Notes on Longevity

Chapter 39 Zhenghe's gentle words comfort Ping'an, the Taoist priest on horseback enters the Pear Garden

The next morning, before dawn, Yang Youan got up early. He took the medicine he had gotten from the pharmacy and left his room to go to the kitchen to prepare medicine for Ping An. But when he walked out of his room with a lantern, he found that the light was on in Ping An's room and the door was slowly opening from the inside.

"Master Ping An, it's snowing and cold outside, and you're not dressed warmly enough. Why don't you go back to your room first? I'll bring you the medicine once it's ready."

Yang Youan, carrying a medicine bag in one hand and a lantern in the other, walked to Ping An, who was only wearing a thin white undershirt. His expression was full of worry, and he spoke in a very gentle tone.

Upon hearing this, Ping An raised his face, which had recovered considerably, and looked at Yang You'an with a somewhat indifferent expression: "Thank you, Young Master Yang. I think I just miss my master."

Upon hearing Ping An's voice, Yang Youan's face immediately lit up with a smile. Not only had Ping An's complexion improved considerably, but his voice had also become much better, no longer the way the old troupe leader had struggled to speak.

But when he heard Ping An say that he missed his master, he immediately put away his smile and comforted him, saying, "Your master is a lucky man, so don't worry. Maybe he met other kind people because we didn't find him. So don't be too sad. Maybe he has already arrived in Zoumaguan."

Yang Youan was very sad when he said these words, because after he failed the imperial examination for the second time, when he returned to the county town of Beishan County, he learned from others that his uncle and aunt had died in an accident while hunting in the mountains, falling off a cliff.

When he heard the news, he cried his heart out. His parents had died when he was young, and after he had finally gained some fame in the countryside and prefecture, his uncle and aunt, who had raised him with great difficulty, passed away for some reason. That day, he cried his heart out and eventually fainted. Fortunately, his name was already being closely watched by the government of Fuyun Prefecture.

When the county government learned of this news, they immediately sent people to bring Yang You'an to the prefectural government. With the help of the Minister of Rites, he was taken directly to the capital and finally settled down in Wuli Pear Garden.

Therefore, he understood Ping An's feelings at that moment. On the surface, he appeared calm, but in reality, his heart was like the sea in the deep of night, with turbulent waves.

Ping An glanced at Yang Youan, a slight smile playing on his lips. He knew Yang Youan was trying to comfort him. Since he woke up, both the old troupe leader and Yang Youan had said similar things, trying to reassure him not to think the worst. But what they didn't know was that Ping An had already gradually let go of the past.

It wasn't because Ping An was heartless; on the contrary, it was because he cared the most. Ever since his master noticed his own physical discomfort, he had always talked to him about life and death, especially the saying: "Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the laws of nature, and we should follow them. But our pursuit of immortality is going against the will of Heaven. Although we may have hope in our hearts, Heaven is merciless. When it is your time to leave, no one can stop you."

Although Ping An always said that his master was a god and would never die, he had already firmly planted the idea that all people must die in his heart and let it slowly sprout.

But when that moment finally arrived, no matter how wildly the branches of life and death grew in his heart, the feelings he had developed along the way transcended life and death. Moreover, he was only a ten-year-old child.

As time slowly passed, nourished by the words about life and death spoken by his master that he remembered, Ping An's understanding of life and death gradually grew from a seedling into a sapling. Its roots and branches were deeply planted in his heart, swaying in his mind.

Seeing that Ping An was looking at him without saying anything, Yang Youan smiled awkwardly and then said to him, "Daoist Ping An, please go back to your room and rest. I will bring the medicine to you after I have prepared it."

Ping An slowly snapped out of his reverie after hearing Yang Youan's words. He nodded to Yang Youan, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and said, "Thank you, Young Master Yang."

Yang Youan smiled and said, "You're too kind." Ping An glanced at the snowflakes still falling in the courtyard, his expression returning to its usual calm, and he lowered his head and turned to walk into the room.

After seeing Ping An enter the room and close the door, Yang Youan's smile faded, he sighed softly, shook his head helplessly, and turned to walk towards the kitchen.

After returning to his room safely, he dragged his thin body back and forth slowly. Sometimes he would look at the burning candle beside him, sometimes he would open the door and look at the quiet courtyard outside, or he would look up at the sky where the snow was falling and a sliver of light was gradually appearing. He was thinking about his master, about the time they had spent together, and especially about the legends about immortals that his master had told him by the fire they had casually built along the way.

As the sky gradually brightened, Ping An sat cross-legged on the bed, placed his hands in the Zi-Wu Mudra under his abdomen, closed his eyes, and meditated.

This is something Ping An does every day, and it's indispensable. In the past, every night after he fell asleep, the Master would always wake Ping An, who was still fast asleep, the next morning. He would first recite the Purification Sutra once, and then Ping An would sit down to meditate.

Ping An didn't understand why he had to do these things before, but his master never explained it to him directly. Instead, he let him figure it out gradually. Only after traveling with his master through mountains and seas and passing by countless Taoist temples did he understand the mystery behind it.

He learned from a senior fellow disciple that this was a method of cultivation, a simple yet unique way to cultivate one's mind and character.

It has no mantras, no techniques, and no written instructions; everything depends entirely on one's own state of mind. Actually, it's not that there are no mantras or written instructions at all. Although there are, they are simply four words: "Sink your Qi to the Dantian."

He still remembered the first time his master told him those four words. He looked at him blankly, not knowing what to do. In the end, with his master's help and guidance, he learned where the dantian was, how to draw qi into the sea, and how to breathe...

Daylight had broken, and for some reason, the heavy snowfall suddenly stopped. Yang Youan took two pieces of coarse cloth from a stove in the kitchen where people were busy cooking for the actors, lifted the handles of a clay pot used for decocting medicine, and placed it on the stove. He then carefully removed the lid and slowly poured the scalding hot, steaming medicine into a porcelain bowl, which he then delivered to Ping An.

Yang Youan carried the medicine on a tray out of the kitchen. When he arrived at the backyard, he found that everyone was already up and heading towards the dining area. Along the way, they greeted him lazily yet warmly.

"Young Master Yang, you're up so early."

"Young Master Yang, let me help you."

"Young Master Yang has gone to deliver medicine to the Taoist priest again. Thank you for your hard work."

Yang Youan carefully carried the medicine while responding to everyone's greetings and offers of help. But when he entered the backyard, he saw Shu Ping, Zhang Wanyi, the old troupe leader, and Xie Xiaoshuang standing at the entrance of Ping An.

When he approached and stood behind the group, he saw the young woman in the elegant clothes who had come earlier and a Taoist priest in Taoist robes. Only then did he understand what was going on.

(End of this chapter)