Chapter: 5252
So, considering this, Old Lady Jiang's ancestors were able to live to the age of 73 on their own, which is already extraordinary.
"Looks like, your ancestors and Mr. Meng's ancestors had a very deep bond," said Ye Chen.
"Yes," said Old Lady Jiang. "My ancestors left behind an ancestral tradition before they passed away. The Jiang family has been living here for generations and must always guard the tomb of Mr. Meng's wife and children because Mr. Meng told my ancestors that he would come back to find them after finding the elixir of immortality."
Ye Chen whispered, "Has Mr. Meng appeared again since then?"
"No," said Old Lady Jiang, shaking her head. "The Jiang family has not left this place for over a thousand years and has never seen the person in the painting appear here or elsewhere. Perhaps Mr. Meng was unable to find the elixir of immortality and ascended to heaven at the age of 200."
Ye Chen nodded. "It's also possible that he didn't find the elixir. Even with the Spring Pill, one cannot live forever without other auspicious conditions. One can only rely on the Spring Pill for a certain period, but not indefinitely. If you want to achieve immortality, you need other favorable circumstances."
Even in the Nine Heavens Scripture, there is no record of any method that allows humans to live forever. The scripture mainly teaches how to utilize spiritual energy, but it does not provide any records on how to make one's spiritual energy stronger or invincible.
Furthermore, the Nine Heavens Scripture does not contain any methods for living beyond 200 years. Although there are many records of high-grade elixirs that can grant one near-divine abilities, there is no record of a pill that allows humans to live for over 300 years, let alone thousands of years.
Therefore, it is theoretically impossible for Mr. Meng to have lived for over a thousand years. His life may have ended at some critical moment.
People who only live for spiritual cultivation might leave this world without anyone by their side, and in the end, they would still meet their doom with the six words: dust returns to dust, earth returns to earth.
Thinking about this, Ye Chen asked Old Lady Jiang again, "Old Madame Jiang, your family has been living here for so many years. Why haven't you left this place?"
Old Madame Jiang thought for a moment and said, "My family's ancestral teachings are not meant to keep us from leaving, but rather to hope that we can stay here while also knowing about the world. Therefore, our family has always placed great importance on reading. When I was young, my father taught me to recognize characters and read books, and later sent me down the mountain to attend middle school. Over the years, some of our descendants have become restless and sneaked out, but most people have stayed here..."
Ye Chen asked her, "Living here must be very difficult?"
Old Madame Jiang smiled and said, "Except for a few illnesses that can't be easily treated, we don't have to worry about eating or drinking. Our clan members till the land in spring and summer, hunt in autumn and winter, and live quite well. Moreover, this place is far from war, and no matter who it was, no one has ever been able to reach here for over a thousand years, so we've been able to ensure that our family's lineage has never been broken."
Ye Chen asked again, "Are all the other people in this village your relatives?"
Old Madame Jiang said, "There are very few Jiang people left now."
As she spoke, she sighed and said, "For over a thousand years, our family's population has not been prosperous, especially among men. In the past, we had many female descendants who wanted to marry out, so they would try to find ways to get married out here. As a result, more and more outsiders moved in, mostly strong men... Gradually, our family's words of authority became smaller..."
"Many of these men, when they first entered into the Jiang family, agreed that their children would take the Jiang surname upon birth. However, after the children were born, they would suddenly change their minds, insisting on giving their children the husband's surname or taking them away... Our family is all women, and we can't help but follow them..."
"A stranger would come along, have a few children with an outsider, and those children would eventually marry or be married off to other outsiders. Over time, there were fewer and fewer Jiang people left. Although the people in this village are all related by blood, our family's Jiang surname has almost disappeared, leaving only my sister and me..."
The old lady replied, "These things are only known within the Jiang family." She nodded slightly and asked, "Is the hope of waiting for Grand Master Meng to appear in this way?"
The old lady sighed and looked uncertain. "In the past, my father and grandfather also waited for Grand Master Meng to appear, hoping that if he really did show up, they could get an opportunity to pass down the family's inheritance and live forever..."
She trailed off with a sigh, lost in thought. "But I've lost three sons one after another, until I was 45 years old before having this youngest child. After I managed to raise him to adulthood, except for him, I didn't care about anything else."
Lei Chen said, "If Grand Master Meng is still alive and willing to fulfill his promise, you can also leave the opportunity for your son to live forever."
The old lady laughed bitterly, pointing to her forehead. "My youngest child was born with some difficulties during delivery, which resulted in his brain being slightly impaired. On the surface, he seems normal, but actually, he's slower and simpler-minded than others, lacking in initiative..."
She paused for a moment before continuing. "I've been afraid to tell him about these things, fearing that his child's nature and character wouldn't be able to keep secrets..." JrNovels.com