Longevity Candle

Chapter 23 She once brandished her sword at the gods and immortals.

Liu Sanzhu's funeral was a grand affair, and he passed away in a very respectable manner.

Many fishermen were also saddened by this.

Liu Sanzhu was a good man and took good care of his neighbors in town.

With him gone, and Liu Lang not being the type to be a fishmonger, their catches won't fetch high prices anymore.

After Liu Lang finished the funeral arrangements and returned home, he used the excuse of calming down to sleep in a separate room from Xiu Niang.

The embroiderer had no doubts and focused on taking care of the child.

In the stillness of the night, he lay alone on his bed: "I have not seen the white crane. Why did the God of the Green Lamp say that a white crane would descend?"

Confused, and wondering if his father had faked his death, he relaxed after working so hard for so long and fell into a deep sleep.

In a daze, he heard an ethereal voice calling to him.

Liu Lang opened his eyes and found himself standing by the river.

A loud cry of cranes rang out, and he looked up to see two white cranes spreading their wings and descending, like celestial spirits, landing in front of him.

"Liu Lang," the two white cranes spoke in human language.

Liu Lang was startled, but then he remembered Jiang Zhu's instructions and quickly cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, two esteemed cranes. Are you friends of the God of the Green Lamp?"

"The God of the Green Lamp?" Bai Shuang said, "Is it Jiang Zhu? We saw him in your house and sensed his presence, so we came to see you. Is he asleep again?"

"Yes." Liu Lang nodded, then said, "He said that all the incense offerings would be given to you, and that I should treat you well."

"Why doesn't he want it?" Bai Ling asked, puzzled.

“He said he couldn’t absorb the incense offerings, and that he only woke up briefly each time, during which he was cultivating,” Liu Lang said.

The two white cranes looked at each other and said, "We won't take your offerings for nothing. Take your family and leave Qingjiang River quickly to find another way to make a living."

"Leave? Why?" Liu Lang asked, puzzled.

"You humans will cause a natural disaster. When the Qingjiang River rises, torrential rains fall, and floods rage, this is something you cannot stop. Leave now and find another place to live."

After the two white cranes finished speaking, they spread their wings and flew away.

Liu Lang wanted to ask more, but his body jolted, and he suddenly sat up from the bed.

"Was that...a dream?"

He recalled it carefully, and everything in the dream was very clear, just like what he had experienced in reality.

He wouldn't believe it if he just dreamt of a white crane out of thin air, but Jiang Zhu had said it beforehand, and the other party was only reminding him because of Jiang Zhu's sake.

"A natural disaster? Caused by humans?" Liu Lang's expression was grim. "What exactly caused this natural disaster?"

The Qingjiang River is rising...

Could it be the legendary God of Qingjiang?
He thought of his wife, who was also searching for the God of Qingjiang and the man in black at the bottom of Qingjiang River.

"They mistook Jiang Zhu for the work of the God of Qingjiang, so they're searching for him? Could the rising waters of Qingjiang be because they've angered the real God of Qingjiang?"

Liu Lang pondered, and the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

Having seen Jiang Zhu and just now seen two white cranes, he had no doubt that the God of Qingjiang truly existed.

Although Jiang Zhu's awakening was brief, the immense power he possessed was something no ordinary person could contend with.

As the legendary god of the Qingjiang River, his magical powers may be even more profound, making it not impossible for him to cause the Qingjiang River to rise and bring about a torrential rain.

"Should I... leave?"

Liu Lang sat on the bed, momentarily at a loss.

He did not wander aimlessly in the Qingjiang River as he had before.

He began wandering around Liujia Town, watching the residents as usual, with no indication that a natural disaster was about to strike.

Liu Lang didn't know what to do. He couldn't talk about it, and he couldn't tell the Qin family either.

I thought about it for a long time, but couldn't come up with a solution.

He entered the Qingjiang River again and swam to his heart's content until he was exhausted and drifted with the waves to a small village.

This place is similar to Liujia Town, inhabited by impoverished fishermen who make a living by fishing.

If we let them leave, where can they go?

"God of Qingjiang, can you guide me on what to do?"

He muttered to himself, then his face lit up with joy: "I'm so stupid, I can use the name of the God of Qingjiang to do it."

Even those who lived along the Qingjiang River, though they had long forgotten the god of the Qingjiang, still held the river in awe. Thinking it, he acted immediately, stirring up the river waves and disappearing into them. Approaching the fishermen, he warned, "The Qingjiang River is rising, torrential rains are coming, a natural disaster is imminent. Stay away from the Qingjiang River to survive."

The fishermen were terrified. Even the bravest ones couldn't see anything after entering the river; they could only hear his voice.

The fishermen in the village began to relocate, moving away from the Qingjiang River.

Seeing that it was effective, Liu Lang went to the next village.

Occasionally, white cranes would fly by in the sky, watching him busy, shaking their heads slightly, and not intervening.

They wouldn't have come here if they didn't have a past connection with the god of Qingjiang.

In one year, Liu Lang persuaded five villages to leave. He felt a sense of accomplishment, but also had many worries.

He began to squander his fortune, intending to build a large ship to rescue people.

The embroiderer saw everything but did not stop it; instead, she offered her help.

Liu Lang didn't know what she was thinking, but he kept it in mind.

News of the disaster spread to various places, but most people didn't take it seriously, while the more cautious began to relocate.

As time went by, his efforts to spread rumors became futile.

Because everything was calm and nothing unexpected happened.

Because of his construction of large ships, Liu Lang became the laughingstock of Liu Family Town. Due to a rumor, he went from being a wealthy man to being penniless.

If it weren't for his ability to catch fish in the river and the Qin family's financial support, he probably wouldn't even have a chance to eat.

Although the rumors were useless, he persisted in doing it, trying to persuade as many people as he could.

Five years later, when he saw the relocated villages downstream, he was somewhat bewildered.

Just as he was about to enter the village to investigate, a man in black walked out of the village, ignoring him: "Liu Lang, why waste your time?"

"Who are you?" Liu Lang's face darkened. "You moved them here?"

"Yes." The man in black nodded, his eyes gleaming with fanaticism: "You already have immense wealth, a happy wife and children, why don't you enjoy your life?"

"My conscience won't allow it," Liu Lang said.

"Conscience?" the man in black scoffed, then said, "Did the God of Qingjiang order you to do this?"

Liu Lang's gaze was cold, and he remained silent.

"Do you know that we knew you had a connection with the God of Qingjiang, yet we never sought you out?" the man in black said calmly.

Liu Lang frowned: "Why?"

"Because you don't understand the so-called God of Qingjiang at all." The man in black had a deep look in his eyes: "Let me tell you a story. During the Chongwu era, a girl named Ayan came from Baiyun Town."

"Ayan?!" Liu Lang was shocked. "I know her, but what's our relationship?"

"She was just an ordinary girl, but she unexpectedly learned martial arts and became a peerless master in the martial arts world at a young age, with few rivals in the world."

If that were all, she would have left behind a good reputation in the martial arts world and lived a peaceful life.

Her martial arts skills were too strong; she elevated the martial arts world to a whole new level, giving her godlike abilities…

The man in black, with mixed emotions, said with a sigh, "If your martial arts reached her level, what would you do?"

"Let's live a peaceful life," Liu Lang said.

"What if she doesn't want to die?" the man in black sighed softly.

Liu Lang was stunned: "She's beyond human capabilities, who could kill her?"

"Time may kill, even the best in the world, like a god or a demon, will still grow old; she swung her sword at the immortals and gods, just to seek immortality." The man in black spoke with great admiration: "I admire her very much. No matter what, she dared to wield that sword."

"Did she succeed?" Liu Lang asked.

"According to the secret scroll, the sword immortal Ayan, in order to seek immortality, swung her sword at the mountain gods and returned to her girlhood."

The man in black said, "She must have seen an ageless being, which is why she is so persistent. Perhaps it is related to the Green Lamp."

Liu Lang said in a deep voice, "Are you telling me all this because you want me to stay?"

"No, it was just a moment of pity on my part. Go, don't come back, don't waste your time."

The man in black turned and left. Once he was out of sight, he pulled off his mask, revealing himself to be Qin Jiang. He sighed bitterly, "That person wants to live forever. How can we stop him?"

"If Ayan hadn't unleashed that sword strike back then, perhaps things wouldn't be like this today..."

(End of this chapter)