Longevity Candle

Chapter 41 My name is Li Qingping, and I have many fathers.
At the end of the dynasty, spirits from the mountains and seas, immortal masters and Taoist priests, entered the mortal world to gather incense offerings.

Jiang Zhu had told her these things.

Yao Yao didn't want to get involved in this matter, nor could she.

Although she had done good deeds, it was only for her own protection.

He carried the sword case down Baiyun Mountain and headed upstream on the Qingjiang River.

On the summit of Baiyun Mountain, a colossal creature glanced at Yaoyao, then, without lingering, chased after the Jingwei bird in the distance.

Yao Yao used her lightness skill to travel through the mountains and forests.

After a month, she finally reached the upstream area and saw wisps of smoke rising from the mountains and forests.

She leaped through the woods, and after a few bounds, she arrived at the source of the smoke. There were two simple wooden huts, and a weak cough could be heard coming from one of them.

A child carrying a bowl of medicine entered the wooden house.

"Father, I've found the medicine. You'll get better."

The child looked at the white-haired old man on the sickbed, his eyes filled with tears.

The old man opened his mouth with difficulty and swallowed the medicine.

After finishing the bowl of herbal soup, the old man seemed to regain some energy, his eyes fixed on the roof: "After your father leaves, go down the Qingjiang River to find Peach Blossom Village. You have an older sister named Li Yaoyao, she will take good care of you."

"Father, you'll be alright, you'll definitely get better. I found the medicine in the medical book, you'll definitely get better."

The child took out a medical book from his bosom: "Father, look, the medical book says you'll be alright."

squeak
Just as the old man was about to speak, the wooden door was pushed open, and Yaoyao stood outside, looking at the old man inside.

That blood connection, that unforgettable face in my mind, only now it has aged.

"Father."

Yao Yao went inside, without any angry questioning about their relationship, only endless longing: "I'll take you home, Mother is waiting for you at home."

"You are... Yaoyao?" Li Erfeng looked at her in surprise, but his eyes immediately dimmed: "Am I dreaming? Yaoyao is in Peach Blossom Village, how could she be here?"

"Father, it's me, Yaoyao. It's me, Yaoyao. I'll cure your illness."

A brilliant, warm true essence appeared in Yao Yao's palm and entered Li Erfeng's body.

The child stared in disbelief at the scene, his eyes filled with awe. The soft light seemed to possess a unique magic, bringing him peace of mind.

As the true essence entered his body, Li Erfeng's weak body gradually regained its vitality.

The bowl of herbal soup that was taken also brought out its effects.

Her pale face regained a rosy hue, and her weak cough became stronger.

"Father, you should rest well. Once you're better, Yaoyao will take you home," Yaoyao said gently.

"Zhao, take good care of your younger brother." Li Erfeng glanced at the child, then, overcome with drowsiness, fell into a deep sleep.

Yao Yao looked at the child. She was almost forty-two years old, yet she had a seven-year-old brother. It was truly absurd.

Upon meeting her gaze, the child became somewhat frightened and stepped back.

"Let's go outside."

Yao Yao led him out of the wooden house, and the child, like a puppet on a string, let her lead him.

Once away from the cabin, she looked at the child, her gaze not angry, but rather very gentle: "What's your name?"

"Which name are you asking about?" the child whispered.

"How many names do you have?" Yao Yao frowned.

“I have fifteen names: Liu Qingping, Wang Qingping, He Qingping… and now Li Qingping,” the child said.

"Why are there so many names?" Yao Yao asked.

“Because I was found by my fathers, I took their surnames, but there were many fathers, so I have many surnames,” Li Qingping said truthfully.

"What about the rest of my fathers?" Yao Yao asked. "They're all buried in the mountains," Li Qingping said, pointing towards the back of the house.

Yao Yao picked him up and walked through the grass. After a while, they arrived at a dense forest where there were fourteen graves, all of which were the graves of the wolf-hunting soldiers from back then.

"Do you know their story?" Yao Yao asked.

Li Qingping shook his head: "I don't know. My fathers never told me that I would have to go out and live a life in the future, and not hide in the mountains like them."

Yao Yao closed her eyes, a sharp pain shooting through her heart, fearing that if Qian Guo knew they were still alive, it would implicate her family.

They dared not return to Zhenbeicheng, nor did they dare go home; they could only hide in the deep mountains and forests.

Seemingly sensing her sadness, Li Qingping held her hand tightly, barely daring to breathe.

After a long while, Yao Yao led him away and stood guard in front of the wooden house without saying a word.

Li Qingping sat obediently to one side, flipping through medical books.

"You like medicine?" Yao Yao asked.

“My father and the others all died from illness. If I had excellent medical skills, they wouldn’t have passed away.” Li Qingping looked at him earnestly, his eyes already filled with tears.

“They will leave eventually,” Yao Yao said in a low voice.

Li Qingping gripped the medical manual tightly: "If my medical skills were good enough, my fathers wouldn't have left. It's my medical skills that aren't good enough."

Yao Yao sighed softly. Li Qingping's experiences were far more cruel than her own when she was young.

Just watching her grandmother pass away and the people in the village die, she began to think about seeking immortality.

Li Qingping watched helplessly as his fourteen fathers died.

The medical books were almost worn out from being read so many times, but they still couldn't save my fathers.

"If you want to study medicine, your older sister will fetch all the medical books in the world for you." Yao Yao's eyes held a hint of doting affection.

Is Li Qingping today no different from Li Yaoyao back then?
"Sister, do you have many medical books?" Li Qingping asked in surprise.

“My older sister doesn’t have any, but she can find medical books,” Yao Yao said.

There are many medical books in the imperial palace. Since the young emperor has no use for them anyway, it's better to give them to his younger brother.

Yao Yao went to the mountains and forests and hunted two pheasants, a chicken, and a wild rabbit.

By evening, Li Erfeng woke up and was able to get out of bed and walk.

However, due to the prolonged illness, his body was depleted and aged, making him extremely weak and difficult to recover to his former state.

"Yaoyao." Li Erfeng looked at Yaoyao, feeling a mix of joy, guilt, and self-reproach. He called out her name but then didn't know how to continue.

Yao Yao said, "Father, Mother is waiting for us to come home."

"But……"

"You don't need to worry about things in the army. I have destroyed your roster and reached an agreement with the Zhenbei Army that they will not pursue your matter," Yao Yao said.

"You've been to the North? And you even reached an agreement with the Zhenbei Army?" Li Erfeng looked at her incredulously. "How did you manage to do that?"

"It was a discussion over swords."

Yao Yao patted the sword case, and the Seven Star Sword flew out, shining brightly in the afterglow of the evening, like a deity: "No one dares to make things difficult for you, not even the emperor!"

Li Erfeng stared blankly at this scene; his daughter had actually become a celestial being.

Li Qingping looked up at the seven swords and asked, "Sister, are you an immortal?"

“Sister is not an immortal, but sister is not afraid of immortals.” Yao Yao put away the Seven Star Sword and handed the roast chicken to Li Qingping: “From now on, practice swordsmanship with sister. When sister is gone, you protect Peach Blossom Village.”

"Why isn't my sister here?" Li Qingping asked worriedly. "Could she be sick too? Then I must study medicine even harder."

"Because my older sister has important things to do in the future," Yao Yao said with a smile, not continuing the topic, and handed the chicken leg to her father: "Father, when we were little, you always gave me the chicken leg, now it's Yao Yao's turn to give it to you."

Li Erfeng's eyes reddened, and tears involuntarily streamed down his face. He took the chicken leg and began to swallow it in large gulps.

(End of this chapter)