Immortal Travel of Longevity

The world was ever-changing, but Yu Hongdou's state of mind had grown much more peaceful. It was likely his many years of forging swords and striking iron that had changed him.

Yet, walking through this world, he inevitably absorbed some of the jianghu air.

Stopping at a ruined mountain temple at midnight, he transformed into a little man and scurried up into the rafters to sleep.

But later, a group of people arrived.

They were dressed very ordinarily, but gathered together, it was obvious something was amiss.

Their clothes were all too new.

Scattered in a crowd, they might not seem strange.

But gathered in one place, it was a different story.

The commotion woke Yu Hongdou.

"Add some more firewood."

"Phew, that's finally a bit warmer."

Smoke quickly rose into the rafters, choking Yu Hongdou so badly he decided to leave.

But just as he was about to slip away, their conversation caught his attention.

"The Emperor Star has shifted wildly, and the opportunity is right before our eyes. The master ordered us to spread the news in the coming days. Each of you pick a location. The manpower has already been arranged; you only need to head over..."

As he spoke, the man took out Geographical Maps, and under the illumination of the firelight, the group began to discuss their plans.

Yu Hongdou couldn't help his curiosity. He stayed hidden on the crossbeam and eavesdropped.

He listened to the quiet muttering of the men below.

Words like 'Jing people' and 'Xiang People' drifted up from time to time, and they cursed His Majesty as a dog emperor.

It was then that Yu Hongdou realized what was happening.

'These people are going to rebel!'

Yu Hongdou wasn't too interested in who sat as the emperor, but he knew that compared to the chaotic times of the past, the current era was far better.

"Kings and nobles, generals and ministers—are they of a different breed? Back then, even Yan Nantian could rebel and become king; we have the exact same opportunity! Once the master achieves glory and raises his troops in Jinchuan, we will drive straight in and seize the world! When that time comes, we will hold the merit of following the dragon! Wealth, honor, and generations of glory are right before our eyes!"

At the mention of wealth, honor, and that heaven-reaching lust for power, the men collectively exhaled. Despite the lingering worries in their hearts, they were all filled with resolve.

"Let's do it!"

Hearing the name 'Jinchuan', Yu Hongdou fell into thought.

Where was Jinchuan?

He kind of wanted to go join the fun.

However, what he needed to consider right now was what to do with the people below.

Although he had no emotional attachment to this world, he didn't want a sudden outbreak of war either.

'I'll just consider it doing a good deed.'

And so, after they finally fell asleep...

Yu Hongdou quietly crept down from the rafters.

He cast a spell to drop them into a dead sleep, then conjured a few hemp ropes and hog-tied them all.

He strung them together one by one, just like skewering candied hawthorn skewers.

"Should I kill them?"

Yu Hongdou pondered the idea, but decided it wasn't right. There was no enmity or grudge between them; he didn't need to go so far as to kill them.

So, he simply hauled this long string of 'Candied Hawthorn Skewers' and made a trip to the local prison.

After knocking out the guards with a sleep spell, he tossed the group inside.

He hoped they would eat and drink well in there.

Task completed, Yu Hongdou patted the dust off his body and simply left.

...

The next day, an entire group of extra prisoners suddenly appeared in the cells.

This terrified the guards, who hurriedly reported it to the local magistrate.

The magistrate was just as startled. He questioned everyone around, but no one knew where these individuals had come from.

"How bizarre!"

When the conspirators woke up, they found themselves locked in a prison cell.

They were instantly horrified.

At that moment, the magistrate sent men to interrogate them about their identities.

The group was thoroughly spooked. How had they ended up in a cell the moment they opened their eyes? They were completely bewildered.

After thinking for a long while, they offered up their 'clean' identities.

The magistrate then sent his men to investigate.

Although these men worked in different trades, their family backgrounds and origins were surprisingly identical.

Both parents deceased, ancestry unknown.

"They are absolutely up to no good!"

The magistrate immediately realized what was going on. "This must be the work of a supreme expert. There's definitely something shady about these people; we cannot release them!"

He sent men to interrogate them, and though they all claimed innocence, their guilty demeanors couldn't escape his eyes.

"If they won't speak, just keep them locked up! Make absolutely sure they aren't released!"

Little did they know, this tiny action caused the grand rebellion of a certain someone in Jinchuan to completely collapse. All contact between the higher-ups and their subordinates was utterly severed in an instant.

The people at the bottom didn't know who was above them, falling into complete disarray and losing their footing.

Meanwhile, the Imperial Court had long ago discovered Prince Xian of Jinchuan secretly raising an army and buying horses, and they already possessed the evidence.

Before Prince Xian could even reorganize his subordinates, the Imperial Court's soldiers had already stormed his estate.

"What in the world went wrong?!"

Prince Xian cried out in misery and grievance, completely baffled. His fifteen hidden spies, cultivated for many years—how had they all gone missing at this critical juncture?

"Who exactly did this?!"

Prince Xian was boundlessly furious, but he had completely lost his chance.

And the instigator of all this was currently standing on the street, gulping down saliva while staring at those Candied Hawthorn Skewers, wanting to eat them so badly it hurt.

Alas, his pockets were empty, leaving him hesitating in place.

Yu Hongdou sighed deeply and took out the Waist Token the shopkeeper had given him back then.

"It really is true. Walking the jianghu without silver taels makes moving even a single inch difficult."

Left with no choice, he could only seek help from the local Jiang Trading Firm.

He found a few people on the street to ask, but an old man interrupted his inquiry.

"Who are you? You're actually looking for the Jiang Trading Firm?"

Helpless, Yu Hongdou had to recount his situation and the origin of his Waist Token in detail.

Hearing this, the old man began to size him up.

After scrutinizing him for a long while, he realized that Yu Hongdou didn't seem to be lying, but he still kept his guard up.

"Come with me!"

"Many thanks, old sir."

Yu Hongdou thought to himself that there were still many kind-hearted people in the world after all.

Unexpectedly, upon arriving at their destination, he was left dumbfounded.

"Old sir, where have you brought me?"

"Heh, aren't you well aware?"

"This is the Magistrate's Office! I'm looking for the Jiang Trading Firm!"

"The Jiang Trading Firm? Heh, nothing but rebels!"

"Men!"

With a wave of the old man's hand, a group of constables instantly swarmed forward and surrounded Yu Hongdou.

Yu Hongdou froze, and before long, he was pinned down by several constables.

"Huh?"

Without understanding why, Yu Hongdou was hauled into the courtroom.

The old man, however, sat directly in the magistrate's seat. Slapping the table, he ordered, "Rebel! Confess everything you know truthfully!"

Yu Hongdou, still thoroughly confused, said, "No, old sir, have you made a mistake? I'm not a rebel."

The old man snorted softly and said, "The Jiang Trading Firm belongs to the rebel Prince Xian. Over the years, they have wildly amassed wealth in various places, raising armies and buying horses to gather in Jinchuan. Now that Prince Xian has already been executed, you secretly collude with the Jiang Trading Firm. If you aren't a rebel, then what are you?! What else do you have to say?!"

Yu Hongdou's eyes widened as he suddenly latched onto a few key words from the magistrate.

Prince Xian? Jinchuan? Jiang Trading Firm!

'No way, it couldn't be...'

Feeling incredibly wronged, Yu Hongdou hurriedly tried to explain.

But anything he said was redundant. Explanations were completely useless at this point; he was locked away in the prison that very same day.

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