Longevity, starting from traveling and telling stories

Chapter 178: Su Dan Becomes an Immortal.
Inside the Beiliang Imperial Palace, the air above the hall seemed to have solidified, and the oppressive atmosphere made it almost impossible to breathe.

The once magnificent hall now seemed to have lost all its luster. The Northern Liang Emperor Yuwen Hong sat high on the dragon throne. He glanced at the ministers in the hall, his eyes full of disappointment. There was not a single civil or military official available.

"Beiyu Pass has fallen, and the Great Zhou army has advanced straight ahead and is now approaching Beimen City. The next target is the imperial capital. What good plans do you have, my dear ministers?" Although Yuwen Hong's voice was flat, one could still see his inner anxiety.

The ministers looked at each other, but no one stepped forward.

The fall of Beiyu Pass happened so quickly that they didn't have time to react.

Now the Great Zhou army is unstoppable, the Northern Liang army is retreating step by step, and the Northern Liang imperial capital is in danger.

At this moment, an old but righteous voice came, saying, "Your Majesty, this old minister is willing to personally lead the charge and meet the Great Zhou Commander!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw an old man in armor and with white hair and beard striding into the hall.

He held a sharp sword, his eyes were sharp, and he exuded an otherworldly aura that was out of tune with the armor on his body.

This person is none other than the old Heavenly Master of Northern Liang - Zhang Daoling.

Zhang Daoling has long been famous in the Immortal Palace and his cultivation is unfathomable. However, although he has transcended the mortal world, he still has his heart in Beiliang.

He knew in his heart that Beiliang was relying on the devil to gain respect and was going against the will of heaven, but how could he give up his patriotism so easily?

Yuwen Hong was overjoyed when he saw this, and said with a smile: "I am very pleased that the old Heavenly Master is willing to take charge!"

"Immediately appoint Zhang Tianshi as the Heavenly Master of the Orthodox Yi Dao, the Grand Marshal of the Nation, and personally lead the men of Beiliang to drive out the invaders from the Great Zhou!"

Zhang Daoling nodded slightly. Although his expression was extremely calm, he sighed helplessly in his heart. He was acting tantamount to going against the will of heaven. He was afraid that a hundred years of practice would be ruined.

But Beiliang is his root, his home. He has no complaints about returning to his roots and dying for his hometown.

However, just as Zhang Daoling was about to accept the order, a low murmur suddenly sounded in the hall.

Someone sighed softly, "Some time ago, it was Beiliang that attacked the Great Zhou, but now the offense and defense have changed. How unpredictable the world is..."

These words were like a thorn, piercing Yuwen Hong's heart.

Once upon a time, the Northern Liang cavalry swept across the Great Zhou, but now, the Great Zhou army is counterattacking, and Northern Liang has reached a critical moment of life and death.

Yuwen Hong took a deep breath, suppressed his annoyance, and said softly: "Tianshi, this battle is of great importance. Are you confident?"

Zhang Daoling bowed and said calmly, "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will do my utmost and will not hesitate to die."

After saying this, he turned around and strode away, his back filled with indescribable loneliness and sadness.

Zhang Daoling knew clearly in his heart that the name of Mr. Ye, the commander-in-chief of the Great Zhou Dynasty, had long been known in all the major immortal palaces. Although he was young, he had extraordinary means, which made him highly respected by the three major immortal palaces. Even a terrifying person like Lan Cangqing was skinned alive by him, which showed how ruthless his means were.

Although his cultivation had already reached the Golden Core stage, he was still unsure when facing such an opponent.

"Mr. Ye, please forgive me for my rudeness." Zhang Daoling murmured in a low voice, with a trace of sadness in his eyes.

At the same time, in the Great Zhou military camp.

Ye Beixuan stood on a high place, looking at the North Gate City, thinking about how to take it.

In the Battle of Beiyu Pass, the Northern Liang army was completely defeated and their own side advanced straight ahead. Although there was sporadic resistance, it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

But for some reason, he felt a sense of unease. Could it be that another master from the demonic realm was approaching? Why had Hou Fangting not appeared yet? What conspiracy was he hatching?
"Report—" a small soldier came and knelt on one knee to report: "General, the spies just reported that the commander of Beimen City is named Zhang Daoling, and he is the Zhengtian Tianshi appointed by the Emperor of Beiliang himself!"

"Zhang Daoling?" Ye Beixuan frowned slightly, then revealed a faint smile: "Heavenly Master? He seems to be a cultivator, but does he represent the Immortal Palace?"

"Have you ever heard of Zhang Daoling, Mr. Hua?"

Hua Wuyan stepped forward and whispered, "Mr. Ye, Zhang Daoling is an elder of Chonghua Palace. His cultivation is unfathomable, comparable to the masters of the three great immortal palaces. We must proceed with caution."

Ye Beixuan nodded and said, "It's okay. With a few of you helping me, I will definitely be able to defeat them."

The monk who quit smoking grinned and said in a scoundrel tone, "Don't worry, big brother. We are not vegetarians. If he comes, I will beat him from a Heavenly Master to an Earthly Master!"

"I think it should be the Four Elements that are not empty." Hua Wuyan finally got the chance to mock.

"Alright." Ye Beixuan smiled slightly, turned around and said to everyone, "Pass the order, the entire army will rest for three days and stay on standby!"

"Yes!" Everyone agreed in unison.

As the night deepened, the lights in the Great Zhou military camp were brightly lit, and Ye Beixuan and Tian Huazhi were discussing countermeasures.

"General, the terrain of North Gate City is flat. Our army only needs to rely on its superior military strength to break in." Tian Huazhi pointed at North Gate City and said lightly.

Ye Beixuan frowned, thinking that Zhang Daoling's ability must be extremely extraordinary. His thunder talismans, divine fighting techniques, and magic weapons were also very powerful. He was at least two levels stronger than Lan Cangqing. Perhaps only the three major sect masters could be compared to him.

"No rush. We don't know the enemy's capabilities yet." Ye Beixuan looked at the map and said, "If we get stuck in a tough fight and get delayed, our battle lines will be stretched too far, which won't be conducive to a long fight. We must win quickly and fight to support the enemy."

"Then what should we do?" Tian Huazhi asked anxiously, "Is the only thing we can do is wait?"

Ye Beixuan looked at the map, pursed his lips, and suddenly an idea came to his mind, and his eyes lit up.

Tian Huazhi had been with Ye Beixuan for so long, and when he saw the change in Ye Beixuan's expression, he immediately knew that he had come up with a solution.

"Does the General have a new idea?"

"Just throwing out some ideas." Ye Beixuan said calmly.

"Throwing a brick to attract jade?" Tian Huazhi didn't understand what was going on, but he looked excited. This was another new strategy, so he hurriedly asked, "General, what do you mean by that?"

"Let me tell you a story." Ye Beixuan smiled calmly.

Tian Huazhi immediately straightened his body. This was General Ye teaching me another strategy.

Ye Beixuan spoke clearly, "Once upon a time there was a poet named Zhao Gu, who was famous for his line 'A sound of a flute, a man leaning against a tower,' and people affectionately called him 'Zhao Yiluo.'" (From the Jingde Chuandeng Lu, Chang Jian's suggestion)

A poet? What does this have to do with war? Tian Huazhi didn't understand, but he knew that General Ye would analyze it for him step by step.

Seeing his confusion, Ye Beixuan said calmly, "There is a poet named Chang Jian who admires Zhao Gu's talent very much."

"One day, Chang Jian heard that Zhao Gu was going to visit a place called Lingyan Temple. He wanted Zhao Gu to leave a poem for him. So, Chang Jian and Zhao Gu went to Lingyan Temple first and left two incomplete poems."

"Why is this?" Tian Huazhi couldn't help but ask in confusion, "What effect does this have?"

"Let me tell you slowly." Ye Beixuan waved his hand and said calmly, "Later, Zhao Gu came to the temple and saw the two incomplete verses. He felt that they were not perfect, so he added the last two lines, thus completing the verses. In this way, Chang Jian obtained Zhao Gu's verses."

Tian Huazhi still seemed confused and wondered what this had to do with war.
Seeing that he didn't understand, Ye Beixuan said calmly, "The poem that Chang Jian left behind is the worthless brick, and the beautiful sentence that led to the last two sentences left by Zhao Gu is the jade. Using the brick to draw out the jade, this is the purpose of this plan."

Tian Huazhi suddenly understood and said, "General, are you saying that we should use something to elicit what we want to know?"

"That's right." Ye Beixuan smiled faintly: "That's it, we have to throw out the bricks to see if we can draw out the jade."

Tian Huazhi suddenly bowed and said, "General, please give your orders."

"No rush." Ye Beixuan said calmly, "Beimen City, the gates are now closed. Let's build a ramming machine first. We need to make it in a grand manner, so they can see it."

"Yes, General." Tian Huazhi took the order and left.

North Gate City.

Zhang Daoling was studying Ye Beixuan's possible attack route when a soldier suddenly came to report.

"Report," the soldier knelt down and said, "General, the spies have reported that the Great Zhou is building a huge ramming machine and seems to be attacking from the front."

"I understand." Zhang Daoling said lightly.

"This person is unfathomable and not that simple. This car crash might just be a cover." A sinister voice came from the side. This person was Qiu Zimo from the Demon Sect, a master who was extremely skilled in using poison.

"I know." Zhang Daoling said calmly, "Do you have any solution?"

Qiu Zimo said calmly, "Have you forgotten what I'm good at? Using poison. As long as I poison the water sources near the Zhou army, they will surely suffer heavy losses. By then, we can hold our ground and bring down the Great Zhou."

Qiu Zimo's sinister voice echoed in the tent. His proposal made Zhang Daoling's heart tremble. These were the heartless people of the Demon Sect.

Zhang Daoling glanced at him coldly, his tone carrying unquestionable severity: "Poisoning? There are countless Beiliang people living near these water sources. Do you want them to die too? I, Zhang Daoling, would never do such a thing!"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Zimo curled up his lips in a sarcastic smile and retorted, "Master Zhang, your words are very high-sounding, but don't forget that those people are Beiliang people now, but they may not be Beiliang people in the future. If you are soft-hearted, you will only become prey to others' slaughter!"

Zhang Daoling's face suddenly changed when he heard this, and he shouted angrily: "Demon Sect remnants, although Beiliang cooperates with your Demon Sect, we will never joke with the lives of ordinary people!"

Qiu Zimo sneered, a sinister glint in his eyes: "You self-righteous scholar, if your North Gate City is lost, your persistence will be meaningless."

Zhang Daoling was extremely angry and said with a flick of his sleeve: "If we don't share the same ideals, we can't make plans together!"

Qiu Zimo snorted coldly and turned to leave. Before leaving, he did not forget to taunt: "If it weren't for the order of the Demon Lord, I wouldn't bother to cooperate with you. Just stick to your morality and wait to be trampled down!"

The two parted on bad terms, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Zhang Daoling sighed, his heart filled with helplessness and sadness. Beiliang's cooperation with the Demon Sect was tantamount to courting disaster. Where would Beiliang go from here? Was my persistence really wrong?

Late at night, a figure quietly left the North Gate City and sneaked into the water source near the Great Zhou military camp.

He held a pitch-black bottle in his hand and poured all the liquid in the bottle into the stream.

The next morning.

The Great Zhou military camp was in chaos. More than a dozen soldiers lay sprawled on the ground, foaming at the mouth and convulsing. The military doctors were helpless and could only watch them die in agony.

Tian Huazhi was so anxious when he received the report that he rushed to Ye Beixuan's tent and reported: "General Ye, something terrible has happened. There has been a sudden plague in the army!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Beixuan frowned and immediately stood up and said, "Take me to the scene quickly!"

At this moment, the drug rehabilitation monk hurried over. He rubbed his hands as he walked and thought.

Seeing this, Ye Beixuan asked doubtfully, "Drug rehabilitation master?"

The monk who was supposed to be detoxifying frowned and said, "Mr. Ye, I just checked and found that the soldiers were not suffering from the plague, but from poisoning."

Before he quit drugs and became a monk, he was an expert in drugs. He could tell at a glance that the soldiers were definitely poisoned.

Tian Huazhi's face changed drastically when he heard this: "It's not a plague? It's poisoning? Who could poison the army?!"

Ye Beixuan fell into deep thought and said, "Call the fire general, Qin Beixi."

"Yes." The soldier received the order and immediately stood up and trotted away.

After a while, the soldier rushed over and replied, "General, something terrible has happened. Qin Beixi has also been poisoned and is in critical condition."

"What?" Ye Beixuan turned into a shadow and left quickly.

Haoqiang Jiedu's face turned stern. This Mr. Ye was indeed worthy of his reputation. He immediately turned into a gust of wind and followed him.

What he saw was Ye Beixuan looking at the unconscious Qin Ruoxi at the back of the military camp with a gloomy face. If he had not arrived in time to protect her heart, this girl would have met the King of Hell.

However, protecting the heart meridian at this moment is only temporary, and we must find a way to detoxify it quickly.

"Where exactly is the source of this poison?" Ye Beixuan saw the drug rehabilitation team rushing over and asked in a gloomy tone, "Master, do you know the antidote for this poison?"

"I just checked the area around here to find the source of this poison. I'm afraid the water sources are all poisoned." The monk who was supposed to be dealing with poison shook his head and said, "I just tested the poison. It's incredibly strong! Even my body, which often tests poisons, can't handle it. Creating an antidote won't be easy."

"Pass the order."

Ye Beixuan shouted, and Tian Huazhi quickly came over and knelt down, saying, "General, what are your orders?"

"Order: Do not draw water from nearby sources. The water is poisonous."

"The water is poisonous?" Tian Huazhi asked, "General, how do we solve the problem of drinking the water?"

"Send the order, hang the sword in the air at night and put a bowl underneath. There will be water the next day. Everyone should be patient for a few days while I find a way to deal with the poison." Ye Beixuan ordered.

"Yes." Tian Huazhi bowed and left.

Then Ye Beixuan turned to Jiedu and asked hurriedly: "Is there no way at all?!"

The drug rehabilitation monk shook his head and said, "The other party's poisoning skills are no less than mine. This young lady, with Hua Gongzi and my three fellow apprentices, can temporarily protect her heart meridians. However, we cannot solve the water problem, so we can only ask everyone to be patient."

"but."

Ye Beixuan heard that his words were full of hidden meanings, and hurriedly asked: "Master Drug Rehabilitation, please speak."

"But this is just a legend. I don't know if it's true or not." Jiedu said nervously, "This is a legend I found in the literature of Yaowang Valley before I became a monk."

Then he began to tell the story:

There was a man named Su Dan, a kindly doctor who treated patients daily for free. (Su Dan's immortality comes from the story of him in Xiangzhong Ji. There's also a Su Xian Gong mentioned in Shenxian Zhuan (Biographies of Immortals), Dongxian Zhuan (Biographies of Cave Immortals), and Shui Jing Zhu (Notes on the Classic of Waterways). Su's story is also recorded in Taiping Yulan (Taiping Yulan) and Taiping Guangji (Biographies of the Greatest Tales ...
Su Dan became an immortal? Why, why, was there such a story here? Ye Beixuan was shocked. Shouldn't he be the only one who knew this?

"Until one day, Su Dan suddenly felt that his end was near. He quickly filled the well with water and broke a lot of firewood for his mother. He knew this was the last time he could show filial piety to his mother."

Then the drug rehabilitation will continue to narrate what is seen in the literature. After fulfilling his filial piety, a group of cranes flew over. Su Dan handed his mother a box and warned her not to open it unless absolutely necessary. Then the man rode the crane to the west.

Day after day, year after year, until the plague broke out, Su Dan's uncle came to his sister's house and begged his nephew to save him. But his sister told him that Su Dan had left. Just when she was in despair, Su Dan's mother suddenly remembered that her son left a box before he left.

"Just like that, Su Dan's mother opened the box and found a note inside saying that orange leaves soaked in well water could cure all diseases and detoxify all poisons."

"But I don't know where this orange leaf is, and I have never seen it."

Ye Beixuan was shocked. This was the first time he was shocked by someone else's story, just because his past life story was included here. Where did this story come from?

There really weren't any oranges in this world. No, that wasn't right! Oranges were rare, but I only knew of one place with ancient wells and orange trees: Qingshi Town, at the home of the Pretty Widow.

"Someone come here." Ye Beixuan suddenly shouted loudly.

Tian Huazhi quickly came in from outside the military tent and said with a bow, "General, what are your instructions?"

"Hua Zhi." Ye Beixuan sighed and said, "I'm going to Qingshi Town to find a way to detoxify. Everything here is up to you."

Then he bowed towards the drug rehabilitation master and said, "I hope the drug rehabilitation master and the others can lend me a hand. I'll be back soon."

Jiedu put his hands together and said, "Amitabha, I will definitely try my best."

at the same time.

In the villages near the North Gate City, people also began to be poisoned.

Overnight, the village was littered with corpses and the sounds of wailing were endless.

When Zhang Daoling learned of this, he flew into a rage, shaking with anger as he shouted, "The remnants of the Demon Sect are truly devoid of conscience!"

Zhang Daoling stood on the city wall, looking at the tragic scene in the distant village, his heart filled with grief. He should have tried his best to stop it, but he was incompetent.
He murmured, "Zhang Daoling has committed many sins in his life!"

Just now.

A soldier hurried over and reported: "General, there is news of an outbreak of plague in the Great Zhou military camp!"

Zhang Daoling was shocked when he heard this, then smiled bitterly and said, "If you hurt the enemy by one thousand, you will lose eight hundred of your own..."

He sighed deeply, his eyes filled with sadness. How many more people would have to be sacrificed before this could end?

On the vast black mountain, a figure was moving quickly. When he passed by a dilapidated temple, he suddenly stopped.

The entrance to the dilapidated temple was still covered with dust and leaves, but the three large characters "Lanruo Temple" on the slanted sign above the door were still so conspicuous.

Time flies, as if we have returned to three years ago.

At that time, I also met Yun Ge here. I shook my head. What am I thinking? Ruoxi is still in danger, and the army is still waiting for me.

Without stopping, he quickly headed towards Qingshi Town.

Above Qingshi Town.

This area is remote and has not been affected by the war. The streets are bustling with traffic and countless merchants coming and going.

And the Ping'an Inn still stands there, as if nothing has changed in three years.

Ye Beixuan strolled in the town, and in a trance, he seemed to have returned to the time three years ago when he had just traveled through time.

I wonder how she is doing? I really miss her tofu! I can't wait to eat a bite of her tofu.

As we walked, everything seemed normal, yet it felt like many years had passed.

"Hey! Sir, come to the pot of wine!"

Ye Beixuan remembered him, Little Old Man Zhao Si. His son was a gambler, and his wife ran away, leaving behind a young child. In his later years, he had no choice but to sell alcohol to supplement the family income. He probably hadn't remembered him in three years! He used to love watching his own storytelling and even gave him free water many times.

Drink some wine and eat some tofu, it shouldn't be a big problem!
"Uncle, bring me a pot of warm wine."

"Okay. Three cents." Zhao Si warmed the wine for him enthusiastically.

"Hey, hey, hey! Sir, it won't cost that much." However, just as Zhao Si was about to catch up, he found that Ye Beixuan had already disappeared into the crowd. He held the heavy ten taels of silver in his hand and wondered, "Won't he be anxious? Forget it, I'll wait a little longer! If he doesn't come back, just think that he pities me, an old man!"

Ye Beixuan took the wine and continued to walk towards the tofu stall. He held the warm wine in his hand and slowly took a sip. Thinking of his past and present life, he suddenly felt inspired to write poetry.

"Yellow Crane's broken cliffs, is my old friend here now? The old mountains and rivers are all filled with new sorrows. I want to buy some osmanthus flowers to carry with me, but it never feels like the days of my youth." (From "Tang Duoling: Reed Leaves Filling the Tingzhou" by Southern Song Dynasty poet Liu Guo)
As we walked, we finally arrived at the Ping'an Inn. Across from the inn, there was a hot tofu stall, but no one was tending it. She must have been busy with something! Niuniu wasn't there either. Wait a minute!

Looking around, nothing much seemed to have changed. Looking towards the inn, there seemed to be a storyteller inside, concentrating intently on telling a story.

Ye Beixuan had sharp ears and immediately heard that this was "Romance of the Western Chamber". Can't these people make up their own stories? They only know how to talk about the rest of mine.

But then he shook his head. There was not even a single juren in a small town, and scholars were rare. It was naturally difficult to compile a story, so he couldn't blame them.

Even Zhou Boran, as a scholar, could not compile the story and had to rely on himself.

After a while, a pretty woman walked slowly towards the tofu stall.

Ye Beixuan thought she was buying tofu and was going to help her sell some, but she actually walked straight to the tofu stall and skillfully fiddled with it.

She looked at Ye Beixuan standing so close and asked curiously, "Sir, do you want to buy tofu?"

Uh. Someone changed? Ye Beixuan was extremely embarrassed, but he still said, "I'll buy a bowl of tofu."

The woman swiftly served him a bowl of tofu. Ye Beixuan took the tofu, his mind awash with questions. Was she no longer selling tofu? Where had she gone? He decided to go to her house and take a look.

After paying, he took a bite of the tofu. It wasn't tasty, not what he'd expected. He waved his hand, and the tofu landed steadily on a nearby beggar. Then, he darted toward the pretty widow's house, his steps swift and frantic, his anxiety unspeakable. Could something have happened?

(End of this chapter)