Notes on Longevity

Chapter 169 Taihua wanted to leave with Yisheng, but said he wanted to travel alone.

The man emerging from the forest was dressed in a Taoist robe, handsome and slender. The enormous gourd on his back was extremely eye-catching, and in his hand, a silver Taoist sword gleamed brightly in the sunlight as he walked out of the forest. He approached slowly with small, square steps. After the woman in green recognized him, she felt a surge of panic and quickly bowed, saying, "Immortal Master Taihua."

Dao Yisheng had already recognized him. He hadn't expected Taihua to return so quickly; he had assumed Taihua would linger somewhere. However, what stunned him wasn't entirely that reason, but rather that he noticed Taihua's steps were steady, but his complexion was somewhat weak and feeble. Although it was subtle, he had never seen Taihua look like this in all his centuries of interaction. So he stepped forward to Taihua's side and asked anxiously, "What's wrong? Why do you look so unwell?"

Upon hearing Dao Yisheng's words, Green Robe looked up to accept the gift and gaze at Taihua. However, she did not notice that Taihua looked unwell. Instead, she saw that Taihua's brows were furrowed as if he were angry, exuding an imposing aura without anger. He then immediately looked away, seemingly lost in thought.

"I'm fine," Taihua said, keeping his eyes on Green Robe until she looked away. Then he turned to Daoyisheng and smiled slowly, "But what about you? How are you?"

When Dao Yisheng saw Taihua smile, his heart tightened, and he thought to himself, "Now I can't leave."

However, he still smiled and answered Taihua's concern: "I'm fine. Look, my eyes are all better. I thought it would take at least a few months to recover, but I didn't expect them to be better today."

"It's good that you're alright," Taihua said with a doting smile to Daoyisheng, then turned to the woman in green and said, "I didn't go to Jiangnan this time, so we'll have to talk about you after I travel there."

Upon hearing this, Green Robe's heart skipped a beat. She wondered, "Are they going to take him away now?"

"What are you saying?" Dao Yisheng asked Taihua, puzzled.

Taihua laughed and said, "It's alright, we've seen Yu'an now, let's go."

Taihua tried to pull Daoyisheng away, but Daoyisheng still felt that Taihua was hiding something from him, so he threw a tantrum and broke free from Taihua's outstretched hand: "I don't want to leave now."

Taihua suddenly frowned. Seeing Daoyi's expression, he was also puzzled and asked, "What's wrong?"

Unexpectedly, Dao Yisheng asked, "Shall we return to the mountain or continue our wandering?"

Taihua smiled and said, "Either way, you can go back to the mountain or continue your travels."

Upon hearing this, Dao Yisheng hesitated. He didn't want to go back to the mountain; he wanted to travel, but not with Taihua, but alone. However, he didn't know how to say it.

Seeing that Dao Yisheng remained silent, Taihua became increasingly suspicious and asked, "What, do you have other ideas?"

"I want to continue my wanderings." Upon hearing this, Dao Yisheng hesitated for a long time before finally speaking. However, before he could finish speaking, Taihua pulled him away, but Dao Yisheng broke free again and clutched his wrist, which had been gripped so hard by Taihua, and said irritably, "Why are you using so much force? I haven't finished speaking yet."

Taihua's suspicions deepened as he watched Daoyisheng break free of his grasp for the second time. He seemed to sense that Daoyisheng had other thoughts. Could it be true, as he had seen in the water mirror, that Daoyisheng had truly fallen for Green Robe? Ever since Daoyisheng regained his human form, he had harbored the idea of ​​taking him down the mountain. Thus, he used the water mirror technique at Chuyun Temple to observe their journey. However, the water mirror did not present any specific images, but instead displayed a passage of text: "Encountering an old acquaintance in the flower sea of ​​Yu'an, trees become demons, flowers become spirits. A thought awakens the hearts of two, and affection finally finds its destiny. Yet, in Yu, there is a merchant who desires refinement, and a Daoist who desires refinement of cultivation. The entanglement begins at the sea outside the city and ends amidst the ruins within the city."

Thinking of this, and recalling what he had seen again by the river using the water mirror, Taihua thought to himself, "Damn it, I shouldn't have left him here alone."

Although the reality was not what Taihua had imagined, Daoyisheng's words after speaking again were just as insightful as he had thought: "I want to continue my travels, but not with you. I want to go by myself."

Dao Yisheng's words struck Taihua like a thunderbolt. He immediately stopped him, saying, "No! Traveling is fine, but you must come with me."

Dao Yisheng was displeased upon hearing this and, for the first time, gave Taihua a cold shoulder, asking, "Why not?"

Taihua was speechless at his questioning. He didn't know what to say or how to respond. There was nothing inherently wrong with it; he was simply worried about Daoyisheng.

Although Dao Yisheng had cultivated human form twice and possessed a thousand years of cultivation, coupled with a secret technique he had learned from him, there was nothing he couldn't do. However, the chosen Dao Yisheng still had the mind of a child. If he were to let go like this, he feared that Dao Yisheng would cause a great disaster, and he would be unable to save him.

The main reason he came to Yu'an on this journey was because he saw for the first time in the Water Mirror that the green-clad figure would die. This was a crucial experience on his path to becoming a Daoist. However, since arriving in Yu'an, the ending in the Water Mirror has changed again and again, and now it has reached an uncontrollable point. If he is not taken away, the consequences may be even more unimaginable.

Thinking of this, he had no choice but to agree for the time being. The most important thing now was to leave before Green Robe died.

"Okay, I agree, but you have to come with me today. After we leave Yu'an, I'll give you a string of cigarettes. You can go wherever you want without me stopping you. If you encounter any danger, just cut the string of cigarettes, and I'll be there in an instant."

Taihua sounded very anxious, as if something terrible would happen if they didn't leave today. This puzzled Daoyisheng and Luyi, but Luyi didn't dare to ask. Daoyisheng, though he sensed something, didn't take it to heart. After all, Taihua was the most powerful Taoist he had ever met, and he believed that Taihua could handle any danger.

So he explained, "Not today."

"Why?" Taihua asked, frowning, his anger clearly evident in his words.

Ke Daoyi Sheng remained unconcerned and continued to explain, "I have already promised the girl in green that I will leave after she makes me a few clothes."

Before Dao Yisheng could finish speaking, Taihua frowned and glanced at the green-clad man. The green-clad man was also intimidated by Taihua's imposing presence, which resembled that of a red-faced, bearded, and stern-eyed spirit official in a Taoist temple, making him sweat profusely and afraid to raise his head.

(End of this chapter)