Notes on Longevity

Chapter 180 The Grand Banquet at Yaochi in Longhua: Taihua Meets the Queen Mother of the West

"What about Taihua? After you went to Kunlun Mountain, did you meet the Queen Mother of the West?" Ping An recalled the scene when he and his master went to Kunlun Mountain in the snow. Although they entered the fairyland that day and saw silver snakes and deer, they were eventually driven down the mountain and never met the immortals.

Dao Yisheng took a deep breath, and a wind began to rise on the mountaintop. It blew away the white mist that had surrounded Dao Yisheng and Ping An, and then Dao Yisheng slowly spoke: "Later, Taihua did not go to Jiangnan, but followed me after I left. He said he was worried about me. And I met the Queen Mother of the West under his guidance."

Dao Yisheng remembered that after he left outside Yu'an City that day, he flew all the way to Kunshan.

"Is this the Kunlun Mountains?" In the spring, at the foot of the snow-covered Kunlun Mountains, Dao Yisheng held the gourd in his hand and looked at the Kunlun Mountains, whose peaks could not be seen, with moist eyes.

Taihua, standing to the side, frowned and stood there, looking at the place where he had once sought the Dao like a stone statue.

He turned to look at Dao Yisheng, who stood in awe of the towering Kunlun Mountains, yet seemed utterly helpless. Taihua looked dejected and extremely embarrassed, but when he saw the gourd he had obtained in Dao Yisheng's hand, and thought of the green robe inside, he finally knelt down facing the Kunlun Mountains.

Faced with an endless mountain stretching before him, and not knowing how to ascend to this celestial realm, Dao Yisheng was startled by Taihua's kneeling gesture. Then, realizing this was where Taihua had once studied Taoism, and that the Queen Mother of the West, who controlled life and death in the mortal world, resided here, he too knelt down.

"Disciple from Kunlun Mountain, Xuan Yue Cave Heaven, Yu Hua Blessed Land Tai Hua, requests an audience with the Supreme Saint White Jade Turtle Platform, Nine Spirits Supreme True Boundless Holy Mother Yaochi Great Saint Queen Mother of the West Supreme Pure Spirit Primordial Sovereign Who Commands All Immortals Great Heavenly Venerable."

Dao Yisheng watched as Taihua formed the Ziwu Mudra with his hands, raising both hands to his forehead, level with his eyebrows. Then he saw him release his hands, placing his left hand towards his heart and his right hand on the green grass that had sprouted at the foot of Kunshan Mountain.

Taihua placed his right palm on the soft, tender grass, then placed his left hand on the back of his right hand, and then began to kowtow to Mount Kunlun.

After bowing once, Taihua looked up at Mount Kunlun with eyes full of prayer. As he looked up, he placed his left hand, which had been on the back of his right hand, back on his heart, and then he began to chant: "With sincere devotion, I take refuge in the Lord."

"The Heavenly Pool is opened to prosperity, the Holy Mother of Limitless Heaven, the Dragon Flower Grand Gathering is held at the Jade Pool, and the decree of the Emperor of All Spirits is proclaimed."

At this point, Taihua repeated his previous actions, continuing to chant whenever he looked up at Kunlun Mountain: "The immortals offer longevity wishes, the saints raise their cups in celebration, the heavenly majesty is within reach, his merits are high and his virtues are profound, he has regulated the world and established the Dao. Three thousand maidens play heavenly music with sheng and huang."

"The hundred-year-old peaches bloom in the golden and magnificent spiritual garden. Seeking relief from the suffering of all beings, they sprinkle sweet dew upon the mortal world."

"Great Compassion and Great Vow, Great Sage and Great Mercy, Boundless Jade Pool Great Sage Queen Mother of the West Golden Mother Heavenly Venerable."

As Taihua finished speaking, the three kowtows were completed.

Dao Yisheng, clutching the gourd in his arms, was kneeling blankly in Taihua. Suddenly, the clearing where they stood was covered in wildly growing grass, quickly enveloping the two of them. Meanwhile, on Kunlun Mountain, a beam of light suddenly appeared, turning day into night, leaving only that golden light shining brightly.

Although Taihua was kneeling on the ground, his eyes could still perceive what was happening by observing the changes in his surroundings.

This kneeling, this kowtow, this proclamation reminded him of the time when he knelt for a long time on Kunlun Mountain, just to seek a method for achieving immortality.

Faced with the reappearance of Hua Guang, Taihua raised her head with tears in her eyes, then slowly stood up. Dao Yisheng, however, remained kneeling.

Taihua remembered that the Queen Mother of the West had once told him, "After you descend the mountain today, I will never see you again."

Even today, he still kneels and worships the Queen Mother of the West in Kunlun Mountain, believing that he will never see such a sight again.

He didn't know why the Queen Mother of the West had granted him an audience, but as long as he had the chance to see her, he would also have the chance to save Green Robe.

He choked back tears as he said to the kneeling Daoist priest, "Come, get up."

Dao Yisheng was greatly puzzled, but he still obeyed Taihua's words and stood up.

"After that, you do exactly what I say, repeating what I say."

As Taihua spoke, Daoyisheng nodded in agreement, for he knew that Green Robe might be saved.

Then, Taihua knelt down again and repeated the action, while Daoyisheng followed his example and began to worship Kunlun Mountain: "I wholeheartedly submit to your will."

"I wholeheartedly dedicate myself to the cause."

"Heavenly Pool Brings Prosperity, Holy Mother of Limitless Infinity,"

"Heavenly Pool Brings Prosperity, Holy Mother of Limitless Infinity,"

"The grand banquet at Longhua is held at Yaochi, and the imperial decree is proclaimed to all spirits."

"The grand banquet at Longhua is held at Yaochi, and the imperial decree is proclaimed to all spirits."

Dao Yisheng followed Taihua's example and performed the three bows and nine kowtows. When they raised their heads again, they saw a heavenly ladder appear from the radiant light at the top of Kunlun Mountain and land in front of them.

Taihua watched as the golden, formless ladder, resembling clouds, slowly rose to its feet. Daoyisheng, seeing him stand up, also stood up in astonishment.

He looked at Taihua in disbelief, and Taihua, seeing this, had no time to think. He faced the Heavenly Ladder and Kunlun Mountain, made the Meridian Seal again, raised his eyebrows, bowed and said, "Disciple Taihua thanks the Queen Mother of the West."

Although Dao Yisheng was shocked by the scene before him, he followed Taihua and said, "Tree demon, Dao Yisheng thanks the Queen Mother."

As soon as he finished speaking, Taihua and Daoyisheng walked up the heavenly ladder.

After stepping onto the soft celestial ladder, Dao Yisheng kept stroking the gourd in his arms. Looking at the radiant light, he felt nervous and uneasy. This was his first time visiting the abode of an immortal since attaining human form, and that immortal was none other than the legendary Queen Mother of the West.

He remembered Taihua saying that the immortals might not necessarily see them upon their arrival in Kunlun. And now, they were walking on the Heavenly Ladder to meet the immortals.

He turned to look at Taihua, who wore a sorrowful expression, devoid of any joy or excitement. Perhaps it was because of what he had said earlier—that his greed had severed his connection to immortality. But he didn't know what Taihua had been greedy for to cause this reaction.

Time seemed to pass very slowly. But their steps were swift. In less than a quarter of an hour, they had reached the summit from the foot of the mountain. The brilliant light that had been there earlier gradually dissipated as the two drew closer, until it disappeared completely.

The final step of the Heavenly Ladder connected to a precipice in the Kunlun Mountains. Once they reached the snow-capped peaks, the ladder vanished, and night abruptly turned to day. But in an instant, daylight was once again shrouded in darkness, and a few bright stars appeared on the horizon. Gazing at the stars, they were suddenly struck by the melting snow on the Kunlun Mountains, replaced by a profusion of wildflowers and trees growing beneath their feet.

Just then, the stars in the sky suddenly fell, and a bright sun slowly rose, illuminating the Kunlun Mountains, where hundreds of flowers were in full bloom and the forests were lush and verdant. It was springtime.

Taihua and Daoyisheng were astonished by the transformation of Kunlun Mountain before their eyes. Daoyisheng had never been to Kunlun before, so he was naturally amazed and full of admiration when he saw all this. Taihua, on the other hand, was just as astonished as Daoyisheng.

But this also puzzled Taihua. When he was seeking the Dao and learning the Dharma in Kunlun Mountain, apart from the blessed lands and grotto-heavens, he had never seen Kunlun Mountain in such a state.

Just when he was puzzled, everything changed again. The sun suddenly set, and a bright moon, carrying the darkness, entered their eyes.

The sky is filled with dazzling stars, and the bright moon hangs high in the sky.

Before the two could react, the scorching sun chased away the darkness of the starry night.

The already lush flowers, grasses, and trees now flourish even more, with flowers blooming in all their glory and the ground beneath them covered with ripe fruit.

A moment later, an autumn wind suddenly rose, and the fallen fruits had rotted to the point of being only pits. They were covered one by one by the golden leaves scattered by the autumn wind, and even the flowers began to slowly lose their luster and wither. They did not know when it started, but they began to feel a chill.

They looked up and around, only to see snowflakes falling heavily in the night. The trees and flowers had vanished, and everything had returned to how it was when they first reached the summit of Kunlun.

In the blink of an eye, day and night alternated, the seasons turned, and time flew by.

The two stood there, bewildered, when suddenly a cry rang out from somewhere. They turned their heads and looked in the direction of the sound.

Finally, they saw a snow-white deer with various colors walking on air below the cliff, calling out as it ran towards them.

Dao Yisheng, seeing this, thought it was a demon. He put away his gourd and was about to attack the deer when the deer came in front of them. Dao Yisheng stood in front of him and respectfully bowed to the deer, saying, "Disciple Taihua greets the Deer God."

"The Deer God?"

Dao Yisheng exclaimed in surprise on the snowy night, as did Ping An, who sat in His shade.

"So, that was the Deer God of Kunlun Mountain," Ping An murmured to himself upon hearing this.

Dao Yisheng, with a tree-like face, looked at Ping An with some confusion and asked, "What? Judging from your words, you two met in Kunlun Mountain?"

“I have,” Ping An replied, then suddenly asked, “How did you know?”

The tree-faced man laughed and said, "There's nothing in this world I don't know, except for the fairyland."

Dao Yisheng explained, and then said, "In the ninth year of Wenshang, which is the day you were born, I had a dream in my sleep. I dreamed that a young Taoist priest was carrying a box on his back and holding a whisk as he came up the mountain."

"After I woke up, I used my magic to find you and knew you would come looking for me. However, when you came up the mountain today, I didn't see your whisk. Why is that?"

Faced with Dao Yi's question, Ping An sat under the tree and raised one sleeve. He then took out his whisk from the sleeve and explained, "When I was at Zoumaguan, the Old Ancestor Yuyang knew that I would leave sooner or later, so he taught me a technique called 'Universe in the Sleeve.' I put it away before I reached the top of the mountain."

Dao Yisheng nodded upon hearing this, and seeing that he said so, he did not ask any further questions. Instead, he focused his gaze on Ping An's box and asked, "Since you have such magic, why don't you put the box in your sleeve as well? That would make it much more convenient to travel."

Ping An glanced at the chest beside him and smiled helplessly: "I ran into trouble while practicing magic at Zouma Temple, injuring my internal organs and meridians. If it weren't for the Ancestor saving me, I might not be alive today. Before I left the mountain, the Ancestor also refined some pills for me, which can save my life should my meridians become disordered in the future. I'm carrying this chest for two reasons: first, I sincerely want to see the immortals of Penglai; second, the journey to Penglai is long and arduous, and the chest contains some clothes and scriptures, which can be considered a burden to carry on my journey, in order to cultivate myself and restore my meridians."

Dao Yisheng laughed upon hearing this, saying, "You shouldn't have left Zoumaguan. As you said yourself, the mountains are high and the roads are long, and you might die on the way someday. It's not worth it."

Despite Dao Yisheng's repeated advice, Ping An remained unrepentant: "It was worth it. My master's greatest wish in life, besides governing the country and managing the family, is to meet an immortal and seek the art of longevity."

Upon hearing Ping An's words, Dao Yisheng suddenly burst into laughter, and the white mist surrounding them began to slowly dissipate from the mountaintop as the wind rose. Apart from Dao Yisheng's true form, the other trees gradually returned to their withered, yellowed state.

Ping An looked at Him and smiled, feeling somewhat confused. Then he heard Dao Yisheng continue, "Back then, Taihua was worried about me just like some of your friends, and I was just as persistent as you. In the end, Taihua blamed himself for using the water mirror to glimpse the future, and I almost ruined his hundreds of years of cultivation because I insisted on saving Lüyi."

Ping An sat upright with a frown on his face. He was puzzled and asked, "Why is that?"

“The price,” Dao Yisheng said.

"The price?" Ping An looked at Dao Yisheng with a puzzled expression, not understanding what he meant.

“Yes, the price,” Dao Yisheng’s tree-like face sighed, looking up at the sky, “is both a price and a choice.”

"The outcome you choose will come at a price, whether it brings joy or sorrow. You can't know what that price is until the outcome is revealed. And it was only after I made my choice that I learned what Taihua had chosen for me."

"I remember that day the Deer God said to Taihua, 'The Queen Mother of the West knows everything. Have you thought it through?'"

Upon hearing this, Taihua's eyes widened slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and said to the Deer God, "Taihua has made up his mind."

"Alright, then come with me to see the Empress."

Dao Yisheng watched as the Deer God led Taihua, riding on auspicious clouds, towards another cliff on the opposite side of the mountain. He was left alone, his eyes filled with a sense of loneliness mixed with a hint of hope.

Although he didn't know what the Deer God and Taihua meant by their words, he knew that since Taihua had gone to see the Queen Mother of the West, the green-clad woman could be saved.

He was overwhelmed with grief but also overjoyed. As he watched Taihua's figure disappear into the distance, he took out the gourd he had put away and carefully examined and stroked its body.

(End of this chapter)