Longevity Candle

Chapter 120 Is he a celestial being?

Jiang Zhu thought of life's fleeting nature, the mortal world is all illusion, only he himself is real.

Although he didn't want the Floating Life Sutra, he had met Hu Ling and the Nine-Tailed Fox, both of whom were skilled in illusion magic.

The techniques passed down to Zhang Ming didn't require anything too advanced; just the basics would suffice. That's why he called it "trickery."

"Illusions of the mortal world?" Zhang Ming was somewhat bewildered; he had never encountered such things before.

I have had contact with martial artists, but as for Qi cultivators, I have never seen them, only heard of them.

Jiang Zhu smiled faintly and asked, "What do you want? Gold and silver, or writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones?"

"Gold and silver," Zhang Ming said without hesitation, "that can buy a lot of things."

Although writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones are precious, they still require gold and silver to purchase.

If one had countless gold and silver treasures, all problems would be easily solved.

Jiang Zhu turned to look at the cup of tea: "Look at this tea again."

Zhang Ming looked over and was stunned, his breathing becoming rapid.

There was no tea in front of them, only golden beans, bubbling out like boiling water.

Although he was excited, he did not lose his composure; he simply stared at Jiang Zhu in awe.

Jiang Zhu casually picked up a gold bean and placed it in Zhang Ming's hand: "Take another look."

Zhang Ming looked down; there were no gold beans, only a broken tea leaf.

He sighed wistfully, "I think I understand now."

“This is magic, a worldly illusion. What you see is what you want, but it’s just an illusion,” Jiang Zhu said.

"If it's fake, what's the point?" Zhang Ming asked, puzzled.

"You really are a blockhead. You perform on the street, and those with money support you with money, and those with connections support you with their presence."

Jiang Zhu pondered for a moment and said, "Come on, bring your students. I'll show you how it works."

He became interested and wanted to know if anyone liked the illusionary arts of the mortal world.

There are many street performers in this world, but they are mostly honest people. Whether it's breaking a boulder on their chest or smashing a stone tablet with their fist, it's all about brute force. They are competing in their own martial arts skills.

Now there are more martial artists, and it's no longer novel to see people practicing fist and foot techniques.

He had never seen magic tricks before; those elves, after all, had just lowered their eyes, busy with the path to immortality.

Zhang Ming gathered seven students and followed Jiang Zhu out of the school and into a lively place.

Jiang Zhu produced a copper gong and began to strike it: "Fellow villagers, I am a magician. I have just arrived in your esteemed place and have learned a trick of mortal illusion. I will perform a magic trick for you. If you, my fellow martial arts friends, find this mortal illusion pleasing to the eye, please give me your support."

"Illusions of the mortal world? Magic tricks?"

"What are illusions and tricks?"

"Street performance? Not breaking stones, but martial arts?"

"Is it the kind that can command the wind and rain?"

Soon, a group of people gathered around, all looking at Jiang Zhu with curiosity.

They had never heard of illusions or magic tricks before, and were greatly intrigued.

Jiang Zhu smiled and said, "Everyone, watch carefully. I need your help."

He glanced at the crowd and spotted Yunmeng, a little girl who was playing with bird eggs when she heard the gong. She was eating a peach and watching his performance.

"Little Yunmeng, could you give me your peach pit?" Jiang Zhu asked.

"You know me?" Xiao Yunmeng was taken aback. She looked at the peach in her hand, broke it open with force, took out the pit, and handed it to Jiang Zhu: "Here you go."

"I'll treat you to peaches later."

Jiang Zhu smiled slightly: "Everyone can see clearly that the peach pit is fresh and there is no problem."

"Hurry up and show us your magic trick, don't waste time," someone said impatiently.

Xiao Yunmeng looked at him curiously, also wanting to know what this magic trick was.

Jiang Zhu smiled, picked up a small shovel, dug a hole in the ground, and buried the peach pit in it.

"No, that's it?"

"Planting peach pits? What kind of magic trick is that..."

"Holy crap, it's sprouted?"

To everyone's astonishment, the newly planted peach pit actually took root and sprouted.

Xiao Yunmeng was stunned, staring unblinkingly at the tender bud.

"Is there any water?" Jiang Zhu asked.

"I have it, I have it!" a man shouted hurriedly, taking the water bag from his waist.

Jiang Zhu took the water bag, poured some water on it, and the tender sprout grew rapidly, becoming a sapling in the blink of an eye.

"The growth of all things cannot be separated from sunlight, so we borrow a ray of light from heaven and earth."

Jiang Zhu raised his hand and made a grasping motion in the air, as if he had caught a ray of light.

A ray of brilliant light blended into the peach tree.

"Moonlight is also crucial; let's borrow another ray of moonlight."

He grasped a sliver of moonlight and let it disappear into the peach tree.

Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief, especially Zhang Ming's, whose eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Xiao Yunmeng was completely stunned. The peach tree absorbed the light of the sun and moon, grew stronger again, and in the blink of an eye, it became lush and leafy, and then quickly blossomed and bore fruit.

The green peaches, covered in fine fuzz, grow rapidly and release their fragrance.

"Tao'er, you've grown peaches!"

"Could this be some kind of magic?"

"Are you a Qi Refiner?"

"How did they do that? Even a Qi cultivator couldn't do that."

Everyone watched this scene in shock, and the crowd erupted in uproar.

Even the power of a Qi cultivator to summon wind and rain cannot compare to this awe-inspiring sight.

Jiang Zhu casually picked the largest peach and handed it to Xiao Yunmeng: "Here, have a peach."

"Is this peach real or fake?" The crowd stared intently at the peach.

Xiao Yunmeng took the peach blankly, her eyes sparkling: "Can I really eat it?"

"Give it a try," Jiang Zhu said.

Xiao Yunmeng took a bite, and the peach was crisp, sweet, and fragrant with a rich peach aroma and rosy flesh.

"Really, really, Peach!" The crowd erupted in cheers and excited screams.

Jiang Zhu chuckled and said, "Master Zhang, please pick the peaches and distribute them to everyone."

Zhang Ming hurriedly went to the peach tree, quickly picked peaches, and looked at the crowd, unsure how to distribute them.

"Let's divide them into a hundred. Tao'er only has so many, we can't share them with everyone," Jiang Zhu said.

More and more people gathered in the distance, and there weren't enough peaches to go around.

There weren't that many peaches in the peach orchard outside the city.

He certainly didn't create the peach out of thin air; he borrowed it entirely.

As one hundred peaches were picked, the peach tree withered quickly.

"Can we plant another one?" someone asked hurriedly.

Jiang Zhu clasped his hands and said, "Everyone, I am new here and my magical power is limited. I cannot produce peaches endlessly. Please support me and I will perform another one for you."

Holding the gong, he said, "Those of you who have money, please support us financially; those who feel it's not worth it, please support us with your presence. Thank you, fellow villagers."

He walked around the area, and the gong was covered with copper coins and a few pieces of silver.

Zhang Ming blushed, excitedly gesturing wildly. The seven children looked at Jiang Zhu with adoration. Xiao Yunmeng also looked at Jiang Zhu with admiration, eager to know how he had done it: "Can I help again?"

“You seem to have three bird eggs in your pocket,” Jiang Zhu said.

Xiao Yunmeng quickly took out the bird eggs: "Yes, these are yellow sparrow eggs, I just took them."

Jiang Zhu took the three eggs and laughed, "Everyone, take a good look. How many bird eggs do I have in my hand?"

"Ha, you can plant bird eggs, grow bird trees, and produce a bunch of bird eggs?" a man laughed.

"Haha, if it can grow into a bird tree and produce a bunch of bird eggs, I'll give you ten taels of silver," a young man in brocade robes laughed.

"I'll give you one or two taels..."

The crowd became lively, shouting and yelling, and the scene became incredibly exciting.

Jiang Zhu looked at the boy: "There's no bird tree, but I can make this bird egg disappear."

"Oh? How did it disappear? Don't tell me it was swallowed." The young man in brocade robes said.

"Then watch carefully." Jiang Zhu clasped his hands together, then opened them, revealing that his hands were empty.

"Whoa! It's really gone?"

"You hid it? In your sleeve?" The young man in brocade robes asked with great curiosity.

Xiao Yunmeng also asked, "Where? Where did the bird eggs go?"

Jiang Zhu smiled slightly and came to the young man's side: "Young master, you must be careful with your sleeves, lest they be torn."

"Impossible, how could it be in my sleeve..."

As the young man in brocade robes spoke, his expression suddenly changed. He reached into his sleeve and found three sparrow eggs. He exclaimed incredulously, "How could they really be in my sleeve?"

How did you get there?

“I didn’t even blink, this magician didn’t touch this young master.”

"Is this a Qi Refiner? Only legendary Qi Refiners could do that, right?"

Jiang Zhu took the bird eggs and laughed again, "Everyone, look carefully, it's still those three bird eggs. Let us borrow a ray of light from heaven and earth once more..."

He grasped the light again, and the three bird eggs were illuminated by the golden light, appearing somewhat sacred.

click
To everyone's astonishment, a crisp sound rang out as three bird eggs broke open, and three yellow sparrow chicks hatched.

"How can this be?"

"The bird eggs have just hatched?"

The next moment, the three yellow birds grew rapidly, their feathers became thick, and they began to chirp.

Jiang Zhu raised his hand, and three yellow sparrows flapped their wings and flew around the crowd.

The audience erupted in cheers again, their screams echoing throughout Yigu City.

Seemingly startled, the three yellow birds quickly flew back, their bodies rapidly shrinking as they burrowed back into their eggshells.

The broken eggshell, as if turned upside down, was restored to its original state.

The oriole is gone, but the bird eggs are still bird eggs.

Jiang Zhu smiled and returned the bird egg to Yun Meng: "Thank you for the bird egg."

"How did you do that?" Xiao Yunmeng looked at Jiang Zhu with her bright, curious eyes, as if trying to see right into his heart.

"The secret of magic lies in mystery and the unknown," Jiang Zhu said. "Fellow villagers, you have just arrived in Yigu City and have not yet rested. We will stop here for today and will perform for you another day."

"Is this the end?"

"Perform one more time."

"Yes, we haven't had enough yet."

The crowd was still somewhat unsatisfied, especially the young man in brocade robes: "I'll pay you whatever you want, how much do you want? Can you teach me magic tricks?"

“I want to learn too,” Yunmeng added.

Jiang Zhu smiled slightly, picked up the gong again, and asked for another round of money.

The young man in brocade was very generous and actually gave him ten taels of silver.

"Even the best show has to end." Jiang Zhu handed the money to Zhang Ming and chuckled, "Since you all didn't give it your all, then I'll perform the magician's exit for you."

"The magician's exit?"

Some people who had just started to move stopped and looked over curiously.

“Of course, the magician’s exit is also unique,” ​​Jiang Zhu said with a smile. “For example, making a person disappear into thin air.”

"A magical transformation?" The crowd grew even more curious.

Jiang Zhu spread his hands: "Even if a magician is good at borrowing the light of heaven and earth, it's still the same when he leaves the stage. Leaving the stage means the curtain falls, so let the moonlight shine on Weiyang."

As he spoke, silvery moonlight shone down, enveloping Zhang Ming and his seven children.

Under the shocked gazes of everyone, Jiang Zhu and Zhang Ming disappeared from sight without leaving a trace.

"A Qi Refiner! He's definitely a Qi Refiner!"

"How did they manage to do that? Even a Qi cultivator couldn't just plant a peach, make a bird egg hatch, make a yellow sparrow dance, and then turn it back into a bird egg."

……

"The splendor will eventually fade, life is but a dream, and the mortal world is but an illusion."

Jiang Zhuxin sighed, realizing that Ningguo was now like a magic trick nearing its end.

Zhang Ming and his seven students stared at him intently, all wanting to know how he had done it.

Jiang Zhu smiled and asked, "How did we leave?"

"You led us back, and they didn't even notice us in the crowd," one child exclaimed.

"The magicians and the illusions of the mortal world are mainly illusions; what they see is an illusion I have created."

The bird eggs were still the same three eggs; I just let them see the illusion of the yellow oriole dancing.

Jiang Zhu explained, "The same applies to our exit. The moonlight obscured our bodies, so they couldn't see us and thought we had vanished into thin air."

"What about the peach tree?" Zhang Ming asked curiously. "Is the peach tree real? They ate all the peaches; they couldn't have eaten fake ones, could they?"

“It can be fake, or it can be real,” Jiang Zhu said gently. “The peach tree is fake, so they can only look at it, but the peaches are real, so they can eat them.”

"Why is Tao'er real?" Zhang Ming and the children asked, puzzled.

"Because the peach was borrowed from me, and I prepared it in advance. I used a ray of light to confuse their vision, and then hung the peach up," Jiang Zhu explained.

The group scratched their heads, still looking shocked even though they knew it was fake.

Jiang Zhu stretched out his finger and touched Zhang Ming's forehead: "I'm entrusting the illusionary arts of the mortal world to you. I hope you can become a great magician and bring joy to people."

"I definitely will," Zhang Ming said excitedly.

The children looked at him longingly, all wanting to learn magic.

"What I'm teaching you is just the basic technique. You can also prepare some items later to serve as props and make your illusions more complete."

Jiang Zhu pondered and said, "I will give you another treasure so that you can use the light of heaven and earth to conceal yourself."

Jiang Zhu made a grabbing motion in the air, and a hemp rope appeared in his hand: "This is the Illusion Rope, which can reach the clouds in the sky. It's time for me to leave the stage. I'll show you a new way to exit."

"Teacher, are you leaving?" Zhang Ming was taken aback and said reluctantly, "We haven't learned it yet."

"The master leads you through the door, but the cultivation is up to you." Jiang Zhu smiled slightly, and the hemp rope stretched upwards, instantly reaching the clouds.

Jiang Zhu gripped the rope, his body rising rapidly and disappearing into the clouds.

After he left, the rope went limp and fell to the ground, and Jiang Zhu was nowhere to be seen.

"Teacher, are they celestial beings from heaven?" Zhang Ming looked up at the sky, trying to see any trace of the celestial beings.

No matter how he looked, he couldn't find a trace of it.

Jiang Zhu was already on the roof of the tavern, drinking peach blossom wine.

(End of this chapter)