A person's lifetime, to a dragon, is merely a year.
Even five hundred years, to two golden carps, is but the span of five or six years.
In earlier years, the girl Shiyue protected at Bao Sheng Temple has now become an old woman. Little Shiyue was only four or five years old at the time of her death, and ever since she became a ghost, she has always maintained the same appearance as she did in life, never growing up.
Now, with the three children standing together, Bao Sheng Temple has indeed become quite lively.
However, this girl Shiyue always maintains an air of age beyond her years, accompanied by two golden carps, much like a big sister with two followers.
Strangely, the two golden carps who usually only listened to Xu Qing have become surprisingly obedient and well-behaved upon seeing Shiyue.
Xu Qing watched Shiyue as her ghostly aura dissipated and her body grew increasingly translucent, furrowing his brow once more.
Ever since his last visit to the Underworld River, he found that Shiyue, who entered the Bao Sheng Temple lineage, had grown increasingly "ethereal" and transcendental.
He asked Senior Sister Yizhen, who informed him that this was a sign of progress by a Yin Ghost, indicating its imminent transcendence to becoming a Ghost Immortal.
But now that the heavenly path is severed, a ghost of pure spirit, without celestial medicine from the Immortal Pool of the upper realm to remold its immortal body, has no other end than to merge with the earth and heavens.
In the world under great calamity, the body of a Yin Ghost is ultimately unsuitable for cultivation through merit.
This is precisely an alternative manifestation of the rise of demons and the decline of the Dao.
Xu Qing found himself helpless in this matter; seeking a solution meant either reducing Shiyue's power of faith in the mundane world to slow her cultivation or performing her reincarnation himself, or preserving her memories of this life with the dew of the Three Lives Stone for retrieval one day.
But, obviously, in the flourishing Bao Sheng Temple, Shiyue would find it challenging to reduce people's faith in her.
Now, decades have passed, and with Zhu Tianzi's full support, Bao Sheng Temple has become one of the top temples in Dayan, rivaling the Sea Goddess Temple.
"Must we use the dew of the Three Lives Stone?"
Shiyue's name remained on the temple's records, and even if reincarnated, Xu Qing could find her through the Living Sutra in the Blood Lake.
But by then, Shiyue would certainly have new parents, and given her special status, her reincarnated family would undoubtedly be followers of his Bao Sheng Temple.
Being a deity of delivering fortune and blessings, turning around to take away the child of believers might somewhat violate his divine role.
"What a bother..."
Xu Qing furrowed his brow; Shiyue's cultivation till today was not easy, her reincarnation to cultivate anew would be troublesome, but a decision must be made when the time comes...
After contemplating for a moment, Xu Qing called over Shiyue, rubbed her head, and the girl who previously appeared mature beyond her years instantly became obedient.
"If you want to do something in the future, just go ahead and do it. Don't worry about cultivation matters, with the teacher here, the teacher will certainly take care of everything."
Shiyue glanced up at Xu Qing, suddenly stepped forward, and hugged his leg.
Xu Qing smiled gently, once again reaching out to pat the little girl's head.
Despite years of cultivation, Shiyue in front of him was ultimately a little child needing adult support.
...
Half a month passed by quickly, on this day Xu Qing widely invited old friends from the Underground Street neighborhood to host a banquet, celebrating Cheng Caiyun's eightieth birthday in advance.
Though claimed to be a birthday celebration, it was actually just an excuse for gathering neighbors and friends.
Cheng Caiyun was already aged, visiting the riverside less frequently, making fewer appearances before neighborhood friends. If not gathered now, there might truly be no more opportunities.
Xu Qing, mindful of his limitations, did not take the role of the master of ceremonies for the birthday banquet, instead, he specially invited Guo Baolin's son, Guo Congwen, to host.
Guo Congwen, in his fifties, had his father, the legendary storyteller and assertive "Black Fatty" Guo Baolin, who had passed away ten years ago at the age of sixty, going to meet his grandteacher Guo Dongyang.
This being termed 'Speaking a thousand words each day, without falling ill yet weakening oneself'.
As cultivators often said, opening one's mouth scatters spiritual energy and involves the cold labor of thoughts, this was indeed the justification.
Guo Dongyang lived to a natural end with Xu Qing's gifted elixir strengthening him.
Guo Baolin, however, often spoke and exerted himself without having a method for adjusting, leading to irreversible shortened lifespan over time.
Xu Qing heard from others that old Guo in his final moments had no time for a last testament, uttered only one phrase, mentioning "Travels of Dongyang" and Xu Qing's name.
It seemed perhaps that he wished to instruct his descendants to carry on the relay of 'braving through hardships', to endure Xu Qing, thereby obtaining the "Travels of Dongyang"...
Perhaps confirming his guess, before the celebration began, Guo Congwen, the son of "Black Fatty", approached Xu Qing with pleasantries.
After the exchange of polite words, Guo Congwen finally revealed his intention: "Senior Xu is the intimate friend of the junior's grandmaster, by generation I should honorably call you Grand-Uncle."
"Speaking of which my father had no substantial ambitions, his sole obsession was leaving behind grandmaster's scattered items at Rongsheng Studio..."
"Among these items, there is said to be the original manuscript of 'Travels of Dongyang' given by Grandmaster to Grand-Uncle, might there be such an item?"
Xu Qing gazed at Guo Congwen, in his fifties yet evidently spiritually weak and burned out with few good days left, and despite himself, he patted the other's shoulder, encouraging:
"You're just over fifty, younger than me, these rivers and lakes will eventually belong to the young people. This old bag of bones of mine is bound to concede to yours, don't worry too much. Give it three to five years, and we shall meet again, then you and I can discuss..."
Having heard this, Guo Congwen visibly became spirited with renewed vigor.
Xu Qing looked at the vigorous young man before him, his eyes filled with gratification.
Young people, they truly must be full of spirit!
At midday, the birthday banquet commenced.
During the event, the tea houses, bakeries, medicine stores, lacquerware workshops, flower markets, painting galleries...
Whether acquainted with Cheng Caiyun or not, nearly everyone turned up to celebrate.
The reason is none other than Cheng Caiyun being the adoptive mother of the Prince of Dingyuan.
On the banquet floor, Cheng Caiyun met many acquaintances, though mostly those grown under her watch, either young or middle-aged.
Among her peers were but few apart from those at Xu's shop on Underground Street.
These days, people living to high age are indeed rare...
"Uncle Xu!"
On one side, Xu Qing was enjoying the feast with Xuan Yu disguised as Old Lady Cat, when suddenly he heard someone calling from afar.
He turned his head to see Feng Xiaosheng, already past forty, bringing his wife along, holding an absurdly ugly three-year-old child.
"Aside from our mother, Uncle Xu is the Feng family's only elder relative. Yet you hesitate to pay your respects."
His beautiful wife in her thirties promptly stepped forward to pay respects, following her husband, she called him uncle.
Xu Qing observed the gracefully poised woman before him with great curiosity.
They say a fair wife marries an ugly husband, a clever woman matches a clumsy man, Xu Qing thought these were mere tales, but witnessing today's scene, he realized the truth behind those words.
"Mane, quickly greet Grand Uncle!"
The black-faced child in Feng Xiaosheng's arms steadily eyed Xu Qing, without fear, upon hearing his father's words, obediently voiced a greeting.
Xu Qing gazed at the boy whose ugliness seemed to surpass his father's, feeling a strange unexplainable sense within.
"To think it's really thanks to Uncle Xu, if it weren't for him connecting us through the temple's matrons, I wouldn't have met such a partner..."
Still focusing on the child in Feng Xiaosheng's arms, Feng Xiaosheng noticed and laughed, handing the child over to Xu Qing.
"This child, just like me, he was born fearless of others, he never cried a word when delivered."
Feng Xiaosheng could endlessly speak of his son.
Despite the talk surrounding an ugly man paired with a beautiful wife, no rumor persisted after his son's birth.
After all, anyone observing would affirm the child as biologically his; besides, no one else could give birth to such a look anyway!
"What's the child's name?"
Xu Qing suddenly inquired while holding the plain-faced child.
"Only a nickname, Man'er, no formal name yet. Uncle Xu, with your experience, we hoped you might name him..."
Xu Qing and the overly ugly child faced each other for a time, the older staring into the younger's eyes.
After a prolonged exchange, Xu Qing finally spoke:
"Rectitude, the foundation for worldly standing, holding righteous spirit, aligning with the universal way; South, Li, signifies wisdom from integrity and enlightenment, appropriate to a position of southern reverence, Sage rules from the south hearing under heaven, governing towards enlightenment..."
"These two words are illuminating and righteous, matching position with virtue, also embodying upright intention and adherence to the great Dao."
"Let's call him Zhengnan, shall we?"