Longevity Candle

Chapter 43 The Greatest Delusion in the World
Yao Yao left Taoyuan Village again. She had already decided that once she obtained the medical book, she would stay in Taoyuan Village and teach Li Qingping martial arts and medicine.

When I returned to the county town, there were new landlords and gentry, and the population had increased considerably.

A temple was erected in the city, said to be dedicated to a Yellow Cloud Immortal.

The torrential rains that followed were dispelled by the magic of the Immortal Huangyun, who protected the county town. Now, the town is thriving with worshippers.

Yao Yao only inquired about it but did not interfere.

She had heard Jiang Zhu say that not all immortal masters would stop at nothing to achieve immortality.

There are some mountain and sea spirits and immortal masters who come out to do good deeds during times of chaos.

Although they came for the sake of merit, they did indeed protect the people, giving them a place to rely on in the chaos of war.

She had considered building a temple for Jiang Zhu, but Jiang Zhu didn't need incense, so she gave up on the idea.

They rode away on their swords, and temples sprang up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

She flew along on her sword, sensing some gazes, but they only glanced at her and did not make things difficult for her.

Some immortals, Taoist priests, and spirits even retreated upon her arrival.

They were unwilling to provoke a sword demon from the martial world who was full of merit.

Having arrived in the capital smoothly, Yao Yao went straight into the palace.

Deep within the palace, seven golden lotuses bloomed, and seven figures sat cross-legged, among them the black-robed immortal master.

Beneath the lotus flower lies a giant golden python, which represents the destiny of the Great Qian Dynasty!

"She's here!" The black-robed immortal master's face darkened. "She's gone too far! Does she really think I'm afraid of her?!"

Yi Gucheng slunk away, truly making this immortal master lose all face.

When have immortal masters and Taoist priests ever been forced to retreat by martial artists from the Jianghu?
As he was about to make his move, a green-robed immortal master opened his eyes and said, "Don't let your mind be disturbed. How does she know you are here? Just watch. We have just stabilized the fate of the Great Qian Kingdom. If you touch her, you will suffer a backlash, and this journey into the world will be in vain."

The black-robed immortal master calmed down and took a deep breath: "I acted impulsively."

"It's alright. Anyone would find it unbearable to be struck down by two generations of people." The green-robed immortal master was very understanding.

The black-robed immortal master's face was ashen, and behind him was a phantom of a centipede, appearing and disappearing intermittently.

He approached Yaoyao because of the centipede spirit's orders.

Back then, when Ayan sought out the centipede demon, the Sword of Merit forced him into a rather embarrassing situation. Yaoyao inherited the Seven Star Sword Technique, so this debt naturally falls on Yaoyao's shoulders.

Thus, the scene of the black-robed immortal master approaching Yi Gucheng occurred, except that Yao Yao had more merit on her side.

Yao Yao was unaware that she had been discovered, as she was packing medical books inside the palace.

The immortal masters acted as if they hadn't seen anything, collectively choosing to ignore it.

"She wants to study medicine?" asked a white-robed immortal master.

"Ordinary medical books can't stir up any trouble," a celestial master said nonchalantly.

"Her martial arts are also mortal, yet she still managed to reach the point of flying?" the black-robed immortal master said.

"Prepare a few fake ones for her?" the green-robed immortal master pondered.

The white-robed immortal master frowned and said, "This is not appropriate. Her martial arts are unparalleled, and she has glimpsed a trace of the universe. She can still sense the toxicity of medicinal herbs. How can a mortal fake prescription fool her?"

"Why not give her the formula for immortal pills?" A cruel smile appeared on the lips of the black-robed immortal master: "Who can refuse to prolong life? Some medicinal herbs can prolong life, but when combined, they can become deadly poisons."

"She's just a martial artist, she can't possibly discern the secrets of immortal pill formulas." The white-robed immortal master's eyes lit up: "Excellent, I have a unique longevity pill formula, and there's no cure for it except for me."

"I also have some insights."

The immortal masters all spoke up, saying that if it were a true longevity pill, it would be difficult for them to refine, but they could easily produce a large number of pills that could kill people.

After discussing it, they went to the Imperial Medical Academy to talk about the peerless alchemical classics.

They deliberately let Yaoyao hear this and kept praising how miraculous this alchemical manual was, claiming it could revive the dead and heal the wounded, and that it was collected by Emperor Yong'an back then.

If it were any other emperor, it might be hard to believe, but Emperor Yong'an was a seeker of immortality who even injured two spirits, making him a man of great military achievements.

As expected, Yaoyao took the alchemy manual, along with a bunch of medical books, and packed them all up to take back with her.

"No matter how high one's martial arts skills are, one is still just a mortal." The green-robed immortal master said calmly as he returned to the golden lotus. Peach Blossom Village.

Looking at the room full of medical books, Li Qingping, despite his love for studying medicine, felt a bit overwhelmed.

"Sister, which doctor's study did you empty out?" Li Qingping asked in astonishment.

"All the medical books in the palace are here." Yao Yao took out a medical book from her bosom: "Look, my elder sister also brought back a book of pills. The pill formulas in it can bring the dead back to life, heal the wounded, and prolong life. They are immortal pill formulas collected by Emperor Yong'an."

"Sister is amazing," Li Qingping said admiringly.

“Tomorrow, your older sister will study medical books with you,” Yao Yao said.

Li Qingping said, "There is a doctor in the village, sister. Let's learn the basic medical principles from Doctor Liu first."

“Okay,” Yao Yao replied.

The siblings brought their tuition fees and became apprentices of Doctor Liu, studying medicine together.

Life settled down, becoming fulfilling and warm.

To Yao Yao's astonishment, Li Qingping's talent was terrifyingly high.

Despite having no merit, her martial arts skills improved even faster than hers; she learned quickly and mastered them in no time.

His medical skills were equally impressive. He could memorize all sorts of complex pharmacological theories and apply them in various ways, leaving Doctor Liu in awe and exclaiming that he had discovered a medical prodigy.

Li Erfeng gradually emerged from his grief and settled down to take care of the two siblings.

No one outside came to disturb them.

The county government and the temples of the immortal masters seem to have chosen to ignore Taoyuan Village.

The government knew they couldn't do anything about it, and the immortal master knew she was full of merit and was the Peach Blossom Sword Demon who was not to be trifled with.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, Yao Yao is forty-seven years old, and Li Qingping is thirteen.

On this day, Yao Yao brought a jar of peach blossom wine and came to the peach grove alone, looking at the green lamp.

The candlelight flickered, and Jiang Zhu awoke from his slumber. Looking at the peach orchards covering the mountains and the graves before him, he sighed softly, "When did you return?"

"It's been six years since I came back. I regret not listening to your teachings and being so greedy." Yao Yao's voice was low.

"May the departed rest in peace; those who are alive should cherish what they have." Jiang Zhu sat down beside her.

"Over the years, I've come to a realization. Try the wine I brewed." Yao Yao handed the peach blossom wine to Jiang Zhu: "Over the years, my brother and I have been learning medicine and brewing wine. In the end, we brewed this jar of peach blossom wine."

Jiang Zhu took a sip: "The wine has a strong peach blossom aroma, a sweet taste, and is refreshing and thirst-quenching. It's a good wine."

“I was worried you wouldn’t like it, since Ayan treated you to strong liquor,” Yaoyao said with a smile.

"You are you, and Ayan is Ayan. Why are you arguing with her?" Jiang Zhu glanced at the village, where people were talking about what had happened to Yaoyao over the years: the leader of the Northern Martial Arts Alliance, who had frightened away the Immortal Master!

Why would Yao Yao compete for the Northern Alliance Leader for no reason? It's clearly because she's trying to outdo A Yan.

Yao Yao took the wine jar, took a big gulp, and then poured it on the ground: "It's not about competing, it's more like a kind of inheritance. I don't want the world to forget her."

“With the passage of time, it will eventually be forgotten,” Jiang Zhu said.

Yao Yao said, "But this is the only way I can prolong her existence."

Jiang Zhu sighed softly.

"To be honest, I'm much greedier than her. She only wants to live forever, while I long to keep everyone around me."

After I die, I hope you will not mention me to future generations.

"Why? Don't you want things to continue this way?"

"Because I am a greedy woman, I wanted more just because you glanced down at me. The human heart is truly an insatiable chasm."

"Now you seem to have gained some profound insight."

"I wouldn't call it a complete enlightenment, but I've come to realize my own ordinariness and that wanting to grasp eternity is the greatest delusion in the world. By the way, look at my younger brother; he's incredibly talented."

Jiang Zhu turned his head and his pupils shrank: "Where did you find this freak?!"

(End of this chapter)