Speaking of Old Guo and Senior Brother Wang, the former roamed the martial world, exploring and listening to ancient tales in his youth, while the latter stayed within the confines of the Government Office, keeping company with corpses.
Neither of them married or had children to leave behind.
Xu Qing felt helpless; he often urged the two to pray to Lady Bao Sheng. Look at Master Feng of Flower and Bird Street, who bloomed again in his late fifties!
Unfortunately, Wang Lingyuan agreed verbally but never seemed to visit Bao Sheng Temple even once.
Guo Dongyang was even more straightforward, saying he was used to his freedom and did not want to be encumbered by family matters; he only wished to remain unburdened, wandering the mundane world as a carefree traveler.
Xu Qing had anticipated this. Guo Dongyang had excelled in the provincial exams in his early years but resolutely gave up fame and fortune to become a wanderer.
It was precisely due to his youthful experiences in the martial world that Guo Dongyang became so fascinated with the many strange tales of this world.
It seemed that as long as he heard a fresh story, he would regain his youth, his steps following wherever the characters in the stories went.
"How has your master been lately?"
Guo Baolin's eyes dimmed, and he sighed, "My master's memory gets worse every year; sometimes, he even mixes up my name and cannot recognize me, his own apprentice."
"..."
Xu Qing frowned; isn't this Alzheimer's disease, also known as dementia or memory fog in today's terms?
"However, my master always remembered Mr. Xu. He often said that Mr. Xu was knowledgeable and well-read, possessing knowledge hundreds or thousands of times greater than his own, despite being less than half his age."
"When my master's mind was still clear, he wrote a book called 'Dongyang's Travels.' It was divided into five volumes: Strange Records, Folk Tales, Miscellaneous Notes, Autobiography, and Ancient Tales."
"My master said he was able to write this book within his lifetime because he met Mr. Xu."
Xu Qing's heart stirred, and he asked, "May I take a look at this travelogue?"
Guo Baolin squinted and smiled, "This is a treasured skill from my master, a gem in the storytelling circle worth more than gold, naturally not for outsiders to view. But Mr. Xu is different..."
Xu Qing glanced at the stout man in front of him, offering no response.
He knew Guo Dongyang well and understood that he wrote this travelogue intending to spread it to the world, for everyone to see.
But clearly, age had its way; this stout man, seemingly courteous, was actually greedy and domineering.
Yet, it was precisely such people who could protect family assets from being deceived by outsiders.
In the study, Xu Qing flipped through Dongyang's Travels, only to find that the travelogue before him was just a copied version, not the original.
After skimming a few pages, Xu Qing closed the book and asked, "Is there an original version of this travelogue?"
The stout man replied unflinchingly, "The original version is cherished by me; it is usually locked in the cabinet and only taken out when my master wishes to peruse it."
Guo Baolin, fearing that Xu Qing would yearn for the original travelogue, hurriedly changed the subject, saying, "Speaking of which, my master's last autobiography is about Mr. Xu..."
"Hmm?"
Xu Qing raised an eyebrow and immediately retrieved the autobiography, flipping to the end.
[I am a simple man from the mountains and fields, with a lifelong passion for befriending extraordinary individuals. I've traveled far and wide, meeting many along the way. Yet, among the fallen comrades, only Mr. Xu remains, one who haunts my dreams and thoughts, still tinged with mystery. I write this piece to mark his uniqueness, to express my sentiments.]
During the Dayong period of Qianyuan, I traveled to the wilderness, and suddenly a rainstorm, with thunder and lightning, forced me into a small temple for shelter, where many had gathered.
There were escort agency fighters, examination scholars, wandering vagabonds... all seated around a bonfire.
At that time, I observed a man sitting alone in a corner, his features handsome, his demeanor extraordinary, seemingly possessing an immortal's grace.
Upon inquiry, it turned out to be Mr. Xu!
Within the deserted temple, Mr. Xu clapped his hands and laughed, "Why sit idly? Would you not listen to a strange tale?"
Then, he narrated the story titled "Corpse Transformation."
The details within were as vividly described as if by a Corpse Driver himself.
Since then, I became closely acquainted with Mr. Xu.
The Strange Records I compiled, including "Mouse King's Marriage" and "The Three Heroes of the Guan Family," were all narrated by Mr. Xu personally.
That "Mouse King's Marriage" was indeed my personal experience; although I failed to attend the mouse maiden's banquet, I saw a tide of mice in the relief warehouse, with the Tiger Monarch on the roof driving the mice away, cutting off their tails, a truly mighty and awe-inspiring sight.
Upon reflection, could the Tiger Monarch be none other than Guan Dazhuang, one of the Three Heroes of the Guan Family that Mr. Xu spoke of?
Mr. Xu was truly enigmatic and unfathomable. After the provincial exam, like me, he shunned fame and fortune, content to be a Shopkeeper of funerals and burial business.
The world mocked his downfall, yet I alone understood his intent.
He once said: The path of life and death is unpredictable like the Netherworld. By engaging in this trade, one may glimpse heavenly mysteries.
I traveled with him for ten years as if it were one day, thinking I knew all his secrets. Yet in the jia-shen year, on my sixtieth birthday bash surrounded by old friends, Mr. Xu vanished without a trace.
The neighbors all claimed, "Mr. Xu has gone traveling for his studies."
Up to this day, Mr. Xu has been absent for ten years.
I have a lifelong passion for making friends, yet as the years pass, confidants fade away.
Only Mr. Xu comes to mind as I sigh towards the moon.
...
Xu Qing couldn't help but laugh upon seeing this in the study.
He reached to turn the page, only to see there was a second part to 'Mr. Xu's Chapter.'
Great Yan, the first year of Yong'an.
During my seventieth birthday, a sudden clarity of mind arrived with a dream that night.
I saw Mr. Xu returning from his travels. His green robe remained unchanged, his appearance as youthful as the crown of adolescence, untouched by aging winds.
I awoke from the dream, my heart stirred, uncertain whether it was a mirage.
Yet two days later, upon hearing the call of a familiar voice, I opened my eyes and indeed, it was Mr. Xu!
His face flawless as jade, without a trace of frost in his hair, just as he was in his youth.
I was startled, asking, "Where have you wandered, sir?"
Mr. Xu but smiled without speaking, and I suddenly realized: it was because my life's end was near that Mr. Xu specially traveled here just to see me one last time.
Alas! In a hundred years of life, how many true friends are there?
Mr. Xu's track is unpredictable, is it not beyond the mundane?
Might he be an Immortal traveling in disguise, or a specter in form?