Longevity Candle

Chapter 49 I Also Want to Be Your Lucky Draw

After three months, Yao Yao and the white fox arrived in the southern mountains and forests.

The snowstorm did not affect this area; it is quite warm here in winter, and even feels a bit hot.

The white fox pointed to a distant mountain peak, where the vegetation was red and the heat was intense, resembling a mountain of flames.

"That mountain, due to the strange power of fire, has changed its geology and vegetation, making it resemble a mountain of fire."

The white fox explained, "There is a fire poison in the mountain. Any sentient being that enters it will be affected by the fire poison, becoming irritable and easily angered. Even for the Fairy Fox Goddess, clearing away the fire poison is not easy."

Yao Yao looked solemn; even though they were far apart, she could feel the heatwave.

“I have only recently embarked on the path of immortality, and my magical power is weak. I cannot go with you, as that would damage my cultivation. With the protection of Zhuzhao, there should be no major problem,” the white fox continued.

"I gonna go see."

Yao Yao rode her sword and flew towards the Flaming Mountain.

As soon as she arrived at the foot of the mountain, the scorching heat seemed to have found its prey and frantically penetrated her body.

Even with her true essence activated, she couldn't withstand the shockwave; in fact, her true essence began to boil and became somewhat uncontrollable.

She quickly retreated, summoned the Seven Star Sword, and set up the Seven Star Sword Formation.

The heatwave rose and actually materialized, forming wisps of crimson energy that surged into the Seven Star Sword Formation.

The air surge was violent, and the sword formation hummed, making it difficult to withstand.

She mobilized the essence of the sun and moon, and the violent shockwaves gradually subsided.

As Yao Yao flew deeper into the air on her sword, the crimson aura grew stronger and stronger, continuously converging upon her. However, after only two or three hundred meters, the sword formation was once again overwhelmed and showed signs of collapse.

She quickly opened the sword box and took out the green lamp.

In an instant, the crimson energy within the Seven Star Sword Formation surged into the green lamp.

The crimson currents that had gathered seemed to have encountered something terrifying, and they all sank down and returned to the mountainside.

She could no longer feel any heat; the entire mountain seemed to have lost its temperature.

"How could this happen?"

Yao Yao landed, no longer feeling any heat.

"Oh dear, Peach Blossom Sword Demon, save me!"

A scream rang out, and the white fox, as if its tail was on fire, rushed towards Yao Yao.

A crimson aura rose from where he had been standing.

Holding the green lantern, Yao Yao approached the white fox. The crimson aura, as if possessing sentience, had already vanished into the earth, leaving no trace.

"Let's go back first." Yao Yao hesitated for a moment, then led the white fox back.

She didn't know whether the source of that crimson aura was the candlelight, but she was certain it was related to the green lamp.

Or perhaps, the creatures below fear the green lamp and are unwilling to meet it.

The green lamp can absorb the red energy waves.

Moreover, that thing can run away on its own. If Jiang Zhu awakens, who knows where the crimson source will go.

I've already noted down the route, and it only took me two months to get back.

Upon returning to the peach grove, after a moment's hesitation, she summoned the essence of the sun and moon to awaken Jiang Zhu.

The candlelight flickered, and Jiang Zhu, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, awoke from his slumber, his magical power already mobilized: "Why did you wake me up ahead of time?"

"I found the Candlelight, which is related to you, but when I took out the Green Lamp, the Candlelight began to flee." Yao Yao told the story without any concealment.

Jiang Zhu frowned: "Didn't I tell you not to be so fixated on these things?"

"Now that immortals have entered the mortal world, we can hear about their legends more or less. I've finally come across something related to you, so how could I not pursue it?"

Yao Yao smiled at him and said, "You are my lucky charm, and I want to be your lucky charm too, to do whatever I can for you."

Jiang Zhu was silent for a moment, then said, "Then you should have woken me up immediately. Perhaps I could find it myself." "It's hiding from you. I'm afraid that if you show up, it will run even further away." Yao Yao said in a deep voice, "I have an idea. I'd like to ask your elf friend, along with the Nine-Tailed Fox, to join forces. Perhaps it will work."

"Although I know Jingwei, the white crane, and the Qingjiang spirit, I may not be able to persuade them; it's just that we met by chance," Jiang Zhu said.

"Isn't the merit you've placed on me the best gift?" Yao Yao said.

"Are you willing to give up this merit?" Jiang Zhu frowned. "I am not attached to anything. Even if it is related to me, I can do it once I have accumulated enough magic power. I have plenty of time to prepare over the long years."

"But will the flame of light wait for you?" Yao Yao asked back. "This is yours to begin with, and I am already over forty years old. My younger brother has already accumulated some merit, and with the dragon's aura around him, I am not worried about his future."

"Aren't you tired of your life?" Jiang Zhu looked at her with a complicated expression. "You've spent your whole life running around for others and for Taoyuan Village. Have you ever calmed down and thought about what you want for yourself?"

"What I want, I can't grasp or obtain." Yao Yao turned her head to see her mother's tombstone: "You are all my family. I once naively thought that I could make my family live forever and that no one in Peach Blossom Village would die. But even you immortals can't do that."

"I'm just a little woman with no grand ambitions. I just want to live a peaceful life with the people around me and wish them all well, but it's just wishful thinking."

Jiang Zhu remained silent.

“I could have gone to seek the Immortal Fox myself, but I woke you up beforehand because you are my family. I didn’t want to hide it from you, and I didn’t want to be like Ayan, who went to pursue it without telling you.”

Yao Yao's expression was firm: "I will definitely find the Flame of Candlelight for you. I'm willing to give up all my merits, even my life."

"I……"

"I know what you're thinking. You're thinking about my old age, which may also be desolate."

Jiang Zhu, you've never interfered in my life before, and I hope you won't this time either.

Yao Yao looked directly at him: "If it weren't for your blessing, I would have been killed by wolves when I was young. Even if I had survived, I would have died in the chaos of war."

"How fortunate we are to have your esteemed gaze and to have such a glorious and splendid life; so too is Ayan, though her life was short, it was the path she chose herself. Unexpected events can happen at any time, and fortune can change in an instant. This is not something you can control. You have never interfered with our lives, so why are you sad because of us?"
Even if we die, it will be the price we pay for our insatiable nature.

Jiang Zhu pondered for a moment and said, "If it works, we'll give it a try; if it doesn't, then forget it."

"Okay." Yao Yao breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It wasn't easy for you to wake up. Gather your magic power. I'm going to the Immortal Fox Temple."

Yao Yao, carrying the sword box, returned to the Immortal Fox Temple once again.

"What was the result? Did you find the Flame of Illumination?" Nine-Tailed Fox asked.

Yao Yao shook her head slightly: "The fire of the Candlelight is mysterious and seems to have intelligence. It avoids being seen, so I would like to ask the fairy fox for help."

"I don't have the ability to freeze the flames of the Candlelight. I'm afraid I can't do that," Nine-Tailed Fox refused.

"Then I wonder if you could invite the white crane couple? I am willing to offer my own merits as a reward," Yao Yao said.

"This merit doesn't belong to you," Nine-Tailed Fox said calmly. "Did you get his permission? You can't give it away without his permission."

Yao Yao said, "He has already agreed."

“You have accumulated a lot of merit, but if you add me to it, it still won’t be enough,” the Nine-Tailed Fox said.

"Peach Blossom Village, we will move to the south and worship you for generations," Yao Yao promised again. This was the only thing she could offer.

As for Li Qingping, he is her younger brother, and she would not use him for trade.

Nine-Tailed Fox was silent for a moment, then said, "Would Peach Blossom Village agree? Would they be willing to give up their incense offerings?"

Taoyuan Village is thriving now. If people could move to the south, isolated from the world, they would be a continuous source of worship under their protection.

“The south is hot, and life in the mountains is difficult. We also need your protection,” Yao Yao said. “As for the incense offerings, he agreed to give them up.”

If Peach Blossom Village wants peace, it can only find a new guardian. However, she cannot protect it forever. Li Qingping's three-tenths dragon aura means that he cannot stay in Peach Blossom Village forever.

As for incense, Jiang Zhu doesn't need it.

“I will contact the White Crane couple,” Nine-Tailed Fox said. “If they don’t come, I can invite three or five friends to give it a try.”

"You said it was for the sake of the Green Lantern Spirit," Yao Yao said. "If there are any other requests, I will agree to them as long as I can do them."

“I agree. Go back to the village and wait for news,” Nine-Tailed Fox said.

(End of this chapter)