Longevity Candle

Chapter 29 As High as the Sun
Five hours later, Jiang Zhu's figure began to fade.

"Alas, I wonder when I will be able to live a normal life in this world."

He dared not hope to be as free as those elves.

Like any ordinary mortal, he is content to fall asleep at night and wake up during the day.

However, the daily routine of ordinary people was a luxury for him.

Returning to the dim light of the lamp, I fall into slumber once more.

Life in Taoyuan Village has become more exciting.

The peach was sold, but it was only one peach and didn't fetch a very high price.

But Yao Yao's father still came back. Because of his longing for his wife and children, and after hearing that Yao Yao had almost gotten lost, he decided not to go out to work again.

He was originally a hunter in the mountains and also knew how to fish. He had no worries about food and clothing, but he went out to work in the fields to earn more money.

To everyone's delight, Yao Yao seems to be a lucky charm.

He took Yaoyao to the river to fish. The fishing net was so heavy that it could barely be dragged, and they were even able to catch fish weighing dozens of kilograms.

When Yaoyao isn't around, there are at most a few small fish.

As time went on, everyone in Taoyuan Village knew about it and said that Yaoyao was a lucky star favored by the River God.

However, the good days did not last long, as the imperial court began conscripting soldiers.

Yao Yao's father, along with all the able-bodied men in the village, were taken away, leaving behind an orphan and a widow.

But this is something that can't be stopped; no one can stop it.

Fortunately, Yaoyao is already twelve years old. She is a very good swimmer and has good fortune. She can fish in the river and hunt in the mountains. Even at the foot of the mountain, she can encounter pheasants and rabbits waiting for her to catch.

Life wasn't hard, but the longing only grew deeper.

She would wait for her father to return at the village entrance every day.

Every six months, she would receive some loose change, which was her father's military pay, along with a letter.

To everyone's surprise, Yao Yao cultivated true qi simply by using the basic methods hunters used to train their bodies.

Yao Yao came into contact with true energy, thinking that with powerful strength she could find her father.

She saved up her money and went to the county town to buy a martial arts manual, which was only a low-level martial art, the "Cold Star Sword Technique".

The sword strikes like countless cold stars, nothing more.

But she practiced very seriously, her mind was more active than ever before, and she seemed to be guided by something unique in the dark, which led her to change her swordsmanship.

Her swordsmanship became much more powerful; her swords moved like the wind, their cold light like stars, and even ordinary martial artists couldn't see her sword clearly.

She still carries the green lamp with her; whenever she feels longing or agitated, holding the lamp brings her peace of mind.

When Yaoyao was fifteen, her grandmother passed away. She cried for a long time, as she lost another relative.

The children of Taoyuan Village have grown up.

They began hunting and fishing, and life became lively again.

Her former playmates followed her to practice martial arts, and although they were not particularly talented, they gained a lot of strength.

When I was sixteen, the Qingjiang River suffered a severe drought, and the tributaries in the village dried up. We had to travel a long distance to fetch water from the main channel of the Qingjiang River.

Fortunately, with the money her father gave her, plus her good fortune, life wasn't too difficult.

But the other hunters were not as lucky as her, and their lives were difficult.

When she turned eighteen, the whole village celebrated her birthday.

But on that very day, a new round of conscription began.

Young men volunteered to join the army; they were struggling to make ends meet in their hometowns, but they could still receive a salary in the military.

Yao Yao's father sent back money every year, which made them envious for a long time.

The young men had all left, and Yao Yao was once again left without friends. Alone, she practiced her sword in the peach grove, accompanied only by the dim lamplight.

That same year, the drought returned, even more severe than before.

Taoyuan Village suffered a complete crop failure; the tree bark on the mountain had been gnawed off, and there was no trace of prey.

Yao Yao's good fortune seemed to have vanished; she couldn't even find prey when she went up the mountain.

Most of the peach trees in the peach orchard have died, and the water level of the main channel of the Qingjiang River has dropped. Furthermore, some wealthy people have surrounded the area, preventing ordinary people from drawing water, claiming that they need it to irrigate farmland and feed the grain.

Yao Yao had to go to a more distant place to fetch water, but luckily her fortune returned, and she caught some fish along the way.

Some refugees also came to Taoyuan Village. Yaoyao tried her best to take in some of them, but she could only keep them from starving.

The refugees, with their complicated intentions, formed cliques in the village, hoping to seize all the food and take control of the village.

Yao Yao never imagined that there would be such people in the world. She had saved them, and they were the outsiders, so why wouldn't they let the villagers live?

She drew her sword and killed them all, refusing to take in anyone else. Life continued in this difficult way, but she never received any more money from her father, only a letter instructing her to take care of her mother.

As the elderly in the village passed away one after another, those who were able to leave the village to make a living elsewhere.

The entire village was deserted, and the children's laughter was not as loud as before.

Yao Yao is twenty years old. She sits alone in the peach orchard, looking at the long-withered peach trees. In the distance are the seven remaining children in the village, searching for something to eat all over the mountains and fields.

"What should I do? Father hasn't written to me for two years. I want to go find him, but I can't let go of Mother and the village." Yao Yao looked bewildered.

She knew that if she left, Taoyuan Village would have difficulty even getting food, and they would have no way to survive.

Only a few women remained in the village, filled with sorrow and tears, waiting in vain for their husbands to return.

Not knowing what to do, she picked up the lamp as usual, hoping to find peace of mind.

The candlelight flickered, and he saw a phantom floating not far away.

Yao Yao looked at the illusory figure with surprise, her past memories overlapping with the figure: "Big brother."

Jiang Zhu hadn't yet figured out his surroundings, but he saw the merit within her: "Are you that little girl from back then?"

"Yes, it's me, Yaoyao." Yaoyao looked at him excitedly, "Have you returned from your travels?"

"Just passing by," Jiang Zhu said. "I'm still on my journey, and I just happened to be passing through here. What's troubling you? Shouldn't you be happy and joyful?"

He bestowed merit upon Yaoyao, which merged into her body, thus allowing her to see his faint form.

That merit is extremely abundant, more than ten times what Ayan received back then, and should be able to protect her for life.

"There has been a severe drought for several years in a row. There is no food in the village. At first, my father sent back silver, but I haven't heard from him for two years."

Yao Yao said in a low voice, "All the able-bodied men in the village have joined the army, and many have sacrificed their lives. Only a dozen or so aunties and seven children are left."

"Is this all that's left?" Jiang Zhu sensed the surroundings and frowned slightly.

"Yes, I don't know what to do now either. The villagers have no way to find food, so I can only go a long way to fetch water, avoid the blockade by the local gentry, and bring back some fish. It's just enough to get by, and no one will starve to death for the time being."

Yao Yao said with a worried expression, "Occasionally there are refugees. Although I try my best to drive them away, people keep coming. I dare not take them in anymore. Each time I can only give them a bite to eat and let them leave."

The drought has no end in sight; if this continues, the Qingjiang River will dry up completely.

Jiang Zhu pondered for a moment: "What if we could solve the drought?"

In these times of great calamity, even if one has accumulated merit, the animals have all fled, and no amount of good fortune can conjure things out of thin air.

"Big brother, can you solve the drought?" Yao Yao looked at him with surprise: "If there is water, then we can grow crops and the village won't go hungry."

A silver ring and a black sphere appeared in Jiang Zhu's palm: "Tonight at midnight, place this in the well, and the well water will flow endlessly; if a flood occurs in the future, take out this black sphere and place it above the village, and it will relieve the flood disaster."

"If only it could rain! How could there be floods these days?" Yao Yao took the black ball and the ring, feeling that they weren't real objects: "What are these two things?"

"The floods in Qingjiang happened not long ago, so this is just in case." Jiang Zhu looked at her: "You practice martial arts?"

"Yes, I'm very skilled in martial arts. I even encountered bandits trying to steal water when I was fetching it, but I defeated them, brought back the water, and fed the village." Yao Yao said, raising her head as if waiting for praise.

"Your martial arts skills are lacking," Jiang Zhu said. "Are you practicing swordsmanship?"

"I saved up money to buy the Cold Star Sword Technique, and I modified it myself." Yao Yao took out the Cold Star Sword Technique.

Jiang Zhu only glanced at it; it was a basic sword technique, barely enough to cultivate true qi, but with the help of merit, it was forcibly transformed into a superior martial art.

“I once had a friend who also practiced swordsmanship.” Jiang Zhu thought of A Yan and sighed softly, “I originally thought that I would just want you to live a happy life, so I didn’t teach you martial arts. I didn’t expect the world to be so chaotic now. Without a means of self-protection, it is indeed difficult to survive.”

"Big brother also knows martial arts?" Yao Yao looked at him with admiration: "Is big brother's martial arts very good?"

“Yes, it’s very high.” Jiang Zhu nodded.

"How tall?" Yao Yao asked curiously.

"About that, as high as the sun." Jiang Zhu looked up at the blazing sun.

The existence of immortals is like the blazing sun in the sky—unattainable to martial artists.

"The sun?" Yao Yao tilted her head. "Big brother lied to me. How could a person be as tall as the sun?"

Jiang Zhu smiled and said nothing more, gently patting her head: "I will teach you a martial art. You don't have to practice it exactly as you want. Just practice it according to your own ideas. Remember, you can't kill indiscriminately or do evil, but you can use it to protect yourself and the village."

"Thank you, big brother." Yao Yao felt her mind was filled with many new things: "Big brother, what's this martial art called?"

In a daze, Jiang Zhu seemed to see Ayan from back then. He looked at the peach tree and said, "Let's call it... Peach Blossom Sword Technique."

"The Peach Blossom Sword Technique?" Yao Yao murmured.

"I'm going on a long journey. I hope that when we meet again, you will be free from sorrow and a happy Yaoyao."

Jiang Zhu smiled, patted her head, and drifted away.

"Big brother……"

Yao Yao called out, but received no response. Just like back then, she came and went in a hurry.

(End of this chapter)