Notes on Longevity

Chapter 204 Zhao Kan's words were ethereal; the town's main street was deserted.

She Li woke up on Xiao Changgong's back. In his drowsy state, he heard Ping An talking to someone, and the voice sounded like an old man. But it quickly fell silent again. When he opened his eyes, he saw Ping An carrying a chest on his back, and he had put away the whisk in his hand. His face looked rather pale, as if he was sad.

Xiao Changgong stared at a fleeting figure not far away. The figure was dressed in thin, tattered clothes, and its hunched body looked pitiful in the night.

However, She Li thought differently: "There's something fishy going on!"

He suddenly broke free from Xiao Changgong's back, summoned a gourd, and leaped in front of the two of them, as if to cast a spell to capture them.

Xiao Changgong and Ping An were startled by She Li's sudden action. Ping An quickly stopped them, saying, "Senior brother, it's alright."

Xiao Changgong chimed in, "Why are you, a Taoist priest, in such a hurry? Have you forgotten what that 'Shanshui Langjun' said?"

"The Mountain and Water Gentleman?" She Li was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. He looked at the unresponsive old man's figure, which was still drifting forward in a daze, and said, "Could it be the ghost that the Mountain and Water Gentleman spoke of?"

Ping An smiled without saying a word. Xiao Changgong nodded and then said, "After you fainted, Ping An and I watched a show, but we don't quite understand it."

"What play?" She Li asked, puzzled.

Xiao Changgong frowned and pondered, "Do you know what a 'Shanshui Lang' is?"

She Li shook her head and replied, "I have never heard of it. Our ancestor traveled the world for many years; perhaps he knows."

Xiao Changgong sighed, "That's true. But in terms of his cultivation, the two of us are almost powerless to fight back. But do you know that just now he was actually very humble and subservient to that ghost? This is something I find very puzzling."

He shook his head, walked past She Li and continued forward. "I remember he said something like that the Mountain and Water Master is responsible for guiding these wandering ghosts back home to be reincarnated. Let's just think of him as Ox-Head and Horse-Face. As the Mountain and Water Master, his function is higher than that of ghosts, and his magic power is beyond our reach. But why does he treat them like this?"

Xiao Changgong turned to look at She Li with a puzzled expression. She Li frowned and lowered her head. He looked up at the moon, also puzzled. "Yes, why?"

"Logically speaking, he could have taken it away like Ox-Head and Horse-Face."

She Li couldn't understand it either.

He looked at Xiao Changgong, his mind filled with confusion, and then he waved his hand helplessly and said, "Perhaps, only he himself knows."

At this point, She Li realized something, "But why are you all following him?"

She Li saw the old man slowly walking forward, and they were following behind him. He looked back and remembered that they hadn't come this way; they should have gone east. Why were they going west?

Ping An then chimed in, "I just asked the old man about his past, but he said he couldn't remember much. Shan Shui Lang also told him that going this way would lead to a small town. Besides, since you've been unconscious, we need to find a place to rest and check on you."

Upon hearing Ping An's concern, She Li's mind instantly shifted away from Shan Shui Lang. He looked at Ping An with a doting smile and said, "Little Ping An is right. You're the one who cares about your senior brother."

She Li laughed heartily, but Xiao Changgong was displeased. "What do you mean? I carried you all this way. Aren't you going to thank me?"

However, She Li's words shocked Xiao Changgong: "How old are you? Your cultivation is higher than my junior brother's. You can't expect Ping An to carry me, can you? Besides, he's injured."

"What the hell? Don't you even care about me? I took the fire for you!" Xiao Changgong was anxious. He saw She Li talking about how good it was that he was safe and sound, but the key point was that he had risked his life to protect him at that time!
She Li chuckled, put her arm around Xiao Changgong's shoulder, and said, "I know."

"You know that, yet you still say it like that. Are you trying to anger me on purpose?" Xiao Changgong was angry. He turned his head to look at She Li, his eyes full of resentment.

"Who's upset you? I'm just stating the facts. Besides, who are you, Xiao Changgong? The inheritor of the Divine Ape, how could you possibly be in trouble?" Although She Li was joking, he still said in the end, "Oh, don't be so petty. Don't worry, even if you get into trouble someday, no matter who it is or who's right or wrong, I'll definitely stand by your side!"

Before leaving, She Li added, "Besides, don't you know how I got injured and why I fainted?"

Speaking of injuries, She Li suddenly realized something. He looked at his perfectly intact Taoist robe, touched the spot where he had been injured, and exclaimed in surprise, "How come I'm completely unharmed?"

Upon seeing this, Ping An said, "It was that young man; he healed our wounds before we left."

"Us?" Upon hearing this, She Li trembled slightly. He placed his hands on Ping An's shoulders with a tense expression and asked, "Are you injured?"

Ping An shook his head and said, "No. It was the robe that the mountain god gave me that blocked it for me."

"That's good, that's good." She Li remembered that when Ping An first wore this robe, she told him not to wear it often to avoid trouble. It seems that she was wrong. "Then remember, when we leave Huangzhou, you should not take it off when we are not by your side."

He felt a lingering fear. If the mountain god hadn't put the robe on Ping An's body later, he dared not imagine whether Ping An would have been injured or lost his life tonight.

If that's the case, he would be the number one sinner. Not only his own master, but even the patriarch would punish him.

Fortunately, everyone is safe and sound.

He pulled Ping An along and looked at the old man in the distance, saying, "Since there's a small town ahead, let's follow it. Let's see if we can buy a carriage, so you can suffer less from the hardships of the journey."

After saying this, the two walked forward, leaving Xiao Changgong standing there, looking lost and dejected.

He watched their figures recede into the distance and murmured, "Yes. If She Li hadn't pushed me away, I would have been the one who fainted. I might even be dead."

For a moment, he was speechless and felt deeply ashamed.

"Why didn't you follow them? They're already far away."

Just as he was feeling guilty and lost in thought, a voice suddenly sounded behind him.

He was startled and turned around to see a thin, golden wall blocking his way.

"Oh my god!" He was so startled that he backed away, then looked up and saw Zhao Yan's handsome face with a slight smile looking down at him. He looked at Zhao Yan in surprise and asked, "Who are you?"

Zhao Xun closed the folding fan he was gently waving in his hand, clapped his hands lightly, and said, "We just met, how come you don't remember? Let me think, who called me an expert before? It seems to be you, Xiao Changgong."

Zhao Yan smiled calmly. He had no intention of arguing with Xiao Changgong; he just wanted to catch up with Ping An as soon as possible.

Xiao Changgong stared blankly as the eight-foot giant walked past him and continued forward. Looking at his tall back and hearing his words, he finally remembered who the man was.

He quickly chased after him.

Xiao Changgong looked at Zhao Qu, who was half a head taller than him, and trembled inwardly, "Why is my lord so different from before?"

He had seen Zhao Chu's tall stature before, but at the time he hadn't paid much attention because Zhao Chu looked so frail and thin. But now, Zhao Chu was radiating brilliance, which truly surprised Xiao Changgong.

Zhao Yan smiled upon hearing this, "I pretended to be distraught before in order to lure that person into reincarnation."

"Why pretend?" Xiao Changgong asked, puzzled.

Zhao Chu smiled and asked, "What were your thoughts when you saw me just now?" Faced with Zhao Chu's question, Xiao Changgong tilted his head and frowned. He said, "I was quite shocked. When I saw you just now, you were radiant and had the air of a celestial being looking down on the human world. You were almost no different from an immortal. In particular, you were tall and imposing, with the majesty of a temple deity, making it difficult for people to approach you."

"Your words are full of flattery, not a trace of sincerity," Zhao Yan chuckled lightly. "However, I do like hearing that!"

Zhao Yan laughed freely. In the lonely forest, the night was quiet, but Zhao Yan seemed somewhat lost and dejected: "But what you said isn't untrue. Although I am a wanderer of mountains and rivers, I am neither a person of the underworld nor a celestial being. I was once just a wisp of a soul in the mortal realm, wandering aimlessly. Later, I accidentally cultivated the Great Dao and obtained supreme and wondrous methods. I had the opportunity to ascend to the Heavenly Court and descend to the Underworld. However, I couldn't bear to see those lonely ghosts who once wandered the mortal realm like me. After that, I wrote a letter to the Heavenly Court, calling myself the wanderer of mountains and rivers. I am willing to help those in the mortal realm who missed the Great Dao of Reincarnation and were reborn to enter the Six Paths of Reincarnation again."

"The Heavenly Court?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Changgong was utterly astonished. "Are there really immortals in this world?"

Zhao Chu laughed and said, "I can understand if ordinary people don't know or believe it. But you are a cultivator, how could you not even know these things? Could it be that you have been lax in your cultivation?"

Xiao Changgong was completely bewildered by Zhao Chu's words. "Why is it that cultivators can know these things, while ordinary people don't?"

"Temples and shrines exist in the world, all places for worshipping deities. The mysteries within are beyond the comprehension of ordinary people; can't you see them?"

Zhao Yan became increasingly confused as he spoke, leaving Xiao Changgong completely bewildered: "This..."

Xiao Changgong was speechless for a moment. He was indeed a Taoist practitioner, but he couldn't see the mystery behind it, especially since he had never been to any temple.

"Forget it, since you don't know, I won't tell you anymore. Let's hurry up and go, or we'll be in trouble." Zhao Chu suddenly quickened his pace, which puzzled Xiao Changgong.

"What trouble?" Xiao Changgong was puzzled, but he still followed.

As he left, he stirred up an autumn breeze, which carried away golden leaves that fluttered in the wind and drifted into the night sky. One leaf seemed to obscure the view of the full moon. After a gust of wind, a group of two or three figures appeared abruptly in front of the gate of a small town.

It's more like a long street than a small town.

This long street, deep in the forest, appeared abruptly before Ping An, She Li, and the deceased old man.

They looked at the long, wide street in front of them, which was very prosperous and no less bustling than the main streets of the capital.

The houses lining both sides of the long street were not residences, but shops. Pedestrians passed by, laughing and chatting, and shopkeepers answered customers' questions with great eloquence.

This left She Li feeling disappointed; he had thought it was a real small town, but it turned out to be just a long street. However, She Li also found it strange. The underworld they were in should be located in the center of the forest, so what was going on with this bustling market?
However, what intrigued him even more was that the old man, upon seeing this, showed no suspicion whatsoever, instead acting as if he had just come from home to go to the market to buy groceries.

"Young man, how much is this jade pendant?" The ghost arrived at the nearest shop and was delighted with the dazzling array of jewelry and jade pendants before it. It picked up a jade pendant with two emerald fish motifs and asked.

Upon seeing the visitor, the young man immediately greeted him with a smile, “Sir, you have a very good eye. This jade pendant with two fish is said to have been left behind by a scholar, but he went to another place and couldn’t take the pendant with him, so I had no choice but to keep it. Since you like it, you can take it.”

"Aren't you going to pay?" the ghost asked.

The young man said, “These jade pendants are indeed beautiful, but they are things you can’t take with you when you die. It’s pointless to ask for money from them; it’s better to give them to someone who is destined to receive them. Or, you can pick a few things from here at will. There’s a stage at the end of the street later, and they’ll be putting on a show. If the show is good, you can use the pendants as tips and throw them to the performers. It’s a way to have some fun without spending any money.”

Upon hearing this, the ghost immediately became interested, but it still asked timidly, "Really, I don't have to pay?"

"Uncle, don't worry, it really doesn't cost any money. Besides, these are just things to keep people thinking of you. Since no one claims them, we might as well help you find a better way to make a living."

"Then I'll take them all." Besides the Pisces jade pendant, the ghost also took a few other items that didn't look very valuable. It carefully and tremblingly put these items into its pocket.

The young man smiled and said, "Please go ahead, sir."

The ghost no longer hesitated; it continued walking forward, selecting different items from the shops and roadside stalls ahead.

She Li looked at the scene before him and felt a sudden sense of confusion. He watched as the young man saw the old man off and then glanced at him and Ping An, seemingly unintentionally. The young man smiled faintly, and then a wisp of smoke rose up, and the young man and his shop disappeared into the smoke.

The scene before him startled She Li. He quickly shielded Ping An behind him and glared angrily at the still bustling and noisy shop in front of him.

Ping An watched the young man disappear, then stood there frowning. He asked, "Senior brother, were they all ghosts?"

Ping An sensed something was wrong from the moment the old man and the young man started talking. It's rare for ordinary people to see ghosts, but the young man could not only see them but also talk to them without changing his expression, and he didn't even have to pay for things.

He was particularly puzzled when he heard the young man say that the original owner of the jade pendant was a scholar who left without taking it with him.

Jade pendants are personal items, and even if someone forgets to take them with them, they would likely come back to retrieve them. How could they possibly let them fall into the hands of others?

She Li frowned as she looked at the place where the ghost had passed by and "bought" all the items, which then turned into wisps of green smoke and disappeared. She said, "Perhaps it is."

"It seems we've stumbled into some strange place."

She Li cautiously shielded Ping An behind him when suddenly a tall figure, whose form resembled that of a god, walked past him.

"Why are you leaving like that? You didn't even say you'd wait for me." Xiao Changgong's voice rang out behind the two of them, and Ping An and She Li both turned around to look.

"Why are you taking so long to catch up? What are you daydreaming about on the way here?"

Faced with She Li's sudden blame, Xiao Changgong expressed his helplessness. He pointed to Zhao Kun, who was walking in the long street and receiving the respect of the ghosts, and said, "I just met Shanshui Langjun on the road. He said a lot of things to me that I couldn't understand. I was so frustrated. But speaking of which, this should be the small town that Shanshui Langjun was talking about. It looks more like the main street in the capital."

Xiao Changgong's complete ignorance made She Li worry. Although they had already revealed their identities to Shanshui Lang, they dared not be careless, since this place seemed to be his territory.

Without a second thought, She Li grabbed Ping An and Xiao Changgong and turned to leave. If Shan Shui Lang hadn't arrived yet, he could have dealt with these ghosts. But now that he was here, if they made a move, they might be eliminated.

But Xiao Changgong seemed to be possessed. He shook off She Li's hand and asked in confusion, "She Li, what are you doing? We're already here, why don't we go in? Maybe we can buy a carriage inside."

She Li's face was gloomy. It seemed that Xiao Changgong did not know that the people in this long street were not living beings. He explained, "Take a closer look. Is there a single living person in this so-called town?"

Xiao Changgong was puzzled, but this was the second time he had seen She Li with such a serious expression. So he used his magic eye, his scarlet, hazy, and misty eyes carefully looking down the long street.

In the crimson realm of color, bright lights illuminated the long street, resembling a bustling marketplace, with wisps of smoke rising from it. Among the laughing and chatting people in the stalls and shops, apart from Zhao Yan, all were incomplete skeletons or spirits. This hellish scene terrified Xiao Changgong. He quickly withdrew his supernatural powers, cold beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He exclaimed in panic, "What's going on? They're not human?!"

Xiao Changgong's surprised words startled the ghosts in the long street, who all looked at the three of them. Even Zhao Yan turned his head upon hearing the sound.

She Li summoned her gourd and sword, shielding the two men behind her. Amidst the tense standoff, the ghosts suddenly laughed: "Are you, my lord's friends, mortal guests? Please come in!"

The ghosts swarmed forward, forcefully pushing the three people who hadn't even had time to react to Zhao Yan's side. One of the "people" said, "Young master, you brought friends here without saying a word. We could have tidied up our appearance and made the shop look nicer so that our guests wouldn't feel that it's shabby."

The speaker was a middle-aged man. Its crescent moon-like spirit made it look somewhat frightening, but its gentle and respectful words conveyed no malice whatsoever.

The three were completely bewildered by this scene and these twists and turns. They looked at Zhao Yan with confusion, and She Li asked, "My lord, what is this?"

(End of this chapter)