Longevity Candle

Chapter 64 You Should Live a Life of Esteem in the Mountains

"Master, Ning Kingdom is in chaos..."

"Where did you hear that? How do you know?"

Hu Yan narrowed his eyes, wondering which immortal master had deceived his little disciple: "Did that alligator dragon next door tell you that?"

Hu Ling was startled and calmed down: "Yes, Little Crocodile Dragon told me that the South is in chaos, many people have died, and people are still dying. It is a sign of the end times."

She dared not reveal Zhang Ning's story now, lest she never see him again.

"Don't listen to his nonsense," Hu Yan said coldly. "The nation is currently enjoying unprecedented prosperity, and its strength is even increasing. How could it be the end of its years?"

"What about the chaos in the south?" Hu Ling was somewhat unwilling, even though many people had already died.

"Are you talking about carving roads through mountains?" Hu Yan asked.

"Master knows?" Hu Ling felt a little guilty. Could it be that he also knew about her affairs?

“Right under our noses, they carved a road through the mountain, disturbing the alligator dragon, who has been cursing them in the mountains for a long time.”

Hu Yan said, "This is something the emperor is about to do. If he fails, it could be the beginning of his decline; if he succeeds..."

What will happen if I succeed?

"I hope he doesn't succeed," Hu Yan said in a low voice.

If successful, they will head south to Yunmeng, connecting the two countries. Regardless of which country wins, neither the mountain and sea spirits nor the immortal masters and Taoists would want to see it.

If the two countries were to unite, the nation's fortune and auspicious energy would surge to unimaginable levels.

The alligator spirit had considered stopping them before, but the army that was carving roads through the mountains was carrying the imperial edict of Emperor Ning, so how could they dare to stop them?

"Master, if we stop them from carving roads through the mountains, will we be able to usher in the end of Ningguo ahead of time?" Hu Ling asked.

Hu Yan glared at her: "Don't talk nonsense. If you get involved and cause the death of mortals, you won't be able to bear the karma."

"But there are martial arts practitioners among ordinary people! Aren't those people in Peach Blossom Village capable of fighting against ten thousand men single-handedly?" Hu Ling had lost her mind.

"Times have changed. Although the Lord of Taiping Dao is dead, the Peach Blossom Sword Demon left behind a sword manual. The martial arts of today are far beyond what they were in the Qian Kingdom era."

Furthermore, the seven lineage inheritors of Peach Blossom Village are guardians of the Green Lamp; they will not fight for us.

Hu Yan shook his head: "Moreover, the Taiping Book was scattered all over the country back then, and it is unknown how many extraordinary people it created."

Although the seven lineage successors also worship the Nine-Tailed Immortal Fox, they listen more to the instructions passed down through generations.

For generations, the seven lineages have guarded the Green Lamp, maintained the Seven Star Sword Formation, and gathered the light of the sun and moon.

Unless Jiang Zhu awakens and asks them to take action, the Seven Families will never help the Immortal Foxes.

Hu Ling was stunned. If she couldn't ask her master for help, then what she and Zhang Ning had said would have been nothing but empty talk.

"You have a long life ahead of you, so don't rush things. There will be plenty of time for you to do good deeds in the future," Hu Yan said gently, thinking she was too eager to do good deeds.

"I know, Master." Hu Ling's mind was in turmoil. "I'm going down to cultivate."

Hu Yan shook his head and smiled. He was too young and too eager to show off. He was the same way back then, always thinking about the end of the dynasty.

Hu Ling returned to the woods, looked at the expectant Zhang Ning, and remained silent with her head down.

"What's wrong? Your master is unwilling to help?" Zhang Ning guessed, and said gently, "There's no need for that. You are indeed not suited to get involved in worldly affairs."

"Master said that we cannot leave the mountain before the chaos of the mortal world has arrived," Hu Ling said dejectedly. "The martial arts masters in the village don't listen to me either."

"You have already helped me a lot, how could I trouble you any further? His Majesty is now a man of great talent and ambition, I just cannot bear to see those people suffer casualties."

Zhang Ning said, "I will go to the capital and request His Majesty to rescind his decree."

“If you go out now, you’ll definitely be wanted by the authorities, and you probably won’t even make it to the capital,” Hu Ling said.

Zhang Ning smiled and said, "It's alright. I have a mentor who saved me. I'll go and ask him for help."

"Would he..."

"Don't worry, he is my mentor. Without him, I would have died long ago," Zhang Ning said.

"Then I'll take you there." Hu Ling led him away on a cloud.

They arrived in the prefectural city, and under the cover of night, Zhang Ning went to pay his respects. But as soon as he knocked on the door, he was thrown out. His old mentor's face was grim: "You're a serious criminal from prison. Coming to see me now, aren't you just asking for trouble for my whole family?"

Zhang Ning's face turned pale: "Master, I was wrong. No one noticed me when I came."

"You should leave now. Since you're out, find a place to settle down and never show your face again," his old mentor said coldly, shooing him away.

Hu Ling led him away, leaving several more corpses inside the mansion.

Zhang Ning looked guilty; he knew he was the one who had harmed these people.

If his old mentor didn't betray him after seeing him, he would have no choice but to deal with everyone who had seen him.

He followed Hu Ling, leaving dejectedly, his eyes devoid of their former sparkle.

“Come back to Peach Blossom Village with me. There, everyone is carefree and happy,” Hu Ling invited.

Zhang Ning shook his head and said, "If I go, you will surely be punished. Ling'er, you are right. Perhaps we should not see each other again. I have already implicated many people, and I cannot implicate you as well."

He walked out of the woods, only to find that the world was so vast that there was nowhere to go.

Perhaps, I should have been in prison all along.

Hu Ling followed behind him, wanting to comfort him, but he sternly drove her away, so she could only watch from the shadows.

Zhang Ning refused Hu Ling's help and headed towards the capital.

They wandered aimlessly, never daring to show their faces to others, begging along the streets and catching fish in the mountains and forests.

"Don't help me anymore. Go back to the mountains. This mortal world is not a place for you," Zhang Ning said.

“Come back to Peach Blossom Village with me. Master won’t blame me. He loves me the most.”

“I don’t want to go. That’s Nanyun County, which I govern. Every time I fall asleep, I dream about them. They always ask me why I forced them to their deaths…”

Zhang Ning's voice was low and somber; he wanted to find a way to survive for the people of Nanyun County.

Hu Ling retorted angrily, "You're just courting death by doing this."

“His Majesty is wise; he simply doesn’t know what happened in Nanyun County,” Zhang Ning said.

"Then I'll send you to the capital. Even if you want to die, don't die on the way," Hu Ling said through gritted teeth.

"But the fate of the nation..."

"I will escort you to the outskirts of the capital."

Zhang Ning was silent for a moment, then bowed deeply: "Thank you."

She rode a cloud to send Zhang Ning away, to a mountain outside the capital, and dared not go any further.

Zhang Ning went to the capital, but she didn't leave; she waited for him on the mountain.

After entering the city, Zhang Ning did not implicate anyone, but knelt outside the palace, begging to see Emperor Ning.

He thought he would be thrown into prison, but to his surprise, Emperor Ning actually received him.

Led by the imperial guards, he arrived at the palace and met the current emperor, Emperor Yongning.

The imposing middle-aged emperor exuded an aura of authority; it was this same emperor who had personally selected him as the top scholar in the imperial examinations.

"After many years apart, I never imagined that my top scholar would become a prisoner, or even a fugitive."

Emperor Ning's expression was indifferent: "The prison was undamaged, yet someone escaped without a sound. Which immortal master or Taoist has interfered in the mortal world?"

Zhang Ning's heart tightened, but he dared not answer. He kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, countless people have died in the process of carving roads through mountains in Nanyun County. Please give the people of Nanyun County a way to survive. They are your subjects too."

Emperor Ning scrutinized him, his expression remaining calm: "Was it that old alligator dragon, or another immortal master who intervened?"

"Your Majesty." He prostrated himself on the ground, not daring to utter a word.

"I entrusted you with governing Nanyun County, but I never imagined that you would only have eyes for Nanyun County. You have disappointed me greatly. You should open your eyes and see the world."

"Nanyun County is my territory, but the people of other places aren't? Release them, but will you pave this road, or will the immortal master behind you?"

"Since you've escaped, you should live a life of leisure in the mountains and forests, instead of coming to beg me!"

(End of this chapter)