Notes on Longevity

Chapter 57 The First Ancestor of the Stone Platform, Peacefully Practicing Taoist Magic
"Meet the Master."

"So you're Ping An. How old are you?"

"Ten years old."

"She has delicate features and is full of spirit."

"Let's go, he's waiting to see you."

With his white hair and a smiling, aged face, Shimizu walked with his hands behind his back, a bewildered peace on his face, through the wooded path.

Ping An followed behind Qing Shui, wondering who wanted to see him.

He wanted to ask Shimizu, but seeing him walking ahead with his head held high, he felt too embarrassed to speak. He could only silently follow behind.

The path was long, and the green trees on both sides receded as the two walked. Birds would occasionally fly overhead, or the mountain wind would rustle the leaves.

The two walked on like this, one in front of the other. Sometimes Qingshui would ask him a few questions, and Ping An would answer them to the best of his ability. But along the way, the questions Qingshui asked most were about Qing Xuanzi.

Clear water and peace passed through a vermilion wooden pavilion and followed a stream to a grassy clearing on the mountaintop.

In the open space, before them stood a huge, three-foot-high circular stone platform.

Sitting above was an elderly man dressed in a Taoist robe, with white hair, his head bowed, and his eyes closed.

Centered on the old man, horizontal lines were drawn around him in all directions.

These horizontal lines, some straight and some broken, extend from the old man's side outwards from the stone platform, totaling 384.

On each straight line or broken line on the outermost edge in each direction, there is a word written.

"Master."

Shimizu stood in the open space and shouted loudly at the old man.

The old man moved slightly upon hearing the sound, but did not react in any way.

"Grandmaster, I have brought Ping An here." Qing Shui's aged yet deep voice resounded across the mountaintop, startling the birds and waking the old man.

The old man raised his head and turned toward the clear water. He slowly opened his empty, lifeless eyes; his pupils contained nothing but darkness.

When his eyes settled on the boy beside Shimizu, his pupils, shrouded in darkness, began to brighten, and his lifeless eyes shifted constantly. Like the warmth and coldness of the world and the changing seasons, finally, in a place where peach and plum blossoms bloomed, he saw a handsome young man in a Taoist robe, holding a whisk, slowly walking towards him.

Ping An felt a strange sense of unease when he saw the old man turn his head and stare at him, but the unease quickly disappeared.

The old man noticed the panic in Ping An's eyes. His tone was gentle, yet his voice was filled with a desolate sadness as he said to Qing Shui, "Qing Shui, you should go back first. I'll stay with this child for a while."

"Yes, Grandmaster." Qingshui responded, bowed to the old man, and then glanced at Ping An with a smile before descending the mountain.

"Child, come here." After Qingshui left, the old man beckoned to Ping An. Ping An obediently walked over, and when he arrived at the old man's side, the old man patted the stone platform next to him, signaling for Ping An to come over.

Ping An looked at the old man, hesitated for a moment, but still lifted his leg and walked onto the stone platform.

Ping An approached the old man, who nodded and asked him to sit down. Ping An obeyed. After sitting down, he tried to force a smile, his face full of wrinkles.

"Plum trees and peach blossoms surround him, a touch of spirit between his brows. He comes with a whisk in hand, intending to go to the mortal world." The old man looked at Ping An, who was dressed in a Taoist robe, and murmured.

Ping An looked at the old man with a puzzled expression, and also called him "Grandmaster" in the same way as Qing Shui.

"Can immortals be believed?" he asked with a smile.

"Ping An doesn't know." Ping An shook his head and said, "My master traveled among mortals, traversing countless rivers and mountains, climbing high peaks and perilous cliffs. Although he has not attained enlightenment, I dare not speak recklessly about what the immortals say. Moreover, even with the greatest light, one cannot see everything that has form; even with the most intelligent ear, one cannot hear everything that has sound; even with my master's feet, the places he regularly treads are not as many as the places he does not. All things exist, what is there that is not there? Let alone those who are among the immortals."

Upon hearing this, the old man laughed loudly and said, "What begins must end, and what exists must perish. The sages of the Three and Five, the wisdom of Qi, Ji, and Liangping, the eloquence of Duan, Ying, Sui, and Li, and the courage of Ben, Yu, and the Five Ding all died. This is the natural order of human nature, an inevitable inevitable outcome. So why bother seeking immortality?"

“You may not understand the master’s meaning, but you should still follow it,” Ping An replied.

"Very well. Go then." The old man's face remained calm and unmoved.

Ping An rose upon hearing this, bowed, and prepared to leave, but then heard him say, "Your master wrote that after his death, you should become Qing Shui's disciple, and you will follow Qing Shui from now on. If you have time, come to the mountain to find me again."

"Is Master still alive?" Ping An asked, kneeling before the old man with a worried expression after hearing his words.

"Life and death are predestined, and this is the natural order of life. Go." The old man waved his hand at Ping An, his wide sleeves obscuring his vision. When Ping An regained his sight, the old man had vanished.

Ping An got up with a disappointed look on his face and walked down the mountain alone.

After Ping An's figure disappeared into the distance, a gust of wind suddenly blew across the stone platform, bringing with it a leaf and the old man who had already vanished.

There was another figure at the place where Ping An had come from. That figure was Qing Shui, who had been called down the mountain by the old man. He bowed to the old man and said, "Grandmaster."

"This child is quite gifted. If given the right opportunity, he might truly have the chance to attain immortality." After saying this to Qingshui, the old man closed his eyes again.

Shimizu was also puzzled upon hearing this and wanted to ask more questions, but it was too late. He had no choice but to give up and turn around to descend the mountain.

Ping An returned along the same route, walking dejectedly through the green forest, his heart filled with thoughts of his master, while also wondering about his conversation with the old man.

But after thinking it over and over, he still felt that his master was right. Although they had traveled thousands of miles over the past ten years, there were still places they hadn't been to.

Before they knew it, it was almost noon. When Ping An arrived at the door, Qing Shui was already there.

Seeing that Ping An had come up, Qing Shui went up to him and said, "I suppose Grandmaster has already told you."

“But I only have one master.” Although Shimizu didn’t say it explicitly, he knew what he was talking about, so he refused directly.

"There's no need for Ping An to become my disciple; just follow me from now on." Qing Shui felt a pang of sorrow upon hearing this. In truth, he also wanted Ping An to become his disciple, but the ten years he had followed Qing Xuanzi had indeed been a difficult journey.

Although all disciples in the Daoist sect are fellow disciples regardless of who they follow, and are addressed as senior brother or junior brother, Qing Xuanzi is not a wandering Daoist. Logically, given Ping An's age, he should be addressed as Immortal Master or Daoist Master Qingshui, not Uncle-Master.

Qingshui led Ping'an to the ancestral hall, where he burned incense, thus establishing a semi-master-disciple relationship.

“From today onwards, you will follow me. Apart from chanting scriptures every day, you will stay with me and your senior brother. Since you are a disciple of my Zouma Temple and have good talent, you will learn some Taoist methods.”

(End of this chapter)