Notes on Longevity

Chapter 198 The Mountain God Transforms into Rain to Return to Heaven and Earth, and the Dark-Faced One Receives the Fate of All Things.

"Finally, you should wear this robe often. It will help you avoid some unnecessary trouble."

As the mist dissipated, Ping An looked at She Li, who had a strange expression on his face, and asked, "Senior brother, what's with that expression?"

She Li hissed as he raised his eyebrows, scrutinizing Ping An's appearance with great curiosity.

"Strange, strange." She Li touched Ping An's cheek with his hand. The smooth, elastic skin struck him as odd. He muttered to himself, "Why does it look different from before?"

Yang Shouren then spoke up, "Indeed, Master Ping'an seems to have changed, but I can't quite put my finger on what's different. It just feels strange and a bit unsettling."

Ping An scratched his head in confusion. He held the whisk in the back of his hand and touched his face, asking in surprise, "What has changed?"

“I can’t quite put my finger on it,” She Li frowned helplessly and sighed, “but your eyes and complexion have changed.”

"When I first met you, your eyes seemed to hold endless stories, and everything about you seemed to make you unhappy. Now..."

She Li didn't know what to say, so he looked at Yang Shouren and asked him to speak.

Yang Shouren looked into She Li's eyes and shook his head with some difficulty. Finally, She Li had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Now it seems that there is a thin layer of mist in your eyes, making it difficult to see clearly. However, there is a beam of light in your eyes, and that light is green. I wonder if it is because of the robe you are wearing."

Ping An frowned upon hearing this. He remembered the last thing the mountain god had said to him, so he explained, "Perhaps. The mountain god led me into a misty area and told me to wear this robe often to avoid trouble. I think that's why my senior brother said that."

“I see,” She Li nodded, thoughtfully stroking her chin. “That explains why that Taoist robe suddenly flew up and ended up on you.”

She Li breathed a sigh of relief. "However, since the mountain god told you to wear it and said those things, there shouldn't be any problems. Anyway, as long as it helps you, that's fine."

Ping An chuckled at She Li. Yang Shouren noticed this and, although he couldn't quite put his finger on what had changed, he felt that Ping An seemed to have become more humane, and his expression was no longer so melancholy.

"But speaking of which, Xiao Changgong, what's wrong with you?" Seeing that Ping An was alright, She Li turned to look at Xiao Changgong, who had been hiding behind her and dared not peek at Black Face. "Didn't you go after Black Face? How come you ended up being dragged back by him?"

She Li wanted to laugh when she thought of Xiao Changgong's appearance just now, but because he cared about his image, he only slightly raised the corners of his mouth and gave a simple laugh.

Upon hearing the name of the black-faced man, Xiao Changgong dared not breathe loudly. He could only see the man's lips moving up and down, but he couldn't understand what he was saying.

Seeing that Xiao Changgong couldn't say anything, She Li found it strange and turned his gaze to the dark-faced man.

He remembered that when Blackface entered, he was almost half the size of a human. Normally, even if a cat demon cultivated into human form, the changes in its body wouldn't be that significant. Unless its cultivation was extremely high, reaching the point where it could summon wind and rain, like the mountain god of this mountain.

However, it was quite obvious that the black-faced man did not possess such cultivation.

"Dark-faced, what do you mean by the mountain god leaving?" Zhou Yanliu frowned, looking at him with a somewhat sad expression, as if he had sensed something.

“Yeah, black face,” Zhou Ziping chimed in.

"I heard a sound when that fox pinned me to the roof."

"Kitten, close your eyes."

The black face of the fox, who was transformed from Xiao Changgong, was pressed against the roof and he was powerless to resist. Suddenly, he heard the voice of the mountain god. He closed his eyes in tension and fear. Then he heard a scream from the red fox, followed by a torrential downpour.

After losing the pressure from Xiao Changgong, Black Face quickly rolled over and stared at the two suns in the sky above the ground.

Blackface seemed to sense something too. Seeing that the heavy rain hadn't soaked its body, it looked up.

The pale blue sun radiated a halo, merging with the bright white sun. In an instant, I felt dizzy, and just then, a vine suddenly wrapped around me and pulled me into a green mountain.

The mountain was filled with blooming flowers and intertwined green trees. The gnarled roots of the trees protruded from the ground and connected with the branches. Blackface curiously jumped on the roots and finally landed under a towering paulownia tree.

The tree-like face remained unchanged, and the gentle, aged voice rang out again: "You said you wouldn't leave this place, didn't you?"

"Yes."

The black face transformed into the appearance of a young boy, and I looked at that tree-like face with a resolute tone.

The mountain god sighed, “Three thousand years have passed in the blink of an eye. Now I no longer have any expectations. A person’s life is but a hundred years, a mayfly’s day, and death is inevitable. Although I still want to live, I can no longer see the path I came from. I have forgotten the original purpose of my cultivation.”

"Since I took human form, it seems I've only done two things. One was meeting a woman when I first left Jiangnan, but I don't know why I forgot her. I used the Water Mirror technique to go back in time, but all I saw was emptiness. Later, I met Green Robe. Taihua wanted to help me overcome my tribulation by borrowing the power of the Water Mirror, but his good intentions turned into a disaster. And that's when my heart was left with this knot."

"Now I call myself the Mountain God, protecting this region, but I am always asleep. I have been living in a daze for thousands of years, and in the end, it is all for naught. I have not comprehended the Great Dao, and my experience in the world is also a mess. It can be said that I have all this cultivation in vain."

"However, since you've decided to stay here, I should be going too."

"Go? Where?"

Hearing the mountain god's lament, the dark-faced man felt inexplicably sad, even somewhat empathetic. He didn't know why; perhaps it was because he was also a demon, or perhaps one day he would become a mountain god like the mountain god, protecting the region.

"Where to?" The mountain god's gentle voice was filled with confusion. He raised his tree-like face and looked towards the horizon. Suddenly, he laughed and said, "To the heavens."

"Go to heaven?" the dark-faced man asked, puzzled. "Isn't that becoming a god?"

The mountain god chuckled, then burst into laughter: "Yes! Yes! A god! A god!"

His voice changed from strong to deep, as if he had made up his mind: "Besides, who said that one must be a god to live in heaven?"

The mountain god laughed and said, "Wildfire cannot burn it all, the spring breeze brings it back to life. Little cat, my cultivation was obtained from heaven and earth, and today's rain is returning it to heaven and earth. It can be considered that I have repaid what I borrowed, and I am no longer indebted. For the past hundred years, I have received offerings from the people of this place. Although I have ensured good weather and abundant harvests every year, I still cannot repay the favors they have shown me. As the saying goes, one should not accept offerings without merit. I am not a god, yet I have received offerings from them every year. Before I leave, I would like to ask you for a favor."

With a dark face and a solemn expression, he bowed and said, "I dare not say it is troublesome. As long as it is what the mountain god says, I will do my best to fulfill it."

"This rain is a gift to heaven and earth, and an opportunity for all things. After you leave this place, fight that little fox. If you can defeat it, this opportunity will be yours too. However, after you have this opportunity, you must protect heaven and earth for me for a hundred years. Ensure that they have good weather and abundant harvests, just like I used to. But remember, you must not tell anyone except the people in Xiao Liu'er's courtyard. After a hundred years, if you want to seek your own path, you may leave."

Upon hearing this, the black-faced fox turned to look at the red fox, still cautiously standing in the rain beyond the green hills, and glared angrily at it. In truth, it didn't want to create another feud with Xiao Changgong. However, this concerned the prosperity of Zhoujia Village for the next century, and it had no choice.

With a determined look, Blackface crouched down and suddenly leaped off the roof, extending its sharp claws to slash at the face of the red fox, who was still caught off guard.

A drop of blood fell to the ground, and the black cat's body seemed to change slightly. The red fox was injured, and it roared in anger. Now it didn't care who had slapped it just now, or the rain that didn't wet it, but it knew that the black cat in front of it had ill intentions.

Its original intention was just to scare the black cat, but now it seemed that wasn't what it meant. The red fox breathed a sigh of relief, activated its magic, enveloping itself in a layer of red light, and raised its paw to swat at the black cat.

The black cat had grown a bit bigger, but that didn't affect its agility. It dodged the red fox's attack, and in the instant it turned around, it leaped into the air with the force of a sky-piercing leap, then landed on the red fox's waist like a collapsing mountain, firmly pinning it down.

The black cat raised its sharp claws, silently thinking, "I'm sorry!"

As the sharp claws fell, the red fox lost its footing, and a clap of thunder suddenly rang out amidst the torrential rain.

The red fox, already at a disadvantage, was even more terrified upon hearing the sound. It roared in panic, and then a thunderbolt flashed across the sky, followed by the two demons falling down with lightning speed.

The force of the thunderbolt seemed to pour into the black cat's body with the majesty of the heavens, while the red fox beneath it, seeing its appearance as if it had been torn apart by heavenly lightning, was terrified like a frightened bird, its heart filled with despair.

After the thunder, the black cat, now half the size of a human and resembling a black tiger, writhed in agony, causing the red fox to feel as if it had encountered the Ten Kings of Hell.

At that moment, a young man's voice once again entered the black cat's ears. He said, "The learning of the innate is the mind; the learning of the acquired is the trace."

"Where there are traces, one seeks the untraceable; in vain, men imitate the beauty of the moon, always finding only one extreme in their search for fragrance. They do not recognize the true essence of the center, the mystery lies in the unexpected beginning." "Go, go. A hundred years from now, you may stay or go as you please."

After the words were spoken, there was a hearty laugh, like the sudden enlightenment of "a thousand sails pass by a sunken ship, and ten thousand trees bloom before a withered tree."

The black cat felt sad upon hearing the sound, for it knew that only gods lived in the heavens.

It sadly held the red fox in its mouth, then turned back to look at a house in Zhoujia Village, feeling the spring rain falling on its body and soul.

"I see." After listening to the dark-faced man's explanation, She Li nodded thoughtfully. "But the mountain god has passed away, and you are asked to repay the people's incense offerings in his stead. Are you really willing?"

She Li asked this question because although the cultivation methods of demons are similar to those of humans, there are still differences. "What if you show signs of enlightenment during this period and need to find something to deal with your tribulation?"

"When we humans undergo tribulation, we simply set up a magic array to withstand the heavenly tribulation. But you demons need the five elements of your own body. Without these, you cannot withstand it."

"Since I've agreed, I won't go back on my word. It's just a matter of lowering my cultivation level. We'll talk about it when the next opportunity comes. If that doesn't work, I'll just tough it out." The dark-faced man's expression was resolute, as if he always had a thousand troops in front of him, and he had the courage to fight to the death.

"According to you, if you can't withstand it, you might die?" Although Yang Shouren couldn't understand what they were saying, he could still understand the implication.

The dark-faced man smiled calmly: "What I have was given to me by Zhoujia Village and the Mountain God. What's wrong with dying again for them?"

"Furthermore, even a being of such high cultivation as the Mountain God was willing to return its cultivation to heaven and earth when it departed, so what do I have to hesitate about?"

The dark-faced man's words silenced everyone, but Zhou Yanliu's mind was elsewhere. From their conversation, he understood what the mountain god meant by "go"—it meant death.

Zhou Yanliu looked sadly at the dark face, but still couldn't believe it and asked, "Is Grandpa Mountain God really dead?"

The dark-faced man looked just like a young boy, but he gently stroked his head like a weathered old man: "Whether human or demon, everyone has a day when their lifespan is nearing its end."

"The mountain god could actually live, but he must have had his reasons for choosing to do so."

“Grandpa.” Zhou Yanliu turned to look at Zhou Ziping, his eyes filled with tears.

Zhou Ziping pulled him into his arms and comforted him, "It's alright, child. Don't be sad, you still have your grandpa, don't you?"

Zhou Ziping gently patted his shoulder, his eyes also filled with tears, because he knew that he too would have this day.

The courtyard was filled with the heart-wrenching cries of parting. Ping An watched the scene unfold before him, his heart filled with thoughts of his master.

He looked up and gazed in the direction of Fuyang City. He thought: If they hadn't encountered the thieves in that dilapidated temple, they would probably be living in Zouma Temple now, discussing Taoist teachings every day. Perhaps the fellow disciples in the temple would be studying and practicing martial arts, no longer thinking about the matter of seeking immortality.

However, fate is not one to bow down to man, and time will not stand still.

He had asked what he wanted to ask, and although he didn't quite understand, it was time to get going.

He was thousands of miles away from Penglai, and he wanted to see the celestial beings that his master had always longed to see, so he dared not delay any longer.

So he said to She Li, "Senior brother, it's time for us to go too."

"Huh? Where to?" She Li was still immersed in the reluctant atmosphere in the courtyard. When he heard Ping An's words, he showed a surprised expression. However, he quickly reacted and said, "Oh, right! We still have to hurry to Huangzhou. I didn't expect that this would delay us for a few more days."

She Li scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly, then bowed to the dark-faced man and the others, saying, "We've troubled you these past few days. We have to keep on our journey, so we won't stay any longer. We'll come back to find you when I return from Huangzhou."

Yang Shouren kept his eyes on Ping An. When he heard She Li say goodbye to Zhou Yanliu and the others, he frowned and thought to himself, "Daoist Ping An is a bit strange."

However, he still bowed to the three of them, and then made a gesture to leave, but Zhou Ziping stopped him: "Why don't you wait until tomorrow to leave?"

She Li asked curiously, "Why is that?"

Zhou Ziping, holding Zhou Yanliu, said, "It's rained, and the mountain road is muddy and difficult to walk on. Besides, the fox spirit's current state is not suitable for traveling."

Hearing Zhou Ziping's words, She Li finally realized, "That's right, this guy was terrified. It's making walking difficult for him."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Ping An and suggested, "The old man is right. Let's wait until tomorrow to leave. It won't make a difference if we stay another day."

Ping An nodded without saying a word.

Yang Shouren also tacitly agreed.

It was late at night, and Xiao Changgong lay on Zhou Yanliu's bed, with She Li keeping watch by his side.

Later that evening, She Li took out a few pills from her gourd and fed them to Xiao Changgong. Hei Lian and Zhou Yanliu stared curiously at the pills in She Li's gourd. "Daoist, isn't your gourd for holding people? How come there are pills in it?"

In response to Zhou Yanliu's curiosity, She Li explained, "This gourd is a magical artifact. Don't underestimate its size; it can fit you all inside. So, it can hold not only people but also medicine pills."

Zhou Yanliu remained curious and couldn't help but ask, "But if the person and the pills are mixed together inside, can the pills still be eaten? What if they've been stepped on?"

She Li laughed and said, "If I lock you up at home, how can you go to someone else's house and step on pills?"

Zhou Yanliu shook his head, utterly bewildered. "But being at home is different from being inside a gourd."

Just as She Li was about to explain, Zhou Ziping walked into the house, grabbed his ear, and tried to pull him out, saying, "You child, why are you talking so much? Come on, let's go worship the mountain god."

"Huh?" Zhou Yanliu was puzzled upon hearing this. "Grandpa Mountain God, has he come back to life?"

Zhou Ziping did not answer; he pulled Zhou Yanliu out the door.

The entire village gathered in the fields outside the gate, each carrying a lantern, and walked closely together toward the mountain.

Ping An looked at them, seemingly lost in thought. Yang Shouren, however, was carrying a lamp, which he handed to Zhou Ziping after Zhou left.

"Master Ping'an, Young Master Yang, I'll go with the child to pay my respects to the mountain god again. You two can rest if you're tired," Zhou Ziping said with a smile as he took the lantern.

"I'm sorry to bother you." Yang Shouren was very polite, bowing to the grandfather and grandson, and Ping An did the same.

Zhou Ziping pulled Zhou Yanliu to the field, and the boy with the black face followed closely behind, heading towards the mountain.

"Master Ping'an, do you think this village will remain the same after the mountain god's protection is gone?" Yang Shouren asked as he watched the three people leave.

Ping An frowned and thought for a moment: "But not every mountain has a mountain god."

Yang Shouren smiled upon hearing this, "That's true."

He then stopped answering, retreated to the courtyard, sat at the wooden table, and gazed at Ping An, who was standing at the door.

Ping An's face showed more humanity, but it seemed that he had lost his sense of human kindness.

Yang Shouren was puzzled. Ping An used to have a melancholy expression and his eyes seemed to have endless stories to tell, but why did he suddenly seem like a different person after meeting the mountain god?

He didn't understand.

(End of this chapter)