Chapter 68: Celebration

Longevity, a puzzle that has long troubled humanity, now holds its answer in Li Huowang's hands.

Never mind why something like one's lifespan could possibly materialize. In this bizarre world, after all he had experienced, Li Huowang had long stopped pondering such secondary concerns. His more immediate concern was what this object in his hand truly meant for him.

Following Old Master You's instructions, Li Huowang raised the gourd in his hand, pointing it towards the sun. Moments later, the gourd's mouth opened up, splitting apart like flower petals. Six plump, spherical orbs, faintly shimmering with golden 'shou' characters, slowly tumbled within a viscous green liquid.

Li Huowang cautiously reached into the liquid and retrieved one orb. His fingers held it firmly. According to Old Master You's explanation, this 'yangshou' would dissipate upon contact with any of the five elements — metal, wood, water, fire, or earth. Dropping it on the ground would mean its immediate loss. Each orb represented a full year of an ordinary person's lifespan, making them incredibly precious.

As it was exposed to the sunlight, the solid lifespan began to gradually dissipate, releasing a faint yellow smoke that sent a jolt through Li Huowang's body. With a gentle press from Li Huowang, the orb absorbed into his hand. Instantly, Li Huowang felt a significant lightness throughout his body, as if a year had been added to his life.

"If I kept consuming this, wouldn't I be able to live forever?" Li Huowang quickly dismissed this unrealistic notion. Recalling Li Zhi's earlier words, it wasn't hard to deduce that these lifespans were the 'tea money' the immortals demanded. Li Zhi, to accumulate even this small amount of lifespan, had performed countless divine rituals – heaven knew how many. If it were truly that easy, he wouldn't have aged so drastically. The sole purpose of these lifespans was likely to feed Old Master You.

With that thought, Li Huowang was about to scoop out the remaining five orbs and absorb them directly. Last night, to confront Li Zhi, he had summoned six Old Master Yous. That meant eighteen in total, which he needed to replenish from this supply.

However, as his fingers brushed against the orbs of longevity, Li Huowang suddenly paused. "Could this be used as currency in this world?"

The old saying went, "An inch of time is an inch of gold, yet an inch of gold cannot buy an inch of time." But what if an inch of gold *could* indeed buy an inch of time?

"This substance, for both mortals and cultivators alike, must be of immense value. To simply absorb it would be a waste; I must make good use of it."

Li Huowang withdrew his hand from the gourd, watching as its grotesque mouth slowly closed, settling back into the tree's shade. He picked up the gourd and turned towards the carriage. Li Huowang found a rope to secure the gourd to his waist, then resumed rummaging through the package.

However, Li Huowang found nothing else of value. Only a half-worn garment, two unfinished shoe soles, a thimble and thread, and a few mud-sculpted household deities. This was all Li Zhi possessed; his entire worldly estate.

Seeing this, Li Huowang couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow. The power of the immortals, far from granting Li Zhi a better life, had instead condemned him to an existence even more arduous than that of an ordinary person. It would have been incredibly easy to use the immortals' abilities to procure wealth for Li Zhi, yet the immortals themselves might not have permitted it. They merely desired an obedient slave to gather 'yangshou'; they cared nothing for the slave's well-being. Li Zhi was right: performing these divine rituals was truly not a task for a human being.

"'Senior Brother Li, could I have these?' a snot-nosed Taoist acolyte asked, his eyes fixed on the mud figures." Ultimately, no matter how resilient these people were, they were still just children, and all children are naturally playful.

Li Huowang shook his head. He picked up the humanoid mud figures and placed them by the roadside. "These things aren't clean," he stated.

The constant rumble of the donkey cart's wheels continued to churn forward. While Li Zhi had deceived Li Huowang about other matters, one detail he hadn't misrepresented was the upcoming stretch of road. It was indeed exceedingly rugged, with no other suitable stopping points along the way. After traveling for over ten days on the muddy dirt road, they finally spotted a medium-sized town. Even with a light drizzle falling from the sky, it couldn't dampen the joyous smiles that spread across their weary faces.

"'Finally, a proper bed!' complained a one-armed man in the group. 'This journey has utterly exhausted me.'" He wasn't entirely without an arm; one was normal-sized, while the other was merely the size of an infant's.

Li Huowang shifted his gaze from the map in his hand. "We'll rest here for two days," he announced. "Once the rain stops, we'll resume our journey."

The donkey cart's wheels began to turn, heading towards the town entrance. As Li Huowang and his companions entered the town, they noticed numerous carriages, ox-carts, and wheelbarrows streaming out. Those with vehicles were a minority; most were on foot. These individuals, clad in straw cloaks, carried bamboo baskets containing yellow paper and small bowls of eggs, meat, and fish. With somber expressions, they silently made their way out of town.

"'What's happening?' Li Huowang instinctively asked. 'Has something occurred in town?'"

"'Senior Brother Li, today is Qingming Festival,' replied a voice. 'They're going to sweep graves.'"

"'Is it Qingming already? How time flies,' Li Huowang murmured to himself."

Inside the town, several stalls lined the roadside, bustling with customers. They sold yellow paper, gold ingots, paper figures, and paper oxen, and business was clearly thriving.

Li Huowang didn't want to break his promise to Li Zhi. However, holding the paper money and ritual candles, he found himself momentarily stunned. How exactly was he supposed to burn these for the deceased Li Zhi?

"'Senior Brother, leave this to me; I'm quite good at it,' Gou Wa declared, proudly thumping his scrawny chest."

They soon arrived at the town's crossroads, where many others were also burning paper money for their departed family members. Gou Wa took out his knife and drew a circle on the ground, leaving a small opening in the direction of Li Zhi's burial. The yellow paper, placed within the white circle, was lit and slowly turned to ash.

Gou Wa, assisting nearby, loudly chanted as he burned the paper: "'This first batch is for Li Zhi! The next is for Li Zhi's wife! Anyone who dares to snatch it is a son of a bitch! May they be reborn as beasts in their next life!'"

"'Does shouting like that actually help?' Li Huowang asked, as he tucked the gold ingot from his hand into the flames."

"'Yes, definitely! My third uncle taught me that yelling like this scares away solitary spirits and ensures they won't dare to snatch our offerings,' Gou Wa replied confidently."

Li Huowang watched the faint green smoke slowly drift upwards for a long moment before speaking again. "Do you really think people become ghosts after they die?" he asked slowly.

"'Senior Brother Li, what nonsense are you spouting?' came a voice. 'If people don't become ghosts when they die, what else would they become?'"

"'Perhaps when people die, there's simply nothing left,' Li Huowang mused. 'No ghosts, no remnants. Humans are just that fragile and insignificant.'"

His words immediately unsettled the others around them, who exchanged uneasy glances. Gou Wa hugged his shoulders, rubbing his arms as if to soothe the sudden goosebumps that had erupted all over him.

"'Oh, Senior Brother Li, what you're saying is far too unsettling! Especially on Qingming Festival, please don't speak such nonsense. When people die, they absolutely become ghosts, and then they definitely go to the Underworld to reincarnate. It's a certainty!'"

"'Why are you so certain? Have you seen it with your own eyes?'"

"'Because... because my great-aunt told me so!' Gou Wa insisted. 'She lived to ninety-four; she knows everything!'"