The story begins with the bride marrying off her daughter, and the woman, at the age of one hundred,

Pei County, Jiangjia Village.

The two people and the monkey each composed themselves.

Changshou and his second granddaughter had a formal conversation, discussing their lives over the years.

Chang An talked about everyday family matters and the changes in his children and grandchildren.

Chang Shou talks about his path to the Dao and his life of cultivation.

Of course, the grandfather and grandson understood each other without saying a word.

They only report the good news and never the bad.

Upon learning that his grandfather had achieved his wish and was now cultivating Taoism on a sacred mountain, even attaining a level of cultivation he himself did not understand, and that he could become a legendary ghost god in the netherworld after death, Chang'an was overjoyed.

Those are under the command of the King of Hell.

He is the legendary judge, the Lord of Impermanence.

She smiled broadly and said sincerely:

"Congratulations, Father, on finally getting what you wanted. No wonder you look younger than me now."

After thinking for a moment, she said:

"Father, what will happen when I die?"

"My soul was taken by those underworld officials and went to see you in the netherworld. Could you perhaps grant me some favors and allow me to appear in your dreams to see my children and grandchildren more often?"

Changshou was not surprised by what his second granddaughter said.

It is human nature to seek advantage and avoid harm.

Besides, it was one of his elders who cultivated into a ghost immortal.

Furthermore, in the minds of ordinary people, those great gods and immortals are too far removed from their own lives, and they lack sufficient reverence for them.

Ordinary people have more reverence for minor deities and gods.

Because of their different religious roles, their mindsets are also different.

The people have even greater respect for deities such as the Earth God, the Dragon King, the Goddess of Fertility, and the Weaver Girl.

They were even more afraid of the King of Hell, the judges, and other ghosts and gods of the underworld.

What ordinary people seek is nothing more than food, clothing, shelter, transportation, birth, aging, sickness, and death. They are mostly afraid of the King of Hell and of death. Now that they have a powerful backer, they naturally want to be protected.

Put yourself in their shoes.

His behavior was probably no different from that of his second granddaughter.

He saw his second granddaughter staring at him expectantly.

Chang Shou stroked his beard and smiled, affirming:

"When one attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."

Don't worry, you'll definitely get your share of the rewards.

The conversation quickly turned to the second granddaughter's youngest granddaughter, and Changshou asked, "How has little Jianghua been all these years?"

Even though I know that the little girl has passed away.

Although I know this girl has had a tragic fate.

It is clear that the second granddaughter never mentioned this girl, only talking about her other two grandsons and one granddaughter, obviously deliberately omitting the topic so that he would expose the matter.

After all, fortune telling can only show the result, not the specific process, and the information obtained is limited.

---

When my grandfather brought up the matter himself.

Chang An remained silent for a moment, seemingly having something difficult to say.

Chang Shou didn't urge him, and turned to chat with the monkey. At first, it was just casual conversation, but then he suddenly remembered something and asked, pretending not to care:

"Monkey, it's been many years since you've been back to Flower Fruit Mountain, hasn't it? Do you want to go back for a visit? Anyway, the Patriarch said that the teleportation talisman will only dissipate after we return to Fangcun Mountain."

So, before that, can we go anywhere we want to go?

For example, Flower and Fruit Mountain, or Penglai Island.

Sun Wukong's hard-won calm was stirred up again. He scratched the back of his head and couldn't sit still for a moment, squirming and fidgeting on the stool, as if he had ADHD.

But he didn't reply immediately.

"No rush, you can give me your answer after I've finished my business."

Chang Shou reassured her gently.

Let the monkey go back to Flower Fruit Mountain.

It was a sudden inspiration of his.

Perhaps after the monkey returned to Flower Fruit Mountain and met with his monkey offspring, his Dao heart would be more stable upon returning to Lingtai Mountain, allowing him to cultivate for a longer period at Fangcun Mountain.

Moreover, he was quite curious about Flower Fruit Mountain.

Having finally managed to get out of the house, I naturally wanted to satisfy my curiosity.

Of course, the decision rests with the monkey.

As for the legendary immortal paradises like Penglai Island, the claim of longevity is just a figure of speech.

My current strength is insufficient.

Entering these places rashly could easily lead to an accident.

We need to stabilize and slow down.

He was just using an analogy.

They all fell silent.

Chang Shou shook his head helplessly.

What's so hard to say?

They are still too young.

Monkeys have a young mental age.

The second granddaughter lacks experience.

Of course, comparing his own more than 100 years of experience with his second granddaughter's more than 50 years of experience is a bit unfair.

Besides, Jiang Hua and I weren't really that close, and we weren't related by blood, so there were some things I couldn't truly empathize with.

This is also why Changshou didn't urge him.

---

Changshou was not kept waiting for long.

A sigh reached my ears.

Chang An glanced at his father, his old face showing more heartache, and his tone becoming more heavy and helpless.

"The grandfather is family."

This monkey spirit was also a good friend of my father, so he could be considered one of our own.

I won't hide it anymore.

Chang An pounded his chest and recounted:

"Father, my heart aches!"

My little granddaughter has suffered so much these past years…

As his second granddaughter recounted the story, Changshou's facial expressions changed constantly, and his feelings gradually became complicated.

It turned out to be the fifth year since I left.

Jiang Hua married far away.

The young man's ancestors were merchants from the State of Qi.

Because they offended the nobles of Qi, they had to move their entire family. After many twists and turns, they finally settled in Chu.

Later, the King of Qin unified the six kingdoms.

After the fall of the Chu state, the young man became a native of Pei County, Sishui Commandery, in the Qin Dynasty.

However, their family had fallen on hard times and their circumstances were not much better than those of ordinary people.

Considering the young man's strength, hard work, and his instant attraction to Jiang Hua, and given Jiang Hua's willingness, the Jiang family agreed to their marriage.

I thought they would stay in Pei County for a long time.

It's also convenient for Jiang Hua to visit her parents' home.

Unexpectedly, just half a year after Jiang Hua got married, her parents-in-law passed away. Before they died, they left a will expressing their desire to return to their ancestral home.

So, Jiang Hua followed her beloved husband back to the former state of Qi and settled down there.

They thought the young couple could live a peaceful and happy life, have children, and grow old together, but their good fortune didn't last long.

The couple had been married for only a year and a half.

Jiang Hua's son-in-law was conscripted to work on the Great Wall.

He was gone for several years.

At first there was some news, but later there was no further news.

The ginger flower took seven long years to bloom.

Chang An was heartbroken by his granddaughter's ordeal.

She asked someone to send a message, asking her granddaughter to return to her parents' home so that they could take care of her.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Hua became stubborn. Afraid of troubling her family and also afraid that her husband would not see her when he returned, she refused to go back to Pei County no matter what.

The second granddaughter sent several letters.

Jiang Hua never returned.

In a fit of anger, she went directly to the old Qi territory to personally bring Jiang Hua back.

Because the second granddaughter's two grandsons were also conscripted to work on the Great Wall, the Jiang family was already full of orphans and widows, which was enough to exhaust the second granddaughter.

Jiang Hua knew she was a burden.

Going back would inevitably trouble her sisters-in-law, so that girl absolutely refused to go back.

The grandfather and grandson had a heated argument.

The two granddaughters returned empty-handed.

When she returned, she was indignant, anxious, and in pain.

I can only deliberately numb myself and not think about Jiang Hua, for fear of dying of anger and for fear of dying of heartache.

Jiang Hua's last letter was two weeks ago.

She said she would go to the Great Wall herself to find her husband.

---

After listening to Jiang Hua's experiences over the years.

Chang Shou felt a complex mix of emotions.

Not only because the tragic fate of this great-granddaughter is a true reflection of the plight of some women at the bottom of society in this era, but also because Jiang Hua's husband's surname is Meng.

His great-great-granddaughter was called Meng Jiangshi or Meng Jiangnu.