Immortal Travel of Longevity

Tong Nianyi studied with exceptional earnestness that day.

Apical dominance, the difference between upper and lower branches on a fork, and so on—Mister covered a dizzying array of concepts. Unable to commit it all to memory at once, she fetched a brush and ink to take notes.

They continued like this until the afternoon, only stopping when Dong Chiyu finished preparing the meal.

Tong Nianyi's interest, however, extended far beyond the lesson itself. She rushed through her meal and immediately went back to reviewing her notes.

Ruyi blinked. "What exactly did Uncle Chen teach Xiao Nianyi? I've never seen her so serious."

"How to chop trees."

"Huh?"

"Just chopping trees."

Chen Changsheng elaborated on a few related concepts, but Ruyi couldn't make head or tail of any of it. She simply shook her head, cutting Uncle Chen off.

"In principle, yes. But beyond pruning, weather and soil also play a part. Although Tao'er behind the temple bears fruit every year, the quality is always uneven. The soil is a major issue; the earth behind the temple is far too compact..."

Piqued, Dong Chiyu asked a few more questions.

"If you want to learn," Chen Changsheng offered, "you can tag along tomorrow."

"Really?"

"Of course."

And just like that, their class grew by one.

Only Ruyi remained absent. She slept in until the sun was high in the sky every single day, entirely incapable of getting out of bed, and even when she did manage to drop in and listen, she only wore a look of utter confusion.

That night.

Tong Nianyi returned to her room. As soon as she closed her eyes, the image of that tree surfaced in her mind.

Ever since Mister had first appeared in her mind, the tree had never once bloomed or borne fruit again.

Mister always warned her that this tree was highly dangerous.

Tong Nianyi was endlessly curious about it, but her curiosity remained just that. She didn't dare attempt anything rash.

She decided she would have to ask her parents about it another day. She had asked before, and vaguely sensed that they knew the tree's origins but were simply keeping it from her, perhaps even actively hiding the truth.

That secrecy only made her want the answer more.

Why did this tree exist? What did it mean for it to reside inside her mind?

Over the past two days, she had frequently chatted with Mister.

They occasionally spoke of the night her father first went up the mountain. According to Mister, her father had obtained a wordless heavenly tome on this very mountain—a tome that inexplicably encompassed every medical text in the world.

It was the first time Tong Nianyi had heard anything about her father's early days studying medicine.

They also spoke of her grandfather.

Tong Nianyi had never met her grandfather.

Mister told her that her grandfather was named Tong Caizheng. He had also been a physician and had spent his entire life doing good deeds. Her father had benefited from this legacy, carrying protective merit on his person. All this talk of mystical forces left Tong Nianyi feeling lost; she much preferred things that could be explained with clear logic.

A flurry of thoughts raced through Tong Nianyi's mind, but they faded away after only a moment.

Not long after, she drifted off to sleep.

Waking up bright and early the next morning, she waited eagerly in the courtyard.

To her surprise, Mister didn't take her out to look at trees today.

"Mister, aren't we going to wait for Auntie Dong?"

"I will be teaching you something else today."

Chen Changsheng led Tong Nianyi all the way up toward the mountain's peak.

It was a strenuous climb for Tong Nianyi, but she managed to push through. The journey left her hands a bit scraped and stinging with a fiery pain.

"Sit down and copy my posture."

Tong Nianyi mimicked Mister, sitting cross-legged with her palms facing upward.

"Normally, This Chen should teach you step by step," Chen Changsheng said. "But This Chen does not have much time. I can only force all of this chaotic knowledge upon you at once and let you digest it slowly on your own. Today, This Chen will teach you how to chop down the tree in your mind."

Tong Nianyi stared blankly for a second before instantly perking up.

"Listen closely to what This Chen says next."

Chen Changsheng began teaching her the method of Spirit Refinement. This was the very first cultivation method Chen Changsheng had ever encountered.

"Humans exist in this world with the physical body as their foundation, from which the soul and spirit arise. The divine sense originates from within the Three Souls and Seven Spirits..."

Chen Changsheng recited the mental chants and incantations to her, line by line.

Listening to the words, Tong Nianyi couldn't help feeling a wave of drowsiness wash over her. In her daze, she fell into a boundless void.

Before her eyes lay a sea of gloom, punctuated only by a faint glimmer of light.

She walked toward the light, only to arrive before the "tree" she had previously only ever been able to observe from a distance.

The tree was lush with foliage, but it bore no flowers, much less fruit.

Tong Nianyi reached out and touched the tree. It felt incredibly real.

She froze in astonishment, but suddenly, her consciousness was violently yanked away.

When she opened her eyes again, she was back on the mountain peak. An overwhelming wave of exhaustion hit her, leaving her head swimming in a heavy daze.

"Mister, I..."

Tong Nianyi looked pale. "I'm so tired..."

"You have yet to master the method," Chen Changsheng explained. "Forcing your way into the Sea of Consciousness is too great a drain on your energy."

Tong Nianyi hadn't even needed guidance to project her divine sense into her Sea of Consciousness. In the eyes of many cultivators, such raw talent would be considered one in ten thousand.

Yet, considering her origins, this was nothing out of the ordinary.

She was neither completely human nor demon. The mutation within her soul and divine sense naturally allowed her to peer freely into her own Sea of Consciousness. She could see the tree, and she could see Chen Changsheng chopping it down. With that foundation already in place, the rest came much easier.

Although she was utterly exhausted, the sensation she had just experienced felt wonderfully surreal.

But when she tried to enter it again, she found it impossibly difficult. It felt as if all her strength had been sapped away.

However, Mister Chen had given her the method.

"The Spirit possesses strength, but it is not inexhaustible. Everything must be taken slowly. Just as I taught you, pulling up seedlings to help them grow ultimately yields no results. Only where water flows, a channel forms—that is the natural way."

Tong Nianyi gritted her teeth and nodded. "Yes, Mister."

By the time night fell, Tong Nianyi was so exhausted she swayed as she walked, as if she were dead drunk.

She stumbled back into her room, collapsed onto the bed, and instantly fell into a heavy sleep.

Chen Changsheng, meanwhile, sat in the courtyard gazing up at the stars, savoring the tranquility of the moment.

Ruyi seemed unable to sleep.

Giving up, she dragged a chair over and sat down beside him.

Stifling a yawn, Ruyi asked, "Uncle Chen, you aren't planning to sit out here all night, are you?"

"Just for a little while," Chen Changsheng replied. "I'll go to sleep soon."

"Mm."

"Your mind seems rather troubled lately," Chen Changsheng observed.

Ruyi blinked in surprise. "Me?"

"Who else?"

Chen Changsheng continued, "You never used to have trouble sleeping. Being lawless and completely oblivious to danger—that is your true temperament, Ruyi."

"Lawless and oblivious to danger?" Ruyi coughed lightly. "Is that really how you see me, Uncle Chen?"

"Are you not exactly like that?" Chen Changsheng asked.

Ruyi shook her head. "That was before. Now that I'm a bit older, it's only natural that I have more on my mind."

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