Notes on Longevity

Chapter 69 The sound of iron hooves pounding the sand, the lamplight on the stone platform, and the sutra reader.

In the twenty-third year of the Wen-Shang era, on the fifteenth day of the Yin spring, the accumulated snow melted, all things revived, and war broke out again!
Northwest border of Dayan Kingdom, outside Hangu Pass, yellow sand fills the sky, and two armies face off!
"Soldiers! Thirteen years ago, the Wu Kingdom, in league with the fox demon, disrupted our court, invaded our territory, and harmed our people. I have been preparing for this battle for thirteen years, both to settle scores and to avenge our humiliation! In this battle, we will surely send that Wu Kingdom emperor to the Yellow Springs! To avenge our national humiliation!"

That spring, Emperor Wen Shang personally led his army into battle. Dressed in armor, he sat on horseback, looking at the million-strong army before him, his voice filled with fervor as he spoke of avenging past humiliations, igniting the fury in the hearts of all the soldiers. As he turned his horse and pointed his sword at the Wu army, he gave the order, and the millions of soldiers charged onto the battlefield with the sound of his hooves.

In an instant, yellow sand swirled all around. It obscured the sun, plunging the already desolate Gobi Desert into darkness. All that could be heard was:

The sound of iron hooves pounding the sand echoed as souls perished beneath swords and spears.

After a battle, the heavy armored soldiers in the yellow sand broke through the enemy's gates and wiped away the previous humiliation!
"Senior brother, where did the Ancestor go?"

In the midst of the bustling activity, Ping An arrived at Yu Yan's room. His face was rosy, and he asked in a gentle tone.

Since leaving the mountaintop at the end of last year, he had been studying scriptures and learning the classics in his room, but he encountered some difficulties. He wanted to seek guidance from the patriarch, but when he arrived at the mountaintop, he found that the patriarch was not there.

"Hmm?" Yu Yan was also studying scriptures in his room, but when he heard Ping An's words, he turned his head and looked at him in confusion: "More than a month ago, His Majesty came to the temple to invite the Ancestor down the mountain. Didn't you know?"

He shook his head, indicating he didn't know. His mind was now filled with nothing but scriptures. He stayed in his room all day and never came out, so naturally he was unaware of what was happening outside.

"His Majesty has started a war with the Wu Kingdom. He invited the Ancestor over to prevent the Wu Kingdom from doing anything underhanded again." Yu Yan put down the scriptures in his hand, straddled the stool, and looked at Ping An with a smile.

"Going to war? Is it because of what happened thirteen years ago?" Ping An asked.

“Yes. Thirteen years ago, that fox demon cultivated into human form and was encountered by the monarch of the Wu Kingdom. Our dynasty has always been at odds with him. So he made a deal with the fox demon.” Yu Yan shook his head as he spoke of that matter. “To be honest, the Wu Kingdom not only gained no benefit from doing this, but it might even have diminished its national fortune.”

"By the way, what do you need to see the Ancestor for?" Yu Yan suddenly remembered that Ping An wanted to see the Ancestor.

“My ancestor told me before that there are immortals in Penglai. I wanted to ask him if the immortals in Penglai should be easier to talk to.”

Ping An's sincere tone made Yu Yan laugh out loud. He looked at Ping An with a smile and asked, "Junior brother, have you gone stupid from reading scriptures? Why would you ask such a question?"

Yu Yan's laughter made Ping An feel a little embarrassed. He scratched his head sheepishly and said, "Senior brother, I was just asking."

As a result, Yu Yan laughed even louder after Ping An said that, and almost couldn't straighten up: "Junior brother, you really should go out for a walk, otherwise I'm afraid you'll really go crazy."

Ping An looked at Yu Yan with a resentful yet amused expression, which was quite comical.

"Alright, alright, stop laughing. Come on, while the spring is in full bloom, your senior brother will take you for a walk around the mountain and the valley, so you can clear your mind and stop thinking about scriptures and immortality all day long."

Yu Yan got off the stool and put his hand on Ping An's shoulder, but hesitated for a moment before putting his hand down. He looked Ping An up and down carefully: "You've grown quite a bit taller. You used to only be around me."

He gestured with his hand across his chest towards Ping An's head, then moved his hand down a few inches.

"Senior brother." Ping An looked at Yu Yan speechlessly.

"Alright, alright. Let's go." Halfway up the mountain, Yu Yan led Ping An out of the temple and onto the verdant forest path. Since it was springtime, the cloth shoes had been replaced with thinner soles, and the dark blue stone steps felt hard and slightly cool underfoot, a sensation that was hard to describe. But as Ping An looked up and surveyed the trees on both sides, he felt only a sense of peace and tranquility.

The tender green, delicate leaves appeared somewhat translucent under the yellow sun. Ping An touched them, and a cool sensation spread from his fingers to his heart. He followed Yu Yan's leisurely pace and said, "The Way is like an empty vessel, yet its use is inexhaustible; it is as deep as the origin of all things."

Upon hearing this, Yu Yan did not turn around, but slowed his pace and continued Ping An's words slowly: "To hold on to something until it is full is not as good as to stop. To sharpen something to its limit cannot be maintained for long."

Ping An smiled upon hearing this, understanding what his senior brother was talking to him about.

Ping An had heard a lot of things in the past two years while walking around, and he knew immediately that his senior brother's words were about him.

In this world, no matter where people are, they spend their whole lives striving for one thing: fame and fortune.

This is something everyone pursues, but everyone's purpose is different. Some people want to improve their status and position and change their current life situation, while others use their power for personal gain and greed for other people's money.

Some people strive to bring glory to their family and ancestors so that they can enter the imperial court, govern the country, and bring peace to the world. But after they achieve these things, they look at everything they have worked so hard for and realize that they will die.

So they thought that if they could live a little longer, put in more effort, and enjoy life a little longer, they would start to pray for immortality.

They then began to try every possible means to achieve immortality, but immortality is not so easy.

Therefore, some of them began to seek immortality everywhere, while others refined so-called elixirs of immortality according to the texts recorded in ancient books. However, without exception, they all ended up dying in vain or from sudden death.

Ultimately, immortality became a fantasy.

Although his pursuit of immortality and eternal life was not for these reasons, he was no different from them.

The two walked along the seemingly endless forest path, admiring the scenery and chatting as they went. Yu Yan told Ping An many things, especially some of the things she had seen during her travels down the mountain.

The two continued walking until they heard the bells ringing on the mountain, at which point they turned back.

At night, Yu Yan was reading in his room, while Ping An went up the mountain alone with a lantern. He came to the stone platform of Yuyang, picked up a book he hadn't taken down with him, and read it by the firelight.

However, he found himself unable to concentrate, so he stood on the edge, gazing in the direction of Fuyang City.

The view from the mountaintop is beautiful, especially the Zoumaguan area at night, which is as brightly lit as Fuyang City.

He would stare at Fuyang City for a moment, then look down at the Taoist temple at his feet. People always say that longing is deepest at night, and as he looked back and forth between the two scenes, he thought of his master.

As night deepened, the spring breeze rustled the leaves, and Ping An returned to the stone platform. He picked up his book, walked onto the platform, and, imitating the Old Ancestor of Yuyang, sat in the middle of the platform, turning the pages one by one.

(End of this chapter)