Immortal Travel of Longevity

With these methods, she temporarily kept the shopkeepers in check.

Ultimately, however, this was no long-term solution. Tang Yuerong hoped to coax the older generation of managers out of retirement to work for her temporarily.

These retired managers had fought alongside her father to build the Tang Family Trading Firm. Their methods and talents were impeccable, but very few were still alive.

Of the original twelve managers, only seven remained.

Tang Yuerong visited them one by one, but only one agreed.

The rest, without exception, refused.

"Miss, please forgive this old man. I am in my twilight years, and these old bones can no longer take the strain. I beg your pardon."

"We are all old. The spirit is willing, but our strength fails us."

"To speak frankly, Miss, I hope you will not blame me. I toiled for most of my life and weathered endless deception in the world of commerce. I finally managed to wash my hands of it all, and now I only seek a peaceful old age..."

These men were all meritorious veterans of the Tang Manor. She could not force their hands, and naturally, she could not use her recent methods against them.

But who else could she turn to...

She did not dare use the people within the trading firm, and she dared trust outsiders even less.

Now, she was truly isolated, without a shred of support.

By the time the situation stabilized somewhat, it was already the fifth month.

The weather was gradually growing hot.

Tang Yuerong rarely got a good night's sleep, drowning in work day and night. She finally understood why her father had always been absent. With so many affairs to manage, just keeping a day's work from dragging into the next was an achievement.

That day, a banquet was prepared in the manor.

Tang Shijing and Tang Zheng were bidding their farewells.

Tang Shijing had already delayed his departure for many days. Over this time, he had killed quite a few people. Not only had he eliminated rogue managers near Shangjing, but he had also dispatched men to infiltrate the various regional prefectures—executing those who needed executing, and warning those who needed warning. Now, his men had returned.

It was time for him to leave.

The same was true of Tang Zheng.

The three siblings sat around the table in heavy silence.

The two mothers had chosen not to intrude on the meal, but watching their three silent children left a bitter knot in their chests.

Silence...

Still more silence...

Halfway through the meal, Tang Shijing set down his chopsticks. "I have to head back."

Tang Yuerong paused, then merely nodded in acknowledgment.

Tang Zheng kept his head bowed over his food. He hesitated, but said nothing.

After wolfing down a few final bites, Tang Zheng dropped his chopsticks, grabbed his sword, and stood to leave. "I'm full."

Tang Yuerong suddenly spoke up. "You should go, too."

Tang Zheng froze. "I'll stay and help you."

Tang Yuerong shook her head, picking up a bite of food. "There is no need. You never wanted to stay, and you would have left sooner or later anyway."

Tang Zheng halted, standing rooted to the spot for a long time.

Without answering, he walked out the door.

Shortly after their eldest brother left, Tang Shijing took a sip of wine. "I've smoothed things over with the Fourth Prince. If there's trouble you can't solve, you can go to him."

Tang Yuerong kept her head down and murmured her assent, then set down her chopsticks.

"I have work to do. I won't see you off."

In a matter of moments, Tang Shijing was the only one left at the table.

He looked at the table full of food, hardly touched by anyone.

With a soft sigh, he began to eat alone.

Before departing, he took down the Painted Scroll hanging in his father's study—the one from Qingshan City.

He then went to his father's grave and kowtowed three resounding times.

He barely murmured a few parting words before leaving Shangjing with his retinue, hurrying back toward the Border Pass.

...

Tang Zheng remained in Shangjing until the sixth month.

He had stayed an extra month and a half.

The affairs of the trading firm were mostly handled by his little sister, while he followed her around like hired muscle, clearing up minor underhanded sabotage in the shadows.

Ultimately, it all came down to fighting and killing.

Seeing his sister's daily exhaustion, he tried to learn how to manage the trading firm's affairs. But it ended in total disaster, causing her even more trouble instead.

Refusing to give up, he studied numerous books and sought advice from several seniors, preparing to try once more.

But the result...

...was almost losing a shipment of goods halfway along its route.

Tang Yuerong was completely drained by it all. Pushed past her limits by sheer exhaustion, she lashed out in anger.

"Could you just give it a rest? Stop making more trouble for me! I already have enough to deal with!"

Tang Zheng stiffened at her words.

He gave a slight shudder and let out a long sigh, all the fight draining out of him in that instant.

He understood that he simply wasn't cut out for this.

Tang Zheng opened his mouth to speak but stopped. In the end, he only said, "Your eldest brother is incompetent. All I do is cause you trouble."

He did not know how to continue.

He turned and walked away, his eyes already red.

Tang Zheng had thought that by staying—by learning and observing more—he might be able to help his little sister. In the end, his efforts had achieved the exact opposite.

Watching her eldest brother leave, Tang Yuerong finally realized she had spoken too harshly.

She instantly broke down, sobbing aloud.

No matter how difficult things had been before, she had never shed a tear. Now, she could not hold it back any longer.

The tears burst forth, and she wept so hard she seemed on the verge of fainting.

Tang Zheng left as well.

He departed just as he had arrived, though this time, his pace was agonizingly slow.

The three children of the Tang household were once again separated, scattered worlds apart.

Cradling the cat in her arms, Ruyi watched Tang Yuerong bustling about all day and asked, "Aren't you going to rest? You can't keep going on like this."

Tang Yuerong replied, "I can't rest."

Ruyi shook her head. She did not know what to tell her, but she understood Tang Yuerong's helplessness.

Setting the newly purchased tea leaves and wine on the table, Ruyi said, "Rest early."

With that, she went downstairs.

Once she left, Tang Yuerong had someone brew a cup of strong tea. The tea was unspeakably bitter, but it revived her spirits somewhat. As for the wine, that was for after her work was done. Unless she drank herself into a stupor, she could not fall asleep at all.

Perched on Ruyi's shoulder, Lihua asked, "Ruyi, Ruyi, when are we going back?"

Ruyi paused. "Give it a couple of days."

Lihua nodded, then asked, "Are you waiting for Chen the Good Man?"

"You knew?"

"Yes, Lihua is very smart! Hurry up and praise Lihua!"

"So smart."

"Ruyi is being so perfunctory."

As they spoke, someone suddenly blocked their path.

Dong Chiyu stood in Ruyi's way and demanded, "Teach me."

Ruyi saw her carrying her spear, having darted out from some unknown alleyway.

She hastily grabbed the girl and yanked her into the alleyway.

"Are you crazy!"

Ruyi scolded, "I'm a wanted fugitive right now! Coming to find me in broad daylight with a spear like that—do you think I'm living too comfortably and you came to help me along?"

Dong Chiyu paused, then lowered her spear.

Ruyi let out an exasperated sigh. "You absolute blockhead. You should go study Buddhism. Why on earth are you learning the spear?"

Dong Chiyu said, "I want to learn from you. You are the Spear Immortal."

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