Notes on Longevity

Chapter 52 Snow-covered Kunlun Mountains, Silver Snakes and Flowery Deer Appear

"Later, my master led me westward toward Kunlun Mountain, where immortals were said to live in seclusion, and we arrived in the territory of the Wu Kingdom."

"So far away? Did you find the immortal?"

"No, the Kunlun Mountains are steep and treacherous. After winter comes, heavy snow falls, and in spring the mountains are covered with snow, making it very difficult to climb up."

"Child, can we walk any further?" Although it was already spring, the Kunlun Mountains were covered in a thick layer of snow last winter.

"Master, wait for me." Five or six-year-old Ping An, dressed in bulky, thick clothes, looked ferocious as he struggled to move forward in the snow-covered mountains.

Qing Xuanzi was also dressed in thick clothes, with the gourd at his waist and the cane in his hand still there. He stood with his feet planted in the snow, twisting his body and looking at Ping An, who was staggering behind him, with some worry in his expression.

“Master, isn’t it already spring? Why is there still so much snow on this mountain, and it’s so cold?” Ping An staggered to Qing Xuanzi’s side, raising his pale, frostbitten face to look at his master.

“Immortals live on this mountain, so it’s naturally different from the outside world. Look at the trees in spring at the foot of the mountain, while the mountain is covered in white. The scenery is really beautiful.” He looked around and marveled at the two different landscapes, but Ping An didn’t feel that way. He only felt that the road was difficult to walk and very cold.

"However, it is indeed a bit cold up on the mountain." A spring breeze blew by, but it turned into a biting cold wind on the mountain, making Qing Xuanzi breathe out and rub his hands.

"Let's continue up the mountain." After rubbing his hands to warm them, Qing Xuanzi reached out and looked at Ping An: "We must reach the summit before sunset today, otherwise it will be even colder tonight."

"Oh." Ping An pouted and reached out to grab Qing Xuanzi's calloused hand, continuing to walk forward.

The massive Kunlun Mountains were draped in a thick blanket of snow, and Qing Xuanzi and Ping An moved slowly through the snow like two ants. The snow-capped mountains seemed endless, but the sun on the horizon began to quietly hide behind them.

Qing Xuanzi, pulling the already panting Ping An along, looked up at the sky. A huge cloud was edged with gold by the hiding sun. He shook his head and continued to pull Ping An forward, but suddenly heard Ping An scream.

"Master!" Ping An suddenly let go of Qing Xuanzi's hand. He sat on the ground in horror, his eyes fixed on the small silver snake that had raised its body in front of him.

Upon hearing Ping An's voice, Qing Xuanzi immediately turned around. When he saw Ping An sitting on the ground staring at the snake, he rushed to Ping An's side and kicked the silver snake at the same time.

When the silver snake saw Qing Xuanzi's foot approaching, it did not dodge. Instead, it stood upright and floated in the air in front of the two of them.

Qing Xuanzi was terrified by the appearance of the silver snake. In the past few decades, he had traveled among the mountains and rivers seeking immortality and had encountered countless ferocious birds and beasts, but this was the first time he had ever seen a flying snake. This also made him more convinced that there really were immortals living on this mountain.

After the silver snake soared into the air, it quickly rushed towards Qing Xuanzi, but before it could reach him, it was hit by a snowball.

"Child!" Qing Xuanzi rushed anxiously to stand in front of Ping An to block him. After being hit by Ping An, the silver snake ignored Qing Xuanzi and went straight for Ping An.

Qing Xuanzi stood in front of Ping An, watching the silver snake draw ever closer. He thought, "Perhaps I'm going to die here today." He now regretted bringing Ping An up the mountain. He could have left Ping An at the foot of the mountain.

Just as the silver snake approached Qing Xuanzi, a clear, ethereal voice echoed through the snow-capped mountains. The voice was melodious and gentle, like the cry of a deer.

As the sound rang out, the silver snake suddenly opened its bloody mouth and coiled around Qing Xuanzi's neck.

Qing Xuanzi was startled. He had thought the silver snake was about to bite him, but it was clear that it wasn't.

Ping An, who was standing to the side, was also quite surprised to see that after the silver snake wrapped around Qing Xuanzi's neck, it slowly slithered toward his head.

After the silver snake slithered to Qing Xuanzi's head, it first stood up, and after glancing at Ping An's astonished expression, it immediately coiled its body around Qing Xuanzi's hair and then closed its eyes and fell asleep.

"Master, what is this?" Ping An looked at the silver snake on Qing Xuanzi's head with a puzzled expression.

Qing Xuanzi dared not make any big movements, for fear of waking it, so he could only slowly turn around. He looked at Ping An and said, equally puzzled, "I don't know either."

The two looked at each other, lost in thought and confusion, when that ethereal voice rang out again. They looked towards the mountain path ahead, but the gilded cloud on the distant horizon had vanished. The sky was now completely dark, yet countless stars illuminated the snow-capped mountains.

"Tap tap." Light footsteps made a crisp sound as they stepped on the snow.

An old man and a young boy watched as a white-clad deer, adorned with vibrant colors, approached them. The deer's plump body was topped with enormous antlers resembling newly sprouted green trees, and its multicolored eyes had a golden cloud-like pattern imprinted between them.

As the deer drew nearer, the two men were speechless with emotion, simply staring blankly as it approached.

The sound of a deer gently rang out in front of the two. Qing Xuanzi and Ping An were startled. Because their feet were stuck in the snow, they fell to the ground as a result, and the silver snake was also pulled into the snow.

The silver snake fell into the snow, the biting cold penetrating its body. It immediately emerged from the snow, then leaped into the air and ran towards the deer, finally coiling itself around its antlers and closing its eyes to sleep again.

After the two fell, Qing Xuanzi struggled to his feet, worried, and slowly helped Ping An up from the snow. They brushed the snow off their clothes and watched as the silver snake coiled around the deer's antlers. The deer called out again, but this time it wasn't soft; it was a roar. The two people in front of it felt a sharp pain in their ears and heads from the deer's cry and quickly covered their ears with their hands.

As the ethereal voice faded, the sky suddenly brightened, and the sun hung high in the sky just as it had when they first arrived at the mountain.

"Fairyland?! Could this be fairyland?" Qing Xuanzi exclaimed in amazement, looking at the blue sky and white clouds in the sky and the picturesque scenery of the human world below the mountains.

Even Ping An was deeply shocked by this scene. Looking at the deer before him, his eyes were filled with joy; they had finally arrived in paradise. But before they could recover from their shock and amazement, the deer suddenly lowered its head and charged directly at them with its enormous antlers!
"Huh? You were knocked down the mountain by that deer?" In the darkness, under the big tree, Zhang Wanyi looked at Ping An in shock.

"It wasn't exactly like we were knocked down the mountain," Ping An shrugged helplessly and said, "After that deer knocked down my master and me, we lost consciousness. When we woke up, we were already at the bottom of the mountain."

(End of this chapter)