Notes on Longevity

Chapter 40 A Reunion with the Master of Xiuyi Troupe, Yu Yan's Words of Farewell to You'an

"Excuse me, gentlemen, this is medicine for Master Ping An."

After Yang Youan walked to the door and saw the scene in the room, he originally wanted to put the medicine aside, but the old troupe leader asked Yang Youan to take the medicine in.

As he entered the room, placed the medicine on the cabinet beside him, and was about to turn and leave, he was stopped by the young Taoist priest sitting on the edge of the bed taking his pulse: "Young master, please wait."

"I wonder what business the Daoist Master has with me?" Yang Youan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, but he quickly recovered and bowed to the young Daoist Master.

"I am one of the senior priests of Zouma Temple, my Taoist name is Yuyan." The young Taoist priest bowed to Yang You'an with his hands clasped in a Taoist gesture of respect, and then bowed to Xiuyi and the others, as well as the old troupe leader at the door, and said with a smile, "Thank you all for helping our temple take care of my junior brother these days. Otherwise, my junior brother would probably be dead."

"Master Yu Yan, you are too kind. We just happened to run into you, and it was only right that we helped you."

The one speaking was Zhou Zhou, who had come with Xiuyi.

This morning, as dawn was breaking, Xiuyi was pacing back and forth under the eaves of the backyard of Zuihua Tower, as if waiting for someone. Suddenly, several figures scaled the wall and entered, falling from the sky along with the heavy snow.

Several of them were dressed in matching black guard uniforms, and they formed a circle in the courtyard.

Among them, a handsome young man with regular features stood in the circle, holding a whisk and wearing a blue Taoist robe with his back to Xiu Yi.

Upon seeing this, Xiuyi immediately stood up, and several guards also turned around, bowed to Xiuyi, and then left.

The Taoist priest slowly turned around in the snow. When he saw Xiuyi under the eaves, he hurried towards her with a worried expression. However, something was amiss in the snow where he walked. Deep footprints had been left where the guards had landed and left, but there was not a trace under his feet.

"You must be one of the most accomplished masters of Zoumaguan, Master Yuyan."

Xiuyi bent her knees, placed her palms together facing down on her waist, and whispered.

"Greetings, Miss Xiuyi," Yu Yan bowed slightly to Xiuyi, holding a whisk, and asked her anxiously, "Are you sure his name is Ping An?"

“Yes,” Xiuyi looked at Master Yuyan and told him every word Ping’an had said to Grandpa Yao and the others: “He also said that his master is a good friend of Master Qingshui.”

“That’s right, that’s right.” Yu Yan breathed a sigh of relief and said, “A few months ago, the abbot received a letter from Daoist Qing Xuanzi saying that they would arrive at the abbot’s temple at the end of early winter and before the beginning of winter. Daoist Qing Xuanzi is always punctual, and now it has been three or four days past the beginning of winter. The abbot was worried that they were stuck on the way up the mountain, so he asked me and Senior Brother She Li to wait on the way up the mountain, but we didn’t expect to see the young lady’s people.”

"They must have told you on the way." Xiu Yi felt uneasy listening to Yu Yan's words, afraid that he hadn't told them what he had asked before they set off.

"As I said, my senior brother has already returned to the temple to report. Miss, please take me to see Ping An first."

Yu Yan just wanted to see Ping An as soon as possible. On the way down the mountain, the guards not only told her about Qing Xuanzi, but also about Ping An fainting and being taken care of in the Wuli Pear Garden.

"Let's go through the back door."

Xiuyi led Daoist Yuyan towards a wooden door in the backyard. When she opened the door, a man and a woman were already standing outside, holding several umbrellas. When they saw Xiuyi and Daoist Yuyan, they bowed to them.

"These two?" Yu Yan asked, looking at them with a puzzled expression.

“This is my younger brother, Zhou Zhou.” Xiu Yi stepped over the threshold to the man’s side, and at the same time introduced the woman to Daoist Yu Yan: “This is my sister Qing You from this brothel. They are coming with us.”

"Please lead the way."

And so, the group, umbrellas in hand, hurried to the Five Mile Pear Orchard. The old troupe leader, who had received the news the night before, was already waiting at the orchard entrance with Shuping. Upon seeing Xiuyi and the others, they quickly went to greet them. After exchanging a few brief pleasantries with the old troupe leader and his companions, Master Yuyan asked the old troupe leader to take him to see Ping'an.

In the backyard of the pear orchard, in Ping An's room, Yu Yan sat on the edge of Ping An's bed, taking his pulse and softly asking, "Besides feeling hot, do you have any other discomfort?"

“No, that’s all.” Ping An’s eyes were red and swollen, as if she had just been crying, as she looked at Yu Yan. Yu Yan touched Ping An’s forehead and said softly, “Don’t worry, Senior Brother She Li has already gone back and told the Abbot. The Abbot will send people to look for her.”

Ping An nodded with red eyes. Yu Yan also got up and thanked Yang You'an and the others who had just put the medicine in the house, as well as the old troupe leader standing outside. At the same time, she made a request to them: "I am going down the mountain alone now, without any other fellow disciples. In addition, my junior brother is weak and it is inconvenient for him to walk in this heavy snow. So I would like to ask you all to take care of my junior brother for a while longer. When the snow melts next spring, I will bring the disciples of the temple to pick him up."

"It's alright, it's alright." Upon hearing this, the old troupe leader standing outside the door immediately entered the room and replied, "The weather is indeed not conducive to Master Ping'an's long journey. Master, you can rest assured and go back. We will take good care of you."

Yu Yan looked at the old troupe leader and said with a smile, "Then thank you very much, troupe leader. We, Zoumaguan, owe you a favor. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, just come up the mountain to ask for help."

Upon hearing this, the old troupe leader beamed with joy and bowed repeatedly to Daoist Yu Yan. Now that they had the backing of Zouma Temple, they were no longer afraid of the Second Prince's men causing trouble again. After all, even the emperor had to treat the Daoists of Zouma Temple with utmost respect.

At the door, Xie Xiaoshuang looked distressed. Seeing her father like this made her feel terrible. She thought that if she were uglier, perhaps she wouldn't be targeted, and her father wouldn't have to be so subservient.

Meanwhile, Yang Youan was looking at Xie Xiaoshuang from the side in the room. He understood what Xie Xiaoshuang was thinking. He had also gone to see the Minister of Rites and Zhang Ze'an before, but things did not improve. Instead, the Second Prince came up with all sorts of ways to cause trouble.

But things might be different now. With Master Yu Yan's golden words and the kindness of taking Ping An in, they wouldn't be afraid even if the Second Prince came looking for trouble again. After helping the old troupe leader up, Master Yu Yan also saw the expressions on Yang You'an and Xie Xiaoshuang's faces. He smiled and said a few words to the old troupe leader, who thanked him again: "I'll go prepare tea now."

After speaking, the old troupe leader's expression was no longer as dejected and helpless as before. He straightened his posture, called Yang Youan, and walked out of the room, taking Xie Xiaoshuang with him to the living room. He also brought out his fine tea, which he rarely drank.

Inside the room, Yu Yan sat on the edge of Ping An's bed again, and the others tactfully left the room, closing the door behind them.

Yu Yan said to Ping An, "Hang in there a little longer these days. Before I leave, I'll leave them a prescription. Take good care of yourself and I'll bring you up the mountain when you're better."

"Thank you, senior brother. Can you help me find Master?" Ping An thanked Yu Yan, but he still couldn't let go of his master. Although he had thought that his master might have left his body in this icy land and his spirit had gone to the upper realm, he still believed that his master was still alive.

"Do not worry……"

After chatting with Ping An in the room for a while, Yu Yan told Ping An to rest well and then left the room to go to the living room.

When everyone in the hall saw Yu Yan arrive, they all stood up and greeted him, "Master Yu Yan."

Holding a whisk, Yu Yan, guided by the old troupe leader, sat down in the seat of honor.

The old troupe leader handed the brewed tea to Daoist Yu Yan. He placed his whisk on the table, accepted the tea with a smile, took a sip, and said, "We will remember this kindness today. If any of you encounter any problems in the future, please feel free to come to the mountain."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall lowered their heads and remained silent. Yu Yan frowned upon seeing this, suddenly remembering that she seemed to have been of some help in their matter.

Xiuyi and Zhouzhou were descendants of disgraced officials; one was banished to a brothel, while the other had already been beheaded ten years prior. As for Qingyou, a courtesan, even if she were redeemed, she would have nowhere to go; they couldn't very well take her back to the mountain. That would not only be unhelpful but would also leave her with nowhere to go.

As for the old troupe leader, he noticed that Xie Xiaoshuang's expression was a bit off after he finished speaking, so he figured something must have happened.

"Master, has something gone wrong here?"

Unable to understand the situation involving Xiuyi and the other two, he turned to the old troupe leader and asked.

"We encountered some trouble, but it's okay, we can resolve it."

The old troupe leader hesitated, looking at Master Yu Yan's question, before finally shaking his head helplessly. Although Master Yu Yan had said he would witness Yang You'an and Xie Xiaoshuang's wedding, he was naturally pleased. Even though this indirectly connected him with Zouma Temple, it was still a prince. He couldn't very well say something that would cause Zouma Temple to oppose the prince. Although the prince had good intentions, he couldn't let them be placed in a position of disloyalty.

"Alright. Since there's nothing else, I'll head back up the mountain."

Yu Yan could tell that the old troupe leader had something difficult to say, but since he didn't say it, she didn't feel comfortable asking him directly, so she got up and prepared to leave.

"By the way, Master Yu Yan, may I ask what the relationship is between Master Ping An and your Zouma Temple?"

The speaker was Zhou Zhou. After he came out of the room, he suddenly remembered some things he had heard from other people when he went to Zoumaguan with his father when he was a child.

"It's nothing." Yu Yan was also taken aback by this question. Since he entered the Daoist path, he had never encountered anyone asking him such a question. But seeing that they had saved Ping An, he smiled and said, "His master originally entered the Daoist path in a remote Daoist temple. The abbot of Qingshui Temple met him when he was traveling, and the two gradually became acquainted. Later, Daoist Qingxuanzi also traveled around with the abbot of Qingshui Temple for a period of time, and they formed a karmic bond because of this."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall looked at each other in surprise. After they learned that Ping An was related to Zouma Temple, they assumed that he was a disciple of the temple. However, they did not expect that Ping An was not a disciple of Zouma Temple, but that his master was a friend of Daoist Qingshui.

"I see."

Everyone in the hall nodded, and Yu Yan picked up her whisk and said to them, "Since there's nothing else, I'll take my leave first. Oh, by the way..."

As Yu Yan spoke, he suddenly remembered something. He reached into the sleeve of the hand holding the whisk, pulled out a prescription, and said to them, "This is the prescription for Ping An. Just get the medicine according to this. After I go back, I will arrange for someone to send the money for the medicine here. I will need your help these days."

"You're too kind, Taoist priest."

The old troupe leader bowed to Yu Yan.

Yu Yan nodded and smiled before turning and walking out of the hall. The old troupe leader then asked Yang You'an to see the Taoist priest off.

Yang Youan followed Yu Yan all the way, but he found that no matter how fast he walked, he could never keep up with Yu Yan's slow pace.

Soon, he noticed something that shocked him and made him feel incredulous. He stopped and turned around to look back. Sure enough, apart from his own footprints, there wasn't a single trace left by Yu Yan along the way.

When he turned around in shock, he saw Master Yu Yan standing not far away, facing him with a calm expression. Yang You'an was puzzled and walked towards Yu Yan. When he got close, Yu Yan flicked his whisk at him and said, "Of all the suffering in the world, love is the hardest to bear."

Yang Youan instinctively made a gesture to shield himself from the whisk that Yu Yan suddenly threw at him. At the same time, he frowned in confusion as Yu Yan said those words. When he lowered his hand to ask what it meant, he found that Yu Yan had already disappeared from the courtyard.

(End of this chapter)