Notes on Longevity

Chapter 201 Whose Relatives Are Trapped in the Wax Forest? The Two Meet for the First Time as Mountain and Water Gentlemen

The autumn wind is bleak, yellow leaves are scattered, and a few fallen leaves float on the shallow river, encircling and trapping the full moon in the sky.

On both sides of the river is a forest of ash trees. Under the night sky, the bright yellow leaves rustle in the wind, and the crisp, melodious sound is refreshing and pleasant.

However, when the autumn wind suddenly rises, a chill seeps into the body from the top of the head, spreading throughout the body and instilling fear.

Although the moonlight was bright, a blurry figure could be seen moving through the woods, hidden by the leaves, which made one wonder if they had encountered something sinister.

The figure was solitary, an old man, who looked quite lonely. It wandered aimlessly through the woods, like a child who couldn't find its way home.

As the night grew brighter, moonlight filtered through the leaves and fell upon it, making its already blurred form even more transparent.

Its white hair was intertwined with black hair, its forehead was furrowed three or four times, its arched eyebrows were lowered, and its pair of black eyes were dull and lifeless.

He wore tattered rags, his toes exposed, and his straw sandals were covered in mud and dust. His face was haggard, his skin withered, and his body thin and bony, as if he were a living person who had never reached the shore.

It turned around and entered a tree, wanting to go to the river, but then it met a person.

The man was languid yet eight feet tall, with long black hair cascading over his shoulders. He wore golden brocade and emerald green lotus-root boots. Facing the riverbank, his face was full of sorrow, but when he looked up at the moon, his handsome and spirited face came into view.

"Young man, are you a ghost too?" the man asked as he approached the young man.

The young man turned around at the sound, and when he saw the ghost with its body and spirit torn apart, his previous worries vanished instantly. He excitedly grabbed the ghost's hands and nodded repeatedly, saying, "I am a ghost, are you a ghost too?"

The ghost stood beside the tall young man, like a child, and laughed loudly, "Of course, I don't know how many years I've been dead. It's just that I don't know where my home is anymore!"

The ghost's expression suddenly darkened, and it said with tears streaming down its face, "It's all because this forest is too big. No matter which way I go, I just can't get out."

The young man sighed upon hearing this and said, "I do know how to get out, but..."

Upon hearing that the young man could walk out, the ghost immediately interrupted him, asking incredulously, "You...you really can leave this forest?"

"Yes. I can leave, but..."

As the young man spoke, he looked helplessly at the shallow river in front of him and shook his head, saying, "But I can't cross this river."

"What's so difficult about crossing this?" The ghost was very confused. It strode into the river and floated back and forth in front of him. It looked at the young man in the water and said, "Look, I can walk, can't I?"

But the young man said, "That's you, not me. I'm naturally afraid of water, and it'll be the same after I die. As soon as I step into it, I'll be swept away. If I hadn't run fast last time, I would have died again."

Upon hearing this, the ghost laughed wildly: "What's there to be afraid of? When people die, they become ghosts, and when ghosts die, they become 'yin' (a type of ghost). People are afraid of ghosts when they see them; but if you die, I might be afraid of you too."

The ghost's laughter continued as it swirled and played in the river, thoroughly enjoying itself. The young man smiled slightly, as if pleased with it.

"By the way, young man, what's your name?" the ghost asked suddenly as it played in the water.

"My surname is Zhao, and my given name is Xun," Zhao Xun said, raising his hands in a fist salute.

"Which Zhao, which Xun?" The ghost frowned and stared at Zhao Xun with a strange expression.

Zhao Xun, however, disagreed and quickly explained, "走乂赵，忄云忶。"

The ghost muttered to itself, "Zhao Chu."

Then it shook its head and sighed, "Is there any writing?"

Zhao Chu smiled wryly and said, "Never."

The ghost waved its tattered sleeves and stood in the water, scolding, "I don't know what your parents were thinking! They gave you such a name, without even a courtesy name, which sounds like a word of melancholy. Tell me, how did you die?"

"His family fell into decline, he became a refugee, depressed and unhappy, and died of shortness of breath."

No sooner had Zhao Chu finished speaking than the ghost continued its furious rant: "See! What did I tell you! Alas, your name has really ruined you. Besides, Zhao Chu sounds almost exactly like 'summoning the soul,' so who else but you is going to die?"

Zhao Yan smiled calmly: "What you say is true, senior. By the way, I still don't know your name or where you live."

The ghost suddenly froze, staring at Zhao Yan in a panic, hissing and shaking its body, its hands clenched into fists and moving up and down. This action made the ghost seem somewhat cute, and Zhao Yan almost burst out laughing.

After thinking for a moment, the ghost said, "I've been dead for too long, I've forgotten."

"Oh, right, I almost forgot, could you help me get out of here? I want to go home."

The ghost's words left Zhao Yan confused. "Senior, didn't you say you didn't remember where your home was?"

"Oh dear!" the ghost suddenly said, somewhat exasperated. "I don't remember, but I know the way. As long as I leave this forest, I'll remember the way home."

As Zhao Xun watched the old man in front of him gesturing wildly and full of enthusiasm, he thought to himself, "This old man must have been a very interesting person when he was alive."

He smiled and said, "But I can't cross the river, so how can I take you out?"

As he spoke, fearing the ghost wouldn't believe him, he stretched out one foot and lightly dipped it into the river water. Instantly, his foot twisted into a strip and was about to be swept away by the water, so he lifted it up.

The ghost, seeing that it was indeed him, scratched its head and looked deep in thought. Soon, it came up with a plan: to carry him across the river. Since both were light, it figured it could manage. So it walked up to Zhao Chu, turned its back, and said, "Get on."

Zhao Yan was frightened by the ghost's actions. He retreated repeatedly, waving his hands and saying, "Uncle, you mustn't do such a thing. You are my elder."

"Hey!" the ghost said angrily, "Why are you being so rule-abiding? We're both dead, we've all become ghosts. They say the dead should be respected, but now we're of the same generation. Come on!"

After saying that, the ghost turned around again and gestured for Zhao Yan to come up.

After hesitating for a moment, he approached with trepidation.

Just as he was about to put his hand on the ghost's back and climb up, Zhao Yan's hand suddenly fell off its shoulder and he grabbed nothing.

The ghost seemed to sense something, turning to look at Zhao Yan. "What's wrong? Can't you get up?"

Seeing the ghost's curious expression, Zhao Yan quickly explained, "It's probably because I haven't been dead for long, so I can't get up there."

Upon hearing this, the ghost was filled with confusion. It said, "Aren't you a ghost? You're not dead? Are you lying to me?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yan panicked and said, "How could that be? If I weren't dead, how could I have seen you? Besides, you saw it yourself just now; my foot became indescribable the moment it touched the river water. How could I not be dead?"

The ghost thought so too, but it still had some doubts. It walked to the riverbank and grabbed Zhao Xun's hand. "It's cold, it has no warmth."

Then it placed its hand on Zhao Yan's chest, "His heart isn't beating, he really is dead. Strange, how can a ghost possess someone else's body?"

"You're joking, old man. We're not human."

Zhao Yan found the ghost's words amusing, but the ghost was frowning and miserable, completely lost and unsure of what to do. "I finally met a ghost, and I thought I could get out of here. Who would have thought I would have to stay here?"

"Oh, right. I can cross the river, can you tell me which way to get out?" the ghost suddenly said.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yan thought it would work, so he nodded and gave directions to the ghost: "Cross the river and walk straight ahead for about a mile. There you'll find a tall ginkgo tree. Turn left and walk another half a mile, and you'll see a small town. Follow the road in the town straight ahead, and you'll see a stage. That's the end. After passing through the stage, head west to get out."

The ghost, bewildered, said, "Is it that complicated? Can't I just keep walking?"

Zhao Xun smiled and said, "You should have tried it before. Did you manage to get out?"

The ghost suddenly felt embarrassed, scratched his head sheepishly, and laughed, "No."

“We’re not human. We can walk through walls and trees, but we can’t go all the way. If that were the case, I wouldn’t be walking through this river. I would just turn around and go around.”

The ghost agreed, sighed, and waved to Zhao Yan, "Then I'll be going now." Zhao Yan smiled and nodded.

"Oh, right, I'll definitely tell my family when I get home, and I'll have them come pick you up. That way you can leave too."

Zhao Yan smiled and nodded, "Take care, sir."

The ghost turned and left, and suddenly felt a pang of reluctance. It kept looking back into the river, thinking that if it hadn't met this young man tonight, it might never have been able to escape.

Zhao Yan saw through the ghost's thoughts and shouted to it, "Old man, hurry up and go! I'm waiting for your family to come and pick me up."

Upon hearing this, the ghost shouted, "Alright! You'd better wait for them here!"

"it is good!"

Zhao Yan responded loudly, and suddenly tears welled up in his eyes.

This isn't a ghost; it's clearly a family member someone can never see again.

The ghost went away, and Zhao Yan sat on the ground, utterly dejected. His shadow was reflected in the water by the bright moon, just like a few fallen leaves, drifting aimlessly like rootless duckweed.

Ping An carried his basket and traveled all day. Although he was protected by his robes and needed to rest to recuperate, he still needed to rest. They crossed mountains and streams, and finally arrived at a grove of ash trees.

She Li helped Ping An unload the chest, while Xiao Chang Gong collapsed onto the fallen leaves, complaining, "Didn't Ping An have his protective robes? Why do we still have to walk to Huangzhou? Wouldn't it be better to just fly there?"

She Li placed the box under the tree, and Ping An stood to the side holding a whisk. He looked at Xiao Chang Gong lying on the ground and said, "But Young Master Yang can't fly. We can't just leave him alone."

Xiao Changgong said impatiently, "Isn't it the same to fly over and find him? At worst, I'll just take Xiao Changgong with me."

After he finished speaking, he suddenly felt a headache. He sat up and looked up, only to see that She Li had gotten some fruit from somewhere and was throwing it at him.

"What are you doing?" Xiao Changgong dared not retaliate, and could only stare at She Li with a wronged expression.

"You dared to call him 'Junior Brother,' and yet he still calls you 'Senior Brother.'" She Li said absentmindedly.

Upon hearing She Li's words, Xiao Changgong immediately retorted, "When did I yell? I was just complaining, is that not allowed?"

"You can follow me, but don't complain to my junior brother. Besides, every step is a form of cultivation, so why are you in such a hurry?"

She Li looked at Xiao Chang Gong speechlessly.

"Tch! I can't be bothered with you." Xiao Changgong turned his head to one side, feeling sullen.

However, as Xiao Changgong turned his head, he seemed to have noticed something. He stood up and looked to the side. He saw an old man floating towards them.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Changgong immediately perked up. He had been humiliated by She Li, and now he could vent his anger on this wandering ghost.

After saying that, he said to She Li and Ping An, "You two rest first, I'll go ahead and see if there are any fruits we can pick."

She Li found it strange, "Where did these fruits come from on this withered tree with its yellow leaves?"

At this moment, Ping An stared at She Li and asked, "Senior brother, where did you get this fruit?"

She Li took out a few from her bosom and handed them to Ping An, saying, "These were picked from the mountains by Uncle Zhou and the others."

"Oh." Ping An remembered that because the mountain god left, Duqingshan had turned into rain, and the whole mountain was green, so it was normal for it to have fruit. "However, there shouldn't be any fruit in this forest, right?"

She Li shrugged and shook her head, saying, "I don't know."

Xiao Changgong walked quickly and arrived in front of the old man in an instant. He grinned at it and attacked it without saying a word.

After a few moves, the old man used his almost transparent body to pass through the trees beside him. But Xiao Changgong ignored the existence of these trees and directly slammed his palm into a tree.

Xiao Changgong's powerful palm strikes were too much for the old man to handle, so he quickly moved away. But Xiao Changgong didn't give him a chance to react, and after a few more moves, the old man finally couldn't withstand the onslaught.

Seeing that Xiao Changgong was so powerful, injuring itself several times with almost no magic, it dragged its injured body and turned to flee.

Xiao Changgong wasn't in a hurry. He watched with a mocking expression as the ghost headed in a certain direction, hoping it might find a group of ghosts, giving him a place to vent his anger.

He followed the old man for half a mile, and finally they arrived at a shallow riverbank.

The ghost drifted towards the other side of the river, where it saw a young man sitting. The young man was slowly rising and looking at the ghost. Xiao Changgong felt as if he could see ghosts, so he shouted, "Be careful, that's a ghost!"

The young man remained unmoved. As the ghost drew closer and closer, he panicked and immediately cast a spell to summon a ball of flame.

Flames soared into the sky, dazzling like the midday sun. The young man, however, remained calm, though his expression was somewhat grim.

The ghost was only a few steps away from the young man when Xiao Changgong threw a huge fireball at it. In order not to accidentally hurt the young man, he also took to the air and rushed towards him, preparing to create a barrier for the young man after the fireball landed on the ghost to avoid accidental injury.

To his surprise, the river beneath him suddenly began to tremble, as if an earthquake had struck. The river water flowed backward and solidified into an extremely sharp water sword, which swiftly stabbed towards Xiao Changgong.

The dazzling fireball vanished as the young man waved his hand to shield the ghost behind him, as if it had never existed. Meanwhile, She Li and Ping An, watching the sun flash by in the distance, sensed something amiss and quickly grabbed their baskets and headed in that direction.

Xiao Changgong dodged the water sword, flipped over and landed on the opposite bank of the river. He stared at the young man who was protecting the ghost behind him and shouted, "Who are you?"

The young man ignored Xiao Changgong completely, instead turning around and pretending not to know anything, asking, "Uncle, why are you back again?"

"Hey, young man, can't you see? There's someone chasing me." The ghost was stunned by Zhao Yan's question, then quickly said, "Let me tell you, I was heading in that direction as you said, and I don't know what this person was thinking, but he came up and beat me up. If I hadn't run fast, I would have been beaten to death."

"Go, go quickly."

As the ghost spoke, it suddenly remembered that Zhao Chu was also a ghost, and it grabbed him and tried to run away.

"Huh? Where is everyone?" The ghost reached out but grabbed nothing. Staring blankly at the empty space, it was puzzled when it heard a voice behind it: "Old man, what are you standing there for? If you can't beat them, run!"

"You little brat! You didn't even warn me! I was just thinking of dragging you along!" The ghost looked at Xiao Changgong, who was standing on the opposite bank, not daring to move, and assumed that he was preparing some big move again, so he took off running.

Xiao Changgong had a headache and dared not move, watching the man and the ghost who had already run far away.

"Was that young man even human?" he thought to himself.

At this moment, She Li arrived first. He looked at Xiao Chang Gong, who was standing stunned by the river, and asked, "What happened just now?"

"It's nothing, I just encountered a ghost." Xiao Changgong didn't know what to say. He found it too strange. Why was the ghost hiding behind a person? And who was that person? Did he create that water sword just now? If so, Xiao Changgong felt a chill run down his spine. That person's strength was definitely above his own, and just based on the momentum of the river water flowing backward and solidifying the water sword, it was even stronger than She Li's! If he hadn't dodged quickly, he would probably be dead here.

"A ghost?" She Li looked at the calm river and searched her surroundings. "Where is the ghost?"

"It's alright, let's go back. Don't keep Ping An waiting." Xiao Changgong didn't want to say anything more. He was very flustered; it seemed he had gotten himself into trouble. He had to leave quickly before that person returned, otherwise, even with him and She Li, they wouldn't be enough to fill a gap in someone's teeth.

She Li found it strange, but she followed Xiao Changgong and turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" A young man's angry voice rang out behind the two as they were about to leave.

They turned around and saw that the young man who had just left had reappeared silently. Xiao Changgong looked at the disheveled and furious young man and quickly apologized: "This master was not meant to offend you. Please forgive me."

She Li was stunned by Xiao Changgong's humble demeanor; she had never seen him like this since she met him.

Upon hearing this, She Li also looked towards the young man standing with his hands behind his back on the opposite bank of the river.

Weird!
She Li noticed something was off about the young man; he was emaciated yet strangely spirited, a human being without a soul. Recalling the fireball that had raged in broad daylight, he immediately shielded Xiao Changgong behind him, glaring at the young man: "What kind of ghost are you?"

(End of this chapter)