Immortal Travel of Longevity

"Sister Zhishu, come with me. Let's leave this place and go home, go home..."

But Zhishu refused.

To her, perhaps this was her home.

She could not forget this place.

This city, surrounded by green mountains, held the greater part of her life.

She liked the unhurried pace of life here, and she liked the people even more—even though they were all gone now.

But they were the memories that gave her the will to live on.

Resentment would slowly erode her, and her soul would scatter through the years. This was the ending she had accepted long ago.

"It's my fault, Sister Zhishu. It's my fault..."

Only now did she truly understand why Mister Chen had said that the Way of Ghost Cultivation was not a good choice.

Immortality through ghost cultivation?

But how many could endure such a long life?

Zhishu patted her head. "Little Miss, don't be sad, and don't feel guilty. This was my own choice."

Yu Hongjin cried bitterly, as if she had become a child once again.

Helpless to comfort her, Zhishu went into the house and brought out two jars of wine.

She sat down to drink with the Little Miss.

It was the very first time.

That day, Yu Hongjin got dead drunk. She lay in the courtyard, slurring her words in a low mumble.

The girl who had always been ignorant of the world's troubles, laughing all day long, was now shrouded in sorrow.

She poured pot after pot of wine down her throat.

What had once been a love for wine had turned into a way to drown her sorrows.

After that, Yu Hongjin did not go anywhere else.

She began to repair the small courtyard. Whatever she could not do, she learned; whatever she did not understand, she asked about.

Sweeping dust, scraping away moss, replacing roof tiles.

She kept busy, and Zhishu helped by her side.

It seemed the days were not so dreary anymore.

Later, Yu Hongjin opened a wine shop on the street. She took over Uncle Li's old storefront and started brewing wine.

In her free time, she even began to read books.

This was something Yu Hongjin had been thinking about doing for years, but only now had it come to pass.

Knowing books, knowing books... this was what Yu Hongjin had promised Sister Zhishu.

...

After Li Linfu's death, a chancellor surnamed Yun took his position. This man had not been a part of the imperial court before, but was brought in when His Majesty ascended the throne.

Almost no one knew Chancellor Yun's background.

When he first assumed the post, some lower officials investigated him.

But no matter how hard they searched, they could not uncover his origins or family background. Everything seemed to have been wiped completely clean, or rather, it was as if he had appeared out of thin air.

Not long after Chancellor Yun took power, he used ruthless methods to silence the officials in the Imperial Court. He personally led men to eradicate the remnants of the opposition, dealing cleanly with the previous emperor's confidants as well as Li Linheng's former partisans.

The Imperial Court underwent a massive change in personnel, with Chancellor Yun individually recommending capable officials to fill the vacant posts.

But strangely enough...

After doing all this, Chancellor Yun never made another move. He rarely spoke during court sessions, often just listening quietly as if he were entirely dispensable.

Some speculated that Chancellor Yun was simply a blade wielded by His Majesty, placed there as a warning to the hundred officials. It made sense; Chancellor Yun was probably the chancellor with the highest public kill count in the last century.

All in all, nearly a thousand people died in Shangjing City during that year's upheaval, including many officials, great and small, as well as the city's rabble.

In truth, only Chancellor Yun himself knew why things had turned out this way.

He had only been dragged in to help. He never wanted to sit in the chancellor's seat, so after the work was done, he just slacked off and coasted along.

The day before Zhao Lingjun marched to war.

He arrived at the Chancellor's Manor.

Upon seeing Chancellor Yun, he respectfully called out, "Mister Yun."

"Your Majesty, please do not joke around. Are you not depleting my merit?"

Yun Li sighed helplessly.

Zhao Lingjun smiled and sat down. "It's been a long time since I came here. I almost forgot."

Yun Li poured a cup of tea and handed it to Zhao Lingjun.

Yun Li said, "Back then, I thought you were entirely devoted to Seeking Immortals and Inquiring the Dao. Who knew you would become an emperor halfway through and drag me down with you? Now I am entangled with the human dao qi fortune, making it rather hard for me to extricate myself."

"Chancellor Yun has already boarded this pirate ship; it won't be easy to get off."

"Right, right. That wasn't what you said when you tricked me. Back then, someone told me that once this business was settled, he would let me join the Imperial Observatory and permit me to roam the world. But look at me now! I have been stuck in this chancellor's seat ever since."

"Having the human dao qi fortune protecting you isn't bad."

"It's useless to me. For me, this entanglement of karma is more like a deadly poison."

Yun Li had always harbored some resentment over this matter.

But the reason he had never fallen out with Zhao Lingjun was that they were more like close friends.

Had it been anyone else tricking him like this, the grass on their grave would probably be a zhang tall by now.

Zhao Lingjun sighed softly. "Haven't I already said it was my fault? I admit it."

"Then do me a favor and approve my resignation. Let me go."

"Not right now."

"Then why are you even bringing this up?"

Zhao Lingjun smiled helplessly. "You know the current situation, Chancellor Yun. I must personally lead the army into battle, and the Crown Prince will have to take charge of all court affairs, big and small. But he is far too weak and completely incapable of shouldering these matters. I still need your help."

"Me?"

Yun Li paused for a moment. "You're just messing around. I'm the chancellor; how am I supposed to help him? The officials in the court could drown me just by spitting."

"Just concurrently serve as the Grand Preceptor, and it will be fine."

"There are plenty of people who can be Grand Preceptor. What's-his-name... Yang something? He's quite capable. Wouldn't he do?"

"I don't trust anyone else."

"Fine, fine, fine."

A helpless smile appeared on Yun Li's face, and he waved his hand. "I don't care what you're thinking; I'm not doing it anyway."

"It doesn't matter. I've already drafted the imperial decree. It's not up to you."

"You... Zhao Lingjun!"

Yun Li leaped to his feet in agitation. "You really are a scoundrel! I treat you as a friend, and you scheme against me like this?!"

Watching him fly into a rage, Zhao Lingjun merely laughed.

"This is the last time. Truly, the last time."

Yun Li cursed a couple more times, but Zhao Lingjun remained completely unmoved.

Yun Li knew that this guy had absolutely latched onto him.

In the end, he could only sigh and utter, "Alas..."

"I agree, but this is the last time. And you must draft a decree in advance, approving my resignation."

Relieved, Zhao Lingjun nodded in agreement. "Alright."

Only then did Yun Li sit back down.

The two of them finally calmed down and began chatting about the past.

Yun Li could not help but mutter, "I never should have come to the Mortal World. And back then, I never should have drunk with you."

"It's too late for that," Zhao Lingjun said.

"When did we first meet?"

"Five years ago?"

"I think so."

Yun Li said, "You were still so green back then. You acted like a street thug. You got your money stolen while traveling, so you turned around and tried to steal mine, but I caught you red-handed."

"Why bring up such embarrassing history?"

"You're actually embarrassed?"

"If you're bringing that up, I'll bring up something too. I wonder who it was whose legs were shaking when he went to a brothel. Hundreds of years old, and he'd never even been to one."

"That was me keeping myself pure."

"Right. Just a couple of days ago, there was a memorial impeaching you for throwing away fortunes at the Emerald Cloud Tower. 'As the chancellor, he shows no restraint.'"

"Who's spouting nonsense again? Those are just rumors. You can't trust them."

"The entire Imperial Court knows, and so do the commoners of Shangjing City."

"Cough, cough..."

The two of them continued to trade embarrassing stories.

They went through everything, missing not a single incident from the day they met.

Yun Li cherished this shameless friend, but the only thing that made him unhappy was that this friend had become the emperor.

As they talked, Yun Li suddenly changed the subject. "Say, what if you go this time and end up dead?"

Zhao Lingjun froze for a moment. "I haven't thought about it."

Yun Li nodded. "Speaking of which, Prince Yu probably won't kill you. He will most likely lock you up and strut around to show off his power. Later on, I will help you hide the Imperial Jade Seal, and he will be even more afraid to kill you."

Zhao Lingjun did not know whether to laugh or cry. "That's not a bad idea."

Yun Li thought for a moment before saying, "Honestly, if you really lose this time, you should just give up on being the emperor. It's pointless. I'll take you to the Cultivation World to see the vastness of this world. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Zhao Lingjun pondered for a long time, but eventually shook his head. "I don't really like unfamiliar places."

"Hmm?"

"Anyway..."

Zhao Lingjun sighed softly. "I haven't decided."

Yun Li seemed to see right through his inner turmoil. "Are you really that reluctant to let go of the throne?"

Zhao Lingjun paused, his gaze growing distant.

He couldn't quite explain it himself.

But in the end, he wouldn't just walk away.

He could not resign himself to such an end.

Zhao Lingjun said, "It's not that I can't bear to part with it. I just want to try. The glory of my ancestors shines upon me. This is my mission, something I must do. I also refuse to just watch those idiots ruin Great Xiang. Truth be told, if even one of these princes had half the presence of The Late Emperor, I wouldn't have had to step in."

Hearing him put it like that, Yun Li understood a bit better.

"The glory of ancestors..."

Yun Li muttered, recalling his own years as the steward of the Yun Manor.

Back then, he had also been illuminated by the glory of his ancestors, chasing their footsteps.

So when Zhao Lingjun mentioned it, he deeply understood that feeling.

Yun Li looked at him. "Just don't die."

"I won't die."

Zhao Lingjun replied simply.

After Zhao Lingjun left Shangjing City, despite his immense reluctance, Yun Li still accepted the position of Grand Preceptor.

He wholeheartedly assisted the young Crown Prince in overseeing the state.

Matter after matter, issue after issue passed through his hands.

The officials in the Imperial Court spat endless curses at him, and the next morning's memorials were full of nothing but his impeachments.

But Yun Li didn't care.

This was the last time he would do something so outrageous.

...

Yu Hongdou's days were somewhat agonizing, but at the same time, he was happy.

Mister Lan taught him the craft of blacksmithing hand by hand.

At first, Yu Hongdou didn't understand, but after thousands of hammer strikes, he gradually discovered the profound meaning hidden beneath the fire and the hammer.

Tempering and refining.

A person was just like an iron billet; only after enduring thousands of hammer blows could they become incredibly resilient.

Clang! Clang!

The relentless sound of striking iron echoed through the shop.

A Treasure Sword rose from the furnace, sizzling as it was quenched in water.

Yu Hongdou wiped his sweat, pulled out the sword blank, and wiped it down with a long cloth.

Silver light flashed, and the blade gleamed sharply.

He stared at it in a daze. This was the first time he had forged a complete sword.

"Mister Lan!!"

"Mister Lan!!"

"I did it!"

Yu Hongdou shouted in joy.

The dozing Lan Ting slowly opened her eyes, glanced at the sword, and said, "It's decent. Keep hammering."

Despite Mister Lan's mediocre evaluation, Yu Hongdou was still overjoyed. He had never experienced such a sense of accomplishment before.

Yu Hongdou continued to work, thoroughly enjoying himself.

But in the afternoon, someone arrived at the Demon Market.

According to Mister Lan, the visitor was the master of these several Demon Markets.

Yu Hongdou was curious about this and wanted to see what kind of presence this person had.

"Has Mister Lan been well lately?"

"Well enough. It's quite freeing here."

As Lan Ting chatted with the Badger Demon, Yu Hongdou also caught sight of the person he had assumed would possess an extraordinary bearing. However, the figure he saw was vastly different from what he had imagined.

Instead, the person's appearance was somewhat terrifying.

When the Badger Demon turned his head, his gaze met the peeking Yu Hongdou.

Yu Hongdou froze and was about to duck away.

"Am I scary?"

Yu Hongdou stopped in his tracks, cold sweat running down his back.

The Badger Demon gave a warm smile. He stepped forward and lifted Yu Hongdou up in the palm of his hand.

"I have come here this time looking for you."

Yu Hongdou was stunned by these words. "L-looking for me?"

The Badger Demon took him out of the Demon Bureau.

Yu Hongdou stood on his shoulder as they walked all the way to a mountain spring within the Demon Market.

There was no one else around.

Only then did the Badger Demon speak. "Years ago, when you went to visit the Forest Deer Immortal Official, I wanted to meet you. Unfortunately, I was occupied with other matters at the time. Still, it's not too late now."

"You all say I've been there, but I don't remember any of that."

"I know. Mister Lan told me everything."

The Badger Demon smiled warmly and said, "To be precise, I'm not here for you this time either."

Yu Hongdou stared blankly. "I don't understand."

The Badger Demon paused, then asked, "There are some matters I wish to ask Mister Chen about. Would that be possible?"

Yu Hongdou smacked his lips and said, "You all keep talking about Mister Chen, but I really don't know any Mister Chen. The person you're looking for is Mister Chen, not me."

The Badger Demon hesitated, unsure of how to explain the situation.

He looked at Yu Hongdou and pondered for a long time before saying, "The Demon Market is currently facing a difficult problem. No matter what, the Demon Market is located in the Mortal World. As the saying goes, under the whole heaven, every spot is the king's land. The human dao qi fortune encompasses this world. Our Demon Market cannot make an enemy of the Imperial Court. But now, the world is divided, and both sides have a chance. I intend to step into the fray to seek a way out for the Demon Market, so that the demons of the world can have a place to settle down. Yet, I don't know which path to choose."

"So, I want to ask, which side is the safest choice?"

Yu Hongdou looked at him in bewilderment.

He didn't understand. He truly didn't understand.

This wasn't the first person to ask him about such grand matters of state and nation.

Why ask him?

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