice, the woman in green could only make up some excuses to try and find a reason for him to stay.

But Dao Yisheng's words threw her into disarray, and she couldn't think of any reason: "You can leave at any time."

Green-clad looked at Dao Yisheng with disappointment. Seeing his resolute expression, as if he had made up his mind, she stopped trying to stop him. Perhaps the old woman in the alley was right: "No one can stay with anyone forever."

She continued, "Where are you going?"

Dao Yisheng paused for a moment, unsure of where he was going: "The world is vast, and the mountains and seas are boundless. I'll just go wherever I want."

This is Dao Yisheng's answer.

"What if Master Taihua comes back and can't find you after you leave?" the woman in green asked.

Dao Yisheng didn't answer, but instead asked her, "Will you stay here forever?"

The woman in green frowned slightly and replied in a low voice, "Perhaps."

"Then please ask the green-clad lady to tell Taihua that I have gone out to travel." Dao Yisheng clasped his hands in a fist and continued, "I have stayed at Chuyun Temple for hundreds of years, thanks to Taihua's care. After this incident, it is time for me to enter the world alone and see the prosperous world he spoke of, as well as the suffering of humankind. As for how long I will be gone, I do not know, but I will definitely return to Chuyun Temple one day. Do not worry about me."

"Green Robe, please pass on this message." Was this a farewell? Amidst the sea of ​​flowers, Dao Yisheng's somewhat worn clothes fluttered in the wind. Green Robe felt a pang of heartache watching him bow. She really wanted to keep Dao Yisheng here, but she couldn't find any reason to.

Suddenly, she noticed that Dao Yisheng was still wearing the same clothes he hadn't changed since he was injured yesterday. A selfish thought crossed her mind: perhaps this could be a reason for him to stay temporarily, so she could make him a new outfit herself.

“Since you are leaving, young master, and we don’t know how long you will be gone, Green Robe is skilled at making clothes. I would like to give you a few clothes as a parting gift, so you can change on your journey.” This was the first and last time Green Robe lied for her own selfish desires. In truth, with Dao Yisheng’s cultivation level, mending a piece of clothing would be extremely easy, and conjuring clothes would be a piece of cake. But she still wanted to try.

She didn't know how much longer she could live on the pills left by Taihua. If Daoyisheng left, she would be left alone with Baihua. Upon hearing this, Daoyisheng looked at his own clothes. Yesterday, Yun Gong's magic plate had cut and grazed many places, which, although not very obvious, were still somewhat inappropriate. But thinking that the clothes made by Green Robe were indeed beautiful, he replied, "Then thank you very much, Miss. May I ask how long it will take for you to make these clothes?"

"Gather the materials, cut, dye—one garment every three days. I will make three garments for you, young master, in less than ten days." Seeing Dao Yisheng agree, Green Robe finally breathed a sigh of relief, but her brows furrowed again. Ten days was not enough for her. She wanted to ask for another ten days, but she remembered Dao Yisheng's determination to leave. If she spoke for too long, Taihua might return soon, and he would certainly not let Dao Yisheng leave alone. So she could only say this.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Miss." In fact, Dao Yisheng was thinking the same thing. Since he was determined to leave, he had to do it before Taihua returned. Although he didn't know when Taihua would return, he figured that Taihua wouldn't come looking for him for at least half a month. When he heard that it would only be ten days, he readily agreed.

Then, he suddenly remembered that he and Green Robe had been delivering clothes together today, but he had fainted when there was only one piece left. So he quickly asked, "By the way, we were delivering clothes together today. Did you manage to deliver the last piece?"

The woman in green felt sad, but she smiled and said, "It's been sent out. Although it was stained with some blood, I've removed it with magic."

"That's good, that's good"

As Dao Yisheng finished speaking, the sea of ​​flowers fell silent once more. The different heartbeats of the two were deafening yet utterly silent, creating an awkward atmosphere that left them at a loss.

Finally, the woman in green spoke first: "Young master hasn't eaten yet, I'll go and make you some food."

Before Dao Yisheng could speak, the woman in green turned and walked towards the wooden house surrounded by a sea of ​​flowers. She crossed a grassy path and entered the house, leaving Dao Yisheng standing there, unsure what to do, silently watching her disappearing figure. A sense of desolation rose in his heart at that moment. He didn't know why, but he felt a strange familiarity with the woman in green, as if he had seen her somewhere before.

Green-clad, who had entered the wooden house, did not rush to cook. Instead, she hid in a corner of the house and silently wiped away her tears.

At this moment, her mind was filled with the words her grandmother had said to her in the courtyard: "There is sorrow in staying, and joy in leaving; no one can't let go of anyone else, blame it on the longing that's causing the trouble."

Green Robe understood, but a hundred years of longing could not withstand the separation at this moment.

After an unknown amount of time, Green Robe finally calmed down and began preparing lunch. Because Dao Yisheng had suddenly fainted, she had intended to take him to a clinic, but she remembered that the meridians of humans and demons were different, so even if they went there, the doctor would not be able to do anything. Therefore, she did not bother to buy vegetables, but instead carried Dao Yisheng on her back and used magic to bring him back in front of everyone. Afterwards, she used magic to send the last piece of clothing to the nobleman's mansion.

As for Dao Yisheng, ever since the woman in green disappeared into the wooden house, he had been wandering around the sea of ​​flowers, watching the colorful and vibrant lives striving to bloom. He was lost in thought, but it was unclear what he was thinking.

It wasn't until Green Robe finished preparing the meal and came out of the cabin to call him for dinner that she discovered him standing somewhere, staring at something in the woods beyond the sea of ​​flowers.

Curious, she walked over, initially thinking he was attracted by something or was thinking about something. But as she got closer, she discovered that someone was slowly walking towards them from the woods.

(End of this chapter)