Immortal Travel of Longevity

The youth who had once clamored to learn the sword inside the spirit cage was now draped in a cassock. His face had aged, and he had become a highly respected monk.

After the buddha child entered the Buddhist Faction, he took the Buddhist name Shizhen. He had long since discarded the name Feng Feiyu, for he was no longer a man of the mundane world.

Shizhen brewed a cup of Gesang Flower Tea for Chen Changsheng. Its faint floral fragrance was soothing to the heart.

Shizhen asked, "Teacher has traveled thousands of miles to come here. Surely it isn't just to see this old monk?"

Chen Changsheng nodded. "This Chen wishes to lay down a formation node here, and someone must watch over it lest it be destroyed by those with ulterior motives."

"A formation node?"

"Mhm."

Chen Changsheng set down his teacup. "There is too much suffering and hardship in the world. Heaven does not care, so This Chen will. I only wish to return a bit of peace and harmony to this Mortal World."

Shizhen fell into a brief daze before saying, "Teacher's righteousness is vast."

"Merely selfishness."

What great righteousness was there? He simply liked this Mortal World. He liked the city by Green Mountain, and he couldn't bear to see it reduced to its current state.

Shizhen agreed. "Shizhen, along with the Buddhist Schools, will certainly protect the formation node Teacher leaves behind, to ensure the peace and prosperity of the common people."

Chen Changsheng nodded. "Have you been here all these recent years?"

Shizhen nodded. "The snowy mountains of the high plateau are the most peaceful and serene. The Buddha calms the human heart, allowing one's thoughts to reach clarity."

Chen Changsheng looked at the snow drifting outside the temple. This was indeed not a place ordinary people could reach; it was a secluded sanctuary for cultivating the heart.

Here, he was closer to the heavens and far removed from the mortal realm.

Shizhen looked at Chen Changsheng. "And Teacher? Where have you gone all these years?"

"Just wandering."

"Teacher's aspirations are lofty, spanning thousands of mountains and rivers. Shizhen is filled with admiration."

Chen Changsheng looked at the kind, elderly monk before him. For a moment, he found it hard to connect him with the Feng Feiyu of the past.

It was as if they were no longer the same person.

Chen Changsheng recalled their time in the spirit cage. He asked, "During your final life back then, This Chen promised you a few other things. Did I end up ruining you?"

Shizhen suddenly smiled. "How could you?"

"Myriad Reincarnations were contained within it. It was only because of Mister's single word that Shizhen was able to find a beginning and an end through tens of millions of years. This was not a flaw, but true guidance. Without Teacher, I would have become a heartless Buddha. Without a heart, one is not human, and I would not be me."

Hearing this answer, Chen Changsheng nodded. "That is good."

The wind and snow outside grew heavier, the flakes even drifting into the room.

Shizhen asked, "Does Teacher like watching the snow?"

Chen Changsheng gathered his thoughts. "I suppose so. In my early years, I rarely saw snow."

"Rarely?"

"Do you know of Xia Chan?"

"Naturally. The cicada possesses a Buddhist nature, and its name shares a sound with Zen. How could I not know?"

Chen Changsheng said, "Xia Chan had never seen falling snow, much like This Chen in the past. If This Chen wanted to see snow, I had to leave one place and travel somewhere farther to find it, rather than wait for the snow to come."

Shizhen did not quite understand. He said, "Teacher possesses the bearing of a celestial being. Perhaps it is not Teacher chasing after the snow, but rather the snow falling upon the path Teacher has walked."

Chen Changsheng waved his hand, saying nothing.

Curiosity stirred in his heart, and he asked about another matter. "During the Investiture of Immortals Assembly back then, the emperor permitted your Buddhist Faction to establish temples. Yet so many years have passed—why is it that one rarely sees Buddhist temples in the world?"

Shizhen replied, "Teacher, the world's belief in the Dao is already deeply rooted. Even if our Buddhist Faction received permission and descended the mountain, what could we do?"

"The time is not right?"

"Mhm."

Chen Changsheng nodded and asked no more.

He stood up and walked to the window.

Raising a hand, he began to draw an Ancient Character Formation. One ancient character after another transformed into golden light and flew out, landing on the peak of the snowy mountain. The ancient characters gradually expanded, imprinting themselves into the snow.

Chen Changsheng exhaled and looked back. "The formation eye has been placed. It is time for This Chen to leave."

"Why doesn't Teacher stay for a few more days?"

"No."

Chen Changsheng stepped forward. "There are still many places I must go."

"Please allow Shizhen to escort you down the mountain."

"You are old, so rest well. The mountain path is long and blanketed in snow. There is no need to trouble yourself."

Chen Changsheng walked down the mountain alone.

Shizhen watched his retreating figure. He saw that this Mister was deeply lost, faring even worse than the most unremarkable person in a vast sea of humanity. At least those people knew where their homes were and where they were going.

But this Mister did not know.

It seemed he was meant to be this way, walking through the boundless Red Dust, with very few people ever remembering his existence.

"Amitabha..."

Shizhen closed his eyes to practice Zen, his thoughts drifting far away.

A young novice monk behind him looked at the Venerable One and asked, "Venerable One, who is this benefactor descending the mountain?"

Shizhen thought for a moment before replying, "This poor monk does not know either."

The young monk was bewildered, unable to grasp his meaning.

...

Chen Changsheng walked forward. What met him was a desolate land. The mountains here were barren, vegetation was scarce, and the sun was blistering. The wind whipped against his face like a cutting blade.

He did not know how long he walked, but the last remnants of flora eventually vanished, leaving behind a vast desert. Looking out from afar, a city stood tall within that barren wasteland.

This city felt somewhat familiar to Chen Changsheng.

But when he drew close, he realized that everything here had completely changed.

The city was devoid of people.

It was a picture of absolute desolation. This once-lawless land was now gradually being buried beneath the endless yellow sands.

It had been abandoned.

Chen Changsheng took a brief look, a fleeting glance, and then departed.

Amidst these sky-blotting yellow sands, who knew how many people had been buried—let alone a city, especially a city whose water had run dry.

Walking out of this land of yellow sand, Chen Changsheng arrived at a checkpoint of the Border Pass.

Many soldiers were stationed atop the gate tower.

Since coming here, some of them had never returned home.

Chen Changsheng gazed from afar, feeling only how bleak and desolate this place was. Across the endless yellow sands, he was the only one walking on the road.

He passed through the checkpoint and continued forward.

Yet, he still could not find a suitable location.

That was, until a mountain range appeared before his eyes.

Nanyan Mountain.

Chen Changsheng remembered that he had been here before.

Back then, there was a eunuch on this mountain who had stirred up quite a bit of trouble.

Now, the mountain was empty, its people long gone.

Those people of the jianghu from the past had long since been incorporated by the Imperial Court. As for the mountain they left behind, the passage of time had faded all traces of their existence.

Chen Changsheng walked up the mountain and arrived at the peak.

Looking around, he saw that the terrain here was quite high; it was a veritable blessed land.

"It is a good place."

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