Longevity Candle

Chapter 31 I Don't Want You All to Leave Me

Now, having absorbed the essence of the sun and moon, he will awaken in thirteen years and exist for five hours.

This is a huge step forward; mastering the Candle Illumination skill will be of great help to me.

His magical power was accumulating faster, although compared to a great elf like the White Crane, he was still considered a young elf.

But as long as you keep accumulating, you'll eventually become a great elf.

Jiang Zhu's body faded away again, returning to the dim light.

At midnight, Yao Yao first cleaned the well and then placed the Taiyin Ring into it.

The dried-up well, under the moonlight, actually started to produce water.

A cool breeze wafted from the well.

Yao Yao excitedly filled a bucket with water and couldn't wait to take a sip; it was cool and refreshing.

"There's water! There's water!"

She excitedly informed the remaining people in the village.

Women and children all came, excitedly looking at the well and drinking the water in big gulps.

They hadn't drunk water so heartily in a long time.

"Yaoyao, how does this dry well get water?" the women asked.

Yao Yao made up a story: "I dug down and unexpectedly found water."

"Everyone, fill up the water containers you can," Yao Yao's mother said.

"Yes, yes, let's get water first." Everyone hurriedly went home to fetch buckets.

They didn't know how much water was in the well or how long it would last.

What if it's gone by tomorrow?

Yao Yao felt a warmth in her heart as she looked at the smile on the face.

She helped villagers fetch water, and also stored a lot of water in her own home.

A wisp of golden merit merged into the Taiyin Ring within the well.

In times of chaos, spirits and monsters descend into the world to perform good deeds, and this is how it happens.

The end of the dynasty was their dining table and their playground for cheers.

With the village's drinking water problem solved, they began carrying water to irrigate their fields and the long-dried peach trees, hoping for a miracle.

Yao Yao, meanwhile, was studying the "Peach Blossom Sword Manual" in the peach grove.

She felt that this sword manual should be called the "Seven Star Sword Manual," but Jiang Zhu said it should be called Peach Blossom, so it should be called Peach Blossom.

The sword strikes the seven stars, locking in the light of the sun and moon, and gathering their power.

The more she studied it, the more she felt that the sword technique was profound and unfathomable, exceeding her understanding of martial arts.

With the blessing of merit, Jiang Zhu's understanding of martial arts allowed her to comprehend it rapidly.

She easily mastered the four-foot sword aura and is still rapidly improving.

At this point, she sensed the presence of merit within her body, which was a golden halo.

"He's my older brother."

The wonderful experiences of my childhood are deeply etched in my heart.

She recognized the halo; it should have been floating behind Jiang Zhu's head, but now it was inside her body.

"Could this be Big Brother's skill?" Yao Yao asked, puzzled, as she had never heard of merit.

I have heard from those who sell martial arts manuals that martial arts masters can pass on their skills.

She tried to activate the light wheel, and it actually worked.

The halo can also divide, transforming into clusters of golden light.

When the golden light came into contact with the true energy, the true energy began to boil. Just by absorbing a trace of the golden light, the true energy began to surge.

She was startled, never expecting that she could absorb Jiang Zhu's 'power'.

Since learning the wonderful uses of merit, her martial arts skills have improved even faster.

The village also encountered a new problem: the fields were irrigated, but there were no seeds left.

Yao Yao carried two vats of water, intending to exchange them for grain seeds.

Before she left, her mother instructed her: "If you encounter pitiful people, it doesn't matter if there are many people watching coldly or few people giving you a bowl or two of water, but you must exchange it for grain seeds; if someone accuses you of stealing water, they must be evil people. They will follow you and attack you, just to find the water source. Remember to be careful, and if you can't beat them, come back."

Along the way, the earth was cracked, the trees were bare and withered, and there was no sign of human habitation for miles, with only occasional sightings of skeletons.

She arrived in the county town, where there were far fewer people than a few years ago. Yao Yao carrying water attracted the attention of the townspeople, but after seeing the two large water vats, they wisely refrained from approaching.

A woman who can easily lift a water vat is no weak woman.

With the sword at her waist, she was undoubtedly a martial arts practitioner.

She successfully exchanged for grain. In this day and age, water is scarce, and the price of two vats of water is no less than the price of rice.

She was carrying grain seeds home when she stopped halfway. She turned around and looked behind her. There were more than ten people coming towards her, holding knives and weapons.

"Why have you followed me all this way?" she asked.

"Your water is very clear, unlike the water of the Qingjiang River. Where does it come from?" asked the burly man at the head of the group.

"What's it to you?" Yao Yao frowned. She sensed that more people were on their way.

“We suspect you stole our water. Take us to where you got your water,” the burly man said coldly.

"Nonsense, that's my own water!" Yao Yao retorted angrily. She had never seen such a shameless person before. Her mother's words had actually come true.

The burly man said coldly, "Our water is of this quality. Since you didn't steal it, then take us to where you got your water to prove your innocence."

His eyes held a cunning glint; once he secured the water source, he could seize it and profit from the chaos of war.

Despite the current drought, they are still buying grain seeds, which clearly indicates that they have a large amount of water to irrigate their fields.

“Yes, if you want to prove your innocence, take us to the place where you fetched your water.”

Another group of people arrived, a total of twenty, all of whom possessed internal energy.

Yao Yao's face turned ashen. Although she was naive and inexperienced, she knew that these people wanted to steal her water.

“Mother is right, you are all evil people.”

Yao Yao was furious and drew her long sword from her waist in an instant.

The brilliant sword light obscured the sunlight.

"Sword light!"

"She mastered the sword's edge."

The people who arrived were terrified and ran away.

Even if the number of top-tier sword masters who have mastered the sword's edge doubled, they would still be no match for them.

Two heads flew into the air, gushing blood like a fountain.

She only punished the ringleaders and did not pursue those who fled. She then returned to Peach Blossom Village, stepping on the Seven Stars.

With the seeds, the village had hope.

Yao Yao told her mother what had happened: "Mother, I killed someone, will it implicate you?"

“No, the world is in chaos. You killed a bad person, and bad people deserve to be killed.” Mother said, “You must be more careful in the future. Bad people are despicable and shameless. They will use all kinds of means to harm people, such as poisoning, sneaking attacks, etc. In the future, when you are out, do not eat or drink anything given by strangers.”

“I understand.” Yao Yao nodded vigorously.

Her mother patted her hand and sighed, "It's my fault for making you bear all this."

"Mother, I should take care of you. Tomorrow, I'll exchange some chicks and some piglets, and things will get better." Yao Yao said wistfully, "I also want to plant some peach trees, so we'll have an endless supply of peaches to eat."

Her mother hugged her and said, "Good child, tell your mother that you saw that older brother again, didn't you?"

Yao Yao stiffened and didn't hide anything: "Yes, it was my older brother who made the well produce water. He taught me martial arts and said that his martial arts were as high as the sun."

"The sun is so high," Mother murmured.

“Mother, my older brother is just like I was when I was little. He hasn’t changed at all. I remember he had golden light behind his head, and he gave that light to me too.” Golden merit appeared in Yao Yao’s palm.

"Hasn't aged?" Mother's body trembled: "The one you met might really be Lord Jiang Shen."

"Lord Jiang Shen?" Yao Yao tilted her head: "But Lord Jiang Shen is an old man."

"That's just a legend. Nobody knows what the River God really looks like."

"Lord Jiang, can you make people stay young forever?" Yao Yao asked.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because I don't want my mother to grow old. My grandmother is gone, and many people in the village are gone. I don't want you all to leave me."

"Silly child, no one can escape aging. You will grow old too."

"But my older brother isn't old."

"Go practice your skills."

(End of this chapter)