Immortal Travel of Longevity

Yu Hongdou shook his head, simply saying he didn't know how to answer.

The Badger Demon wasn't surprised by this response. He lowered his head with a touch of regret. "I see..."

He assumed it was Mister Chen who didn't want to answer the question.

He knew better than to press the issue.

Or perhaps Yu Hongdou was Yu Hongdou, and the Mister was the Mister. Hidden inside a body no larger than a palm, the Mister wouldn't come out to resolve his doubts.

Understanding this, the Badger Demon didn't pester him any further.

A smile surfaced on his face. "Forgive my presumption."

"Mm."

Yu Hongdou replied with his head bowed.

The Badger Demon escorted him back to Mister Lan's side.

A short while later, the Badger Demon departed.

The workshop master had come in a hurry and left just as fast.

Deeply puzzled, Yu Hongdou asked, "Mister Lan, why do they all come asking me?"

Lan Ting smiled at his question. "They are simply mistaking you for someone else."

Still not understanding, Yu Hongdou asked, "That Mister Chen?"

Lan Ting gave a slight nod.

"But who exactly is Mister Chen?"

Lan Ting thought for a moment. "He is..."

She paused. "I don't know him well. You should have asked that lord just now; he knows a great deal more."

"Ah, you didn't mention that earlier, Mister Lan."

"You didn't ask."

"Sigh..."

Yu Hongdou suddenly felt a bit disheartened.

He inexplicably felt as though he were living in someone else's shadow.

He couldn't understand why. Why did people always treat him as this Mister Chen?

Yu Hongjin had told him that his origins were deeply tied to Mister Chen, and that he would surely make a name for himself in the future. She claimed that anyone with the slightest connection to that man surnamed Chen was extraordinary.

Yet Yu Hongdou always sensed a hint of resentment in Yu Hongjin's tone whenever she brought the man up, though she never explained why.

So Yu Hongdou couldn't figure it out.

Was this Mister Chen a good person, a villain, or something else entirely?

Whatever he was, he remained a total mystery.

Yu Hongdou really wanted to meet him.

Lan Ting told him, "You harbor an extraordinary trace of Magical Power within your body, but very little of it remains. You need to work much harder."

"Ah?"

Yu Hongdou was startled by Mister Lan's sudden shift in topic.

What Magical Power?

He was thoroughly confused.

Lan Ting merely offered a faint smile. "If you truly don't wish to have much to do with this Mister, then keep forging iron and casting swords. Otherwise, you'll constantly find yourself begging for his help in the future."

Yu Hongdou opened his mouth, unsure of how to respond.

He felt lost, as if everyone around him was speaking in riddles he couldn't grasp.

In the end, Yu Hongdou could only sigh, turn around, and go back to striking iron.

He was just a red bean, rigid and inflexible. He had always been this way.

...

The grand army marched south, facing the Yu Army head-on.

After half a year of fierce conflict, Prince Yu had secretly seized the upper hand. A single letter in the dead of night put the entire Yu Army on high alert, allowing them to repel a night raid the Imperial Court had spent ages planning.

From that moment on, the tide of the war became entirely one-sided.

Gansanguan Pass was breached.

The Imperial Court's forces were beaten back at every turn.

Prince Yu shattered the court's seemingly impenetrable defense, tearing open the very mountain pass that dictated the survival of the Imperial Court.

The momentum was gone.

Zhao Lingjun stood in the heart of the Military Camp. The disaster at Gansanguan Pass had forced them to retreat to the Ying River. Morale was at rock bottom, panic gripped the ranks, and in this moment, he deeply felt the sheer helplessness of being a commanding general.

Prince Yu treated his captives well and never slaughtered prisoners. This naturally sowed thoughts of surrender among the rank and file. What could possibly be more important than one's own life?

The nation?

Through the endless changing of dynasties, who even knew what home was anymore?

Great Xiang's ideals of a unified nation hadn't truly encompassed the realm. The bitter seeds planted by Zhao Zhen back then had borne fruit, leaving many in the army alienated. They endlessly categorized each other—Xiang People, Jing People, Xiao people. Such fractures were impossible to contain.

Left to guard this rotting mess, Zhao Lingjun felt even more powerless. He had already done everything within his ability.

"It truly is a desperate, final stand..."

October of that same year.

Snow drifted down in October over the lands of the Great River.

The two armies engaged in their final decisive battle.

Zhao Lingjun pinned all his hopes on this clash. If he lost, the nation would fall. If he won...

If he won...

What would happen even if he won?

Zhao Lingjun felt utterly lost. This massive, fractured empire had left behind far too many problems. He understood perfectly well that Prince Yu wouldn't be the last warlord to rise up.

The realm would forever be plagued by rebellion. The Jing People would strike back, the Xiao people and North Desert People to the north were restless, and within Great Xiang's borders, the concept of a unified nation remained incomplete. The common folk only cared about their livelihood, not loyalty to the state.

He was disappointed in it all. He was disappointed in this realm.

Amidst the flying snow of October, Great Xiang's army was crushed upon the banks of the Great River.

Their final, desperate stand failed to yield a favorable outcome.

A sense of profound relief filled Zhao Lingjun's eyes as he gazed across the massive battlefield.

He couldn't see a single sliver of hope.

"Defeated..."

Zhao Lingjun fell into a daze upon hearing the voice.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

Yun Li stood beside him, the wind catching his hair.

"With profound Cultivation, one can travel thousands of miles in a day," Yun Li said. "Coming here from Shangjing took me but a brief moment."

"I've never seen you display such ability," Zhao Lingjun noted.

"There is much you do not know."

Yun Li said to him, "Come with me. Prince Yu's army is about to breach the city."

"What about the Crown Prince?" Zhao Lingjun asked.

Yun Li shook his head and said, "Your son isn't cut out to be an emperor. But rest assured, I have already erased his name. From now on, he will live as an ordinary person. Prince Yu will never find him."

"That is good."

Zhao Lingjun took one last look at the lands of his empire.

Under Yun Li's gaze, the dragon qi and national fortune bound to his body dissipated bit by bit.

He gradually shed all the majesty of an emperor. In the blink of an eye, his body seemed to age several years, yet a thriving vitality flared to life within his eyes.

Amidst the grand army, Yan Nantian's gaze lifted toward the City Wall.

Under his watchful eyes, he saw a man grab Zhao Lingjun by the collar and step into the clouds, vanishing from the battlefield in full view of everyone.

"Mister Zhu, who was that man stepping into the clouds? Who did he take away?"

Zhu Sheng followed the trajectory with his gaze and said, "Your Highness, that man is likely no cultivator of the Mortal World. As for the one he took away..."

Yan Nantian seemed to understand, saying, "It was Zhao Lingjun, wasn't it?"

Zhu Sheng paused for a moment before nodding.

Yan Nantian stared out, a complex look in his eyes.

Zhu Sheng said, "He has lost all hope in this realm. I expect he will never return. Once one enters the immortal path, they forfeit all ties to the imperial throne."

Yan Nantian stared blankly for a moment and said, "Does that statement hold true in reverse?"

Zhu Sheng nodded, explaining the severe truth of the matter.

Yan Nantian said, "I am no foolish, stubborn ruler. Set your mind at ease, Mister Zhu. Let others chase that ethereal immortal path."

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