Longevity Candle

Chapter 102 I am not an ordinary person, but just a common one.

The tabby cat was severely injured, and a powerful Yin energy was eroding his body.

If it weren't for his profound magical power and his quick escape back then, he would have been killed by the power of the Yin long ago.

With his cultivation level, recovery is only a matter of time, but that time will be far too long.

Given the current situation in Shengguo, the Green Lamp can summon the nation's fortune, and Li Qingchen can do the same with the Green Lamp.

Therefore, the tabby cat chose to approach Li Qingchen.

If Li Qingchen could summon the nation's destiny and slay a mountain and sea spirit, and then devour it, he could not only use the spirit's power to dispel the Yin energy, but also extend his lifespan.

Kill two birds with one stone!
Ning Qinghan immediately revealed the matter of Peach Blossom Spring, as the tabby cat had previously intended to kill them.

The tabby cat had a gloomy look in its eyes, but it didn't dare to utter any harsh words.

Circumstances are stronger than people. The Peach Blossom Spring lineage has produced ruthless individuals generation after generation. If he were to utter any threatening words, he had no doubt that the Green Lamp Spirit would dare to kill him.

They're all a bunch of reckless fools!
"That peach tree from back then has actually entered the path of immortality." Jiang Zhu looked surprised and sighed, "Hu Ling, she is still practicing the Way of Peace."

"Ancestor, what should we do with this mountain and sea spirit?" Li Taoshan asked cautiously.

"Didn't you want to teach him swordsmanship? Then teach him." Jiang Zhu glanced at the tabby cat: "Teach him seriously, and I can help you heal your injuries."

"Really?" The tabby cat looked at him in surprise. Was there really such a good thing?
“But becoming your immortal master is out of the question. The Peach Blossom Spring lineage pioneered the path of Qi Refiners and has no desire to become your immortal master,” Jiang Zhu said.

The tabby cat's eyes gleamed with excitement: "A Qi Refiner is just a Qi Refiner, it's just a title."

"In your view, it's just a title." Jiang Zhu shook his head slightly: "Qi Refiner is the path that Li Qingxuan seeks, which is different from that of you Immortal Masters and Elves."

"What's the difference? Aren't they all the same path to immortality?" the tabby cat said dismissively.

"Although both are in the path of immortality, you seek the path of longevity, while Qi cultivators seek the path of peace. They are fundamentally different."

Jiang Zhudao.

"There is no such thing as the Way of Peace; it is just a series of cycles, repeated over and over again."

The tabby cat scoffed, “During the Ningguo War, the Yunmeng clan was wiped out. Now, there are no more clans, but new landlords, gentry, and powerful nobles have emerged.”

"I don't know much about Ningguo, but I imagine it's pretty much the same. They're just repeating the same old mistakes in the end."

"Isn't the path to immortality the same? The ancient path to immortality seeks immortality, and so do you; there is no difference between you."

Jiang Zhu picked up Xiao Qingchen: "Bring a jar of peach blossom wine and some food. I'll take Xiao Qingchen and chat with this celestial spirit."

"Yes," the three replied respectfully and immediately got to work.

Upon entering the tavern, I randomly found a table and sat down.

Looking at his peach blossom wine, the tabby cat said with disdain, "I can't drink this mundane wine. I really don't know that you, an elf, would be willing to drink such mundane wine."

There's a saying among ordinary people: "The warmth of everyday life is what comforts the human heart the most." Jiang Zhu said, "I am not an ordinary person, but I am just an ordinary person. Since I have entered this world, I should also follow local customs."

The tabby cat sneered, "You really think of yourself as a mortal? Even if you disguise yourself, you are still a star in the sky, a dazzling sun."

Jiang Zhu smiled, looked at Xiao Qingchen, and poured him a small bowl of peach blossom wine: "Is this cat dazzling?"

"Dirty, rude, and barbaric," Xiao Qingchen said with a look of disgust.

The tabby cat was furious: "Noble elves do not need to abide by the etiquette of you mortals."

“I am just a mortal,” Xiao Qingchen said.

“You won’t be like that anymore. Once you step onto the path of immortality, you will be an immortal whom mortals can only look up to and never reach,” the tabby cat said.

"Then I won't enter the path of immortality." Xiao Qingchen snorted: "Our ancestor said that you elves and immortal masters are just hoping for chaos in the mortal world, you're no good."

"Your ancestors know nothing." The tabby cat sneered, its gaze fixed on Jiang Zhu: "Green Lantern Spirit, do you really want me to tell you everything?"

Jiang Zhu was slightly taken aback: "What do you mean by 'everything'? Tell me about it."

Could it be related to the previous generation of the Green Lantern Spirit?

What does that have to do with me?!

"Little brat, do you think this Green Lamp Spirit is anything good? He's been using you mortals from the very beginning!"

The tabby cat said viciously, "Elves can extend their lives and live another lifetime, but killing them incurs karma that is almost unbearable. Therefore, the nation's fortune is needed."

"This green lantern spirit, plotting in the mortal world, do you really think he's on the side of the mortals? He just wants to use you, to use you to kill the spirits. If you die, the nation's fortune will fall, and he'll eat the spirits to prolong his life!"

Jiang Zhu remained expressionless. From the perspective of the tabby cat, this viewpoint was indeed quite apt.

Xiao Qingchen's expression changed; after all, he was just a child and was frightened by his words.

But soon, he turned to look at the tabby cat: "And then?"

"And then came the current situation. He can command the dragon's energy of the nation, and kill whichever elf he wants, thus extending his lifespan once more," the tabby cat sneered.

Before Xiao Qingchen could speak, Ning Qinghan brought up a fish and said, "Ancestor, when will you kill this cat to extend your life? I'm not afraid of death, as long as Ancestor lives on."

"Are you insane?!" the tabby cat exclaimed in shock and anger. "Killing me will plunge the world into chaos. Isn't your Peach Blossom Spring lineage supposed to be pursuing some kind of peaceful path? I've already exposed his ugly face, and you still want to help him?"

"Could it be that I'm going to help you?" Ning Qinghan glanced at him: "Let this spirit who follows the way of heaven continue to use wandering souls as nourishment to prolong your life?"

Xiao Qingchen asked with a puzzled look, "Ancestor, why haven't you eaten him yet? Is it hard to eat him because of his fur? I'll skin him for you."

The tabby cat's paws gripped the wooden table tightly; this little lamp spirit really knew how to bewitch these mortals.

"Alright." Jiang Zhu raised his hand: "Don't frighten this elf, he's not easily frightened right now."

The tabby cat snorted, and although it was frightened, it still stubbornly said, "You dare to say that you didn't do it this way?"

"You're really disappointed. If I had really done that, the Way of Peace wouldn't have existed."

Jiang Zhu said calmly, "The Way of Peace seeks peace throughout the world, and we also hope that you can have some peace. Please stop using the nation's fortune to seek immortality."

“You should talk to the Dao of Immortality,” said the tabby cat.

"Isn't what you're thinking now exactly what the Path of Immortality is doing? Or is the Path of Following Heaven the same as the Path of Immortality?" Jiang Zhu asked.

"Hmph, I'm only using this method temporarily. How can the Way of Heaven be compared to the Way of Immortality? They've already gone astray. The Way of Heaven is the true path to immortality!"

The tabby cat said arrogantly, showing great disdain for the path of immortality.

Jiang Zhu smiled and said, "If you help Xiao Qingchen take another step forward on the path of Qi Refining, I will take all the Taiyin power from your body. How about it?"

“As long as he fixes my method, it’s fine,” the tabby cat said.

"I'm referring to the path of Qi Refiners; ordinary people can also cultivate," Jiang Zhu said.

"If you're not doing this to prolong your life and achieve immortality, then what are you doing it for? To glorify the mortal path of immortality, what chance do we elves and immortal masters have left to live?"

The tabby cat angrily retorted, "Do you expect the whole world to belong to Li Qingping and Li Qingxuan? What good would it do you to do this if not to kill the elves?"

"Perhaps, because I was once a wandering soul in the mortal realm?" Jiang Zhu said calmly, "I am merely giving them a chance to seek the Dao."

"A mortal like me is not worthy of seeking the Dao?!"

“The Way of Peace is also a Way,” Jiang Zhu sighed softly.

In the eyes of these mountain and sea spirits, nothing but immortality is the Dao, nor is anything else worthy of being called the Dao.

The so-called Way of Peace was initially seen by them as nothing more than a joke.

It was only after Li Qingping and then Li Qingxuan appeared that they truly became terrified.

But how many Li Qingpings and Li Qingxuans are there in the world?

The methods of Qi refinement that they left behind were considered crude and laughable by the elves.

Jiang Zhu looked at him calmly: "You have no other choice now, do you?"

The tabby cat had a gloomy look in his eyes. If he weren't so badly injured and unable to defeat Jiang Zhu, he would never have given in.

Li Qingping's successor truly deserves to die!
Back then, I tricked him out of his merits!

"You really will keep your promise and take the Yin energy from my body?" the tabby cat said with a gloomy face.

Jiang Zhu raised his hand, and a wisp of lunar essence floated out from his body: "I have this ability. If Li Qingchen chooses to become your immortal master in the future, I will not stop him."

"Are you kidding me? Do you think I'm easy to fool?" the tabby cat sneered.

Li Qingchen has a talent for immortality. If he really becomes Jiang Zhu's immortal master, would Jiang Zhu agree?

"Why deceive them?" Jiang Zhu said, "I never interfere in their lives, nor do I make choices for them. But it just so happens that I met you. Don't you think that meeting in this endless sea of ​​people is also a kind of fate?"

"Fate?" The tabby cat scoffed. "A mortal like you deserve a destiny with immortals?"

“You are no different from ordinary people.” Jiang Zhu said calmly, “Think it over carefully, I should go and see Tao Ling.”

In the eyes of tabby cats, these elven beings are not worthy of their attention, let alone any connection or destiny.

Elves and immortal masters are lofty beings in the immortal path, and Li Qingchen, who has the talent for the immortal path, will also become one in the future.

As for mortals, in their short lives, they can only pray for the sages to look down upon them; without their sages looking down upon them, they will never see them even once in their lives.

Jiang Zhu didn't want to talk to the tabby cat anymore; it was a complete waste of his precious time.

Ning Qinghan and Xiao Qingchen, along with Qingdeng, headed towards Peach Blossom Spring. The tabby cat snorted and ate the fish heartily. Its magic was currently imprisoned; if it escaped, Jiang Zhu would easily find it.

He didn't understand Jiang Zhu, so naturally he didn't dare to leave easily.

Peach blossoms are in full bloom, another year has passed, the fragrance of peaches fills the air, and the silver moon snake pays homage.

"Greetings, Green Lantern Spirit." Peach Spirit manifested and said respectfully.

Her injuries were not very serious, and after a year, she has recovered to about 70-80%.

"I never expected that you would also enter the path of immortality." Jiang Zhu said with great emotion. What was once an ordinary peach tree has now become quite successful.

"I am a member of the Immortal Fox Gang. After Zhang Ning left, he left all his merits to me."

Tao Ling asked, "Should I contact the old snake?"

"No need," Jiang Zhu waved his hand and said, "Let them focus on their cultivation. I just came out to take a look."

The old snake king has already left and is cultivating in seclusion in the mountains, so there's no need to disturb him.

Once the old snake king makes a move, the Southern Ridge Flood Dragon and the others will surely guess that it is him who has returned.

The old dragon is probably in no better shape than the tabby cat these days.

If they make too much of a commotion and are discovered by ordinary people, it will bring them disaster.

After all, the emperor of Sheng Kingdom is now seeking immortality.

He and the old dragon met through the Three-Headed Dark Raven. Now that the matter is settled, he will not disturb them for the time being.

"Alright, the peaches are ripe." Peach Spirit picked a peach and gave one to each of them.

Jiang Zhu held the peach in her hand; it was crisp, delicious, and very sweet, with a hint of energy that nourished her body.

Xiao Qingchen hugged Tao'er and ate it, the juice splashing everywhere.

Jiang Zhu smiled and said, "You really do look a bit like Qingxuan."

Xiao Qingchen looked up: "Really?"

“It’s true, when she was little, she loved eating peaches just like you, and she’d get her face all covered in peaches,” Jiang Zhu said.

Xiao Qingchen chuckled, not blushing at all, but rather with a hint of pride: "Then will I be as powerful as Ancestor Qingxuan?"

"Why do you want to be as amazing as her?" Jiang Zhu asked.

"Because our ancestors were very powerful," Xiao Qingchen said earnestly. "Qi cultivators! My father and mother taught me from a young age that I should become a Qi cultivator."

Jiang Zhu smiled and asked, "Have you thought about what you want to do in the future?"

"Become a Qi Refiner, protect the peace of the world, and drive all the mythical beasts, mountain and sea spirits, and immortal masters back to the mountains and forests," said Xiao Qingchen.

"Not every mountain and sea spirit or immortal master wants to disrupt the stability of the mortal world."

Jiang Zhu patted his little head: "Now that we live in a peaceful and prosperous era, you should have your own path to follow."

"My own path?" Xiao Qingchen asked in confusion, "Can't we follow the path of our ancestors?"

"Perhaps it is possible, perhaps it is not. The ambition of peace is to protect the peace of the mortal world and prevent the immortal path from causing chaos. But if the immortal path exists and does not cause harm to the mortal world, would you still make things difficult for them?" Jiang Zhu asked.

Xiao Qingchen scratched his head: "He didn't bully me, nor did he cause any trouble in the mortal world. I really shouldn't make things difficult for him."

Jiang Zhu smiled and sat down to the side, listening to Tao Ling recount the events that had happened over the years.

Hu Ling is still in the secular world, but she doesn't know whether she's in Sheng Kingdom or Ning Kingdom.

As for Zhang Ning back then, although he practiced the method of rebirth, he still passed away.

He no longer wanted to linger in the mortal world, believing that wandering souls should return to the underworld, and he also wanted to see the old crow.

He knew that staying would only hold Hu Ling back, and he didn't want to become a burden any longer.

During this time, the old dragon and his companions also came to inquire about Qingdeng, but finding no clues, they stopped coming.

No one knows where Li Qingxuan took the green lamp; no method can be used to find it, so they have no choice but to give up.

"Many elves and immortal masters died in that battle. According to the old dragon, all the immortal masters under the tabby cat's command are dead."

The white cranes and the others were also seriously injured and returned to Crane Village to heal. The South Sea Mermaid Spirit was also severely injured and had to return to slumber...

Jiang Zhu listened quietly. The old crow still held back against them, only injuring them and not killing them.

Look at the spirits and immortal masters of the Longevity Path and the Heavenly Path; basically, a large number of them die.

The battle of Yunmeng completely destroyed their foundation.

Jiang Zhu chatted with her for a long time, bestowed upon her some Taiyin magic power, offered a few words of encouragement, and then led them away.

"Jiang Zhu, will you come to eat peaches again next time?" Tao Ling asked anxiously and expectantly.

"Come again," Jiang Zhu said gently.

"I will save the best peaches for you," Tao Ling said joyfully.

"it is good."

Jiang Zhu smiled, picked up Xiao Qingchen, and returned to Xingyue City.

Return to the inn.

"Grandmaster, could you teach me swordsmanship?" Xiao Qingchen asked, looking up.

He would rather learn from Jiang Zhu than from the tabby cat.

“If you want to learn swordsmanship, he is indeed the best teacher,” Jiang Zhu said.

The tabby cat held its head high with pride. If it weren't for its severe injuries and fear of the nation's fate, it would definitely have let Jiang Zhu witness what the Heavenly Sword was.

“But I don’t want to learn from him. He even tried to kill us before.” Xiao Qingchen glared at the tabby cat.

The tabby cat curled its lip in disdain: "You draw your swords at me first. If I kill you, there will be no karma for heaven and earth."

"If you hadn't taken Tao'er, would your aunt have hit you?" Xiao Qingchen said angrily. Wasn't this world a little unreasonable?

"That's between me and Tao Ling," the tabby cat sneered. "What does it have to do with a mere mortal doll like you?"

“That’s for my peach,” Xiao Qingchen said.

Jiang Zhu watched them bickering: "You've really made something of yourself. You were tricked by Li Qingping before, then beaten by Old Crow, and now you're bickering with Li Qingchen."

The tabby cat fell silent, its expression quite desolate. A dignified great spirit of the Shuntian Dao had fallen to such a state, truly a disgrace.

Jiang Zhu flicked his fingers, and a ray of divine light entered the tabby cat's body: "I'll help you suppress the Taiyin. When I return, I'll see how well you've taught me."

"Grandpa," Xiao Qingchen hugged him, "can't you really teach me?"

"He knows nothing about swordsmanship," the tabby cat scoffed.

"Wouldn't it be better to learn his swordsmanship and then use it to fight him?" Jiang Zhu smiled and tapped his little head.

Xiao Qingchen blinked: "Okay."

The tabby cat gritted its teeth, furious: "I'm not teaching anymore!"

"Then you can heal slowly," Jiang Zhu said indifferently.

He drank the peach blossom wine and ignored the spirit of Shuntiandao.

A tiger fallen into the plains is bullied by dogs; a phoenix in distress is no better than a chicken. This saying perfectly describes the modern tabby cat.

Jiang Zhu wasn't worried that the tabby cat wouldn't teach; it was just a transaction after all.

This will also allow Xiao Qingchen to learn more about what the so-called mountain and sea spirits look like.

The tabby cat sighed; being a spirit is not easy.

To his delight, Xiao Qingchen actually started learning seriously.

Ning Qinghan and the other two watched this scene silently, wanting to laugh but not daring to. The dignified manager had become someone who helped take care of the child.

The light of the sun and moon converges and transforms into magical power.

Jiang Zhu gazed at the bright moon in the sky and sighed softly, "How much magic power is enough?"
He didn't ask the tabby cat about the green lamp, because he didn't want to ask, and the tabby cat didn't know either.

If he had known, he would have revealed it long ago, using the matter of the previous generation's Green Lantern Spirit as leverage to force him to take away the Taiyin magic power to heal his injuries.

The previous generation of Green Lantern Spirits was too ancient, even older than the old dragon. Only the Three-Headed Dark Raven, an old spirit that had retained some memories through Nirvana, knew about it.

"The might of Heaven is vast, the Heavenly Sword is majestic and righteous, carrying the glorious power of Heaven... From now on, one can seek the Heavens..."

The tabby cat was diligently teaching him when Jiang Zhu suddenly said, "Don't teach him to seek the heavens."

"Why? Because this is the true path."

"Hide all the junk in your brain. If I come again and Qingchen starts yelling about seeking the heavens, you can forget about recovering."

(End of this chapter)