Longevity Candle

Chapter 1 Building a High Platform to Seek Immortality
Baiyun Mountain Peak.

Palaces and pavilions, red walls and golden tiles, white clouds drifting by, like a palace in the heavens.

The road is paved with bluestone and leads straight into the clouds.

The viewing platform was built high, and offerings of grains, livestock, gold, silver and valuables were placed on it.

A thin, middle-aged Taoist priest, along with seven disciples, sat cross-legged beneath the high platform under the scorching sun.

Some disciples were suffering from unbearable heat, their lips were cracked, but they could not drink water.

Their expressions were fervent, glancing at the platform every now and then, only to quickly fall in disappointment and hang their heads.

On the distant wall, a single green lamp, absorbing the essence of the sun, emits a faint glow, yet it goes unnoticed under the blazing sun.

Jiang Zhu slowly opened her eyes and emerged from the dim candlelight.

His figure was faint and indistinct, so the Taoist could not see him, nor was he afraid of the blazing sun.

He sat quietly on the wall, watching the eight people, and occasionally glancing at the high platform.

This was the second time he had seen them sitting cross-legged in the scorching sun, praying.

He didn't know who the Taoist priest was worshipping, or what he was praying for to descend.

When was the first time?

Jiang Zhu couldn't remember clearly, but he did recall that the last time they came out, it didn't seem to be these disciples.

He has no concept of time; the time he can be out is very short.

The green lamp absorbs the essence of the sun and moon, storing it to a certain degree before it can emerge from the candlelight to get some fresh air.

This period of time is very short, only three hours.

Fortunately, the Taoist priest hung him outside instead of inside; otherwise, he would still be trapped here.

Jiang Zhu watched for a while, found it uninteresting, and drifted into the main hall.

The altar inside the hall was empty, and no deities were enshrined there.

The other side halls also had no statues.

After wandering around the Taoist temple and finding nothing particularly special, I drifted away.

A fierce wind howled, and white clouds swirled outside the mountains, their height unknown.

Seven more graves appeared on the back hill, but they had no names.

Jiang Zhu never went down the mountain. Although his ethereal figure was unaffected by any external force and could be considered immortal, he could not stray too far from the green lamp. Every time he reached the halfway point of the mountain, he would be pulled back by an invisible force.

He didn't understand why the Taoist priest would build the temple in such a high place.

Shouldn't Taoist temples be open to the public so that people can offer incense and prayers?

Apart from the Taoist temple, the mountaintop is just a desolate expanse of gravel and bluestone paths.

"Junior brother."

Some people couldn't withstand the scorching sun and fainted from heatstroke.

Jiang Zhu floated back and saw two disciples carrying a young man toward the meditation room in the backyard.

The Taoist priest, along with his four disciples, remained seated cross-legged, as immovable as a mountain.

Jiang Zhu followed the two men to the Taoist temple and watched them wipe the unconscious Taoist priest with cold water.

The unconscious Taoist opened his eyes, picked up a bowl of water, and gulped it down.

"Drink slowly and keep your voice down, so the abbot doesn't hear you," the young Taoist priest with a black mole on his face whispered.

“You’re really bold. If you’re found out you’re faking it, you’ll get a severe beating.” Another Taoist priest, with a thin face and dark skin, said.

“If I don’t pretend to be unconscious, I’ll really die from the sun outside.” The unconscious Taoist breathed a sigh of relief, then said worriedly, “He doesn’t treat us like human beings at all. Who can stand being exposed to the sun for seven days? How are we going to get through the other two days?”

"There's nothing we can do. We've been sold to him. Even if we die from the heat, it'll just mean a few more graves on the back hill," the black-mole Taoist said bitterly.

"Why don't we escape? I really can't hold on for the remaining two days," the unconscious Taoist priest sighed.

"Where can you escape to? The abbot has already blocked the way down the mountain. You think you can climb down the steep cliff? You'll most likely fall and be smashed to pieces."

The gaunt Taoist priest shook his head.

The two Taoist priests remained silent.

The unconscious Taoist priest's eyes flashed with a fierce light: "How about we..."

He made a throat-slitting gesture. The black-mole Taoist objected, saying, "The abbot's martial arts are quite good. Even if all seven of us attacked together, we wouldn't be able to defeat him. We might as well just die in the sun."

"He's gone mad from seeking immortality. If this continues, we'll all die. We need to find a way to survive." The unconscious Taoist's expression shifted between anger and malice, his eyes still gleaming with murderous intent.

Seeking immortality?

Jiang Zhu was stunned. Could one seek immortality simply by being exposed to the scorching sun?

That would make seeking immortality far too easy.

The Taoist with the mole said, "We are young and can outlast him. When he gets old, we can tear down this Taoist temple and sell it, enjoying endless wealth."

“Let’s persevere. We are slaves, and escaping is a dead end. Besides, what if we actually succeed?” the thin Taoist said.

"If it could be accomplished, how could there be seven graves on the back mountain?"

The unconscious Taoist priest said coldly, "I heard that he was once from a top family in the martial arts world. I don't know what happened, but he squandered his family fortune, abandoned his wife and children, and built a temple to seek immortality. Where are there any immortals in this world?"

Jiang Zhu was somewhat surprised, never expecting that the abbot of Baiyun Temple would exhaust his family fortune and abandon his wife and children in his pursuit of immortality.

He still thought he was just a Taoist with a firm belief in Taoism.

Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. An ordinary Taoist priest wouldn't be able to build such a magnificent Taoist temple.

What could possibly motivate him to risk everything to seek immortality here?
“What you seek may not be immortality,” the black-mole Taoist said in a low voice. “It may be the spirits of mountains and seas. Legend has it that the spirits of mountains and seas can bestow blessings upon mankind, give birth to magical power, make them immortal masters, and embark on the path of immortality.”

"Can the mythical creatures of mountains and seas from folk tales really be taken as real?"

"Senior Brother Jingyan, hurry back to meditate, the abbot is urging you."

Calls came from outside.

"Come here."

The black-mole Taoist responded and quickly went out with the thin Taoist.

The unconscious Taoist priest quickly went back to bed and pretended to be still asleep.

"Can the spirits of mountains and seas bestow blessings and grant magical power?"

Jiang Zhu analyzed their words and, considering the offerings on the platform, it seemed they were indeed praying to the spirits of the mountains and seas.

No wonder there are no statues of gods in the main hall; the abbot must be waiting for the spirits of the mountains and seas to move into Baiyun Temple.

Three hours passed quickly. The Yin and Yang energy within the green lamp was exhausted, and Jiang Zhu's frail body dissipated, falling into a deep sleep.

I don’t know how much time has passed.

The candlelight reappeared, and Jiang Zhu opened his eyes; this time it was night.

On the high platform, the offerings were changed, and some medicinal herbs were added.

Below the high platform, seven people sat cross-legged.

The abbot of Baiyun Temple had grown a beard and had more white hair, but his expression remained devout and resolute.

The Taoist priest who was in a coma back then is gone, and a grave has appeared on the back mountain.

The main hall remained empty, without any statues of deities.

He suddenly felt a bit of admiration for the abbot of Baiyun Temple; he was so determined to seek immortality, yet he hadn't gone mad.

He wandered around the mountain again, watching the clouds drift by, and when the time came, he returned to his quiet bed.

His body vanished once more, and in the distance, amidst the white clouds, a glimmer of green light appeared and disappeared.

Jiang Zhu saw the green light, and the green light saw him too.

Unfortunately, before he could examine it closely, his consciousness had already fallen into deep darkness.

Before falling asleep, a thought surfaced in my mind: Had the abbot of Baiyun Temple obtained what he requested?
When I wake up next time, Baiyun Temple might be different.

The green light approached from afar; it was a strange bird with human-like eyes, tinged with a hint of bewilderment.

It saw the high platform, but showed no interest in the offerings on it.

It's a bit strange, though. Why are these seven people sitting cross-legged below the platform? What are they praying for?
Why did that fleeting glimpse of a wandering soul disappear without a trace?

Filled with curiosity and doubt, she looked around the Taoist temple, and finally her gaze fell on the green lamp that was absorbing the moonlight.

Could this be a treasure?
After thinking for a moment, it decided not to take the green lamp with it, but to stay and figure out what was going on here.

After all, you can't steal other people's things without permission, not even ordinary people's.

(End of this chapter)