Immortal Travel of Longevity

Three days ago, Tang Mingjing sat quietly in the building, reviewing the reports submitted by his shopkeepers. He remained motionless for so long that one of them sensed something amiss and hurried upstairs. By the time he reached him, the master had already stopped breathing.

His death should have been kept a strict secret, but there were simply too many eyes watching Tang Manor. So many, in fact, that the slightest shift in the shopkeepers' expressions was enough to draw suspicion.

In the blink of an eye, prying eyes surrounded Tang Manor, and the same was true outside their main branch in Shangjing City.

Not a single carrier pigeon could be sent out, and neither could the people within the manor.

In this moment of crisis, Tang Manor's seventeen retainers struck at once, carving out a bloody path. Two martially skilled shopkeepers broke through to carry the news out—one heading for Nanbeilou, the other for the Border Pass.

They faced countless ambushes and assassinations along the way. When Shopkeeper Xuan broke out of the capital, he had nearly fifty men with him. By the time he reached Nanbeilou, only he remained, clinging to his last breath just long enough to deliver the letter before he, too, perished.

When Tang Zheng saw the letter, sheer panic gripped his heart.

"I have to go back! I have to go back..."

Tang Zheng was consumed by anxiety, his mind thrown into utter chaos.

He wasn't cut out for this, and he certainly wasn't the one to turn the tide. He knew this better than anyone else.

Of the two sons of the Tang Family, Tang Zheng lacked the extraordinary intellect and business acumen of his father, Tang Mingjing. He also knew very little about the treacherous, hidden schemes of the world.

The one far more suited for this was Tang Shijing!

Suddenly, a desperate urge to flee washed over him.

He looked up to find a figure standing before him, lightly patting his shoulder.

"Do you not want to go back?"

Ping'an asked.

Tang Zheng froze. He opened his mouth, but only managed to say, "Tower Master..."

He clearly wanted to say more, but the words died on his lips.

Ping'an gave a warm smile. "I won't scold you. I know this is your nature. You understand many principles and refuse to be bound by the mundane world."

Tang Zheng lowered his head. The snowstorm howled fiercely outside, the biting wind lashing at his face as if trying to tear his skin apart.

"But the more a person understands, the more they suffer," Ping'an continued. "Just look at your hesitation now. You might not understand strategy, but your judgment is sharp. You know exactly what you are capable of doing and what you are not. Right now, you likely feel that even if you return, you won't be able to change anything, and that you might even make the situation worse. Am I right?"

Tang Zheng paused, then, after a brief silence, nodded.

"I lack the talent," he said. "But if it were my younger brother, he might be able to turn this situation around."

Ping'an chuckled. "So you're caught in a dilemma. You fear that Tang Shijing didn't receive a letter like you did. If that's true and you don't return, then no one will, and Tang Manor will undoubtedly face annihilation. But if both of you go back, it will only spark further chaos. The two sons of the Tang Family... Your shopkeepers will pick sides, and bitter infighting will be unavoidable. Therefore, given the current situation, your staying here is actually the best choice."

Ping'an had read Tang Zheng's thoughts perfectly.

He didn't understand strategy, but he saw things clearly.

Yet, no matter how clearly he saw the truth, he was no Sage. A Sage could simply close their eyes and discard others for the sake of the big picture, but he could not. He didn't want Tang Manor to face total annihilation.

"I have to go back..."

"You've thought it through."

"Mm..."

Tang Zheng exhaled and raised his head. "I can't take that gamble. Even if the road ahead is treacherous, even if I might lose my head, I still have to go."

Ping'an nodded without another word.

"I'll pick out the best horse for you," Ping'an said. "Also, you can ask around and see who is willing to ride back with you."

"Sir..." Tang Zheng hesitated for a moment. "Nanbeilou has never involved itself in such matters."

He didn't want to put the Tower Master in a difficult position.

"Do you think few people have ever walked out of Nanbeilou?"

Ping'an patted his shoulder. "Once this is all resolved, remember to send a letter back to me."

Ping'an went and picked out the horses.

That very afternoon, Tang Zheng left the tower, accompanied by over a dozen martial artists from Nanbeilou.

That day, Swift Horses galloped through the snow, kicking up a spray of white powder.

This young man who knew nothing of strategy embarked on the journey home. Despite seeing the reality of the situation clearly, he had still made an irrational choice.

'People living in this world always end up doing "foolish" things,' he thought.

...

Far away at the Border Pass.

Tang Shijing never received the letter from Shangjing City. The messenger had been intercepted and killed halfway through the journey, the letter lost without a trace.

"Master..."

Tang Shijing was currently sipping tea with a wealthy merchant, casually discussing business.

The servant who suddenly barged in made him frown.

"What are you making such a fuss about? Can't you see I'm speaking with Master Hu?"

Seeing this, Master Hu chuckled. "No harm done, no harm done. Don't mind me. If Master Tang has business to attend to, please deal with it first."

The servant hurried forward and whispered a few words into Tang Shijing's ear.

Tang Shijing froze, a sudden rush of blazing anger flaring up in his heart.

"Bang!"

He viciously kicked the messenger away.

"Bullshit!!"

The servant rolled across the floor, then stumbled back up to his knees. "Master, the news is absolutely true..."

Tang Shijing looked as if he had lost his mind. "What did you say?! Say it again!" he roared. "How could he die?! How is that possible?!"

Sitting off to the side, Shopkeeper Hu realized something was terribly wrong and knew he shouldn't overstay his welcome. He stood up, offered a brief word of parting, and hurried away.

Soon, only Tang Shijing and the messenger were left in the courtyard.

Tang Shijing took a deep breath.

It took him a long time to finally regain his senses. Suddenly, his vision went dark. He staggered a few steps, looking as if he were about to collapse.

"Master! Master!"

The servant cried out in alarm, "Somebody, come quick!!"

Tang Mingjing's health had not been very good.

Tang Shijing had long anticipated that this day would eventually come.

He had always feared something like this would happen out of the blue, so years ago, he had secretly arranged for men to keep an eye on things in Shangjing City.

Yet now that the news had actually arrived, he found it impossible to suppress his rising panic.

'Father is gone...'

By now, things in Shangjing were likely spiraling into utter chaos.

Tang Shijing dazedly came back to his senses as several servants helped him into a chair.

"Prepare a horse!"

Tang Shijing shouted, "To the Military Camp!"

Tang Shijing was keenly aware of his precarious situation. After forcing himself to calm down, he didn't act rashly. Instead, he decided to head to the Military Camp first to seek out a certain person. If he left without that person's consent, his departure would likely impact the local situation.

Inside the command tent of Prince Yu's Army, Prince Yu was currently studying the sand table before him, pondering how to set a trap to lure the North Desert People in.

Suddenly, a trusted aide approached and whispered a few words into his ear.

Prince Yu froze, then looked at the man beside him.

The aide wore a solemn expression and nodded. "It is absolutely true!"

Prince Yu paused for a long moment. He let out a sigh and muttered, "Trouble..."

"Where is Tang Shijing?"

"He is currently rushing toward the Military Camp."

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