Longevity Candle

Chapter 75 I want to use this lamp to illuminate the wandering souls.

Li and Zhu hired a blacksmith to forge seven swords for Xiao Qingxuan and cast a new Seven Star Sword Box.

Xiao Qingxuan grasped the peach wood lamp, carried a jar of peach blossoms, and walked towards the outside of the tavern under the night sky, towards the lost soul of a young man who had been wandering aimlessly for many years.

The dim lamplight, glowing in the moonlight, became the only light in the darkness.

The wandering spirit looked at her, wondering what she was going to do.

"Want a drink?" Xiao Qingxuan looked up at the wandering soul: "You've been lingering outside the tavern for a year, and more than once, you've wanted to taste a peach blossom."

"I can actually hear you speaking?" the wandering spirit exclaimed in surprise. "Are you a little immortal?"

This was the first time in all his years as a wandering spirit that he was able to talk to a living person.

"Why add the word 'small'?" Xiao Qingxuan frowned slightly.

“Because you were very young, I watched you grow up, back when you were just a wine stall,” the young wandering spirit grinned.

Xiao Qingxuan opened the wine stall, and the aroma of wine wafted through the air. Youhun sniffed hard and said, "So the aroma of wine is so strong. No wonder your tavern is so popular."

"This is for you to drink," Xiao Qingxuan said.

"Thank you." The young wandering spirit picked up the wine jar and gulped it down, drinking more than half of it in one go. "This wine is called Peach Blossom?"

“Yes, peach blossoms.” Xiao Qingxuan nodded.

"Your father is truly amazing; he can brew such wonderful peach blossom wine." The young wandering soul gave a thumbs up.

“It’s not that my father is powerful, it’s that it was passed down from our ancestors. Our ancestors were very powerful,” Xiao Qingxuan said.

"Ancestors? It's an old tradition. Who were your ancestors? I might have heard of them before."

The young wandering spirit laughed and said, "Although I haven't been a wandering spirit for very long, I have heard of many old wandering spirits."

“Our ancestor was from Ningguo. She was once the greatest swordswoman in the world, with superb medical skills and the ability to brew peach blossom wine. Some people called her the Peach Blossom Sword Demon,” Xiao Qingxuan said.

"The greatest swordsman in the world? It seems to be a wandering knight. When I was young, I also roamed the world with my sword."

"So your swordsmanship is also very high?"

"I was defeated in three moves."

"Hehe, you're so funny."

"Why can't you communicate with me before, but now you can?"

“Because the celestial beings in the heavens looked down upon me, I prayed to them that I could communicate with you and invite you to drink, and they agreed.”

"Oh, you're really foolish. You should ask him to take you to heaven; maybe you can become an immortal."

"Can I hear your story?" Xiao Qingxuan asked.

"My story?" The young wandering spirit took another sip of wine: "My life was a failure, unlike your ancestors. I was originally the son of a farmer in Qiuyue City. I was oppressed by the Chang family, my land was seized, and no one stood up for me. I accidentally found a sword manual."

"You learned swordsmanship to avenge your family?" Xiao Qingxuan asked.

"That sword technique was too rudimentary. I was beaten half to death and thrown out of Autumn Moon City, thinking of going out to explore the world and learn more advanced martial arts. I drew my sword against a master and was defeated in three moves. I felt that I had found a great master, so I followed him firmly and prayed that he would teach me..."

Xiao Qingxuan listened quietly. The young wandering soul had followed her for three years before that expert took him in.

At that moment, the young wandering spirit realized that the man was a seeker of immortality. Seeing that he had followed him for three years with unwavering faith, he was suitable to seek immortality.

He followed that man in his quest for immortality, and ten years passed in the blink of an eye.

It was during a time of war, and there were many legends about immortals.

However, they clearly lacked the affinity for immortality, and no matter how hard they searched, they could not find any immortals.

"During times of war, immortal cultivators would enter the mortal world and build temples. Why can't you find them?" Xiao Qingxuan asked, puzzled.

"You actually know so much. It seems your ancestors were really amazing."

The young wandering spirit was surprised, and then said, "I don't know about Ningguo. In Yunmeng, the temples of immortals can be worshipped but not questioned. They are all controlled by clans. The Chang family worships an immortal, and you need their permission to seek immortality."

"Does the Chang family have a Taoist master?" Xiao Qingxuan asked. Although she was not born in Taoyuan Village, she had heard her parents tell stories of how, in the late years, Taoist masters entered the world, built temples and performed good deeds, and anyone could seek their protection.

The temples are managed by the immortal masters under the immortals.

"No," the young wandering spirit said. "My master brought me to Autumn Moon City to visit the Chang family and pay homage to the immortals. I have returned here and also met my old enemy. He has long forgotten me, but I have not forgotten him."

Although he did not master advanced martial arts, he traveled all over the country and learned many methods of assassination and poisoning.

Before leaving, he poisoned his collateral relatives who had encroached on his land in the dead of night.

The Chang family failed to find them, and as a result, they became much more discreet.

"Then how did you die?" Xiao Qingxuan asked.

“I was killed by my master. After I took my revenge, I no longer wanted to follow him in seeking immortality. He thought I had lost my piety and determination and defiled the sacred path of seeking immortality, so he killed me.”

The young wandering spirit did not hate his master, because he had taken his revenge: "You treated me to wine, and I'll teach you how to concoct poison that kills on contact with blood."

"I won't learn," Xiao Qingxuan shook her head.

“Then I cannot repay you,” the young ghost said.

"I don't need anything in return from you," Xiao Qingxuan said, shaking her head.

The young ghost asked in bewilderment, "Then why did you invite me for a drink?"

“Because my ancestors gave me a green lamp to illuminate my life, I want to use this green lamp to illuminate wandering souls,” Xiao Qingxuan answered earnestly.

"What green lamp?" the young wandering spirit asked, puzzled.

"It's this green lamp." Xiao Qingxuan took out the peach wood green lamp, its dim light reflecting the moonlight.

A sliver of moonlight drifted out and landed beside the wandering young soul, transforming into a green lamp.

Her martial arts skills were weak, so Jiang Zhu made a peach wood lamp and left a trace of Taiyin magic power. Once her martial arts skills improved, she would be able to create her own lamp.

The young wandering spirit looked at the green lamp, and in the darkness, he sensed something. He grasped the Taiyin Green Lamp: "Thank you for your peach blossom wine. It has indeed illuminated my way."

He held the green lamp and walked into the unknown darkness.

Xiao Qingxuan saw darkness again, and she suddenly had the urge to go inside and take a look, but she was immediately startled by her own thought.

That is the destination of wandering souls; how can I go there?

Perhaps a hundred years from now, I will hold a peach wood lamp and enter that unknown land.

A ray of golden light of merit fell upon the peach wood lamp, bringing her peace and warmth, and her true energy became active.

Xiao Qingxuan returned to the tavern, where her parents were waiting, watching over her without disturbing her.

"Father, Mother, I've sent him away," Xiao Qingxuan said.

"You will be as great as our ancestors." Li Meng hugged Xiao Qingxuan tightly.

Li Zhu, holding his wife and daughter, said: "If you want to seek immortality, focus on doing good deeds and practicing martial arts. Do not seek immortality."

In his view, those seeking immortality outside were a bunch of lunatics.

Abandoning family to pursue that impossible, longing gaze.

"I understand, Father, Mother." Xiao Qingxuan gripped the green lamp tightly.

The path to immortality is in your own hands.

She only wanted to light a lamp for the wandering souls in the darkness; whether she could enter the path of immortality was something she had never considered in her youth.

The family of three fell asleep peacefully.

The couple continued to run the tavern as usual, no longer asking Xiao Qingxuan for help, allowing her to focus on practicing martial arts and doing good deeds to illuminate wandering souls.

Perhaps it was due to their good deeds, or perhaps the Chang family looked down on the profits of the small tavern, but the Chang family clan never caused them any trouble.

(End of this chapter)