Notes on Longevity

Chapter 192 The sun quietly rises, the sky darkens; a century's karma is repaid today.

As the sun turned golden, wisps of smoke began to rise from every household in Zhoujia Village. The autumn wind was chilly, yet warmth could be felt in the warmth of human interaction, especially when a bowl of steaming porridge was held in one's hands—it was incredibly comforting. The plain porridge softened one's heart.

However, Ping An didn't have much of an appetite. Even with his senior brother She Li's meticulous care, he only drank two mouthfuls of porridge. After that, he sat quietly in his seat, lost in thought.

Ping An's taciturnity made Zhou Ziping, She Li, Yang Shouren, and Hei Lian feel quite awkward, while Xiao Changgong and Zhou Yanliu were busy fighting to the death with the hot porridge in their bowls.

She Li noticed the awkward atmosphere. He put down his chopsticks, stood up, and said to Zhou Ziping, "Uncle Zhou, Ping An and I have finished eating. Ping An has had some health problems since he was a child. I'll take him to see a doctor first."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziping stood up, understanding what he meant, and bowed to She Li, saying, "It's alright if it's convenient for you, Daoist Master."

Yang Shouren, who was standing to the side, also wanted to get up and leave with She Li and the others, but he was stopped by a look in his eyes. Yang Shouren was stunned at first, but then he understood why and continued to drink his porridge.

She Li left the courtyard with Ping An, and they walked along the road in the village.

Ping An remained silent, which even made She Li feel uncomfortable. She saw him walking around, twisting his neck and swaying his body, trying to ease the slightly awkward atmosphere.

After a long while, two Taoist priests dressed in robes arrived at the edge of an empty field. She Li looked up and saw an endless expanse of withered trees and fallen leaves against a backdrop of blue sky and white clouds, which stirred up waves of worry and composure in his heart. He turned to look at Ping An and said, "Actually, you shouldn't take what that little fox Xiao Chang Gong said too seriously. All that talk about coincidences and cause and effect is just his family's opinion. That divine ape might not have told him that."

Ping An looked at She Li with a puzzled expression, "Senior brother, what do you mean?"

"Hmm?" Ever since Ping An endured the pain of his ancestor's meridian cultivation, his face has been gloomy and unhappy. Few people can see what he is thinking or what changes are happening in his heart from his face.

Seeing Ping An's confusion, She Li frowned and stared at her intently. Only after confirming that Ping An didn't seem to be thinking too much about it did he breathe a sigh of relief and waved his hands awkwardly, "It's nothing, it's nothing. I just saw that you hadn't said anything after listening to Xiao Changgong's words, and I thought you had something on your mind, so I wanted to give you some advice."

"Senior brother, I'm fine." Ping An not only looked melancholy, but his tone of voice was also so gentle, which made it even harder to see what was in his heart.

“However, I think Senior Brother Xiao might be right.” Ping An turned around and looked at the village surrounded by mountains and forests, and said, “Actually, I already know that Senior Brother Xiao is just trying to comfort me. But what he said might be true.”

“Senior Brother Xiao?” She Li frowned upon hearing Ping An’s address to Xiao Chang Gong, feeling both confused and slightly saddened: “Why are you calling him Senior Brother? He’s not a Taoist disciple.”

Clearly, there was a hint of jealousy in She Li's words.

He looked at Ping An with incomprehension. He and Ping An were clearly brothers from the same sect, and he was naturally happy to hear Ping An call him senior brother. But why should he also call Xiao Changgong senior brother?
Ping An didn't answer. He just stood there, watching the autumn deepen and another year pass. He looked at his senior brother She Li and said, "I heard a story from the mountain god on the mountain. He said something similar to what the mountain god that Senior Brother Xiao met said."

"He was born and raised in Jiangnan, and later went there. There he met an old woman who said, 'You've been studying Taoism for three years, and you're still talking nonsense.' I think this must be the cause and effect that the divine ape was talking about."

"As for the meaning of life, that old woman said almost the same thing: 'All things have life, but they live in different ways.'"

"Everything has life?" Upon hearing this, She Li lowered his head slightly, hissed, and scratched his head, his face showing a look of both sadness and sudden realization: "I've seen it in the Taoist scriptures before, but I've never really understood it. However, after hearing what you said, and what Xiao Changgong said before, it seems like I've found something. It's just that there are still some things I don't quite understand."

"The old woman said that a small piece of good copper can be used to cast copper bowls and spoons, which is their new life; if copper is made into swords and knives, and they appear in the hands of swordsmen and knivesmen, then it is a second life continuation after the blacksmith has given them shape and life. I think this is what the divine ape meant by the meaning of life."

"That is, it is the Tao itself, and the one, two, three are born. This is the shape and life given to them by the blacksmith, while the knights are the original meaning of their lives, whether to save people or kill them. They are mutually causal and mutually Taoist, which is also called coincidence."

After hearing Ping An's explanation, She Li felt it made sense. However, he wasn't concerned about that right now. Instead, he looked at Ping An with curiosity, scrutinizing him carefully from head to toe.

Ping An felt uneasy under She Li's gaze, his melancholy expression making him somewhat uncomfortable. He raised his eyebrows and asked, "What's wrong, Senior Brother?"

"You know what, you've been on the mountain all day, and you're definitely talking more than usual. You can even talk a lot about things that I don't understand. Not bad, not bad. Once things in Huangzhou are settled, I'll definitely go back to the temple immediately and tell Master and the Ancestor that our little junior brother has grown up and has his own ideas."

As She Li spoke, she casually put her arm around Ping An's shoulder, then looked in the direction of Zoumaguan and said with a smug look on her face.

Ping An smiled sadly upon hearing this, and even his eyes, which seemed to see sorrow in everything, softened considerably. "Actually, it's not entirely my own thought. I just heard them say it and it touched me. I think maybe I made the right choice by choosing this path, and even if the road ahead is extremely difficult, I don't want to turn back."

"Don't worry, junior brother. With your comprehension, when you get to Penglai, the immortals might even come to pick you up in person," She Li teased Ping An.

Ping An thought what She Li said was impossible, but she smiled contentedly: "I don't ask for much, I just want to be able to meet the immortal on behalf of my master."

She Li looked at Ping An, both smiling and puzzled: "And what about you? Don't you want anything for yourself?"

Ping An took a deep breath, shook her head, and said, "I haven't thought about it yet. If possible... I... miss my master."

Upon hearing this, Master She Li pulled Ping An into her arms and comforted him, "If you really can see the immortals, you can give it a try. Maybe you'll succeed?"

Ping An shook his head and said, "Even the Queen Mother of the West couldn't change the way of Heaven, so the immortals of Penglai probably have even less of a chance."

"The Queen Mother of the West?" She Li was taken aback. He immediately released Ping An and asked, "What do you mean?"

“The mountain god I met before had sought an audience with the Queen Mother of the West,” Ping An replied.

"Is it really the Queen Mother of the West? Did she tell you herself?" She Li exclaimed in surprise.

Ping An nodded and said, "Yes."

"The Queen Mother of the West told him that although she controls the life and death of all things, she cannot go against the will of Heaven. Therefore, I think the immortals of Penglai are willing but unable to help me."

Ping An sighed, and She Li said with deep emotion, "So, even immortals are not free, just like us."

As he spoke, he laughed, "Forget about that. But speaking of which, whether you're going to Penglai for Uncle Qingxuanzi or for something else, you should think about yourself. Don't always think about what you can do for your uncle. Remember, that's a major taboo in cultivation."

"Understood, Senior Brother," Ping An replied. A young man in flowing white robes, his sword swirling like a thousand waves, his aura soaring like a rainbow across the sky, caused the sun to quietly darken.

After breakfast, Yang Shouren, amidst Zhou Yanliu's curiosity and admiration, demonstrated his swordsmanship. However, the weather seemed rather unfavorable today; light clouds obscured the sun, and a light drizzle fell.

Everyone was busy tidying up the tables and chairs in the yard. Ping An wanted to help, but everyone refused because of his injuries.

So Ping An stood under the eaves, watching everyone busy at work.

Meanwhile, Blackface, who had been visiting neighbors after breakfast, cried out in terror as he rushed into the yard from outside, bypassed Ping'an who was standing under the eaves, and hid inside the house, making "meow" sounds incessantly.

Ping An was curious when she heard the noise and wanted to go in and take a look, and help wipe its wet body, but Zhou Ziping stopped her.

"Master, you mustn't."

Upon hearing this, Ping An looked at Zhou Ziping, who had already taken off his wet coat, and asked, "Why is that?"

Even Xiao Changgong and She Li, who were also soaked by the rain, asked the same question: "If he does this, he might catch some kind of disease."

Zhou Ziping shook his head helplessly and explained, "He's afraid of rainy days. So he goes out whenever the weather is bad. But the weather is unpredictable. Who could have known that it would start raining just now when it was sunny?"

"Afraid of rainy days?" Yang Shouren, who had just finished tidying up a corner of the yard for Zhou Ziping, also appeared at this moment. He smoothed his slightly damp clothes and asked curiously.

"Cats don't like water, so it's normal for them to be afraid of rainy days," Zhou Ziping said with an awkward smile.

“That makes sense.” Yang Shouren shook his rain-soaked head and, after thinking about it carefully, agreed.

However, Ping An felt something was strange, and not only Ping An, but also She Li and Xiao Chang Gong; the two of them found it even more unbelievable. Xiao Chang Gong said, "That's not wrong, but he can transform into human form and has magic to protect himself. If he were alone, wouldn't he be afraid of getting wet in the rain?"

Upon hearing this, She Li also spoke up, "Furthermore, after transforming, a demon possesses both form and spirit. Although it is raining, it is still a good time for cultivation. Rootless water is especially rare for demons of trees, flowers, and grasses. And cat demons are even more fond of the earth's energy. At this moment, everything is dust-free, so he shouldn't be afraid."

Seeing that She Li and Xiao Changgong's words made so much sense, Zhou Ziping wanted to explain further, but Zhou Yanliu, who was standing behind him, said, "The dark face isn't because he's afraid of rainy days, but because of some memories."

Zhou Ziping sighed, and the others all sensed or were certain that something must have happened. So, Xiao Changgong asked, "Has this dark-faced man experienced something in the past?"

“I don’t know what he went through, but I heard him say that he was injured by a giant monster on a rainy night, and that’s when my father brought him back from the capital.”

As Zhou Ziping spoke, the others remained silent, wondering, "What is a giant monster?"
"The capital? A giant demon? A hundred years ago." On the contrary, Xiao Changgong felt a slight ripple in his heart.

He remembered that more than a hundred years ago, when he was taken away by the mountain god, he left from Fuyang, the capital of what is now Dayan.

The person he had previously told Ping An about hurting others was Fu Yang.

"Could this be the coincidence that the divine ape spoke of, the result of two causes meeting?" he wondered to himself. "Could it be such a coincidence?"

“But what does the giant demon have to do with not letting me see Black Face?” Ping An broke the silence and asked, “If he was injured by the giant demon during the night rain, it’s normal for him to be afraid of rain, but it’s a bit strange that he doesn’t let anyone touch him.”

Faced with Ping An's questions, and given that it was raining today, coupled with the fact that Xiao Changgong, who was also a demon like the Black-Faced Demon, Zhou Ziping realized that he probably couldn't hide the truth any longer, so he could only tell him honestly: "It is strange, but that's just how it is."

“Back then, my father wanted to help Black Face wipe his body and soothe his emotions on a rainy day, but unexpectedly Black Face suddenly turned red and attacked. If it weren’t for the mountain god, my father might have died at Black Face’s hands.”

Everyone was astonished upon hearing this.

"Later, we learned from him that when he was in Fuyang City, he had fought with a monster that had turned into a human over something. In the end, he angered the monster and was injured. If it weren't for the Taoist priest from a Taoist temple in Fuyang City who came to his aid, he might have died."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Changgong frowned and stood up. He looked into the room and saw a dark-faced figure trembling under the wooden table. He realized from Zhou Ziping's words that the giant demon he was referring to was himself.

As for why they were fighting, it was simply because of a string of candied hawthorns.

A hundred years ago, Xiao Changgong slipped down from the mountain. He heard other demons who had transformed into humans in the forest say, "Fuyang City is a wonderful place, full of all sorts of strange and wonderful things."

So, out of curiosity, he came to Fuyang, the capital of the current dynasty.

This year was the end of midsummer in the sixth year of Chengde.

Xiao Changgong arrived at Chang'an, the former capital of the Heavenly Kingdom, now known as Dayan Fuyang.

On this day, he happened to witness the release of the imperial examination results and saw the top scholar, riding a fine horse, dressed in his official red robes, parading through the streets with a beaming smile. He followed the bustling crowd, watching the scholar's triumphant demeanor. As he passed a restaurant, he was drawn to the music played by a courtesan and went to where she was singing.

When he saw the songstress, his face flushed with joy and his smile made everyone in the restaurant burst into laughter.

Because they had never seen anyone like Xiao Changgong, so openly and blatantly staring at a woman in broad daylight. Even they knew to avoid being seen, but he was completely mesmerized, unable to look away or speak, utterly captivated. He was oblivious to when the music stopped or how the songstress appeared before him; he only heard and saw the songstress's tender words and her eyes filled with gentle affection.
"Young master, would you like me to sing another song?"

Upon arriving in Fuyang City, he became obsessed with the image of a top scholar who, riding a swift horse in the spring breeze, could see all the flowers of Chang'an in a single day.

As he walked among mortals, he was captivated by the enchanting melody, a song so beautiful that it seemed to exist only in heaven and could only be heard a few times on earth.

(End of this chapter)