Immortal Travel of Longevity

The third year of Shunzhi, Huaixu.

Emperor Shunzhi proclaimed a general amnesty and reduced taxes, granting the common people time to recover. He vigorously promoted farming, established new trade routes, and built roads and bridges, connecting the various prefectures. The realm began to thrive.

Later, he reformed the imperial examinations, giving scholars from farming families a chance to make their mark.

Emperor Shunzhi knew well that this peace had not come easily. Since bandits had run rampant in earlier years, the moment he quelled the war in the Northern Desert, he worked tirelessly to eradicate them across the land. No robber or mountain bandit was spared. Furthermore, he established numerous courier stations to guarantee safe passage, ensuring travelers no longer feared for their lives.

The world was gradually flourishing.

Yet, in the farmlands outside Qiuyue Fang...

A figure appeared.

The man looked utterly lost. He wore a green robe, a Wine Gourd tied at his waist, and two swords scattered beside him.

In a daze, he stepped forward and crouched down. He scooped up a handful of water from the ditch; it was incredibly cool and crystal clear.

Chen Changsheng wiped his face and looked down at his green clothes.

Suddenly, a harsh, grating laugh burst from his lips.

"Heh, hehehe..."

His bitter laughter echoed across the wilderness.

Chen Changsheng stood up, looking like a man who had lost his soul, and staggered forward.

He shook his head and laughed as if he had gone mad.

That laughter was laced with indignation and the absolute despair of having been utterly deceived.

A scam...

It was nothing but a scam!

Chen Changsheng mocked his own naivety, agonizing over this inescapable torment.

His face twisted into a mix of crying and laughing.

Crying for his incompetence, laughing at his innocence.

In this moment, he desperately wanted to sink into a dream. Even if he became a slave to dreams, what did it matter?

If he could not live well, he might as well remain completely intoxicated, dreaming until his death.

...

The Tabby Cat arrived at the temple as usual to check on today's 'incense'.

Cat Spirit Temple occasionally received actual incense, but most of the time, the offerings were delicious food. Sometimes, people even placed money into the baskets.

After entering Huaixu, the number of families coming to offer 'incense' increased.

Throughout the surrounding villages, households were always plagued by rats. It was not something to be ignored; if someone was accidentally bitten, a plague could break out, leading to severe consequences.

Therefore, wealthy households paid special attention to the matter.

Lihua squeezed into the temple through a gap in the back, flicking its tail to shut the door.

With a mere glance, the candles inside the temple flickered to life.

It strolled leisurely to the baskets and carried the items out one by one in its mouth: two sausages, a bag of silver taels, and a small bag of cured fish.

"Cured fish!"

Lihua's eyes lit up. It then pushed aside the Branch in the basket.

"Yan County's Li Manor?"

Lihua narrowed its eyes with a smile. "Oh my, an old acquaintance."

It had visited Li Manor just last year.

Li Manor was a wealthy household. Master Li had previously worked as a government secretary before taking the exams again in his middle age, passing as a scholar. Later, he was appreciated by a superior and remained in Shangjing City as an official, while his family stayed back in Yan County, living a prosperous and leisurely life.

Lihua smacked its lips and muttered, "Why does their house have a rat infestation every single year?"

Lihua shook its head, unable to figure it out.

It figured it probably had a lot to do with the fact that Li Manor's storehouse was full of holes.

Next, it checked the other two baskets.

There was another family.

Right in Qiuyue Fang, a family surnamed Xu. Lihua vaguely remembered that this family seemed to sell pork. Inside their basket lay a prime cut of pork belly, along with a note.

Lihua wasn't picky. Though it didn't like pork belly, it would take it back for Ruyi later; she loved it.

Having packed everything up, Lihua was about to leave.

But suddenly, it sensed movement from under the altar table.

"Who's down there?!"

Lihua's expression hardened, and it jumped off the table.

It blew a breath of air, tossing the cloth covering the table completely open.

When Lihua saw the person under the table, it froze in shock.

"Chen the Good Man?"

Stunned, Lihua quickly hurried over.

At first glance, it assumed Chen the Good Man had fallen asleep. Yet, despite all its shouting and shaking, the man remained completely unresponsive.

"Ah!"

Lihua panicked. "He couldn't have fainted, right?"

It opened its mouth and quickly said, "You wait here! Lihua is going to get help!"

Lihua locked the temple doors tightly and sprinted all the way back.

After finding Ruyi, it explained the situation.

Hearing this, Ruyi was taken aback. "Who did you say?"

"Chen the Good Man! Chen the Good Man!"

Lihua insisted, "Lihua wasn't seeing things!"

Ruyi stared blankly for a moment, then immediately followed Lihua out of the neighborhood, rushing all the way toward Cat Spirit Temple.

But when the girl and the cat finally arrived...

The temple doors had been opened at some unknown point.

Lihua walked in and lifted the cloth covering the table, absolutely dumbfounded.

"Where is he?"

Shocked, Lihua looked at Ruyi and cried, "He was definitely right here just a moment ago! Right here!"

Lihua's gaze darted to the side. "This sword! Yes, this sword right here! It belongs to Chen the Good Man!"

Ruyi stepped forward and picked up the blade.

She recognized this sword!

It seemed to be named Taiqing!

There could be no mistake—this was Uncle Chen's sword!

Gathering her wits, Ruyi gripped the sword and said, "What exactly is going on? How could Uncle leave his own sword behind?"

Lihua replied, "When Lihua found Chen the Good Man, he seemed to have fainted."

Ruyi's heart skipped a beat, a sense of foreboding washing over her.

"We need to go out and look for him! Something terrible must have happened to Uncle Chen!"

Lihua nodded and quickly followed Ruyi outside.

The girl and the cat scoured the area inside and out. Ruyi even managed to find a horse and rode along the official road all the way to Yan County.

"Shopkeeper, have you seen a man wearing a green robe?"

"No?..."

"Hyah!"

Ruyi asked around along the entire route, but she found absolutely nothing.

The same went for Lihua, who was searching in the opposite direction. Even after utilizing its Divine Abilities, it couldn't uncover a single trace.

The girl and the cat returned empty-handed.

It wasn't until the sun finally set that Ruyi completely gave up hope.

Once it got dark, finding anyone would be nearly impossible.

She made another trip to Tang Manor, seeking Tang Yuerong's help to ask passersby to keep an eye out.

Tang Yuerong comforted her, saying, "Don't worry, Sister Ruyi. Uncle Chen possesses boundless Magical Power; he will definitely be fine."

Ruyi felt restless and uneasy, but under Tang Yuerong's reassurance, all she could do was silently pray that Uncle Chen was unharmed.

Yet, when she looked down at the sword in her hand...

The worry in her heart refused to fade.

Ruyi couldn't help but wonder: just what kind of situation could force Uncle Chen to leave his personal sword behind?

Seeing Ruyi's anxiety, Lihua said, "Don't worry, Ruyi. Chen the Good Man will be fine. Later on, I'll go find those demons and ask them to keep an eye out."

Holding the Taiqing Sword tightly, Ruyi gave a soft murmur of agreement.

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