Chen Yun stayed near the Chen residence for seven days, waiting until the burial was completed. After paying respects in secret, he prepared to leave.
Suddenly, he thought of something.
In the early years when he was preaching in the Daoist temple, Brother Ning had told him that he had settled with Yu Lüping in Chang'an.
Chen Yun has the address of his elder brother, Ning.
After giving it some thought, he decided to pay them a visit.
Ever since his parents passed away, he had become aware of something.
Even his breathing was done cautiously, as if he feared disturbing this tranquil solitude.
The ancient rhombus opened its arms, quietly watching as several elderly people sat on the steps sipping tea, and children ran or played in the water.
He never thought that after several decades, Brother Ning had reached the twilight of his life, while Chen Yun still looked youthful and forever young, which moved him deeply.
He looked to the side, "Brother Ning, would you mind if I came over for a meal at your house?"
The sound of Yu Lǜpíng calling from his back, "Da Lang, Er Lang, bring your wives and children out."
The third child spread his feet and charged inside, still loudly shouting: "Father, Mother, Grandfather Chen gave me a sugar pill to eat!"
Chen Yun looked at her and said, "I'm fine, and Siyan is too."
He smiled and said, "Master, I'm sorry to block your way. I'll let you pass right away."
Upon hearing this, the elderly man's eyes drooped at the corners, and two drops of tears involuntarily rolled down his cheeks.
Not far away, the stream quietly flowed under the arch bridge, with the curved bridge body reflected in the water.
The elderly man had already been about to leave, but he seemed to recall something, and looked at Chen Yun's face with a doubtful expression all at once.
Chen Yun spoke softly: "Half of the time is spent in cultivation, and the other half is spent running for cultivation."
He opened his mouth to speak, intending to politely refuse.
Chen Yun looked at the other party's compliant demeanor and reached out to produce a small celadon bottle.
"Ai." Brother Ning responded with a single syllable and pointed inside, "Master Chen, let's go to the reception hall?"
In those days, when he and Chen Yun were working in the Temple of Propagating the Tao, they were both spirited young men.
It could be seen that he was very enjoying his current life.
After speaking, the elderly man lifted his head, took the child's hand and started to walk forward.
Chen Yun said, "Alright."
"Yes, it's been too many years." Brother Ning took his grandson's hand again and sighed, "I've already turned gray-haired, Master Chen still looks as youthful and graceful as he did when he left."
As soon as he entered, Brother Ning gently patted the head of the third child, "Go play by yourself."
...
Chen Yun had his hands clasped behind his back, smiling and looking over without moving.
The two of them walked and chatted.
As the days go by, the number of familiar faces will decrease.
The elderly man said with suspicion, "Master, you look like a former acquaintance of mine, which is why the old man has looked at you twice."
He said while pulling his grandson along, stepping aside to the left side of the stone path.
Chen Yun smiled and said, "Thirty pounds of pork lard, seventy pounds of vegetable oil, ten pounds of salt, a pound of honey, and... for the stronger alcohol, one hundred pounds. The more flowers, the better."
Chen Yun nodded slightly and said, "Yes, I have not married yet."
Chen Yun slowly spoke, "When you go down the mountain later, could you bring me back some salt, honey, pork lard, vegetable oil, some fragrant flowers, and strong wine?"
Chen Yun listened to these words and felt the same sense of emotion in his heart.
The elderly man, holding a child of about five or six years old, looked kind-hearted and said, "Sanwa, follow your grandpa and don't run around. I'll buy you some roasted chicken to eat."
Brother Ning laughed awkwardly, "Look at you getting flustered. Chen master is greeting you; why don't you return the greeting?"
The elderly man saw that it was a young Taoist master, and for a moment, he was not sure what to make of it.
Nevertheless, Brother Ning's tone was no longer as casual as before.
After saying that, he turned to the east and started to walk away, holding his grandson's hand.
Chen Yun gently patted the man's hand back, "As it happens that I am passing by Chang'an this time, so I came to see Brother Ning and Brother Yu. Oh, how is Brother Yu recently?"
Chen Yun stood there calmly, smiling and said, "Old sir, why do you keep staring at me?"
"Good! Good! Good!" Yu Lǜpíng called out three "good" words, "As long as you two are doing well, that's enough."
An old woman appeared from the east of the kitchen.
"How could that be?" Brother Ning wiped the tears from his face, revealing a genuine smile, "You and I, as brothers in the Taoist tradition, have not seen each other for decades. Today, even if you wouldn't go with me, I would drag you back to have a drink together!"
Chen Yun and the grandson continued on their way, "Alright, it's been years since we last saw each other. We must not stop drinking until we are tipsy today."
"She is very good, very good." Brother Ning replied as he pulled his grandson and said, "Sanwa, greet people quickly. Call Mr. Chen."
After he finished, he turned his head with concern and asked, "Ah, Master Chen, how have you been all these years? Your appearance hasn't changed at all."
The destination is getting closer.
The two of them chatted idly for a few sentences and arrived at the reception hall.
Chen Yun reached out and stroked the top of Sanwa's head, "Haha, no need to be polite."
Brother Ning invited Chen Yun to take a seat and served him tea and water.
Looking at Brother Ning's appearance now.
"What?" Brother Ning stopped abruptly, his expression suddenly filled with awe and respect, his tone becoming much more reverent, "You... have become a immortal?"
If he really knelt down, the relationship would truly be over.
Sanwa, with a curious look of innocence, looked at Chen Yun and said, "Grandfather Chen."
Brother Ning also looked at him with curiosity.
She had a puzzled expression and said, "Grandpa, who... Ahh!"
The elderly man, dressed in silk and satin, roared with laughter and said, "Good, good. I'll buy it for you to eat."
He knew that Chen Yun's words today were out of consideration for their past relationship.
Chen Yun smiled and shook his head, "Brother Yu's temperament is still the same as before."
Chen Yun walked on the stone path, a feeling of walking on nature's ancient and rustic purity, untainted by any dust or dross, and a sense of tranquility and simplicity.
He couldn't help but release his grandson's hand and walk slowly to Chen Yun's side, speaking with a slightly hoarse voice, "So much stuff, how can I bring it back for you? Well, let me see... why don't you give me the money, and I'll tell each storekeeper about it. They can send the things here by evening?"
Brother Ning said so, but couldn't help but burst into laughter on his face.
Who would have thought that Sanwa had already taken it, bouncing up and down with joy and said, "Thank you, Grandfather Chen."
The elderly man furrowed his brow for a long time, and finally, he shook his head with a smile, "I must have recognized the wrong person. My former friend would now be in his forties or fifties, how could he possibly look as young as you, Master."
Chen Yun laughed heartily, "Who would have thought that over the past thirty years or so, you still remember the old days. Brother Ning, are you doing well?"
Chen Yun arrived at the Fish Zhao Town, which is about ten or fifteen li outside of Chang'an City.
The young boy spoke in a milk-toothed voice, "Grandpa, I don't want to eat roasted chicken; I want to eat steamed flower cakes."
Brother Ning laughed and shook his head, calling out to the interior, "Green Pear, Green Pear, come out. Call all the boys out."
However, the elderly man suddenly turned his head, his lips trembling in disbelief, and stammered, "OK, how much would that be?"
Chen Yun said, "I was fortunate enough to become an immortal."
"That's right. She can be very impatient, sometimes even when I argue with her for just a few words, she would even hit me. She's a fierce woman."
She looked at Brother Ning and said, "Grandpa, quickly take Master Chen to the reception hall. I'll call the big and second eldest brother to pay their respects to Master Chen."
He handed it over and said, "Here, have a sweet candy ball."
Here, it seems like a peaceful poetic home away from the hustle and bustle that people long for.
"Oh!"
"Oh?" Chen Yun asked back, "Like which friend?"
He couldn't help but feel a sense of illusion.
Brother Ning was so excited that he cried out in joy and grabbed Chen Yun's hand, "Master Chen, I didn't expect it to really be you. I thought I had mistakenly recognized someone else."
Yu Lüping raised her head in surprise, "Brother Wang has become one of you?"
When he said this, Brother Ning's voice truly conveyed a multitude of emotions.
Yu Lǜpíng took three steps as if taking two and hurriedly approached, mimicking Brother Ning's expression of shock and suspicion. "Master, you are..."
That statement is very strange; this is a town, not in the mountains.
As such, since I have come to Chang'an again, I naturally want to see how my former acquaintances are doing now.
Brother Ning's pupils dilated suddenly.
Yu Lǜping finally realized what was happening, and she quickly suppressed her emotional excitement, bowing with a formal gesture to say, "Thank you for your concern, Master Chen. I'm fine. And how about you?"
A fifty-something elderly man with graying hair and a half-foot white beard suddenly appeared from a nearby tavern.
They arrived at a mansion that was somewhat more affluent than ordinary households.
He said with a smile, "Alright, alright. Today, we brothers will only talk about old times and not about other matters."
Seeing the other's reserved demeanor, Chen Yun smiled and joked, "As brothers in the Taoist tradition, we will only talk about our old times today. We won't talk about anything else."
Suddenly, he saw a towering and imposing figure that blocked the last light of the setting sun.
As the afternoon was about to approach sunset, the mist seemed to be filled with fairy-like ambiance, and a gentle breeze blew a faint aroma that enveloped the town, making it seem as if it was in a dreamlike state.
Yu Lǜpíng was startled for a moment, then her eyes filled with mist as she looked excitedly at Brother Ning, "It's Master Chen! Grandpa, it's Master Chen!"
In the end, he sat beside him and sighed, "Back in the day, there were a dozen or so workers at our sect, but only Master Chen became a disciple of the patriarch. Unfortunately, we had no affinity for the Tao, and couldn't transcend like Master."
He naturally knew that the thing Chen Yun had casually produced in his hand was extremely precious to ordinary people.
Chen Yun had his hands clasped behind his back, leisurely walking towards the west end of the town.
Homes along the shore were scattered beautifully, with smoke curling up from their chimneys.
Brother Ning originally had his intention to kneel down, but upon hearing this, he quickly stood up straight.
As if time itself had stopped in that moment.
Brother Ning looked at him with curiosity, "Don't blame me for being curious, but after decades, how have you managed to stay youthful? What level of cultivation are you at?"
Chen Yun bowed one time and said, "Brother Yu, haven't seen you in a long time. Are you doing well?"
These words were once something Chen Yun had said to Brother Ning when he was preparing to make soap at the sect.
The two continued to walk forward.
She didn't finish her sentence, but saw smiling Chen Yun.
If he hadn't succeeded in becoming a disciple of his master to cultivate Taoism and seek the Dao, perhaps, now he would be just like Brother Ning, buying a small pot of wine in the evening, holding his grandson's hand, and going back home to a warm hearth with wife and children.
The opportunities in life truly are amazing; we sail together on the same boat, yet our fates are not the same.
(Chapter completed)
