Notes on Longevity

Chapter 199 If we don't explain tomorrow's events today, we won't know what will happen after we die.

The night sky was utterly barren. The usual twinkling stars were gone, and even the full moon seemed to be hiding behind the dark clouds, reluctant to show itself.

However, the scenery on Duqing Mountain is quite different. In previous years, not a single star could be seen on the mountain at night. Even if one needed to climb the mountain, they would only light half a candle and place it inside a thick lantern. But today, brand new candles are placed inside large, palace-shaped red lanterns.

Its rotating light screen is painted with patterns, such as mountains and forests, birds and beasts, or two or three children chasing each other, with adults following closely behind.

As the grass grows lush and birds sing, laughter and joy are displayed on the lanterns in turn.

Zhou Yanliu took a lantern from the black-faced man who had been waiting in the field. On the way up the mountain, he followed behind his grandfather and the black-faced man, carefully examining the brand-new lantern in his hand.

Was this just made?
He thought to himself.

This is a revolving lantern, one of Zhou Yanliu's favorite lanterns, because it's different from ordinary lanterns. Regular lanterns may come in thousands of shapes and have patterns, but they don't rotate like a revolving lantern. And their symbolism is different too.

Red lanterns hang high, symbolizing bountiful harvests every year.

These are the symbolic meanings of lanterns other than the revolving lantern. They all express the hope that everything will go smoothly and peacefully this year.

But it's different.

If the ordinary lantern symbolizes anticipation, hope, and all that is good, then the symbolism of the "walking lantern" (a type of lantern) is not exactly the opposite, but it is quite different.

When Zhou Yanliu first saw this kind of lantern, he remembered his grandfather reciting a poem about lanterns:
"The lantern revolves, its flame never extinguished; how much sorrow and joy has humankind experienced?"

"The revolving lantern turns endlessly, carrying countless longings here."

The revolving lantern symbolizes remembrance, longing, and the grief of the living; it speaks of the unbearable longing of the deceased who cannot see the living.

Therefore, the living often carry this lamp in remembrance.

However, Zhou Yanliu still couldn't understand what it meant for them to go see the mountain god with a lantern. Didn't the dark-faced man say that the mountain god was already dead?
Whom were they worshipping? The spirit of the mountain god?

He rejected his absurd idea in his heart. That was the mountain god, after all; in his eyes, He was a celestial being. How could He really be dead?

So they went to worship the living mountain god.

From top to bottom, men, women, and children of Zhoujia Village, everyone carried lanterns up the mountain. The lanterns illuminated the late autumn forest as if it were dusk. After reaching the top of the mountain, they all knelt on the ground, with their lanterns placed to their left.

The old village chief is gone, and the current village chief is naturally highly respected. Not only that, but Zhou Ziping has also adopted a cat demon in his home.

He led the way in performing the three bows and nine kowtows ceremony, and said respectfully, "In the hundred-year spring of Duqingshan, we are all grateful for the thousand-year-old tree spirit. Five hundred years ago, it came to this place and protected this land with favorable weather and abundant harvests. Now, Zhou Ziping, along with his grandson, his demon, and dozens of households and their families, totaling more than a hundred people, kowtow to thank the god for his grace."

"The Zhou family children kowtow in gratitude for divine grace."

As soon as Zhou Ziping finished speaking, the villagers knelt down and bowed in unison.

The dark-faced head pounded firmly on the cold ground, but Zhou Yanliu was in a daze. The Mountain God was really gone.

Looking up, he gazed sadly at the place where the towering tree once stood, now empty and desolate.

For a moment, he couldn't accept it. He turned his head to look at his grandfather, who was also gazing in that direction. He choked up, his breath coming in sobs. He wanted to speak, but found himself unable to utter a word. Helplessly, he could only turn his gaze back to the mountain god.

Suddenly, a spring breeze began to rise, dispersing the dark clouds in the sky. The full moon seemed about to emerge, and the dark night sky was once again filled with twinkling stars. The full moon broke through the earth, as if the departed mountain god had heard their words and, as before, shook the tree trunk to summon a gust of wind, telling them, "I know."

Autumn deepens in the distance, while spring breezes and bright moons grace the lone green hills.

Feeling the warm spring breeze, Zhou Ziping smiled bitterly and kowtowed, "We will erect a monument and build a temple for the mountain god to express our gratitude for his protection. Please take care!"

His voice was choked with sobs, but his final "Take care" echoed through the mountains and forests, startling Ping An at the foot of the mountain. Perhaps it was because of the robe He had given him that he heard Zhou Ziping's mournful roar.

As he looked at the brightly lit mountain, a light seemed to ignite in his heart, illuminating his gentle yet slightly melancholic face and the thin mist in his eyes.

It is said that life and death are predestined, and the world is unpredictable. At this moment, he truly understood that.

He also felt that the mountain god's departure was largely due to him. If he hadn't gone to find Him, perhaps He would still have been able to continue protecting all living beings in this land.

Suddenly, Ping An became the culprit behind this outcome.

Ping An felt guilty and regretted his actions. However, the deed was done, and he was powerless to change it, so he could only watch quietly.

Sitting in the courtyard, Yang Shouren finally couldn't hold back any longer. He got up and came to Ping An's side, glanced at the mountain, and asked, "Daoist Ping An, you seem to have changed."

Still reeling from her self-reproach, Ping An looked at him in surprise and asked, "What's wrong?"

Yang Shouren looked at the lights on the mountaintop and began to descend. He frowned, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "When I heard today that the mountain god had left, I was actually a little sad. Although I have never seen the mountain god, let alone spoken to him, I know that under those circumstances, even if I didn't offer any comfort, I shouldn't have said the words 'left'."

"Why?" Ping An was confused; he didn't know what Yang Shouren was talking about.

“Life and death are common occurrences in the world, but they are rare and extremely sad for ordinary people.” Yang Shouren turned to look at Ping An and said slowly, “One may meet many people in one’s life, but it is rare to become friends or close friends with them. Although all good things must come to an end, not everyone experiences these things all the time.”

"A person lives to be a hundred years old, and if they live to be sixty, they will have two children, and their children will have sons and grandsons. Seventy is rare in ancient times. Children lose their fathers and grandsons lose their grandfathers, that is one kind of life. Children have sons, fathers become grandfathers, and then the fathers pass away, that is yet another kind of life."

"In a hundred years of life, one may only experience life and death two or three times, but it is a great pain to the heart and a great sorrow to the soul. When you said those words, I felt that you seemed to have lost your humanity."

"Although I have only known you for a few days, I know that you have also experienced the grief of losing your master, and I have seen you cry and grieve. Therefore, the former Master Ping An could not possibly be such a heartless person. But now I really want to know, how could you say those words back then? Did you not feel even the slightest bit of sadness at that time?"

Yang Shouren's questions were sharp and incisive, but Ping An felt nothing but confusion. He frowned, feeling Yang Shouren's words echoing in his mind, but he didn't know where to begin.

His master was dead. He knew it, he understood it, and he knew that he had cried his heart out and lost all his senses at his master's grave that day. But why did he say those words? He was in a daze.

At that moment, he was only thinking about continuing his journey, eager to reach Penglai and see the immortals his master longed for. He didn't think of anything else, nor did he feel sad; rather, he felt that perhaps this was fate.

As he was thinking, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. He frowned and backed away, the whisk in his hand falling to the ground, and finally leaning against the door.

His gentle expression suddenly turned grim, and he muttered to himself, "Yes, why?"

Why didn't I feel sad at the time?

"why?"

He clutched his aching heart and questioned himself in a trembling voice.

"Master Ping An, what's wrong?"

Seeing Ping An's appearance, Yang Shouren felt a pang of anxiety. He wondered if he had gone too far with his words. Compared to himself, Ping An was still just a child. Moreover, having been taught by his master and cared for by his fellow disciples at Zoumaguan for many years, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was inexperienced in worldly affairs.

However, he couldn't suppress his confusion. He also felt that Ping An shouldn't be like this.

"Safety!"

Yang Shouren's exclamation startled She Li, who was taking care of Xiao Changgong in the room. She Li came to Ping An's side, took Ping An from Yang Shouren's hands, and supported him on his shoulder.

Looking at Ping An's pale face and somewhat unfocused eyes, he couldn't help but ask Yang Shouren sternly, "Yang Shouren, what's wrong with my junior brother?"

"I... I was just curious why Master Ping An said he was leaving at that time. I was just talking to him about some social etiquette, I didn't expect him to suddenly do this."

Faced with She Li's questioning, Yang Shouren panicked and gave a slurred, incoherent explanation. But She Li retorted, "What do you mean you're leaving? What did you say to my junior brother?!"

She Li stared at him almost frantically, while Yang Shouren was also frightened by She Li's demonic appearance. He wanted to continue explaining, but his mouth involuntarily smacked, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Ping An heard She Li's voice. He tried to focus his unfocused pupils and said weakly, "Senior brother, this has nothing to do with Young Master Yang. I almost fell under the spell of my own inner demons."

"Inner demons? How could that be?" Upon hearing this, She Li's already panicked heart became even more anxious. Inner demons are the natural enemy of cultivators; the slightest carelessness could lead to the loss of all previous efforts and turning one into a walking corpse. Back then, when Ping An was cultivating at Zouma Temple, he was invaded by an inner demon, causing his Qi to be disordered and nearly costing him his life. She Li couldn't care less about scolding Yang Shouren now, so he quickly carried Ping An into the house and placed him on the same bed as Xiao Chang Gong.

He rummaged through Ping An's body as if searching for something, and finally his gaze settled on Ping An's chest.

He hurried to the chest and, after searching for a while, found the elixir that the ancestor had prepared for his safe descent down the mountain.

He took out a few pills and fed them to Ping An, then paced back and forth anxiously until Ping An's expression began to recover and his eyes were no longer as vacant as before. He quickly stepped forward and asked, "Junior brother, how are you? Are you feeling better?"

After taking the pill, Ping An smiled and nodded, but his tone was not as good as before. He said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Much better."

Hearing Ping An's voice, She Li felt a pang of heartache, and at that moment, other thoughts began to stir within him. Since Ping An was much better, he was relieved. However, he absolutely had to find Yang Shouren and get to the bottom of things. He wanted to know what Yang Shouren had said to his junior brother that allowed the inner demon to take hold.

Before She Li could take two steps, Ping An called out to him, "Senior brother, this has nothing to do with Young Master Yang."

Faced with Ping An's defense of Yang Shouren, She Li was helpless. He wanted to find Yang Shouren and have a good talk with him, but he couldn't resist Ping An's hoarse voice.

His heart softened, and he quickly returned to Ping An's side. "Junior brother, what exactly did that kid say to you?"

He was still furious and wanted to get to the bottom of it.

But Ping An remained silent.

After a brief silence, Ping An frowned slightly, as if he had seen something in his eyes. He said to She Li, "Perhaps it's because of the mountain god."

"The Mountain God?" She Li was utterly puzzled. Not only had He cleared up Ping An's doubts, but He had also given him a Taoist robe made from a ritual garment before leaving. He didn't understand why Ping An was saying that.

"Senior brother, do you remember what I told you today about the mountain god pulling me into a fog?" Ping An said.

She Li frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Besides telling me to wear this robe often, the mountain god also said: 'The road to Penglai is long and arduous, so don't let worldly joys and sorrows weigh on your heart.' I think that Young Master Yang's statement that I have changed might be because of this robe."

"I think what the mountain god told me before about avoiding some unnecessary troubles must be the human relationships, joys and sorrows of this mortal world."

She Li breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this, "So that's how it is." However, he still found it strange what Yang Shouren had said to Ping An that had caused his junior brother to be possessed by a demon. He said, "But then again, we cultivators are supposed to cultivate purity of the six senses and let go of worldly desires. So why have you become possessed?"

Ping An fell silent again. He looked at She Li quietly and then said, "I lost my composure for a moment. I hope Senior Brother will not make things difficult for Young Master Yang."

Seeing that Ping An was still trying to exonerate Yang Shouren, She Li had no choice but to shake his head and say with a helpless smile, "Alright, I understand. Senior brother will go apologize to him now."

She Li's helpless tone made Ping An feel the doting affection his master had shown him. He smiled and said, "Thank you, senior brother."

"Why are we being so polite between fellow disciples!" She Li stood up and laughed. "You should rest well. We'll set off again tomorrow morning and continue our journey eastward."

Ping An watched his senior brother leave to find Yang Shouren, his smile fading as he fell silent once more. He glanced at Xiao Changgong lying beside him and suddenly asked, "Senior Brother Xiao, do you think cultivators should really renounce worldly life? If so, why do we Taoists wander the world? Why do we travel to places inhabited by people? Why?"

Ping An was undecided, but Xiao Changgong was also unable to answer him. It was precisely because of this that Ping An said these things to Xiao Changgong.

But all of this was overheard by She Li, who had pretended to leave and was hiding behind the door. At that moment, She Li seemed somewhat dazed: Yes, why?
She Li finally walked out of the house and into the courtyard. He looked at the stars and the bright moon in the sky and at Zhou Ziping and the others who had already come down the mountain and were walking in the fields.

She Li nodded and smiled at them as they drew closer, and Zhou Ziping waved back in response.

However, when he stepped out of the courtyard, he couldn't find Yang Shouren. He looked around and saw no sign of him except for the villagers who were carrying lanterns and returning home with different expressions.

Just as he was wondering where Yang Shouren had gone, Zhou Ziping came to She Li. He took the broken lantern from Zhou Yanliu's tearful hands, then asked Black Face to lead him to his room to rest. Black Face obediently pulled Zhou Yanliu towards another room.

He held up three lanterns and smiled at She Li, saying, "This child didn't react much when he heard the mountain god had left at noon, but who knew he would cry and make a fuss on the mountain just now, and even smash the lanterns. I'll have to fix them for him again; these are newly made today."

Zhou Ziping walked into the courtyard with a joking tone. He blew out the lantern, then suddenly remembered something and asked She Li, who was still searching for Yang Shouren at the gate, "I saw Young Master Yang leave just now. Did something happen?"

Zhou Ziping was quite old, and when he saw She Li's absent-minded expression and thought about Yang Shouren's departure without saying goodbye, he keenly sensed that there must have been a conflict between the two. So he pretended to know nothing and asked.

She Li didn't know how to answer for a moment, so she turned around and shook her head, saying, "It's nothing. We just had a little verbal conflict."

He wanted to apologize after hearing Ping An's words, but he didn't expect Yang Shouren to leave without saying goodbye. But it was fine, the journey to Huangzhou would take at least several months, and losing one person would make it faster, and it would really avoid some unnecessary trouble.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziping suddenly laughed and said, "You young people are all full of spirit, and I think that Young Master Yang is also a martial artist, so such things are inevitable. However, as a Taoist, you should not be arguing with others."

She Li smiled and walked to the wooden table, looking at the revolving lantern on it. He said, "It's not that I wanted to do this, it's just that he said things he shouldn't have said."

From the questions Ping An had asked Xiao Changgong, he could roughly guess what Yang Shouren had said to Ping An. It's important to understand that the mindset of a cultivator is different from that of an ordinary person; saying something that disrupts that mindset is tantamount to taking a life. Therefore, it was understandable that She Li was angry.

“Indeed, the minds of you cultivators are beyond the comprehension of us ordinary mortals. It’s like how Liu’er can’t understand the classics.” Zhou Ziping sat on the wooden table, looking at the lantern with a broken corner, and continued, “Daoist Master, look. This lantern has a broken corner. Should it be repaired or not?”

She Li hesitated for a moment, then said, "It should be supplemented."

Zhou Ziping smiled and said, "It should be repaired. However, after the repair, the original marks will look out of place with the later ones. Although it's not a big deal, it will still create a rift. Even if it's repaired later, the barrier will still exist."

“Using an object to represent a person, does the old man think I did something wrong?” She Li suddenly found Zhou Ziping’s words very interesting, so he asked again, “But there are demons in the world, and I should be eliminating them to protect the righteous path, but I’ve encountered a different kind of demon. He’s kind to people, although his behavior is a bit absurd. Should I kill him or not?”

She Li then posed the question to Zhou Ziping, who smiled and said, "To kill you is perfectly justified; not to kill you shows that you have a strong sense of righteousness and can distinguish right from wrong."

She Li then asked, "If I were to befriend him and travel with him, would I still be on the right path?"

Zhou Ziping shook his head, put down the revolving lantern in his hand, and said, "Although I haven't studied much, I know that Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life. As for right and wrong, it all depends on what you and that fox spirit choose. Just like when I heard the mountain god talk about his past. He was a demon, but he also befriended the Taoist, and finally attained the Great Dao and became the mountain god who protects the area."

"As for right and wrong, it all depends on whose side you are on. Everyone has their own perspective and thoughts, so the answers will naturally be different."

Upon hearing this, She Li pondered for a moment, then sighed and smiled, "Old man, you're right. I was wrong."

"I dare not, I dare not." Zhou Ziping looked ashamed and said, "The Daoist is in seclusion, and his state of mind and how he sees people and things are naturally different from ours. However, in terms of worldly matters, the Daoist may be slightly inferior to me."

She Li looked up and sighed, “Yes. Although I often travel and walk among people, I can never fully understand people’s hearts. A thousand people are a thousand faces. How many people have I seen? How dare I say right or wrong? Perhaps my junior brother is right. We cultivators don’t necessarily have to give up worldly affairs. We must both see and understand. Otherwise, this trip to the human world is in vain. However, I still want to say that Yang Shouren shouldn’t have said some nonsense. My junior brother’s temperament is different from ordinary people. I’m afraid that people will corrupt his mind.”

“That’s your problem, it has nothing to do with me,” Zhou Ziping suddenly said.

She Li looked at Zhou Ziping, who seemed calm and collected, and smiled, "Uncle Zhou, you're quite something too."

Zhou Ziping was puzzled and asked, "Why do you say that?"

She Li straightened up and looked at him seriously, saying, "The scriptures say that the Tao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things. All things are different in nature, but they all originate from one. In fact, in the end, everyone in this world is a cultivator, but the way they cultivate is different."

“I cultivate myself in the mountains and fields, while you walk freely in the mortal world. I may be superior to you in some aspects, but you are also superior to me in others. Therefore, it is said that one can cultivate the Great Way in the mountains and fields, and it is not impossible to do so in the mortal world.”

"I have learned a great deal tonight."

"Don't dare, don't dare."

After talking with Zhou Ziping, She Li's mind was completely opened. Although he blamed Yang Shouren, he realized that this was something Ping An had to go through. He always indulged Ping An and wanted to protect him, but he forgot that Ping An was also a Taoist practitioner.

As night deepened, She Li returned to the room to watch over Ping An and Xiao Chang Gong, while Zhou Ziping held up the repaired lantern.

Looking at the old and new traces, and mimicking She Li's manner and tone, he couldn't help but sigh, "Where in the mountains and the mortal world isn't a place for spiritual practice? Which Taoist priest or layman isn't a guest in the human world?"

After saying this, he put the lantern back on the table, got up, and went back to his room to rest.

As the saying goes: If you don't know what will happen tomorrow, you won't know what will happen after you die.

(End of this chapter)