Longevity Candle

Chapter 25 I Will Light Your Way Forward

The flood raged, destroying everything in its path.

Two white cranes, one on each side of the Qingjiang River, used their great magical powers to create channels in the river and slow down the flood.

But the rain from the sky grew heavier and the winds stronger; they could not completely change the natural disaster, and could only do their best.

In the center of the Qingjiang River, an angry roar resounded as a colossal green serpent emerged from the riverbed, howling towards the sky.

Its eyes, like lanterns, shone brightly in the darkness.

However, it, which should have been in control of Qingjiang and free from all constraints, was now bound by several golden rays of light.

Huge treasure ships sailed upstream, breaking through the giant waves, and approaching the giant serpent.

On the lead treasure ship.

A general clad in armor bowed to the east and said, "Your subject requests permission to subdue the monsters of Qingjiang."

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Suddenly, a dragon's roar resounded through the void, followed by a vast celestial sound: "Approved!"

A golden edict flew out from the treasure ship and landed in the general's hands.

The general slowly unfurled the imperial edict, facing the green snake directly:
"Now a green snake is causing chaos, floods are raging, the power of the true dragon has been challenged, and the crime of defying Heaven has been committed, resulting in the death and injury of countless people in Qingjiang."

"By imperial decree, the snake of the Qingjiang River, bow your head and relinquish your calamity, enter the capital to receive your punishment, and be forever subdued beneath the true dragon. This is the imperial decree!"

He threw out the imperial edict, which transformed into countless golden characters that hung above the green snake's head, attempting to suppress the snake's magical power.

Roar

The green snake roared, stirring up waves, yet it could not cross the domain of the imperial edict.

"Your Majesty's might has decreed that the Green Serpent refuses to confess its crimes; slay the serpent!"

"The might of our Emperor! The might of our Emperor!"

On the treasure ship, the soldiers drew their longbows and aimed at the green snake.

"put!"

The general's eyes gleamed with fervor; the god of Qingjiang, immortal and ageless, was within reach!

Countless arrows pierced the sky, impervious to wind and rain, and unshaken by giant waves.

The arrows struck the green snake with a clanging sound, unable to break through its defenses.

The green snake twisted its massive body, its terrifying power attempting to shake the golden light.

"How could this be?" The general's expression changed drastically. How could they not break through the defense?

Could the secret scroll contain an error?

However, the imperial edict had already suppressed and bound the green snake, and that much was true.

……

Liujia Town.

The embroiderer had already kowtowed until her head was bleeding, but the lamp remained unlit.

With a bang, Liu Lang crashed through the wall, rolled over, and landed beside the embroiderer.

"You are... Brother Lang?" The embroiderer looked at him excitedly, wanting to hug him.

Liu Lang shoved her away, saying, "Get out of here! If it weren't for you, would there have been this natural disaster?"

The embroiderer was startled, staring blankly at him, not daring to step forward.

Golden silver light shone in Liu Lang's palm and flowed into the green lamp.

The candlelight flickered, and the sleeping Jiang Zhu slowly opened its eyes.

He felt that his sleep was not long, and he sensed a rich golden and silver radiance, just like when Bai Qiuyun sought immortality.

"The essence of the sun and moon that you found?" Jiang Zhu stared at Liu Lang, without glancing at the embroiderer.

"The emperor seeks immortality, and they want to kill the god of Qingjiang. The white crane has already come to help, and I must go and help too."

Liu Lang said briefly, "I know she has ill intentions. The Qin family is untrustworthy. I have no one else to rely on. You should go with her."

"Me?" The embroiderer was incredulous, feeling wronged and angry. "Are you going to abandon me again?"

Jiang Zhu frowned, not expecting such a big thing to have happened during his slumber.

"The emperor seeks immortality, and immortal masters and Taoists have entered the mortal world? Where are Baihe and the others?" Jiang Zhu asked.

He had barely uttered the question when Bai Shuang's voice echoed from the void: "We are opening up river channels to reduce the floodwaters. Jiang Zhu, you are too young. Go with them."

Young...

Compared to them, he was indeed young, and his magical power was far inferior to theirs. "Then aren't you leaving?" Jiang Zhu asked.

"We came at the invitation of the Qingjiang Spirits. There were no immortal masters or Taoists involved this time. Emperor Yong'an's methods are incomplete, so the Qingjiang Spirits will not perish."

However, the nation's fate suppressed its magical power, and the flood spiraled out of control. Furthermore, Emperor Yong'an had placed a large number of mortals along the Qingjiang River. If the flood wasn't controlled, countless lives would be lost, and the karmic burden would be too great. The Qingjiang spirit's centuries of arduous cultivation would be wasted.

Why did Emperor Yong'an do this?

“There was once a martial artist named Gu Yan who swung his sword at the mountain spirits and regained his youthful appearance. This was known to the emperor and passed down through generations. They have been working hard to achieve this.”

"Ayan?"

Jiang Zhu's face turned ugly. She hadn't expected that A Yan was involved. Had she reverted to her teenage years?

Why then did you abandon yourself in the mountains?

"Go quickly, you are too young to resist the fate of the nation. Liu Lang has built a large ship. Try to save people as much as possible when you leave, as this will do you good deeds. The spirits of the Qingjiang River will remember your kindness," Bai Shuang advised.

"Take Jiang Zhu and leave." Liu Lang grasped the green lamp, placed it in the embroiderer's hand, and said through gritted teeth, "If you hand him over, even if I become a wandering ghost in the Qingjiang River, I will not forgive you!"

"Brother Lang, where are you going?"

"It all started because of my family. I am a fisherman favored by the God of Qingjiang."

Without hesitation, Liu Lang rushed into the river.

The embroiderer chased after him, but he had already disappeared into the darkness.

In the darkness of night, a huge three-story ship stood tall, and people had already climbed aboard.

"Jiang Zhu, I'll put you on the ship. Don't reveal your supernatural abilities. Just leave with the ship." Xiu Niang said, "This is Lang Ge's life's work."

"What are you going to do?"

"I've already made a mistake once, and I don't want to make the same mistake again," the embroiderer said guiltily.

"Then hold onto the green lamp, board the great ship, and I will light your way forward."

Jiang Zhu's gaze was calm. Even if he was injured, the worst that could happen was that he would just sleep for a while longer: "As long as you don't say that I am Qingdeng, then no one will know my true form."

"It would be too dangerous for you to go," the embroiderer said.

“I’ll be fine, I’ll just sleep a little longer,” Jiang Zhu said. “I also want to know why Ayan abandoned me. Let’s not hesitate any longer, let’s get on the ship quickly.”

The embroiderer gritted her teeth and hurried to board the boat.

The people on the boat, upon seeing her, looked somewhat embarrassed and guilty: "Sister-in-law Xiu Niang, what do you think..."

"No need to say anything more. When natural disaster strikes, we must work together to escape. The flood is coming soon, so we must get into the river as quickly as possible."

"Let's push the boat. The water hasn't reached here yet, so let's push the boat down first."

"Let's go and inform the rest of them."

A group of strong young men disembarked; the people from Liujia Town had not yet all arrived.

“There are also small boats, tied with ropes to the larger boat. This boat can’t hold everyone,” the embroiderer said.

“We understand that the men who are good swimmers should come to the small boats, and the large boats should be left to the elderly, weak, women and children.”

A group of men were pushing the boat together, with an elderly fisherman at the helm.

The embroiderer lit the green lamp and whispered, "What should I do?"

“You don’t need to do anything, I’ll help them push the big ship,” Jiang Zhu said.

He used his magic, and with the help of the men, the boat was slowly propelled into the river.

The reason for the slow pace is to wait for the others.

A large number of people from Liujia Town gathered and boarded the boat.

Some people panicked and tried to seize the large ship, but the embroiderer said urgently, "Don't panic, don't push. We are all relatives and neighbors, let's work together."

"Leave the chance to board to the young people and children," said an elderly man with gray hair. "Only if they live can Liujia Town have hope. All you old fogies, get off here!"

The crowd stared blankly at the old man. Those elderly people who had been rushing to board the boat now silently stepped back and handed their children over.

"Embroiderer, your whole family are good people. It's us old fogies who are blind and heartless..."

The elderly man with gray hair bowed deeply to him, then turned around and said, "If there is an afterlife, this old man will serve your family like a slave."

He walked unsteadily toward the distant houses, drenched in the heavy rain.

The other elderly people exchanged glances and followed them back.

"Take good care of the embroiderer. If anything happens to her, I'll come back for you even if I die..."

(End of this chapter)