Longevity Candle

Chapter 106 Past Life, Present Life Under a Green Lamp

The tabby cat, imbued with magic, summoned the slumbering old tortoise.

An ancient aura wafted over, and the spirit, slumbering through the ages, stirred slightly: "An elf? A doll?"

"Senior," the tabby cat said respectfully, "this is Li Qingchen from Peach Blossom Island, who can be considered one of your subjects."

He dared not show the slightest disrespect to this ancient spirit who had lived for countless years.

He even worried that the old tortoise would ignore him, so he chose to use Li Qingchen as a starting point to get closer to him.

“I know him. The thing from my dream years ago went into his body,” the old tortoise said.

"Something from a dream?" The tabby cat was taken aback.

Li Qingchen asked curiously, "Senior, what was in your dream?"

“A sword,” the old tortoise said. “It seems to have been left to me by a dream. It’s been so long that I don’t know why she left it to me. At the time, my dream was fluctuating, and it ran away.”

"A sword? I didn't detect any sword. Should I return it to you?" Li Qingchen asked.

“No need. She said it’s all fate. Now that it’s entered your body, it’s yours,” the old tortoise said. “However, you have to go find her.”

"Find her?" Li Qingchen was taken aback. "She is from a distant past. How can we find her?"

Is that dream still alive?

The tabby cat asked excitedly, "Where is the dream?"

The old tortoise remained silent for a moment, seemingly pondering and recalling ancient memories.

Li Qingchen and the tabby cat waited patiently, but after an hour, they still hadn't received a response.

The tabby cat asked cautiously, "Senior, do you remember now?"

"Sorry, I had some emotional fluctuations in my dream just now, I dealt with them."

The old tortoise asked, "Where were we?"

"You said you wanted Li Qingchen to search for the dream, and you were just about to tell us where to search for it," the tabby cat said.

“Oh, dream-seeking, of course it’s about searching in dreams,” said the old tortoise.

"In a dream? Whose dream?" the tabby cat asked quickly.

“Deep in the South China Sea, there is a dream island, where her dream resides. Only the one who obtains that sword can enter her dream,” the old tortoise said.

"Neverland?" the tabby cat asked eagerly, "Where is Neverland?"

The South China Sea is too vast, and it is home to many spirits; even he could not possibly search freely in the South China Sea.

"It's nearby. Let the child find it; I can't find it," the old tortoise said.

"Thank you, senior." The tabby cat thanked him, and finally couldn't hold back any longer, asking what had been on his mind: "Do you know about peaches of immortality?"

"Peaches of Immortality?" The old tortoise's reaction was more pronounced. "Meng said she would bring me peaches of immortality, but she didn't."

The tabby cat's eyes lit up: "So, back then, was it really about searching for the Peaches of Immortality?"

It wasn't delivered?

That's perfectly normal. How could you possibly give away a peach of immortality like a peach of immortality?

If it were him, making a promise is making a promise, and giving someone away is giving someone away; these are two different things.

“Go and search. If you find Meng, remember to tell her that I am still waiting for her peaches of immortality,” the old tortoise said.

"Okay, I'll definitely bring it," the tabby cat assured him.

When they finally met Meng and found the peaches, they told the old tortoise that Meng had eaten them all.

Having found their direction, the tabby cat didn't linger and led Li Qingchen back to Peach Blossom Island.

On Peach Blossom Island, Yan Yu and the others had already buried the bodies.

Xu Hai sat in front of Li Qingxuan's grave, his eyes vacant, as if he had lost his soul.

"What's wrong?" Li Qingchen came to his side.

Open a jar of peach blossom wine to pay tribute to our ancestors.

"I just can't understand why Ningguo, which is also part of the Taiping Dao, is developing so well, while our Shengguo is like this," Xu Hai said bitterly.

If the ambition for peace arose in prosperous countries, then it's understandable that they lacked experience.

But Ningguo is a precedent right next to them, and even if they follow it, they still make mistakes.

“Master said that the founding emperor of Sheng Kingdom was not as good as Li Yunhe back then, and the situation was also different,” Li Qingchen said.

"Will you help Shengguo?" Xu Hai looked at Li Qingchen expectantly.

Li Qingchen shook his head: "No, the world is at peace now, and I will not interfere with imperial power."

“But the emperor desires immortality,” Xu Hai said.

Li Qingchen said, "I don't have your experience, nor do I understand the situation in Sheng Kingdom as well. The task my ancestor gave me was to show him a peaceful and prosperous world."

"Look at this peaceful and prosperous era? And who is he?" Xu Hai asked.

Li Qingchen shook his head, not mentioning Jiang Zhu, and stood up, saying, "You can stay on Peach Blossom Island and stay out of worldly affairs."

"I……"

Xu Hai opened his mouth. Perhaps, staying here was a good thing?
Even if I return to the prosperous country, what can I do?

"Why is the emperor searching for the peaches of immortality? Where did he get the information?" the tabby cat asked as it approached.

“It was left behind by the founding emperor.” Xu Hai said in a low voice, “During the war against the heavens, a piece of tortoise shell fell and was found by Gu Xinsheng, the leader of the Taiping Dao. He learned about the peaches of immortality from inside it.”

"Emperor Taizu also considered searching for the Peaches of Immortality, but was stopped by the Daoist Master. At that time, the country's strength did not allow it, and it was eventually sealed away as a secret scroll."

Later, His Majesty saw this secret scroll and began to set sail repeatedly in search of the peaches of immortality.

"Tortoise shell?"

Li Qingchen was taken aback, thinking of the old tortoise below.

That tortoise shell must belong to the old tortoise.

The tabby cat sighed, "I never expected that Gu Xinsheng would get his hands on it. I thought that the relevant items had been destroyed in that battle."

Li Qingchen pondered, and now he understood why the Sheng Kingdom's army had found Peach Blossom Island.

They were searching for Dream Island, and Peach Blossom Island was nearby.

"You can think about it yourself."

The tabby cat grabbed Li Qingchen: "Good disciple, let's go."

Right now, all he wants is to find Dream Island and obtain the Peaches of Immortality. As for how Xu Hai, a mere Qi Refiner, chooses to act, he can't be bothered with it.

And the distant capital of the prosperous kingdom.

A tremendous karmic force descended and was injected into the nation's destiny.

The dragon blood and serpent lurking in the nation's destiny have been awakened by this karmic force.

"Damn it, what did these guys do to attract so much karma?"

The dragon-blooded serpent cursed under its breath.

He glanced at the Emperor of Sheng below, his eyes filled with disappointment, but ultimately did not interfere.

He cultivated using the dragon's energy to protect the emperor of the prosperous kingdom, but he could not directly interfere, otherwise the dragon's energy would repel him.

"If Jiang Zhu were still here..."

He shook his head and sighed deeply. He wondered where the Green Lamp Spirit was now.
When karma strikes, disaster is inevitable, and the nation's fortunes will decline as a result.

Back in Star Moon City, the tabby cat specially brought Li Qingchen back to inform them that Peach Blossom Island was safe before taking Li Qingchen back to the South China Sea.

They were not informed that they were going to search for peaches of immortality; they were only told that there were still matters to attend to on Peach Blossom Island.

Ning Qinghan and the other two settled down and continued their peaceful lives.

Yan Yu was relieved to learn that the family was doing well.

The old tortoise moved again, slowly drifting away.

As the days went by, the tabby cat kept leading Li Qingchen in the search, but they couldn't find any trace of Dream Island.

The vast sea stretched as far as the eye could see, and all the nearby islands had been searched, but nothing unusual was found.

“How about we go back to Sheng Kingdom? I want to go to Ning Kingdom to see the real Taiping Dao,” Li Qingchen said.

He no longer wanted to search for the Peaches of Immortality, nor did he want to search for any Dream Island.

"It must be that we did it wrong. Please accept this as a plea from your master." The tabby cat bowed repeatedly, setting aside its elven arrogance: "Immortality! I have prayed for immortality my whole life, and it is within reach!"

He didn't want to miss out. He had sought immortality his whole life and pursued it for countless years; he was just one step away from achieving it.

Li Qingchen looked at the tabby cat with its eyes almost bloodshot and said helplessly, "Alright, but what method do you plan to use instead?"

He also knew that his master would not give up on him, much less let him leave.

Although it could awaken Jiang Zhu and intimidate the tabby cat, he didn't want to do it.

What he's more worried about now is that there are no peaches of immortality on Dream Island, so he can't achieve immortality, and the tabby cat might go crazy.

"The old tortoise said to look for it in dreams. Good apprentice, why don't you take a nap and have a dream?" the tabby cat said.

"Dreams are not something one can easily have. Although I haven't entered the path of immortality, I don't dream very often anymore."

At this point, Li Qingchen added, "Furthermore, can a deliberately woven dream lead to Neverland?"

The tabby cat was silent for a moment, then said, "Let's give it a try. What if it works?"

Helpless, Li Qingchen could only settle down and go to sleep.

The tabby cat led Li Qingchen on their continued search.

At first, there was no interference, but after a while, the tabby cat began to guide him through various dreams.

There are ferocious mythical beasts, man-eating wandering spirits, the serene Peach Blossom Island, and the allure of beauty...

Various dreams appeared one after another, but still, there was no reaction. The tabby cat grew increasingly impatient, frequently erupting in anger, creating raging waves to vent its resentment.

Immortality was right before his eyes, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't open the door to immortality.

"Heavens above, how cruel you are to me, how cruel you are to me..."

The tabby cat roared to the sky, "You've clearly touched the path to immortality, so why won't you let me open the door to immortality?"
Am I not worthy of immortality?

Li Qingchen didn't know how to comfort him, so he remained silent.

Peach Blossom Island has long since vanished, its whereabouts unknown.

The candlelight flickered, and a figure in white rose from the blue lamp on his back.

Before his eyes lay towering waves, and Li Qingchen hung his head in dejection.

Jiang Zhu asked in confusion, "What are you doing? Trying to scare the fish?"

Although the tabby cat was angry, it controlled its magic power, only stirring up waves to scare away the aquatic creatures in the sea, without harming them.

"Ancestor, you're awake?" Li Qingchen said excitedly.

"Jiang Zhu, you're back." The tabby cat snapped out of its daze and said happily, "Please help me find Dream Island."

"Fantasy Island?" Jiang Zhu frowned. "What Fantasy Island?"

"It was the old tortoise who told us..."

The tabby cat spoke very quickly and recounted the events of Neverland.

Jiang Zhu sighed softly, "Have you ever thought about what would happen if there were no peaches on Dream Island?"

"Impossible! Yunmeng has definitely found the peaches!" The tabby cat's eyes were bloodshot; it refused to believe that there were no peaches.

Li Qingchen said helplessly, "He's almost gone crazy."

Jiang Zhu said, "I don't know either. Whether I can find Dream Island or not, I don't know what it means to search for it in a dream."

He didn't understand Yunmeng, or even the opportunity Li Qingchen had obtained back then—it was a sword.

"Didn't you cultivate the Candle Illumination skill? You must have a way." The tabby cat said excitedly, "I beg you, as long as we find the Peach of Immortality, we can live forever together, and I will never oppose you again."

Immortality—his unwavering dream!

“A persistent dream…” Jiang Zhu suddenly paused, then sighed with regret, “Qingchen, hold onto the green lamp, cast aside distracting thoughts, and I’ll give it a try.”

“Okay.” Li Qingchen quickly grasped the green lamp and sat cross-legged on the auspicious cloud.

The tabby cat looked at him expectantly, stroking its body with its paws, smoothing out its messy fur.

Jiang Zhu's palm was filled with the power of Yin, which condensed into a ghostly glow, rippling with moonlight.

He didn't deliberately search for them; he simply sprinkled moonlight to help the aquatic creatures in the sea grow stronger, as a way of compensating the tabby cat for disturbing them.

The next moment, ripples spread through the void, and a hazy mist rose in the distance, making an island appear and disappear.

Faintly, a woman's soft murmur drifted from the mist: "Life is but a dream, how much joy can one truly experience..."

Li Qingchen rubbed his eyes and said, "Ancestor, I saw it."

"Where? Where? I can't see anything!" The tabby cat stared wide-eyed, but couldn't see anything at all.

"Let's go." Jiang Zhu led the tabby cat into the mist and headed towards the hazy island.

As they approached, the island gradually came into view, lush with vegetation, with birds circling overhead and animals running freely.

Tigers and sheep dance together, and venomous snakes and frogs coexist.

Without hunting or killing, their eyes are clear and pure, and carnivores and herbivores live together peacefully here.

The tabby cat finally spotted the island and began searching for peach trees.

In the distance, amidst the forest, a divine light seemed to emanate, drawing their attention.

The tabby cat flew over immediately; he desperately longed for immortality.

Jiang Zhu took Li Qingchen and rode away on a cloud.

Two sturdy peach trees are growing vigorously, and between them is a swing.

A woman in white, with bare feet like jade, sat on a swing, swinging leisurely.

Her laughter was ethereal, and she was enveloped in a faint silver glow, like a fairy from the moon.

"A peach tree?"

The tabby cat stared blankly at the two peach trees, which possessed vigorous vitality, with lush branches and leaves, and the green leaves still had a little dew on them.

But there are no peaches on it!

The woman in white looked at Jiang Zhu, a smile playing on her lips: "Welcome back, Fusheng."

“Floating Life?” Jiang Zhu said calmly, “Is it the previous generation of Green Lamp?”

"A green lamp?" the woman in white murmured. "I suppose so."

"Really?"

"He wasn't the Green Lamp, but you have become the Green Lamp." The woman in white spoke softly: "Still pursuing immortality?"

“I have never pursued immortality, and as for him, he probably doesn’t anymore; he’s already gone,” Jiang Zhu said.

The woman in white stared blankly for a moment, then sighed softly, "Yes, he's gone."

"Where are the peaches?" the tabby cat asked coldly.

"As you can see." The woman in white stepped off the swing, landed barefoot, and turned to look at the two peach trees: "Peach trees, people only know that you can prolong life, but they don't know how many years it takes to produce peaches."

"What do you mean?" The tabby cat's face darkened, and it had a bad feeling.

There are nine peach trees in the world: three small peach trees, three medium peach trees, and three large peach trees.

The small flat peach takes a thousand years to bloom and a thousand years to bear fruit, thus extending one's lifespan by a thousand years; the medium flat peach takes three thousand years to bloom and three thousand years to bear fruit, thus extending one's lifespan by ten thousand years.

The giant peach blossoms once every nine thousand years, bears fruit once every nine thousand years, and extends lifespan by one hundred thousand years.

The woman in white said softly, "However, it takes up to 100,000 years, or even longer, for a peach tree to mature. Each peach tree can only produce one fruit. Once it is picked, the old peach tree will die quickly, and the peach pit can only be replanted, and it will take another 100,000 years to mature."

"They're not ripe yet?" The tabby cat was stunned, feeling as if it had been struck by lightning, its mind completely blank.

Ten thousand years later, the peach tree matured, began to flower and bear fruit.
One hundred thousand years...

He can't wait!
"Why is this happening? Why is this happening?" the tabby cat muttered to itself, seemingly insane. "You hid the peaches, didn't you? Without the peaches, how could you have survived until now?"

"Are you still alive now?"

The woman in white smiled at him, then looked at Jiang Zhu: "Tell me, am I alive?"

Jiang Zhu remained silent. The Yunmeng before him was already dead; only a thought of her had been preserved through some kind of method.

If I hadn't come, she might have been able to exist for a longer period of time.

Now that the peace of Neverland has been shattered, it won't last much longer.

"How is the Three-Headed Raven?" she asked.

“He has returned to the Netherworld and will resume his previous life,” Jiang Zhu said.

"After going around in circles, we've finally returned to where we started." Yunmeng smiled, a hint of unspeakable desolation in her voice.

The tabby cat remained silent, its eyes fixed on the two peach trees.

Li Qingchen remained silent, not daring to speak.

"Aren't you going to ask me about you, or about him?" Yunmeng looked up at him.

Jiang Zhu shook his head: "There's no need to ask. I don't want to chase after it, and I can't chase after it."

“Yes, you cannot pursue it.” Yunmeng smiled bitterly. She came to Jiang Zhu’s side and asked softly, “You, who are illuminated by the flickering candlelight, are bound by a single green lamp. Do you hate it?”

Jiang Zhu frowned and remained silent, simply watching him quietly.

“He hates it. Although he is not a green lamp, he is a jade pendant, just like you, without freedom,” Yunmeng said.

Li Qingchen stared at Jiang Zhu in shock. His ancestor didn't like to slumber, nor did he not want to leave; rather, he was bound to the green lamp.

"Isn't it interesting to drift along with the tides of time?" Jiang Zhu said calmly.

"Interesting story?" Yunmeng paused for a moment, "I still prefer him as he was back then, even though... he brought disaster."

"A disaster caused by fleeting life?" Jiang Zhu frowned.

“You still asked.” Yunmeng smiled. “It was caused by him trying to get rid of the jade pendant and gain his freedom. I don’t know the specifics. Go to West Kunlun. It’s the origin of life and the end of disaster. Perhaps there is something there that can set you free.”

"It was just a casual question," Jiang Zhu said. "As for pursuing his story, I'm not very interested. I already have many stories to tell in this mundane world."

"Whether you go or not is up to you; the method to enter is within his body." Yunmeng pointed at Li Qingchen.

Jiang Zhu sighed softly, "Let's go."

He didn't want to stay here anymore; let Yunmeng spend her last moments here by herself.

"Wait a minute," Yunmeng called out to him.

"Is there anything else?" Jiang Zhu asked.

Yunmeng fell silent, unsure of what to say for a moment.

The person before me is no longer the same person I was back then; he is merely a wandering soul bound by the dim light of a lamp.

After a long silence, she said, "He once told his story. At first, he was just like you, thinking that life was like a dream, and how much joy could there be? Like morning dew, the days gone by were full of sorrow. He was just like you at first, without any attachment."

A ray of silver light shone into Jiang Zhu's brow.

"I understand," Jiang Zhu replied.

He didn't know what had changed Fusheng, but he was just a wandering soul in the dim light of the lamp, not the Fusheng of yesteryear.

Jiang Zhu left with the tabby cat. As the mist rose, Dream Island gradually faded away, as if it were about to leave this mundane world behind.

Faintly, a mournful female voice could be heard: "The most fleeting things in this world are youth and beauty; rosy cheeks fade from the mirror, flowers fall from the trees... Life is but another cycle."

(End of this chapter)