Notes on Longevity

Chapter 217 The moon is accompanied by countless stars, and the night is as bright as day.

Once outside the town, the thin mist above their heads disappeared, and the bright moon and stars illuminated the clear, gray-light road. Ping An and his group of four changed from walking side by side to walking in pairs. She Li and Xiao Changgong naturally walked in front, while Ping An and Yang Shouren followed behind them.

"I didn't expect it to be so bright at night. I can see the road ahead without any lights. If it weren't less bright than during the day, I would have thought the sun had forgotten to set. But then again, we're going into town to buy a carriage. If we don't buy one now, how are we going to walk there?"

As Xiao Changgong gazed at the bright moon and the closely following stars in the sky, he couldn't help but sigh. He hadn't seen such a bright night in a long time.

“Yes, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a night like this. It feels a bit unreal.” She Li exclaimed in admiration, but completely ignored the second half of Xiao Changgong’s sentence.

Xiao Changgong frowned, grabbed She Li, and said, "No, why didn't you answer my question about how we're really going to get there?"

She Li glanced at Xiao Changgong's hand that was holding hers and immediately raised her hand to slap him on the head. Upon seeing this, Xiao Changgong immediately let go of her hand, kept a certain distance from her, and rolled his eyes: "Tch! Fine, let's go! Why are you hitting me? Do you really think I can't beat you? I did learn from the Divine Ape, after all."

She Li smiled at him speechlessly, continued walking forward, and pointed to the night sky that was as bright as day, saying, "What's the rush? Look at the sky, such a night is very rare. Even if you see such a view while driving a carriage, you will still feel something, but it will definitely not be as moving as it is now."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Changgong raised an eyebrow and said thoughtfully, "Indeed, strolling through the White Night is like being in heaven on earth."

"So don't be too impatient."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Changgong let out an "Oh dear" and said sarcastically, "Yes, I was impatient. I don't know who got so anxious as to act like a monkey the moment they heard that Ping An was even slightly uncomfortable."

She Li took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. He glanced back at Ping An and Yang Shouren, who were walking alongside them, and the two waved to him before hurrying to catch up. He smiled slightly at them, a strange ripple stirring in his heart. Finally, he turned to Xiao Changgong and said, "I was too young, or perhaps I was too eager to help. This is the first time I've met Ping An, but I've heard everything about him from Yu Yan, my master, and the patriarch at the temple. He's a pitiful child."

As She Li spoke, the slight twitching at the corner of her mouth, the trembling in her voice, and the choked tone reminded Xiao Changgong of everything he had seen in that forest, in his peaceful state of mind. He didn't know what to say, but he sighed as well.

Walking on the dirt road in the bright light of dawn, the rustling footsteps were so pleasant in the quiet night. He calmed himself down and continued, "A newborn baby, crying at birth, should be the apple of his parents' eye. He almost became food. If his master, Uncle Qingxuanzi, hadn't passed by, we wouldn't have had the opportunity to travel with him today."

"In the past, my cultivation focused primarily on rigorous training in techniques and martial arts, with self-cultivation as a secondary aspect. Although I surpassed you in techniques, my character was inferior. Compared to me, you are more like a real person most of the time. You are cunning, knowing how to use others to do your dirty work; you have humanity, understanding the self-interest of all things; you seem frivolous and unrestrained, but that's only in front of acquaintances; you also know what perseverance is. As for you and your vixen, whether you were lustful or genuinely in love with her, to be honest, I am truly moved by what happened between you. So don't worry, with so many high-ranking cultivators in Huangzhou City, she will be fine. I can guarantee you that."

"What?!" Xiao Changgong was initially touched by She Li's words, but upon hearing that he was with the vixen because of lust, he immediately became agitated: "How could I be lustful? It's definitely because I like her! Although, she is quite beautiful."

She Li rolled her eyes at him. Ping An and Yang Shouren, who had caught up at this moment, also found it intriguing. So Ping An asked, "Senior Brother Xiao, is the person you like the vixen you always talk about? Is she also in Huangzhou?"

“Yes.” Xiao Changgong turned to look at Ping An and answered, but seeing Ping An’s curious look, an idea suddenly popped into his mind. So he turned around and walked backwards, asking Ping An, “Little Ping An, you usually don’t say much, why are you suddenly so curious about my affairs?”

Hearing Xiao Changgong's question, She Li also felt curious, and I turned around and asked, "Yes, Ping An, why did you suddenly ask that?"

"Ok?"

Ping An had originally intended to ask Xiao Changgong a question, but ended up being the one being asked one himself. He stammered for a long time, unsure of what to say, so he turned his gaze to Yang Shouren. Yang Shouren chuckled and said, "Didn't I say before that Daoist Ping An lacked a bit of human touch? I was talking to Daoist Ping An in the back just now, and I happened to overhear you talking about the fox spirit. So I suggested that Daoist Ping An try asking him, so that Daoist Ping An wouldn't be like a wooden doll like before."

"Sure!" Xiao Changgong immediately gave Yang Shouren a thumbs up and smiled with satisfaction: "Scholar Yang is really good at this. This guy and I are both cultivators. Although we often travel around, there is always a gap between us and people. All we can teach him is magic and some basic knowledge. It seems that choosing to bring you along was a good decision."

She Li looked at the road ahead and smiled, saying, "Young Master Yang, please forgive me for my previous offenses. I was just worried about you, please don't take offense."

Yang Shouren quickly explained to the two, "I wouldn't dare. I'm just a martial artist and a merchant. How could I possibly do anything to educate people? I just feel that even if one cultivates the Tao, one shouldn't lose one's true nature as a human being. Although there are many people who cultivate the Tao in this world, very few can become immortals. It's better to be close to human relationships than to be detached from the mortal world. After all, cultivating the Tao is also about cultivating an extraordinary human heart. Without experiencing the mortal world, how can one see through the myriad aspects of human life?"

Xiao Changgong was shocked by Yang Shouren's words. "Oh, I didn't know you had such insights, Scholar Yang."

Yang Shouren smiled and said, "Being close to the three of you, I've learned some of the principles through observation and experience."

Xiao Changgong nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this: "You know how to talk!"

"But then again, you've learned quite a bit about the three of us these past few days, but you still don't know what your family does."

"I heard you say before that your parents were once people in the martial arts world, but why did you go into business? Being a martial arts hero is like following in your father's footsteps."

Yang Shouren sighed and shook his head helplessly, explaining, "When my father was young, he offended nearly half the people in the martial arts world because of something, and was given the infamous title of 'demon.' After that, they retired from the martial arts world and became idle people." "Demon?" Xiao Changgong laughed loudly upon hearing this, "Are they as powerful or as terrifying as me?"

Yang Shouren smiled and said, "Of course not."

"What did your father do?"

Even She Li, who was walking at the front, couldn't help but ask.

"I don't know the specifics, but I heard my father-in-law mention it; it seems to be because of a demon."

"Demon?"

She Li and Xiao Changgong stopped. Yang Shouren almost bumped into Xiao Changgong, but Ping An, engrossed in listening, bumped into She Li's back.

She Li turned around and habitually pulled Ping An to his side. The three of them then stared at the slightly embarrassed Yang Shouren.

"right"

Yang Shouren felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by the three of them. I smiled awkwardly and walked past Xiao Changgong to the front.

Xiao Changgong immediately chased after him, with She Li and Ping An close behind.

"Tell us about it. We don't have anywhere to stay right now, so let's take advantage of this beautiful night to tell a story."

Xiao Changgong put his hand on Yang Shouren's shoulder. Yang Shouren turned to look at Xiao Changgong and smiled awkwardly, saying, "It's not that I don't want to say, it's just that this is all I really know."

Xiao Changgong grimaced in disbelief and continued, "It's alright, just tell us, we won't tell anyone."

Yang Shouren was on the verge of tears, but he still insisted, "Fox spirit, I really don't know. If I knew, I would have told you."

"really do not know?"

Xiao Changgong still found it hard to believe. How could he not know about his father's affairs, especially such a big one?

“Really.” Yang Shouren nodded in response. He thought Xiao Changgong would give up asking, but Xiao Changgong’s next words made him hesitate.

"Then tell us about your situation."

Yang Shouren looked troubled: "Really? Can I not tell you?"

Xiao Changgong squinted and smiled, "Traveling in the middle of the night is exhausting, but it's different when you have someone to talk to. You already know about me, She Li, and Xiao Ping'an, so there's nothing to say. But it's different for you. We still don't know your situation. We can't let you suffer, can we? Do you believe I could find out even if you didn't tell me?"

As Xiao Changgong spoke, he raised his other hand and muttered, "The Art of Mind Observation."

After saying that, a pale yellow light emanated from his raised hand. "My mind-reading technique can see all your past events. If you don't tell me, I'll tell you everything I've seen. Who knows if you've done anything wrong?"

Faced with Xiao Changgong's threat, Yang Shouren hurriedly waved his hands and pleaded, "I'll talk, I'll talk, okay?"

Xiao Changgong smiled slightly, put away his magic, and said, "Speak."

"Sigh!" Yang Shouren sighed helplessly. He suddenly regretted that he had spoken out of turn. If he hadn't said anything, he wouldn't have been threatened. But it was too late to say anything now.

He looked up at the moon; the bright night sky illuminated the world as if it were daytime. They walked on the earth, Yang Shouren gazing ahead, his vision stretching across the mountains and fields, his thoughts seemingly returning to that sunny spring day nine years ago.
(End of this chapter)