Immortal Travel of Longevity

Prince Jin and the Imperial Court were locked in a fierce war. In just three months, his forces had captured the two target cities exactly as planned, linking the northern and southern defense lines. Only now could his camp finally breathe easier, no longer needing to remain constantly on guard against Prince Yu.

Prince Yu, however, was in no rush. After conquering Yan Land, he had his forces rest, recover, and recruit new troops. If there was anyone in the world who didn't lack silver right now, it was Prince Yu.

But as his faction grew in power, certain hidden matters slowly began to surface.

Overseeing the overall situation from the Capital City, Tang Yuerong was physically and mentally exhausted. The Imperial Court had finally set its sights on the Tang Family Trading Firm.

The gravest issue was that two of their branches in Prince Jin's territory had been secretly supplying his forces with aid. This went far beyond the boundaries of normal commerce. Because of this, Tang Yuerong now found herself cornered in Shangjing.

The subordinates who caused this mess were living comfortably under Prince Jin's protection, while all the trouble and suspicion fell entirely upon the main firm.

The situation had grown incredibly dire.

In truth, if it were only this matter, Tang Yuerong wouldn't have been too worried. Even though those branches had used the Tang Family Trading Firm's name, she could simply sever ties with them to save the rest of the business. The real problem was the audit...

The Imperial Court had sent men to audit their accounts...

But the old ledgers from the Border Pass—several of them had massive discrepancies.

Back then, Tang Mingjing had secretly supplied Prince Yu. Although every transaction had been scrubbed or disguised under false pretexts, he had passed away so suddenly. It was highly likely that a few ledgers still contained suspicious entries.

This filled Tang Yuerong with dread.

It was only during a secret late-night meeting with several of the firm's old shopkeepers that the group learned of this looming disaster.

"Boss, what are your thoughts?"

Tang Yuerong let out a long breath. "I don't have a sure plan yet. Father passed so suddenly without leaving any instructions. I looked through those remaining ledgers later, but I couldn't spot any flaws myself. I'm not an expert in accounting, and I haven't dared to let the subordinate shopkeepers review them. The situation was tense, and I feared someone might have ulterior motives..."

The old shopkeepers nodded.

"It's entirely understandable that you acted cautiously, Boss."

"Where are those ledgers now?"

"They're in my hands," Tang Yuerong replied. "The trading firm has countless ledgers, so the Imperial Court's auditors won't notice a few missing just yet. For now, my plan is to ask you elders to expend some effort and forge replacement ledgers so we can bluff our way through this."

The old shopkeepers furrowed their brows, exchanging troubled glances.

"To be honest with you, Boss, when we were following the old master back in the day, we were indeed traveling merchants, but we mainly handled relationships and networking. We rarely managed the accounts. There were only three people who were truly familiar with those ledgers, but all three of them passed away long before we did."

Tang Yuerong paused. "Then what should we do..."

Forging an account book was no simple task.

The Local Government wouldn't just check the totals; the deposits and withdrawals from that period all had to balance out perfectly. They couldn't just invent numbers out of thin air. Some of the trading firm's goods had official records filed with the Local Government. Crafting a completely flawless forgery would be as difficult as scaling the heavens.

"Boss, could you let us see the ledgers first?"

Tang Yuerong immediately retrieved one of the books and handed it over for the old shopkeepers to examine.

The old men gathered around and scrutinized the pages.

Even if they had never forged an account book themselves, they had seen enough of them to know how they worked.

With just a few glances, they spotted the discrepancies.

"This ledger has massive problems."

"I'm afraid we're in trouble..."

Tang Yuerong sighed softly. "If this isn't handled perfectly, it could bring total ruin upon the trading firm. Do any of you happen to know an expert? If someone could forge a flawless ledger, the firm would survive for now. Furthermore..."

"Our time is running out. The Local Government could realize those ledgers are missing at any moment."

The old shopkeepers were at their wits' end.

After a long moment of silence, one of the old shopkeepers finally spoke up. "Years ago, when the old master was still alive, I heard rumors of a master of finance. He was originally a strategist under Prince Kang, but he offended the prince and was thrown in prison. He was later rescued by an immortal. After wandering for a time, he ended up serving the King of Wei. In just a few years, he more than doubled Weidi's economy. After Weidi fell, this man was taken in by the Prince of Yan. Using those same extraordinary methods, he produced incredible results in just a few short months."

"But now that Yan Land has fallen, there's no telling where this man went."

"Not to mention, he was already quite old. Who knows if he's even still alive..."

"What is his name?"

"His name is Rong Shili, though he's often known by the moniker Cold-Eyed Rong. They say his gaze is terrifyingly cold. Not a single one of his subordinates dares to look him in the eye, and absolutely no one dares to act out of line under his watch."

Tang Yuerong furrowed her brows. After a moment of thought, she said, "I'll try asking around for him first. Are there any other candidates? If he is too far away, we won't make it in time."

Their discussions lasted until dawn.

Only then did the old shopkeepers hurriedly depart.

After leaving the room, Tang Yuerong made her way to a narrow alleyway. She navigated through the deep, winding paths, taking several turns until she caught the rich scent of alcohol in the air.

Hidden deep within the alley was a small tavern.

The tavern was practically empty. The only person inside was the proprietor, who was also doing the work of a waiter.

The moment Tang Yuerong stepped inside, she heard a delighted shout.

"Oh my! A customer, a customer!"

The proprietor's eyes lit up as he hurriedly asked, "Dear guest, are you here for wine or tea?"

Tang Yuerong replied with a single phrase: "Tea by day, wine by night."

Hearing this, the proprietor's eyes burned even brighter.

"A big job!"

He rubbed his hands together excitedly and quickly invited Tang Yuerong into the back room.

The further they walked, the deeper and darker it became.

"Watch your step, guest."

After walking for quite some time, the two finally came to a halt.

There was absolutely no light in the room. It was only after the proprietor lit a single candle that she could barely make out her surroundings.

Turning her head, she realized that they were completely enclosed by solid brick walls. Even the ceiling above them was sealed tight.

No one knew how it was done.

Anyone coming here for the first time would be struck with panic. They clearly remembered walking straight down a path, but the moment the light came on, every direction became a dead end, making them feel as if they had been trapped inside.

Tang Yuerong's expression didn't change. This wasn't her first time here.

The proprietor sat down and asked, "What is it that our guest wishes to find out?"

"I need you to help me invite someone," Tang Yuerong said. "His name is Rong Shili. He previously served the Prince of Yan."

The proprietor chuckled. "Invite? Guest, this isn't your first time here. You should know the rules of our White Night. We only deal in information; we don't take action."

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