Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

“Okay, I’ll leave the day after tomorrow morning,” Zhuang Xing said. “Don’t worry, Sister Yan is so capable, she’ll be fine. Don’t you still have a lot of spiritual herbs to take care of? Just stay at the temple, I’ll be back in two months at most.”

Yunling didn't say much, and had Zhuang Xing lead him to the main room.

"I'm sorry to trouble Miss Yan to take care of Zhuang Xing and Xiao An." Yunling bowed respectfully to Yan Huai'an.

She had always treated Yan Huai'an with such respect, regarding him as a benefactor and elder, always behaving properly and never overstepping her bounds.

Another year passed, and Yunling looked more and more dignified and polite, like a well-bred young lady, completely different from the little girl who used to run around the fields with Zhuang Xing.

Left with no other choice, Zhuang Xing had to be pulled into a deep bow by her.

Chapter 230 Reunion with the Old Mandrill

After spending a day packing his bags and informing acquaintances about his upcoming trip, Zhuang Xing prepared to descend the mountain.

He was already an experienced traveler, and traveling to January was a piece of cake for him.

At dawn, he handed the house key to Uncle Wei and entrusted him with the care of the five pandas in the house.

Uncle Wei, unfazed, carefully put the key away, patted his chest, and told Zhuang Xing to rest assured.

Zhuang Xing wasn't worried about the pandas not having enough to eat; it was just that no one was cooking for them. These little guys could probably fill their bellies after a stroll around the Taoist temple. His main concern was that they might cause trouble. He told Uncle Wei that if any of them misbehaved, he should tell him when he got back, and he would definitely give them a good talking to.

When they went out, the five pandas lined up obediently, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Having said goodbye as required yesterday, he didn't linger any longer and followed Yan Huai'an down the mountain.

He wanted to go to the stables to fetch the horse, but Yan Huai'an said not to, as the place they were going to was difficult for the horse to walk on its four legs.

It's probably not a smooth official road anymore; it's probably a place rarely visited by people.

Zhuang Xing didn't know where that place was. The heroine said not to lead the horse, so he didn't. He took a person and followed in the heroine's footsteps, walking out of the town.

From dawn till dusk, we walked along small paths, not the main roads, but some that were barely paths at all, overgrown with weeds, clearly indicating that no one had ever been there.

The female knight-errant truly doesn't follow the usual path, but fortunately, Zhuang Xing is no ordinary child either, and he's able to keep up with her.

As darkness fell, the two had already reached a deserted outskirts.

Zhuang Xing called Xiao An out, wanting him to see if there were any farmhouses or houses nearby where they could stay, but Xiao An looked around and found nothing.

Yan Huai'an seemed to want to find a place to rest in order to take care of Zhuang Xing, but Zhuang Xing did not feel tired and said that he could walk a little further. So the two of them continued on their way under the stars and moon.

Having gotten used to moonlight, walking at night doesn't actually feel very dark.

They walked until midnight before finally finding a stream and stopping.

The journey was very smooth today. Not to mention monsters, Zhuang Xing didn't even see many mosquitoes. It seemed that even the mosquitoes deliberately avoided the cold air around Yan Huai'an.

Zhuang Xing gathered firewood, started a fire, scooped up stream water, boiled it in his small pot, put the boiled water into his water bag, and brewed some jasmine tea.

He handed the tea to Yan Huai'an, took out the cake from his satchel, broke it in half, and gave one half to each of them.

"Did you often travel at night before, sister?" Zhuang Xing asked, swallowing the cake as he drank his tea.

"Yes." Yan Huai'an nodded.

Zhuang Xing always felt that the female knight-errant stopped to rest because she was looking out for him. If she were alone, she probably wouldn't have stopped at all. She would probably have walked from one populated place to another before finding an inn to rest.

It's hard to imagine what kind of life that is, but Yan Huai'an has lived that kind of life for a long time.

"What do you plan to do after you find that last thing, sister?" Zhuang Xing couldn't help but ask. "Are you going back to Hundred Flowers Valley?"

Yan Huai'an neither nodded nor shook her head. She paused for a moment, glanced at the stream, and said two words.

"Maybe."

The moon was reflected on the stream, as was her shadow; perhaps she hadn't yet figured out what the future held.

...

After leaving the town, we walked for five or six days in the mountains and fields.

Zhuang Xing found it strange. In those days, without navigation, if you didn't take the main roads and instead took mountain paths and trails, it was actually very difficult to tell which way was which.

Even if you know the name of your destination, you still need to ask around to find it. And even if you do ask around, you might still get lost, wasting a lot of time and effort. But Yan Huai'an didn't have this problem at all. She seemed to never get lost and walked without any hesitation.

She had probably walked this road many times before; she knew it well, so she didn't need to ask anyone for directions.

Fifty years ago, Master Qingxuzi met her in Chenzhou. Who knows how many places she has traveled to?

With someone leading the way, Zhuang Xing obediently followed without asking any questions.

However, today he suddenly felt that the scenery around him looked somewhat familiar.

The two were walking on a winding mountain road. There were many mountains in Chenzhou, but most of them were not high or dangerous.

As evening fell, they reached the top of the mountain.

In the distance, the green mountains were like dark eyebrows, and the clouds were like colorful rosy hues. Far away, he saw a village at the foot of the mountains.

The village looked familiar, and the surrounding mountain scenery also became familiar. When he peeked out and saw the black rocks, he suddenly remembered.

He had been to this place before, more than once.

Every year, he would come here to visit, because his old friends lived on that mountain.

"Sister, should we go that way?" Zhuang Xing pointed in a direction where there was a lush pine forest.

"Yes." Yan Huai'an nodded.

Judging from the looks of it, we have to climb over that mountain.

Since it was on the way, Zhuang Xing asked Yan Huai'an for his opinion, saying he wanted to visit him and could stay overnight so he wouldn't have to brave the wind tonight.

Yan Huai'an nodded in agreement, and Zhuang Xing then led her up the mountain.

As they got closer to the mountain, Zhuang Xing could see the deserted village at its foot.

The village is now deserted, not a single person can be seen, the houses are overgrown with weeds and the fields are just an empty shell.

"Brother Zhuang Xing, do people really live on this mountain?" Xiao An asked, following Zhuang Xing.

“Those who live on the mountain are not human,” Zhuang Xing said.

"It's not human, it's a ghost!" Xiao An said. "Don't scare me, I'm scared..."

"Speaking of ghosts, you could call it a ghost. Some people call it a mountain ghost, but don't be afraid. Although it doesn't look good, it's actually very kind-hearted," Zhuang Xing said.

"Isn't the mountain spirit the same as the mountain goblin?" Xiao An suddenly realized. "Isn't it the old mountain goblin you told me about before, brother?"

“That’s it.” Zhuang Xing nodded.

This is the mountain where the old mandrill lives.

He never expected to end up in this area. He was quite familiar with this area, but he had never been beyond that mountain. He figured that area was probably no different from a primeval forest, and there would be no one else around.

No wonder Yan Huai'an told him not to lead the horse. It was difficult for the horse to walk through this pine forest, let alone the rugged and bumpy road ahead.

He wondered if Yan Huai'an was going to take them to some demon king's cave. Outside the human world, there was also a demon world, like Hundred Flowers Valley, where both humans and demons lived.

As he pondered, he parted a clump of trees and came to a cliff with a wide view.

The wooden house on the cliff came into view. Behind the house, the hunched old mandrill came out. It hadn't forgotten Zhuang Xing. When it saw Zhuang Xing coming, it raised its long arm and greeted him like a human.

(I haven't been feeling well these past couple of days, and I've been having writer's block. I'll only write one chapter today and then take a break.)

Chapter 231 Lonely Elderly

The old mandrill was sitting on the roof of the wooden house, gazing into the distance.

The wooden house sits atop a cliff with a wide view, overlooking the vast night sky. Below, a pine forest and hills surround the village below, leaving only two narrow paths leading out.

The old mandrill lived in that small wooden house as always. This mountain was its territory. It could chop wood, catch fish, hunt birds, pick fruit, and wield a sword. It could do everything that a mandrill could do, and it could also do things that a mandrill couldn't do.

In these mountains, it can come and go as it pleases. With its abilities, it could easily find a group of mountain demons and become their leader, yet it has never left this mountain for even a day.

Zhuang Xing sometimes worried that it was too old to climb mountains and catch fish, but it seemed that his worries were completely unnecessary. The old mandrill was still strong and vigorous. It stretched out its long arms and nimbly climbed down from the roof.

Its long claws and black fur make it look a bit scary. People who don't know it can easily be frightened by it when they meet it for the first time, but Yan Huai'an is not afraid of this mountain spirit, and the mountain spirit is not afraid of her either.

Only Xiao An hid behind Zhuang Xing, peeking out her head cautiously like a cat, observing the hunched old mountain demon before her.

The old mandrill walked up to Zhuang Xing, who was now taller than it. It looked up at Zhuang Xing and then at Yan Huai'an.

"He really is carrying a sword..." Xiao An whispered.

The sword that the mandrill carries now is not the rusty sword from back then. Its new sword was given to it by the official when he left. When Zhuang Xing comes to visit it, he will help it sharpen the sword. The old house was repaired with the help of his senior brothers and sisters.

The old mandrill opened the door of the wooden house, waved, and gestured for the two to come inside.

There are no human etiquettes here; it doesn't understand them. It only knows that when friends come, they should be treated well.

He used a flint to light the firewood in the hearth, and the flames instantly illuminated the small hut.

There was a blackened iron rod on the hearth, with several smoked river fish hanging from it, and wild kiwis on the table next to it.

The chopped firewood was piled in the corner of the house, and judging from the layout of the house, it seemed to be a hunter's hut.

The old mandrill grabbed the kiwi and stuffed it into Zhuang Xing's arms. Xiao An, who was floating, also tried to grab a kiwi, but unfortunately, Xiao An couldn't catch it. So Zhuang Xing kept it for Xiao An and also shared the kiwi with Yan Huai'an.

Yan Huai'an looked at the mountain spirit in front of her, her mind a mystery. Seeing that she wasn't taking it, the mountain spirit simply put the kiwi fruit next to Yan Huai'an and walked away.

It sat down next to Zhuang Xing, and Zhuang Xing took the opportunity to check it for any injuries, removing the wooden board from its chest. The board had been used for five or six years and was worn out.

The old mandrill obediently raised its arm, letting Zhuang Xing's hand sway over its chest.

Yan Huai'an kept his eyes fixed on this side, his right hand gripping the hilt of his sword.

Zhuang Xing could tell that the female knight had not let her guard down. She must have seen many mandrills. In various stories and legends, mandrills are man-eating little devils. In fact, when they are hungry, they will eat people, but that is the same as wild beasts eating people. It is not that they are born with a love for eating people.

That being said, the mandrill still left a bad impression, and even though she had heard Zhuang Xing tell her stories, she couldn't help but be wary.

If the mandrill showed any sign of wanting to attack, Zhuang Xing had no doubt that the female warrior would immediately draw her sword and cut off the mandrill's claws.

But the old mandrill didn't have the same wild and impetuous appearance as wild mountain spirits; it didn't have a trace of animalistic nature.

Ordinary mountain spirits would never expose their soft weaknesses, such as their heart or stomach, to humans. If you touch their warning area even slightly, they will bare their teeth and look like they are about to bite you to death.

But the old mandrill looked like a listless, lonely old man; the long hair in front of its eyebrows covered its eyes, making it look as if it were asleep.

Zhuang Xing took care of it like an elderly person; it was indeed very old, and he didn't know how many more years it could live.

Zhuang Xing trimmed some of its excess fur and replaced its chest with a new wooden board to cover the exposed skin. After doing all this, it stood up, touched the sign on its chest, and raised its arms, seemingly very happy.