Immortal Travel of Longevity

"Undoing the shackles..."

The abbot looked at Aqing and fell into deep thought.

Aqing looked at the pensive monk and smiled. "Take your time, abbot."

The abbot suddenly looked up at her.

"Since you bring it up, benefactor, this poor monk also has a question."

"Ask."

The abbot asked, "Ever since you entered the Dao and began your Cultivation, benefactor, have your shackles truly lessened?"

The question caught Aqing slightly off guard.

The abbot offered a warm smile. "Perhaps you should carefully consider it as well, benefactor."

Shackles...

She had never seriously considered the question.

That day, Aqing did not get what she came for; instead, she left the temple weighed down by her thoughts.

The abbot, meanwhile, let out a long sigh of relief.

"Master, that benefactor's reasoning is a jumbled mess. What will you do if she comes back?"

The abbot shook his head. "She likely won't return for a very long time."

"Huh?"

The little monk was puzzled. "Did you say something to her, Master?"

The abbot smiled. "Everyone has their sorrows. They just hadn't been pointed out before."

The little monk nodded, though he only half-understood. He watched the benefactor head down the mountain, noting that her figure lacked its usual free-spirited air, replaced instead by a look of deep worry.

His Master truly was skilled, he thought.

He knew his Master wouldn't let that benefactor bully them forever.

...

Aqing returned to the bamboo house.

The horse was grazing by the riverbank. She sat in the doorway, still dwelling on the monk's words.

"The Mysterious Gate undoes shackles..."

But had the shackles really lessened?

Aqing felt a bit dazed. It seemed that her shackles hadn't diminished at all; instead, her sorrows had only multiplied.

Suddenly, she could no longer distinguish the meaning of rules and shackles.

Lost in prolonged thought, she fell into silence.

It was the second year since Changsheng had left.

The horse had grown quite old. Now, it only strolled along the stream, enjoying its twilight years.

Then, one night, the horse collapsed.

It wasn't sick, just old...

Everything in this world aged and faced life and death. Stones were no exception.

Aqing buried the horse at the foot of the nearby mountain, digging a pit and piling up a small mound of earth.

Looking at the small mound, her thoughts drifted endlessly once more.

Matters of life and death constantly circled in her mind. When she walked by the stream and dropped the disguise over her face, the water reflected the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.

She found herself obsessed with immortality...

In the past, she had merely wanted to live a little longer.

Now, she greedily wished to never age and never die.

Yet her reflection in the stream reminded her every waking moment.

She would grow old, and one day, she would die.

Aqing let out a long sigh. Her original intention was to wait here, but the desires brewing in her heart drove her to leave this place and set off into the Cultivation World.

Like many lost cultivators in this world, she traveled around visiting other practitioners, inquiring about the great Dao of immortality, just as she had done before.

At this moment, everything else was cast to the back of her mind.

She wanted immortality! She wanted to never die!

"Fellow Daoist."

"Where in the world is there a true method for eternal life?"

Yet this was the answer she received time and time again.

There was no true method for eternal life in the world.

After nearly half a year of visits, she seemed to have completely given up on this path. Looking back, she remembered what she had originally sought.

The Rebirth Scripture.

After making inquiries far and wide, she finally gleaned some information from a senior.

"Back when that world shattered, the scripture that formed was called 'Rebirth'. Later on, it was this very Rebirth Scripture that facilitated the emergence of the Underworld and the perfection of Reincarnation."

"Perhaps you can go to the Underworld to take a look."

Aqing asked, "How does one go to the Underworld?"

"Going in is no difficult task. Find a city god to open the Gate of the Yellow Springs for you, and you can enter. But the hard part is coming out."

"Xiao Dongxu of Xuanjiu Immortal Mountain once used an array of ancient characters to link heaven and earth, opening a door in the Underworld that allowed him to exit. You could perhaps ask him. There is also one other person."

"The world calls him a demon."

"Zhao Yuqing?" Aqing realized.

"That's the one. Rumor has it that Zhao Yuqing has traveled to and from the Underworld several times without a hitch. If you can find him, you might be able to ask him for the method."

Aqing sank into thought. When she recovered her senses, she offered a word of thanks and hurriedly left.

She first made a trip to Xuanjiu Immortal Mountain, only to learn that Xiao Dongxu was rarely there and had gone to Tianji Mountain instead. She ultimately found him at Tianji Mountain.

Upon learning of Aqing's intentions, Xiao Dongxu said, "I'm afraid I cannot help you with this matter."

"I succeeded back then because I struck suddenly. But now, it wouldn't necessarily work. The Underworld is not an ownerless land. It has a Prefecture Lord, much like the Heavenly Dao. Everything I did back then was seen by that Prefecture Lord, so when I tried again later, I never had another chance."

Aqing froze for a moment, feeling a bit dazed.

Xiao Dongxu continued, "Perhaps your only option is to ask Zhao Yuqing. But these past few years, his whereabouts have been uncertain, and he certainly isn't at Yunfu Mountain. Finding him will probably be quite troublesome."

Aqing pursed her lips. "What should I do then..."

Xiao Dongxu asked, "May I ask why you wish to enter the Underworld, fellow Daoist?"

"To find a scripture."

"The Rebirth Scripture?"

Xiao Dongxu instantly guessed which book she was looking for.

After all, the Underworld was founded upon the Rebirth Scripture.

Aqing nodded.

Xiao Dongxu fell deep in thought. He gave Aqing a glance and said, "Could it be that you wish to use the Rebirth Scripture to catch a glimpse of immortality, young lady?"

With a single sentence, he had laid bare exactly what Aqing sought.

Seeing her remain silent, Xiao Dongxu knew his guess was correct.

He said, "Fellow Daoist, this path is highly unusual, and it is not the Righteous Path. Attempting to evade life and death and Reincarnation is a great taboo in this world. Setting aside whether the Rebirth Scripture can help you achieve your goal, one careless step and you will likely end up with your soul completely shattered."

Hearing this, Aqing fell silent in thought.

Indeed.

By comparison, she simply didn't have that kind of courage.

The risks of this matter were simply too great.

When she didn't speak, Xiao Dongxu left her with one final remark: "I have said all I can on this matter. I hope you will consider it carefully, fellow Daoist."

Aqing snapped back to reality, cupped her hands, and offered her thanks.

She left Tianji Mountain and plunged headlong into the vast Cultivation World once again. She was going to find Zhao Yuqing.

Xiao Dongxu watched the woman leave, wondering if she would ever have a chance at success.

He was quite interested in the Rebirth Scripture himself.

He just never had the opportunity to view it.

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