Longevity Candle

Chapter 77 The Immortal Has Always Been By My Side

Xiao Qingxuan treated him to a jar of wine and accepted the yellow paper.

The young man's spirit drifted away, heading in search of the white fox.

Back at the tavern, he told his parents what had happened.

"If you wish to find your three uncles, perhaps you can ask the wandering spirits for help," Xiao Qingxuan said.

She knew in her heart that her parents missed them very much.

But her parents didn't want to take her into the chaotic world; they just wanted to live a peaceful life with her.

She was still young and only wanted to illuminate the wandering souls, without wanting to get too involved.

“Let’s wait until the wandering spirit returns. They don’t have the ability to see wandering spirits.” The parents shook their heads and said, “If you give the wandering spirit the power to cross between Yin and Yang, they might very well harm people.”

Xiao Qingxuan made a note of it and didn't mention it again.

She practiced martial arts by day using her merits, and at night she carried a peach wood lamp to illuminate the wandering souls.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye, and the young soldier's spirit returned, bringing seven other spirits with him.

The tavern was closed, but candlelight shone inside, and a sumptuous meal was laid out.

“I saw her,” the young soldier said. “She said that people from Peach Blossom Spring would come looking for you.”

"Is she with the rest of Peach Blossom Village?" Li Zhu breathed a sigh of relief. With the white fox protecting her, she should be fine.

“Yes, that’s our general,” a middle-aged soldier said.

“General?” Li Zhu stiffened and sighed deeply, “They still chose revenge.”

“They will come looking for you, wanting the complete Seven Star Sword Manual,” the middle-aged soldier said.

“It seems they’ve already guessed it.” Li Meng frowned. “But is there anything else they wanted to say?”

"That's all. The general will tell you everything."

"Can you tell me about your general?" Li Zhu asked. "What's his name?"

"His name is Li Wanzhang. He killed ten fierce generals of Ningguo on the battlefield, but the Seven Star Army Formation of Ningguo was too powerful. Even if he was brave, he could not defeat the army."

The middle-aged soldier sighed bitterly.

"Has the Yunmeng Kingdom suffered a major defeat?" Li Meng frowned.

"More than ten cities have already been lost, and the Emperor of Ningguo has even sold them off."

"Sold? Who did he sell it to? Did he sell it back to Yunmeng?" Li Zhu asked in surprise.

"The powerful and wealthy people of Ningguo never thought about governing the land of Yunmeng. Instead, they sold the city. No matter what those powerful and wealthy people did, they were not bound by the law."

It had become a city of sin, devoid of law, ruled only by the rules of the wealthy and powerful.

The middle-aged soldier was filled with rage.

Li Zhu sighed deeply. He could imagine what kind of life those people in the city were living.

Young girls were reduced to playthings, and men to slaves.

"Why would he do that?" Li Zhu couldn't understand.

Now that we've conquered it, it's Ningguo's territory. Why treat the people in the city like this?

If these cities were given to wealthy and noble people, they would completely transform from local landowners into powerful local magnates, legal magnates who would not be bound by the law.

Isn't he afraid of creating a country within a country?

Was this truly the wish of our ancestors for peace and prosperity?
The wandering souls were just ordinary nobles and had no idea what the Ningguo Emperor was planning.

They hated Ningguo, but they were already dead and could do nothing more.

The wandering spirits drank peach blossom wine and ate sumptuous dishes.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they looked at each other and bowed in unison: "Please, immortal, lower your eyes and let us return to the world of the living. We still want to fight on the battlefield and protect our homeland."

A blue lantern floated around them; darkness had arrived, but it was not far off.

When Xiao Qingxuan first saw someone who didn't want to leave, she frowned.

Li Zhu and his wife cupped their hands and said, "Everyone, rest in peace on your journey. You have done your best."

"We still want to defend our homeland, please have mercy on us, immortals." The soldiers bowed again.

“We are not immortals, we can’t help you,” Li Zhu said.

“You are also members of Yunmeng, why don’t you think about protecting your home and country? It’s not like we’re sending you to the battlefield, it’s just letting us go back to the world of the living, and we’ll fight the enemy ourselves.”

The soldiers said emotionally.

“You should know that’s where you belong.” Xiao Qingxuan pointed towards the darkness.

“Little one, you don’t understand, we won’t explain it to you.” The middle-aged soldier looked at Li Zhu and his wife: “Let’s go back to the battlefield…”

"Qingxuan, send them on their way," Li Zhu said in a deep voice.

"you……"

As soon as they opened their mouths, a cold wind blew from the peach wood lamp, enveloping them and sending them into darkness.

The wandering spirit vanished, and the merit points fell once more.

Xiao Qingxuan lowered her head and pondered: "Why are they unwilling to leave? Those wandering souls who drank the peach blossom wine were all willing to leave."

“Perhaps it’s because he’s just become a wandering spirit and still has some attachments. Those who have been wandering spirits for many years have long since lost all their ties.” Li Meng pondered, “We can ask Jiang Zhu when he wakes up next time.”

"Take a rest." Li Zhu was in low spirits and seemed sullen.

The couple cleared the table, and Xiao Qingxuan went back to her room to sleep. "If he comes looking for us and wants us to join the army, what should we do?" Li Meng asked in a low voice.

Li Zhu was very firm: "I don't want Qingxuan to be involved in the hatred of that year, but he is, after all, our brother, and Jiang Zhu also needs to be protected. If he really insists, I will go with him."

Li Meng sighed softly.

"Don't worry, I'm here for you," Li Zhu comforted softly.

They are descendants of Taoyuan Village and it is their duty to avenge Taoyuan Village.

Their task, however, is to protect the lamplight, not to enter the secular world.

But Li Wanzhang, their elder brother, also bore the responsibility of a blood feud in Taoyuan.

If he really came to him for help, Li Zhu knew he couldn't refuse, but he wouldn't involve his wife and daughter.

Taoyuan Tavern was still thriving, but the couple looked more worried.

Xiao Qingxuan continues to illuminate the wandering souls and perform good deeds.

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye, and Xiao Qingxuan and Zhang Shi went to the peach grove together.

A half-gray-haired man entered the tavern, holding a sword and exuding a menacing aura, frightening the tavern's patrons so much that they dared not even breathe.

"I apologize for closing early today. This meal is on my behalf," Li Zhu said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

The guests, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, left the tavern in droves.

Li Meng closed the tavern door, looked at the weathered man, and her eyes reddened slightly: "Brother Wan Zhang."

Li Wanzhang placed his sword on the table: "Let me try some peach blossom wine."

Li Zhu, carrying a jar of wine, poured him a bowl.

He downed his drink in one gulp, his gaze falling on the seven or eight blue lamps hanging on the tavern wall: "There's one blue lamp that's too clean; it shouldn't be in the tavern."

“He’s not here,” the couple said.

Li Wanzhang was taken aback: "Then why is one of them clean?"

“We bring a lamp into the house at night for lighting,” Li Zhu explained.

"What about him? Did he go out with Xiao Qingxuan? I specifically waited until Xiao Qingxuan left before coming here," Li Wanzhang asked.

"Yes," Li Zhu nodded.

Although Li Wanzhang exuded a strong aura of murderous intent, he did not yet have the power to seize the Green Lamp, nor did he believe that Li Wanzhang would violate ancestral precepts and harbor thoughts of taking over the Green Lamp.

"Our ancestors established Peach Blossom Spring for two reasons: first, for the sake of Peach Blossom Village, and second, to protect it."

Li Wanzhang said in a low voice, "I will not beg him to lower his eyes. I have always remembered the ancestral teachings. I have come here only for the complete Peach Blossom Sword Manual."

“Brother Wanzhang, I know that the destruction of Taoyuan Village is a blood feud, but Ningguo is, after all, a country that inherits the will of our ancestors.”

Li Zhu said in a low voice, "We have been suffering all these years. If you really encounter difficulties, I will go north with you. Don't drag them into it."

“I will not drag you into the war.” Li Wanzhang shook his head and said, “I remember my father’s instructions very well. The ancestor’s will has two parts: one is that the Green Lamp is peaceful and worry-free, and the other is that the world is peaceful and worry-free. You chose to stay and protect the Green Lamp, so continue to protect it.”

"The Emperor of Ningguo has indeed gone too far..."

Before Li Zhu could even speak, a hint of disappointment flashed in Li Wanzhang's eyes as he interrupted him: "He did the right thing. If you can't even see that, then I certainly won't take you to the battlefield."

"Right? He launched a war, sold the city of Yunmeng to wealthy and powerful people, and left countless people in unknown danger. Is that right?" Li Meng looked at him in surprise and doubt.

"Our ancestors once said that all the powerful and influential people in the world can be killed, but if they cannot be killed by others, then their descendants can."

The Emperor Ning could not be killed openly, otherwise the country would be in turmoil. Therefore, he used Yunmeng to carry out the killing.

To get those landlords and gentry to fight tooth and nail, they would have to be driven mad by greed. This path is dangerous; a single misstep could lead to utter ruin.

“Those powerful and wealthy people have already privately raised troops, wanting to create a state within a state. Emperor Ning couldn’t possibly be unaware of this, but he still wants to do it this way, using the Yunmeng Kingdom to wear down those powerful and wealthy people.”

"If he succeeds, he will be an unprecedented wise and sage ruler in that land; if he fails, he will be a tyrant, forever cursed by posterity!"

After Li Wanzhang finished speaking, he let out a heavy sigh.

"Then why do you still want to join the army?" Li Zhu asked, puzzled.

"That's why I'm even more determined to join the army. I can't let go of the hatred for Taoyuan, and I also want to carry on Taoyuan's ambition for peace. If I lose, I'll be helping him achieve his ambition for peace. If I win, it will prove that Ningguo is not worthy of inheriting the ambition of our ancestors."

Li Wanzhang drank a bowl of wine: "Peach Blossom Spring, the hidden lineage guards the green lamp, so that he has no worries. You must carry on this tradition and not let me make you think of entering the mortal world."

Father had instructed him, according to the ancestral teachings of Qingping, that Qingdeng must never be involved in war, nor should he be taken to pursue anything ethereal or unreal, especially ancient spirits.

"We know, but we just can't let you go."

"Don't overthink it. This was left by our ancestor Qingping. We each have our own missions. He foresaw the day when Peach Blossom Village would be destroyed."

Li Wanzhang stretched out his hand: "This is the path I chose. Don't be sad for me. He won't interfere with our lives. You can have the Peach Blossom Sword Manual now."

“This is the complete sword manual.” Li Meng took out the manual from his bosom and handed it to Li Wanzhang: “But are you sure you really want to practice it? This land will create the Taiyin Poison.”

"The fairy fox will help me resolve this." Li Wanzhang pressed down on the secret manual: "The fairy fox has already told me about Xiao Qingxuan's lowered gaze. After more than a hundred years of waiting, Peach Blossom Village has finally ushered in the dawn. You should no longer enter the mortal world. Take good care of Xiao Qingxuan, and I will not mention you to anyone else."

"Brother Wanzhang..."

"If I die, do not grieve for me. I die for the will of my ancestors, and I will have the face to meet them after death. When the time comes, let Xiao Qingxuan send me off and help her achieve a path to immortality."

Li Wanzhang stood up, pushed open the tavern door, and left without looking back: "Wanfeng is with me. Wanyun has changed. He has joined the immortal-seeking team and gone to seek immortality. Don't go looking for him."

"Seeking immortality... If you're seeking immortality, why not come back? The immortals have always been by your side."

Do you think Jiang Zhu will never wake up again?

Well then, since I've chosen this path of no return—the pursuit of immortality—even if I were to find it again, it would only be a troublesome affair.

(End of this chapter)