Chapter One, titled The Incurable Disease of Immortality
That is "longevity," which is also the "disease of death" that the elderly speak of with fear.
Li Mo had inquired with the old man
In Li Mo's impression, there are several elders in the village who are over 300 years old
Thus, Li Mo runs around the village entrance every day. Although it has not made him robust, his endurance is sufficient to rival that of a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth
The waning moon is obscured by clouds, and the carriage, without lanterns hanging, traverses effortlessly through the crevices of towering mountains
Manager Tian wore a smile, his features, crinkled by wrinkles, resembled an old fox clad in human skin, evoking a sense of eerie discomfort
Li Mo's expression became dazed, and the molten town before him evoked a sense of déjà vu as if he had seen it in a dream
Even food need not be consumed
Next, the first page of the Book of Creation is opened
Li Mo thus saw the true appearance of the shopkeeper with the surname Tian. Although his looks were somewhat peculiar, he was clearly over forty years old, yet his signs of decay were negligible compared to others of the same age.
Gray-black smoke encircles the mountain peak, and the mountain wind carries a hint of decay
The coachman driving the horse-drawn carriage is Manager Tian, who has come alone to Niujia Village
Zhao Zhu leaned closer to Li Mo, looked at the coachman, and cautiously asked, "Hei Wa, how much longer until we reach Rong Town?"
Pillar, do not be reckless, do not think you are still in Niujia Village
The child took a few steps back, only to see that Manager Tian had already left along the official road
Even so, whenever there is an opportunity to go to Rong Town, the villagers still scramble for it with great eagerness
The muffled sobs of a child suddenly echoed through the carriage
It is said that Rong Town is rarely open to outsiders, and ordinary people may never have the opportunity to encounter it in their lifetime; only the residents of the town can bring outsiders into the city
At that time, Li Mo was unaware, but Li's father had already reported the candidate to the manager
The sound of frogs is continuous, and the fine rain persists for several days before it finally stops. After this autumn rain, the mountain paths have become muddy and difficult to traverse
This is also the price of immortality, as the injuries are difficult to fully recover from
As a carpenter, Li's father held a respectable position in the village, and there were certainly quotas available, just as Li Mo was approaching the age for division of the family estate
The traveling Taoist raises birds and beasts, which appear ordinary and show no signs of illness or disease
Although the elderly are reticent about the town of Rong, they still push their own grandchildren forward in hopes of securing a spot as an apprentice in the shop
To address the issue of terminal illness, it seems that melting towns are among the few remaining options
The protruding belly resembles that of a woman in her tenth month of pregnancy, seemingly on the verge of bursting the confines of her ribcage
Li Mo certainly understands Zhao Zhu; he is likely far from home and misses his family. However, once the bow is drawn, there is no turning back. I have not heard of any young man heading to Rong Town who has ever returned home.
He appeared somewhat timid, with his hands clasped around his knees, huddled in the corner. His temples were sprinkled with flecks of white, a sign of premature aging.
He has been in this bizarre and inexplicable world for five years, almost forgetting the extravagant pleasures of his past life
He is not so much homesick as he is about to encounter a world that is difficult to imagine
Everyone, come out
His physical strength is not bad; in fact, when he first crossed over, he thought that exercising could delay the onset of his illness
Li Mo thought of this and could not help but tightly close his eyes, his consciousness arriving in the chaotic realm of his mind, where a book materialized within.
Inside the carriage, one cannot see their hand in front of their face; the windows are boarded up, and the entrances and exits are covered with curtains. Only the intermittent moonlight allows one to see a burly coachman behind the curtain.
Li Mo's expression was one of astonishment, for according to fragmented memories, Rong Town was a celestial sect primarily focused on raising spirit beasts seven thousand years ago
There are a total of 14 children in the carriage, all of whom are of a pre-adolescent age
The material of the book resembles both cloth and paper, with mist emanating from it continuously transforming into celestial birds and rare beasts, while the cover is inscribed with the three characters "Book of Creation"
Every twenty years, a shop assistant from Rong Town comes to Niu Family Village, but this time it is the shopkeeper who has returned, ostensibly to recruit young assistants and apprentices.
The pattern on the page is a vibrant brain
The carriage stopped on the official road paved with gravel. As the sky began to brighten, the travelers and merchant caravans on the road appeared sparse and scattered
At this moment
Manager Tian had a kind expression, dressed in a long purple-black robe, with a jade-white brocade belt adorned with cloud patterns at his waist
Before the age of eight, everything is normal for children, but once they surpass eight years old, the heart rate will decrease year by year until it stops at the age of twenty
He heard the sound of bones clashing outside the vehicle, but it ceased abruptly after just a few moments
Li Mowei's eyes, full of spirit, appeared somewhat extraordinary even in a poor household
Once a person surpasses the age of twenty, the vital signs of the body completely disappear, and there is no longer any erosion from disease. Regardless of how one ages, they will not perish from the exhaustion of their lifespan
Li Mo immediately recognized the extraordinary nature of the Book of Creation, but unfortunately, from the age of five to ten, he had not found a way to unlock the Book of Creation
If this continues, I too will become neither alive nor dead
The Book of Creation appears inexplicably in the mind, its origins unknown
Li Mo felt the pulse in his left hand and couldn't help but think: "The heartbeat rate is forty-five beats per minute, which is slower than it was a week ago."
Li Mo gazed at the Book of Creation, unknowingly falling into a state between sleep and wakefulness, and in a daze, he could still hear Zhao Zhu's incessant murmuring
Li Mo went to Rong Town because he discovered a method to alleviate the deathly illness there
After speaking, he then ignored Zhao Zhu, closing his eyes as if in meditation
For more than half an hour, the team stumbled and made their way over the hill
Li Mo stared at the back of the groom for a long time, an instinctive fear causing a chill to run down his neck. Coupled with the cold and dampness of the carriage, his slender body instinctively wrapped tighter in his cotton coat
The cuffs of Manager Tian were similarly stained with a few drops of blood
Then the internal organs lose their vitality, the skin takes on a grayish-white hue resembling that of a corpse, accompanied by a series of symptoms such as premature aging and muscle atrophy
Unfortunately ... ...
Li Mo has always believed that immortality is a curse
Li Mo sighed
Little ones, we still have a distance to go to Rong Town. Stay close to my footsteps; if you fall behind, you will have to walk back to Niu Family Village by yourselves
The lifeless tome of creation suddenly manifested strange phenomena, as celestial birds and rare beasts encircled the book, transforming in an instant into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood
Li Mo is not a native born resident; in a previous life, he came from the technologically advanced Blue Star, and he merely inherited the body of a child who drowned by accident
Li Moxi routinely took out the dry rations and swallowed them, instinctively touching the wooden carving of the safety talisman around his neck
Cough cough cough
Certainly, compared to the drawbacks, the benefits obtained are even more incredible
They hurried to catch up, and fortunately, Manager Tian did not walk quickly; even the children, by walking briskly, would not fall behind.
Li Mo shook his head and said no more. Just then, the morning sun rose outside the carriage, and he took the opportunity to observe this group of children of similar ages.
Li Mo blended into the rear of the group
It was not until the carriage came to a complete stop that Li Mo instinctively awoke, yet he did not act rashly and continued to feign sleep with his eyes closed
The joints of the ancestor's body are completely fixed, and the flesh has decayed to an extreme degree. It is only during ancestral worship that it is carried out by young and strong individuals, used to bring good fortune.
Soon, Zhao Zhu fell into a deep sleep, with faint snoring echoing in his ears
But in the darkness of the night, a carriage approached from the end of the mountain road
In Li Mo's mind, a multitude of fragmented memories emerged, depicting a town that bore a resemblance of about seventy to eighty percent to Rong Town
Li Mo tapped Zhao Zhu's head and then replied, "Counting the days, it should be here in another two days."
The farmer's bare face is covered with dark spots, the gums are receding, the eyes are veined with blood, and sporadic wounds are showing signs of decay
One can only watch helplessly as one withers, with the soul trapped within the shell, eternally enduring the torment of immortality
When he first arrived in the village, Manager Tian did not bring any livestock, and the horse-drawn cart was parked more than ten miles outside the village
Suddenly, he heard several whinnies coming from outside the car
Li Mo observed the passersby with his peripheral vision, noticing that their state of decay was even more severe than that of the villagers. However, for some unknown reason, it did not affect their movements at all
titled "Heart Beast"
Zhao Zhu saw Li Mo tossing and turning, and couldn't help but ask with concern: "What's wrong, Hei Wa?"
Outside the town lies an expanse of continuous fields, where farmers cultivate crops. Upon seeing the field manager, they did not flee but continued to focus on weeding.
There are also children from other villages heading to Rong Town, but judging by the attire of the leading fellow, they likely belong to a different shop than that of Manager Tian, and their walking posture appears somewhat uncoordinated
Even though the elderly person's body has become so frail that they can no longer move, they continue to live day after day until they make a request for self-immolation
Based on Li Mo's understanding of livestock, it is certainly not horses or yellow cattle, nor is it like donkeys or mules; it can only be discerned as something that moves by grasping the ground with two feet
The populace of this world possesses an exceedingly peculiar constitution
He appeared to be just over 10 years old, with unremarkable features, skin that exhibited a wheatish tone typical of a rural upbringing, and lips that were slightly pale
The mountain peak rises a hundred meters into the air, connected to the ground by iron chains. A series of Daoist temples are arranged neatly, shrouded in a light mist that envelops the mountains.
I am fine
Heiwa is Li Mo's childhood name. His parents are still alive, and he has an elder brother who is set to inherit the family carpentry business, as well as a sister who has been married for a long time
The coachman remained motionless, an unpleasant odor emanating from him, a scent that was bloody and seemed to be mixed with the peculiar grease of oil.
Li Mo wanted to take a short nap, but no matter how he tried, he could not fall asleep. His mind was constantly in an excited state, and his heart was racing incessantly.
They intended to bypass the cart, not daring to approach Manager Tian, their eyes filled with fear
Only a girl named Li Qingfang sprained her ankle, and for most of the journey, she was carried on the back of Ma Ergao
Li Mo observed in secret and discovered that the hoof prints of the beast stopped in front of the cart, with the reins stained with small spots of blood, as if the draft animals had vanished from the face of the earth
The town of Rongzhen is not only situated at the foot of the mountain, but even the peaks are covered with clusters of houses. However, due to the steep and rugged terrain, the houses are tilted and askew, creating an exceptionally awkward appearance
Among them, Ma Ergao is the oldest, already in his sixteenth year.
Li Mo did not dare to think too deeply about what exactly had been bound by the reins before
The flesh of Manager Tian has multiple wounds; although no blood is flowing, the pale flesh does not appear to be capable of healing
As the sun gradually sets in the west, a town backed by mountains appears at the end of the official road
The child, feeling as if sitting on pins and needles, hurriedly crawled out from under the curtain, with Li Mo closely following behind
The curtain was lifted, and sunlight poured into the carriage, causing all the children to shield their eyes uncomfortably
The ancestral hall in Niujia Village is said to house an ancestor who lived for over a thousand years
It can be said that if the populace does not marry and have children before the age of twenty, they will no longer possess the ability to reproduce, as their bodies gradually transform into a state that is neither living nor dead, resembling a half-corpse
Their exposed skin generally lacks color, and among those who are slightly older, there are clear signs of premature aging in their appearance