Longevity Candle

Chapter 9: Another Quest for Immortality

The Tiger King is too strong, too intelligent and cautious.

Bai Qiuyun didn't know if the Tiger King could understand human speech, so he used the method of writing.

Although hunters in the mountains may not be literate, they still have ways of communicating silently.

Ayan learned martial arts from Jiang Zhu's explanations and by comparing the text of the manual, he also learned some of the techniques.

She occasionally reads tales of the strange and supernatural, and can read most of the characters.

She used gestures to convey her meaning.

Zhang Wanren quickly responded with a hand gesture: "I'll do my best."

"Only make a move when you are absolutely certain of success," Ayan said.

Zhang Wanren nodded heavily; his words would determine the life or death of everyone.

Bai Qiuyun gripped the scroll tightly, gazing intently at the forest.

Zhang Wanren sat on the ground, closed his eyes to calm himself down, and tried to relax as much as possible, while also taking the opportunity to recover his strength.

The hunters spontaneously rose up and surrounded Zhang Wanren.

Ayan stood beside him, her hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

Bai Qiuyun held the scroll, waiting for the right moment.

A quarter of an hour, two hours...

In the blink of an eye, three hours had passed, the sun was setting, and the moon was about to rise.

The hunters stood stiffly, their legs numb.

Zhang Wanren finally opened his eyes and blurted out, "Northwest, 500 meters away. It's on our way down the mountain, getting closer, 400 meters... 300 meters..."

Bai Qiuyun suddenly threw the scroll out, and a cloud of black mist stirred up a cold wind, rushing into the forest: "Now."

Sonorous!

With a sword cry, a blinding sword light appeared. Ah Yan swept past like the wind, the sword light illuminating the dense forest, already three feet in length.

"A three-foot sword's edge!"

"The pinnacle of martial arts!"

The hunters, including Zhang Wanren, were shocked, as they also knew some things about the underworld.

puff
铿锵
The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh was heard, along with a shrill whistle and the clanging of metal against metal.

Ayan moved nimbly, like a phantom, changing positions in the forest: "The needle pierced his neck, the bones were as hard as iron, but he was not dead."

Everyone was horrified; the three-foot sword light could not kill the frozen Tiger King.

"Shoot all the arrows! Success or failure hinges on this!" Bai Qiuyun shouted.

The hunters did not hesitate and fired all their arrows into the dense forest.

The mournful roars in the forest gradually subsided.

Dark mist emerged from the forest and blended into the painting.

Bai Qiuyun moved with incredible speed, quickly picking up the scroll and holding it to his chest: "Three hundred meters away, his breath is barely a whisper; he can be killed."

Gu Qianshan watched his steps, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

Seven Star Step!
The footwork in the Seven Star Sword Technique is only slightly different from theirs, and seems to be simpler.

Ayan drew Gu Qianshan's longsword and was the first to enter the forest.

Many hunters hurriedly followed, running for three hundred meters, when they saw a tiger as big as an ox, its imposing presence intimidating.

Its body was riddled with arrows, which, though only pierced its fur, still diverted most of its energy.

Half of the longsword was embedded in its neck, and blood was gushing out.

It still had a breath, but it was very weak.

The crowd stepped forward, swords and blades fell in unison, and finally the Tiger King was slain.

Collecting tiger blood, skinning and dismembering the animals—all of this was done by Ayan.

She saw a glimmer of golden light emanating from the tiger's blood and bones, radiating heat, and the green lamp seemed to tremble.

She didn't say anything, and everything was arranged according to the prior agreement.

The group hurriedly descended the mountain and returned to their respective homes.

Bai Qiuyun couldn't wait to return to the town, retrieve the jade bottle, and fill it with tiger blood.

"The materials have been gathered. When shall we depart?" Bai Qiuyun asked.

"The sooner the better. You've used me again, which has shortened your lifespan," the black aura in the scroll said.

"Having never set foot on the path of immortality, any contact with things related to it will damage one's essence, energy, and spirit, and affect one's lifespan." Bai Qiuyun asked.

"Midnight," the black mist said. "I'm taking a crooked path. Midnight is when yin energy is at its peak. You can take moonlight to offer to the immortals. Even if the immortals don't take it, it will still attract their attention and make them look down on you. The rest depends on you."

“I understand. Then tomorrow night at midnight, I need to make some arrangements,” Bai Qiuyun said.

Dark energy disappears into the painting, full of anticipation.

Seeking immortality, seeking immortality, even just a glimpse of it would be worth a lifetime of wandering.

The father and daughter returned home and quickly closed the door.

They took out their share of tiger meat and examined it repeatedly.

"There was no golden sheen in the meat, no wonder he shared it with us."

Ayan said solemnly, "I'm certain he came for Jiang Zhu."

"Because of the golden light you saw?" Gu Qianshan asked solemnly.

"When I first saw the painting, I felt a chill to the bone, and the lamp trembled. Then I saw the tiger blood and tiger bones, which shone with golden light and had a scorching power, and the lamp trembled again."

Ayan's eyes were deep and mysterious: "If my guess is correct, then the golden light is the essence of the sun, and the scroll is the brilliance of the moon, which is exactly the power that Jiang Zhu needs."

"I'll go out and inquire tomorrow," Gu Qianshan said.

"No need to inquire anymore. We'll head up the mountain tonight. He'll definitely go to Baiyun Temple again." Ayan said coldly, "Although I don't know what methods he has, strange arts are unpredictable. Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, I can't let him take Jiang Zhu away."

Childhood memories keep echoing in my mind.

It was the lamplight that accompanied her through countless darknesses and listened to her suffering.

It was Jiang Zhu who bestowed blessings and saved the father and daughter.

She remembered the kindness shown to her and everything else. Although their time together was short, she cherished it for a lifetime.

“I will go with you,” Gu Qianshan said. “The footwork that Bai Qiuyun used today should be the Seven Star Step, but it is not as exquisite as ours.”

"What if he can see through us?" Ayan's murderous intent intensified.

"Not for now. Our Seven Star Steps are very different from his. He will only have doubts if he thinks about it carefully."

Gu Qianshan calmly analyzed, "But his mind is entirely on the Tiger King; he has no interest in us."

Ayan felt slightly relieved, but her killing intent intensified.

The father and daughter took some dry food and left in a hurry, taking advantage of the night to climb Baiyun Mountain.

Day two.

Bai Qiuyun bought an incense burner and prepared many offerings, which he carried up the mountain alone.

His illness worsened, yet his eyes grew brighter, filled with a persistent and frenzied intensity.

He walked very slowly, and it wasn't until nightfall that he finally reached the summit and arrived at the ruins of Baiyun Temple.

He was panting heavily, like a drowning person, lying on the ground, and it took him a long time to slowly get up.

Carrying a pile of things, they arrived at the original site of the main hall of Baiyun Temple and placed the offerings.

“I don’t have time. Otherwise, I would definitely build a tall platform and a Taoist temple for you.”

Bai Qiuyun murmured to himself, took out a wooden basin, placed the tiger blood and tiger bones on it, and pieced them together to form the image of the Tiger King.

He draped the tiger skin over the tiger bone, and the scroll slowly unfurled, revealing a wise and venerable old man, but emanating black mist, giving him an eerie air.

In the distance, the father and daughter lay prone in the grave, carefully watching this scene.

Today, there is nowhere left to hide on the summit of Baiyun Mountain except for graves.

As midnight approached, the scroll suddenly flew up, and thick black energy surged forth, gathering the essence of the moon.

The tiger bones and skin actually stood up at this moment, letting out a loud tiger roar.

Bai Qiuyun smeared tiger blood on his body, burned incense, and prayed: "Bai Qiuyun, a descendant of Baiyun Temple, offers the essence of the sun's fire and the moon's essence as sacrifices to the immortals of Baiyun."

The disciple wishes to build a high altar for worship, gather incense offerings, and sculpt a golden statue, hoping for the favor of the immortals.

Wow
A chilling wind howled, and a cold, eerie atmosphere filled the air, reaching straight up to the white clouds in the sky.

The tiger's roar was loud and clear, echoing across the sky.

The moonlight gathered into silver sand, and the golden light converged, transforming into brilliant radiance, with the yin and yang energies suspended in the air.

Above the sky, nothing changed.

Bai Qiuyun knelt on the ground, his forehead touching the earth, but there was no response for a long time.

A violent coughing fit rang out, sounding particularly desolate on the mountaintop...

(End of this chapter)