Longevity Candle

Chapter 99 A Peach Blossom Paradise in the Deep Mountains

Ning Qinghan settled down on Peach Blossom Island. Although the people on the island did not deliberately show off their martial arts skills, as martial arts masters, some traces were still difficult to hide.

But Ning Qinghan didn't think about exploring these things; instead, she learned to take care of the children, brew wine, and catch fish.

She would also tell the people of Peach Blossom Island about things happening outside.

"During the reign of Emperor Taizu, the country was able to recuperate and thrive, which led to its current prosperity."

Ning Qinghan sighed and said, "The Ning Kingdom in the distance is growing stronger day by day, and almost every generation has been ruled by wise rulers. They have defeated the grasslands and forced them to migrate north."

She recounted the events outside: the emperor of Ningguo was skilled in warfare, but surprisingly, Ningguo grew stronger and stronger with each battle, and its people became richer and richer.

"Does Yunmeng not know how to learn from Ningguo?" Yanyu asked.

"We have to admit that our emperor is really no match for Ningguo, including the founding emperor."

Back then, Emperor Taizu said that if the new emperor of Ningguo were to ascend the throne and then send troops north, he might suffer a great loss, so he lowered his guard somewhat.

Ning Qinghan sighed, "Just as the Emperor Taizu predicted at first, Ning Kingdom won one battle after another, became arrogant and complacent, and was tricked by the grasslands, losing 100,000 elite troops in one battle."

"And then what happened?" Yan Yu asked.

"The grasslands even sent envoys to insult Ningguo. Ningguo then publicized the defeat throughout the country, issued an edict of self-reproach, and said that it had let down the people of the world."

Emperor Taizu even mocked Emperor Ning for his incompetence, but that Emperor Ning actually did something that no other emperor could do.

"what's up?"

"He kowtowed to the people of the world, apologized to the soldiers who died in battle, took a knife, gathered the families of the fallen soldiers, and stabbed himself three times in front of them. If it weren't for the officials stopping him, he might have really stabbed himself to death."

Ning Qinghan said.

Yan Yu frowned: "What's the use of this?"

“What’s the use?” Ning Qinghan sighed. “If our Emperor Sheng could do this, and if eating me could grant me immortality, I would stew myself and feed it to him.”

Yan Yu opened her mouth, but remained silent for a moment.

"When the ruler is worried, the minister is ashamed; when the ruler is ashamed, the minister dies. Even when the Emperor of Ningguo was still recovering from his injuries, the officials had already raised a million soldiers and fought their way through the grasslands. In that battle, the entire nation of Ningguo was mobilized for war, and there were almost no men who dared not fight."

Ning Qinghan said in a deep voice: "The martial artists who were not selected spontaneously entered the grasslands and almost wiped out the various tribes."

"After that battle, the grasslands were peaceful and have not dared to move south since. Emperor Taizu ordered the construction of walls along the mountains to prevent the Ning people from attacking. Fortunately, the Ning people did not attack, and the two countries now live in peace."

"How do you know so much about this?" Yan Yu asked.

“I have read the Taiping Dao secret scrolls, but now those scrolls should be sealed away,” Ning Qinghan said. “When I was young, I often heard people say, ‘Better to be a dog of Ningguo than a human in a chaotic world.’”

Fortunately, our prosperous nation has had many years of recuperation and development, and the people are living in peace and contentment. The country is wealthy and the people are strong. It's just that Your Majesty is now thinking about immortality.

I'd rather be a dog in Ningguo than a human in chaotic times!
Yan Yu was deeply moved: "From what you've said, Ningguo is a place that people yearn for."

“Of course, that is the origin of the Way of Peace,” Ning Qinghan said.

"The origin of the Way of Peace?" Yan Yu asked in silence. "Was the Way of Peace very prosperous there?"

“I’ve never been there, but many people in our Sheng Kingdom who cultivate the Way of Peace want to go and see it,” Ning Qinghan said.

“The ambition for peace has blossomed.” Yan Yu murmured, thinking of her grandmother, Li Qingxuan.

Ning Qinghan asked suspiciously, "Judging from your appearance, you seem to be very familiar with the Taiping Zhizhi?"

"I've heard of it before." Yan Yu smiled slightly and didn't say anything more. "Stay here and relax."

She got up and left to prune the peach tree branches.

Time passed, the candlelight flickered, and the river candle awoke once more.

He took a peach and placed it in front of Li Qingxuan's grave.

"You're awake." Yan Yu stood to the side, carrying peach blossom wine.

"It's hard to believe you've grown up so much," Jiang Zhu said gently. "Have some new people arrived on the island?"

"Yes, the people of Sheng Kingdom are searching for peaches of immortality for Emperor Sheng. I've heard that eating just one peach grants at least a thousand years of lifespan," Yan Yu said.

"Peaches of Immortality?" Jiang Zhu frowned. "How would Emperor Sheng know about peaches of immortality?"

Could it be that the clues left by the dream were found by Emperor Sheng?

"She didn't know that she said the Taiping Dao in Sheng Kingdom was already under the control of the imperial power, while the Taiping Dao in Ning Kingdom was extremely prosperous..."

Yan Yu didn't hide anything and told Ning Qinghan everything she had said.

"It seems that Li Wanyun has chosen a good emperor for Ningguo," Jiang Zhu sighed softly.

"Li Wanyun?" Yan Yu asked in confusion, "Who is he, and how could he choose the emperor of Ningguo?"

"He is Qingxuan's third uncle, a man who harbors hatred but still chooses the ideal of peace."

Jiang Zhu asked, "You want to return to Sheng Kingdom through Ning Qinghan?"

“They plan to pursue immortality and don’t want to go back.” Yan Yu shook her head and said, “They are all disabled and pitiful people who don’t understand human relationships. If they enter the mortal world, they will probably not have a good ending.”

“Peace and tranquility are good,” Jiang Zhu nodded.

"A child has been born on the island with the talent of immortality. With my current method of refining essence into qi, am I able to teach him?" Yan Yu asked.

Jiang Zhu pondered for a moment: "Does his mother possess any supernatural abilities?"

"She said that while she was washing clothes at the beach, a blue light entered her body. I don't know if it was just her imagination, I couldn't detect it either," Yan Yu said.

"That's it. The old tortoise must have woken up once and happened to glance at her, which was then passed on to the child."

Jiang Zhu said, "He doesn't have Li Qingping's obvious Yang attribute talent, so he can cultivate any immortal cultivation method. The Taiping Scripture is just right to lay the foundation for him. As for the future, it depends on which path he wants to take."

He didn't know how the old tortoise had managed to create the talent for immortality, but there was definitely the old tortoise's aura in it; it was his doing.

“I want him to leave and see where the ambition for peace arose,” Yan Yu said.

Jiang Zhu said, "You can decide for yourself."

He took the peach blossom wine, drank a sip, and sprinkled it in front of the grave: "I've come to see you again. This peach blossom wine is much better than yours."

The mist and rain silently receded.

Jiang Zhu sat cross-legged in front of the grave, absorbing the power of the sun and moon and accumulating magical power.

He was also confused. His magical power had clearly increased a lot, so why could he still only stay for six hours and still need to sleep for nine years?

bottleneck?

He didn't feel it, or did he want his magic power to be like the old dragon's, truly boundless?
He now possesses immense magical power solely through the aid of the Lesser Yin Netherworld.

A day passed quietly, and he returned to the quiet lamplight once more.

one year later.

Ning Qinghan also realized the problem with Peach Blossom Island; if things continued this way, it would perish.

“I’ll take you back, or I can lure some people here,” Ning Qinghan said.

"cheat?"

"Yes, now the country is prosperous and the people are at peace, and no one wants to leave their hometown. But there are too few people like me who are willing to give up their homes."

Ning Qinghan explained.

Therefore, the only way to get people to come to the island is to trick them into coming.

Yan Yu smiled and shook her head: "Go back, just don't mention Peach Blossom Island to anyone."

“But if we do that, Peach Blossom Island will perish.” Ning Qinghan frowned.

“We’re either women or have physical abnormalities, and we’re not good at social interactions. What can we do if we go back and suffer the cold stares of the world? We can live freely on this island,” Yan Yu said.

“At least it can be passed down,” Ning Qinghan said.

“But that’s not Peach Blossom Island anymore.” Yan Yu stood up and said, “I’ll take you to see my grandmother.”

"Your grandmother?" Ning Qinghan was taken aback. "There are other people on the island I don't know?"

As the mist and rain fell, we arrived at the peach grove and stood before Li Qingxuan's grave.

“I’ve been here before. Is she your grandmother?” Ning Qinghan asked.

"The Taiping Dao of Sheng Kingdom, didn't they tell you who the leader of the Taiping Dao is?" Yan Yu asked.

"The leader of the Taiping Dao is named Gu Xinsheng. He was once a prince of the previous dynasty. He received teachings from a strange person, joined the Taiping Dao, and learned immortal techniques."

Ning Qinghan said, "The Lord of Taiping Dao killed many beasts to protect the prosperous country, and died from exhaustion."

"A mysterious person imparted the teachings?" Yan Yu sat down cross-legged: "Then do you know that Peach Blossom Spring is a place of protection, where peace and tranquility prevail?"

"I once saw it in a secret scroll; it was a white fox, the one who uttered those words when sending away a soul," Ning Qinghan said.

"Her name is Li Qingxuan. She comes from Taoyuan Village in Ningguo. She is a descendant of Li Qingping, the master of Taiping Dao. She entered Yunmeng to spread Taiping Dao, created the mortal path to immortality, and led Gu Pingsheng and Gu Xinsheng to enter Taiping Dao and cultivate immortal techniques."

Misty Rain Road.

"How could she be buried here?" Ning Qinghan was shocked and exclaimed.

"Once one enters the path of immortality, one is no longer involved in the mortal world. However, Gu Pingsheng and Gu Xinsheng still chose to enter the mortal world."

Many things happened afterward. The founding emperor of Sheng Kingdom feared his grandmother, so she left the kingdom and happened to see Peach Blossom Island.

Yan Yu recounted.

Xu Wenhe wasn't afraid of Li Qingxuan, but rather the blue lamp in her hand. However, she didn't want to tell Ning Qinghan the story of the blue lamp. And it seemed that Ning Qinghan didn't know about the blue lamp either.

"The founding emperor was afraid of her?" Ning Qinghan was stunned.

"It's just fear of the immortal path," Yan Yu said. "Peach Blossom Island will perish sooner or later. I think you should take Li Qingchen's family away and let him see the place where the ambition of peace was raised when he grows up."

Li Qingchen was only one year old. Ning Qinghan was asked to take him away, but Yan Yu was also worried that her parents would leave with him.

Ning Qinghan frowned and asked, "Is only their family willing to leave?"

“Now, the only child who is still alive is Li Qingchen,” Yan Yu said.

Ning Qinghan agreed: "I will teach him well and let him go and see where the ambition for peace was raised."

Seeing that she agreed, Yan Yu immediately made the arrangements, while also leaving a strand of magic power within Li Qingchen's body to protect his safety.

The people on Peach Blossom Island cut down bamboo to build bamboo rafts.

The women were also preparing food, wine, gold and silver jewelry, sealing them with magic so they wouldn't spoil.

Those who fled back then took a lot of valuables with them, but now that Peach Blossom Island no longer needs them, they can take them with them.

A month later, Ning Qinghan took Li Qingchen's family on a bamboo raft and headed towards Yunmeng.

Yan Yu placed the green lamp beside Li Qingchen: "Go, go see the ambition of peace, see the prosperous world, and enjoy the peace under heaven."

A wisp of magic stirred up waves, bringing a gust of wind that carried the bamboo raft away.

On Peach Blossom Island, everyone silently offered their blessings: "May peace and tranquility forever shine upon you."

Three months later.

The bamboo raft stopped at a rocky area, and the distant beach, bathed in the glow of the setting sun, shimmered like grains of gold.

Large ships were moored on the beach.

"What are those boats?" the lame man asked curiously. His name was Li Taoshan, and his wife was Wang Yun'er.

"We shouldn't go near the boat that's looking for peaches. We'll take the bamboo raft with us and destroy it so they don't find out."

Ning Qinghan glanced at it, her face full of disappointment.

As a member of the Way of Peace, she did not want the emperor to pursue the elusive pursuit of immortality, but she could not stop him.

They destroyed the bamboo raft without leaving a trace, which also prevented them from searching at sea, and thus they found Peach Blossom Island.

They took the bamboo raft ashore, far from the sea, and burned it to the ground.

"Where are we going?" Li Taoshan asked.

"Let's go to the Chihe River. Back then, Emperor Taizu diverted the waters of the Chihe River into Yunmeng to irrigate farmland. The scenery there is beautiful. If we go upstream, we can even reach the border of Ningguo."

Ning Qinghan said that she had already thought about where to go: "There are many merchants who travel all over the country and transport goods there. We can open an inn and brew peach blossom wine. Life won't be hard."

"Won't this attract attention? My great-grandmother used to run the Yunmeng Tavern in Yunmeng." Wang Yun'er looked worried.

“Don’t worry, the Lord of Taiping Dao has already spread the peach blossom wine, and each region has its own unique peach blossom wine,” Ning Qinghan said.

The group left the South China Sea and entered the mainland. Because Li Qingchen was young, Ning Qinghan bought a carriage and then traveled by boat to the Chihe River.

A month later, Ning Qinghan rented an inn in Xingyue City on the banks of the Chishui River. Li Taoshan and his wife brewed peach blossom wine and took care of their child.

Ning Qinghan was in charge of external affairs, while they took care of internal affairs. They lived a comfortable life, but they often missed Peach Blossom Island.

Star Moon City was frequented by countless merchants, and the inns were doing very well. Peach Blossom Inn gradually gained fame.

Li Taoshan and his wife also learned about human relationships and customs. Since they came from Peach Blossom Island, they did not value money and often gave discounts to their guests, which earned them a reputation for being kind, generous and righteous.

Time flies, and Xiao Qingchen grows up. But this kid is very mischievous and often beats up his neighbor's kids until they cry for their parents.

Fortunately, he was obedient and did not reveal his cultivation level.

Until she was eight years old, Ning Qinghan held Xiao Qingchen in her arms and said, "Auntie is going to pick lychees. Do you want to come? After picking the lychees, we'll go catch fish in the stream next to us. I heard there are turtle eggs there. We can dig them up and feed them to you, you little turtle."

"I'm not a bastard," Xiao Qingchen muttered, holding two peaches.

"Aren't you a little bastard? Who stole Erniu's hawthorn fruit yesterday?" Ning Qinghan tapped his little head.

"That's my spoils of war. We agreed that whoever wins gets to keep it," Xiao Qingchen explained.

"You're really something, fighting with a little girl."

Xiao Qingchen said in a serious tone: "Martial arts competitions only distinguish between superiors and inferiors, not between men and women. You taught me that."

Beasts, influenced by the flesh and blood of elves and immortals, are extremely powerful, as are humans.

In addition, the Taiping Dao spread martial arts, and the martial arts culture flourished in the prosperous country. It was also a golden age, so families with some means would come into contact with martial arts.

Ning Qinghan gave a light snort and led him to the carriage: "Brother Taoshan, sister-in-law, I'm taking Xiao Qingchen to pick lychees."

"Keep an eye on him, don't let him go crazy," Wang Yun'er said.

Xiao Qingchen quickly replied, "Don't worry, Mother, I'll be very obedient."

The carriage slowly drove out of the city and headed towards the lychee orchard outside the city.

Sweet lychees, juicy and with a sweet and sour taste.

Little Qingchen sat under the lychee tree, his little mouth stuffed full. Of course, Ning Qinghan wouldn't let the eight-year-old pick lychees; he had only brought him here to eat fresh ones.

"Little Qingchen, catch these, they're not small." Ning Qinghan tossed two lychees, which landed precisely in his small bamboo basket.

"Auntie, you have some too." Xiao Qingchen peeled a fruit, ran over to him, and handed it to her.

"Good boy." Ning Qinghan smiled and patted his little head: "Go play, there are two little snakes over there, don't hurt them."

"Yes, I'll treat them to lychees."

Xiao Qingchen carried a small bamboo basket and ran quickly to a lychee tree. He parted the weeds and revealed two black snakes with silver-white rings on their bodies.

This is a snake species unique to Yunmeng. It is said that during the reign of Emperor Taizu, a snake species underwent a mutation due to the influence of the moon's rays and was called the Silver Moon Snake. It is highly venomous.

The two little snakes were startled and were about to react when Xiao Qingchen held them down: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, please eat some lychees."

The two small snakes tried to struggle, but they couldn't move and could only let him hold them down.

"Okay, if you don't like lychees, how about peaches?"

Sensing the emotions of the two little snakes, Xiao Qingchen put away the lychee, took out the peach, and broke it into pieces.

The two silver moon snakes revealed excitement and longing, which greatly surprised Xiao Qingchen.

The little snake happily devoured the peach, nuzzled against him affectionately, and was no longer afraid.

Xiao Qingchen looked surprised. He had been learning snake-controlling techniques since elementary school, but this was the first time he had ever encountered a snake that liked to eat peaches.

They immediately broke open the peaches and fed them.

After eating a few pieces of peach, two silver moon snakes nuzzled him affectionately, and he turned his head to look at the mountains and forests deep in the lychee orchard.

They quickly crawled a distance, then looked at Xiao Qingchen and turned their heads.

Xiao Qingchen could sense their emotional fluctuations and asked in confusion, "Where are you taking me? My aunt doesn't let me run around, or I'll get a beating if she finds out."

The little snake tilted its head, and one of the silver moon snakes quickly darted out, while the other little snake crawled back.

About fifteen minutes later, the Silver Moon Serpent returned, moving so fast it left afterimages. It carried a peach in its mouth and placed it at his feet.

"Auntie, the little snake gave me a peach." Xiao Qingchen picked up the peach and said happily, "This peach smells so good."

The peaches are bright red and juicy, with a rich aroma, and they contain abundant energy.

Ning Qinghan could smell the fragrance of peaches from afar, and his true essence within his body fluctuated. This was no ordinary thing!

"They gave it to you?" Ning Qinghan asked in surprise.

The two silver moon snakes crawled back into the forest, signaling them to follow.

“Auntie.” Xiao Qingchen looked up at her.

"I'll take my sword, just in case." Ning Qinghan turned and went back to the carriage. Xiao Qingchen hurriedly called out, "Take my sword with you too."

Ning Qinghan smiled and still took his sword, an ordinary peach wood sword.

The two silver moon snakes were very fast, and Ning Qinghan was not slow either. In a short time, they crossed the mountain.

Below was an ordinary forest, nothing unusual about it.

They followed the two silver moon snakes down the mountain. Ripples spread through the void, as if space had shifted. The ordinary dense forest disappeared, and a peach grove appeared.

The air was thick with the scent of peaches, and the ground was covered with countless silver moon snakes.

In the center, a peach tree is in full bloom, laden with fragrant peaches.

The silver moon snakes all surrounded the peach tree, as if they were paying homage.

"How could there be a peach grove here?" Ning Qinghan exclaimed in surprise. She had never heard of a peach grove in the mountains. Her gaze swept around and she saw a stone tablet not far away that read: "Peach Blossom Spring?"

“I know, I know. When I’m sleeping, my father and mother tell me, ‘Peach Blossom Spring is here to protect us, and we will live in peace and tranquility.’” Xiao Qingchen said, “This is what Ancestor Qingxuan taught us.”

As soon as the words were spoken, the fragrance of the peach tree in the center grew even stronger, and a clear, ethereal voice rang out: "Are you descendants of Li Qingxuan?"

Ning Qinghan was shocked: "Mountain and Sea Spirits?"

"The peach tree she accidentally created back then can be considered as her entry into the threshold of Qi Refining..."

(End of this chapter)