Notes on Longevity

Chapter 203 The Soul Guide Who Travels Through Mountains and Rivers, an Extraordinary Man Between Yin and Yang

The ghost's voice echoed in Zhao Yan's ears and heart. He forgot that he had lied to it, saying he couldn't go into the water. Zhao Yan looked at the ghost with an embarrassed expression, when suddenly a thought flashed through his mind. He exclaimed in surprise, "That's right! I can actually go into the water!"

Zhao Chu's clumsy words made Xiao Changgong's face darken on the other side of the river. He muttered to himself, "This is too obvious."

However, he noticed something: compared to how Zhao Yan treated him and She Li, he seemed to be much more accommodating towards ghosts. Was it because he was a "Shanshui Lang" (a type of spirit guide)? He wasn't sure; he only knew from Zhao Yan that Shanshui Lang were responsible for guiding souls home, but he couldn't understand why.

Ping An stood beside Xiao Changgong, his face darkening as he looked at Zhao Chu's feigned panic. He hadn't expected that such a powerful person would now appear so humble.

Seeing Zhao Chu's surprised expression, he turned back to look at Xiao Changgong with great confusion, trying to learn something from the knowledgeable Xiao Changgong. However, even the learned Xiao Changgong was hearing this for the first time. Faced with Ping An's questioning gaze, he helplessly shook his head, indicating that he didn't understand either.

Soon, a gasp reached their ears, and they both turned to look.

Zhao Yan was astonished. He looked at the ghost's confused expression and felt very flustered. So he pretended to be nervous and excited and jumped around in the water. But he deliberately took a step back with one foot. Instantly, his feet began to twist, and in a moment, the twisting would spread throughout his body and wash him away.

Seeing Zhao Chu's appearance, the ghost panicked and immediately raised a hand to pull him out of the river.

The shallow river water appeared calm, but in reality, it was turbulent and turbulent in the shadows. After Zhao Yan was pulled ashore by the ghost, he breathed a deep sigh of relief. He patted his chest and said weakly, "That was close, I almost died again."

The ghost looked flustered and asked anxiously, "Are you alright? You were fine in the water just now, how did you suddenly become like that again?"

Zhao Xun sighed and said, "I don't know either. Maybe it's related to you, sir."

"What does this have to do with me?" The ghost looked at Zhao Yan, puzzled, and asked, "But I didn't do anything?"

“Uh,” Zhao Yan didn’t know how to explain, so he changed the subject, “Uncle, please don’t worry about me, you should leave now. If it gets light, you won’t be able to leave today.”

The ghost readily agreed, but it was still somewhat worried about Zhao Yan. "Why don't you try again? Since you say it's related to me, I'll carry you across."

As Zhao Yan watched the full moon set in the west, he hurriedly urged, "But old man, you've already tried before. Perhaps because I just died recently, I can't possess your body. You should leave now."

The ghost suddenly became stubborn, abandoning its naive expression, and said, "No way! I really don't believe it today. Here's what we'll do: you walk in front of me, and if you feel even slightly unwell, just tell me, and I'll pull you ashore again if necessary."

Faced with the ghost's seemingly stern yet caring words, Zhao Yan suddenly wavered. He looked at the ghost and said, "Then let's give it a try."

Zhao Yan stood up again, seemingly having made a great decision. After exchanging a glance with the ghost, he resolutely stepped into the river.

The shallow river water reached Zhao Xun's ankles as he continued forward, while the ghost cautiously followed behind, its eyes fixed on Zhao Xun's every step. If it detected anything amiss, it would pull Zhao Xun back.

Zhao Xun walked slowly to the spot where he had just stood. He nervously and hesitantly lifted one foot, wondering what to do next. Should he simply step over it without incident, or continue the act? He hesitated in his mind.

At that moment, the ghost following behind him seemed to notice something amiss. Staring at Zhao Yan, who was lifting one foot, it said in a low voice, "Aren't you a ghost? Why are you walking with your feet? Shouldn't you float like me?"

On the opposite bank, Ping An and Xiao Changgong were also flustered by this situation: That's right! Zhao Chu is a man of mountains and rivers, yet he told them that he was also a ghost. If that's the case, why walk?

Hesitant Zhao Yan finally reacted to the ghost's three deadly questions, and without further hesitation, he took that step forward! The calm river water began to boil, and the water droplets that jumped out of the water hit Zhao Yan's body. At this moment, Zhao Yan's body began to twist, and his feet instantly turned into the river water and were about to flow away with it.

Seeing this, the ghost didn't ask any more questions. Instead, it grabbed Zhao's twisted body and pulled him backward with all its might. Zhao thus escaped a calamity.

He looked at the old man, panting, and said gratefully, "Thank you so much for saving my life several times tonight. If it weren't for you, I might have really died again."

Zhao Yan's explanation aroused the ghost's suspicion. It looked Zhao Yan up and down and said in a low voice, "How could this be? Even if you're not a ghost, you shouldn't act like this."

"What are you saying, sir? If I weren't a ghost, how could I see you? And how could I speak to you?" Zhao Yan quickly explained.

But the ghost's words shocked Zhao Yan so much that his jaw dropped: "But, neither of them are ghosts."

The ghost pointed at the two people on the opposite bank, puzzled. Zhao Yan looked over and, upon seeing Ping An and Xiao Chang Gong, felt utterly helpless. "They are not ordinary people, so naturally they can see you."

However, Zhao Yan's explanation seemed to have lost its effectiveness, as the ghost looked at the three people warily, seemingly lost in thought.

Finally, it remembered something and said, "No! No! You all must know each other!"

Zhao Yan felt helpless after hearing the ghost's words. He asked, "Why do you think that?"

"Think about it!" the ghost said frantically, pointing at Zhao Han. "I've been here for countless years, but I've never seen you before."

"I'm telling you, I haven't been dead for long, isn't that normal?"

"No, no, no," the ghost shook its head, its empty eyes filled with doubt: "Even so, I didn't see you a few days ago? Why did I see you today? Also, you gave me directions and told me to keep going straight, and then I met that person!"

The ghost suddenly pointed at Xiao Changgong, who stood there, bewildered and helpless. The ghost continued, "He attacked me right away, but after I ran away, he didn't chase after me. Instead, he followed me slowly. Until I met you!"

"I wanted to tell you to run, but you left first. When I caught up with you again, I saw you guys talking. You even said you didn't know each other! Could it be that you all conspired to lie to me and then try to kill me?"

The ghost's words stunned Ping An and Xiao Changgong, and even Zhao Yan thought they made a lot of sense. But this was not the time for jokes, so he quickly explained, "I really don't know them. Besides, what benefit would we get from killing you? And you saw that I really can't cross the river. Even if we wanted to deceive you, we can't gamble with my ghostly life, can we? Don't you think so?"

"Since you're a ghost, why do you walk on your feet? Explain that to me!" The ghost's words took an unexpected turn, leaving Zhao Yan stunned. He looked at the ghost in surprise and then chuckled, "Didn't I just die?"

"That seems to be true!" the ghost suddenly said. He remembered that when he first died, he also walked on his feet. However, he made no sound when he stepped on anything.

Zhao Yan was startled by the ghost's fluctuating voice. Looking at the unpredictable ghost, he felt extremely frustrated: What does this old man mean? Does he believe me now? What was the point of his righteous words earlier?
Zhao Yan chuckled and quickly tried to cover it up, "Right? Besides, you see, I can't even get close to you."

Although Zhao Yan said this, the ghost still had some doubts. It walked up to Zhao Yan and said, "How about this, I'll go first, and you follow slowly. If you still do this, we'll think of another way."

When Zhao Yan saw the ghost walking towards him, he thought it was going to do something, but it turned out it was paving the way for him. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, old man."

Previously, Zhao Yan had thought the ghost must have been interesting in life, but after this experience, he suddenly felt differently, instead feeling somewhat terrified. However, upon further reflection, he realized that perhaps it was precisely because it had died once that it felt this way. After all, it had been murdered by someone. The ghost remained silent, cautiously walking at the front, occasionally glancing back at Zhao Yan. Its empty, lifeless eyes sent chills down Zhao Yan's spine.

He gave an awkward laugh, then prepared to take another step.

However, he didn't put his raised leg down; instead, it remained suspended in the air. He watched as the ghost stopped and turned to look at him, then immediately put his leg down. Under the ghost's gaze, he slowly moved his feet in the river, trying to make his leg-raising as inconspicuous as possible.

"I can walk now!" Zhao Xun stopped pretending and, as his legs moved past the spot where he had been pulled into the river, he exclaimed excitedly, "Uncle, you see, what did I tell you? It must be because of you that I was able to cross the river."

Zhao Han's unrestrained laughter echoed through the forest. Ping An and Xiao Changgong smiled silently as well, but the ghost remained standing there, staring at Zhao Han with suspicion.

Zhao Xun slowly approached the ghost, trying not to make a sound, and said with a smile, "Uncle, let's continue, it's not far now."

The ghost turned around and looked at Ping An and Xiao Changgong standing on the shore not far away. It continued forward with some hesitation.

With only two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) remaining, Zhao Yan proceeded cautiously. At first, he simply remained silent, keeping up slowly. However, he discovered that if he made even the slightest movement, the river water would glide past his ankles, creating a splash. Hearing the sound, the ghost immediately stopped, turning back to stare at Zhao Yan. "A sound? You're really not lying to me? You're really not human?"

Zhao Yan, feeling uneasy, laughed awkwardly, "I'm not human, I'm really not human."

Xiao Changgong initially wanted to laugh when he heard Zhao Chu's words. After all, he had only ever heard people claim to be human, and this was the first time he had ever seen someone so insistent on not being human. However, Zhao Chu's unfathomable cultivation level frightened him, and he could only suppress the surging laughter in his heart. Otherwise, even if he didn't say anything now, who knew what might happen later.

Ping An and Xiao Changgong had different thoughts. He was puzzled. If the duty of the Mountain and Water Herald was to guide souls home, what was the purpose of such delicate and pretentious behavior? He thought about it a lot, but he still couldn't figure it out.

He could only watch as Zhao Chu followed the ghost, slowly making his way ashore.

Once ashore, Zhao Jun collapsed to the ground like a man who had lost his soul. Finally, he fell to the ground. The thread that had been hanging in his heart finally became a path, and he breathed a sigh of relief, muttering, "That scared me to death!"

Hearing this, the ghost's worries lessened considerably. Seeing Zhao Chu's still-shaken expression, it assumed he thought Zhao Chu couldn't cross the river.

But what it didn't know was that Zhao Chu's words meant: It's finally over, we almost gave ourselves away.

The ghost hadn't expected this, so it turned to look at the two people behind it. When it saw Ping An, its worries completely disappeared.

Although it didn't know why, once it saw Ping An's appearance clearly, it was certain that he was a good person! It felt a strange sense of peace emanating from Ping An. It was gentle and comforting, like the warm sunshine rising high in spring.

"Are you a Taoist priest?" the ghost asked Ping An.

Ping An replied, "Ping An, I greet you, sir."

The ghost felt more at ease, for it knew that Taoists were fundamentally different from ordinary people. Their minds and methods were far beyond those of ordinary humans. It remembered meeting a Taoist in its previous life who had told it that a city has many gates, and entering through each gate brings its own karma.

At that time, he was a merchant. The Taoist priest told him to enter through the south gate, which would bring him great wealth, but if he entered through the west gate, his business would fail and he would lose his life.

However, the nearest city gate was the west gate, and it was in a hurry to deliver the goods. If it went through the east gate, it would naturally delay the delivery of the goods to the buyer on time. In this case, it would not only have to bear the buyer's scolding and the withholding of the deposit, but it might also lose all the reputation it had worked so hard to build.

So, it stubbornly insisted on entering through the West Gate. Later, a murder occurred at the West Gate, and the government sealed off the street. The entire group of merchants were trapped on the West Gate market street. They were subjected to endless checks and questioning before they were finally allowed to leave and head to the place designated by the buyers, but by then it was already late at night.

The buyer had vanished, and the truckload of goods was a mess. It tried selling some in the city, but still had a lot left over. Finally, seeing no way to sell the goods, it turned back, thinking it could sell them along the way.

Everything is predestined, and nothing is up to us. Not long after it left the city, it suddenly encountered a group of thieves who robbed it of all its goods, and it was killed by them.

At that moment, it suddenly remembered the Taoist's words, but it was too late; it had already lost its life.

The ghost smiled slightly, its appearance somewhat eerie. However, Ping An didn't see it that way; instead, he saw a trace of his master in it. He wondered if his master had also become a wandering ghost like it.

A look of sadness appeared on Ping An's face. Xiao Changgong seemed to sense something as well, so he said to Ping An, "Now that they've all come, we should go too. Let's find a place to rest."

Ping An came to her senses, nodded, and then said, "Uncle, young master, we'll take our leave now."

After bowing to the two men, the ghost spoke up, "I should go home now, young man, aren't you leaving?"

Zhao Yan said with a mournful face, "Don't worry about me, let me catch my breath."

Ping An smiled slightly upon hearing this, bowed to Zhao Yan again, and then turned and left.

Seeing Zhao Chu lying motionless on the ground, the ghost didn't say anything more. Since they had all come this far, they should go their separate ways and return home.

The moon was bright and the stars were few. After the ghost and his group left, Zhao Yan sat up. He turned his head and looked at their receding figures, and said to himself with a self-deprecating smile, "After being a wandering swordsman for so many years, this is the first time I've been so embarrassed. I almost gave myself away."

However, since it's already come this far, it can't be left to travel alone; it should go along and see what's going on. As for Ping An... he really couldn't figure it out.

Besides witnessing his past experiences, Ping An had also vaguely glimpsed a strange path in his mind. The path glowed with white light, and on both sides were rows of tightly closed doors.

However, some of the doors showed signs of having been opened. Curious, he pushed one open to peek, and what he did nearly cost him his life.

So he was very curious.

He stood up, restoring his languid figure and haggard, dejected face to their original state, even replacing his disheveled hair with a crown and hairpins.

He was eight feet tall, with a magnificent appearance. His every move was like that of a celestial being descended to earth. He was imposing and unapproachable, a stark contrast to his previous listless appearance.

He pulled out a folding fan from behind him, opened it with a flourish, and his elegant demeanor was immediately apparent. The two lines of text on the fan were particularly eye-catching: "A wandering soul-guide who controls mountains and rivers, a man of right and wrong in both the realms of Yin and Yang."

The autumn wind rustled the folding fan, as people strolled by on both sides. Zhao Yan strode forward triumphantly, chasing closely after the group.

(End of this chapter)