Longevity Candle

Chapter 87 If there is an afterlife
The blue lanterns lit up in the darkness, attracting the attention of the Ningguo army.

In the city, there were oppressed commoners and powerful gentry who held the power of life and death; at this moment, they all saw those Taiyin green lamps.

"Who is playing tricks here?"

With a loud shout, a burly general, exuding a chilling aura, rode in on horseback, his broadsword gleaming with intense killing intent: "Under the Emperor's protection, there are no immortals or gods!"

He possesses a light invisible to mortals, the dragon aura of Ningguo, and is unafraid of spirits and immortal masters.

Behind him came cavalrymen in full armor, riding up on horseback.

Li Qingxuan, holding a green lamp, put down her sword case: "Taipingdao, I've come here to send souls to the underworld."

"Taiping Dao? Do you have a Dao certificate?" the general asked in a deep voice.

The Ningguo Taiping Dao holds an extremely high position. It is a martial arts force controlled by the emperor and governs the Taiping era.

"This is a Taoist certificate, from the Way of Great Peace, by Li Qingxuan." Li Qingxuan took out the certificate and tossed it to the general.

The general took the Taoist certificate. As a mortal, he could only judge it by its material; it was hard and indestructible, and the words on it were no different from those on a real Taoist certificate.

Just in case, he would send someone back to investigate whether Li Qingxuan, a member of the Taiping Dao, was there. It would take several months for them to travel back and forth.

Although there are very few people impersonating the Taiping Dao, they do exist.

"The battlefield is dangerous, please be careful, Your Excellency." The general dismounted and solemnly returned the official document.

"It's alright, I have my own way of protecting myself."

Li Qingxuan retrieved the Daoist certificate, took the peach wood lamp, and headed into the distance.

One by one, wandering souls gathered, pleading, "Please, immortal master, send me home."

"Immortal Master, I want to return to Ning Kingdom. My mother is still waiting for me."

“Immortal Master, I haven’t seen my son for five years.”

"Immortal Master, please let me go back and take a look, just one look will suffice."

"..."

Each plea is an obsession that cannot be let go, and also a regret for not cherishing what was not cherished.

Li Qingxuan paid no heed, but instead, bathed in moonlight, headed towards a distant mountain peak.

She couldn't fulfill everyone's last wishes, and she couldn't send away all those wandering souls at once.

Throughout history, how many warriors have been able to be ennobled, appointed as generals, and seize wealth and honor?

One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand; here, there are far more than ten thousand wandering souls.
Under the watchful eyes of the army, Li Qingxuan disappeared into the darkness, gradually fading into the distance until she was no longer visible.

The Taiyin Green Lamp still exists, drifting in the void, untouchable by mortals.

The wandering spirits hesitated, unwilling to leave.

In the end, some wandering souls let go of their obsessions, grasped the green lamp, and headed towards their unknown destiny.

Li Qingxuan climbed the mountain. The summit was very high, and there were many wandering spirits.

They stood atop the mountain, gazing in the direction of Ningguo, their homeland from which they could never return.

Li Qingxuan's arrival startled them, and they all turned to look at her, their eyes filled with fear.

That peach wood lamp seemed to have an influence on them.

She found a rock to sit on, put down the sword case, and the peach wood lamp glowed dimly in the moonlight: "I came to see you off, but I cannot fulfill your wishes."

"Are you a celestial master? Let us go back; we just want to return to our homeland."

"Let me go back and take a look. I'll listen to you from now on."

"Immortal Master, please bestow blessings upon us. We are willing to become your faithful followers."

"..."

One after another, figures came, forming a wave of sound like wandering spirits, assaulting her eardrums.

Li Qingxuan frowned slightly: "Please calm down, everyone. Is there a leader who can speak with me?"

Her voice was soft, yet it reached the ears of all the wandering spirits clearly.

The wandering spirits quieted down and parted to make way for each other.

A white-haired general stepped forward, bowed, and said, "General Wang Weijun of the Ning Kingdom greets the Immortal Master. We are all soldiers who fought for the Ning Kingdom. Now that we have died in battle, we only ask that our souls return to our homeland."

"Greetings, General." Li Qingxuan sighed softly, "You should know that we can no longer return to Ningguo, and there is nothing I can do either."

"Even the Immortal Master can't let us leave?" Wang Weijun asked dejectedly.

They died, only wanting to go back and see it one last time.

"Aren't immortals supposed to be omnipotent and possess boundless magical power? Why can't they even send us back?"

"Immortal Master, are you lying to us?"

“Immortal Master, if you don’t want to help us, then so be it, we dare not complain.”

A wandering spirit covered in wounds asked.

The other wandering spirits also largely disbelieved, feeling that the immortal master didn't want to help.

Li Qingxuan sighed softly: "Immortals may be omnipotent, but immortal masters are not."

"What's the difference?" Wang Weijun asked, puzzled.

"Do you know anything about the Master of the Way of Peace?" Li Qingxuan asked.

Most of the wandering spirits looked bewildered. Wang Weijun said, "I have heard of the Way of Peace. It is dedicated to the Master of the Way of Peace. People often talk about the will to achieve peace, but I do not know what the will to achieve peace is."

Li Qingxuan was not disappointed. Although Li Qingping brought the Dao of Immortality into the mortal world, allowing many ordinary people to learn about the spirits of mountains and seas and the immortal masters, most ordinary people had no opportunity to learn about them.

They spend most of their time struggling to make a living, and even listening to storytelling is a luxury. Occasionally, when they pass by a teahouse or tavern, they might listen to a story, which is enough for them to savor for a long time.

"The Way of Peace originated from my ancestor Li Qingping, who was also the master of the Way of Peace."

"Back then, at the end of the Qian Kingdom's reign, the Longevity Path, composed of mountain and sea spirits and immortal masters, entered the mortal realm and bewitched the Qian Kingdom's emperor..."

Li Qingxuan recounted what happened back then: natural disasters and man-made calamities, the immortal master and Taoist priest disregarded the common people and came only for the fate of the nation.

The remaining mountain and sea spirits and immortal masters enjoyed the incense offerings and accumulated merit.

They occupy a territory, providing shelter for ordinary people, yet also controlling them.

"Our ancestors gave up the nation's destiny and the opportunity to enter the path of immortality, wanting to establish a peaceful country, free from disease, disaster, and oppression..."

She described that kind of country, and the wandering spirits listened with longing.

"Does such a country exist?" Wang Weijun gazed into the distance, looking westward, where perhaps the ambition for peace had already spread.

“We are working hard on this,” Li Qingxuan said. “The Way of Peace in Yunmeng has taken root and sprouted, and we are all moving towards peace.”

The wandering spirits fell silent, and Wang Weijun sighed, "We will never see that kind of country again."

“My ancestors couldn’t see it either, and neither can I.” Li Qingxuan looked up at the bright moon in the sky: “Perhaps the ancient, ethereal moon can see that kind of kingdom.”

"Since Your Majesty has inherited the will to maintain peace, why does Your Majesty want to wage war?" Wang Weijun asked, a question shared by all the wandering souls.

“Because of the existence of powerful and wealthy people, the oppression still exists. He cannot directly kill them, so he can only transfer them to Yunmeng,” Li Qingxuan said.

Wang Weijun was stunned: "I was angry and resentful. Why did they sell the land we conquered to those tycoons and powerful people?"

“But the people here are even worse off than we were in our homeland,” a wandering spirit said. “They have become more and more tyrannical, killing indiscriminately and not treating us ordinary people as human beings. Living here is worse than being a pig or a dog.”

"I've thought of drawing my sword more than once," Li Qingxuan sighed bitterly, then asked the wandering spirit, "Do you know what's happening to your hometown?"

“I never went back, but there were new recruits from my hometown in the army. He told me that my hometown was very good. Without those gentry and powerful people, their taxes had been reduced. They only needed to pay the normal land tax, and there were no other taxes. The government also distributed farm tools, seeds, and repaired irrigation canals…”

The wandering spirit, having said this, bowed to the north and said, "Thank you for the Emperor's grace."

The wandering spirits all turned north to pay homage, expressing their gratitude to the Emperor of Ningguo.

After paying his respects to Emperor Ning, Wang Weijun kowtowed towards Yunmeng, saying, "We have failed Yunmeng."

They didn't know why they were fighting; some were fighting for wealth and status, while others were being conscripted and were forced to come.

For various reasons, they went to the battlefield and ultimately remained on this land forever. Wang Weijun stood up and asked again, "Immortal Master, can we win?"

"You want to win?" Li Qingxuan asked.

“I am from Ningguo, and my hometown has benefited from this. Although Yunmeng has suffered, I feel ashamed, but I will still stand on the side of my homeland.” Wang Weijun said firmly, “I am from Ningguo!”

"I am from Ning!" the wandering spirits behind him shouted in unison.

Li Qingxuan was silent for a moment and then sighed, "I don't know if Ningguo can succeed, but Yunmeng will also try its best. The ambition for peace should not be divided between Ningguo and Yunmeng."

"I cannot be as great as the Immortal Master." Wang Weijun smiled. "Knowing that my homeland is safe and sound, I have no regrets. Immortal Master, what do you need me to do?"

“Go where you belong, and I hope you can also persuade the other wandering souls to go to their final resting place,” Li Qingxuan said.

"A final resting place?" Wang Weijun looked puzzled, grasped the Taiyin Green Lamp, saw the endless darkness, and seemed to understand: "I understand. I'm not in a hurry to leave. I will go and persuade the other wandering souls."

"Thank you for your trouble." Li Qingxuan stood up and bowed.

With the help of these wandering spirits, she can send the soul away quickly.

As for the wandering souls of Yunmeng, they will basically return to their homeland after they die in battle.

Some wandering souls come to receive the Taiyin Green Lamp and depart for endless darkness.

"The green lamp will dispel the darkness, may you all have a next life." Li Qingxuan took out the green lamp and sprinkled the accumulated Taiyin magic power on them to nourish their souls, which was the only thing she could do.

As the wandering soul departed, a great deal of merit arrived, and the peach wood lamp in Li Qingxuan's hand shone with brilliant light, like a beacon in the darkness.

Her mind became more active, as if she could see the way forward.

The next day, a wandering spirit flew from afar, obtained the Taiyin Green Lamp, and walked into endless darkness.

"If there is an afterlife, I will pray for the immortal master and wish him immortality soon."

One by one, the wandering spirits bowed in greeting and offered their blessings to her.

Li Qingxuan simply smiled and saw them off.

Although she pursues the path of immortality, she does not seek eternal life. If she were to try to grasp eternal life, she would face an unbearable disaster.

She sat cross-legged atop the mountain, using her accumulated merit to comprehend the Peach Blossom Sword Technique.

Three months have passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, the gathered wandering spirits, as if encountering something terrifying, drifted away into the distance, some heading down the mountain, reminding him: "The general is coming, the army is surrounding the mountain, Immortal Master, hurry and leave."

A figure ascended to the mountain peak; it was the general who had demanded her Taoist certificate that night.

"You are not from the Ningguo Taiping Dao." The general's gaze was icy: "What exactly do you want?"

"Could you temporarily suppress the national destiny within you and accept this green lamp?" In Li Qingxuan's hand, the peach wood green lamp condensed into a Taiyin Green Lamp.

"Do you want me to relinquish my command and let you control life and death?" The general's gaze was chilling.

"I am not a person of the immortal path, and your national destiny cannot suppress me."

Li Qingxuan lightly raised her sword finger, opened the sword box, and the Seven Star Sword whistled out, sealing off the general's body: "Your army below the mountain cannot hold me back either."

The general froze, the longsword was so close, yet his command token remained unresponsive.

The woman's martial arts skills were beyond his imagination, even more unfathomable than those Taiping Dao masters in Ningguo.

He took out a token from his bosom, which concealed a hint of dragon energy.

He put down the token and grasped Taiyin Qingleng: "I want to see what you want to do. Although you are highly skilled in martial arts, there are tens of thousands of troops on and around the mountain. It won't be easy for you to leave."

"Look over there." Li Qingxuan pointed to the distant city.

The general's pupils contracted sharply. As far as the eye could see, countless illusory figures floated above the city, stretching as far as the eye could see: "What are those?"

“The Ningguo soldiers who died in battle, Yunmeng is a huge cage. They cannot return to their hometown, they cannot leave,” Li Qingxuan said.

"Can you send them home?" The general felt his throat go dry.

If it is a spirit of the mountains and seas, an immortal master or Taoist, protected by dragon energy, he will not be afraid.

But those densely packed phantoms were Ningguo's soldiers, including his own men.

Unexpectedly, they became wandering ghosts, unable to even return to their homeland.

“I can’t let them go home; I can only send them to the resting place of wandering souls.”

"Where do wandering souls go?" the general asked.

Li Qingxuan shook her head and said, "I don't know. It's endless darkness there. All I can do is light a lamp for them and illuminate their way forward."

Is there an afterlife?

"I don't know, maybe it is, maybe it isn't."

"What's inside the endless darkness you speak of?"

"I don't know, I've never been there."

The general fell silent: "What would happen if they stayed in Yunmeng?"

“When the spirits of mountains and seas and the immortal masters and Taoists enter the mortal world, they will kill them, leaving them no chance to even enter the endless darkness,” Li Qingxuan said.

"Can you show me how you transfer souls?" the general asked.

“Send the order down, or you can watch from a distance. With the dragon's aura present, they won't dare to approach,” Li Qingxuan said.

Without hesitation, the general put down the Taiyin Green Lamp, picked up the command token, and casually tossed it behind him: "Wang Gui, take the command token and wait downstairs. Xue Wanshan, Chen Ming, come up here."

As he spoke, two middle-aged generals in armor stepped forward and stood protectively in front of him. "General, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." The general waved his hand and cupped his hands, saying, "I am Chen Xuanzhi of Ningguo. I'll see my Ningguo soldiers off."

"Come on up," Li Qingxuan said.

Down the mountain, wandering spirits drifted by, silently watching Chen Xuanzhi and his companions.

They did not recognize the three generals, who had already died in battle.

A young wandering spirit stepped forward and bowed: "Lu Shan, vanguard battalion under General Lu Lin, greets the three generals."

“I remember you.” Xue Wanshan’s eyes reddened. “You were the first to climb the city wall. For your merit in being the first to scale it, I will promote you to centurion.”

Lu Shan remained silent for a moment, then clasped his hands and said, "Thank you, General. If there is an afterlife, I would still wish to serve under your command."

"I will remember you." Xue Wanshan solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute: "If there is an afterlife, I wish to be your brother."

Lu Shan smiled and said, "I heard your conversation. If there is an afterlife, and if I still have memories, I will come back and tell you."

He grasped the green lamp and walked into the boundless darkness.

One by one, the wandering spirits accepted the green lamp and bid them farewell. If there is an afterlife, and if they still have memories of this life, they will return to tell them.

The three of them watched quietly as she sent away the wandering soul until night fell.

After letting them descend the mountain, Chen Xuanzhi said, "Thank you, sir, but who is your identity?"

“Peach Blossom Village, Li Qingxuan,” Li Qingxuan said calmly.

“Peach Blossom Village?” Chen Xuanzhi frowned.

The Ningguo Emperor did not spread the news about Taoyuan Village, as it was not a glorious matter.

Moreover, since they thought Taoyuan Village was completely wiped out, they naturally wouldn't spread the news around.

“My ancestors were Li Yaoyao and Li Qingping, who were also the founders of the Way of Peace.” Li Qingxuan sheathed her Seven Star Sword: “I came here only to send away a soul, and had no intention of getting involved in worldly affairs.”

Chen Xuanzhi remained silent for a moment, then turned and left: "I will tell them to keep a close eye on your affairs, and you should try to stay out of the public eye as much as possible."

He went down the mountain and didn't cause any more trouble.

"If only there were an afterlife, but... would there be?"

Li Qingxuan held the peach wood lamp and gazed at the wandering souls in the distance. If there were an afterlife, her ancestors would probably have already been reborn as humans.

If there is an afterlife, why are there no people in the world who have lived a previous life?

If there is an afterlife, why would the spirits of mountains and seas, immortal masters and Taoists, constantly pursue immortality?
(End of this chapter)