Notes on Longevity

Chapter 174 I look up at the waning moon, and the gods draw the moonlight to clothe me.

"That sycamore tree in the courtyard is me, isn't it?" Dao Yisheng listened to Green Robe talking about the past. He also vaguely remembered that he had grown up in a courtyard. However, due to the lack of memory, even though these words came from Green Robe's mouth, he was not entirely sure.

“Yes.” The woman in green stopped and turned back to look at Dao Yisheng. She continued, “Although I don’t know what you went through after leaving Jiangnan that made you forget these things, I am certain that the phoenix tree is you. Especially when Immortal Taihua told me that he knew all about your past, I no longer just confirmed it, but it was you.”

As she spoke, the woman in green turned around and continued walking back and forth along the path.

However, Dao Yisheng did not understand how Taihua had confirmed that she was the sycamore tree before she told Luyi, and how she was so sure that the sycamore tree she was looking for was herself.

Green Robe knew this, of course, because in the hundreds of years after Dao Yisheng left the courtyard and before she left Jiangnan, not a single phoenix tree had attained human form; at most, they had gained sentience and could speak human language. And Dao Yisheng had previously said that she was born in Jiangnan.

"By the way, do you remember what your name was before you transformed into a human?"

The woman in green suddenly asked this question.

Dao Yisheng followed behind her with his head down, shaking his head; clearly, he didn't remember.

“I remember Grandma used to call you Changqing.”

Upon hearing this, Daoyi suddenly looked up and stopped in his tracks, a wave of sadness washing over him. He remembered that at noon earlier that day, Green Robe had mentioned an old tree in his grandmother's courtyard, which his grandmother called Evergreen.

Before Dao Yisheng knew everything, he only took Green Robe's words as her confidante, but now he realized that she was talking about him all the time. His heart ached.

But the woman in green walked ahead, her light and carefree steps oblivious to the sudden halt of footsteps behind her. She continued talking to herself, "Back then, I asked Grandma why it was called Evergreen. Grandma said..."

"Because the Jiangnan region is a nurturing place." After dinner, Green Robe and her grandmother sat on the stone steps in the courtyard, gazing at the bright moon and twinkling stars through the spacious courtyard.

"What does that have to do with us demons?" The little green-clad girl's innocent question didn't get an answer first; instead, she received a gentle slap on the head from her grandmother.

"Grandma, why did you hit me?" The child in green pouted, staring at her grandmother angrily, not understanding what was going on.

"You silly child, didn't I tell you before? You're not a demon, you're an elf." Grandma was also a little angry, but more concerned about her. In people's eyes, demons, monsters, ghosts, and elves are all considered strange and unusual. But in her eyes, Green Robe was the purest and most magical life in the world. That's why she was so angry. However, Green Robe was still young; she didn't understand these things yet.

"Oh." The woman in green responded softly, sometimes pouting, sometimes pursing her lips, before asking, "But what does this have to do with it?"

Grandma smiled again when she saw that the woman in green had changed her question. "Because, except for a few days of snow when winter comes, the Jiangnan region is like spring all year round. And it was born in this Jiangnan region where spring seems endless, so its branches don't dry out, and its leaves don't wither. On the contrary, its life grows even faster because of the nourishment of spring. And it is the only one in all of Jiangnan where a paulownia petal, which drifted from who knows where, fell to the ground and took root. It is precisely because of this that its vitality is more tenacious than that of ordinary paulownia trees. Over the centuries, it has grown little by little, constantly blooming and closing its blossoms, absorbing the spirit of heaven and earth, the essence of the sun and moon, which makes it even more extraordinary."

"Is it special?" Little Green asked, puzzled.

“Of course it’s special,” Grandma laughed. “You know, everything has life, it’s just that they live in different ways. Take a piece of fine copper, for example. If it’s in the hands of a blacksmith, then the copper bowls and spoons that are forged from copper are their new life. If it’s forged into knives and swords, then the swordsmen and knivesmen are the continuation of their second life after the blacksmith gave them shape and life. And it, Changqing, this sycamore tree, from a petal falling to the ground to take root and grow into a towering tree, is the same principle.”

"As for why it's called evergreen, it's because of its uniqueness. It's different from other sycamore trees, or rather, it's different from all other trees. It blooms, but it doesn't bear fruit. Every autumn, the flower buds hidden among the green leaves on its branches will emerge, and in the autumn wind, they will slowly bloom, filling the air with fragrance. Before winter comes, they will close up again, slowly retreating back into the leaves, waiting for the coming year."

As the saying goes, it is evergreen in spring and all four seasons, and it will bloom even if it bears no fruit for a hundred years.

"I don't understand, but so that's how it is!" Little Green Clothes clearly didn't understand, but in the end she still spoke in childish words, just like a teacher teaching, and a student who was dozing off was called out by the teacher to explain the meaning, but the student said: "I often hear the words of immortals in my dreams, and the alchemy in the book is outside of myself."

Grandma was amused by the little girl in green's earnest listening, yet feigning ignorance. She laughed and patted the little girl's head, then pinched her cute cheeks, saying, "You don't understand, you don't understand, that's fine. You're still young. When you grow up and experience more things, you'll naturally understand."

"Alright, it's getting late, time to go to sleep."

As Grandma spoke, she slowly stood up, leaning on her cane. The little girl in green beside her also got up and helped Grandma by the arm as they slowly left the courtyard and headed towards their home. Before leaving, Grandma asked her, "What story would you like to hear today?"

"I want to hear the story of the girl in white again." The little girl in green was so happy she almost jumped for joy.

Grandma gave a surprised "hmm," sighed, and asked, "Why?"

The little girl in green said irritably, "Because Grandma, you never finish telling the story."

Grandma suddenly seemed lost in thought. She looked sadly at the courtyard path with its flickering lights and said, "It's better if you don't listen to their stories."

"Why?" This time it was Little Green's turn to ask.

Grandma replied, "Life is full of joys and sorrows, and the pain of parting is unbearable. I don't want you to end up like them. One died far from home, and the other remained in the dream of Jiangnan like a walking corpse."

After speaking, the woman in green finally stopped. She turned back to look at Dao Yisheng and the brightly lit wooden house behind him, seemingly making a decision. Then, she looked towards Taihua next to the wooden house.

Taihua frowned. He saw reluctance and sorrow in Green Robe's words and on her seemingly relaxed face. He seemed to understand what Green Robe wanted to do.

The woman in green smiled at Taihua one last time, then looked at Daoyisheng and said, "Alright, it's getting late. Go and rest. While the moonlight is still bright tonight, I need to hurry up and finish the clothes you want for your solo travels."

The woman in green smiled, but her words were full of sadness and reluctance.

Upon hearing this, Dao Yisheng thought to himself that he didn't want to sleep and wanted to stay with Lüyi while she finished making the clothes. He also wanted to know more about their relationship. So he said, "It's okay, I hardly need to sleep. I'll stay with you."

But Green Robe refused, saying, "No! You were injured when you fought with Yun Gong, and you inexplicably vomited blood this morning. You need to rest properly. Otherwise, I'll worry about you when you leave."

Green-clad tried to push Dao Yisheng away with her petite body, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't budge him an inch. Green-clad placed her hands on his chest, lowered her head, and wept silently, bearing everything.

Dao Yisheng, however, remained motionless like a statue, his face devoid of any emotion. He simply gazed indifferently at the pitch-black forest beyond the sea of ​​flowers. "Alright," Dao Yisheng, who had been pushed by the woman in green, finally spoke after a long silence. The woman in green burst into tears upon hearing his "alright."

Finally, Green Robe released her hands, bowing her head in silence. She knew she would regret it, but those regrets could only be buried deep in her heart. Perhaps after she died, those regrets of not meeting sooner would vanish.

Dao Yisheng turned and left, unsure of what Green Robe was up to. She had simply told him to rest. He knew Green Robe would die, but certainly not today, so he obediently turned and walked towards the wooden hut.

Taihua was someone he could never ignore in his life, but today, in every step he took into the cabin, in every passing moment, he never once looked at Taihua.

Green-clad woman lowered her head and wept, while Taihua watched over Daoyisheng's every step.

Finally, Dao Yisheng's figure disappeared from Taihua's sight, and he walked towards the second-floor pavilion.

Taihua turned around, looking at the man in green with a slightly troubled expression. He wanted to know what the man in green was trying to do by directing Dao Yisheng.

But before he could go over and speak, he saw Green Robe staggering towards the wooden house. Dao Yisheng looked at her with some confusion. He went to Green Robe's side to ask, but Green Robe bowed to him and said, "Greetings, Immortal Master Taihua."

She smiled at Taihua, but her smile was heartbreaking and sad, like a lone bird among the migratory birds flying south.

Taihua remained silent, not because he was still pretending to be an immortal who didn't care about worldly affairs, but because he simply didn't know what to say.

After bowing, the woman in green turned around and walked straight into the house. Looking at the glutinous rice balls in the steamer that had gone cold, she helplessly covered them back up.

She stepped out of the cabin again, glanced at the fine silks spread on the long table, smiled bitterly, and remained silent.

"Immortal Taihua, I've heard my grandmother and an old woman in Yu'an City say that after people die, they go to the Yama's Palace, drink Meng Po's soup, cross the Naihe Bridge, and are then reincarnated. Do you think we demons are the same?"

The woman in green spoke with a sorrowful voice, yet seemed to hold onto a sliver of hope. She looked at Taihua, trying to find out the answer.

Taihua sighed softly, not answering, but saying, "Didn't you say you wanted to spend more time with him? Didn't you say you hadn't finished reading Yu'an yet? Why are you thinking about dying now?"

Taihua's question was thunderous, yet so soft that only they could hear it.

Green-clad smiled bitterly. "But how much longer can I live? The Queen Mother of the West of Kunlun Mountain will never save me. My sister Ruhua's grandmother, the only person I call 'Grandma' in Yu'an City, is also dying. She knew she wouldn't live much longer, so she sold Ruhua to a wealthy family as a maid, and in return, she found me a piece of clothing. That clothing is for winter, but it's still early; it's only halfway through spring."

She said, "No one in the world lives to be a hundred years old, but I want her to live to be a hundred."

"She said that the dress was her personal wish; she wanted to leave Ruhua with something to remember her by, so that at least after she died, someone would still remember her."

"I think Ru Hua will remember her, and I will remember her too."

"That's why I want him to stay by my side a little longer, so that he won't forget me again, and so that even after I die, I will still live on. That's my selfish wish."

The woman in green let out a long sigh, sobs rising and falling. She choked back tears as she looked at the silk on the long table. Suddenly, she slowly walked towards him.

She picked up a corner of the silk, imagining Dao Yisheng standing in front of her, and she holding a measuring tape to record the size of his clothes.

Time passed slowly. Taihua watched her, as still as a tree in the mountains, pondering in his mind if there was any way to save someone whose internal organs were shattered and whose inner core was damaged.

Green Robe's mind was entirely on the silk in her hands; she was thinking about what kind of dress to make for Dao Yisheng, and what color it should be.

Just when she was at her wit's end, she suddenly remembered a four-line poem that said: "Green silk, woven by the woman. I think of the ancients, so that I may be without blame."

Thinking of this, the woman in green first chuckled, then burst into tears.

Green silk, spun by a woman. How similar this is to the green clothes we wear today.

Overwhelmed with grief, she looked up at the waning moon.

She lowered her head and remained silent, as if guided by the moonlight to become her garment.

Grandma said this is an old folk song about a man who, looking at the green garment in his hands, felt as if he were seeing his deceased wife. He was filled with grief and longing. He wished so much that his wife could return to his side, to live a simple life with him, working the fields and weaving, from sunrise to sunset.

She remembered that her grandmother had taught her this old folk song, so she began to sing it softly, imitating her grandmother's tone:

Green, my clothes! Green, with a yellow lining. My heart is filled with sorrow, when will it end?
Green is my garment, green clothes and yellow skirt, my heart is filled with sorrow, when will it end?
Green silk, the way women govern, I think of the ancients, so that there may be no blame.

Fine linen and coarse linen, how chilly the wind! I think of the ancients, and they truly capture my heart.
An ancient ballad rises as the moonlight fades; green robes half-turned into yellow. A soft cry at the end of the year marks the passing of spring; where is the person from my dreams of Jiangnan?

The clothes are finished.

Taihua watched as Green Robe used almost all of her remaining strength, the last of her life force, to make this green robe and yellow skirt.

He said, "If you do this, you won't live past today."

Green Robe looked up at the waning moon gradually setting in the west and replied, "Green Robe, I am willing."

(End of this chapter)